Chapter 113: As the Elders Deliberate the Hidden Realm, Aspirations for the Future Bloom Amid the Flower Banquet

“What?”

“Going to the South Sea on a mission really draws resentment. That elder from Haoran Shuyuan is quite nosy. Ji Ling is usually reclusive, never showing up for any secret realm opportunities, but this time she actually came.”

Before Ji Ling could speak, Yue La cut in and answered for her: “Oh my, Little Lingling naturally came because she wanted to bring the child out for fun!”

“You don’t know, do you? Little Lingling recently took in a little rabbit demon girl and dotes on her like a daughter. Originally she only planned to send me alone, but Little Lingling insisted on bringing the child out to see the world. Nothing I said could stop her, so it became like this.”

Ji Ling on the side remained silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

“So that’s how it is.”

The elder from Haoran Shuyuan stroked his beard in understanding.

“Come, come, let’s drink the fine wine of Tinghai Pavilion!”

That elder from the Divine Fire Sect laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! Daoist Friend Tu, you flatter me. Today, since Tinghai Pavilion has invited you all here to enjoy the flowers, of course we have enough!”

In the center of the crowd, Tinghai Pavilion’s Pavilion Master, Jian Chao, stroked his beard and smiled—he was the Le Dao King of this flower-viewing gathering.

Tinghai Pavilion of the South Sea had always been known for its great wealth and hospitality.

Now that a secret realm had emerged, as the Le Dao King, he naturally had to put some thought into properly entertaining the guests who had traveled from afar.

After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere grew lively.

Even though everyone present was at the Spirit Severing Stage, the topics of conversation at this gathering were not about the Great Dao or cultivation.

Instead, they discussed trivial matters, teaching experiences, and gossip among peers—a scene of harmony.

“Speaking of which, we haven’t asked yet, Pavilion Master Jian. Where exactly is the entrance to this secret realm? The notice only said it’s on Yuxin Road, but we’ve been here for days and haven’t detected any trace at all.”

The female elder from Binglian Dachi set down her wine cup and asked.

‘She had her doubts. After arriving at Yuxin Island, her divine sense had not detected any aura from the secret realm, and she couldn’t pinpoint its source. There was no cave dwelling or mountain on the island…’

“Daoist Friend Chen, you are not aware of this.”

Before Jian Chao could answer, an elder from Yuandao Sect smiled and spoke: “We from the Yuandao Sect have basically all been here to see it—this secret realm is quite interesting. The Binglian Dachi is too far north; when the secret realm was first discovered, they couldn’t send anyone in time to investigate.”

“Daoist Friend Fang, what do you mean?” Elder Chen asked urgently.

“Hahaha! He means that the entrance to the secret realm is actually right here!”

Jian Chao laughed aloud and took an ancient-looking scroll from his sleeve.

“This is…!”

Under Elder Chen’s confused gaze, Jian Chao smiled and unfurled the scroll—

It was a beautiful painting. On it was depicted a round giant island with diverse terrain: erupting volcanoes, a desolate great desert, a miasma-filled swamp forest, a freezing cold snowfield, and in the very center of the island sat a magnificent palace.

“This is the entrance to the secret realm we discovered on Yuxin Island!”

Jian Chao took great pleasure in seeing the shock on Elder Chen’s face as he stroked his beard and laughed:

“That day, an anomaly appeared on this island. Our Tinghai Pavilion sent people to investigate, and all we found was this scroll. It carries the same aura as the secret realm entrance—full of ancient spatial energy. No other clues were found. Old me found this secret realm novel, so I invited the various sects to come and take a look. We can basically confirm that this secret realm has an age limit: those over a hundred years old cannot enter. And the entrance to this secret realm is unique—the Jade Shell Inheritance inside will definitely not be inferior—this is why I invited the geniuses of the various sects to come.”

“Yes, yes.”

The people nearby nodded in agreement. But Yue La, standing to the side, muttered to herself:

‘Isn’t that obvious? Even an Immortal Artifact has appeared…’

However, it was understandable that these people only saw a rare jade and didn’t think it was an Immortal Artifact.

After all, ever since the rules of Shenzhou were reestablished and the world had no more immortals ascending, those who achieved the Dao and became immortals were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, and the inheritance of cultivation was scarce.

