Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

Within the radiance of the golden formation, a platform measuring a kilometer squared thunderously rose from the ground. The disciples from various peaks who came to participate in the junior competition all showed looks of expectation on their faces.

The junior competition held every three years was not only the time for them to prove what they had learned but also a prime opportunity to show their faces before the esteemed cultivators of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

If they were fortunate enough to catch the eye of the elders, they could leap through the dragon gate like a carp transforming into a dragon, receiving personal transmission of the true teachings rather than attending the communal classes at the inner door's Daoist Hall.

As everyone knows, individual teaching is always more nuanced and tastes better than massive, one-size-fits-all instruction. Not only that, it also represented your origin; even if someone wanted to suppress you, they had to be mindful of your mentor's face and wouldn't dare to go too far.

Don't underestimate this point.

Dragon Tiger Mountain had a long-standing heritage; its internal cliques and relationships were already incredibly intricate. The inevitable "you look after my disciples, I'll look after yours" was well entrenched.

Unless your talent truly shone like a needle in a bag, like Zhang Daoyi, who now roamed the world, you would see the fruits that time had bore on the large tree.

It was human nature to choose the suitable ones among those you knew and to choose the ones you knew among those suitable.

This was precisely what Zhang Taichu found most troublesome.

Don't underestimate such minor issues. It might seem as if the quality of the disciples hadn't fallen much, but stretch out the timeline—less a fraction today, less seven millimeters tomorrow, and as things accumulated over time, Dragon Tiger Mountain would be swinging naked on a swing, shamelessly, had it not been for the fortunate discovery of Zhang Daoyi.

Fools, after all, are a species with a natural ability to repel their stronger peers....

The junior competition proceeded in an orderly fashion, and Yi Chen casually glanced at it, showing only a lack of interest.

Without Zhang Daoyi, all that Dragon Tiger Mountain had were minor characters.

Zhang Longyi was already shouldering major responsibilities, but did he have the capability? He did not.

If things continued like this, the younger generation of Dragon Tiger Mountain would soon be crushed by Mount Daguangming, followed by defeats to the five great sword cultivation sects, then the six religions, and then the nine major families and the twelve sects—until there was nothing left to lose....

"What does Yi Taoist think?" Yue Qingzhu sat opposite Yi Chen, her posture elegant, legs crossed. She leisurely sent a sound transmission to Yi Chen.

As a princess of the Da Yue dynasty, Yue Qingzhu was naturally also on the list of invited observers for this junior competition.

Out of sheer boredom, Yi Chen simply decided to strike up a casual conversation with Yue Qingzhu, focusing on her beautiful legs.

If you're going to look, might as well look for free. Why look at anyone else?

"I now feel that Daoist Yue Qingzhu is correct. The chronic problems of Dragon Tiger Mountain are indeed serious. Their performance has become too flamboyant, and there are few among the disciples who show a sharp eagerness to advance," Yi Chen sound transmitted.

Perceiving Yi Chen's brazen gaze, Yue Qingzhu was unbothered. She quietly hoisted the hem of her skirt up a little, revealing her jade-like ankles, "Do they look nice?"

"They look nice."

"Join under my command, and I'll give you a chance to pursue me. How about that?"

"I'll also strongly support the growth of your Hidden Dragon Temple," Yue Qingzhu continued to sound transmit.

"Not so good, I'm just looking." Yi Chen replied with a bashful face, his sound transmission revealing a freeloading demeanor.

"You..." Yue Qingzhu, frustrated, let her raised skirt fall back down, and her legs no longer sat crossed but moved to lie next to each other, slanting away from Yi Chen's direction.

Perhaps because the competition below was too boring—after all, Yue Qingzhu's actual strength was even stronger than a sword fairy—she couldn't help but continue to chat with Yi Chen.

"Daoist Yi, what did you mean when you defeated that overbearing swordsman in Wujang Prefecture using 'Boiling Goat' and 'Beautiful Goat'?"

"I bet five hundred taels," Yue Qingzhu added, already quite aware of the tall Daoist's nature in front of her—easily swayed by money....

Yi Chen felt speechless upon hearing this, but he wasn't surprised Yue Qingzhu knew about it, as she had likely investigated him before coming to recruit him.

"It's a long story," he sound transmitted.

"Then make a long story short."

"Okay." A rainy day's scolding of children—nothing else to do anyway—and seeing that five hundred taels were at stake, Yi Chen began to prattle on to Yue Qingzhu. He lowered his voice and sent a sound transmission to her:

"It is a tale from a place called Sheep Village on the Green Grasslands."

"Without a True Monarch among the sheep, the nine True Persons of the sheep tribes battled the firmament."

...

"Dark Wolf Emperor Grey Wolf stirred up chaos, all for the resurrection of his beloved...."

"Wherever grass for grazing danced, flames were sure to ignite, illuminating Sheep Village. As the grass would rise anew, such was the profound meaning of Sheep Village. Happy Sheep understood and the dense clouds exploded apart, sunlight fell, and a gigantic sheep hoof emerged in the sky...."

....

"Boiling Goat, say something, Happy Sheep isn't moving."

....

"Sweetened tofu pudding tastes better...."

While Yi Chen was spouting nonsense to Yue Qingzhu, Zhang Longyi's face on the platform was turning green with anger.

After a few days of interaction, if Zhang Longyi once approached Yue Qingzhu with mutual exploitation in mind, he had now truly taken a liking to her.

He had fallen for the witty and beautiful woman before him.

He had eagerly invited Yue Qingzhu to watch this junior competition—Zhang Hu was in closed-door cultivation, Zhang Daoyi had gone far afield. Who else but he, Zhang Longyi, could climb to the top of Dragon Tiger Mountain now? Who else?

There he was, fighting fiercely on the platform, striving to perform and hoping to win a smile from the beauty, only to turn around and see the beauty 'exchanging glances' with that tall Daoist he despised.

Zhang Longyi was filled with rage, and his attacks became even more forceful.Nôv(el)B\\jnn