Chapter 704: Cultivators Assemble In Tianling

Seven days later, thanks to Jiao Xiuyuan's machinations behind the scenes, a single message spread across the entire Myriad Immortals Alliance in half a day.

The mysterious cultivator who possessed the Tianling Flower would appear once more.

He would host a Flower Appreciation Assembly, inviting cultivators from around the world who took interest in this flower to come and view it.

He would hold it in none other than Tianling Province itself!

Most cultivators felt bewildered when they first heard the news. Flower-viewing and appreciation were far removed from the lives of ordinary people, who spent their days toiling for contribution points and calculating when they could finally acquire their coveted techniques. Given spare time, they would rather complete one or two more tasks.

Only the cultivators still keeping an eye on the Tianling Flower felt a stir of eagerness. They sent out inquiries, trying to identify the mysterious cultivator.

But when the Thousand Li Hall branches in every province of the Myriad Immortals Alliance began displaying "painted replicas" of the "True Tianling Flower," things spiraled into madness.

The Thousand Li Hall had given a new name to the world's only surviving primordial specimen of the Tianling Flower: the True Tianling Flower.

Countless rumors already described how wondrous and extraordinary the True Tianling Flower was, but only a handful of people had actually witnessed it with their own eyes that day. No description, however vivid, could match seeing it firsthand.

So when the doubters saw the translucent petals displayed in the Thousand Li Hall, their skepticism collapsed into astonishment.

"Blessed by the spirit of heaven indeed. I thought it was exaggeration, but now it seems..."

"They say the spiritual resonance of these translucent petals isn't even a tenth of the true flower's. If the replica is this wondrous, how beautiful must the real flower be?"

"Alas, it is something one can only look at from afar and never touch. Divine objects like this will never fall into the hands of ordinary cultivators like us."

Most cultivators felt shock and longing at the breathtaking beauty of the True Tianling Flower after seeing it once. But beauty alone would only earn a few sighs, a shallow impression that would fade with time.

Would they travel a thousand li to Tianling Province for a Flower Appreciation Assembly?

A round trip alone cost a significant amount of lifespan, and the journey brought its own expenses.

Countless beautiful things existed in the world. What harm would come from missing a single Tianling Flower?

That was the attitude of most cultivators.

Then a series of incredible events overturned everything the cultivators thought they knew about the flower.

It started with a cultivator at the late-stage Golden Core realm, a man who had been trapped by the Heavenly Tribulation for years. The moment he glimpsed the translucent petals displayed in the Thousand Li Hall, something stirred in his heart, and he broke through his bottleneck without warning. He ascended to the final-stage Golden Core realm, with hope for Nascent Soul now on the horizon. Tears streamed down his aged face as he let out a long roar of elation.

Soon after, reports arrived from province after province: more and more cultivators were breaking through after seeing the Tianling Flower replicas for themselves.

Some claimed certain cultivators had even comprehended divine abilities from the heavenly wonders within the petals.

The rumors grew more fantastical by the day, and inevitably, some cultivators decided this was all a publicity stunt by the Thousand Li Hall.

Insights on the spot, breakthroughs in the moment? Nothing but an act, they said, a ploy to inflate the price of the True Tianling Flower.

Conspiracy theories always found an audience.

The skeptical narrative resonated with many cultivators, who took it upon themselves to investigate the identities of those who had supposedly broken through.

But after countless inquiries, the results defied every expectation.

Every cultivator they tracked down had genuinely been trapped by a cultivation bottleneck for years. And in recent days, each had achieved a real breakthrough, verified by family, friends, and ample records. No deception was possible.

Facts spoke louder than words, and the investigation's results sparked an uproar.

The True Tianling Flower was not just beautiful. It could help cultivators break through bottlenecks and even comprehend divine abilities!

Simple beauty could not compare to the power to advance one's cultivation. The difference in value between the two was simply immeasurable.

More critically, treasures that aided cultivators in comprehending the Dao were usually hoarded by the powerful. Ordinary people could rarely even catch a glimpse.

But now this Tianling Flower was being offered for free for anyone to appreciate.

Even the painted copies produced the same effect!

The cultivators could not resist the pull.

One after another, before the news had even finished spreading, they rushed to the nearest Thousand Li Hall.

In an instant, every Thousand Li Hall was filled to capacity.

A long queue snaked out past the entrance. Jiao Xiuyuan, grinning from ear to ear, worked to maintain order.

***

"Young Master, did you expect this too?"

Within the Beastkin World, Liu San studied Jiao Xiuyuan's joyous report, one eyebrow raised in puzzlement.

"The True Tianling Flower does have unique qualities, I'll grant that. But can those replicas you painted really help cultivators comprehend the Dao?"

Suspicion flickered in his eyes.

"Perhaps you just don’t have the talent for it, Old Liu," came a thoughtful voice from the golden eyeball hovering nearby. Fang Zaiji.

"Why can't you ever just leave me alone?" Liu San's expression darkened.

His hand shot towards the Sight-Sharing Eye, but closed on empty air.

"Tch, trying to catch me? You think I'd make the same mistake twice?" Fang Zaiji's voice rang out, smug.

Xu Bai's avatar ignored Fang Zaiji's banter. He paused his work of painting copies of the Tianling Flower and turned to Liu San.

"Don't dismiss my copies," he said, smiling. "They carry a trace of the True Tianling Flower's spiritual essence. But given enough cultivators staring at a blank sheet of paper, some of them would still find something to comprehend.”

"Sss... so that's how it is. Sect Leader, when did you get so cunning?" Fang Zaiji's voice returned, incredulous.

Xu Bai's expression didn't change. He reached out and grasped the golden eyeball.

This time, Fang Zaiji couldn't evade, and his voice cut off.

Li Fan turned to Liu San and explained: "Old Liu, your divine sense is still synchronously linked to the Sight-Sharing Eye. That's how Elder Fang could track your movements. Sever the connection, and you won't miss again."

Realization dawned on Liu San. "I'd forgotten about that."

Xu Bai smiled faintly and let the matter drop.

Then his expression grew serious. "Old Liu, how is the pill I asked you to refine coming along?"

Liu San carefully withdrew a wooden box from his robes. "The Soul-Melting Body-Dissolving Pill. Concocted from over a hundred types of virulent poisons. Once swallowed, the body dissolves and vanishes from this world within a single breath. Even a cultivator at Dao Unity wouldn't survive it."

"Young Master, you mean to..."

"It's for myself. When the critical moment comes, it'll make suicide convenient." Xu Bai's voice stayed flat.

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