Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 476: Celebration Commences

As the bell tolled, guests gathered like clouds, crowding around the altar. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Lu Yang, who was clad in ceremonial robes, his expression solemn and dignified.

Step by step, Lu Yang walked toward the altar, and the crowd instinctively parted before him. No one knew that a fierce battle of wills was currently raging in his mind.

“Come on, let me take over!”

“Immortal Fairy, are you even reliable? Why don’t I do it for you instead?”

“I have been worshipped by people since antiquity. I know the rite procedures better than you!”

After a heated back-and-forth, Lu Yang was forced to surrender control of his body.

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy ascended the white jade altar, her strides steady and weighty, as though she had traversed the ages, bearing the gravitas of ancient history.

“Who is this? He looks so young,” murmured the elderly spectators. They were taken aback by Lu Yang’s appearance, which matched none of the figures they knew.

“I heard he’s Lu Yang, the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s most junior disciple. He has been making waves lately. Some claim he’s unbeatable among Golden Core cultivators and is the number one of the younger generation.”

“Unbeatable at the Golden Core Stage?” Such a title carried immense weight. The Golden Core Stage played an integral role in cultivation. To reign supreme at the Golden Core Stage and be called “unbeatable” signified limitless future prospects!

“That still doesn’t make sense. Even if he’s unbeatable among Golden Core cultivators, he shouldn’t be leading the ceremony and ascending the altar.”

“Rumors outside say the Taciturn Daoist Priest intends to groom this youngest disciple, appointing him as acting sect leader and entrusting even such a major ceremony to him.”

“You can’t trust those rumors going around. In my view, that old Taciturn scoundrel dares not show himself and has pushed his disciple to the forefront instead.”

“Sounds exactly like something he’d do.”

“To achieve so much at such a young age, his potential is boundless! I wonder if this Lu Yang has someone he likes. My family has a few girls of suitable age and decent talent.”

“But he’s the old Taciturn scoundrel’s disciple.”

“Forget it then.”

As the Everlasting Immortal Fairy ascended the platform, the bianzhong chime bells resonated, their grandeur transporting listeners back a hundred thousand years.

Fourth Elder and his disciples were performing the Dao-Seeking Sect’s ritual repertoire. As a Confucian cultivator, Fourth Elder was proficient in music, his flute capable of summoning a hundred birds to pay homage. In his youth, this talent of his had charmed countless maidens.

Upon the altar stood three towering statues draped in red cloth. With a spell from First Elder, the cloth fell away, revealing the statues: the founder of the Dao-Seeking Sect—the Innate Daoist Priest, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign—the progenitor of immortal sects, the Resurgence Ancestor—the Vast Sea Daoist Lord.

These three held special significance in the Dao-Seeking Sect and were known as the Dao-Seeking Sect’s founding triumvirate. When Lu Yang formally became a disciple, their tablets had borne witness.

Holding a yugui jade tablet,[1] the Everlasting Immortal Fairy clasped her hands—left over right and palms inward—and bowed thrice to the tablets.

Below the altar, Yun Zhi observed the Everlasting Immortal Fairy performing the rites with precision and nodded in satisfaction.

According to protocols, even if Lu Yang was the acting sect leader, he shouldn’t have been qualified to preside over the ceremony as the Dao-Seeking Sect’s representative. However, the one standing on the altar wasn’t Lu Yang but the Everlasting Immortal Fairy.

As one of the Five Ancient Immortals and wielder of the Everlasting Dao Fruit, the question wasn’t whether the Everlasting Immortal Fairy was qualified to pay respects to the three founding ancestors, but whether their fate profiles could withstand her paying respects.

Lighting the candles, incense spiraled into the air. In a clear and resonant voice, she recited the ritual text. “O Holy Divine Ones, begotten in remote antiquity... With sincere reverence, we offer fine silks, pure livestock, and abundant grains among manifold offerings...”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy had ordered Lu Yang to write the ritual text, and in turn, he borrowed her authority to order Fourth Elder to write the ritual text. As the most cultured person in the entire Dao-Seeking Sect, Fourth Elder shouldered this imperative duty without hesitation.

