The next day arrived with a tense atmosphere shrouding over Purple Plum Mountain.
Everyone knew – the Sentient Light Performance Group would be arriving today.
It was not just the inner disciples who were excited about this either. Even outer disciples who had not been invited to the performance could not help but look forward to catching a glimpse of the phenomenal group that was taking the cultivation world by storm right now.
Before the first rays of the sun even shone upon Purple Plum Mountain, the sect entrance was already crowded with people.
At the same time, there was no need for anyone to truly maintain order. Outer disciples neatly lined the sides of the path, wary of blocking the way in spite of their eagerness to get as close as possible.
That was their rationality keeping them in check.
Seeing the famous celebrities of the cultivation world was good and all, but it would definitely not be worth offending the one who had invited them here.
Zhao Yunxiao had originally wanted to join the majority of outer disciples in waiting at the entrance to check out the arrival of the Sentient Light Performance Group as well. That would give him more opportunities to observe the bearing and habits of each member of the group.
Unfortunately, he had to do away with that plan after all those invited for the performance were told to enter the venue early, just in case they ended up making the performers wait. Anyone who arrived after a certain cut-off time would be stopped from entering the lecture hall without exception.
That was also why the performance venue was filled to the brim way before the actual cut-off time. Nobody wanted to risk missing this performance due to any sudden exigencies.
The performance location was none other than the Monolith Square, where the monthly cultivation lectures for both inner and outer disciples were being held nowadays. It was large enough to accommodate all outer disciples, so there was actually still plenty of space after the inner disciples had all been seated.
When Zhao Yunxiao and the rest of the Flying Shell Performance Group arrived, they tried to quietly head for their assigned seats located at the back, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for them.
As the male inner disciples noticed Lu Zhiying's arrival, many of them immediately crowded over to greet her.
"You are here as well, Junior Martial Sister Lu? We have a good seat here, so what do you think about joining us instead?"
"We have always admired your elegant expression of the arts. Would you like to sit with us so we can enjoy the performance together while exchanging insights?"
"I like you! Sit with me!"
"I have some questions regarding the art of dance. Would Junior Martial Sister Lu be willing to clear my doubts?"
One by one, the inner disciples threw their pitch as they vied for her attention. This naturally drew displeasure from the others who did not share their sentiments, with many even finding such actions low or distracting.
After all, Zhao Yunxiao and company were not even inner disciples. Their presence here inevitably felt undeserved to some, even if nobody dared to speak up out of respect for the prime disciple.
Irritated glares shot over from all over the Monolith Square, all targeted towards the helpless Flying Shell Performance Group.
"Thank you for your offers, senior martial brothers and sisters! However, this junior has only gotten the opportunity to be here due to Senior Martial Brother Kang's grace. Since he has instructed for me to be seated at the back, I dare not overstep by going against what I have been told. I sincerely ask for your understanding!" Lu Zhiying replied confidently while clasping her fists towards the group of disciples who had gathered in front of them.
"This... I understand."
"If those are Senior Martial Brother Kang's instructions, then there's no other choice."
"Let's speak after the performance then."
The moment the prime disciple's name was brought up, nobody dared to push further.
Zhao Yunxiao could not help but feel both relieved and impressed by how comfortably Lu Zhiying had dealt with all this attention. It would appear that she was already used to such situations.
As they continued making their way to their seats, Zhao Yunxiao gave polite nods to the many inner disciples whom he was acquainted with. Normally, he would have gone over to pay his greetings one by one, but their current circumstance did not allow him to act as freely.
The group had already discussed this before, and decided that it was best that they kept a low profile while attending this performance. So, nobody spoke a word even after they got seated. Instead, they simply waited patiently for the performance to start, similar to other members of the audience.
Zhao Yunxiao took this chance to take a good look around them.
Just about all of the inner disciples were present. Most of them look rather excited, but there were also those who had their eyes closed in meditation, seemingly disinterested in what was going on around them.
Not just that, but he also noticed some other outer disciples in the audience. Unsurprisingly, members of the Black Rose were also among those who had been invited to watch the performance.
Similar to the case with Lu Zhiying, many male inner disciples seated around them were trying to strike up a conversation with them. Even then, he could see Ou Fengtian secretly giving Lu Zhiying a thumbs-up, to which the latter responded with a victory sign.
Hua Sheng was also present, seated together with his twin elder brother Hua Shui.
As Zhao Yunxiao scanned across the crowd, his gaze suddenly matched that of an old friend – Liu Murou.
As an inner disciple, it was only natural that she would be present. She was currently seated with Huo Bubai and a few others, indicating that she was probably integrating well into the group.
Zhao Yunxiao smiled and nodded lightly, only to feel a little embarrassed when Liu Murou hurriedly turned away in response.
Oh well. At the very least, it was good to see that she was doing well.
After all, they were people belonging to two different worlds now. He would never be able to truly understand the predicaments and struggles that she was going through. If she had to keep up the pretence in order to survive as an inner disciple, then there was no helping it.
At this moment, everyone's attention suddenly shifted to the entrance, and Zhao Yunxiao naturally did the same.
There, he could see three familiar figures entering the area.
They were none other than the core disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect – Frost Empress Zhang Xi, Corrupt Judge Duan Lei, and Demon Hunter Han Xing.
