Chapter 198 – Martial God Mountain Heroes Gather, Talents Converge, Fish and Dragons Mixed

“Junior Brother Lu, did you hear the bell just now?”

On the Seven-Essence Immortal Boat of the Azure Cloud Sect, Yi Hanqing leaned against the Celestial Ark Deck with a wine gourd in hand, gazing into the distance toward the Drunken Cloud Sea.

Yet his expression at this moment was filled with melancholy, as if burdened with countless worries.

Approaching him, Lu Chen kindly inquired, “Senior Brother, I heard you encountered quite a few troubles during your descent from the mountain this time?”

“Meow King told you, didn’t he?”

Lu Chen nodded, confirming he’d indeed heard it from Meow King.

After their journey to the Great Yan Dynasty concluded, the man and cat had gone their separate ways—one to a certain sect, the other to Great Cool Mountain to visit his Spirit Beast friends.

Meow King’s trip had been uneventful; the Spirit Beasts of Great Cool Mountain faced no particular issues.

But Yi Hanqing’s situation had taken an unexpected turn.

The woman he loved seemed to have proactively severed their relationship.

This had left Yi Hanqing utterly heartbroken.

Though Meow King hadn’t elaborated on the reasons,

by piecing together some information Lu Chen had gathered within the sect, he could surmise part of the story.

The girl Yi Hanqing loved had voluntarily joined a Demonic Sect in her youth.

Although she’d later left the Demonic Sect through a twist of fate,

this period of her life had undoubtedly become a permanent stain on her reputation.

So much so that Yi Hanqing found it nearly impossible to bring her into the Azure Cloud Sect,

let alone gain the sect’s approval for them to become Dao Companions.

Due to these unique circumstances, Yi Hanqing ultimately couldn’t be with her.

Their relationship reached its conclusion during their last meeting.

When Yi Hanqing sought her out again, she had already married another Cultivator.

Witnessing his beloved become another man’s wife dealt a heavy blow to Yi Hanqing,

plunging him into prolonged despondency.

Even now, with the True Immortal Trial approaching, Yi Hanqing seemed unable to fully move on from his past relationship.

Just as Lu Chen prepared to offer some words of comfort, a voice interrupted from nearby.

“Yi Hanqing, what the hell are you moping about? So the girl you liked ran off with someone else—big fucking deal!”When your Meow brother took a liking to a white fox from Great Cool Mountain, didn’t she reject me too? Did I say anything? Nothing at all—turned around and left, pure elegance!”

Hearing this uncouth language, Lu Chen didn’t need to look to know who had arrived.

Soon enough, a large orange cat leaped onto the ark’s railing, looking down at Yi Hanqing with contempt.

While Yi Hanqing was typically courteous to others, his attitude toward Meow King was entirely different.

“Meow King, what would a male cat like you know about feelings?” Go back to your Cave Residence and eat your cat food.”

“Male cat? Bro’s a tiger, understand? A tiger!”

“Yi Hanqing, if you call me a cat again, don’t blame me for disregarding our fellow disciple bond and giving you a taste of my ultimate Meow Meow Fist!”

Setting down his wine gourd, Yi Hanqing retorted with full disdain, “Come on then. I’ve been in a bad mood lately—perfect time to experience your Meow Meow Fist. Let’s see whether your fists are harder, or the Sword in my hand.”Watching the tense standoff between the man and the cat, Lu Chen felt a headache coming on.

For some inexplicable reason, Yi Hanqing and the Meow King seemed prone to arguments, as if they had been enemies in a past life.

Just as Lu Chen was pondering how to mediate between the two, a voice called out from beyond the deck.

Shangguan Yunmeng had arrived on the Azure Cloud Sect’s Celestial Ark, cheerfully waving at the two men and the cat.

Despite being a disciple of Jade Void Mountain, Shangguan Yunmeng felt more at ease in the Azure Cloud Sect, as if she had returned home.

Beside her, Li Xueke—her Senior Sister and special “guide dog”—stood with a stern expression.

This wasn’t because Li Xueke was putting on airs intentionally, but because she believed that Jade Void Mountain and the Azure Cloud Sect were rivals.

As a cultivator from Jade Void Mountain, she felt it necessary to maintain their dignity while on Azure Cloud Sect’s turf, lest the Azure Cloud disciples look down on them!

Only someone with a pure Heart-Nature like Shangguan Yunmeng wouldn’t overthink such matters.

She simply considered Lu Chen, Yi Hanqing, and the Meow King her good friends, so she saw no need for pretense.

Otherwise, in front of other Jade Void Mountain disciples, she could be quite “aloof.”

