Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1150: The Stronger the Voice, the Louder It Gets

Chapter 1150: Chapter 1150: The Stronger the Voice, the Louder It Gets

Feng Jun’s small courtyard housed ten guests yesterday, though he did not activate the Spirit Gathering Array or the Spirit Restoration Array at the time.

Now that all thirty guests had entered, he immediately activated the Spirit Restoration Array—after all, the Spirit Gathering Array took too long to set up.

The Spirit Restoration Array would consume Spirit Stones, but it didn’t matter; celebrating Xiao Caixin’s advancement to the Qi Refinement Realm called for grandeur and extravagance.

When the cultivators entered the courtyard, they were instantly stunned by the abundant spiritual energy.

Feng Tianyang couldn’t help but speak up, "The density of spiritual energy here is incredible. What grade is this Spirit Gathering Array?"

His Xuande Cave Heaven also had a Spirit Gathering Array, though in the past he lacked the ability to judge spiritual energy. Now, he truly understood it.

"Feng Zhizhang, you truly live in ignorance," his friend, the Heir of Ghost Valley, Dong Zenghong, said mockingly with a smile. "This is a mobile residence. Do you know what that means? A dwelling designed for travel. This small courtyard is actually a magical treasure. Do you understand now?"

"The small courtyard is a magical treasure?" Hearing this, the others were visibly surprised, and Elder Guo couldn’t help but ask, "Mountain Master, is this true?"

Though he was from Wudang, the sect had gained fame in recent years more for its martial cultivation than its Daoist cultivation, which warranted his question.

Feng Jun nodded with a smile. Seeing this, Daoist Master Chen of Fanghu sighed deeply, "It really is a mobile courtyard magical treasure. This Luohua Manor indeed carries the aura of ancient times."

Among the Daoist sects, stories of courtyard-type magical treasures weren’t lacking. Although designed for daily living rather than combat, cultivators who reached significant levels of cultivation were expected to have corresponding prestige.

The Kunlun Great Elder also nodded slightly, "I see now. No wonder the spiritual energy is so abundant."

In truth, he wasn’t particularly surprised. Kunlun had possessed such treasures in the past, though one had been destroyed over eight hundred years ago. Strictly speaking, the Mountain Protection Array over all of Kunlun bore some resemblance to an enlarged mobile residence.

Of course, the two were undeniably different in essence, but in appearance alone, they were indeed quite similar.

Feng Jun glanced at him, sending out a token that landed squarely before the Great Elder. Laughing loudly, he said, "This is your sect’s Ascension Mirror, now repaired. My task is complete!"

The Great Elder first rejoiced, then paused briefly in surprise. Nonetheless, he nodded with a smile, "Thank you, Mountain Master Feng. You’ve gone to great lengths."

At this moment, Tang Wangsun spoke, "I’ve long heard of the Ascension Mirror’s reputation. Who would’ve thought it belonged to Kunlun? Now that it’s repaired, it seems fate favors Kunlun’s revival."

Given the strained relationship between Maoshan and Kunlun, his compliment was clearly not just a simple praise.

Zhang Dongyuan from Qingcheng turned to look at the Ascension Mirror, pondering for a moment before speaking in a measured tone, "Great Elder, might I take a look at this Ascension Mirror?"

The relationship between Qingcheng and Kunlun was also far from amicable. Qingcheng leaned closer to the Tianshi Dao, while Kunlun prided itself as the lineage of the Three Pure Ones. The rivalry was intensified when Dragon Phoenix Mountain’s Zhang Tianshi emerged, diminishing Kunlun’s face on several occasions.

The Great Elder inwardly cursed, thinking: Feng Jun, returning the Ascension Mirror in such a setting is practically putting us on the spot.

The Ascension Mirror wasn’t an exceptionally powerful magical artifact. In ancient times, cultivators could assess cultivation potential by calculation alone. However, during the waning era of magic, such artifacts had become highly sought after.

There had long been rumors claiming Kunlun’s enduring prominence was due to the Ascension Mirror’s ability to accurately identify cultivation seedlings.

In the end, rumors remained rumors, with no real evidence backing them. Who would target Kunlun over such a matter?

This mindset of "wealth must not be exposed" wasn’t exclusive to the secular world—it was the same in the cultivation world, or even across mobile artifact worlds, where most factions wouldn’t easily reveal their trump cards.

Take Zhang Caixin’s breakthrough this time. Feng Jun would certainly reward her with magical artifacts, though he would never announce publicly what items he bestowed upon Xiao Caixin.

This discretion was precisely why Feng Jun’s public return of the Ascension Mirror put the Kunlun Great Elder in an uncomfortable position.

To digress, Kunlun in its heyday was far more unrestrained than Luohua. If Kunlun encountered a valuable artifact back then, refraining from seizing it was already a restraint. Keeping its existence secret? Such thoughts were never in Kunlun’s consideration.

No matter what, circumstances now dictated submission. The Great Elder had no choice but to hand over the Ascension Mirror, allowing Zhang Dongyuan to inspect it.

