Chapter 67: First Promotion, Spiritual Awakening
Su Jingzhen and the others couldn’t help but turn their gazes towards the commotion.
The crowd automatically parted to create a path.
A tall, slender figure emerged, walking towards the center.
The person who came was elegant and charming.
Who else could it be but Feng Qingya?
Today, Feng Qingya wore a black long dress.
Her noble demeanor seemed even more refined.
The dress wasn’t too loose, and Feng Qingya’s perfect figure was accentuated.
Her face wore a professional, fake smile.
The old man with white hair, who had appeared last night, still followed closely behind her, like a loyal guardian.“Is that the new Pavilion Master of Treasure Gathering Pavilion? She’s indeed as beautiful as the rumors say.”
“I heard she made an appearance at Cuiliu Alley’s Cuiliu School last night, but unfortunately, I was still on Clear Wind Mountain, trying my luck, and didn’t get to see her.”
“Today, I finally get to see her, and she’s even more beautiful than I imagined.”
“To be honest, I’ve never been too concerned about a female cultivator’s appearance, after all, beauty is just a facade.”
“But seeing Feng Qingya has changed my previous way of thinking.”
“If Feng Qingya were to take a liking to me, I’d be willing to give her my specially cultivated ribs to make a nourishing soup…”
“…”
As expected, Feng Qingya was the center of attention wherever she went.
At this moment, she frequently smiled and nodded towards the crowd, making people dizzy with admiration.
Many low-level cultivators in the early stages of their training couldn’t help but have unrealistic fantasies.
When Feng Qingya arrived, the highest-ranking elder of Huayang Sect, an old man with white hair, suddenly stood up.
He respectfully bowed and greeted her.
“Greetings, Pavilion Master Feng. I, Cao, apologize for not welcoming you properly.”
These polite phrases were unavoidable.
Feng Qingya smiled and said, “Vice Sect Master Cao, you’re too kind. Since Huayang Sect is hosting such a grand event, it’s only natural for Treasure Gathering Pavilion to attend and show our support.”
The white-haired elder who greeted Feng Qingya was named Cao Qing.
He was the Vice Sect Master of Huayang Sect’s branch in Linjiang.
He was also the highest-ranking member of Huayang Sect present at the gathering.
With the Sect Master absent, Cao Qing was in charge of hosting the event.
Feng Qingya’s seat was next to Cao Qing’s, in the absolute center.
After Feng Qingya and the old man following her took their seats, Cao Qing stood up.
He wore a dark green bracelet on his wrist, which suddenly flashed with light.
An ancient, rustic longsword appeared in his hand.
He then made a hand seal, and the sword began to float in mid-air.
He took a step forward, standing steadily on the sword.
The next second, he flew into the air.
“Sword flight!”
Cao Qing’s sudden display of sword flight shocked most of the people present.
Sword flight was the most obvious sign of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Although everyone knew that Cao Qing was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, every time they saw sword flight, countless Qi-refining Stage cultivators couldn’t help but feel envious.
For many low-level cultivators, being able to fly with a sword one day was the ultimate dream.
Looking at Cao Qing, who was standing steadily in mid-air, Su Jingzhen couldn’t help but feel a little envious.
It was said that for a Body Cultivator to achieve sword flight, the difficulty was much higher than for a Qi-refining cultivator.
So, even if Su Jingzhen’s Body Cultivation reached the next level, the Flesh Body Spiritual Embryo realm, it was still uncertain whether he could fly with a sword like a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Seeing the countless Qi-refining Stage cultivators below, casting envious glances at him, Cao Qing felt extremely satisfied with his own pride.
He then loudly declared, “Today marks the annual Spirit Awakening Ceremony of our Huayang Sect.”
“I’m delighted to see that there are more participants this year.”
“I hope that everyone who enters the Spirit Awakening Tower will be able to awaken their own spiritual roots!”
“…”
As usual, during grand events, there were always some unnecessary formalities to go through.
Cao Qing, that old guy, started talking about the history of Huayang Sect, from its founder, Huayang Zhenren, and went on and on.
After a bunch of irrelevant chatter, he finally got to the point.
“Today’s Spirit Awakening Ceremony is different from previous years.”
“Recently, our Huayang Sect’s Linjiang branch has produced an exceptionally talented disciple.”
“Taking advantage of today’s ceremony, all the fellow Daoists from Linjiang City are gathered here.”
“As a witness, Huayang Sect is willing to promote him to an inner disciple first.”
“Then, he will be in charge of hosting the Spirit Awakening Ceremony!”
Oh no!
When Su Jingzhen heard Cao Qing’s words, his heart skipped a beat.
Although Cao Qing hadn’t mentioned the person’s name, who didn’t know that the one being promoted to an inner sect disciple was Chen Jinshi?!
It was just that no one had expected Huayang Sect to give him such an honor!
It turned out that Chen Jinshi’s promotion would take place before the Spirit Awakening Ceremony.
Previously, Su Jingzhen and the others had thought that even if Chen Jinshi were to be promoted to an inner sect disciple, it would just be a formality after the ceremony.
But they never expected it to be so formal!
And the most important thing was that after the promotion, Chen Jinshi would be in charge of hosting the Spirit Awakening Ceremony.
Su Jingzhen could predict with his toes that Chen Jinshi would definitely make things difficult for them during the ceremony.
He, Su Jingzhen, didn’t believe it.
Almost everyone was looking at Chen Jinshi with either admiration or envy.
Chen Jinshi, sitting in the central seat, suddenly stood up.
A warm smile appeared on his face.
Although Chen Jinshi’s appearance wasn’t as handsome as Luo Yuebai’s, and was even inferior to Su Jingzhen’s, he was still the center of attention.
And it didn’t hinder many female cultivators from gazing at him with admiration.
The honor that Cao Qing and Huayang Sect’s Linjiang branch were giving him was simply too great.
“Brother Chen is indeed that beam of light, illuminating my heart, which has been dark and quiet for a long time…”
“My ideal partner is someone like Brother Chen, a genius who can soar to great heights. I hope that after his promotion, he can wear golden armor and ride on a auspicious cloud to marry me…”
“…”
Many female cultivators were already fantasizing about Chen Jinshi.
Su Jingzhen and Luo Yuebai simultaneously looked at each other with disdain.
Su Jingzhen smiled at Luo Yuebai and said, “Do you feel pressured, Brother Luo?”
“Huh?”
Luo Yuebai was taken aback.
Su Jingzhen smiled again and said, “Didn’t we all see it last night? That guy is extremely infatuated with Pavilion Master Feng.”
“His current aura is indeed quite strong.”
Luo Yuebai was speechless again.
After enjoying the attention of everyone in the square, Chen Jinshi walked to the center of the square, in front of Huayang Zhenren’s statue.
Although he had reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, he still hadn’t achieved Foundation Establishment and couldn’t fly with a sword.
If he could, he would be able to show off to the extreme today.