Just as Zhang Ling was still staying at the inn, studying the special materials he had collected from the market in the past few days.
Those cultivators climbing on Jade Dragon Mountain also competed for the top ten spots. In a pavilion on the mountainside, Mr. Bai Mo, who presided over the start of the Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Conference half a day ago, was alone in the pavilion, sipping tea.
At this moment, on a small path up the mountain next to him, several rays of escaping light flashed, and several Golden Core cultivators quickly flew up. When these people saw Mr. Bai Mo, they immediately performed a junior salute.
One of them, with a white face, stepped forward and handed over a red bamboo slip, respectfully saying, "Elder Bai, the top ten of this conference have been selected, and the disciples have investigated their origins and identities clearly, and there are basically no problems."
Mr. Bai Mo did not take the bamboo slip, but lazily raised his head. "Since there are no problems, then follow the usual rules." Saying that, he flicked his hand, and ten gray jade plaques flew out.
Several Golden Core cultivators immediately took these jade plaques, and then after a salute, they all retreated.
In the blink of an eye, only Mr. Bai Mo, whose cultivation had reached the peak of the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul stage, was left alone in the pavilion. This person leisurely sipped fragrant tea.
In the last half day, every once in a while, several Golden Core cultivators would come to the front of the pavilion, seemingly reporting something.
Among them was Chen Xing, the middle-aged Confucian scholar who met with Zhang Ling.
It wasn't until dusk that Mr. Bai Mo chuckled lightly, a white light flashed on his body, and he transformed into a white escaping light and flew away from the pavilion.
"Hehe, there are really many fellow cultivators who have come this time. It seems that in order to exchange for those rare materials collected by the royal family from their hands, our Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Institute will also have to bleed a lot."
The escaping light transformed by Mr. Bai Mo arrived at a mountain stream behind Jade Dragon Mountain in a short while. This place was filled with a layer of white mist, which was a forbidden area of the entire Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Academy.
Without any obstruction, Bai Mo crossed the white mist and came to a small valley like a paradise. The valley was full of exotic flowers and rare herbs, and there were several quaint bluestone roads leading to a mountain courtyard.
On the gate of the courtyard hung a plaque with the three large characters "Xiling(西岭: West Ridge) Residence" written on it. This was the courtyard where the master of the courtyard, the Old Man of Xishan(西山: West Mountain), cultivated.
At this moment, an old man with gray hair was leaning against the gate of the courtyard, holding an ancient book in his hand and reading it. Next to him was a rosewood long table, and two other white-haired old men were sitting and playing chess. One of them was blowing his beard and glaring, pointing at the other, and seemed very dissatisfied and yelling something.
Mr. Bai Mo was stunned when he saw the three people. "Why are the three senior brothers sitting idly in front of the courtyard gate? Could it be that you are waiting for me, junior brother?"
"Junior Brother Bai, come quickly and see how cunning your Senior Brother Lu is. We clearly agreed that there would be no regrets after a move, but just now, while I was talking to Senior Brother, two more pieces appeared on the chessboard for no reason."
"Don't listen to this old thing's nonsense. It was Old Man Wang who took advantage of the fact that I wasn't prepared and used illusions to try to change the chessboard." The other old man immediately retorted, his face turning black and red with anger.
Bai Mo heard the two old men arguing, gave a dry laugh, stopped his steps, and wisely did not approach the two old men, nor did he have any intention of persuading them.
He was unwilling to provoke these two. Although Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Wang's cultivation bases were the same as his, both at the peak of the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul stage, these two were two or three hundred years older. According to Confucian etiquette, they could be regarded as seniors. Bai Mo couldn't bear to get involved in their constant quarrels.
With a flash, Mr. Bai Mo arrived next to the gray-haired old man who was leaning against the door reading a book, and called out, "Senior Brother Kong." This one just nodded calmly, as if immersed in the book and unable to extricate himself for a while.