At a glance, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy could discern the sophistication of Fourth Elder’s writing. I don’t recognize half the characters, and the rest feel like tongue twisters when I read them.

After the recitation concluded, a satisfied smile graced her lips. That felt amazing.

In the past, others paid their respects to me. Today, for once, I paid my respect to others. As the acting sect leader and guest elder, honoring the Dao-Seeking Sect’s three founders is only fitting.

“Our sect has prepared a range of activities. Everyone, eat well, have fun, and relax for today. The finals will commence tomorrow.”

Lu Yang’s schedule for the celebration was simple: opening ceremony → guest festivities → tournament finals → closing ceremony.

The goal of the righteous path was to identify reforged archaic cultivators who had dispersed their cultivation and cultivated anew during the finals.

But Lu Yang doubted that combat performance alone could reveal whether one was an archaic cultivator. Hence, he proposed organizing activities to observe contestants’ behavior in addition to their battle performance before making a judgment.

The Xia Emperor and other immortal sect leaders approved the idea at once.

The Dao-Seeking was planted with many observers from the imperial court and the immortal sects. All were shrewd masters at reading subtle cues and expressions. As the Dao-Seeking Sect lacked such skilled individuals, they didn’t dispatch anyone of their own.

After the ritual concluded, a group of elders remained extremely curious about Lu Yang. Elder Sikong and Lu Baqian were among them; all were close Daoist friends.

“I heard this junior possesses extraordinary combat prowess and utterly humiliated the four Great Immortal Sects’ leaders and left them severely injured.”

“That must be a rumor. No Golden Core cultivator could achieve that, not even an immortal’s reincarnation.”

“You can’t exactly say that. As the Great Era approaches, it’s not strange for any kind of genius to emerge. Haven’t you heard the ancient legends of individuals born at the Transcendent Tribulation Stage with peerless cultivation and ultimately attaining the Dao to become an immortal?”

“What you said makes some sense, but I can’t help but feel that something about this seems off.”

“Look, Qiu Jin’an and the others are right over there. Why don’t we ask them directly?”

“Let’s go get answers.”

Cultivators acted with decisive boldness; when they thought of something, they would act on it immediately.

Qiu Jin’an and the other three wore stormy expressions as they scanned the crowd for the Taciturn Daoist Priest. News of the Saga of the Dao-Seeking Sect: Chronicles of Lu Yang had reached them, and they instantly recognized the handiwork of that bastard Taciturn Daoist Priest.

After a month and a half of recuperation, their injuries had healed. Yang Ding’s and Master Jiesha’s hair had regrown and returned to normal.

“Fellow Daoist Qiu, I heard Lu Yang defeated all of you. Is it true?” the elders asked bluntly, their faces alight with barely concealed schadenfreude.

Four faces darkened simultaneously as they struggled to formulate a response.

“It’s true, but—” Qiu Jin’an admitted reluctantly and was about to launch into an explanation, only to be cut off by Lu Baqian.

“Now, Fellow Daoist Qiu, that’s hardly the proper attitude. One should accept defeat gracefully. Victories and losses are all part and parcel of cultivation. Why make excuses?” As a Transcendent Tribulation expert, Lu Baqian’s words commanded considerable weight.

“Exactly! Old Qiu, you’re always preaching about cultivators needing forthrightness and courage to acknowledge their shortcomings. Why doesn’t that apply to yourself?”

“This attitude will hinder your future cultivation.”

The elders piled on with increasing enthusiasm, unwilling to miss this golden opportunity to mock Qiu Jin’an and the others.

Finally reaching his limit, Qiu Jin’an shot Luo Hongxia a meaningful glance. Understanding his signal, she produced the Light-Retaining Treasure Box. Brilliant rays erupted as the bow swallowed the entire group.

Equalizing cultivation realms required mutual consent, but if it was simply trapping people inside, Luo Hongxia called the shots.

“Attack!”

Inside the treasure box, Master Jiesha struck first while Qiu Jin’an and the other two provided cover, wiping the floor with all the elders.

1. Yugui is a jade tablet held by ancient rulers or nobility during rituals and ceremonies. It tends to have a square base, but it wasn’t the case all the time. ☜