Chapter 119: The Grand Competition Begins, the Second Sect Leader Cheers On

As the Immortal Sect Disciple Grand Competition approached, Li Changshou, sitting on Xiaoqiong Peak, could clearly feel an undercurrent surging within Du Xian Men.

“Ge Changlao, do you have any extra Xiongxin Dan left?”

“Ah, Xiao Wu only gave three pills. After using them, it's really quite good, as if I've found that palpitating feeling from back in the day…”

“This thing is truly excellent. We've tried plenty of other spiritual pills and elixirs before, but only this one stirs up the waves in our stagnant Dao hearts from years ago.”

“Indeed, indeed. There's one ingredient in it that's extremely rare. I've pondered it for a long time but still can't figure it out.”

“I have to say, the young disciple who refined this pill is quite talented…”

“We must keep a disciple like this in the sect and focus on nurturing them…”

This was a conversation between two Tianxian realm elders on the clouds, accidentally captured by Li Changshou's Wind Language Spell.

The ingredient they couldn't figure out was probably that somewhat “unconventional” one, the Qing Stone…

Originally, Li Changshou only needed to hand over the pill formula, and that would sever most of his involvement in the matter. But this Xiongxin Dan wasn't just for reigniting the enthusiasm of elderly cultivators for life; if someone used it for evil deeds, he would still bear some karmic consequences.

This pill was different from Poison Dragon Wine; the wine supplemented the body's vital and yang energy, influencing behavior through physical reactions, whereas this Xiongxin Dan acted directly on the state of mind.

Now, by working through Jiuwu Shibo, they had managed to control the distribution of these pills, which was the most crucial thing.

The refining method for this pill wasn't particularly complex, and the threshold wasn't high—the challenge lay in that one ingredient, the Qing Stone.

This way, it wouldn't raise any suspicions about Li Changshou's cultivation level. At most, people would just marvel at how clever this young disciple was, excelling in both array formations and alchemy…

Originally, with half a month left until the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, Li Changshou, as a young disciple, should have been preparing for the upcoming intra-sect duels. Although it was pointless, it would at least seem reasonable.

But now…

“What Grand Competition? Would the benefits you get from the intra-sect duels be more than what you gain from refining Xiongxin Dan? Longevity, my boy, you're not just peddling pills—you're making an outstanding contribution to the harmony and stability of Du Xian Men! Qing Gu, right? I'll go get you a hundred or so pairs. Just wait!”

After leaving those words, Jiuwu Shibo hurried out of the sect and headed to the market town to search for Qing Gu.

Li Changshou also reminded him that the Xiongxin Dan was a secret of Xiaoqiong Peak and not to spread word about the Qing Gu or Qing Stone. Jiuwu naturally agreed.

Bound by the earlier Great Dao Oath, Jiuwu wouldn't joke with his own endless remaining life.

Six days after Jiuwu went out, he really did bring back three pairs of Qing Gu and stealthily handed them to Li Changshou.

Li Changshou didn't hesitate; right in front of Jiuwu, he fed the Qing Gu to the Solid Spirit Poison Grass, turning it into Qing Stone. He then prepared the essential secret medicinal liquid for refining Xiongxin Dan and sealed it away in the alchemy room…

But the next batch of Xiongxin Dan would take at least forty-nine days to refine.

Since he now had fresh Qing Stone, Li Changshou took out two-thirds of his remaining stock.

He still needed to keep some for emergencies.

“Shibo, I have an idea.”

Li Changshou pondered for a moment and said slowly,

“This Xiongxin Dan will require your continued effort, Shibo. Please keep detailed records of where every pill goes, even if the elders take them for networking or as gifts—you must ask about their destinations.

This thing can stimulate the Dao heart, but it can also be used for evil, so it's best to be extra cautious.

I can't let you work for nothing, Shibo. Whatever benefits we get from the elders, we'll split them fifty-fifty. What do you think?”

Jiuwu laughed. “You're so careful—I'm not sure what you're afraid of! But no fifty-fifty; that would be unfair to you.”

Li Changshou said seriously,

“I'm the one providing the Xiongxin Dan, but you're the one delivering it to the elders—the two parts are equally important.

The cost is mainly in those few pairs of Qing Gu, and you've even provided the refining materials.

As you said before, Shibo, we're not just selling pills; we're doing favors. The elders' rewards will vary, and fifty percent is only fair, both emotionally and logically.

Shibo, please don't be polite with me.”