Senior Brother Kong's cultivation was even better, and he was now the master of the Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Academy. The outside world called him the Old Man of Xishan(西山: West Mountain), but this was actually just a title for the master of the courtyard. His surname was Kong, and few people knew his secular name.
Thus, the four people present seemed to be busy with their own affairs. The two old men were arguing and playing chess, Senior Brother Kong was reading expressionlessly, and only Mr. Bai Mo seemed a little lonely.
Suddenly, Senior Brother Kong closed the book and asked, "Three junior brothers, what do you think of Princess Lingxi(灵犀公主: Lingxi Princess), who came to our academy two days ago?"
As Senior Brother Kong spoke, Mr. Bai Mo and the other three immediately looked over. The three looked back, and Senior Brother Lu frowned, humming while holding a black chess piece in his hand.
"Hehe, a direct descendant of the Long family rarely comes to our Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Institute. This time, this Princess Lingxi(灵犀公主: Lingxi Princess)'s strength is also at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul stage. Although she didn't explicitly state the purpose of her visit, I think it may be related to the traitor of the Long family that has been rumored for some time."
"Old Man Lu, do you really believe that the Long family has a traitor?" Senior Brother Wang immediately sneered.
Senior Brother Lu snorted, "How is it impossible? Have you forgotten about that PrinceLongxi back then?"
"PrinceLongxi, this person is a taboo of the Long family."
"This person betrayed the Long family, and it is rumored that it was related to his demon cultivator mother. After betraying the Long family,Longxi disappeared without a trace. It is rumored that he was secretly executed by the Long family. If the Long family really has another traitor, I'm afraid the outcome will not be good."
When it comes to the traitor of the Long family, the first thing that everyone present thinks of is PrinceLongxi back then.
"Do you know about the great battle that took place in the Xiling(西岭: West Ridge) Mountains five thousand years ago? It was related toLongxi." Suddenly, Senior Brother Kong said again.
"Senior brother is talking about the earth-shattering battle in Xiyun(西云: West Cloud) Valley back then? Isn't it rumored that it was a sea monster clan that sneaked in to cause trouble?"
Senior Brother Kong's words surprised the three of them, and Mr. Bai Mo and the other three showed an unbelievable look. Although Senior Brother Kong's cultivation was profound, he rarely spoke, but once he said something, it would basically be correct.
Senior Brother Kong glanced at the three junior brothers, frowned slightly, and said again, "I also accidentally heard about the battle in Xiyun(西云: West Cloud) Valley from Old ManLongtu a hundred years ago. Back then, PrinceLongxi betrayed the Long family and eventually fled to the Xiling(西岭: West Ridge) Mountains, but was still trapped by the experts of the Nong family at that time, which is why the battle in Xiyun(西云: West Cloud) Valley occurred. It is said that the Old Man of Xishan(西山: West Mountain) also participated in the siege, and the result, as you all know, hehe, he directly fell in that battle. Moreover, it is said thatLongxi was not directly killed back then, but was seriously injured and escaped, and then disappeared without a trace."
The fall of the former master of the courtyard in Xiyun(西云: West Cloud) Valley was a painful event for their Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Academy, which once caused the Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Academy to decline. The position of the Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Academy in the ranking of the Imperial Academy plummeted.
"Senior brother actually knows such secrets of the Long family. I wonder if the rumored traitor of the Long family recently is true. If there is really such a person, I'm afraid the cultivation world will not be too peaceful recently." Senior Brother Lu played with a chess piece and also let out a chuckle. His expression was a bit strange.
As for the Old ManLongtu that senior brother mentioned, he is one of the two great cultivators in the Long family's Imperial Hall today. In terms of cultivation strength, he is even higher than Senior Brother Kong.
"Princess Lingxi(灵犀公主: Lingxi Princess)'s sudden visit, could it be that the traitor of the Long family has also come to our Jade Dragon City? This is not a good thing for us." At this time, Mr. Bai Mo also stroked the three strands of beard under his chin, and said with a serious expression.
