CHAPTER 178: INTERNATIONAL CULTIVATOR EXCHANGE MEETING

Perhaps it was because he had seen his senior sister too many times, but when Wang Sheng looked at the photos on his phone, he felt absolutely nothing at all.

He lightly swiped his finger across the screen. Of the five photos his master had sent, two featured girls from Sakura Island. One wore a suit, the other a tight-fitting outfit. Both had rather attractive figures. Compared to many young Kun Daoists in the cultivation world, though, they could only be considered mid at best.

In the photos, the most striking was a fair-skinned blonde. She had light blue eyes, long golden hair, a slender and graceful figure, delicate facial features, and fine arms that looked too weak to even truss a chicken. Her entire appearance suggested she walked the path of mental power.

Mental power, spiritual consciousness, and psychic energy were three related but not entirely identical concepts.

His senior sister leaned in quietly to glance at the photos. In admiration, she softly exclaimed, "Wow..."

Wang Sheng chuckled and dismissed the idea of forwarding the pictures to his mistress to praise his master's excellent photography skills. He casually deleted all the photos instead.

From what he had gathered from his master and a few Daoist masters, the three delegations didn't seem to have any experts. Tomorrow, his senior sister wouldn't even have to step up. Her appearance and presence would be enough to completely outshine them.

They had just finished their short meeting when Huai Jing arrived, lugging his suitcase with haste and chanting, "Amitabha."

He was here to represent the Buddhist sects at this international exchange meeting. In a way, it was rather fitting.

Concerned that the other side would ask for individual duels against Hua Republic cultivators who were out of their league, the Hua Republic considered proposing three-member or five-member team battles. Hence, the Special Investigation Unit had selected two more candidates. They then rushed the five-member youth representative team across the East Sea to this international city overnight.

When the last two arrived, Wang Sheng, Mu Wanxuan, and Huai Jing had already returned to their rooms to cultivate. Refusing to disturb them, the Special Investigation Unit only notified the five to gather in Wang Sheng's room early the next morning. The first to arrive, of course, was his senior sister. She had spent the entire night in silent meditation to adjust herself to peak condition.

Before she and her junior brother could even chat for a bit, they heard a knock on the door.

"Amitabha," someone chanted in a hushed tone, and the slightly ajar door was pushed open. A shiny bald head poked in like a light bulb.

Despite being a monk, Huai Jing couldn't help but glance at Mu Wanxuan a few times. "You truly are extraordinary, Fairy Bu Yu... Ahem, you both seem to be in excellent spirits."

Wang Sheng, dressed in a fresh Daoist robe, smiled. "Naturally. Today's exchange meeting isn't anything difficult. Still, since we'll be facing foreign guests, we have to pay attention to the image we'll be showing them on behalf of the cultivation world."

Glancing at Mu Wanxuan, Wang Sheng suddenly felt that his own education was lacking. He couldn't find the right words to describe even a fraction of her beauty.

Taking his words from yesterday to heart, Mu Wanxuan had put special effort into dressing up today. Black hair tied back with a jade hairpin, a delicate fragrance emanating from her light robe made of colourful silk, feather-like eyebrows, eyes as bright as stars, and lips as soft as cherry blossom petals... She was like a celestial beauty from a dream.

It was a pity that they were not in the Immortal Realm, which was wreathed in immortal mist. This mundane world could barely contain her ethereal grace.

Even though Wang Sheng spent every day and night with Mu Wanxuan, when he had opened the door for her earlier, he had the urge to ask, "What is a fairy like you doing here?"

With his deep mastery of Buddhist arts, Huai Jing merely offered sincere praise before sitting down and striking up a conversation with Wang Sheng.

"I had thought I'd made some progress after returning to the mountain and wanted to boast in front of you. I didn't expect you to have already broken through to mid-stage Illusory Core Realm..."

"I had to use quite a few alchemical pills and Qi-Nurturing Stones to get this far." Wang Sheng sighed. "I also still need more time to stabilize my cultivation realm. Considering I just forced a breakthrough to face corrupt cultivators, I could still face a lot of hidden dangers."

Huai Jing clicked his tongue and, without ceremony, sat on the sofa with his devil-subduing staff in hand. "So, what's the plan for today? I heard from Mou Yue—"

"You haven't even closed the door, yet you three are already making plans?"

Speak of the devil.

Mou Yue appeared right on cue, dressed in a professional business suit, along with two inexperienced young girls. She snapped her fingers, and the two Special Investigation Unit interns quickly greeted everyone before standing obediently in the corner.

"The other two Daoist masters haven't arrived yet?" Mou Yue asked lowly. "I just went to their rooms, but I didn't find them..."

Mu Wanxuan pointed in the direction of the hotel parking lot. Wang Sheng spread out his spiritual consciousness and immediately detected a presence.

"There's a nearby fluctuation of primal qi in that direction. Looks like two cultivators are trading blows," Wang Sheng said. "It just ended. They're now heading this way."

Mou Yue slapped her forehead and smiled wryly. "Those two... Even at a time like this, they still insist on settling personal grudges first. It's a good thing the three foreign delegations are staying at another hotel. What would they have thought of that spectacle?"

Personal grudges?

Wang Sheng was slightly puzzled but didn't pry further. Instead, he asked, "What should we do today?"

"Let me go fetch the two Daoist masters before we begin. That way, we won't have to repeat our conversation for them," Mou Yue said softly before quickly leaving.

As Wang Sheng had thought, he was quite familiar with the other two who had been invited.

