The Soul-Formation Ceremony to celebrate Lord Daoist Xuanyin's successful advancement to the Nascent Soul realm took several months to prepare.
Mo Tiange was so busy that she even reduced her cultivation time to six hours a day. Not only her, but all the other elite disciples also did the same.
The reason was that there were too many guests. Not only did the invited cultivation groups come, but even unknown cultivation groups in eastern Kunwu like Yunwu Sect also came to congratulate them.
The more cultivation groups that came, the more conflicts there were. Some cultivation groups or cultivators that had grudges against each other met here, and it was really like when enemies saw each other, their eyes blazed with hatred. Just like when Mo Tiange received the two people she met that day — quarreling was just a small matter, but there were also fights that developed.
This made Xuanqing School cultivators busy again. Fortunately, these people restrained themselves. They knew this was Xuanqing School, so they didn't go too far.
After several months of busyness, the Soul-Formation Ceremony finally began.
On this day, the sky was clear and the sun was bright. More than 5,000 Xuanqing School disciples and several thousand guests who came to congratulate them all gathered in the square on the main peak of Mount Taikang.
Mo Tiange stood among the elite disciples and looked at the many cultivators in front of the main hall.
Advancing to the Nascent Soul realm was a matter of great importance. In addition, there were several thousand guests watching the ceremony, so it was related to the school's reputation. All of Xuanqing School's Nascent Soul cultivators attended the ceremony. Even Lord Daoist Jinghe wore the school's Daoist robe in a well-behaved manner. Most of the Core Formation cultivators also attended the ceremony. Among these cultivators, Mo Tiange saw everyone she could think of except one person. There were also Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators she was familiar with who came to congratulate her.
This could be said to be the most spectacular gathering of high level cultivators Mo Tiange had ever seen since she started cultivating. It wasn't until now that she truly felt how powerful Xuanqing School was.
This wasn't Mount Yunwu, where she used to stay. It was Xuanqing School, the second cultivation group in the Celestial Pole and possibly the first cultivation group in the future.
These Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators were the top group of cultivators in the Celestial Pole.
The square with several thousand people was completely silent.
Lord Daoist Zhenyang was the first to stand up. His gaze slowly swept over the disciples.
Every Xuanqing School disciple and every low-level cultivator from other cultivation groups who came to congratulate them felt his gaze on them.
"Honored guests and disciples, today is our Xuanqing School's Lord Daoist Xuanyin's Soul-Formation Ceremony to advance to the Nascent Soul realm.
For this reason, I would like to express my gratitude to the guests who came from afar. Some of you traveled thousands of miles to come here, so on behalf of Xuanqing School, I would like to express my gratitude. Furthermore, I would like to welcome everyone once again. "
Lord Daoist Zhenyang nodded to the people around him and cupped his hands in greeting.
With his status as a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, even ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators and Core Formation cultivators wouldn't dare to accept his greeting, let alone Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators. They all bowed in return.
"I won't waste any more words. The Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony will begin now."
As soon as Lord Daoist Zhenyang finished speaking, celestial music started to play. Lord Daoist Xuanyin, who was wearing a Qiankun Daoist robe and a pair of Eight Trigrams shoes, passed through the crowd and slowly walked forward.
Lord Daoist Xuanyin successfully advanced to the Nascent Soul realm. Although he was more than 400 years old, he could still be considered a young man. Now, he looked a lot younger and looked like he was in his early thirties. He also shaved his long beard, which didn't lose his dignity but also gave people a feeling of youth and vigor.
However, Mo Tiange was still a bit surprised. She never took a good look at this Martial Uncle Xuanyin's appearance. Now that she saw him, he could actually be considered handsome. Sure enough, cultivators were naturally beautiful when they were young.
Lord Daoist Xuanyin walked to the front of the stage. Under Lord Daoist Zhenyang's guidance, he first paid his respects to the Three Pure Ones' patriarchs then reported to the Head Grand Supreme Elder and accepted the title of Grand Supreme Elder conferred on him.
