Chapter 360: The Gathering

“Our Tongyou City can be considered a good gathering place for cultivators. It’s not rare to see many of them meeting each other to exchange pointers. Of course, the frequency cannot be compared to before the war over the Tongyou Mysterious World.” Tian Mengzi explained as they walked into the bustling city center.

The reconstruction work started a long time ago. It had been half a year since the battle ended, and most of the Tongyou City had been restored. The only part left was the city center, but it was getting there.

Shang Xia looked at the crowd with interest and he discovered that the Tongyou City was actually bursting with life.

Due to the war, a huge portion of the city was destroyed. Fortunately, not a lot of people were killed. After all, the various families had sent away a huge portion of their members before the battle started.

“Who are the people taking part in the gathering?” Shang Xia asked casually.

Sun Haiwei replied to him this time. “There should be all sorts of people there… There might be cultivators from the institution, and there should also be various scattered cultivators. There might also be several from the great clans, but cultivators who have been living in seclusion outside the city might also take part. Even cultivators from other continents might come!”

Tian Mengzi added, “Actually, gatherings like that might take place openly, but there are also some that are carried out in the shadows. Many of these are organized by prominent factions and everyone would call people they know to take part in it. We can use it to network and form connections with other cultivators. Those that are properly organized are pretty safe.”

“What about those that are carried out in the dark?” Shang Xia asked.

Chuckling in amusement, Tian Mengzi continued, “Those usually involve unsavory deals. Many things that happen there cannot see the light of day. That is why most gatherings like that would be extremely well-guarded. Without someone who knows a way in, cultivators wouldn’t be able to take part. Also, killing and plundering are a common occurrence in those gatherings.”

Shang Xia found it hard to believe. “I understand that there can be some dark happenings in the city. However, with the influence the Tongyou Institution and the four great clans have over the city, killing and plundering seem to be going too far… Shouldn’t they control themselves?”

Sun Haiwei and Tian Mengzi looked at each other and bitter smiles appeared on their faces. Tian Mengzi muttered, “Junior Brother Shang, you're not exactly wrong. Those happenings are much tamer compared to other cities due to the presence of the Tongyou Institution and the four great clans. However, underground meetings like that organized by those powers in the dark have their reasons to exist. One can say that it’s a necessary evil for there to be balance.”

Shang Xia fell into contemplation and realized that those hidden powers that organized those meetings were probably operating under the tolerance of the institution and the four great clans.

By the time their conversation was over, the three of them arrived at a tea house that seemed pretty newly built.

Without waiting for the attendant to greet them, the manager of the tea house quickly ran towards the group of three. “Young masters and young miss, are you Master Zhao’s guests? Please head upstairs to the third floor. Master Zhao has been waiting for some time now!”

The three of them were escorted by the manager directly to the third floor and they were welcomed by a middle aged man with a wide smile on his face.

“I didn’t think that the honored students of the institution would join us! Well met!” The middle aged man’s gaze fell on Shang Xia as he spoke.

Shang Xia might be a lot more famous than Sun Haiwei and Tian Mengzi in the institution, but not many people outside of the institution knew him. He was a foreign face everywhere else.

Seeing the looks of hesitation on Sun Haiwei and Tian Mengzi’s face, Shang Xia knew that they didn’t know if they should reveal his identity. He quickly introduced himself. “You can call me ‘Xia’. I wonder how I can address you?”

“Oh. Young Master Xia!” Shang Xia didn’t know if the middle aged man believed he was using his real name, but he couldn’t care either. The middle aged man continued. “I come from the Zhao Family and we own this tea house. It’s our honor to host Young Master Xia too!”

“I didn’t expect you to be the owner of this place, Owner Zhao!” Shang Xia greeted the man enthusiastically. Of course, Shang Xia wouldn’t flaunt his status in an event he didn’t know much about and he decided to take things as they went.

Tian Mengzi decided to chip in now that they have made their introductions. “Old Man Zhao, can’t you tell us how many people will be taking part in this gathering?”

“I didn’t send out many invitations this time. Due to the events that happened in the city and new faces that will be joining us this time, there should be around twenty people taking part in this gathering.” Owner Zhao paused for a second and continued, “I also received news that there would be scattered cultivators from outside the city taking part in this gathering.”

Tian Mengzi looked at Owner Zhao in shock. “Wow! Old Man Zhao, your network is growing really wide! If not for the fact that you held it at your teahouse, I would have thought that we were taking part in some shady gathering this time!”

“No, no, of course not!” Owner Zhao waved his hand to dismiss Tian Mengzi’s concern. The smile on his face didn’t fade and instead, it seemed to grow even wider.

When they were done talking, he brought them into the room behind him.

Sun Haiwei flipped open a basket outside the door before they entered and pointed at something within. “Little Xia, you’re here for the first time and there will be many people with questionable backgrounds. You should use this.”

Lowering his head, Shang Xia saw that she was pointing at a bunch of masks that were placed carefully in the basket.

Even though Shang Xia was getting curious, he didn’t ignore Sun Haiwei’s warning. He took a mask and placed it on his face quickly.

