Chapter 302 - 164: One Zhuo, Eight Xiù; Master Yu Bo (Part 2)

Chapter 302: Chapter 164: One Zhuo, Eight Xiù; Master Yu Bo (Part 2)

"It’s rather embarrassing to admit, but my brother and I weren’t sure we could even reach the sixth floor on our own. We simply hoped to meet some fellow Daoists, so we requested an invitation to come up."

Despite what they said, their cultivation was clearly impressive. They had both formed a Top-grade Golden Core, so their words were likely just a show of humility.

Xuzhuang and the others, of course, didn’t take them at their word and continued to chat idly. In the meantime, another guest, their figure concealed by a veiled hat, came up the stairs. Changhua made a quick calculation on his fingers and said, "It should be about time. It seems geniuses capable of reaching this floor are rare indeed."

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the staircase. Everyone turned toward the sound and saw an imposing young man stepping onto the floor. He wore a Five Flames Crown, had a high, noble forehead, and his wide sleeves billowed as he walked.

This was clearly not Master Yu Bo. Xuzhuang and the others could easily sense that the man’s cultivation was likely on the verge of perfecting his profound techniques, putting him on par with Zhong Shenxiu.

Changhua and Changxin were startled to see him. "Junior Brother Zhuo came as well," Changxin remarked.

The man they called Junior Brother Zhuo saw them and gave a slight nod, but he seemed to have no intention of joining them, heading for a table by himself. After a moment’s hesitation, Changhua said to the others, "Fellow Daoists, that is a junior brother from our Dinghu Mountain. We’ll just go over and greet him."

The others had no objection, so the two went over together. At that moment, Cen Fenghong suddenly sent a voice transmission, "Among Changhua and Changxin’s generation of true disciples, there were originally eight who were all more or less equally famous. But after Zhuo Hansheng became a true disciple, a new saying came about: One Zhuo, Eight Prodigies."

"That man is Zhuo Hansheng."

"Oh?" Xuzhuang said. "So you’re saying he’s far above the others?"

Cen Fenghong explained, "He has been cultivating for less than three hundred years, yet he has already reached the Triple Gate." He then turned to Zhong Shenxiu. "In terms of progress, he’s about on par with you, Brother Zhong."

Zhong Shenxiu smiled faintly. "With his age and cultivation, wouldn’t he be a perfect fit for the Spirit Root agreement?"

Cen Fenghong agreed. "Exactly. And he’s so famous, there’s no way he would have been forgotten. So when the time comes for us to fight, we might find ourselves facing him."

Xuzhuang’s expression shifted slightly. "From what I understand, the two Zhenren invited six helpers. How are you so sure he isn’t one of ours?"

Cen Fenghong laughed. "I don’t mind telling you. Master Jide is an elder in my mortal family. He told me quite plainly that among the six on our side, aside from you two, I am the one they’re counting on most."

"However, I must admit my own cultivation is still a bit lacking compared to Zhuo Hansheng’s." He shrugged, the implication clear.

While they were talking, the gentle ringing of a golden bell was heard. A Celestial Maiden ascended gracefully to the floor, curtsied to the assembled guests, and spoke in a soft voice, "The time for the meal has come. Esteemed guests, may we begin the banquet?"

At this, Pang Ban asked coolly, "Isn’t Master Yu Bo the one hosting this banquet?"

The Celestial Maiden answered with a graceful bow. "Replying to the esteemed guest, the Zhenren will arrive after the meal to discuss profound matters with everyone."

Pang Ban was silent for a moment, then replied, "Very well."

After that, no one else asked any questions. Seeing their silent approval, the Celestial Maiden curtsied again, shook her small bell, and a line of Celestial Maidens, each with her own unique grace, ascended the stairs. They carried trays and delivered them to each table. In moments, the tables were filled with all sorts of rare delicacies, all of which looked extraordinary.

A Celestial Maiden remained by their side, explaining softly, "If you require my service, esteemed guest, please do not hesitate to call on me."

"My fellow Daoists, please?" Cen Fenghong said with a smile.

Xuzhuang had come to Lai Xian Hall with the intention of tasting rare delicacies, so he naturally didn’t refuse. He picked up a pair of jade chopsticks and his gaze swept across the table, landing on a platter of ice.

On the ice platter were arranged several jade-like seeds that resembled lotus seeds. Among all the delicacies, their presentation was the simplest, yet they exuded a crisp, refreshing fragrance that was delightful to the senses.

