At that moment, inside a luxurious building constructed by the seaside on the island, several people were sipping tea and chatting idly.
The leader was an old man with white hair and beard, yet he had bright starry eyes and a youthful face. Sitting there, he exuded a powerful aura. One look was enough to know he was a formidable expert.
The others, whether seated or standing, all showed great respect towards this elder.
“Father Venerable, it has been fifteen years. The Divine Phoenix Empire seems restless again.”
A middle-aged man dressed like a scholar gently tapped the book on his knee and spoke calmly.
“Indeed, fifteen years. During the Dragon-Phoenix Selection fifteen years ago, Ji Lingyue emerged as the biggest winner. Everyone thought she would become a peerless powerhouse. Yet, just one month after the selection ended, she mysteriously vanished.”
The old man let out a long sigh, his tone full of helplessness.
“What is there to regret about her disappearance? After all, she could never be used by us.”
The middle-aged scholar said with disdain, “Recently, another peerless genius has appeared in the Divine Phoenix Empire. His way of doing things is just as fearless as that Ji Lingyue.”
“You mean that boy called Ling Xiao?” The old man smiled. “The last time I went to Chang Le Immortal Island, that old fellow Chang Le Ancestor even praised the lad to me. He won the alchemy conference championship. Even if he is not strong in martial arts, his alchemy skill alone is enough to attract many followers.”
“Father Venerable, what should we do? Should we try to recruit him?”
The middle-aged scholar asked.
“Let us make contact first. I hear this kid has quite the ambition. He actually founded the Heavenly Dynasty Empire. Does he even place our Sacred Dynasty in his eyes?”
The old man said calmly, “Try not to offend him for now. Observe and see. If he truly cannot be pulled to our side, then eliminate him. A genius who cannot be used by us becomes too strong, and that makes people uneasy.”
“Understood.”
The middle-aged scholar nodded.
“By the way, this Dragon-Phoenix Selection is different from the past. Its scale is comparable to the previous Five Immortals Grand Gathering. Our Sacred Dynasty Immortal Island has been dormant for so many years. It is time to reveal a bit of our strength.”
The old man suddenly changed the topic.
“Reporting to Father Venerable, I plan to send the top ten disciples from our immortal island to participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Selection. What do you think?”
The middle-aged scholar asked.
“Quality over quantity. Just send the top three. Also, call back Huang Tian, who is currently travelling on the White Tiger Continent. With him there, our chances are much higher. Although the Dragon-Phoenix Selection is not that important, the upcoming White Tiger风云会 will face the four nations and one sect of the White Tiger Continent. We cannot take it lightly.”
The old man pondered and said, “Moreover, the marriage between Huang Tian and that Luo Yu should be arranged soon. This will help strengthen the ties between our Sacred Dynasty Immortal Island, the Tianlong Trading Company, and the Ji family even further.”
“Indeed. Luo Yu is not only Ji Qing’s daughter but also the disciple of Medicine King Sun Ran. As long as our Huang Tian can take first place in the Dragon-Phoenix Selection, he can propose marriage with perfect justification.”
The middle-aged scholar said happily.
Ji Huang Tian, a name filled with dominance, was the most outstanding successor nurtured by the Sacred Dynasty Immortal Island for the next generation.
No member of the Ji family did not wish to revive the Sacred Dynasty.
The Ji family of the Sacred Dynasty Immortal Island, the Ji family of the Righteous Alliance, and the Ji family of the Tianlong Trading Company all harboured such ambitions.
Although their paths differed, they were all focused on cultivating their own successors.
Ji Huang Tian was the pride of the Sacred Dynasty Immortal Island and the hope for its revival.
Perhaps that Heavenly Dynasty Emperor Ling Xiao would become the whetstone for him.
…
“Master, someone requests an audience!”
After seeing off the Wine Demon Sword, Ling Xiao returned to cultivation. If those three foolish Phoenix Sons had not come to cause trouble, he would not have come out of seclusion.
Roughly one day and one night later, he finally emerged from his cultivation state.
His cultivation had been fully consolidated at the Third Cave Heaven Realm.
Although the realms of the Bright Divine Sword and Dark Demonic Sword had not advanced, he had gained much deeper insight into them.
The transformations of Rising Sun Change and Blazing Sun Change had become much easier to perform.
Heavenly Demon Destroy Body and Heavenly Demon Destroy Heart could now even be fused together, greatly increasing their power.
Just as he came out, he heard Leng Mei’s voice.
“Who is looking for me?”
Ling Xiao asked curiously.
“It is me!”
Before Leng Mei could reply, a lively female voice rang out.
Ji Luo Yu walked in from outside with a smile and said, “Big Brother Ling truly is hard to meet. I sent three groups of people in a row, yet none could see you. In the end, I had to come personally.”
“So it is Miss Luo Yu. What brings you here?”
Ling Xiao’s impression of Ji Luo Yu still remained from the alchemy conference in Sin City.
Although Ji Luo Yu was the disciple of Medicine King Sun Ran, her personality was completely different from her master’s.
That old bastard Sun Ran was despicable and shameless, while Ji Luo Yu acted freely and upright, much like her father Ji Qing.
Moreover, Ji Qing had helped him in the past, so Ling Xiao held a rather good impression of Ji Luo Yu.
“Can I not come to see you without a reason?”
Ji Luo Yu stuck out her tongue and said, “Lately, Master has been getting very close with people from the Ice Phoenix Clan and Divine Phoenix Academy. He has mentioned you several times during those talks. You should be careful. He is the type who holds grudges over the smallest things. Back in Sin City, you did not give him any face. He says nothing now, but the moment he gets a chance, he will not let you off.”
“Thank you for the reminder, Miss Luo Yu. Leng Mei, please prepare some tea.”
Ling Xiao had just finished cultivating and had nothing particular to do. Since Ji Luo Yu had come in person, he could not possibly refuse to give her any face. A chat was fine. Perhaps he could even extract some useful information.
Leng Mei went to brew tea.
Ji Luo Yu walked around the room and looked up to see a painting hanging on the wall.
The woman in the painting was aloof, elegant, and carried a faint immortal aura, truly resembling a fairy descended to earth. Ji Luo Yu could not help staring in a daze.
“Is this Her Highness Moon Lady?”
Ji Luo Yu asked.
“Yes, I painted it myself. Not bad, right?”
Ling Xiao smiled.
“You actually know how to paint as well?”
Ji Luo Yu asked in surprise.
“What, in your eyes, am I just a brute who only knows how to fight and kill all day?”
Ling Xiao laughed and said, “I have some understanding of painting, calligraphy, and carving. Painting is just a bit better. Actually, I did not study it deliberately. Sometimes when I reach a bottleneck in martial arts, I use these arts to help gain insight.”
“Does it work?”
“Of course it does. Although these seem like ordinary arts, when you pour your soul into them, you can truly gain many realisations.”
Ling Xiao smiled and continued, “Many cultivation techniques and martial skills from the ancient era were actually extracted from the most ordinary aspects of daily life and art. For example, observing animals fighting led to the creation of Snake Fist, Crane Fist, and so on. When paired with a matching martial soul, their power becomes boundless.”
“Now that you mention it, that really makes sense.”
Ji Luo Yu looked at Ling Xiao with great interest. She seemed fascinated by everything he said.
The two chatted more and more deeply, moving from painting to alchemy, then from alchemy to martial arts. Before they realised it, half an hour had already passed.
At that moment, outside Qingxu Academy, a group of young people suddenly gathered.
These people were not here to cause trouble for Ling Xiao. They had come to pursue Ji Luo Yu.
