Chapter 16: The Most Beautiful Woman Six Thousand Years Ago

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A Dao Palace secret realm attempting to challenge the Four Extremes secret realm beyond its level? That sounds utterly fantastical, doesn’t it? There’s a vast gulf of cultivation realms between them; it’s impossible to win! “Wei Yi, you absolutely must not agree! You’re a whole realm below Yun Yue. This isn’t something that cultivation techniques or secret arts can make up for!” “To think a mere Dao Palace realm dares to leapfrog and challenge a Four Extremes realm—such arrogance! Does he think he’s an ancient emperor from his youth?” “I believe some people grow overconfident after being hailed as the Three Talents of Tianxuan, losing all sense of their true strength!” “How presumptuous!” Upon hearing news of their duel, many disciples gathered to watch. Among them was the Tianxuan Holy Son, who wore a mocking smile. “Brother Luo Yan... I...” Wei Yi felt uncertain. Luo Yan smiled and said, “You need not fear failure. Leaping a whole realm is indeed difficult for you, but not impossible to fight. You will lose this battle, but I hope you gain insight into yourself and break through during the fight!” Though Wei Yi was talented, his cultivation time was short, naturally no match for Yun Yue, a disciple nurtured since childhood in the Sacred Grounds. “What Brother Luo Yan says is right!” A voice came, and the crowd turned to see the Holy Maiden approaching gracefully, stepping as if walking on lotus petals, radiating an ethereal, otherworldly aura like a celestial goddess. The Holy Son’s face darkened at her arrival but then he sighed deeply and respectfully cupped his fists toward the Tianxuan Holy Maiden. She nodded slightly in response. Beneath her radiance, the Tianxuan Holy Son seemed dim and pale. When people spoke of the Tianxuan Sacred Grounds, the first thought was this peerless Holy Maiden, whose beauty and talent were unmatched in a hundred thousand years. Occasionally, the Holy Son was mentioned only as her foil, a mere supporting actor. The Tianxuan Holy Maiden was truly stunning, hailed as the most gifted in a hundred millennia—comparable to the ancient emperors—and praised by the elders as a prodigy destined to become the second emperor to attain the Dao. Simply standing there, she was surrounded by a halo, untouchable and transcendent. Everyone gazed at her with awe and admiration; even the little madman could not help but praise his senior sister. Yet Luo Yan felt uneasy. Two years ago, he had picked up a paper boat from a stream beneath Can Peak and responded to a question on it. Since then, the Holy Maiden had taken notice of Can Peak, often strolling there. Over these two years, she had nearly fixed her sights on Luo Yan, repeatedly probing about his origins through others.

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“Senior sister, you came here to stroll with Brother Luo Yan again?” The little madman’s eyes twinkled mischievously. The Holy Maiden smiled enchantingly: “Yes! I wonder if Brother Luo Yan is willing to take a walk with me on Can Peak?” Every time she visited Can Peak, the Holy Maiden would arrange a private “date” with Luo Yan, questioning him about the future. It was unclear where she had heard the baseless rumor that Luo Yan’s Time Mirror could predict the future, projecting forthcoming events. Now that the Tianxuan Sacred Grounds faced an unprecedented feat, if they could glimpse the future, it would mean the Sacred Grounds could foresee success or failure. Since then, the Holy Maiden seemed fixated on Luo Yan, often “strolling” to Can Peak. The disciples, unaware of the situation, were dumbfounded by her invitation. Who was this person to be walking with the Holy Maiden? Soon, someone recognized him as the one who had defeated the candidate Holy Son Yaoguang and helped the Holy Maiden retrieve the Ten-Thousand-Color Flower! Apart from Wei Yi, who was about to battle Yun Yue, two of the Tianxuan Three Talents addressed him as Brother Luo Yan! His identity was mysterious and extraordinary; no one knew his origins. There were rumors he had once been seen on equal footing with the Sacred Grounds’ elders! “Brother Luo Yan, go accompany Senior Sister on a walk! The madman will watch over things here, so they won’t dare cause trouble!” Wei Yi urged anxiously. The little madman confidently stepped forward: “Yes! I’ll watch here; Brother Luo Yan, you can rest assured!” The Holy Maiden transmitted her voice: “The elders sent me to ask you some questions. Please don’t refuse.” Luo Yan sighed inwardly, replied with a slight bow and smile: “Please, follow me.” … “I heard you’ve recently been studying a game called Xiangqi? I suppose this is it.” The Holy Maiden sat in Luo Yan’s cave dwelling. Compared to her palace, this place was simple and quiet, though Luo Yan, by habit, had remodeled it in a modern style, which felt out of place. A Xiangqi board lay before them, with a dozen or so pieces arranged. “How did you know?” Luo Yan asked. He had only made this board the day before. The Holy Maiden smiled mysteriously, her smile captivating. Luo Yan understood and immediately frowned. To guard against outsiders is one thing; to guard against thieves within is another.

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The Holy Maiden delicately manipulated the Xiangqi pieces but, unfamiliar with the rules, soon found it dull. Her speech was like a fairy’s: “Would you not introduce these oddly shaped things?” It was her first time visiting Luo Yan’s abode. Though far inferior to her palace, many items here were novelties she had never seen before. She rose and wandered around the cave, first fixating on a long chair covered in beast hide. “What is this? It feels so comfortable, soft and cozy!” “This is called a genuine leather sofa, a chair from my homeland. If you like it, I’ll gift it to you.” The Holy Maiden smiled and stored it in her divine storage before Luo Yan’s eyes. “I won’t refuse!” “And this?” She looked toward a glazed mirror placed opposite the sofa, separated by a small table. Luo Yan said, “I call it a television. By infusing source stones to activate the internal formation, it can display the rivers, mountains, cultures, and contests of cultivators within the Eastern Wilderness. But places where powerful figures reside cannot be projected.” This was a failed replica of the Time Mirror Luo Yan had tried to make, ultimately transformed into a television-like device. The Holy Maiden’s jade hand lingered over it affectionately, clearly fond of it. “If you...” Luo Yan began, but she had already stored it away. Without pause, she walked toward a self-made beverage machine in the corner. Luo Yan understood: the Holy Maiden was enamored with his curiosities. “If you like, I’ll have Wei Yi send a set over another day.” The Holy Maiden gave a captivating smile: “Thank you for the trouble!” Luo Yan brewed a pot of spiritual tea and said, “You seem to know the uses of these things?” From her feigned ignorance at first to her deliberate actions later, if she didn’t know, that would be unbelievable!