Arc 2 Part 29
Perhaps it was Su Zui's peculiar expression that caught Xie Yu's attention.
Following Su Zui's gaze, he also spotted the tall figure in a long robe.
Not just the man, the aura of the entire group was quite striking.
There was a unique arrogance about them, standing in the busy airport, yet distinct from the mundane surroundings.
Wait… weren't they the group that conducted an inspection at their school?
Because these people were excessively good-looking, photos of them had circulated wildly in school group chats, and Xie Yu had long since recognized their faces.
Why were they here?!
Xie Yu didn't get to observe for long before several limousines pulled up. A few people got out and enthusiastically ushered the group into the cars.
Xie Yu watched the leader, eyes wide in surprise, "Isn’t… isn’t that the president of the Tao Association?"
The Tao Association was an organization responsible for managing the affairs of the Tao community, respected for its prestige.
This association was different from the Judgment Office, which only dealt with criminals; the association managed various daily matters, including co-hosting this gathering with several prominent families.
The members of the association were chosen from the Tao lineage, considered fair and impartial. The president was a longstanding elder in the Tao community. Although he was two hundred years old, his hair was still fully black, his complexion rosy, and he looked as fit as a middle-aged man.
The president was an extraordinarily powerful figure, ranked among the top in the Tao community. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to handle such grand occasions.
When Xie Yu previously attended the Tao Grand Ceremony with his family, he also met the president. He remembered him being incredibly stern, his overwhelming aura unyielding even without trying, making young members like him feel like timid birds.
However, recalling the way the president had just been nodding and bowing at the man, smiling to the point that lines appeared on his face, Xie Yu was utterly perplexed.
He racked his brain but couldn't think of any power in Tao that would warrant such careful treatment from the president.
Curiosity was killing Xie Yu, but after the incident with the Xie family, he had become much more cautious. He dared not comment openly, and only once the cars had driven off did he whisper, "Who do they belong to?"
Barely glancing at him, Su Zui casually said, "They're from the Judgment Office. Didn't you notice their aura is not human-like?"
Xie Yu was shocked, "The Judgment Office? Why are they here? Is there a problem with this gathering?"
He had heard of the renowned Judgment Office. There was no one in the entire Tao community who didn't know about it.
However, the Judgment Office was a special organization. Although it managed Tao affairs, it did not fall under Tao power. The office was mainly populated by divine beasts, with a few humans. Apart from pointing out their mistakes, they generally didn't get involved in Tao affairs.
To put it simply, if the members of the Judgment Office showed up, generally speaking, there wouldn't be good news.
Seeing them suddenly appear at the grand ceremony, Xie Yu could only speculate that something might have gone wrong.
He suggested anxiously, "Should we go back?"
Looking at the retreating figures of the Xie family and Meng Qingzhi, Su Zui instinctively touched the phoenix jade pendant on his chest, replying casually, "Don't worry, if anything happens, it won't involve us."
It was strange, ever since the pendant had cracked and healed on its own, it had become warm. Holding it felt comforting. Somehow, he had formed the habit of reaching out and touching it from time to time.
Although he thought that the self-healing of the jade was peculiar, he couldn't figure out where the anomaly laid. So, he could only slowly ponder over it.
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The Tao Grand Ceremony soon began.
Su Zui took Xie Yu to register.
They were among the last group to arrive. Those who needed to register had already done so. The latecomers, who were all VIPs, didn't need to register so they didn't run into anyone.
Except for the staff in charge of registration who looked at them strangely after reading their names, the process went smoothly.
After registration, they returned to their hotel to rest. The actual ceremony would officially begin the next day.
The Tao Grand Ceremony wasn't just about competition. Initially, it was an exchange event where everyone could share resources and experiences.
Before heading to the exchange meeting, Su Zui packed all the talismans, magical tools, and other useful items that he could carry with him.
Xie Yu found it strange, "We're just going for an exchange meeting. Do we really need to bring so much stuff?"
Su Zui adjusted his backpack and replied, "To prevent any unforeseen circumstances."
Recalling the incident where they were thrown into the Fan Tian secret realm unprepared, Xie Yu solemnly agreed, "Yes, you're right."
The two meticulously packed their items, with Xie Yu even bringing along a mid-level spiritual beast that he had tamed previously. Only then did they leave the hotel at the start of the exchange meeting.
Xie Yu said, "You can listen in and see if there's anything useful."
The exchange event was very valuable. Experience was the most precious of all; it wasn't uncommon for seasoned professionals to give lectures, often inspiring younger cultivators. Xie Yu had gained much from his previous attendance.
Xie Yu, eager and well-prepared with his notebook, arrived at the scene only to find out that it wasn't the quiet, orderly venue as before. Instead, it was rather chaotic, with most of the attendees agitated.
