Chapter 137: Observe the Sword With Civility

Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan wandered for quite some time. Around lunchtime, they hurried back to see if they could help with anything.

Quite a few cultivators had already arrived at Mount Sanqing for the Immortal Dao Conference. Although they hadn't released an official announcement for its exact date yet, when construction began on Mount Sanqing over half a month ago, various rumors quickly spread in the cultivation world. Many cultivators who were already traveling had rushed over to observe and inquire.

Although cultivation emphasized tranquility and non-action, it did not mean that cultivators would not care about the reputation and honor of their Daoist heritage. On the contrary, most had a deep sentiment for expanding the influence of their sect and Daoist heritage. Making a name for their sect members or disciples at the Immortal Dao Conference would be an excellent way to promote their Daoist heritage within the cultivation world.

Therefore, as long as the organizer of the Immortal Dao Conference was sufficiently credible and the scale was large enough to gain widespread recognition in the cultivation world, the enthusiasm of cultivators to participate would be extremely high. Not to mention, this was the first grand event involving the righteous path of the entire cultivation world since the resurgence of primal qi.

In the evening, Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan had just received their boxed meals when they were called to attend a meeting and formally began their work. From then on, the responsibility for boxed meals fell to Mu Wanxuan.

Mou Yue chaired the on-site meeting. A group of young people methodically reported the work of each team, while Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan sat quietly to the side, eating. According to the sect rules, the crispy pork, red braised pork, and eggs belonged to Mu Wanxuan, while the vegetables and pickled green mustard belonged to Wang Sheng.

"The invitation letters should reach the Daoist heritages by tomorrow. We have calculated the travel times carefully, making sure they would arrive at each mountain gate at roughly the same time. Once the invitations are received, we will make follow-up calls to confirm the sects' intention to participate. The venue will be completed by tomorrow. The only uncertainty now is whether we should arrange a circle of flowers around the venue and, if so, what color they should be."

"Sister Yue, the accommodation arrangements for the Daoist masters have been more or less finalized as well. The outskirts of the town at the foot of the mountain have also been prepared. All that's left to determine is the number of cultivators who will arrive before the competition."

"Sister Yue..."

Wang Sheng watched Mou Yue record item after item and point out key issues from time to time, feeling a bit gratified.

Everyone had really grown a lot.

"Each Daoist sect should arrive a day in advance, but the number of unaffiliated practitioners rushing in is hard to estimate," one said. "We do not know whether the reserved space will be enough."

"What about the Special Warfare Unit?" Mou Yue asked.

"They will complete the security arrangements tonight."

"Then there should be no problem. If too many unaffiliated practitioners arrive and there is no room inside, we can set up two large screens outside the venue. I will apply for the budget from the captain."

The meeting quickly concluded. Mu Wanxuan was assigned to check the logistics reserves at various locations, while Wang Sheng was pulled into discussions about the referees' uniforms.

They were all minor tasks, but the two disciples of Qing Yanzi still had to participate. After all, this Immortal Dao Conference was being organized under the name of Bu Yan. Naturally, as his disciples, they had to put in some effort.

Mu Wanxuan quickly adjusted to her role. Learning from Mou Yue, she brought a small notebook with her to record various data and ensure that all invited cultivators and delegations would have food and lodging. Wang Sheng suspected that she was just recording which dishes were the tastiest and how much she could eat, though.

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng spent half the day discussing the uniforms for the referees and staff with several young members of the investigation unit. They couldn't just ask the eighteen Daoist elders to serve as judges for nothing, after all. Naturally, they would each be given two sets of finely made new Daoist robes. They also threw in some limited-edition epaulets and cuffs, along with solid gold commemorative badges, to make the compensation reasonable.

Wang Sheng swore to the heavens that he had no intention of taking advantage for personal gain! A model sword cultivator of the new era couldn't possibly stoop to exploiting public resources!

That night, Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan watched the stars for a while from the spectator stands. The two then entered meditation.

On the fifth day before the competition, Wang Sheng thought there would not be much to do, but he still ended up busy from morning to night.

Over four hundred members of the Special Warfare Unit, dressed in camouflage shirts, officially moved into positions throughout Mount Sanqing. They were not combat forces lying in ambush, but regular forces responsible for maintaining order both in the mountains and at the venue.

Wang Sheng had no idea what exactly he was busy with all day, but whenever he sat down to rest, a beautiful young lady would call out to him and pull him into another task.

Mu Wanxuan, on the other hand, was busy with a clear purpose—preparing boxed meals.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

On the fourth day before the competition, the interior of the venue was completed, all equipment was tested, and the Special Warfare Unit members began taking shifts. Entry into the venue now required a work permit.

Gradually, more and more cultivators came to make inquiries.

As the beloved disciple of Bu Yan, and a young cultivator representative previously promoted by the official authorities, Wang Sheng now had no choice but to step up. He set up a table and a sunshade at the entrance to the venue, providing consultation services to cultivators who came with questions. Half a day later, his mouth was already dry.

At the foot of the mountain, the town had become lively. Cultivators from all directions gathered, bringing prosperity to the local food industry.

Many frugal Daoist masters brought their disciples to meditate quietly among the trees. Neither wandering around nor causing trouble, they simply waited quietly for the Immortal Dao Conference to begin.

That day, Mu Wanxuan once again happily spent the entire day preparing boxed meals.

Later in the evening, as Wang Sheng sat in meditation with her and watched the stars, he could not help but stare at his senior sister for a while.

"Senior sister, these past two days..."

Mu Wanxuan blinked, already prepared with a series of memes captioned with "Not tired," "Strive on," and "I can still do it."

"Haven't you gotten a bit chubbier?"

"

Mm?

