Chapter 762: The Cold 3rd Round (2)

“I wouldn’t dare!” Yi Huaihai paused, then said, “Besides, Uncle-Master, you treat me no worse than my senior brothers!”

“Come on, let’s head to the Flower Sea. I plan on nurturing two today.” Zhang Deming glanced at Yi Huaihai, shook his head, and asked no more questions.

“Yes!” Yi Huaihai bowed respectfully and followed behind Zhang Deming, heading toward their wooden cabin in the Fourth Flower Sea.

“By the way, I see that construction on the various zones in the Cyan Wood Secret Realm seems to have stopped?” Zhang Deming asked as they walked.

Yi Huaihai paused for a moment before replying, “Yes. I asked around. It seems the senior brothers from the Array Department are planning to finish it all in one go after the Secret Realm’s Fusion is complete. That way, they avoid finishing it now only for problems to pop up after the Fusion, which would require adjustments or a complete do-over.”

Zhang Deming nodded. He asked a few more questions, and as they walked, he got up to speed on the recent situation in the Cyan Wood Secret Realm.

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A day passed in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the conference to begin again. This was the third session of the conference, and once again, the topic was from the Celestial Universe Federation.

When the Rune on his hand began to throb, Zhang Deming decisively reached out and tapped it. His entire body transformed into a stream of light and returned to the Floating Island. He sat down at his table and waited for a moment before the third session of the conference began.

This time, the opening wasn’t performed by people from the Music and Dance Team, but… a group of Disciples composed entirely of male-female pairs.

The paired Disciples, arranged in a strange formation, emerged directly from the plaza below, moving to a very rhythmic drumbeat.

The drumbeat’s rhythm was good, but its style was somewhat different from a Hongmeng Melody. One could clearly feel that it had fused musical elements from the Celestial Universe.

As the drumming sounded and grew denser, the rhythm intensifying, sharp Sword Qi suddenly erupted from the pairs of male and female Disciples.

The aura vanished in a flash. The scene, which had resembled a military parade formation, suddenly transformed into a large-scale Sword Dance—a Mandarin Duck Sword Dance, no less. Under the control of the Musician’s drumming, even Zhang Deming almost started swaying to the beat.

‘What is this? The Immortal version of a disco? The Sword Immortal version of street dance?’

Experiencing the extremely rhythmic music accompanied by the Mandarin Duck Sword Dance from the Disciples below, nearly all the Disciples filling the sky began to sway. Some couldn’t even stop themselves from bobbing to the beat.

Although the effect was great, Zhang Deming couldn’t help but feel that the style clashed severely with the ethereal, Immortal Qi-filled Floating Islands.

“This newly modified Sword Dance… was it based on the Outer Realm Music and Dance Path?” Zhang Deming couldn’t help but ask.

Gan Zili nodded and said, “It seems a junior from the Dang Family came up with it on a whim, calling it a new style of Sword Dance. During the initial discussion for the opening ceremony, many senior and junior brothers from various peaks felt it was improper and were going to reject it. But the Sect Leader said that since this is a symposium between two realms, it should have some novel elements. On top of that, Junior Sister Qin from the Ministry of Rites’ Music and Dance division also thought it was very well done. The two of them supported it all the way, and so it ended up as the opening for this third session.”

Guk Liancai chimed in, “The Dao Essence isn’t bad. It’s also a departure from the Heart Spirit Charm path of the Music and Dance Dao, having a flavor of forceful Heart Spirit influence instead. But it really is a bit too improper. A perfectly good Sword Dance, made so mechanical and choppy for the sake of the rhythm and cadence. It’s a complete hodgepodge. It’d be a miracle if those few peaks that dislike things from the Outer Realm could appreciate this.”

Zhang Deming smiled and said, “I actually think it’s fine. It’s a type of street dance element from Outer Realm dance, isn’t it? To be able to integrate it into the Heart Spirit Dao and use a strong rhythm to influence the Heart Spirit… it’s practically a quasi-Controlled Combat Technique, not purely a Ritual Skill anymore. Look at all the Disciples in the sky. How many of them can resist swaying along a little? Forget them, even I felt like grooving a bit just now.”

“That’s exactly what makes it improper! To change a perfectly fine Ritual Skill into this… no matter how good the effect, it doesn’t bring honor. Some people might even find it disgraceful,” Guk Liancai retorted.

“Senior Brother Guk, the two realms have been in contact for decades now. Don’t be so stuck in the old ways. We Spirit Nurturing Masters have to keep up with the times, otherwise the old-fashioned beads we make won’t sell,” Zhang Deming said after a pause.

“I never said I disliked it. I actually think it’s fine. I’m just speaking for the senior brothers from certain other peaks,” Guk Liancai said with a straight face.

Zhang Deming: “…”

‘You’re really something else. You think it’s fine yourself, but you still have to ‘consider’ the other senior and junior brothers? Playing devil’s advocate for other peaks… you must be exhausted!’

Zhang Deming rolled his eyes and decided to ignore him, choosing to just enjoy the Sword Dance below on his own.

As the drumbeat grew denser and the rhythm stronger, you could literally see all the Disciples in the sky moving to the beat. Over on the Celestial Universe’s side, they were even more into it. Some Disciples had their hands in the air, just grooving.

Countless Floating Islands drifted through the misty rain, the scene brimming with the aura of an Immortal Family. But all the Disciples seemed to be at a disco, creating a truly bizarre picture.

On the final drumbeat, the Disciples performing the Sword Dance suddenly tossed their Long Swords into the air. The entire Sword Dance concluded with all the Long Swords transforming into streams of light that exploded into a sky full of Spiritual Light.

The group of Disciples from the Sword Dance, most of whom were Sword Cultivators and not Disciples from the Ministry of Rites, all breathed a collective sigh of relief as their figures quietly dissipated. The Sect Leader, Dang Jun’an, appeared once again.

He waited quietly for a moment. Only after the strong sense of rhythm faded from the Disciples in the sky did he smile and speak, “Fellow Daoists, my dear sect members, this humble one is Dang Jun’an!”

With that said, he bowed to the Cultivators filling the sky, and many nodded in response.