"What? The competition is starting first?"
"I heard that the Xu family's array was activated earlier than scheduled. To ensure that no time is wasted, the grand competition must proceed first."
After a while, the two understood the situation.
The theme of this grand competition was to let the younger generation gain experience. Only those under thirty years old could participate. Due to the limited abilities of the participants, no difficult tasks were set. The venue chosen was the Xu family's ancient illusionary array.
The Xu family is one of the hosts of this grand mystical event and is one of the top families in the Tao.
Although it is merely an illusionary array, it was passed down from the ancient era when spiritual energy was in full bloom. The quality of this formation is incomparable to the ones currently utilized in the mystical world. It was more than sufficient for the grand competition, and being a milder formation, even in the worst-case scenarios, it would not pose any fatal risks. This made it an ideal location for the younger generation's competition.
However, due to its high-level nature, the array cannot be activated at will. One must calculate the timing, and it will only be activated when the conditions are appropriate.
This time, either there was a miscalculation, or they unexpectedly activated the array prematurely.
Each second the array is open consumes a lot of energy. That’s why the grand competition, originally scheduled for three days later, had to be advanced to the present moment.
After discussing with the Xu family for a bit, a member of the Xu family stood up and announced, "We apologize for the mistake in the timing of the array activation. The array will initiate in half an hour, and the competition must be moved up."
The news caused a stunned silence through the crowd.
"Half an hour? Isn't that how long it takes to return to the hotel from here and then rush to the Xu family's place?"
"I haven't even finished packing my stuff! What should I do?"
"What is this? Isn't this toying with us?"
The chairman of the association exerted his authority, silencing the noisy crowd, "This incident was purely accidental, and the situation cannot be changed now. Those who have decided to continue participating in the competition, check if there's anything you have not brought with you? Go back and pack quickly. Arrive at the array entrance half an hour later. Latecomers will be considered as automatically giving up their right to compete."
As soon as these words were spoken, the meeting hall quieted for a moment. In the next moment, almost everyone rushed towards the exit like they were competing for a reincarnation.
Complaints aside, giving up was not an option.
The prizes of the grand competition were extremely enticing, consisting of several superior talismans and two top-grade magical instruments, their value immeasurable.
Moreover, even if there was no hope of winning a prize, being able to enter the ancient array and gain some experience was a very rare opportunity.
Within just two minutes, more than 80% of the people in the meeting hall had left. Only a handful of individuals remained, and most of them were independent cultivators.
Although the entry requirements for the grand mystical event were low, they were relatively so, not literally admitting everyone.
In particular, independent cultivators had to rely on their own abilities to be admitted, unlike the members of large families who could use their family quotas. Those who were capable enough to pass the auditions were not weak by any estimation.
Compared to the pampered young masters of noble families, these independent cultivators were more cautious, and many of them carried all their possessions with them, like Su Zui.
With fewer people left, Su Zui and Xie Yu became more conspicuous, especially Xie Yu.
During the last meeting, Xie Yu had accompanied the Xie family, so some people still had an impression of him, and were puzzled why he was not with them now.
Several people cast strange glances at Xie Yu, but in the end, no one hastily initiated a conversation. After observing them for a moment, these people didn't waste more time and rushed towards the direction of the Xu family's illusionary array.
Xie Yu naturally understood what those gazes meant.
He pulled Su Zui and whispered, "Let's go over there too."
As the destruction of their house protection array was a big disgrace, the Xie family had made great efforts to cover up the news. Outsiders only knew that the Xie family had coveted Su Zui's resources but had ended up blasting their own array, and they were not aware of the specifics, nor did they know that Xie Yu was no longer part of the Xie family.
Su Zui and Xie Yu quickly reached the front of the array.
Despite the hurry, monks always had various methods to shorten the distance. In the end, over 90% of the people managed to arrive.
When the appointed time came, under the gaze of the patriarchs and elders from major families, the array slowly opened.
The young monks entered in a single file.
Meng Qingzhi, being the male protagonist, naturally didn't come late due to his good luck.
He, being a member of a noble family, went in early and was ahead of Su Zui. Before leaving, he glanced at Su Zui casually, his gaze clear and cold.
Su Zui didn't bother to acknowledge his gaze, pretending not to see it.
Xie Yu, on the other hand, furrowed his eyebrows. He always thought of Meng Qingzhi as a somewhat charming yet annoying person, capable of stirring up trouble but still managed to adeptly navigate the waters like a demon.
The team of independent cultivators was at the back. Su Zui and Xie Yu stepped into the formation just before it closed.
Before stepping in, out of the corner of his eye, it seemed he saw a familiar figure, with a hint of flames red?