A few moments later, Mou Yue walked in with Shi Qianzhang, an early-stage Seed Formation Realm cultivator and the talisman prodigy of the Longhu Mountains! Right behind them was Liu Yunzhi of Mount Mao, the mid-stage Seed Formation Realm cultivator known in the cultivation world today as "The Most Handsome Cultivator!"

Shi Qianzhang looked dejected. An artifact rope that shimmered with glowing talismans bound the upper half of his body. Meanwhile, Liu Yunzhi was all smiles, holding the other end of the rope and occasionally tugging at it.

Shi Qianzhang's casual clothes had several scorched holes. Liu Yunzhi's Daoist robe, though old, was neat and clean. The fine gold threads woven through the silk made it clear that it was a rare golden-threaded ritual garment. From their appearance alone, it wasn't hard to guess who had won their bout.

As soon as he entered, Shi Qianzhang shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother Sheng! Save me—woah, you look stunning today, Fairy Bu Yu."

Mu Wanxuan nodded with a gentle smile, her every movement radiating grace and courtesy.

Liu Yunzhi stepped forward with a polite bow, still holding the rope in his hand as he greeted, "Daoist Brother Fei Yu, Fairy Bu Yu, Buddhist Master Huai Jing. Nice to meet you all."

"Amitabha."

"Please release him, Daoist Brother," Wang Sheng said with a laugh. "No need to give others a spectacle to laugh at."

Liu Yunzhi nodded and casually withdrew the rope artifact.

Shi Qianzhang immediately raged. With a flash of aggression, he bared his teeth and threw a punch at Liu Yunzhi, who was beside him.

Wang Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and the nameless sword at his side slid half an inch from its scabbard.

Clang!

In a blur, the punch brushed lightly against Liu Yunzhi's shoulder. Shi Qianzhang pinched his voice and muttered, "You're so awful, Little Sister Liu. How could you tie people up just to play these kinds of games?"

Liu Yunzhi's handsome face darkened as if stained by soot. Nearby, Huai Jing swiftly stepped forward to separate the two.

Shi Qianzhang looked up and sighed. "You didn't say this bastard would be here when you called me over."

"Everyone, have a seat first," Mou Yue said gently. "We invited Daoist Liu because of his cultivation realm and his looks."

As realization dawned on Shi Qianzhang, he nodded dramatically. "Ah, that makes sense. When it comes to looks, I only acknowledge Brother Sheng and Little Liu."

From the side, Wang Sheng calmly added, "You misunderstood, Daoist Brother. The Hua Republic has always been a land of courtesy. In today's sparring matches, we should not win every single match—it's only proper to let our opponents win in some other aspects too."

Several chuckles broke out. Even Liu Yunzhi and Mu Wanxuan couldn't help laughing. Shi Qianzhang gave Wang Sheng a wounded look, then sat on the couch.

Huai Jing took a long look at Liu Yunzhi's face and sighed. "Amitabha, it seems that I fall short in the looks department as well."

All this teasing about appearances left Liu Yunzhi feeling a bit awkward. He didn't know how to respond.

"Alright, enough joking. Someone close the door." Mou Yue clapped her hands, prompting one of the interns to stand guard outside and close the door behind her. The other retrieved a folder and began distributing documents to the five individuals present.

"Even though we all have great confidence in the five of you, knowing yourself and your opponent is still the key to victory," Mou Yue said seriously. "If we can win every round, there's no need to purposely let them win. This isn't table tennis—there's no such convention in our field.

"Now, let me introduce the standout talents from the younger generation of the other three nations. We've collected fairly detailed intel on them. Sakura Island has a swordsman and a ninjutsu successor worth watching out for. Their cultivation path is similar to Buddhist arts. It may not be similar to the Golden Core path, but they're not to be underestimated. Gelan has a knight and a psionicist, and Jinta has a male cultivator skilled in close combat..."

The atmosphere in the room quickly turned serious.

Wang Sheng and the other four carefully read through the material. No matter how confident they were, they understood that they would be representing the Hua Republic's cultivation world. There was no room for mistakes. Since Qing Yanzi had already defeated the top talents from all three nations single-handedly, they couldn't afford to let the Hua Republic lose face now.

***

At nine in the morning, the convoy that the Special Investigation Unit had arranged pulled up in front of the hotel. Qing Yanzi, the six other Daoist masters, and the five young disciples boarded a vehicle and headed out.

The exchange meeting was set to take place in a private garden in the outskirts, which some wealthy individual apparently owned. The garden, styled after ancient architecture, had a horse stable nearby that had been converted into an open-air venue that could hold two hundred people.

The weather was mild and pleasant—it was quite suitable for an outdoor sparring event.

The matches during the exchange meeting were strictly friendly, and the Special Investigation Unit would record the entire event. Afterward, each delegation would receive a copy. That, too, was a subtle demonstration of the Hua Republic's strength.

The delegations from the three nations had arrived earlier to tour the garden, admiring the elegance and craftsmanship of traditional Hua architecture. Once they were done, they would exit through a side gate and reach the main venue.

The Hua Republic delegation went straight to the former horse stable. Qing Yanzi led a few of the Daoist masters ahead, while Wang Sheng and the disciples stayed behind to review the briefing before joining them.

Right before entering, Mou Yue, who looked a little uneasy, specifically reminded, "Daoist Master Wang, you're usually the calm and steady type, but it wouldn't hurt to make a stronger impression in this event."

"Don't worry," Shi Qianzhang chimed in confidently, patting his chest. "If it's about putting on a show, I'm the best at it. If you need help, Brother Sheng, just ask me."

Wang Sheng laughed and then waited for his master's signal from up ahead. With the sword case strapped to his back and his sheathed longsword in hand, he walked in with Mu Wanxuan and the other three.

Today, he was their captain.