Chapter 21 - Day Of The Gathering

[One day before the Gathering]

A regular transportation carriage carrying passengers entered the Floating Valley City and made its way through the overcrowded street.

Since the gathering is just around the corner, the city has been swamped with visitors, many of whom have come to fulfill their dream of being selected by the sect. For many, becoming an Outer Disciple of these sects would be a symbol of pride.

A young man sitting inside the carriage furrowed his brow as the sight of an overcrowded street greeted him, which was visible through the windows as the carriage approached the Phoenix Pavilion.

"What is going on?" He muttered, his gaze fixed on the crowded street.

"I believe everyone has come for the sect's gathering," His ears picked up on the woman's voice.

He turned his head to see a mature woman sitting beside her, her round eyes fixed on him. She even had a two-year-old boy on her lap. They were sitting so close that his hands were touching the woman's breasts and his ears could feel her hot breath.

He could even see the awe in her eyes when she looked at him. Throughout the month, he learned about the passengers in the carriage with him. Aside from this woman, there was an old man and a middle-aged man, and a couple was also traveling with him.

Apart from him, everyone else was a mortal, and they all knew about him being a powerful cultivator. During his journey, the carriage was attacked by a few bandits, who were killed by him; he even scavenged the good loot after killing them.

"Perhaps," he nodded, returning his gaze to the crowded streets.

This woman tried to flirt with him several times throughout this month, but he kept his distance since he didn't want to associate with mortals anymore.

During the journey, all the passengers were polite and respectful to him. The old man even offered his granddaughter to be his concubine, which he politely declined.

However, the entire month of travel made his heart swell with pride, which he had never felt before.

As soon as the carriage reached its destination, he stepped out and took a deep breath of fresh air.

While many eyes were drawn to him as he exited the carriage, he didn't mind since a new chapter in his life would start tomorrow, and he would always be the center of attention in the future.

He slowly made his way into the crowd, his gaze fixed on the crowded street where everyone seemed to be busy. His ears perked up when he heard the vendors' shrieks or the crowd's making deals. Memories of his entire life flooded his mind, where he lived his life as an ant, just like the crowd in front of him.

He eventually came to a halt in front of an inn as he slogged through the crowd. As he stood still, a contemplative expression appeared on his face.

After some consideration, he entered the place. As soon as he walked in, his attention was drawn to an elderly lady at the reception desk. This location reminded him of his home in the village. His lips curled into a sigh as he approached the lady in front of him.

When she observed an attractive young boy approaching her, the lady's eyes lit up.

"What do you want, son?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight?" While his gaze was fixed on her, the young man inquired. His deep black eyes reminded her of her son.

"We have a place, but it would cost one silver coin; is that fine with you?" Even though he reminded her of her son, she still had grandchildren to feed. And the boy in front of her does not appear to be wealthy.

However, contrary to her expectations, the young man took out the silver coin and handed it to her.

She quickly grabbed the coin, handed him the key, and said.

"The room is upstairs, and if you want to eat, you can do so here in the restaurant,"

The man nodded, his gaze fixed on the crowded restaurant, his eyes darting for a seat. He approached a seat after a while when he noticed it.

His ears perked up as he sat when he overheard a conversation on the next seat.

"Finally, the sect would select the disciples tomorrow," One man said,

"It'd be interesting to see, as many young masters from all over the continent have arrived in the city," another person's voice reached his ears.

"I even heard that one or two of them had heavenly roots. Sects would surely clash to grab those young masters," another one sighed and said.

When he heard those words, he smirked and muttered, "Heavenly roots, huh?"

But the next sentence grabbed his attention.

"Speaking of clashes, have you heard about the Young Master who arrived just a few days ago?" said the first person.

"Yes, I was present when he arrived. He was nothing like those horrible young masters. I've even heard that even at such a young age, he's a core formation cultivator," The second person exclaimed and said.

When he heard those words, Fang Yan's heart skipped a beat, and an image of that man appeared in his mind. However, the man's voice woke him up.

"I heard he arrived at the city, especially to attend the gathering. I even heard he came from the Hidden Family" a person told a story.

"Yes, I've heard that every sect has a strict order to recruit the young master. They even swarmed the pavilion to get information about him. I heard his name is Di An." One person said.

"Di An?" Fang Yan muttered as he stood up to leave. When he heard that name, he felt very uncomfortable, and an image of that man started appearing in his mind unknowingly. That man was the only person in the world who made him feel intimidated.

He shook his head as he walked towards his room with a solemn expression on his face. While his mind continued to pray that Di An should not be that person.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As he walked out of the inn the next morning, his gaze was drawn to the crowds swarming towards the city's exit. He learned from the discussion that the gathering would be held outside of the city. As he followed the crowd, his attention was drawn to the many luxurious carriages making their way out of the city.

He realized, they were the many young masters who came to attend the gathering.

After a while, his gaze was drawn to a grand stage near the mountains, with two large stone slabs placed at the stage's base.

He also noticed that there were a lot of Arenas in front of the stages. But then someone tapped him on the shoulder.

As he turned around, he noticed a scrawny young man staring at him with curiosity.

"Are you here for the selection?" the man inquired eagerly.

Fang Yan nodded, but his attention drew to the carriage that had come to a halt in the distance.

When he saw the young women step out of the carriage, his heart skipped a beat. He's never seen a girl like her before in his life.

The girl wore a blue robe with a sword strapped to her waist, and her open hair bolstered her fair white oval face. She seemed to be a fairy who stepped out of heaven. But then he heard the voice of the man behind her.

"Don't even think about that girl. She is Shi Yan, the Lu family's to be daughter-in-law. Don't say you know nothing about the Lu family."

When he turned around, he noticed that the man was wearing a meaningful expression on his face. He shook his head and made his way to the registration of the selection. While the man followed behind him.

After a long time, when he finished registering, he noticed that there was a joyful celebration everywhere, and people began crowding the area near the stage as an unbearable noise reached his ears.

As he approached the front, his brow furrowed as he noticed how many people were seated on the stage. Suddenly, the scrawny man began his narration.

"You see, the man in the middle is the Crown Prince of the Black Dragon continent, and the old man next to him is the King of Blue Lord's empire. And the person on the far side is the patriarch of the Lu family."

As the man was narrating the lineup, everyone on the stage stood up when they spotted a luxurious carriage approaching.

Fang Yan's gaze was drawn to the carriage that had stopped near the stage.

But when he saw the person step out of it, his heart almost stopped beating.

That man was dressed in a Lavish Black Robe, and his silvery-white hair reached his waist and wore a half-black mask on his face instead of the hat. He was the same man who haunted him in his dreams.

As his gaze was drawn to the man stepping out of the carriage, the man spun his face to look at him.

When those eyes locked on him, his soul screamed within him. As if telling him to get as far away from him as possible. He still had the impression that a demon from hell was staring at him.

But he was flabbergasted when he saw a smirk forming on the face of the man as his gaze was fixed on to him.