Chapter 262: The Purple Mist Grand Ceremony
“Master Xu, Master Xu, the Purple Mist Grand Ceremony is about to begin. You must hurry, or you’ll be late!”
A spiritual flower floated before Xu Ming, urgently calling out to him.
These past few days, it had been these spiritual flowers and herbs that brought him food and even washed his clothes.
They were like maidservants of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers.
His clothes always carried a faint floral fragrance after they washed them.
But in another sense, they were also like disciples of the valley.
He felt that with another thousand years of cultivation, they might truly be able to take on human form.
“I understand. Thank you for reminding me, Lady Flower.” Xu Ming stood up and thanked the spiritual flower.
“And one more thing, Wang Xuan asked me to tell you that they’ve already gone to the Purple Mist Grand Ceremony. Don’t be too burdened; maintain a calm mindset, do your best, and leave the rest to fate. That’s all.”
The spiritual flower earnestly instructed Xu Ming.
“I’ve remembered.”
Xu Ming nodded and took large steps towards the exit of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers.
Just as he stepped out of the valley, Xu Ming saw dozens of cultivators flying in the same direction in the sky.
Even though no one was guiding him, Xu Ming knew this direction roughly led to where the Purple Mist Grand Ceremony was being held.
So he flew off in that direction as well.
“Brother Xu.”
Just when Xu Ming had flown for a short while, Yu Wen Xi’s voice came from not far away.
Xu Ming stopped his flight and turned to look. Yu Wen Xi and Miao Feng were flying towards him.
“Brothers Yu and Miao.” Xu Ming bowed respectfully.
“We haven’t known where Brother Xu went these past two days. We wanted to invite you for drinks, but you weren’t in your quarters,” Yu Wen Xi said, with a hint of worry in his expression.
It was mainly because the outer regions of the Heavenly Profound Gate had been quite unsafe recently, with many incidents involving cultivators. They were worried that Xu Ming might have ventured there and encountered some misfortune.
“Sorry, sorry for making the two of you worry. I went to visit an old friend of the Heavenly Profound Gate whom I met during my travels. That’s why I wasn’t in my quarters these past two days,” Xu Ming laughed.
“So that’s how it is. As long as Brother Xu is fine, that’s good.” Miao Feng nodded.
“It’s getting late. The Purple Mist Grand Ceremony seems about to start. Let’s hurry over.”
“Word has it that this year’s ceremony will be grander than usual. We can’t miss it,” Yu Wen Xi’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“You’re not interested in the ceremony itself; you just want to see Miss He Qingqing perform her sword dance during the event,” Miao Feng directly exposed his friend’s thoughts.
“You… you shouldn’t slander people…” Yu Wen Xi’s face turned red, looking extremely pure-hearted.
“Appreciation for beauty is natural. If Brother Yu likes her, go ahead and pursue her. There’s no need to hide it, especially since we are all from prestigious sects. If Brother Yu could be with Miss Qingqing, it might even become a beautiful story,” Xu Ming chuckled in agreement.
“Brother Xu, why are you saying this too?” Yu Wen Xi’s face turned even redder. “Alright, alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s really hurry up.”
Yu Wen Xi didn’t want to say anything more to his teasing friends and quickly flew forward.
Xu Ming and Miao Feng exchanged glances and couldn’t help but shake their heads before following forward.
When the three arrived at the venue of the Purple Mist Grand Ceremony, they were all somewhat amazed.
This place had a breathtaking scenery. Numerous spirit pools were scattered across the flat and open small plateau.
Tables were neatly arranged, with spirit fruits and rare delicacies placed on them. Disciples dressed splendidly carried wine and queued up, placing a pot of wine on each table. The clear spirit springs reflected everyone’s figures.
And at the central position stood a massive tree over a hundred meters tall.
This tree was incredibly thick, probably requiring ten strong men to encircle it with their arms. Its lush branches and leaves rustled with the wind.
Xu Ming believed he hadn’t guessed wrong—this was the legendary Xuantian Tree.
Xuantian Tree, Heavenly Profound Gate.
Legend had it that when the founding patriarch of the Heavenly Profound Gate established the sect, it was because he saw such a spiritual tree anchoring the spiritual energy within a thousand miles around. Thus, with this tree as the center, the sect was founded and named Xuantian Gate.
And this Xuantian Tree had blessed the Heavenly Profound Gate through tens of thousands of years, ensuring its prosperity and producing countless talents generation after generation.
“May the three gentlemen kindly show your jade tokens?”
A maidservant approached Xu Ming and the others, asking.
The three showed their jade tokens, which bore the names of their sects and their own names. After all, this place wasn’t randomly assigned; every sect had its designated seating.
Soon, the three were led by the maidservant to their seats.
Unfortunately, Xu Ming and Yu Wen Xi ended up sitting opposite each other, relatively far apart, unable to continue chatting.
More and more people flew over and were seated under the guidance of the maidservants.
Not long after, Wu Yanhan wearing a flowing dress walked to Xu Ming’s side and sat down next to him.
Feeling Wu Yanhan’s presence beside him, Xu Ming smiled and asked, “Did you break through?”
Wu Yanhan nodded. “I did.”
“That’s good.”
Xu Ming looked forward without saying more.
To be able to break through a major realm in such a short time, Xu Ming thought, only Wu Yanhan could achieve that.
Wu Yanhan’s gaze occasionally fell on Xu Ming.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Ming asked. “Is there something strange on my face?”
Wu Yanhan shook her head.
Xu Ming chuckled. “Then why are you staring at me?”
Wu Yanhan said, “I feel like you’ve changed. Your sword qi used to be sharp but somewhat chaotic. But now, it feels much more organized. It seems like you’ve gained quite a bit of fortune.”
“Forget Xuan passed down a sword technique to me. It’s probably the influence of that technique,” Xu Ming honestly replied.
“Hmm.” Wu Yanhan nodded and withdrew her gaze.
She was certainly happy to see Xu Ming grow stronger.
But she also felt a tiny bit of disappointment.
Disappointed because she thought that reaching the Golden Body Realm would allow her to surpass him in a short time, but unexpectedly, he had also grown stronger.
After two incense sticks’ worth of time, most people had taken their seats.
Now they just waited for the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Profound Gate to arrive.
