As the sun rose in the east and the earth awakened, the Lingxian Sect's grand annual assembly officially began.
Today was New Year's Eve.
While the people of Xiushui City at the foot of the mountain were joyfully preparing to welcome the new year, those who had come to attend the Lingxian Sect's assembly were continually having their perceptions of the sect shattered.
The assembly had invited royal families from several neighboring countries. Familiar faces such as the Li family from Pusi Kingdom and the Zhao family from Huanyou Kingdom were old friends of the Lingxian Sect. Additionally, seven other royal families, including the Qu family from Wufeng Kingdom and the Bai family from Weiqiang Kingdom, who had long-standing ties with the Li family, also attended.
Even more sects were present. From Pusi Kingdom, the three major sects—Qinghe Sect, Shangyang Gate, and Yunyan Sect—were all represented by their sect leaders and elders. Other countries sent sects with long-standing relationships with the Li royal family or those with significant reputations in the Mortal Realm.
Among these prominent sects were Chixiao Gate and Luoshen Mountain.
Luoshen Mountain was one of the most powerful sects in the Mortal Realm, rivaling even Chixiao Gate and Tianxin Sect. What made this sect unique was that it only accepted female disciples.
It was said that many of the elders of Luoshen Mountain wandered the mortal world, gathering abandoned girls—from infants to elderly women—regardless of age. As long as the elders judged them to be of good character, they would be brought back to Luoshen Mountain.
Whether these women possessed spiritual roots or not, they were given a place to live and thrive in Luoshen Mountain.
Because of this, Luoshen Mountain was seen as a utopian sanctuary for women, especially among mortals.
The reason it was considered a "dream" sanctuary was that for most mortals, it remained only a legend. No one had ever actually seen the elders of Luoshen Mountain, nor could they predict when or where they might appear. The mothers who were forced to abandon their daughters could only pray that their child might be taken in by these immortal figures.
Luoshen Mountain was one of the most mysterious sects in the Mortal Realm. Its strength, comparable to that of Tianxin Sect and Chixiao Gate, came in part from this mystique.
No one knew where its mountain gate was located, and all communication with Luoshen Mountain had to go through a liaison point in Weiqiang Kingdom.
Moreover, the sect had very little contact with the outside world. Even during the alliance to eliminate the Chishi faction of Huanyou Kingdom, Luoshen Mountain had not participated.
Therefore, when five women claiming to be the sect leader and disciples of Luoshen Mountain appeared at the entrance of Lingxian Sect's plaza, holding invitation cards, it shocked everyone—except the members of Lingxian Sect.
Even Bai Shi, the patriarch of the Bai family from Weiqiang Kingdom, was taken aback.
Though others might not recognize the leader of Luoshen Mountain, Bai Shi, who was responsible for managing the sect's liaison in Weiqiang, was well-acquainted with her. In fact, the invitation card the Luoshen Mountain leader held had been delivered by his own messengers.
At the time, it had been a mere formality, as the Li family had requested that Bai Shi extend an invitation to Luoshen Mountain. But given how rarely Luoshen Mountain made appearances, he hadn't held much hope.
To his surprise, not only did they come, but the sect leader herself had arrived with the Left Elder and three personal disciples.
Bai Shi found this rather curious.
Why was Luoshen Mountain giving so much face to Lingxian Sect?
Could it be that they already knew Lingxian Sect had a Divine Transformation cultivator and felt compelled to attend?
Bai Shi, himself a Nascent Soul cultivator—though only at the early stage—had sensed the faint pressure emanating from Lingxian Sect. Deciding to put his thoughts aside for the moment, he rose to greet the Luoshen Mountain leader with a warm smile.
When the sect leader of Luoshen Mountain appeared, the lively atmosphere in the plaza quieted slightly.
There was no mystery as to why—the Luoshen Mountain leader was simply captivating.
Her hair was styled in an elegant updo, framed by a cloud-like ribbon, and her delicate eyebrows seemed to be enveloped in mist, giving her a serene and tender expression. Her aura was so gentle that those who looked at her felt as if they were bathed in a soft, radiant light, as though they were gazing upon a goddess who had mistakenly descended into the mortal world.
Only the single strand of white hair that fell by her temples hinted at the passage of time, a reminder that while she was beautiful, she was not immortal. Goddesses do not age, but the leader of Luoshen Mountain did.
Each time Bai Shi saw this sect leader, he was struck anew by her appearance and demeanor.
Bowing with a smile, he greeted her, "Sect Leader Bai, it's been a while!"
The leader of Luoshen Mountain was also surnamed Bai, her given name was Yu, though no one was certain if this name was real.
"It has been a while," Bai Yu replied with a soft smile and a nod, offering no further words.
Knowing her reticent nature, Bai Shi refrained from further conversation and simply stepped aside, walking with her as they followed the Lingxian Sect disciples to their seats.
Not far away, Xunfang Zunzhe of Chixiao Gate, who had just taken his seat, observed the group from Luoshen Mountain with thoughtful eyes. Others from various countries and sects did the same.
Soon, once all the guests had been seated, the disciples of Lingxian Sect took their places.
Liu Yunao ascended the platform in the plaza, first warmly greeting the crowd, especially the honored guests seated below. After introducing the sect's leader and elders, he officially announced the start of the Lingxian Sect's annual assembly.
Lingxian Sect was known for its straightforward approach, and this assembly was no exception.
The event began without any lengthy speeches or tedious performances. Instead, they went straight to the main event:
Awarding prizes.
Yes, awarding prizes.
Prizes for the disciples, such as the "Most Improved in Cultivation Award," the "Contribution to the Sect Award," and the "Top Ten Disciples of the Year" were all distributed.
There were more than twenty different awards in total!
Each award came with a specially crafted trophy.
Of course, Lingxian Sect was not the type to hand out mere trophies without practical rewards. Along with the awards came generous prizes—anything from 100 to 1,000 spirit stones, to pills, magical artifacts, talismans, and formation disks, all depending on the difficulty of the award.
The audience below was left stunned by the sheer variety and abundance of rewards.
For the disciples of Lingxian Sect, the awards were surprising, with rewards so lavish that they far surpassed what they could earn in two or three months through their regular sect contributions.
But for the outsiders in attendance, this went beyond mere surprise—it was outright shock.
All the rewards were piled in the corner of the platform, forming a small mountain.
Many of the guests couldn't help but feel envious.
These were spirit stones, after all!
And look at the pills and magical artifacts...
What did they just witness? A disciple at the ninth level of Qi Refinement receiving a magical artifact that would only be available to elders in other sects?
And those handfuls of spirit stones?
While most sects distributed spirit stones to their disciples one by one, Lingxian Sect seemed to be giving them out in heaps.
And those pills! They were being handed out on simple trays without even the courtesy of storing them in refined jade bottles! Moreover, many of the pill varieties were completely unfamiliar, even to seasoned cultivators.