Once the singing girls had departed from the upstairs chamber, the cultivators present remained momentarily stunned, as if the melodious strains still echoed in their ears. After a long silence, they finally exclaimed, "Truly, this song belongs only in the heavens; how seldom is its like heard on earth! Beautifully sung, beautifully sung!"

Li Yundong smiled, attempting to soothe Su Chan. "Perhaps it was just a coincidence, not something specifically aimed at you!"

Su Chan rested her chin in her clasped hands on the table, pouting slightly. "Perhaps, but I found it jarring to my ears."

Li Yundong chuckled. "Is that so? I found the little tune brought a sense of calm to my heart, washing away much of the murderous intent and bloodlust left over from the Lotus Gathering."

Su Chan suddenly smiled and leaned closer to Li Yundong, whispering, "Yundong, should I go up and sing one for you?"

Li Yundong broke into a disbelieving laugh. "No way, right here? Ah, yes, you mentioned you could sing folk songs. But how is it you know this Pingtan style?"

Su Chan giggled. "My Master taught me! She knows so much; there's nothing under the heavens she doesn't know! Plus, I lived in Dongwu City with my Master for a time, so I picked up the local dialect and some Pingtan." She nudged him playfully. "Yundong, you must let me sing for you when we get back; you absolutely have to listen!"

Li Yundong chuckled, about to reply, when he noticed Wan Zhenyuan addressing the assembled cultivators from the center of the room, bowing deeply. "Esteemed sirs! Regarding the incidents that occurred during this Lotus Gathering, I sincerely apologize to everyone. I, Wan Zhenyuan, beg your forgiveness here and now!"

The cultivators from various sects burst into laughter. One called out loudly, "Sect Master Wan, you should have brought us to a wonderful place like this long ago!"

"Exactly! Sect Master Wan, seeing as your location is so much better than that wretched yacht, we forgive you!"

"Sect Master Wan, you’re being deceitful! Hiding beauties away! One large and one small—admirable, truly admirable!"

Dang Qiang's voice was particularly loud. He boomed, "Sect Master Wan, call that young lady back out! At least let us know her name!"

Someone nearby immediately chimed in with a teasing shout, "Dang Qiang, are you planning on an old cow eating tender grass now?"

Dang Qiang rubbed his bald head and retorted loudly, "Am I old? Look at me—I've lived this long and haven't sprouted a single white hair. How can I be old?"

The crowd looked at Dang Qiang’s completely bare scalp and roared with laughter. "Dang Qiang, you don't have a single hair up there!"

Someone roared with mirth, "Dang Qiang, when you stripped naked earlier, I clearly saw that the hair down there is white!"

Hearing this, the assembly collapsed into fits of laughter. Li Yundong, who had been listening with a faint smile, nearly spat out his tea.

Li Yundong said with a wry smile, "The things these people say are awfully coarse, aren't they?"

Zhou Qin, sitting beside him, suddenly pursed her lips and chuckled. "Master, you used to speak far more coarsely than they do."

Li Yundong feigned surprise. "Did I? How coarse?"

This double entendre made Zhou Qin's cheeks flush scarlet, and she hissed softly, "When I say you’re fat, you really start panting—you’re annoying!"

Su Chan, Ruan Hongling, and the little fox spirits all burst into laughter, while Ziyuan also wore a slight smile. She commented, "You are now only a step away from becoming a true Great Cultivator, so naturally, you cannot speak and act without restraint as you did before. Moreover, cultivation is all about nurturing one's character and spirit. If you remained the same as before, all that training would be wasted."

Li Yundong smiled at Zhou Qin. "See? Ziyuan speaks more kindly. Why is your disciple undermining me in public?"

While they were speaking, they noticed Dang Qiang arguing heatedly with someone about the color of his nether hair. A cultivator shouted good-naturedly, "Dang Qiang, stop causing trouble, you blockhead! We’re waiting to hear more singing!"

"Right! Sect Master Wan, hurry and call the young lady back for another song! It’s been too long since we heard such sweet melodies!"

Wan Zhenyuan chuckled. "My apologies for the rough display, everyone. If you wish to hear more songs, certainly you can. But shouldn't we resume our duels? Or perhaps, we have one fight and one song?"

The crowd roared in agreement, and the hostility between the various sects seemed to dissipate considerably.

Wan Zhenyuan glanced at Li Yundong and Yue Sheng. He smiled. "True Man Li, True Man Yue, I invite the two of you?"

Yue Sheng stood up expressionlessly, walked to the center of the open area, and bowed to Li Yundong. "True Man Li, shall we exchange a few pointers?"

Li Yundong chuckled, glancing around. "True Man Yue, this upstairs room is quite cramped, and filled with many antique furnishings. If we start fighting, this entire pavilion might be ruined. Such a serene and elegant place, it would be a shame to destroy it. Furthermore, engaging in combat would spoil the atmosphere. How about we duel while seated? What do you say?"

Yue Sheng paused, asking, "How can we duel while seated?"

Li Yundong stood up and bowed to Wan Zhenyuan with a smile. "Sect Master Wan, please arrange an empty table for us."

Wan Zhenyuan smiled. "No problem at all." He then directed his subordinates to clear a space in the center of the room for a table.

Li Yundong approached the table and smiled at Yue Sheng. "True Man Yue, we agreed to fight in our nascent soul forms. Since they are nascent souls, they can transform into anything. Why don't we treat this tabletop as a Minor Thousand World, and both of us manifest our nascent souls to battle upon the surface? What do you think?"

Yue Sheng also came to the table and asked, puzzled, "How would the transformation battle proceed?"

Li Yundong chuckled. "The nascent soul can change as the mind dictates. Let's see whose transformations are more exquisite, and whose transformations are more potent. How about that?"

Yue Sheng considered for a moment, then declared decisively, "Agreed! I accept your terms!"

Li Yundong smiled faintly. His body remained still, but soon, a tiny figure, no larger than a palm, leaped from the Baihui point atop his head. This miniature figure resembled a scaled-down Li Yundong, and it watched the crowd with a smile from the tabletop.

Yue Sheng remained composed, and soon controlled his own nascent soul to transform into a small figure, which also jumped onto the table.

Li Yundong said pleasantly, "True Man Yue, please begin."

Yue Sheng was not one to hesitate. He immediately transformed his nascent soul into a fierce white tiger. Though small, the tiger’s forehead bore the distinct mark of 'King,' and its mane bristled majestically, demanding respect.

Li Yundong laughed. "A fine white tiger! Watch this!" As he spoke, Li Yundong manipulated his nascent soul, transforming it into a green dragon that immediately engaged Yue Sheng's white tiger in a fierce struggle.

At this point, the cultivators around the room stared intently at the two nascent souls battling on the table. Even the singing girl and the young girl who had somehow returned were watching with rapt curiosity.

Ziyuan, standing at the edge of the crowd, noticed Zhou Qin watching the table with a perplexed expression, seemingly unable to grasp the subtlety of this duel. She smiled and explained, "Zhou Qin, do you remember the fight between the God Erlang and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven in Journey to the West?"

Zhou Qin’s heart stirred, and she tentatively asked, "Are you referring to the part where they constantly transformed, and then Erlang Shen managed to capture Sun Wukong?"

Ziyuan nodded and smiled. "Precisely! Li Yundong and Yue Sheng are competing based on the transformations of their nascent souls—seeing who can manifest more forms, and whose mastery of transformation is superior. This duel may not appear as outwardly intense as the previous ones, but the drain on true essence and the mental effort required far surpass those earlier rounds. Furthermore, observe the current situation: Yue Sheng transformed into a White Tiger, representing Earth, while Li Yundong chose the Green Dragon, representing Heaven. Since antiquity, Heaven presides over Earth, and the Green Dragon ranks above the White Tiger. Therefore, Li Yundong's transformation inherently suppresses Yue Sheng's."

