Before Mo Tiange could even finish turning her neck, Mingxia, Dao Lord Jinghe's attendant, came over to deliver a message: "Senior Aunt Mo, Grandmaster requests your presence in the main hall."
As soon as these words were spoken, Mo Tiange immediately had a bad feeling. While her nominal master wouldn't mess up on major matters, the important announcements were now over, and her master had likely reverted to his old, frivolous self.
Without a second thought, Mo Tiange refused: "I can't leave my duties here at the moment. Please relay to Master that I'll come when I'm free."
Mingxia wore an expression that said 'Grandmaster predicted this exactly' as she replied: "Grandmaster said that if you can't leave your duties here, I am to take your place until you return."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange said, utterly speechless: "In that case, I'll go then."
Exiting the side hall where the female cultivators were gathered, Mo Tiange straightened her appearance before heading towards the main hall.
Even before reaching the main hall, she could hear the boisterous laughter of the various Nascent Soul Ancestral Masters. Though she didn't know what they were laughing about, she could still discern from the laughter tones of smugness, sycophancy, and reluctance.
By the time Mo Tiange reached the entrance of the main hall, before she could even step inside, she was pinned under the gazes of the various Nascent Soul Ancestral Masters and the several Nascent Soul cultivators from other sects who had come to offer congratulations.
Fortunately, her Soul Refining Art had achieved some small success by now. Amidst the unconscious pressure emanating from so many Nascent Soul cultivators, Mo Tiange could still maintain her composure. She walked steadily into the hall and said: "Greetings, Master. Greetings, Seniors."
Dao Lord Jinghe was clearly very pleased with her performance. With a beckoning gesture, he spoke in an uncharacteristically gentle and affectionate tone: "Tian Ge, come here, come here."
Mo Tiange obediently walked over and stood beside Dao Lord Jinghe. Immediately, a woman's voice, sweet as a nightingale leaving a valley, cooed with laughter: "Brother Daoist Jinghe, your disciple is only at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, yet she remains poised and graceful before so many of us Nascent Soul cultivators. If our Xianxu were only at Foundation Establishment, she certainly couldn't manage such composure."
Listening to this thinly veiled praise that was actually a slight, Mo Tiange instantly understood why her master had summoned her.
The female cultivators in the side hall had been showing off their talent, luck, attire, and spiritual artifacts, which in her view was no different from worldly women.
The Nascent Soul cultivators in the main hall, however, couldn't shake off these worldly habits either. All being Nascent Soul, they couldn't boast about talent, luck, or artifacts anymore. So, they could only boast about their disciples.
Sure enough, she heard a bald male Nascent Soul cultivator laugh and say: "With Xuanyin and Qin Shoujing holding up your reputation, Brother Daoist Jinghe, you naturally have much more freedom in choosing disciples than we do."
Listening to the Nascent Soul cultivators from other sects taking turns belittling her, yet being unable to refute a single word, Mo Tiange felt a surge of anger rising from nowhere. In a spot unseen by everyone, she shot her master a glare.
Only after receiving his little disciple's displeased look did Dao Lord Jinghe finally seem happy. Putting on a completely unconcerned smiling face, he said: "I wonder whose disciple among you all dared to single-handedly challenge a fifth-rank demon beast while still at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment?"
The hall fell silent for a moment. The woman from before spoke again: "But I heard it was your newly advanced Nascent Soul first disciple, Xuanyin, who ultimately killed that fifth-rank demon beast."
"Then let's talk about whose disciple you think could have escaped unscathed from under the nose of a fifth-rank demon beast all alone while at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment." Once these words were spoken, no one else spoke up. Dao Lord Jinghe, however, shook his head and sighed with feigned regret: "Although my Xi'er is naturally intelligent and possesses extraordinary comprehension, his spirit root is not outstanding. Receiving a disciple with a good spirit root has always been my lifelong wish."
Mo Tiange immediately felt the spiritual senses of the various Nascent Soul cultivators sweep over her body and then instantly withdraw. Sneaking a glance, she saw several of the Nascent Soul cultivators looking puzzled, while others wore expressions of disdain.
