Chapter 66: The Consort Selection Ceremony

Qingyun Sect.

The Outer Sect Martial Arts Plaza.

This was normally the place where outer sect disciples practiced martial arts. However, practicing martial arts was not like doing calisthenics; there was no need for everyone to gather and train together.

Although people usually practiced martial arts here, the numbers were never large.

Today, however, early in the morning, a rare crowd of over a thousand disciples had gathered, resembling a large-scale assembly. What was particularly striking was that ninety-nine percent of them were women.

"Good heavens, so many people?"

Xiao Shi and his good friend Lin Jing arrived, staring in utter astonishment at the sea of blooming flowers covering the martial arts plaza.

This was almost comparable to a sect-wide martial arts tournament.

"This is Senior Brother Zhou selecting his maidservants. For ninety-nine percent of the errand runners and outer sect disciples, this is an opportunity to reach the heavens in a single bound!"

Lin Jing looked at the crowd of senior and junior sisters ahead, all of whom had clearly dressed up with great care, his eyes filled with envy.

He and Xiao Shi were mere errand-running disciples.

"Look quickly, isn't that Senior Sister Zhao from the inner sect?"

Xiao Shi's pupils constricted. He pointed ahead at a yellow-robed woman standing out from the crowd like a crane among chickens, independent and aloof from the mortal world, with a look of shock on his face.

"I never expected Senior Sister Zhao to actually sign up for this selection!"

Lin Jing felt a deep sense of emotion in his heart. He was already nineteen years old, yet he was only at the third tier of Body Refining; even becoming an outer sect disciple was difficult for him.

If he could not advance to the fourth tier of Body Refining before turning twenty, he would only be sent out to serve as a minor steward somewhere.

"Senior Brother Zhou is naturally gifted, handsome, and his future achievements will be boundless. It's not just Senior Sister Zhao—there are three other inner sect senior sisters here as well!"

Xiao Shi looked at the three beauties standing beside Zhao Shirong, feeling deeply moved.

Both he and Lin Jing hailed from the three great families of Qinghe City, and Zhou Chen was also from Qinghe County, yet their circumstances were worlds apart.

The gap was simply too vast.

There were quite a few onlookers like Xiao Shi and Lin Jing, but the primary presence here consisted of the female disciples participating in the selection.

"I never thought four senior sisters from the inner sect would actually come!"

"It seems we really don't stand a chance now!"

"That's right, even the inner sect senior sisters are coming to compete with us for these spots..."

"As it is, the outer sect senior sisters already put enough pressure on us, and now inner sect senior sisters have arrived as well. They're simply leaving us errand-running disciples no path to survival..."

The crowd of women looked at the four inner sect senior sisters ahead with complex emotions in their eyes.

Inner sect disciples were geniuses who had reached the seventh tier of Body Refining before the age of thirty. Most of them possessed a certain pride of their own and rarely came to participate in the selection of maidservants for core disciples.

After all, their status and standing were not low, and their talent was decent. If they wanted to butter up and curry favor with a core disciple, there were other methods available.

For instance, they would much rather marry a core disciple, even if it meant only becoming a concubine.

Coming to serve as a maid or attendant was extremely rare.

There had been precedents in the past.

Yet there were never more than one or two at most each time.

This time, four had actually arrived.

"Senior Brother Zhou has arrived!"

Before anyone knew when, a cry of exclamation suddenly rang out. Everyone snapped their heads up in unison, watching as Zhou Chen, dressed in fluttering white robes and exuding an air of carefree elegance, strode into view.

His movements were as light as a dancing crane, landing gracefully upon the high platform of the martial arts plaza, and the entire plaza instantly fell into a hush.

"It's Senior Brother Zhou!"

"Senior Brother Zhou is so handsome!"

"Senior Brother Zhou's martial arts are truly formidable. He easily leaped onto that platform, which is at least three zhang high, in a single step, as if he were merely stepping up a small flight of stairs!"

"Ancestors protect me, Senior Brother Zhou, please choose me!"

"You must choose me, I'm very capable at everything!"

"I can do anything!"

The disciples looked on with burning eyes, praying inwardly.

The male disciples who had come to watch looked at the burning gazes of the senior and junior sisters, consumed by absolute envy.

"A real man should be just like this!"

Lin Jing clenched his fists, his face filled with yearning, but when he remembered that he was older than Zhou Chen yet still merely an errand-running disciple at the third tier of Body Refining, the breath he had just mustered instantly dissipated.

He would likely never have such an opportunity in this lifetime.

"Do not look down upon a young man for being poor; thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river."

Xiao Shi patted Lin Jing on the shoulder and comforted him:

"As long as we work hard, we might not lack an opportunity. Late bloomers are everywhere."