But before he could take a closer look, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes, his consciousness becoming fuzzy for a moment, and the next instant, he was already inside the array.
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"Qing Luan."
In the loft of the Xu family.
Phoenix was looking down at the formation activating and suddenly spoke.
He didn't know why, but in the moment he saw the figure with black hair disappearing at the entrance of the array, his almost-stopped heart suddenly jumped heavily, trembling as if in fear.
Subconsciously, he called out the name of his most trusted subordinate.
Qing Luan looked painfully at Suzaku who was revealing a small bird head from his front collar.
This time, when Phoenix came out of seclusion to visit the Tao grand ceremony, he completely failed to use the excuse of Phoenix being unwell to fool Suzaku.
He didn't know to what extent Phoenix had controlled the evil energy. He could only do his best to keep a close eye on Suzaku, using his own aura as interference, not allowing Suzaku to have a chance to approach Phoenix alone.
The small bird head twisted around 180 degrees to look at Phoenix, black bean-like eyes filled with desire.
He chirped twice, trying to draw Phoenix's attention.
However, it was frustrating that Phoenix didn't show any reaction and concentrated on looking down at the foolish humans.
Suzaku was dispirited.
He really had something important to discuss!
But Qing Luan was unwilling to let him talk to Phoenix, even going so far as to use a silencing spell on him, limiting him to chirp like a bird.
Even though the language of the birds was their mother tongue, it could only convey general meanings, not specifics.
What an unbearable offense to him, a divine beast who was strong and domineering? When had he received such an indignity?
When did Qing Luan become such a foul bird that would take advantage of him?
Once he had recovered, he would definitely settle the score with Qing Luan, the evil bird!
Suzaku was becoming more enraged as he thought, his feathers puffing up in irritation, he butted his head against Qing Luan's chest repeatedly, as if attempting to defy him to the end.
However, given his small size, the effect was negligible, and instead made him appear shyly coquettish.
Qing Luan calmly inserted the fiery red bird head back into his clothes.
Startled by the sudden summons from his boss, Qing Luan froze for a moment, then quickly raised his head and asked, "Do you have any orders, my lord?"
Yet, Phoenix did not reply.
A few strands of his pitch-black hair had fallen in front of his forehead, veiling his somewhat cold eyebrows and eyes.
He gazed intently at the now-closed array, his countenance peaceful, revealing no emotion.
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Upon entering the formation, Su Zui found the ambiance around him turned noisy, as though he had entered another illusion. Xie Yu and the others were nowhere to be seen.
Unhurried, he quietly surveyed around.
He had learnt some information prior to his arrival and knew that the first obstacle of Xu family's ancient illusion array was the 'illusion of heart', a test of the cultivator's inner self.
It seemed as though he was in a car, sitting in the passenger seat. The car was driven smoothly by the driver, the outside bustling with cars and sounds, bathed in bright sunlight.
Without any change in his demeanor, he looked down to find himself dressed in a small suit and a high-end custom made wristwatch, wearing an expensive brand.
Su Zui had a vague premonition in his heart.
This attire resembled the one he often wore in his previous world...
As he was pondering, the “driver” suddenly spoke up. His slightly low voice carried the unique magnetism of a mature man, reminiscent of a cello being played next to one’s ear. “I will pick you up after work. Do you want to have steak? I’ll prepare it for you tonight.”
At that moment, Su Zui felt as if he was being struck by lightning.
He turned stiffly. Upon seeing the face he hadn’t dared to recall for so long, his mind went blank for a few seconds.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Even though he was aware it was just an illusion, there was a moment where he couldn't help but get entrapped in it.
In that same fleeting moment, a wisp of extremely faint milky white mist seized the opportunity and entered his body.
Su Zui's gaze faltered for a half a second. He quickly recovered, furrowed his brows in thought for a while, feeling like he was forgetting something, but he could not remember.
It seemed like he wasn't supposed to be here...
"What's wrong? You suddenly stopped talking. Are you feeling unwell?" Before he could come to any conclusions, the man quickly pulled the car to a stop by the roadside and turned to look at him while unbuckling his seatbelt. His deep, pool-like pupils were filled with concern.
Upon seeing the man's face, that sense of discomfort in his heart quickly dissipated. Su Zui shook his head, pushing the handsome face that came closer back, a slight smile curling at the corners of his lips. "I'm fine, I just didn't sleep well last night. Drive quickly, or a traffic officer might come."
It seemed like he hadn't smiled like this in a long time, his eyes curving up. He teased his lover in a somewhat childish manner, "If President Fu accidentally makes the social news headlines, would the company's stock price still hold?"
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Author's note:
Fat·Secret Technique·Chirp: I greened myself.jpg
#Green# #Healthy!#
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Thanks for the update!! 🤔🤔🤔
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