Only after these subtle expressions appeared did Dao Lord Jinghe sigh again: "I myself possess a single spirit root. Now, even though I'm at Mid-Stage Nascent Soul, I don't feel that a single spirit root truly allows one to better commune with the Great Dao. Taking Tian Ge as my disciple, however, might resolve the doubts in my heart. After all, the great divine ability cultivators of antiquity all revered the Hunyuan spirit root as the supreme."
"Even more delightfully, my disciple's temperament, bearing, comprehension, and Dao heart are all of the highest quality. In time, she should be able to achieve the Great Dao a step ahead of all your beloved disciples." Having said this, his smiling expression transformed into one of triumphant laughter.
Mo Tiange stood to the side, watching her master's undisguised pride, feeling a wave of internal exasperation. If not for that last sentence, people might have mistaken this for matchmaking.
At this moment, a male cultivator dressed entirely in black, seated near the main hall's entrance, spoke in a cold, hard tone: "Even if one truly possessed the exceptional Hunyuan spirit root of the Primordial Era, without a Hunyuan cultivation technique, Brother Daoist Jinghe's wish might not be so easily fulfilled."
Dao Lord Jinghe waved his sleeve dismissively: "Just because your Tiandao Sect doesn't have it, doesn't mean our Xuanqing Sect doesn't. Since the founding of our Xuanqing Sect, the number of extraordinary talents and unique individuals is beyond count. A mere Hunyuan cultivation technique is nothing to speak of. It's this once-in-several-millennia Hunyuan spirit root that is truly a matter of chance, not something one can seek."
At this point, Mo Tiange had already slightly lowered her eyelids and stood to the side, pretending to be dead. Hearing her master refer to the Hunyuan cultivation technique as "a mere" didn't stir any indignation in her. This master of hers had thick skin, after all.
After these words fell, the Nascent Soul cultivators from other sects truly had no response. However, Dao Lord Zhenyang, who had recently fought Dao Lord Jinghe to a standstill, let out a fierce, cold snort.
Yet, the expressions of the Nascent Soul cultivators from the various sects seated in the main hall were all displeased. The Xuanqing Sect's Dao Lord Xuanyin had advanced to Nascent Soul. The various sects came to congratulate, partly for future friendly relations, and partly to probe the Xuanqing Sect's strength. Now, they had practically delivered themselves to be choked by a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment disciple. The gazes directed at Mo Tiange by the crowd held much more chill. However, given Dao Lord Jinghe's protective and murderous temper, they couldn't really do anything to Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange felt the temperature in the hall drop. Then, she heard the gentle, mellow voice of her sect's Senior Aunt Miaoyi from within: "From Foundation Establishment to Core Formation to Nascent Soul and then God Transformation—only then can one be said to have truly attained the Great Dao. Even those present here still find the mysteries of the Great Dao profound. Tian Ge's path is still long."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the main hall eased considerably.
Dao Lord Jinghe had gloated enough. With Dao Lord Miaoyi smoothing things over for him, feeling quite pleased with himself, he simply assumed an appearance of paying no heed to worldly affairs, closing his eyes to enjoy the shoulder massage and back pounding from the attendant beside him.
Right at this moment, Mingxia slipped in through a side door, looking nervous as she whispered a report to Mo Tiange: "Senior Aunt Mo, over in the side hall, several Senior Sisters have started fighting."
Mo Tiange frowned: "Everything was fine when I left. What happened?" She then glanced up at Dao Lord Jinghe.
Dao Lord Jinghe had clearly shown off enough. With a wave of his hand, he said nonchalantly: "Such things are inevitable at any grand banquet. Just go handle it properly."
Although the matter in the side hall was also troublesome, it was better than standing in the main hall as a target for the various Nascent Soul cultivators. Mo Tiange hurriedly bowed: "Master, your disciple takes her leave." She then turned and slipped out through the main hall's side door.
Dao Lord Jinghe, having just finished his boasting, was clearly in a very good mood. Regarding Mo Tiange's obvious escape, he merely smiled and let it be.
