Chapter 744: Stepping Stone

"My master is reliable; he's not on the bounty list," Meng Jingzhou, Mang Gu, and Li Haoran said with satisfaction.

The bounty list only featured Lu Yang's master and Tao Yaoye's master.

Lu Yang remained silent, quietly walking around to the back of the notice board. There, bounties for the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Elders were posted, with prices slightly lower than those on the front of the board.

"So... our sect has been completely wiped out," Meng Jingzhou murmured, clicking his tongue.

Lu Yang frowned, chiding Meng Jingzhou for his inappropriate comment. "What do you mean 'our sect'? The bounties are all for members of the Wen Dao Sect. What does that have to do with our Five Elements Sect?"

Li Haoran nodded repeatedly, agreeing that Lu Yang made a valid point.

"Besides, it's not a complete wipeout. Old Man Ba isn't on the bounty list."

Old Man Ba hadn't lied; he was indeed the sole survivor among Wen Dao Sect's high-ranking members.

Seeing how perilous the East Sea was, the five re-verified their shared story, confirming they were all disciples of the Five Elements Sect. They agreed that even if they encountered Qiu Jin'an, they would first publicly address him as "Sect Master."

Lu Yang believed that given his life-or-death friendship with Qiu Jin'an in Hanshui City, Sect Master Qiu wouldn't mind such a minor detail.

As Lu Yang and the others walked away from the notice board, they overheard passersby discussing other topics.

"The Immortal Appraisal Convention is coming soon."

"Immortal Appraisal Convention? It's nothing more than a platform for the three island disciples to gain fame."

"What can we do about it? The disciples from the three islands are far superior to us, both in cultivation talent and their living standards. Among cultivators of the same realm, who can defeat them?"

"Even so, they shouldn't gain fame by stepping on us, ordinary cultivators."

"Just accept your fate."

"Are so many people coming to Penglai Island because of this Immortal Appraisal Convention?"

"It should be so."

"Hmm, this magic artifact looks interesting," Li Haoran remarked, having discovered a finely crafted artifact in a forging shop. The artifact, an iron lotus, appeared to be a hidden weapon based on its structure, and its forging concept was entirely different from those in Great Xia. He thought it would be perfect to buy it for study.

"How much is this artifact?"

"I'll buy that artifact," a voice announced from behind. Everyone turned to see a meticulously dressed cultivator whose sleeves were adorned with three wavy lines.

The cultivator was handsome and possessed a Nascent Soul stage cultivation. Behind him stood several servants, none of whom were weak in cultivation; they were all at the Nascent Soul stage, and one even at the Soul Transformation stage. This was a high level of cultivation among the servants Lu Yang had seen.

"Who are you?" Li Haoran frowned, finding the man incredibly rude.

"Ah, it's Fellow Daoist Fan Chong! Forgive me for not greeting you sooner," the shop owner said, stepping out with a fawning smile.

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm buying this iron lotus; I'll need it for the convention later. How much?" Fan Chong, the cultivator, said, completely ignoring Li Haoran.

"If anyone else were to buy it, it would be 280,000 spirit stones. But since it's you, I'll let it go for the cost price: 100,000 spirit stones."

Fan Chong gave a signal, and a servant promptly produced 10,000 spirit stones to purchase the artifact. Even at that price, the shop owner smilingly saw him off.

After Fan Chong left, the shop owner breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Li Haoran with lingering apprehension. "It's fortunate you didn't try to contend with him for that artifact. If you had angered him, you might not have been able to leave Penglai Island."

"Who was he? Is he very famous?"

"You're not from around here, are you? Penglai Island disciples are categorized into outer, inner, and core, which can be distinguished by the wavy patterns on their sleeves. The cultivator named Fan Chong whom you just met was a core disciple of Penglai Island."

"And Fan Chong is exceptionally unique, even among the core disciples."

"He is a disciple of Daoist Xuanling, whose father is the legendary Island Master of Penglai Island."

