Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 881: Hidden Scales, Moon Dragging, Dragon Driving to Win
"Um…who?"

Murong Xi's fingertip magic suddenly stopped, and the red-gold flame in the furnace suddenly increased by three inches, burning her white sleeves.

Her consciousness swept across the restrictive fluctuations outside the cave, and the tips of her jade-like ears suddenly turned a rosy color. "Why is he here at this time?"

Her white hands stirred up the clear light of the moon on the water, and a rippling ice mirror appeared out of thin air.

The person in the mirror had disheveled hair, a few strands of black hair stuck to the red neck, and the front of her white robe had been left with pale yellow water marks from the spiritual fire.

She bit her lower lip, her fingertips almost digging into her palm - how could she, the dignified Master of Yunming Sword, and that man's senior sister, appear in such a filthy state when they first met?
"Break!"

Murong Xi let out a low shout, and her slender fingers suddenly overlapped to form a lotus seal, and the spiritual fire chain hummed in response.

The footsteps outside the cave were getting closer and closer. In her panic, her spiritual power surged, and the nine black iron chains broke at the same time.

With a loud bang, the entire cave was shaken into pieces. The red-gold flames in the alchemy furnace licked the stalactites on the dome, melting the thousand-year-old ice crystals into crystal rain that fell.

At this time, Chen Mu arrived in front of the cave and bowed politely in front of the gate: "Senior Sister Yunming, Junior Brother Chen Mu requests to see you."

But before he could finish his words, he heard a crisp sound like metal breaking from the cave. At the same time, flames overflowed from the cracks in the restriction, leaving scorch marks on the bluestone slabs.

His heart skipped a beat. Just as he was wondering if he had come at a bad time, he heard a voice from the cave: "Wait... wait for half an incense stick."

There was a hint of panic in the clear voice, but it also revealed a sense of being as calm and composed as possible.

Chen Mu raised his eyebrows. If he was just guessing just now, how could he be uncertain now? He really came at an inopportune time.

I wonder if this senior sister whom I have never met is going through some kind of...unspeakable hurdle in her cultivation?

But since Senior Sister had said so, it was not right for him to leave or not leave...

Inside the cave, Murong Xi did her best to suppress the rising spiritual fire, and did not forget to say to the spiritual crane girl: "Xuxu, you go and accompany her first, don't be rude."

The Linghe girl immediately responded and left.

After he left, Murong Xi fluttered her wide sleeves and made dozens of ice gestures. The cave, which was as hot as lava just now, instantly condensed into ice crystals, and even the hair hanging down by her temples was covered with frost flowers.

By the time the crane-carrying girl led Chen Mu into the cave, Murong Xi was already seated on the cold jade platform. Ice crystals fell from her fingertips as she formed a seal, yet she still displayed the dignity of a Divine Transformation cultivator. "Junior Brother Chen, you've arrived at a perfect time."

Before she finished her words, a drop of sweat slid down her creamy neck into her collar, and evaporated into a fine mist in the cold jade spiritual energy.

"Is it really... a coincidence?"

One of them sat and the other stood, looking at each other.

In Murong Xi's eyes, Chen Mu was wearing a plain white robe and a white jade hairpin. His demeanor was as elegant as a water lotus. In addition, his figure was as straight as a pine tree, and his aura was harmonious and smooth. He was indeed a rare talent.

In Chen Mu's eyes, Murong Xi had black hair like the sea, tied with a white jade ribbon, picturesque eyebrows and features, and snow-white skin. If her robe was not slightly soaked and there were beads of sweat on her forehead and neck, she would also be a fairy from the Moon Palace as cold and pure as the clouds in the sky.

Fortunately, although the two of them had different ideas in their minds, they were both trying their best to keep the situation from being too awkward.

"It is not my intention to disturb Senior Sister's quiet cultivation."

Chen Mu lowered his eyes to avoid the water mark, but when he bowed, he caught a glimpse of the newly melted finger marks on the cold jade platform. He could only say, "Junior brother, I have been a disciple for several years, but I have never been able to come to pay my respects. I hope Senior Sister will not blame me."

"Since we are from the same sect, why are you so polite?"

