Chapter 40: Guests Arrive

"Hmph, the Xuandao Sect always puts on such airs, bullying our Hengyue School because we don't have a mountain-protecting Spirit Beast! Damn it, if I get the chance, I'll definitely take out that Spirit Beast and stop them from showing off!" Another Junior Martial Uncle muttered, his eyes glinting as he stared at the centipede.

The Sect Leader snorted coldly, and a purple sword light instantly shot out from him, shaking in the sky before suddenly expanding. Finally, it transformed into a gigantic purple Dragon, coiling above the Hengyue School and letting out a roar at the centipede.

The Thousand-legged Centipede immediately stopped, not daring to advance. At this moment, a long laugh came from above the centipede.

"Fellow Daoist Huang Long's Purple Mountain Immortal Sword is rumored to contain a Dragon soul, and seeing it now, it's clearly true. Fellow Daoist, the 20-year term is up again. If my Xuandao Sect wins this time, your Hengyue School must keep its promise. Not only must you return the 137 Magic Treasures seized from my Xuandao Sect back then, but you must also offer 200 Flying Swords as compensation!"

The Sect Leader's expression was calm, showing no signs of joy or anger. He said indifferently, "Fellow Daoist Ouyang, if the Xuandao Sect wins this time, the promises made in the past will naturally be fulfilled. But if you lose, I hope your Xuandao Sect won't be reluctant to hand over the Cultivation Technique for controlling Spirit Beasts!"

As he spoke, the purple Dragon slowly dissipated, transforming back into a purple Flying Sword, returning to the hands of Sect Leader Immortal Master Huang Long.

Only then did the Thousand-legged Centipede slowly begin to move forward again. After circling above the Hengyue School, it slowly descended. The Inner Sect Disciples involuntarily retreated far away, clearing an open space.

The sight made the Junior Martial Uncles frown, glaring angrily at their respective Disciples.

After the centipede landed, it lay motionless on the ground. Dozens of people jumped off its back; apart from three old men, the rest were all quite young.

The Xuandao Sect members were both male and female. Perhaps to provoke the Hengyue School, knowing that the Hengyue School had few purple-robed Disciples, all these people were dressed in purple. What also made all the Hengyue School Inner Sect Disciples' eyes light up was that these people, regardless of gender, were all exceptionally handsome and beautiful—the men dashing, the women captivating—making them very eye-catching.

Especially the man and woman at the very front. The man was extraordinarily handsome, exuding a strong masculine aura. His wide sleeves fluttered, his long hair danced in the breeze, and a treasured sword was strapped to his back, its tassel flying, further highlighting his heroic and dashing demeanor! He instantly captivated several female Inner Sect Disciples.

The woman, dressed in purple, was stunningly beautiful with hair like a waterfall and Phoenix-like eyes with cherry lips. Her beautiful eyes held a captivating allure. Even Wang Lin couldn't help but feel his heart quicken slightly when he saw her. He was startled inwardly, gave the woman a meaningful glance, and quickly composed himself.

Seeing that their Disciples were all showing signs of infatuation, some of the Elders couldn't stand it. Annoyed, one of them growled, "When did the Xuandao Sect start practicing such low-grade Charm Techniques? It's truly despicable!"

This low growl immediately startled all the Inner Sect Disciples awake, and they all showed looks of surprise.

One of the three old men laughed heartily and said, "This must be Immortal Master Daoxu, right? I am Qin Gulei. Take a closer look. These two Disciples of mine haven't cultivated any charm techniques; they were born with a single Water Spiritual Root. I observe that none of your Hengyue School Disciples possess such a Spiritual Root; all of your Five Elements are chaotic. It's no wonder, Fellow Daoist, that you can't tell."

All the Hengyue School Elders' expressions were uncertain. After a long while, Sect Leader Immortal Master Huang Long's expression remained normal, and he subtly changed the subject, saying, "Fellow Daoists of the Xuandao Sect, please rest at our School for now. The official exchange will be in three days, how about that?"

Elder Ouyang nodded with a smile and said, "Very good. My Xuandao Sect and your esteemed School have been on good terms for many years. Although these exchanges involve stakes, we shouldn't let them harm our harmony."

Among the many Elders of the Hengyue School, an old man stepped forward. His face was deeply wrinkled, and he looked somewhat listless. He chuckled softly and said to Elder Ouyang, "Fellow Daoist Ouyang, it's been twenty years. Do you still remember an old friend?"

Elder Ouyang laughed heartily and said, "I saw you, old fellow, just now. Fellow Daoist Song, this time no matter what, I must drink your fine wine again. Last time I didn't get enough; you were too stingy, only bringing out one jar!"

Junior Martial Uncle Song laughed and said, "It's not that I'm stingy, it's that you, old Ouyang, are too terrifying when you drink. No number of jars would be enough."

As the two spoke, the other two old men from the Xuandao Sect also found their acquaintances, as if they had forgotten the previous unpleasantness, and chatted freely.

They spoke of interesting anecdotes from the Cultivation World of the State of Zhao, which greatly broadened the horizons of the Disciples from both Schools.

For example, a Disciple from Wufeng Valley seduced the Sect Leader's female Disciple from the Misty Sect and got her pregnant. The Misty Sect Leader went to Wufeng Valley to seek justice and returned with an infant.

Another example was a Disciple from the Heavenly Dao Gate who betrayed his School and joined the Joyous Union Sect. Disciples who were close to him within the Gate secretly tasted the benefits, and one by one, they betrayed their School, infuriating the Heavenly Dao Gate Elder who then issued a School wide kill order.

Or perhaps some Heavenly Treasure appearing, and finally, they spoke of the Misty Sect's Grand Elder, Immortal Master Wuwei, a Core Formation stage expert, whose grand birthday celebration was a few months away, and various Schools on good terms with him were sending people to offer congratulations, and so on.

Wang Lin listened for a long time, gradually forming a vague impression of the Cultivation World in the State of Zhao. Just then, he suddenly felt someone watching him. He turned his head and saw the single Water Spiritual Root girl from the Xuandao Sect smiling faintly at him.

Wang Lin nodded slightly, withdrew his gaze, and inwardly remained vigilant. He didn't think he had such great charm that he would be noticed among so many Disciples.

Liu Mei, as one of the outstanding Inner Sect Disciples of the Xuandao Sect, was very confident in her innate Charm Technique. Normally, among her peers in the Xuandao Sect, few could resist it. However, this seemingly ordinary young man was actually the first to recover his senses, which surprised her slightly. She couldn't help but look at him a few more times, but no matter how she looked, he seemed to be only at the third layer of Qi Condensation, with nothing extraordinary about him.

While the Elders chatted, the Disciples of both Schools also observed each other, preparing for future exchanges and competitions. Most of the Xuandao Sect Disciples' strengths were indiscernible, as if an invisible mist concealed their true cultivation.

Wang Lin was also quite surprised and developed some interest in the Xuandao Sect. The other party clearly all possessed some kind of immortal art similar to an Invisibility Spell, but it was obviously much more advanced than a simple Invisibility Spell.

Most of the Hengyue School Disciples focused their attention on the most conspicuous man and woman, each with their own thoughts. However, Wang Lin noticed a strange phenomenon: among these people, judging by their eyes, they all seemed to show a faint hint of respect towards a middle-aged man standing at the very back.

Giving that person a meaningful glance, Wang Lin withdrew his gaze and lowered his head, remaining silent.