“This…”

Jiuwu hesitated for a moment, then, seeing the sincere look in Li Changshou's eyes, nodded in agreement.

Li Changshou gave a few more instructions, telling Jiuwu not to mention the name of the pill's refiner when presenting the pills and handing him a copy of the formula.

Although Jiuwu felt a bit uncomfortable being so looked after by his junior, he…

As the “exclusive distributor of Xiongxin Dan for Du Xian Men,” he was also quite touched.

And so, another batch of Xiongxin Dan was “distributed” by Jiuwu, making its way into the hands of the elders with Dao companions.

This led to a slightly unusual phenomenon.

A few days later, as the intra-sect Grand Competition began, most of Du Xian Men's Tianxian elders and Zhenxian external affairs elders gathered on the clouds in the sky.

They should have been dozens or hundreds of white-haired, crane-like elders with immortal demeanors, but now, what appeared were groups of young and middle-aged male immortals, along with some beautiful and graceful female immortals…

The disciples were wide-eyed in amazement, and even the Du Xian Men sect leader, who appeared shortly after, almost thought he had come to the wrong mountain gate.

Half a day before the Grand Competition officially opened.

Qi Yuan Laodao finally emerged from his thatched hut, looking at his two beloved disciples who were about to “head into battle,” his old eyes full of emotion.

He had watched these two disciples grow up little by little, and now, as he was about to send them to “take the exam at Potian Peak,” Qi Yuan felt a slight ripple in his heart.

But as Qi Yuan looked closely, he noticed something off.

His eldest disciple, Li Changshou, was as usual—wearing an ordinary robe, with nothing particularly standout about his demeanor, making people subconsciously overlook him.

His youngest disciple, Ling E, was quite different today.

She wore a warm yellow long skirt, simple in style but finely made, clearly no ordinary item, and it even shimmered with a faint immortal light, suggesting it was an immortal treasure.

Not just the skirt—her red hairpin, the jade bracelet on her arm, the short sword in her hand, and even the uniquely styled earrings on her earlobes were all immortal treasures radiating light…

Li Changshou had armed his junior sister with these treasures to help her achieve a good ranking.

And these treasures were all obtained by Jiuwu Shibo from the elders' rewards.

Although it wasn't something to boast about, the elders wouldn't find it strange that Xiaoqiong Peak had so many treasures.

“Longevity,” Qi Yuan said to Li Changshou in a low voice, “what have you done that's against your conscience?”

Li Changshou couldn't help but laugh and cry as he presented a treasure pouch with both hands to his master.

“Master, take these treasures for your protection.

Don't worry, Master—these are all rewards from the elders.”

At that moment, Li Changshou reported the matter of the Xiongxin Dan to his master, and Qi Yuan Laodao also found it amusing and exasperating.

“Our esteemed Renjiao lineage—why has the custom of Dao companions become so…

Ah, forget it.

Longevity, you can offer the pills, but don't be greedy for the elders' rewards.

It's because Du Xian Men has these elders to protect it and all the disciples contributing that we can cultivate in peace now.”

Li Changshou nodded repeatedly, responding appropriately to his master.

But expecting him to give away the pills for free was out of the question.

With the help of Xiongxin Dan, Li Changshou's plan to renovate Xiaoqiong Peak could be completed several centuries ahead of schedule…

As the bell of Potian Peak rang, the two bid farewell to their master and rode clouds toward Potian Peak.

Along the way, they saw clouds rising from various peaks, some high, some low, all heading to the Grand Competition venue.

The venue was at the foot of Potian Peak, on a gentle slope and in a river valley, which had already been simply set up.

The competition format wasn't complicated: disciples would draw lots for duels, with each getting twelve preliminary rounds. Based on the number of wins, the top 360 would advance, following the number of Zhou Tian.

This process would repeat: from 360, select 108; from 108, select 72; from 72, select 36…

With so many disciples, the Grand Competition had no time limits—duels during the day and lectures from the sect elders in the evening.

From this perspective, it was indeed a major event for Du Xian Men every two centuries, on par with the mountain-founding ceremony.

After Li Changshou and Ling E arrived, they naturally found an inconspicuous corner to stay in.

Some more prominent peaks, like Dan Ding Peak or Xian Lin Peak, would set up a banner with a single character like “Dan” or “Lin,” and their disciples would gather together.

Others were more casual, with disciples clustering with familiar friends and chatting freely.

The bell rang nine times in succession.

Clouds rose and fell everywhere, and the slope and river valley were soon filled with people.