Murong Xi resisted the urge to wipe her forehead and smiled, "But Junior Brother, you've come here now, so I guess you know about the Taixu Dragon Fishing Banquet?"

Chen Mu's eyes flickered, and he nodded, "That's why I came here to ask you, Senior Sister, if there's anything I should be aware of when attending this kind of event."

"This Taixu Dragon Fishing Banquet..."

Murong Xi's beautiful eyes turned slightly. She knew a lot, but because she was so confused at the moment, she didn't know where to start.

She paused, but a light bulb went off in her head, and she thought of her fishing tool, "Mist and Clouds".

"There's not much to say about the Taixu Dragon Fishing Feast, but since this is my first time fishing for Dao Marks, I wonder if you've prepared any fishing equipment?"

As she spoke, frost flowers turned into water, falling from her hair continuously, splashing drops of broken beads on the cold jade table.

"Fishing equipment?"

Chen Mu frowned slightly and was about to ask a question, but suddenly he saw Murong Xi's ears move slightly. It turned out that the spiritual fire that had just been forcibly stopped was causing trouble in the furnace.

She just calmly pointed her finger behind her, and the cold jade spirit energy transformed into an ice phoenix that flew towards the stove, and ice and fire suddenly intertwined in the cave.

Chen Mu's heart moved slightly, so he simply kept silent and let the other party introduce himself.

Fortunately, although Murong Xi felt embarrassed, she was still enthusiastic and began to carefully explain to him the importance of fishing equipment.

"Just like my 'Mist-Born Clouds and Water', it's not top-tier in quality, but in my hands, with the right bait, it might be able to catch a sixth-level Dao Mark!"

"Of course, it's limited to water..."

When Murong Xi was talking excitedly, her slender fingers tapped her knees unconsciously, and she was completely unaware that a shallow dent had been left on the cold jade platform by her sitting.

"In short, a fishing tool isn't essential, but it can save a cultivator nearly half their energy, comparable to the role of a natal spirit beast when refining Dao Marks. Therefore, a good fishing tool is particularly valuable in the Floating Cloud Realm."

"Especially at a grand event like this, if you don't have fishing gear, there's almost no chance of success..."

She suddenly stopped talking here, but saw Chen Mu frowning.

"Why, didn't Master prepare anything for him?"

When she first started fishing, her master had specially chosen the "Mist and Clouds Produce Water" for her. And as far as she knew, the first fishing tools for all the senior brothers and sisters were all prepared by her master in advance...

"Does Master treat people differently?"

Thinking of this, Murong Xi quickly shut his mouth, fearing that he would offend this "hard-earned" good junior brother.

Chen Mu had no idea what she was thinking. When he saw her stop, he thought she had finished the introduction. Little did he know that Murong Xi was already feeling sorry for him in her heart...

"In that case, Junior Brother, you can take advantage of this time to prepare some fishing equipment..."

Chen Mu's expression became serious and he bowed to say goodbye.

"and many more!"

Murong Xi was stunned as soon as she said this. Afterwards, she could just go find her master directly. Why bother with this extra effort...

In the cold mist, she pretended to be solemn and said, "Don't worry for now, Junior Brother. It won't be too late to act after I ask Master."

Chen Mu didn't notice anything else, he bowed and said, "Thank you, Senior Sister."

Murong Xi waved her wide sleeves to see the guest off, and the moment the cave door closed, her whole body went limp on the jade platform as if her bones had been pulled out.

"Finally I'm leaving..."

She rubbed her aching waist and took off her outer robe made of ice crystals, revealing her moon-white inner garment soaked with sweat.

At this time, the red flame in the alchemy furnace was burning again, reflecting the sweat on her neck, and it seemed to dye the figure carved out of cold jade with the color of mortal blood.

"It's all this damn Dragon Fishing Feast!"

Before she finished speaking, she waved her slender hand, and poured the vast spiritual power like the ocean into the fire as if to vent her anger, and continued to refine her fishing equipment.

Outside the cave, Chen Mu felt the sudden burst of energy behind him and pursed his lips. He then bowed to the crane girl who had escorted him out, and then flew away. ...

Within a few days, Murong Xi sent back the news.