Meanwhile, Mo Tiange hurried all the way from the main hall. Rushing into the side hall, she fully expected to see a scene of utter chaos. Instead, the various female cultivators in the side hall were clearly more adept at handling this situation than she was.
Two female cultivators from the Zhengfa Sect and one female cultivator from an unknown sect were locked in combat in the center of the hall. Their battlefield was surrounded by the others. Previously, the jade tables had been spaced evenly apart, but now they had clearly been pulled further apart. Moreover, various protective barriers of all kinds had been activated by those seated at the other jade tables.
The four Qi Refining female disciples of the Xuanqing Sect responsible for this side hall were huddled in a corner, anxiously wringing their hands. Seeing Mo Tiange enter, they rushed over in a swarm.
"Senior Grandmaster Mo..."
"Senior Grandmaster Mo, what should we do..."
Mo Tiange rubbed her temples: "First, tell me how the fight started."
The female disciple Mo Tiange had previously instructed hurriedly replied in a low voice: "Originally, the two Senior Aunts from the Zhengfa Sect only had a verbal conflict. Then, one of the Zhengfa Sect Senior Aunts picked up some food for the other, saying it was very nourishing. The other Senior Aunt refused. As they pushed and declined the dish back and forth, they accidentally knocked it over, staining that Senior Aunt's robe. That Senior Aunt—we don't know which sect she's from—looks delicate but has an extremely fiery temper. Without even speaking, she struck and sent the Zhengfa Sect Senior Aunt flying with a single palm. Senior Aunt Mingxia saw that hands had been raised, so she said she would go to the main hall to ask Senior Grandmaster Mo to return and take charge."
All the female guests in this side hall were ordinary Foundation Establishment female cultivators of common status, and their companions were also ordinary disciples. Only she held the highest status and wasn't afraid of offending people. However, Mingxia was, after all, a personal attendant of a Nascent Soul Ancestral Master. How could she possibly be unable to handle such a matter? Clearly, she didn't want to take the lead. But Mo Tiange couldn't be bothered to probe into whatever petty schemes Mingxia had. As long as these attendants didn't dare disrespect her now, it was enough.
Mo Tiange looked towards the battlefield. The two Zhengfa Sect female cultivators were at Mid-Stage and Early-Stage Foundation Establishment respectively, while the other female cultivator, whose sect was unknown, was already at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment. Although the two Zhengfa Sect cultivators fought two against one, their techniques were clumsy and inexperienced. The unknown sect's female cultivator, however, employed lethal moves with every strike, consistently suppressing the two Zhengfa Sect cultivators, keeping them at a disadvantage.
Mo Tiange couldn't help but frown. Before she could even decide how to mediate, she saw the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment Zhengfa Sect female cultivator let out a sharp cry—she was already injured. Mo Tiange hurriedly summoned her white silk handkerchief to block the next lethal strike from the unknown female cultivator, shielding the two Zhengfa Sect cultivators behind her. Suppressing her temper, she said with a light laugh: "Senior Sister, I wonder under whose esteemed tutelage you are? Your profound techniques are evident for all to see. Although the two Senior Sisters from the Zhengfa Sect have slightly offended you, they have already been injured by your hand. How about giving this junior sister some face and letting this matter be put to rest?"
The female cultivator, however, gave a cold laugh: "Who are you?"
Having treated her with courtesy only to be met with disrespect, Mo Tiange's expression turned placid: "I am Mo Tiange of the Xuanqing Sect."
The female cultivator laughed again: "And under whose tutelage are you?"
Asked in such a manner, Mo Tiange replied in a low voice: "I have the fortune of being accepted as a disciple under our sect's Dao Lord Jinghe. May I ask what instruction Senior Sister has for me?"
Upon hearing this, the female cultivator's face took on a strange expression. Right at that moment, a sharp, piercing whistle suddenly came from outside the hall. Hearing this sound, the female cultivator actually twisted her body and pounced towards Mo Tiange, laughing loudly at the same time: "Since you're under that old fogey Jinghe, I might as well send you on your way directly."