Several days later, the Grand Competition of the Sea-dwelling Immortal Sects was held as scheduled.

Ye Tinglan, accompanied by Lu Xingzhou, Anu, and her disciple, rode in her phoenix carriage, followed by various flying magical artifacts. A large number of people from Tianyao Holy Land majestically made their way to the sea.

The high-ranking officials of Tianyao felt a bit strange. In the past, during such collective outings, the Sect Master would typically convene her officials in her carriage to discuss matters. However, this time, she only brought a select few, looking like a family of four at first glance.

Yet, they were open and aboveboard, staying on the deck rather than hiding in the cabin, so no one could find any fault.

In fact, there was no secret at all. Ye Tinglan was explaining the situation of the Sea-dwelling Grand Competition to her “three disciples,” and even Dugu Qingli was hearing about it for the first time.

“It’s nominally a competition to decide who will be king of the sea… Doesn’t that sound a bit strange?” Ye Tinglan asked with a smile, pouring tea.

Lu Xingzhou said, “Within the known territories, including the known overseas immortal sects, Tianyao Holy Land is recognized as the strongest sect. Who would dare to claim they are competing to decide who will be king? Isn’t that openly challenging Tianyao Holy Land?”

Ye Tinglan gave her lover an approving glance, then glared at her disciple.

You are all young people. Look how quickly your Shigong’s mind works, and all you do is daze off.

Dugu Qingli didn’t understand the meaning of her Shifu’s gaze at all and continued to daze off and listen.

Ye Tinglan said, “A long time ago, when Tianyao Immortal Sect was rising, it naturally didn’t have a reputation as the number one sect in the world or a holy land. That prestige was accumulated through generations of ancestors, with victory after victory in immortal conflicts, in the struggles of the jianghu, and in various grand competitions. When you are truly the number one in the world, what do you do? Subdue one family after another, so that only your voice is heard in the world?”

Dugu Qingli asked, “Why not?”

Ye Tinglan smiled and asked Lu Xingzhou, “Tianxing Jianzong is the de facto number one in Xiazhou. Why can’t it bring all the Xiazhou sects under its rule?”

“Too many constraints and too much backlash; it’s impossible. The important thing is to maintain prestige and deterrence, and then Xiazhou will naturally only have the voice of Tianxing Jianzong.” Lu Xingzhou paused. “Although Tianyao Holy Land is not as fearful as Tianxing Jianzong, there are clearly also constraints. And in reality, the so-called ‘number one in the world’ doesn’t have such a dimension gap with others to achieve complete conquest and unification.”

“Exactly… Although a transcendent-grade can crush a first-grade, there’s still a chance of capsizing when facing a siege. So, even if it’s just a first-grade sect, a combination of several could still pose a threat to us. Moreover, no one knows if any family hides a transcendent-grade, which prevents us from creating a dimensional difference. We cannot truly crush the world,” Ye Tinglan said calmly. “So, what we need to do is still the same as Tianxing Jianzong does for Xiazhou: maintain prestige and ensure deterrence.”

Lu Xingzhou said, “And you are not demonic cultivators who would arbitrarily bully people to instill fear. Therefore, maintaining this millennia-old Grand Competition is actually a declaration of strength.”

“Precisely. Every such Grand Competition is a way for Tianyao Holy Land to showcase its power. What we seek is not just to win, but to display an extraordinary oppressive force… For example, our participants are younger than others, yet stronger. Whether in the sea or in Daqian, for those seeking to become disciples and cultivate the Dao, the most desired holy land in their hearts will always be Tianyao Immortal Sect. This is it.”

At this point, Lu Xingzhou and Dugu Qingli understood what Ye Tinglan was conveying.

She was still a bit worried that the current generation of Tianyao disciples seemed to be underperforming, to the point where they had to bring Lu Xingzhou and Anu to bolster their presence.

They possessed the best “talent pool” in the world, able to select the most gifted individuals, yet they couldn’t guarantee that every generation would produce geniuses. This seemed a bit awkward. As the Sect Master, Ye Tinglan had to bear some responsibility for this, as much of her energy was consumed by the games in Daqian and the conflicts with the demon race, inevitably neglecting internal cultivation.

Generally, other sects would have a trusted aide to specialize in such matters. Perhaps Yuan Muyu was the one initially hoped for?

Setting aside everything else, Yuan Muyu was very skilled at teaching disciples. Without divulging Tianyao Holy Land’s cultivation methods or secret techniques, and only using a patchwork of miscellaneous knowledge, Lu Xingzhou and Anu’s strength were cultivated very well. The strong individuals recruited by Yanluo Dian were also guided to further advancement. For example, Ji Wenchuan’s path to first-grade was entirely guided by Yuan Muyu, and Ye Wufeng becoming the top new talent could not have been achieved by his Shifu Tan Xinhong alone.

Yuan Muyu’s departure might have also affected some of Tianyao Holy Land’s strategies… Perhaps, helping Ye Wufeng become the top new talent was Yuan Muyu’s way of challenging Tianyao Holy Land.

Ye Tinglan said, “Xingzhou has broadened my path, and in the future, I will not be too constrained by Daqian… Once some matters are resolved, I will focus more on internal cultivation. This is for later, but in any case, in this Grand Competition, you must not only win, but win beautifully.”

Lu Xingzhou pondered, “The situation in the sea is different from Daqian… In Daqian, the overt transcendent-grade sects are only Tianyao Holy Land and the imperial family. The sea is unknown; are there other transcendent-grade sects?”

Ye Tinglan simply replied, “Yes. However, most sea-dwelling immortal sects do not involve themselves in mortal affairs, unlike us.”

“Will there be any unforeseen changes in this Grand Competition?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… Guests from the ancient realms interfering with current sects, Gu Zhanting’s desire to suppress Tianyao Holy Land. And Yuan Muyu’s desire to humiliate Tianyao Holy Land.”

“The first two have happened before… But at that time, it wasn’t Gu Zhanting, but his ancestors.” Ye Tinglan smiled. “The Daqian imperial family has always resented the existence of Tianyao Holy Land; it didn’t start with Gu Zhanting. As for the last one, I don’t know, perhaps you understand her better than I do?”

Lu Xingzhou absolutely couldn’t admit that. “Just saying… How would I know what Yuan Muyu is thinking?”

Anu, eating snacks, secretly glanced at him without speaking.

Ye Tinglan asked, “So, if Yuan Muyu truly appears here, what would you do?”

“…” Lu Xingzhou didn’t know what he would do.

It was undeniable that Yuan Muyu was a first love; to claim to have completely forgotten her would be self-deception. But if he were to actually see her, he felt there would be nothing to say, better not to meet.