Soon after, he paid his respects to his teacher and knelt to receive his admonishment.
"My disciple, Xuanyin, you have a steady temperament, are intelligent, and are sensible. I'm very pleased that you've advanced to the Nascent Soul realm today.
From now on, I hope you won't be arrogant or rash and achieve the Great Dao. "
When he said that, Mo Tiange finally realized that Lord Daoist Jinghe never acted irresponsibly when it came to important matters.
Now, in front of thousands of disciples, he was wearing a Qiankun Daoist robe and had a solemn expression, giving him the imposing manner of a great master.
Lord Daoist Xuanyin knelt and kowtowed — this was also the last time he performed the formal master-disciple etiquette to Lord Daoist Jinghe. From now on, with his identity as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he didn't need to kneel and kowtow to anyone.
"Thank you for your teachings, Master. Xuanyin will never forget Master's hundreds of years of teaching."
Lord Daoist Jinghe showed a gratified expression. "You've already stepped into the Great Dao. From now on, you'll set up your own school. You don't need to call me Master. You only need to keep our master-disciple relationship in your heart."
"Yes, Disciple will obey Master's order."
Then Lord Daoist Zhenyang said, "Thank you, Master, is done. Please rise."
Lord Daoist Xuanyin stood up and stood at the end of the school's Nascent Soul cultivators according to Lord Daoist Zhenyang's instruction, signaling the end of the ceremony.
The whole process took less than an hour.
At that moment, Lord Daoist Zhenyang issued an order for the disciples to withdraw and the guests to take their seats.
Although cultivators like them didn't need to eat mortal food, the most important part of entertaining guests was still the banquet.
Thousands of jade tables were placed up and down the main peak of Xuanqing School. The guests were invited to take their seats and were accompanied by Xuanqing School disciples.
Mo Tiange also received this task. She was in charge of entertaining female guests.
Female guests were treated more favorably than male guests, so they were all arranged indoors.
This was Mo Tiange's first time gathering with so many female cultivators, so she couldn't help but feel dizzy.
There was no other reason — the fragrance was too strong!
The female cultivators who could come to Xuanqing School to congratulate them all had a certain status in the school. Each of them considered themselves as fairies. As fairies, their every movement naturally carried a strange fragrance.
If it was only one, it wouldn't be a big deal, but this layer of women mixed with all kinds of fragrances. Mo Tiange almost fainted from the smell!
In the end, she simply sealed her nose with spiritual aura and pretended she couldn't smell anything.
However, this time really broadened her horizons. It turned out female cultivators in the cultivation world were like this.
In the beginning, she disguised herself as a man in Yunwu Sect. Later, when she came to Xuanqing School, although she was with Luo Fengxue and other female cultivators, Xuanqing School was a Dao school. Most of the female cultivators also dressed in Daoist robes. The few people she was close to all wore plain clothes.
For such a big event, the other six great cultivation groups naturally all came.
Three female cultivators from Tiandao Sect came, but they all wore three different kinds of clothes. One was dressed like a fairy floating in the air; one was dressed like a witch whose important parts were wrapped in black cloth, revealing a large part of her snow-white skin; and one was dressed like a standard sect uniform with light purple and white borders.
It was said that Tiandao Sect's disciples were a mix of good and bad people and came from all kinds of backgrounds. Judging from their clothes, it was indeed true.
Then came Gujian Sect's disciples.
Gujian Sect was a sect of sword cultivators, so their disciples had to be plain. They all wore green and white clothes and carried long swords.
Because of the conflict she had with Gujian Sect's cultivators before, Mo Tiange didn't have a good impression of Gujian Sect. Therefore, these female cultivators from Gujian Sect were entertained by other disciples.
Then came Zhengfa Sect.
Although Zhengfa Sect's main branch wasn't in Kunwu, it was a dominant sect in the north, so its power couldn't be underestimated.
Just like Xuanqing School, Zhengfa Sect was also a Dao School. Their female disciples also wore blue and white Daoist robes and looked plain.