Lu Yang suddenly understood. He was a grand-disciple of a Tribulation Transcending stage cultivator, which explained his arrogance.

What a grand display! He travels with so many Nascent Soul cultivators. In contrast, even disciples of Yun Zhi travel very discreetly.

The shop owner sighed, "If he didn't possess such a unique identity, someone would have long ago seized his dream bubble and flying carriage businesses."

Lu Yang nodded, saying nothing more.

Lu Yang and the others left the shop and continued browsing. After half a day of strolling, they had originally planned to attend the Immortal Appraisal Convention. However, as it was organized by the three islands, entry was restricted to invited guests only.

Just as Lu Yang and the others were considering whether to employ some minor tricks to get a glimpse of the Immortal Appraisal Convention, a disciple dressed in the Penglai Island style, with two wavy lines on his sleeves, intercepted them. He deliberately exuded an oppressive aura, revealing his Soul Transformation stage cultivation.

"Who are you?" Li Haoran asked again, eyeing the man cautiously.

The disciple remained silent, coldly observing the five individuals. He thought to himself, *Unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivators. It seems they're not from the three islands. Perfect. A few of our combatants were severely injured and won't recover quickly. I'll just use these five to make up the numbers.*

"Hey, you five are in luck! I'm taking you to the Immortal Appraisal Convention shortly. If you perform well, you might even be noticed by a Penglai Island disciple or elder and become a servant."

The disciple's attitude was unyielding. Without allowing Lu Yang or the others to object, he led them, flying towards the core area of Penglai Island.

Lu Yang and the others, being mere Nascent Soul stage cultivators, could not possibly resist a Soul Transformation stage cultivator.

Along the way, from the disciple's scattered remarks, Lu Yang learned that his name was Xu Ze and that he was taking them to the Immortal Appraisal Convention. This convention was a grand event, inviting various powerful figures from both the East Sea and even Great Xia.

While it was called the Immortal Appraisal Convention, its true purpose was primarily for the disciples of the three islands to achieve renown.

Penglai Island disciples were considered the elite among cultivators, known as "immortal seeds," possessing exceptional combat prowess. The best way to demonstrate this superior strength was to challenge cultivators of the same rank, especially in a one-against-many scenario.

Unfortunately, Lu Yang and his four companions were precisely those "many" who would be challenged.

They were, in essence, stepping stones.

By defeating Lu Yang and his companions, the challengers would naturally gain significant fame.

The main venue for the Immortal Appraisal Convention was a circular arena. Passageways on either side led to the arena: one for the three island disciples to enter, and the other for ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators.

The Immortal Appraisal Convention had already been underway for some time. Because the three island disciples had been too heavy-handed, over a dozen ordinary cultivators were no longer able to continue fighting. Penglai Island had sent people to find more than ten cultivators to temporarily fill these spots, and Lu Yang and his four companions were among them.

"I thought there would be actual immortals, or at the very least, demi-immortals. Instead, it's just a bunch of people who call themselves 'immortal seeds' participating in this convention," Lu Yang yawned. "You three islands of Penglai really do come up with bold names."

They were waiting in a lounge on one side of the arena. They had initially wanted to instruct these ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators on how to fight, but the cultivators were too wary and unwilling to speak with Lu Yang and his companions.

Lu Yang realized that Xu Ze hadn't been making empty promises; ordinary cultivators who performed well at the Immortal Appraisal Convention truly had a chance to join Penglai Island.

Consequently, these ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators viewed Lu Yang and his group as rivals, which explained their wariness.

Just as Lu Yang and the others were growing bored and contemplating whether the five of them should have a practice match, it was finally their turn to enter the arena.

"Hey, you five, it's your turn! Get on stage, quickly!"

Lu Yang and the others walked through the passageway towards the arena, where they saw their opponent.

It was Fan Chong, whom they had encountered just half a day earlier.