Xuzhuang was not shy about asking when he didn’t recognize something. "What is this?" he inquired.

The Celestial Maiden replied, "These are Celestial Snow Lotus Seeds. In the entire Guangyuan Realm, they grow only on the peak of a celestial mountain as high as Weiyun Immortal City. They are exceptionally rare. After careful preparation, if you pour fine wine over them, you can see the snow lotus bloom..."

She brought over a pot of fine wine and poured it over a seed. A pure white snow lotus slowly blossomed. She then switched to another pot of wine and poured, creating a snow lotus with a yellow center. She repeated this in sequence, and the ice platter was instantly filled with competing colors, immediately outshining all the other dishes.

"Pouring different wines on them causes the lotuses to bloom with different flavors," the Celestial Maiden said with a sweet smile. "Please, enjoy."

"This dish is quite interesting." Xuzhuang and the others picked up their chopsticks. After tasting the snow lotus, they found it was indeed fragrant and delicious, with a deeply refreshing quality. They did not hold back their praise and asked the Celestial Maiden to introduce the other dishes one by one, tasting each in turn.

The eight people in the hall sat sparsely at four tables. Some, like Xuzhuang and his two companions, eagerly sampled the feast. Others barely touched their food before stopping. And then there was the person in the veiled hat, who didn’t move at all.

After only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a clear breeze suddenly swept in through the window and swirled through the hall. Abruptly, a long-bearded Daoist wearing a fishtail crown and an Eight Trigrams Robe appeared in a seat.

Xuzhuang’s expression grew taut. This didn’t seem to be any kind of advanced Escape Technique; it was clearly a manifestation of a Primordial Spirit—scattering into qi and coalescing into form. This person was clearly a true master who had achieved the Dao, a Primordial Spirit True Man.

The person who had just arrived could be none other than the master of this place, Master Yu Bo.

Respect must be shown to a Primordial Spirit True Man. As soon as Master Yu Bo appeared, everyone in the hall glanced at him, then rose to their feet and bowed. "We juniors greet you, Zhenren."

"Please, be seated." Master Yu Bo stroked his fine beard and replied in a warm voice, "It is truly a fortunate event that this banquet is attended by eight such brilliant talents."

"I have invited you all here today to discuss the profound, so I will dispense with the pleasantries." With a wave of his sleeve, specks of starlight gathered in the air, gradually coalescing into a strangely shaped character.

"Everyone, please take a look. What is the meaning of this character?" Master Yu Bo asked with a smile, pointing upward.

Changhua looked at the strange character. It was clearly not a script from Guangyuan, nor was it a Daoist Talisman. However, it seemed to have a sense of being a different branch from the same root. As he carefully tried to comprehend it, he felt he could perceive many different meanings within it.

He hesitated for a moment, then was the first to answer, "This character... it seems to mean operation, or circulation."

Zhuo Hansheng stated coolly, "It means the circulation within meridians."

"Excellent." Master Yu Bo did not debate who was right or wrong, but simply praised them. "This strange script is from a Daoist Scripture that I came upon by chance. It is exceedingly profound. Only those with a deep mastery of Daoist arts could hope to understand its meaning."

"What you two have said is not far from my own understanding."

He wiped the character away with a gesture and then said, "To be perfectly honest with you all, the Daoist Scripture I obtained was only half a scroll to begin with, and even that is damaged. It’s difficult to grasp the profound principles within it, so I can only try to decipher it one character at a time. For that reason, it’s something of a white elephant."

"And so, I had an idea. I decided to invite all of you—cultivation geniuses with profound mastery of the Dao—to decipher its meaning together. For one, it’s a chance to build a good rapport with you brilliant young talents. For another, I thought that by pooling our minds, we might actually have a chance to comprehend this scripture."

At this point, Master Yu Bo smiled slightly and said, "What do you say? If you are interested, I will present the characters from this scripture one by one for us to study together. In the end, depending on our progress, I will offer some small prizes as a reward for your efforts in deciphering the Daoist Scripture."

Pang Ban asked abruptly, "May I ask the Zhenren, what if we have differing opinions?"

Master Yu Bo replied freely, "Whatever insights you may have, please speak your minds. Right or wrong, all contributions will be counted."

"Good." Pang Ban said. "I believe the character the Zhenren showed us just now means ’to forge.’"