Chapter 90: Immortal Xiang Qiu, Have the Lilies in the Homeland Bloomed Yet?

A fairy stood before them in a plain white Daoist robe, unlike their green garments, her expression serene and her presence ethereal.

The moment she appeared, everything around her seemed to lose its color. No one could ignore her existence.

A joyful whale cry suddenly rang out from the Whale-Dragon Vessel.

In the blink of an eye, Cao Xuan and the others vanished from the pavilion on its back and appeared directly at the Azure Cloud ferry landing.

The Whale-Dragon Vessel itself shrank at once, becoming a tiny fish the size of a palm. It affectionately rubbed against the fairy’s cheek.

Jin Tiehua and Liu Yu instantly showed entranced expressions. Compared with Li Yao, this fairy’s natural allure was far more lethal.

Cao Xuan wore a similarly dazed look, as though equally captivated, but in truth he was staring wide-eyed at the panel before him.

Just as Jin Tiehua and Liu Yu were about to speak, the four peak masters all adopted solemn expressions and bowed together.

“Greetings, Junior Aunt!”

The two of them were shocked at once, and along with Cao Xuan and the other direct disciples, hurriedly bowed as well.

“Greetings, Little Ancestor!”

So the person before them was the legendary Junior Aunt, Xian Xiangqiu.

She looked toward the four peak masters with a nostalgic expression, but seeing their respectful faces, she knew those old days could never return.

As for Jin Tiehua, Liu Yu, and even Cao Xuan, Xian Xiangqiu had seen the looks in their eyes clearly.

In Central Province, she had seen such expressions too often. From initial incomprehension and confusion, to later disgust, and now to indifference, she had been through much.

Thus, without needing to judge further, her impression of the three of them immediately soured.

At that moment, a scene appeared on Cao Xuan’s panel that shook his mind.

Name: Xian Xiangqiu

Spiritual Root: Heavenly Spiritual Root

Multiplier: 3000

Traits: Blooming Lotus from the Water, Twisting Intestines and Turning Heart, Moonlit Peaks, Bright and Pure Crystal

A Heavenly Spiritual Root was no surprise; Cao Xuan had long expected as much. But the three-thousandfold multiplier was another matter entirely. The highest multiplier he had encountered so far was his master, Yu Wan, and that was not even counting Xian Xiangqiu’s four traits.

Cao Xuan swallowed hard. With these four traits, he could hardly imagine how blissful cultivation with her would be.

In fact, after cultivating with Li Yao the day before, he had already discovered that even among fairies, there were differences, especially when compared with a master who possessed traits.

Although Cao Xuan would cultivate with Li Yao, Lin Miaoxuan, and others without treating them differently because of their realms, the feeling of dual cultivation with a master bearing traits was entirely different.

If one had to compare them, then Li Yao, Lin Miaoxuan, and Chen Qianru were merely at the level of ordinary mortals in dual cultivation.

But Master Yu Wan was different. The traits shown on her system panel could increase Cao Xuan’s ability to convert true essence tenfold while cultivating, and the sensations needed no mention.

Because Cao Xuan focused on solid foundations and constantly strengthened and tempered his body, a normal person might not even be able to outmatch Master Yu Wan in that regard.

If Cao Xuan were still an ordinary mortal, let alone cultivating, just the force of his master’s traits, reinforced by her own cultivation, would be more than his mortal body could withstand.

Only because Cao Xuan had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and because of the endurance he had developed through training with the three women, could he battle Master Yu Wan for three hundred rounds and still remain vigorous.

Thinking of this, and then looking at Xian Xiangqiu before him, Cao Xuan felt, for the first time, his legs tremble.

He told himself inwardly: Damn it, be a little more promising. What are you afraid of? She’s at the Soul Formation stage, and with so many traits besides. Even if you lose in a real fight, so what?

The key is that right now, what kind of small fry are you? How dare you even think about this?

First find a chance and see whether you can successfully give her a gift. Three thousandfold—too tempting.

That’s right. Cao Xuan did not even dare think about completing a conquest. It would already be good enough if he could manage to give her a gift successfully.