It turns out that Fu Yuanzi really treats people differently, but the situation is completely reversed.

It wasn't that Fu Yuanzi hadn't chosen a fishing tool for Chen Mu, but this time, he forged it for him personally...

Now it was Murong Xi's turn to be distracted. Everyone just picked one at random, so why did Junior Brother Chen insist on making it himself?

Could it be that Junior Brother Chen is really the closed disciple?
As we all know, fishing tools are different from magic weapons and spiritual treasures. They are roughly divided into four grades: traces, patterns, veins, and sources.

The first two grades correspond to the first four realms of cultivators, while the pulse-grade treasure corresponds to the first realm of asking for the Dao, which is the fifth-level Dao mark.

For example, her "Mist and Clouds Produce Water" is a Pulse-level treasure. With her realm, it is more than enough to catch a fifth-level Dao Mark, and she even has a chance to catch a sixth-level Dao Mark.

The reason why she was able to break through the limit of grade was, firstly, because she had a rich foundation, and secondly, because there were Dao patterns engraved by her master on "Mist and Clouds Producing Water", which was quite attractive to the sixth-level Dao patterns.

Just imagine, if even the master can make "Mist and Clouds Produce Water" break through the grade limit by casually engraving Dao patterns, how terrifying would it be to have a fishing tool that is personally crafted and carefully selected with suitable Dao patterns?
Murong Xi was extremely envious, but when she communicated with Chen Mu, she still tried her best to act calm and composed, and enthusiastically told him more details about the trip.

Chen Mu was also happy about this. In just a month, he asked to meet with his senior sister several times and finally got a general understanding of the Taixu Fishing Dragon Banquet.

When talking about this Dragon Fishing Banquet, we have to introduce the Cloud Sea Market in the Third Heaven.

According to the division of the nine cities in the world, the Yunhai Market is divided into three areas: "Yunyuan, Xingzhu, and Xiajin".

This flood season should be in the "Xiajin" area, which is the place where the three capitals of Dong, Ling and Xuan are jointly ruled.

In fact, if we go by this, the Taixu Dragon Fishing Banquet should be an opportunity for the cultivators in these three cities, and has nothing to do with the cultivators in other realms.

But people in the world will not limit themselves to this. After all, the flood season is uncertain. It may appear continuously in one area, or it may not erupt in one area for hundreds of years.

In order to participate in every event, the immortal kings of Dong, Ling and Xuan will not close their doors to the outside world. Instead, they welcome cultivators from other realms to come.

In this way, as Murong Xi mentioned when introducing it, attracting nearly half of the Taoist sect to take action will no longer be so unrealistic.

However, compared to outsiders, the senior sister paid more attention to the "insiders" in Xiajin Domain.

The strength of Dong, Ling and Xuan is not much different, and there are as many as eight true immortal sects in total.

If nothing unexpected happens, outsiders may only send a few disciples to try. It would be best if they can catch a big dragon, but if they can't, they can just make do with it.
But it is different for “our own people”. They are afraid that they will not get it, and they are even more afraid that it will be taken away by the neighboring sects.

As the saying goes, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor.

But that is relative to emergency situations. If the world is peaceful, or if a family happens to have a tyrannical leader, it is inevitable that they will look down on their neighbors.

Just like the two sects in Dongdu, the Biluo Chaosheng Pavilion is known as the number one Taoist sect in Qingzhou, but the reason why it is not the number one in Dongdu is because of the "Jinmuyuan" in Zhangzhou.

Wood is a prosperous area in Dongdu. The Biluo Chaosheng Pavilion promotes Taoism with wood and water, while the Jinmuyuan sect passes on the family tradition with fire and wood.

This Taoist school is mostly composed of relatives with the same surname, and its foundation is the poisonous fire of the earth and lungs. The direct descendants usually have "Ding Fire and Yi Wood Bones" and are particularly good at this kind of indirect Taoist method. They often compete with Chaosheng Pavilion for various resources, which makes the disciples of Chaosheng Pavilion miserable.

Tens of thousands of years of friction had already made the two families hostile to each other. If neither of them had the absolute strength to decide the outcome of the world, perhaps there would be only one True Immortal Sect left in Dongdu at this time.