"Furthermore, perhaps our destined time has simply not arrived yet. A dormant dragon lies in the abyss; when the winds and clouds converge one day, who is to say we cannot transform into golden carp leaping through the dragon gate and soar straight into the heavens!"

"Mm!"

Lin Jing nodded, gazing at Zhou Chen high upon the platform.

Zhou Chen stood alone on the platform, overlooking the crowd. Meeting those pairs of burning eyes, an inexplicable surge of heroic spirit rose within his heart.

"No wonder those idols and celebrities in my past life would lose their minds once they achieved overnight success—acting like petty villains who struck gold, doing whatever they pleased, committing all sorts of outrages..."

Zhou Chen mused inwardly. There was a saying about killing someone with praise; when a person was constantly flattered and fawned upon, it was all too easy for their head to swell.

"I am merely a core disciple of the Qingyun Sect. The world is so vast; leave aside the present, even if I were to overthrow the sect master, it wouldn't amount to much in the grand scheme of the entire world..."

Zhou Chen warned himself silently, returned the gazes of the crowd with a faint smile, and spoke in a clear voice:

"I am Zhou Chen. I never imagined so many people would turn out today. First of all, I wish to thank all the junior sisters for your immense affection. Chen is deeply honored!"

"As you all know, Chen only requires four people. To those who are not chosen, I can only say that Chen lacks fate with you, causing everyone to make a wasted trip. Here and now, Chen offers his sincere apologies in advance to all the junior sisters!"

Zhou Chen cupped his fists in a salute, expressing his regret.

"Senior Brother Zhou speaks too heavily!"

"We are all here of our own accord. Even if we aren't chosen, it simply means we lack fate, how could we possibly blame Senior Brother Zhou!"

The women hurriedly spoke up, their favorability toward Zhou Chen increasing dramatically.

If favorability ratings could be seen, then above the heads of all these women, numbers would surely be popping up continuously: Favorability +1!

Anyone capable of becoming a core disciple was no ordinary person. They were either naturally gifted young prodigies, martial arts fanatics, or individuals possessing great fortuitous encounters.

Consequently, many core disciples harbored a certain arrogance. Even among those who weren't arrogant, geniuses always possessed some eccentricities, and most of them seemed difficult to get along with.

Those who were approachable were exceedingly rare.

For instance, figures like Li Changhen and Shi Qingxuan were both cold beauties, usually wearing icy expressions and speaking as if words cost a fortune. To others, they were simply cold and aloof.

Zhou Chen raised his hand and pressed it downward slightly, and the crowd instantly quieted down.

Zhou Chen took out the roster and spoke in a loud voice:

"I won't waste everyone's time any further. Those whose names are called, step forward."

Every single person's heart instantly leapt into their throat.

"Given my status and cultivation level, how could those outer sect disciples and errand runners possibly compare to me? A spot is definitely mine!"

Inner sect disciple Zheng Lihong gazed at the heroic and extraordinary Zhou Chen on the high platform, feeling quite satisfied, her face brimming with confidence.

She was originally a concubine-born daughter of the Zheng family. Having entered the Qingyun Sect due to her decent talent, although her family status had greatly improved, she was still suppressed by the direct descendants of the family.

That was because those direct descendants were not lacking in talent either, and since childhood, they had received superior resources of all kinds compared to her, ultimately joining the Qingyun Sect as well.

This time, she was willing to lower her status to become a maid for Zhou Chen, but she certainly didn't truly want to be a maid.

She merely wished to use this identity to gain proximity to the water to catch the moonlight first, and subsequently become Zhou Chen's primary wife.

As for Qin Hongyu?

A wild country girl, how could she possibly compare to her?

Such a cheap woman wasn't even worthy of being a maid to her!

"Zhao Shirong!"

Zhou Chen called out in a clear voice.

"Senior Brother Zhou."

Zhao Shirong stepped forward, bowing gracefully to Zhou Chen, her heart skipping a beat.

Although she felt very confident.

Until it was confirmed, she remained nervous and apprehensive.

Of course.

For now, this was merely the preliminary selection roster.

Zheng Lihong and the others felt no surprise upon hearing Zhao Shirong's name.

Zhao Shirong was already a renowned beauty and an inner sect disciple to boot. Her competitiveness was second to none, and the possibility of her failing was exceedingly small.

"Yu Youwei!"

"It's me! I've been chosen!"

Among the outer sect disciples, a delicately featured young woman with an exceptionally full bust froze for a moment, then stepped forward with overflowing excitement, cupping her fists in a bow:

"Youwei greets Senior Brother Zhou!"

"What is the meaning of this?"

Zheng Lihong frowned deeply. The roster should definitely have started from the inner sect disciples and proceeded downward. Why had only Zhao Shirong been called from the inner sect before jumping straight to the outer sect disciples?

Could it be that she had failed to make the cut?

Was she actually inferior to an outer sect disciple?