"Why should junior brother worry? If the traitor of the Long family really comes to our side, with senior brother in charge, he won't be able to make any waves. Moreover, the Long family rarely lets us intervene in such matters. The Long family is strong, and they will solve the traitor themselves. We can at most assist them a little. The Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Conference we are holding these days is the most important thing. Today, there are probably hundreds of Nascent Soul stage monsters in the city, and these old monsters from the Hundred Kingdoms of Xiling(西岭: West Ridge) are not easy to deal with."
"If it weren't for the Long family requiring our Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Institute to hold such a trade fair every ten years to collect special resources from the Hundred Kingdoms, I wouldn't be willing to disturb my rest for these trivial matters." Senior Brother Lu said, and then muttered another sentence.
"Hehe, you old fox, you don't want to have a few days of leisure."
"Junior Brother Wang, don't you understand that these days can't be idle. With so many old monsters coming here, if there is any trouble, the Long family's punishment will be indispensable."
While the four were talking, suddenly Senior Brother Kong seemed to sense something and looked up at the sky. A few breaths later, a red escaping light flew from there. It landed in front of the courtyard gate, revealing a fat, red-faced Confucian scholar.
"Oh, all four senior brothers are here. Junior brother pays respects to the four senior brothers." The red-faced cultivator smiled and bowed to the four of them.
Seeing this person's arrival, Mr. Bai Mo squeezed out a smile. Even Kong, whose strength was in the late stage of Nascent Soul, returned the salute. He seemed to care about the red-faced cultivator. Only the two old men chuckled, as if they didn't like this person.
Senior Brother Wang smiled and stepped forward two steps, and immediately asked, "Junior Brother Guo is here, but does Princess Lingxi(灵犀公主: Lingxi Princess) have any instructions?"
Although Junior Brother Guo is also an elder of their Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Academy, he also has another identity as an elder of the Long family's Imperial Hall. He is a cultivator who is closer to the royal family.
The Imperial Academy established in the thirty-six states and seventy-two prefectures of Longze(龙泽: Dragon Marsh) Country has such cultivators in each academy. This is also a means for the Long family to monitor the Imperial Academy.
"That's right, Princess wants to rely on all of you senior brothers since she just arrived. The princess also said she intends to participate in this year's auction. I wonder what Senior Brother Kong thinks?"
Kong immediately responded expressionlessly, "Since the princess intends to participate in the auction, I will not object, but it is best not to reveal the princess's identity."
"That is natural." Junior Brother Guo also nodded with a smile.
……
During the days when the Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Conference was held, most areas of Yulong(玉龙: Jade Dragon) Mountain and Xishan(山西: Shanxi) Hospital were also open to the public. Even many mortals were fortunate enough to go up the mountain to view the scenery.
This trade fair also specially set up four courtyards with considerable areas on the mountainside for cultivators to freely exchange items.
At the same time, there are also several dojos for cultivators to exchange cultivation experiences. Even every day, a Nascent Soul stage elder from Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Academy will appear to give lectures to low-level cultivators.
During this period, Zhang Ling also suppressed his cultivation and wandered around Yulong(玉龙: Jade Dragon) Mountain a few times. Especially the Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Academy above, he also went in once. The low-level cultivators inside had daily homework like ordinary scholars to study poetry and books.
He also secretly peeked at some Confucian scholars with Golden Core cultivation meditating and cultivating, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. There were some subtle differences from ordinary cultivators.
During cultivation, these Confucian and Taoist cultivators would generate a rather gentle aura, and use this aura to guide the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which could bring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body faster.
After Zhang Ling's observation, this aura was different for each cultivator. This was the righteous aura cultivated by Confucian and Taoist cultivators, and it really had some tricks.