Seeing the two arrive, Yi Hanqing and the Meow King, who had been on the verge of a fight, could only glare at each other before temporarily backing down.

After all, one shouldn’t air their dirty laundry in public.

They couldn’t afford to give other Jade Void Mountain disciples the impression that Azure Cloud Sect disciples were discordant.

As Shangguan Yunmeng and Li Xueke approached, Lu Chen asked curiously, “Fellow Daoist Shangguan, Fellow Daoist Li, what brings you here?”

“With the True Immortal Trial approaching, shouldn’t the Elders of Jade Void Mountain restrict your movements?”

Hearing this, Li Xueke shot a helpless glance at Shangguan Yunmeng beside her.

Shangguan Yunmeng, however, replied matter-of-factly, “My Master did say I shouldn’t wander around, but I don’t consider coming to the Azure Cloud Sect as wandering. After all, my Master herself wants to visit the Azure Cloud Sect!”

“If she wants to come here, why can’t I?”

“Of course, the main reason is that I think your Azure Cloud Sect’s Five-Spring Spirit Fruits are delicious, so I wanted to come here to steal… no, to take some back to eat.”

Almost slipping up, Shangguan Yunmeng quickly corrected herself.

But her self-assumed clever response left Lu Chen and the others momentarily speechless.

Others regarded the Azure Cloud Sect with a mix of reverence and fear.

Yet here she was, treating it like a buffet, coming and going as she pleased.

Had she always been this bold?

Still, a few Spirit Fruits were hardly a big deal.

With that thought, Lu Chen immediately retrieved some Five-Spring Spirit Fruits from his Storage Bag.

“Here, these should last you a while.”

Shangguan Yunmeng happily accepted the Spirit Fruits and began eating them.

Though Li Xueke wanted to stop her, she ultimately let it slide.

After all, taking a few Spirit Fruits from the Azure Cloud Sect wasn’t a major issue.

However, her reason for coming here wasn’t just to act as Shangguan Yunmeng’s “guide dog” and prevent her from getting lost again.

There was another reason.

While Shangguan Yunmeng happily munched on the Spirit Fruits, Li Xueke looked at Lu Chen and the others and asked, “Fellow Daoist Lu, Fellow Daoist Yi, Fellow Daoist Meow, are you interested in tomorrow’s Cloud Sea Heroes Gathering?””Cloud Sea Gathering of Heroes?”

Lu Chen looked puzzled, truly unaware of what this gathering entailed.

Perhaps sensing Lu Chen’s confusion, Li Xueke nearby explained: “The so-called Gathering of Heroes is essentially a banquet organized by the Ten Sects of Central Province for young cultivators.”

“Generally, this banquet rotates among the Ten Sects. Its purpose includes allowing participants to familiarize themselves with opponents in the upcoming True Immortal Trial, as well as understanding other rogue cultivators.”

“After all, the True Immortal Trial only permits cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage under fifty years of age to enter.”

“This age range indeed corresponds to the youth period for most cultivators.”

“This year’s gathering is hosted by Martial God Mountain. They seem to attach great importance to it, insisting we must invite disciples from Azure Cloud Sect.”

“Because in previous years, Azure Cloud Sect disciples rarely participated in these gatherings, as they typically become primary targets for other cultivators during the True Immortal Trial.”

“But for some reason, Martial God Mountain seems particularly eager to recruit you Azure Cloud Sect disciples this time, which is why they approached us.”

“Among the Ten Sects of Central Province, our Jade Void Mountain is closest to Azure Cloud Sect and maintains the best relations.”

Nearby, Meow King listened with a disdainful expression: “Just a boring banquet where weaklings huddle together for warmth and self-comfort. What’s worth attending?”

Yi Hanqing also appeared largely uninterested.

Clearly not particularly drawn to the so-called Gathering of Heroes.

Witnessing this, Li Xueke showed an “as expected” expression.

She had anticipated this outcome before coming.

After all, Azure Cloud Sect disciples if nothing else, each carried more arrogance than the last.

They consistently believed Azure Cloud Sect stood supreme under heaven, while other sects hardly deserved mention.

This trait appeared especially pronounced among the younger generation of Azure Cloud Sect disciples.

However, after pondering momentarily, Lu Chen said: “Will most young cultivators attend this gathering?”

Li Xueke glanced at Lu Chen in surprise before responding: “Basically every sect will send several representatives, and rogue cultivators almost universally attend.”

“After all, it presents a good opportunity for rogue cultivators to showcase themselves.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen nodded: “Alright, I’ll attend when the time comes.”

“Ah? Since when did Junior Brother Lu enjoy showing off like this? You’d even go to such events?”

Meow King couldn’t comprehend Lu Chen’s motivation, assuming he merely sought to flaunt his prowess there.