"

A few seconds later, Yin-Yang qi rampaged and turned into a whirlwind, seemingly sweeping something away.

Three days before the competition, the area at the foot of the mountain was already packed with people. A rough count showed that three to four thousand cultivators had already arrived. Many cultivators who had come ahead of time from famous Daoist sacred mountains were also drawing quite a bit of attention everywhere.

The Special Investigation Unit estimated that the total number of participants in the conference would exceed six thousand, a clear sign of how rapidly the cultivation world had developed over the past two years.

Wang Sheng's main task remained sitting at the entrance of the venue and greeting visitors with a faint smile. He was also frequently surrounded by people taking pictures. To better manage the crowd, he was given his own set of gear: a microphone and a speaker.

Large screens were being installed outside the venue. From time to time, Wang Sheng had to pick up the microphone and make announcements, reminding the Daoist masters not to approach construction areas and warning them against scams and staged accidents.

This kind of work usually belonged to nameless background characters in movies and TV dramas. If it were a comic drawn by a lazy artist, they probably would not even bother to draw his face.

The thought made Wang Sheng sigh quietly. He decided to simply treat the Immortal Dao Conference as a chance to develop his state of mind.

He repeatedly made announcements along the lines of, "Fellow Daoist masters and townspeople, please do not trample the flowers and plants we have placed outside. Thank you.

"There is free hot water available on the left side of the venue. If anyone feels unwell, there is an ambulance next to the Daoist temple. Please maintain the peace and remain respectful while quietly waiting for the event to start. Refrain from having private showdowns at the peak of the Forbidden City[1] as well.

"My master Qing Yanzi has asked me to receive everyone here. The conference will officially begin at 9:00 AM three days from now. Please be patient. Thank you."

Gradually, Wang Sheng himself became a kind of "scenic spot."

After the Yellow Sea incident involving the rampage of corrupt cultivators, the Special Investigation Unit promoted Wang Sheng's story, causing it to circulate among the cultivation community for a while. It was only because Wang Sheng went into secluded cultivation for the next two years and disappeared from public view that he did not become truly famous.

Still, he was the second disciple of Qing Yanzi, a Golden Core Realm cultivator; a young cultivator at the late stage of the Seed Formation Realm; a swordsman whose swordsmanship had once stunned the Mount Mao Exchange Conference...

The auras wrapped around Wang Sheng were enough to make many young cultivators admire him. Many even snuck a few photos.

Naturally, some young cultivators who were good at socializing also came forward to get acquainted with Wang Sheng. In response, Wang Sheng did not put on any airs. Adding a few YouChat friends was nothing. Besides, his new phone was not prone to lag.

He did not know which mischievous Special Investigation Unit member was responsible for it, but someone had secretly stuck an A4 paper in front of his desk, on which big, bold characters were written.

Observe the Sword with Civility.

From then on, the place became much more orderly.

In the afternoon, as Wang Sheng was enjoying a rare moment of rest and drinking a fruit juice that his senior sister had just delivered, he heard a series of exclamations coming from down the mountain.

Turning toward it, Wang Sheng almost spat out his fruit juice. He saw a round-faced Daoist controlling a flying sword in midair and dozens of sword-bearing disciples rushing over from behind.

The Shu Sword Sect had made a grand entrance.

They were among the first from the prestigious Daoist sacred mountains to arrive early, giving plenty of face to Qing Yanzi and his disciples.

"Elder Fei Yu!" Fei Lianzi called out from afar, then clasped his hands behind his back, allowing fellow cultivators around him to admire and photograph him. His silk Daoist robe shone brightly under the sunlight.

Wang Sheng stood up and stepped forward. Fei Lianzi leaped off his flying sword and turned stylishly, his sword smoothly sliding into the scabbard on his back.

Before Wang Sheng could even speak, all the Shu Sword Sect disciples shouted in unison, "Greetings, Elder Fei Yu!"

"Greetings, everyone. Thank you."

Fei Lianzi smiled. "We are not here to compete. The representative delegation for the competition will arrive tomorrow. We are here to lend a hand. Is there anything we can do? Maintain order, run errands, anything at all?"

"The Special Investigation Unit and the Special Warfare Unit already have everything under control," Wang Sheng replied with a smile, feeling somewhat moved.

At least the Shu Sword Sect remembered that Qing Yanzi convened this conference. Since his lineage only had three members, they came early to help. In return, Wang Sheng immediately called over Mou Yue to arrange for a reception that followed the standards for sacred mountain delegations.

However, Fei Lianzi insisted on not troubling them. He arranged for his disciples to split into three teams and stationed them in rotation at the entrance of the venue, helping to uphold the front.

A pavilion was soon set up behind Wang Sheng's desk. He and Fei Lianzi sat together there to receive guests. Talking about swords and discussing techniques with Fei Lianzi made the hours much less boring for Wang Sheng.

As soon as the Shu Sword Sect members settled down, another group of cultivators began forming ranks at the foot of the mountain, making their way toward the venue.

Despite recently suffering casualties due to an attack by corrupt cultivators, the Wudang Mountains, where Qing Yanzi was nominally registered, had sent over a hundred disciples. Several Daoist masters, including Gao Shixing, led the team.

They weren't a competing team either; they were just there to help out and show their strong support for Qing Yanzi.

With the Shu Sword Sect and the Wudang Mountains stepping forward, and with Qing Yanzi as the Golden Core Daoist figurehead, the Grand Tournament of the Immortal Dao gradually shed some of its official overtones and became much more authentic and traditional.

1. A meme about two guys having a super melodramatic final battle at the top of the Forbidden City in the Chinese Drama

Top on The Forbidden City.

It also means over-the-top, dramatic duels. ☜