The last time so many disciples had gathered was during the Du Xian Men crisis, but back then, they were just fleeing in panic.

Today, they were all full of spirit, eager to compete, exuding the air of a great immortal sect.

Witnessing this scene, Li Changshou felt inspired and silently recited in his heart:

'The mountain is full of handsome young men, and everywhere I look are beautiful young women.

Looking up at the clouds, the elders are not simple at all.'

Seeing the group of elders who had completely shed their usual aged appearances, Li Changshou felt a bit speechless.

Suddenly, waves of admiration rose from the surroundings as dozens of white clouds flew in from Potian Peak.

Leading them was a woman in a fiery red long skirt, her black hair simply tied up, her face as cold as ice and more beautiful than Chang'e. She carried her signature great sword and landed in the most prominent spot reserved for her.

She was the current chief disciple, Youqin Xuanya.

Before Youqin Xuanya even landed, she scanned the crowd, searching for something. After looking around twice, she finally spotted the pair of senior and junior disciples. A slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she nodded lightly in greeting.

Instantly, gazes converged on Li Changshou and Ling E.

As Youqin Xuanya made her entrance, Li Changshou had already unobtrusively stepped back half a step, drawing all the attention to Ling E.

Ling E, however, returned the gesture gracefully, lifting her chin slightly with a gentle smile on her lips, appearing quite confident…

Then, a voice transmission reached her ear:

“Recite the Steadfast Sutra a hundred times, and note it down.”

Ling E immediately lowered her head, realizing she had slipped up—how could she have let herself compare with Senior Sister Youqin?

As the disciples gathered on the slope and in the river valley, white clouds also drifted around, with most of Du Xian Men's immortals assembling there.

Soon, the bell rang again, and a jade platform rose from Du Xian Hall, seating dozens of figures.

Sect Leader Kong Xu—cough, Wu You Daoist—along with Deputy Sect Leader Zhong Yu Shangren, Wang Qing Shangren, and several other Tianxian realm elders, accompanied dozens of guests who had arrived a few days early, slowly making their way onto the jade platform.

Li Changshou quietly sensed the auras on the jade platform and furrowed his brow slightly.

Refined Qi practitioners from Jin'ao Island had come again, and this time, there were two Golden Immortal realm experts among them, exuding a faint Golden Immortal pressure—they were likely two of the Ten Heavenly Lords.

Li Changshou hadn't met them before; he was just guessing.

Previously, during the blood mosquito puppet attack on Du Xian Men, three Jin'ao Island refined Qi practitioners had been involved, but Grand Mage Xuandu had intervened and cleared them of mind control.

Now, with Jin'ao Island practitioners coming again to observe the ceremony, it seemed they wanted to mend ties with the Renjiao lineage, perhaps as a form of apology.

This had nothing to do with a minor disciple like him.

But behind the seats of these Jin'ao Island practitioners stood a few young disciples, and among them, one youth was very familiar to Li Changshou…

At that moment, the youth noticed Li Changshou too.

He whispered a couple of words to a Jie Jiao Golden Immortal nearby, then slipped off the jade platform and flew straight toward Li Changshou and Ling E.

It was none other than Ao Yi, the Jie Jiao disciple, second prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace, second leader of the South Sea Sea God Cult, and Great Guardian of the Azure Dragon.

“Longevity brother!”

“Oh, Yi brother, I hope you've been well.”

“Thanks to Longevity brother's blessings, I've been doing quite well lately.”

The two exchanged a glance, understanding everything without words.

According to the rules of their South Sea Sea God Cult, this simple conversation really meant:

Greetings to the Cult Leader!

The second leader is excused from formalities; we're in full view here.

Lately, the Sea God Cult has been running smoothly; the Cult Leader needn't worry and can focus on cultivation…

And so on.

Although their cryptic exchange didn't reveal anything, Ao Yi's previous visit to Du Xian Men and his friendship with Li Changshou weren't secrets.

But at that moment, Li Changshou felt a bit uncomfortable.

To his left stood his beautiful junior sister, who had recently skyrocketed on the sect's fairy rankings, occasionally drawing glances from male disciples.

To his right stood this influential young dragon with an outstanding appearance and slightly adorable horns, occasionally attracting looks from female disciples.

Sandwiched in the middle, Li Changshou: …

He felt that the peaceful, comfortable, and low-key cultivation life he had enjoyed for nearly ninety years since joining the sect was gone forever.