For three of the five core disciples to have gathered here today for a mere performance, it was clear just how much influence Kang Fuping had over the disciples of the sect.
Upon seeing their arrival, everyone immediately got to their feet. A bright sparkle appeared in the eyes of many of the disciples, their hearts filled with nothing but respect and idolisation.
"Sit, sit. Don't mind us too much. Just like you guys, we are here as mere spectators," Duan Lei gestured casually while dressed in his flamboyant golden robes. "They are about to arrive any moment now."
Still, everyone remained standing until the three core disciples finally sat down in their assigned seats, positioned right in front of the stage.
But the moment they sat down, everyone immediately had to stand up once again – including the core disciples themselves.
That was due to the arrival of another six familiar figures.
Smiling Swordsman Kang Fuping, as well as the five members of the Sentient Light Performance Group.
Despite being the prime disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect, Kang Fuping could not look more ordinary. Even when one was being generous, he could only be considered average-looking at most. The fact that he always dressed modestly did not help his appearance either.
Now that he was walking alongside some of the most famous artistes of the cultivation world, the contrast in appearances was starkly huge. That was because each and every member of the Sentient Light Performance Group had extraordinary looks that were on a whole other level.
As they entered together, all attention naturally fell upon the five members of the Sentient Light Performance Group.
Kang Fuping seemed to have already gotten used to such a situation, and did not allow this to get to him. As the group of six stepped onto the stage, he cleared his throat loudly to regain everyone's attention.
"My apologies for being a little late; we were caught up with something earlier," Kang Fuping started, drawing eye rolls from the core disciples. "Anyway, I believe everyone already knows what will be happening today, so I will not bore you with unnecessary pleasantries. There is only one thing that I would like to say. With the Meeting of the Great Symbols happening in two days, I hope that Sentient Light's performance today will be able to ease everyone's tension and help you relax a little. That said, don't relax too much either. In two days, it will be your turn to perform, and I look forward to seeing you outshine the other three sects. Please take it from here, Brother Mushan."
Kang Fuping promptly left the stage to sit beside the other core disciples, leaving only the five members of the Sentient Light Performance Group on stage.
"Thank you for inviting us here today," the man who appeared to be the leader stepped forward and spoke. "We are the Sentient Light Performance Group, and it is an honour to be able to perform for the young heroes and heroines of the Black Tortoise Sect."
Cheers and applause erupted from the audience.
"Is the Sentient Light Performance Group from a particular faction?" Lu Zhiying whispered over to Zhao Yunxiao.
She had heard the name of the famous Sentient Light Performance Group more than just once, but she had never really understood just what their background was. All she knew was that they were an incredibly famous performance group that had been taking the entire Duyuan Empire by storm in recent years.
"That's not it. Sentient Light is founded by the man who just spoke – their leader, Mushan Zi – by scouting the most talented of performers from various factions," Zhao Yunxiao explained. "In fact, none of them are from the same faction..."
With that, Zhao Yunxiao started to introduce each member to his curious junior martial sister.
Mushan Zi – zither player and leader of the group. His facial features were defined but soft, his figure lean, giving off the aura of a pretty boy. He was also the second young master of the powerful Mushan Clan of the Duyuan Empire – a clan that had come to gain power and influence in recent years due to the rise of its current head.
Lian Keqin – flute player. Her facial features were even softer than those of Mushan Zi, giving off an extremely feminine aura that, along with her long black hair, made it easy to imagine her as a fairy who had descended from the heavens. She belonged to the Lian Clan – an extremely powerful and respected faction that was known to be neutral and peace-loving, with a great reputation for helping to uphold law and order in the realm.
Hui Hanxue – female vocal. Her facial features were a lot sharper than that of Lian Keqin, and perhaps even more than Mushan Zi as well. Because of that, she gave off a rather tomboyish charm, which was only made stronger by the fact that she tied her long hair up in a bun. She was also the younger twin sister of the sacred maiden of the Snow Butterfly Sect – a female-only faction that was about on par with the Four Great Symbol Sects.
Ran Tianqi – male vocal. He was tall and extremely well built, with his clothes hardly able to hide the bulging muscles underneath. In a way, he was almost the embodiment of the typical hunk. He was also the only unaffiliated cultivator in the group.
Jin Cilang – erhu player. At only fifteen years of age, he was much younger than the others, which gave a childish tinge to his good looks. He was also the young prodigy of the Jin Clan – vassals to the ruling Gao Clan of the empire.
All in all, apart from Ran Tianqi, who was an unaffiliated cultivator, all of them had come from extremely established factions of their own. Considering their prestigious backgrounds, it was a wonder how Mushan Zi had managed to actually convince everyone to come together and form a performance group in the first place.
Regardless, no one could doubt that the result of doing so had been nothing short of amazing.
Now, people could not help but praise Mushan Zi's wildly ambitious endeavour. It was solely because he had dared to pursue this seemingly impossible vision that led to the creation of the Sentient Light Performance Group – a performance group that had now become celebrities in the eyes of just about the entire cultivation world.
And now, it was time for these celebrities to show everyone here on Purple Plum Mountain just what they were capable of.
Even for Zhao Yunxiao, this would be the very first time that he would be watching a live performance by the Sentient Light Performance Group!