Now that an Immortal Artifact had appeared, it was truly beyond everyone’s expectations.

“I estimate that at most half a year, at least a few days, and this secret realm will open.”

Jian Chao rolled up the scroll and put it back into his sleeve. “After today, we will spread the news about this secret realm and also invite some rogue cultivators to come.”

“That’s a good idea.”

The cultivators nodded in agreement.

On the other side of the flower-viewing gathering, a pink-clad girl with double buns was holding the hand of another rabbit-eared girl, running quickly on her little legs.

“Phew… we finally escaped!”

Hua Xiangrong pulled Ding Shiliu to a stop beside an overflowing flower bush. She patted her chest with lingering fear: “Those fairy maidens are really terrifying!”

“Yes, yes.” Ding Shiliu nodded along, her small face full of agreement. “They kept stuffing pastries into my mouth. I can hardly eat anymore!”

Just now, the two had followed Yun Xueshang into the flower-viewing gathering to greet everyone.

But the moment they did, the two soft and cute little girls instantly became the center of attention.

A group of female cultivators swarmed around them, pinching their cheeks, asking questions, and giving them snacks—their enthusiasm was overwhelming.

Especially Hua Xiangrong—as the daughter that Yun Xueshang, the sword immortal of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect, had suddenly announced, the various fairy maidens were naturally very curious about her.

‘…Being too cute isn’t such a good thing either.’

Hua Xiangrong sighed with an air of maturity far beyond her years.

While she used her divine sense to keep an eye on the elders’ side, she saw that everything was going as expected—the elders agreed to let rogue cultivators enter the secret realm.

So she no longer paid attention and turned to Ding Shiliu with a smile:

“Let’s go, Little Sixteen. I’ll take you to play! Leave all those adult social obligations to Father, Mother, and Niang!”

“Mm!”

The wind carried the fragrance of flowers. Ding Shiliu gazed at the pink-clad girl before her.

Her lovely smile was set among the blooming flowers, making her even more beautiful than the blossoms at their peak. She answered softly and nodded vigorously.

Hua Yan withdrew the divine sense that had been following the two girls who had run off, leaving only a thread of spiritual thought to watch over them.

She refocused and accompanied Yun Xueshang in smiling and chatting with the various female cultivators, occasionally helping the silent Yun Xueshang cover up for her.

‘Ugh, these kinds of social gatherings are so boring—so many formalities and polite greetings. So annoying.’

Hua Yan pouted inwardly, envying the two little ones who were already weaving flower crowns by the bushes.

But letting her leave first was absolutely impossible. After all, she was now known as Yun Xueshang’s Dao partner. And Yun Xueshang’s personality was…

She glanced at Yun Xueshang, who was only nodding stiffly and struggling to handle the conversations.

Helplessly, she sighed inwardly, smiled, and stepped forward to take over the conversation.

After all, her Xueshang was just a swordsmanship-obsessed fool, with no clue about social niceties.

After seeing off that female cultivator, Yun Xueshang seriously thanked her.

Hua Yan let out a tsundere “Hmph” and turned her face away, but inside she was secretly delighted:

‘If I weren’t here, how would she manage? Hehehe…’

She was secretly laughing to herself, but then a new question suddenly popped into her mind:

‘If I eventually form a contract with Xueshang, we are both heirs of our respective sects. So should I have her come live with me at Baihua Valley, or should I follow her to the Xiaoyao Sword Sect?’

Soon, she came up with an answer that would surely earn her a beating if Hua Yu heard it:

‘Pfft, forget about being the heir of Baihua Valley! When I was in the valley, I never seriously did any of the things an heir is supposed to do!’

‘Isn’t Rongrong here? When she grows up, I’ll just let her inherit Baihua Valley!’

‘As for me…’

She sneaked another glance at Yun Xueshang’s flawless profile.

‘Cough cough. This fool is so dense. Not to mention dealing with troublesome social obligations, she can’t even handle sect affairs.’

‘I’ll just have to reluctantly follow her to the Xiaoyao Sword Sect and help her out a bit more~’

The Everlasting Flower in Chapter 21 looks like this. ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭*