Since the other five individuals were positioned alongside Sha Yan, the Vice Hall Master of the Medicine Heart Hall, the remaining five must likewise be the Vice Hall Masters of the Azure Wind, Violet Thunder, and the other three Halls. Those following the six of them were likely professors from the various branch halls outside the Outer City of Spirit Imperial City.
It struck Nie Kong as quite a pity that none of the Hall Masters showed their faces during such a grand event. His main curiosity was about the true identity of the Medicine Heart Hall Master, the one who claimed to know him and had persuaded him to participate in this "Six Halls Grand Competition."
In his heart, Nie Kong was deeply grateful to this person. Had it not been for his unsolicited suggestion, Nie Kong would have had to apply himself, which would have required him to pass a series of very troublesome assessments just to earn the qualification. The Medicine Heart Hall Master’s single remark had saved Nie Kong countless hours and immense effort.
Unfortunately, the Hall Master had not appeared yet, so Nie Kong could only defer the meeting to another day. Of course, it was possible the Hall Masters had already appeared, but he simply hadn't noticed them.
As Nie Kong had surmised, the Hall Masters of Spirit Imperial City had arrived long ago.
North of the Ascension Altar, at the apex of the ascending tiers of steps, a dense row of small rooms had been constructed. The main entrances of these rooms all faced the illusionary space at the center of the Ascension Altar, reserved for the important figures of Spirit Imperial City. Sitting within, one could command a view of nearly the entire Ascension Altar.
“Sister Yuqing, I found that big liar Nie Kong!”
Inside a room possessing ancient and elegant charm, a little loli resembling a porcelain doll, her face flushed with excitement, let out a sudden shout to the white-clad maiden beside her—a maiden whose face was slightly immature but whose figure was exceptionally fiery. The loli’s bright, dark eyes darted toward the eastern side of the Ascension Altar for a long moment before she spoke.
If Nie Kong’s eyes could see this place, he would immediately recognize them: one was Little Sister Gu Qi, who had competed alongside him at the "Thousand Spirits Apothecary Gathering" in Jiyang City only to vanish without a trace afterward; the other was Bai Yuqing, whom Min Yue had met briefly in Zhaoyang Town before losing all contact.
“Mmm…”
Bai Yuqing remained expressionless, though a subtle ripple crossed her eyes.
The little loli grinned widely again and called out excitedly, “Sister Yuqing, look quickly, look! It’s the one in the black clothes over there. He looks so small. It would be better if we were closer.”
“Mmm…”
Bai Yuqing responded concisely, but this time, even more concisely, she didn't move her eyes an inch.
“Sister Yuqing, this big liar’s cultivation is improving so fast! I saw him in the Medicine Heart Hall back in February, and he was still only at the Spirit Conduit realm. Now, just four months later, he’s reached Spirit Fusion!”
“Mmm.”
“Sister Yuqing, I checked the list of disciples from the Medicine Heart Hall participating in the Six Halls Grand Competition! Guess what rank he is in Spirit Fusion? Hee-hee, fifth rank Spirit Fusion, which is even a whole rank higher than you!”
“Mmm.”
“But I’m absolutely certain that if you fought him, he wouldn’t stand a chance against you! Ah, Sister Yuqing, you are truly amazing at fighting! Just the day before yesterday, you knocked down that bad guy in the Inner City who was at sixth rank Spirit Fusion with a single sword strike! Ah-ha-ha, it was so hilarious, that bad guy probably won’t be able to get out of bed for a long time!”
“Mmm.”
“Sister Yuqing, and also, and also…”
“Mmm.”
“Sister Yuqing…”
“Mmm.”
At some point, Bai Yuqing’s clear, cold eyes had closed. She rested the broadsword, which nearly reached her chest, vertically in front of her, leaning on its tip. Apart from the occasional confirming sound from her mouth, she remained almost completely still, resembling a thousand-year-old ice sculpture standing silently on a snow-capped mountain.
Realizing this, the little loli felt quite slighted, puffing out her reddening cheeks. “Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm! Sister Yuqing, can you give me just a little expression? Can you? Mmm, mmm, mmm…”
Bai Yuqing didn’t even let her eyelashes flutter. She merely gave a slight twitch at the corner of her lips—a fleeting expression for the loli—before immediately returning to her former state.
“Aaaahhh! Hahahaha!!!”
The little loli grabbed her head and freaked out for a few seconds. Then, her small hands began to alternate between tickling Bai Yuqing's armpits and standing on her tiptoes to tease Bai Yuqing’s neck, grumbling hotly through her teeth, “Smile! Smile! I refuse