Under such a relationship, although the two families can still maintain stability on the surface, when it comes to the Taixu Dragon Fishing Banquet, the competition is expected to be the most intense.

Even if you can't get it, you can't let the other person get it.

I think both families agree with this idea.

That is to say, the rank of this Taixu Dragon Fishing Feast was not high. Otherwise, the two families would have had friction a long time ago...

This is true for the Eastern Capital and the other two capitals as well.

Lingdu is slightly better. The Jiuyao Xingshu Palace is the only dominant one, while the Xinyan Mansion and Kunling Bloodline compete with each other, but they are not strong enough to overthrow an entire state.

However, the situation in Xuandu was much more intense. The Wuxiang Sword Tomb, Taiyin Si Clan, and Jielei Ancient Pool disliked each other. Every ten years there was a small fight, and every hundred years there was a big fight, which made the Xuandu cultivation world in chaos, and it was nicknamed "Floating Clouds and Chaotic City".

However, it is worth mentioning that the relationship between Xiajin and Sanda is not just hostile.

For example, the Taiyin Si clan has a very close relationship with the Biluo Chaosheng Pavilion, and the two families often have exchanges.

There are even rumors that the inheritance of the Shuide Zhenxian of Chaosheng Pavilion is not actually pure. Before the Zhenxian Biluo ascended to heaven, he deliberately borrowed the fundamental profound skills of the Taiyin Si clan to deduce it to the level of Zhenxian.

But whether this rumor is true or not, the world does not know, perhaps only these two families know for sure...

Then there's the fact that Jinmuyuan is on good terms with Jieleiguchi, and Wuxiangjianzhong has some support from Jiuyao Xingshu Hall...

There are many complicated relationships involved.

To sum up, this is a perfect example of the concept of "making friends with those far away and attacking those near"...

After sorting out the forces of the three cities of Xiajin, Chen Mu was amazed.

Only one-third of the land of Floating Cloud is already so vast and complex. What would the situation be like if we looked at the entire Floating Cloud world?

He shook his head secretly and calmed his fluctuating mind.

These were still far away from him. For now, he still had to focus on a small "Taixu Fishing Dragon Feast"...

……

Frozen clouds hang low, and the frosty wind is merciless outside Qingping Cave.

There is only half a month left until the end of the year, and it is winter now. However, since we are inside Fuyuan Cave, there is no wind or snow.

Suddenly, a sound of breaking air split the cold mist, and Murong Xi arrived on a crane. Before she even arrived, her voice was heard: "Junior Brother Chen, look what I brought you."

In the quiet room, Chen Mu stood up and walked out to greet her. He immediately saw a faint light in the palm of his senior sister's hand.

Chen Mu's eyes lit up: "But it's a fishing tool?"

Murong Xi laughed out loud, threw his hand, and the faint light suddenly hung in the air, revealing what was inside.

The fishing rod was seven feet and two inches long, all black in color, with dragon scales and cloud patterns faintly visible on the rod body. There were grains of star sand embedded every three inches, and the amber pendant at the end actually contained a complete dragon whisker.

"I forged the Frost Abyss Black Iron nine times, and then took the spiritual silk spun by the North Sea Ice Silkworm..."

Murong Xi flicked her finger, and suddenly thousands of water ripples burst out from the tip of the rod, and the surrounding frosty wind turned into the shadows of swimming fish.

"Master tempered it with his own life-blood fire for a hundred days. Although he kept it at the meridian stage because of your lack of cultivation, with this dragon whisker as an adornment, it may not be impossible to refine it again when your cultivation level improves..."

"Master named this pole 'Hidden Scales and Dragging Moon', saying it's quite artistic. I'm sure you'll like it."

"But if you ask me, why bother with the Dao Hen Contest? Since we're planning to host this feast for the great dragon, why not call it 'Pull the Dragon to Win the Championship'?"

Murong Xi smiled faintly, but her eyes were as warm and bright as her nature. "When the black pole rises, it's like thunder arresting a dragon, and when it falls, it's like Kuixing holding a pen and pointing out all the wind and clouds. Even if it's a bit exaggerated, it can still bring good luck, right?"

"Junior brother, what do you think?"

……

(End of this chapter)