However, the blue color of their Daoist robes was a kind of blue-green. Xuanqing School's Daoist robes were mostly white with light blue embellishments, but they wore blue-green robes with white coats on the outside.
Biyun Sect's female disciples had a different kind of elegance.
Biyun Sect was a very peculiar cultivation group. First of all, it recruited the most female disciples. Second, its disciples were all very beautiful regardless of whether they were male or female. Finally, their Dual Cultivation technique was very famous.
Biyun Sect's uniform was white clothes. When these female disciples wore them, they looked as elegant as fairies, clear and beautiful.
There were also Lingshou Sect's female disciples. Their uniform was yellow. Although they weren't as elegant as Biyun Sect's female disciples, they were more beautiful and adorable.
The hem of their clothes was embroidered with a Qilin, which was said to be the mount of Lingshou Sect's founding grandmaster.
As for Danding School, because it was seriously injured, it only had one female disciple. She sat silently on the side, and her clothes were also ordinary.
Apart from them, the female disciples of the other slightly inferior small cultivation groups all had different styles. Most of them didn't wear their sect's uniform. Most of them were dressed in enchanting and beautiful clothes.
Mo Tiange guessed that it was precisely because their cultivation groups weren't as good as the seven great cultivation groups that they cared more about beauty. In contrast, most of the disciples of the seven great cultivation groups wore their sect's uniform. In terms of beauty and temperament, they weren't inferior at all.
What satisfied Mo Tiange was that although her appearance wasn't bad, it wasn't too outstanding among such a large group of female cultivators, which was exactly what Mo Tiange wanted.
As a woman, there were very few who didn't want to be beautiful, but she always knew that as a female cultivator, it was best if her appearance wasn't too bad.
If she had a little bit of beauty, people would generally treat her kindly, but she also didn't pose a threat. Male cultivators wouldn't have thoughts of forcibly occupying her, and female cultivators also wouldn't feel jealous — there were too many beauties in the cultivation world. If her appearance wasn't amazing, she would most likely be classified as ugly. If she stood among a group of beauties and still looked very beautiful, she would become the target of many high level cultivators.
Therefore, it was best to be just right.
At this moment, the "fairies" had already been invited to take their seats. These fairies naturally wouldn't talk loudly like male cultivators. Instead, the whole side hall was filled with the soft and gentle sounds of birds talking. However, the content of their conversations was a little discordant.
The people in Mo Tiange's vicinity were all female cultivators from medium-sized cultivation groups. A haughty-looking woman cast a sidelong glance at the opposite side then said to a fellow disciple sitting next to her, "Junior Martial Sister, why do some people have no self-awareness?
The people who came to congratulate us are all elite disciples from various cultivation groups. How could some people with ordinary aptitudes who advanced to the Foundation Building realm only because they were blessed by their ancestors actually have the guts to participate in the Soul-Formation Ceremony?
If word of this got out, it would really make people laugh to death. "
The female cultivator sitting next to her nodded obediently.
The woman sitting across from her sneered and said, "Speaking of which, some people's sights are stuck on what happened eight hundred years ago. They think their aptitudes are a bit better and they reincarnated into a good family, so they always feel like they're high and mighty. They don't even realize they've been overtaken and left behind, and they're still looking at things with their old eyes!"
"You —" The haughty-looking woman's face twisted. Obviously, she'd been spoiled since she was a child. She could mock people, but her self-restraint wasn't very good.
The woman who also ridiculed her laughed and even gave her a flirtatious look. "Senior Martial Sister Yuan, don't you think so?"
The haughty woman received her flirtatious look and angrily slammed the table. "He Ruxuan!
You shameless fox! "
The woman called He Ruxuan was indeed a bit beautiful. More importantly, her figure was extremely charming. Although this haughty woman called Senior Martial Sister Yuan could also be considered beautiful, she lost this aspect of her charm.
He Ruxuan wasn't angry when she heard what the woman said. Instead, she deliberately giggled and said, "Senior Martial Sister Yuan, are you still angry with me?
I already told you — it's Senior Martial Brother Zheng who likes me. I don't have that kind of intention — why are you angry with me? "
On the surface, she was explaining, but she was secretly mocking her. This Senior Martial Sister Yuan was so angry that her whole body trembled. She said angrily, "He Ruxuan!
Do you really think you're something good? You're nothing but trash who sleeps in one bed and then sleeps in another!
You don't even know how many men you've slept with! "
This sentence greatly broadened Mo Tiange's horizons. As it turned out, these ethereal fairies also knew how to say this kind of vulgar quarrel between women in the secular world. They weren't any different from those male cultivators!
Upon hearing what she said, He Ruxuan's expression finally changed a little. However, her anger only lasted for a moment before she quickly concealed it. She once again giggled and said, "Look at what Senior Martial Sister Yuan said. If you want to sleep with someone, you have to sleep with someone else first. You're not like some people who strip naked and lie on someone else's bed, only to be thrown off.
As a woman, it's really too — shameful! "Her raised eyebrows were clearly directed at that Senior Martial Sister Yuan. It was obvious who she was talking about.
Sure enough, Senior Martial Sister Yuan's face flushed.
This was obviously her secret. She never thought she'd talk about it in front of so many people, so she immediately shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, Senior Martial Sister Yuan knows very well, don't you?" He Ruxuan covered her mouth and smiled. She then lowered her head and drank her wine in a gentle and elegant manner.
"You —" Senior Martial Sister Yuan stood up angrily and made a fighting stance.
Seeing that the situation was far from good, Mo Tiange immediately stopped watching the show and stood up. "Senior Martial Sister, please forgive me for not being a good host …"
"It's none of your business!"
Before Mo Tiange could finish, that Senior Martial Sister Yuan angrily interrupted her. "I want to settle accounts with this shameless foxy woman!"
Before Mo Tiange could say anything, He Ruxuan already cut in. "Senior Martial Sister Yuan, we're at Xuanqing School!
The master of this Senior Martial Sister talking to you is Lord Daoist Jinghe. He's a dignified middle stage Nascent Soul cultivator, unlike Martial Uncle Yuan who's only in the early stage of the Core Formation realm! "
On the surface, she was talking about Mo Tiange, but she was secretly pointing out Senior Martial Sister Yuan's identity, causing Senior Martial Sister Yuan to suffer a loss in silence. However, she also pointed out that Mo Tiange's identity was different from the others. She wasn't a small disciple without any background like the one she used to show off in the school.
This Senior Martial Sister Yuan still had a bit of rationality left. She immediately snorted angrily and sat down.
A victorious smile appeared on He Ruxuan's face.
Mo Tiange saw this and smiled at that Senior Martial Sister Yuan. "It's good that Senior Martial Sister can understand. I apologize for not being a good host."
Fortunately, this Senior Martial Sister Yuan wasn't an idiot. After He Ruxuan pointed out her identity, she knew she couldn't afford to offend Mo Tiange, even though she still couldn't put down her pride. She still stood up and saluted Mo Tiange. "I was too presumptuous. Please forgive me, Senior Martial Sister."
Mo Tiange smiled and brushed this matter aside. "It's just a trivial matter. No need to take it to heart."
Now that peace had been restored, Mo Tiange secretly gave He Ruxuan a meaningful glance.
She could see that this Senior Martial Sister Yuan had a simple and arrogant personality. If it wasn't because of He Ruxuan's provocation, she wouldn't have lost her composure like this.
Fortunately, He Ruxuan was a smart person. Upon seeing Mo Tiange's meaningful glance, she returned a smile, allowing Mo Tiange to heave a sigh of relief.
Now that the matter on this side was over, Mo Tiange's sharp ears picked up another incident at the table.
Two female cultivators were comparing beauty and mocking each other's attire.
One of them said, "Big Sister Zhen, your clothes today aren't bad. Unfortunately, they're too white. They're so white that they look like they're attending a funeral."
The other one retorted sarcastically, "Little Sister Wan, your clothes are also very beautiful, but they're too red. They're so red that other people would think you're holding a Dual Cultivation ceremony if they saw you!"
"Aiya! Big Sister Zhen is too polite. Your hairpin is pretty good, but it's yellow like there's a banana stuck in it."
"How can it compare to Little Sister Wan's White Jade Double Phoenix Hairpins? From afar, it looks like there's a white radish on top of your head!"
Some people whose cultivation wasn't high enough burst out laughing. However, the two women glared at them angrily. "What are you laughing at?
You're rude! "
Fortunately, the one who laughed thought this show was very amusing, so she didn't mind. She just waved her hand and buried her head in her laughter.
The two women continued to "flatter" each other.
"Big Sister Zhen, when did you change your bracelet?
I thought you'd wear a bracelet until you died! "
"That's because Little Sister Wan rarely pays attention to it.
A good bracelet can naturally be matched with many clothes. It's just a matter of trying something new once in a while, unlike Little Sister Wan who changes her bracelet every day. Unfortunately, they're all secular goods; they can't even be considered spirit tools. "
"Although secular goods are cheap, you have to spend a lot of effort to find them!
This is the cultivation world; there are too many spirit tools and the like here!
They're crudely made and aren't much better than secular goods. The workmanship isn't exquisite, so they can't be matched with clothes at all! "
"Ah! Big Sister Zhen, your clothes are made of cloud brocade, right?
That's rare! Unfortunately, it seems like cloud brocade can't be made into magic tools. The quality is a bit lacking. If I didn't look carefully, I would've thought it was made of fish belly! "
"How could it compare to Little Sister Wan's pearl ornaments? I don't know which year they're from, but they don't have any spiritual aura at all. They're dull and don't even have a bright color; they look like fish scales.
I say, Little Sister, if you lack pearls, you can just come to Big Sister. Our family happens to have a lake that produces good pearls with spiritual aura. They can be made into spirit tools or magic tools! "
Mo Tiange glanced at the steamed fish on the table and lost her appetite.
"How could I dare to trouble Big Sister!
Although our family isn't as big as Big Sister Zhen's, no matter where you go, our family has a branch. If Big Sister Zhen wants some new goods, you can just call us; there's no need to be polite! "
At this point, their gazes met, sparks flying everywhere.
"Our family doesn't have anything; why would we need Little Sister Wan to worry about us like this?!"
"Big Sister Zhen hasn't changed her clothes much in a year, and they're all the same colors and styles from several years ago. Little Sister naturally has to be more careful when you see them."
The two of them moved closer and closer, their gazes filled with ruthlessness.
The two female cultivators were both Aura Refining disciples, so they were also served by ordinary female disciples. That female disciple was still a little girl, so when she saw that the two of them had no one else in their eyes, she trembled and didn't dare to step forward to persuade them.
Upon seeing this, Mo Tiange stood up, walked to the side of the little girl from Xuanqing School and gently put down her wine cup.
Upon noticing her arrival, the two female cultivators finally stopped throwing daggers at each other and turned their gazes towards her.
Upon seeing that she was a Foundation Building cultivator, they promptly smiled and said, "Martial Uncle."
Mo Tiange raised her hand, stopping the two of them from saluting her. She then said with a smile, "Misses, please forgive me for my poor hospitality. Allow me to offer you a toast."
How could they dare to refuse a toast from a Foundation Building cultivator? They immediately stood up and drank.
Mo Tiange smiled and patted the shoulder of the little girl standing next to her, hinting for her to sit down. She said, "This little grand-disciple of mine doesn't really know how to talk, so I hope Misses can forgive her and help greet others. Thank you in advance."
After downing her cup, Mo Tiange gave them a final nod then turned around and walked back.
The little girl behind her said in a low voice, "Thank you, Grandmaster."
Upon hearing the title "Grandmaster," the two women revealed hesitant expressions. In the end, they whispered to the little girl and asked her about her identity. They no longer mocked and ridiculed each other.
Mo Tiange returned to her seat and rubbed her neck tiredly.
These so-called fairies weren't much different from mortal women. Getting along with them was really tiring!