In response, Lu Chen offered no elaborate explanation, simply smiling: “Senior Brother Meow, this world is vast. One never knows when a peerless genius might emerge from some mountain village.”

“I want to take this opportunity to observe potential participants in the upcoming True Immortal Trial.”

“Oh, fine then. But you’re being overly cautious. What’s worth observing about a bunch of weaklings? Just wasting time.”

While Meow King accepted Lu Chen’s explanation, Yi Hanqing nearby fell into thoughtful silence.

Based on his understanding of Lu Chen, he believed Lu Chen never acted without purpose.

But still recovering from recent emotional wounds, Yi Hanqing ultimately abandoned any attempt to probe deeper meanings.

He chose to remain silent.Li Xueke had originally thought this trip would yield no gains, but unexpectedly, Lu Chen showed interest in the Heroes Gathering.

So she quickly said, “Alright, then Junior Sister Shangguan and I will come find you.”

Lu Chen nodded politely and said, “Fine, thank you, Fellow Daoist Li.”

“No trouble at all.”

After speaking, Li Xueke pulled Shangguan Yunmeng, preparing to return to the Celestial Ark at Jade Void Mountain not far from the Azure Cloud Sect.

“Senior Sister, if you want to go back, just go back. Why drag me along? I’ll return on my own later.”

“On your own? If you can actually return by yourself, I’ll write my name Li Xueke backwards.”

“If you want to eat Spirit Fruits, I’ll find some for you later. Just don’t cause any trouble for the Azure Cloud Sect today.”

Though reluctant, Shangguan Yunmeng eventually waved her hand and bid farewell to Lu Chen and the others.

After the two left, Lu Chen also said goodbye to Yi Hanqing and the Meow King, returning to his room on the Celestial Ark.

As soon as he entered the room, Lu Chen immediately released Diting from the Mountains and Seas Scroll.

“What’s up, Brother Lu? What do you need me for?”

Lu Chen looked at him and asked, “Do you have a way to identify those hidden demonic cultivators among hundreds of people?”

Hearing this, Diting said with full confidence, “Brother Lu, you’re underestimating me. Not just hundreds of people – even among thousands or tens of thousands, I can hear those guys’ distorted inner voices at a glance.”

“Brother Lu, you might not know this, but the inner voices of demonic cultivators are much easier to understand than those of righteous path cultivators.”

“These wicked individuals, because they’ve committed evil deeds year after year, must convince themselves in some way to lessen their sense of guilt.”

“So their Nine Qi is not only more concentrated than ordinary cultivators’, but also fluctuates more dramatically.”

“In my eyes, it’s like torches in the dark – extremely conspicuous.”

“So Brother Lu, will there be demonic cultivators involved in your current matter?”

Lu Chen nodded.

Seeing this, Diting immediately stood up and patted his chest, saying, “Brother Lu, don’t worry. Leave the task of catching demonic cultivators to me.”

“But I’m curious about one thing – could you enlighten me, Brother Lu?”

“Of course, if you feel it’s inappropriate to talk about, you don’t have to say anything. I won’t put you in a difficult position.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen immediately knew what Diting wanted to ask.

So he said, “You want to ask which version of me is the real one – the one in the Azure Cloud Sect or the one in the Shanhai Bureau, right?”

Diting nodded, indicating that was exactly what he wanted to know.

After all, Diting had long discovered that the world where the Azure Cloud Sect existed was not only real, but its level seemed even more extraordinary than the world where the Shanhai Bureau was located.

Lu Chen was merely a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, yet he could travel between two worlds.

How could Diting not be curious about this?

What intrigued him most was actually Lu Chen’s own positioning of himself.

Did he identify more with his self in the Azure Cloud Sect, or his self in the Shanhai Bureau?

Diting didn’t know and couldn’t guess.

After all, Lu Chen was the only existence whose inner voice he couldn’t hear so far.

And this had nothing to do with the contract between Lu Chen and himself – it was something he’d discovered the first time he met Lu Chen.

After a moment of silence, Lu Chen provided his answer to this question.

“Both worlds contain the real me. There’s no primary or secondary version.”

“Understood.”Diting nodded, hopped to the bedside, and gazed at the Celestial Arks flying everywhere outside. His furry face lit up with excitement. “Brother Lu, honestly, compared to the Shanhai Bureau, I actually prefer it here.”

“After all, this place feels more familiar to me than the Shanhai Bureau. This is the kind of world cultivators should have!”

Lu Chen walked over to his side, looking at the scenery outside the window, and sighed with emotion. “But this place is also more dangerous than the Shanhai Bureau, isn’t it?”

(End of Chapter)