Zhang Ling naturally did not miss the auctions held every day, but although the items that appeared in the auctions held in the previous few days were quite rare.
But it was not attractive to Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Only the auctions held on the fifth and sixth days had a few things that interested him. He took action twice during this period.
Time passed day by day, and on the morning of the seventh day, the sound of bells rang again on Yulong(玉龙: Jade Dragon) Mountain. It heralded the opening of the most important auction of this Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Conference.
Zhang Ling used secret techniques to change his appearance, transforming into a skinny old man, and kept his cultivation at around the early stage of Nascent Soul stage, heading straight to the auction venue.
This auction was aimed at high-level cultivators, and low-level cultivators were not qualified to participate. If you add the secret trade fair that will be held soon, there will be two trade fairs, one open and one secret.
The venue for this auction was also different from the previous few days. It was set up in an area on the back of Yulong(玉龙: Jade Dragon) Mountain.
Upon reaching Yulong(玉龙: Jade Dragon) Mountain, Zhang Ling's cultivation immediately attracted a beautiful Golden Core female cultivator from Xishan(西山: West Mountain) Academy wearing a yellow dress and belt, who respectfully led the way for him.
After a while, he arrived at the auction venue, which was actually an area covered in white mist. From a distance, it looked like a white cloud of thousands of feet falling on the ground, slowly rotating, and many clouds were scattered around, turning into flowers, plants, exotic animals of various colors. It seemed quite surprising.
Following the female cultivator, he came directly to the east side of the cloud mass and saw two cloud-composed arches, one high and one low.
At this time, many Golden Core cultivators were freely shuttling through the shorter arch. With a sweep of his eyes, Zhang Ling also found that these Golden Core cultivators had to pay twenty middle-grade spirit stones to enter, which seemed to be an entrance fee.
"Senior, please see, this is the Falling Cloud Restriction set up by our academy's elders. The auction venue is set up inside. With the senior's cultivation, you are qualified to pass through this cloud gate and directly enter the venue. Senior, please." The Golden Core female cultivator directly took Zhang Ling to the cloud gate that was more than thirty feet high, and said respectfully.
In front of this cloud gate, there were two Nascent Soul stage cultivators wearing bamboo hats, who were also led into it by another Golden Core from the academy.
Zhang Ling glanced at them calmly, and then directly passed through this cloud gate. The white mist was swirling in front of his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, it suddenly became clear. He appeared in an open-air square.
At first glance, this square was circular. It was a thousand feet wide, and it was actually built with gray and white giant trees.
Moreover, upon closer inspection, it was divided into three layers. In the middle, a huge white jade disc floated, surrounded by a circle of small rooms, floating in the air, forming a huge circle.
The lower layer was scattered around on the ground, with many screens set up. The Golden Core cultivators who entered the venue randomly chose a screen and sat behind it.
And Nascent Soul stage cultivators were qualified to choose to enter the small rooms floating in the air.
Zhang Ling scanned the area, and a flash of green light on his body entered a small room in the northern corner. The space inside was more than ten feet in size, and there was also a huge screen standing, with a few rosewood chairs, soft couches, and a table exuding fragrance.
It was decorated quite elegantly, and Zhang Ling sat unceremoniously on a chair.
After a while, the Golden Core female cultivator who had led the way also came in, holding several plates of spirit fruits and wine. "Senior can taste these spirit fruits, as well as this pot of Hundred Flowers Brew brewed by our academy's elders." Saying that, the girl handed over a small dragon-shaped white jade card.
"This item is an auction token. If Senior has no further instructions, this junior will take her leave."
Zhang Ling took the dragon-shaped jade token and glanced at it, then lightly waved his hand, dismissing the female cultivator. At the same time, he released a wisp of divine sense to quietly observe the other cultivators in the auction hall.
At this time, there were already fifty or sixty Nascent Soul stage experts gathered in the hall. Naturally, there were even more Golden Core cultivators. The scene was quite grand.