Do not be fooled by how simple “giving something” sounds. If there is no connection, you may not even get the chance. And even if you meet, if the item is trash and cannot be shown off, there is no guarantee the recipient will accept it.

Try it: give a peak Soul Formation cultivator a Foundation Establishment Pill and see whether she wants it. Forget the Foundation Establishment Pill—give her a Nascent Soul-stage elixir, and she still might not accept it.

Once again, Cao Xuan felt keenly the importance of realm.

At that moment, he suddenly saw a change on the panel.

Xian Xiangqiu’s Favorability: 40

Ding. Xian Xiangqiu’s favorability decreased by 10.

Xian Xiangqiu’s current favorability: 30

What the hell? I haven’t even done anything, so why did the favorability drop by ten?

Looking at Xian Xiangqiu’s expressionless face, Cao Xuan could only feel he had suffered an undeserved calamity.

An uneasy thought rose in his mind. Wait... could this junior aunt dislike men?

Could it be that the lilies of my homeland are about to bloom?

…

“Enough. Come with me.”

Xian Xiangqiu led the group from Yun Province to a secluded courtyard. Along the way, whether elders or disciples, everyone who saw her wore an attitude of deference.

This made Cao Xuan and the others once again feel Xian Xiangqiu’s standing in Central Province.

There were many disciples with powerful auras, clearly at the Golden Core stage, yet even they could only look at her with admiration deep in their eyes.

Not to mention some elderly figures whose presence was so subtle that if one closed one’s eyes, one might not even sense anything before them.

Those were likely either Nascent Soul elders or old monsters at the Soul Formation stage.

Of course, they only muttered silently to themselves.

Even Liu Yu, as the personal disciple of the Yun Province sect master, could only keep his head lowered at this moment.

Xian Xiangqiu glanced around, and Cao Xuan and the others suddenly felt a faint sweep of probing consciousness flash by. It vanished so quickly that, to an untrained observer, it might have seemed an illusion.

She suddenly said, “This time, the Azure Cloud Radiance Cave...”

Xian Xiangqiu paused, then felt it necessary to make things clear.

She glanced at Yu Wan and then at Cao Xuan. “If I have not guessed wrong, that quota of mine should belong to Wan’er.”

The four peak masters all had cultivation at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and all had reached the age of one hundred. Yet they had all come to Central Province, and their purpose was obvious.

As for Cao Xuan and the other direct disciples, most were only in their twenties or thirties, clearly here to attend the Azure Cloud Grand Assembly, just as she had been a hundred years ago.

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Xian Xiangqiu went on, “This time’s Azure Cloud Grand Assembly is not quite the same.”

“Because it involves the Xuanhua Dao Sect,” and fearing they might not understand, she corrected herself, “more precisely, it concerns a quota from the Xuanhua Sacred Land, so the struggle over the Azure Cloud Radiance Cave will be even fiercer.”

Xian Xiangqiu did not need to say much more. Once they heard the words sacred land, everyone naturally understood the importance of the matter.

Though they did not know what the Xuanhua Sacred Land quota had to do with the Azure Cloud Radiance Cave, if Junior Aunt Xian Xiangqiu said so, there must be a reason.

“So, let me confirm once more. Is this quota really to be given to Yu Wan?”

Xian Xiangqiu looked at Cao Xuan. “Forgive my bluntness, but this disciple is already at the False Core realm. With a chance in the Azure Cloud Radiance Cave, he could at least advance two more patterns in his Golden Core.”

Though Xian Xiangqiu disliked Cao Xuan, that did not mean she lacked discernment.

Having cultivated to the peak of Soul Formation, she naturally looked down on ordinary people, and she looked down on Cao Xuan’s talent as well.

But that did not mean she lacked judgment. The last time Yu Qingsong came to Central Province, she had already known that the old sect master was nearing the end of his lifespan, and she understood the plight of the Azure Cloud Sect in Yun Province.

If Yu Wan entered the Azure Cloud Radiance Cave, the probability of breakthrough would be ninety percent, after all, she had been brought up by Cao Xuan’s dual cultivation.

Then Cao Xuan’s probability of breaking through to the Golden Core would be one hundred percent.

“Give it to Master!”

“Give it to my disciple!”