As she spoke, Yue Sheng's White Tiger, after fighting the Green Dragon for a while, gradually began to falter. Yue Sheng frowned, and the White Tiger suddenly leaped out of the fray, instantly transforming into a burly man. This man’s physique was that of a powerful warrior, chest bare, wings sprouting from his back, three eyes on his crimson, monkey-like face, and taloned feet like a hawk. He held a wedge in his left hand and a chisel in his right, using both hands to violently beat a giant drum suspended from his waist.

A loud crack echoed from the tabletop, and a miniature bolt of lightning struck directly toward the Green Dragon formed by Li Yundong’s nascent soul.

Ziyuan gasped. "That is the Thunder God! Yue Sheng's nascent soul is indeed formidable—what a transformation!"

Zhou Qin asked curiously, "Can the Thunder God suppress the Green Dragon?"

Ziyuan laughed. "Of course! The Green Dragon is merely a divine beast, whereas the Thunder God is a celestial spirit. Divine Spirit—the 'divine' precedes the 'beast.' Thus, when a spirit appears, all divine beasts must yield. Moreover, haven't you noticed that throughout history, every divine beast serves as a mount for some celestial being?"

Zhou Qin grew anxious. "Then Master must also transform into a celestial spirit?"

Ziyuan shook her head, smiling. "That would devolve into a direct clash. There is rarely a clear superior among celestial spirits; to gain the upper hand, they must fight head-on. Both are masters; if they truly fought with full power, I fear this pavilion would not survive."

As they spoke, they watched Li Yundong suddenly shift his form. The Green Dragon instantly morphed into a tiny earthworm and burrowed beneath the tabletop.

Ziyuan gave a slight nod of approval. "Not bad. Li Yundong truly displays the bearing of a Great Cultivator."

Zhou Qin wondered, "Master has been reduced to hiding as an earthworm out of necessity—how is that the bearing of a Great Cultivator?"

Ziyuan laughed. "What is a dragon? A dragon can soar in the Nine Heavens, or it can hide deep within the Nine Earths. Although the Thunder God is powerful, his lightning arts cannot strike an earthworm concealed underground. This is the interplay of creation and restriction in the world—one thing conquers another!"

Yue Sheng, seeing his lightning strikes all go astray, snorted and swiftly transformed the Thunder God into a rooster, lowering its hard beak to peck at the earthworm Li Yundong hiding beneath the table.

However, just as he began to peck, Li Yundong instantly changed from an earthworm into a large python, tightly coiling around the rooster.

Yue Sheng reacted with extreme speed, immediately changing into a nimble cat and engaging Li Yundong in a tearing and biting struggle.

The audience watched as Li Yundong and Yue Sheng manifested endless forms, with almost every transformation lasting less than five seconds; sometimes, they flickered through several changes in the blink of an eye, leaving the spectators overwhelmed.

Everyone in the room stared wide-eyed at the tabletop, afraid to miss a single transformation. Even Wan Zhenyuan watched with surprise etched on his face, thinking to himself: Yue Sheng is indeed powerful; no wonder he is heralded as the leading talent of the younger generation in the Quanzhen Dragon Gate Sect. But how is Li Yundong's nascent soul so mighty? He is so young, and his cultivation period has been short—how exactly did he train?

While he was pondering this, an attendant approached and whispered something in his ear.

Wan Zhenyuan gave the subordinate a look of distinct displeasure, chiding him silently for interrupting his viewing of such a thrilling, novel, and intense duel.

But after hearing what the attendant said, he froze, unable to help but ask, "They are foreigners? They want to attend our Lotus Gathering?"

The attendant nodded. "Yes, that is what they claimed."

Wan Zhenyuan waved his hand impatiently. "No, I don't care how they learned about the Lotus Gathering, but foreigners are absolutely not permitted!"

However, even as he spoke, footsteps were heard ascending the staircase, and three figures slowly climbed up from downstairs.

Leading them was a small, exceptionally beautiful girl dressed in a magnificent kimono, her face radiating innocent charm. Following her was a wizened, short old man, and behind the elder was a tall young man who kept his head bowed submissively.

These three were none other than Jinen, Shenxiu, and Tachibana Chiko of the Shingon sect of Japan’s Mount Koya!

This is the update for yesterday. E