The moment he did, the aura around him changed completely. He fused his divine sense with the world around him and transformed into an ordinary person.

A look of shock filled the faces of Tian Mengzi, Sun Haiwei, and Owner Zhao. They didn’t expect Shang Xia to be capable of doing something like that.

Getting over their shock, Tian Mengzi and Sun Haiwei also put on their masks before walking into the room.

By the time they entered, they discovered that the room was pretty small. It didn’t seem to be able to house more than twenty of them for the gathering.

However, from the looks on Sun Haiwei and Tian Mengzi’s face, Shang Xia decided to remain silent as he observed what happened next.

Owner Zhao took several steps forward and tapped on a table several times before a hidden passage opened up on one of the walls.

“Please enter. I will be right with you.” Owner Zhao gestured towards the hidden passage and mentioned.

Tian Mengzi nodded towards Sun Haiwei and Shang Xia before taking the lead. With the two of them following behind him, the entrance soon closed up. Surprisingly, the passage remained lit.

“That’s Zhao Fengchun, and he’s from the Zhao Family in our Tongyou City. The Zhao Family Head, Zhao Hengchun, is at the large completion stage of the Martial Intent Realm. It’s said that he’s been looking for a way to enter the Martial Extermination Realm for several years now. He has been looking at the institution for a way to advance for some time.” Sun Haiwei whispered to Shang Xia as they made their way down the passage.

Shang Xia nodded slightly. He knew about the Zhao Family. In the Tongyou City, the Zhao Family could be considered to be in the middle of the power pyramid.

When he met Zhao Fengchun earlier, he had already examined the man from head to toe. He knew that Zhao Fengchun was also at the Martial Intent Realm, and he was pretty famous in the city. It was no wonder he had the ability to host a gathering like that.

The passage wasn’t too long and the three of them quickly arrived at the end. Pushing a bamboo door open, they entered a spacious hall.

Seats were arranged in an orderly fashion around the room, and there was an empty space in the middle of the room. By the time they entered, there were close to eight cultivators already waiting. It seemed as though the three of them didn’t arrive too late, but neither did they arrive too early.

The moment they entered, they attracted the gazes of everyone in the room.

Tian Mengzi didn’t bother with them and he quickly looked for a place they could sit before gesturing to Sun Haiwei and Shang Xia.

By the time they got to their seats, the gazes of many people had already left them. However, there were still several who were trying to examine the trio.

Regardless, none of them managed to discover anything due to the masks they were wearing. From their age, it wasn’t difficult to identify them as members of the Tongyou Institution. After all, they were pretty young compared to the others. For cultivators in the Tongyou City to be in the Martial Intent Realm at their age, they had to be students in the institution.

Tian Mengzi and Sun Haiwei didn’t seem to be bothered regardless. However, Shang Xia snorted once in annoyance. The bodies of those who were examining them trembled violently as they felt as though someone smashed a sledgehammer into their brains. A look of fear appeared on their face when they looked at the trio again.

Shang Xia swept his gaze across those present and this time, no one dared to meet his gaze. All of them looked away in fright.

Sun Haiwei heaved a sigh of relief and Tian Mengzi gave him a huge thumbs up.

It didn’t take long for the doors to open again and two people entered the hall. They looked around the room and their gazes paused on Sun Haiwei and the others before they found their seats.

Sun Haiwei sighed softly and she whispered to the other two. “That’s Huo Wuji from the Upper Division and Wu Tianfang from the Protection Division!”

Tian Mengzi?nodded slightly to indicate his understanding.

Shang Xia glanced at them several more times and the two of them clearly detected it. They looked at Shang Xia and revealed a toothy smile.

“They seem to be able to tell that we’re from the institution!” Tian Mengzi’s voice entered Sun Haiwei and Shang Xia’s mind.

No one knew how many entrances there were in the weird hall, but six other cultivators eventually entered from other paths.

Zhao Fengchun eventually entered and he seemed to be the last person. By the time he entered, there were nineteen Martial Intent Realm experts seated in the hall.

.

The moment he entered, he looked around the room before giving a short introduction. “It’s not easy to gather everyone here and I shall make this introduction speech as short as possible. I would like to thank everyone for giving me a chance to host this gathering. Let me get the ball rolling!”

Shang Xia didn’t expect Zhao Fengchun to be so direct and start the event off immediately, but curiosity quickly filled his heart.

Zhao Fengchun took out a lacquered box that was a foot in length and covered in talismans before opening it carefully. There were a total of 12 pearls carefully laid throughout the box and he continued, “These are 12 300-year-old Hazy Pearls. They are rank three treasures and they have extensive uses. They can be made into advancement medicine and can even be used to craft talismans. You can also use them when refining graded weapons or laying down formations!”

Pausing for a second, he added, “I wish to trade it for a bottle of Heart Cleansing Dew or a piece of Dancing Yang Blue Jade!”

As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere in the hall became slightly heated. Many people started whispering among themselves and looks of amazement could be seen on their faces.