In truth, Zhang Dongyuan wasn’t the only one interested in the Ascension Mirror; Qing Xiaozi and Feng Tianyang also took turns examining it—after all, both of them were heads of Daoist sect branches, and ensuring their traditions endured was their goal.

Thankfully, they all exercised restraint and refrained from testing it on the spot—after all, many magical artifacts had limited lifespans.

However, Guan Shanyue, the leader of Danxia Tian, stepped forward with a suggestion, "Previously, I wasn’t aware Kunlun possessed this treasure. Now that I know, during the next minor world trial, I ask Kunlun to help me assess a hundred disciples from Magu Mountain."

It was a bold move, following her dissatisfaction during their previous secret realm trial, when she had grudgingly accepted a small silver payment from Kunlun to arrange the test. This time, she took advantage of the opportunity to borrow the Ascension Mirror—after all, promised resource-sharing went both ways.

Danxia Tian had declined significantly over the years, and quickly identifying a group of cultivation seedlings for focused nurturing was crucial for resurgence.

The Great Elder maintained a neutral expression, though inwardly, he was frustrated. Fortunately, Kunlun had sent more than just him this time.

Yu Baiyi, younger and more hot-tempered, cleared his throat and said, "Master Guan, the Ascension Mirror has usage limitations—it’s not meant for mass selection. You should conduct your own preliminary screenings and reserve the artifact for the final, undecidable cases."

"Whenever Kunlun uses the Ascension Mirror, it assesses no more than ten individuals at a time, identifying only one or two. A hundred candidates is far too many."

He spoke calmly, but Feng Jun felt a twinge of sadness. No wonder Kunlun struggled to prosper—it used such stringent methods for talent assessment, relying on manual filtering before resorting to the Ascension Mirror.

With such stringent methods, missing good seedlings would be inevitable. Alas, this was the tragedy of the declining magical era.

Guan Shanyue, however, answered without revealing any emotion, "We screen our own candidates in Danxia Tian. How else would we professedly narrow it down to just a hundred? Since you’ve said so, I’ll defer to Kunlun’s honor—how about fifty candidates in the future? Any fewer, and you’re just being insincere."

Yu Baiyi fell silent—matters had now escalated beyond his control.

The Great Elder coughed lightly, "Each time fifty candidates, or just fifty next time?"

Guan Shanyue paused, marveling at the elder’s cunning finesse in negotiations.

She didn’t want to appear greedy, so after deliberating, she replied, "The first five sessions will involve fifty candidates. After that... it will depend on the circumstances."

The Great Elder nodded, "Very well, I agree to these terms. Danxia Tian has endured a lack of manpower for some time now. As part of the Daoist lineage, Kunlun ought to offer its support."

This explanation reframed Kunlun’s compliance as gracious charity to a weaker faction, boosting Kunlun’s image greatly.

Upon hearing this, Guan Shanyue’s expression darkened slightly. "I extended face-saving opportunities to Kunlun, allowing you into the minor world trials, and now you laughably mock Danxia Tian’s weakness?"

The Great Elder initially thought his words were harmless, but upon hearing her rebuttal, he promptly fell silent and grumbled to himself about the notorious difficulty of dealing with women and petty individuals.

Others witnessed Guan Shanyue’s direct demands for evaluation slots, coupled with her firm objections toward the Kunlun Great Elder. None dared to fight for slots afterward—nobody could risk openly challenging Kunlun’s ability to grant favors under public scrutiny.

Master Guan had always been assertive.

In reality, Guan Shanyue wasn’t oblivious to the nuances of etiquette—her actions stemmed from unavoidable reasons. If she hadn’t made her case to Feng Jun openly, seeking Kunlun in private would’ve yielded far colder treatment.

Next came Zhang Caixin’s formal apprenticeship ceremony—while she was already his partner, proper rituals for her ascension within Qi Refinement Realm had to be conducted according to tradition.

Feng Jun drank three cups of tea poured for him by her before presenting her with a Storage Bag and a Blue Lotus Flying Artifact as apprenticeship gifts. He glanced around briefly and declared, "This Storage Bag is crafted personally by me—it contains my Divine Sense..."

This was hardly the truth. Feng Jun didn’t actually craft Storage Bags, but he had learned a Dharma from the mobile artifact world that allowed him to link them to his Divine Sense. Unless someone with cultivation surpassing his intervened, this connection was impossible to erase.

This technique was somewhat inferior to Wutai Four Sects’ tracking methods, but still far from common knowledge among all cultivators.

In essence, Feng Jun intended to display his depth in front of the observers. As a master, granting artifacts was a necessity. Combat artifacts couldn’t be revealed, but flying artifacts and Storage Bags were exempt from this restriction.

To deter prying opportunists, he stated in advance that the Storage Bag couldn’t be coveted casually.

An elderly cultivator from Wangwu interjected, asking, "May I ask what the value of Storage Bags is for purchase?"

Feng Jun glanced at him before pondering and answering, "The cheapest ones are worth at least several hundred Spirit Stones. Only formal disciples of my sect can obtain Storage Bags."

Daoist Chen of Fanghu asked in response, "Mountain Master Feng, only Qi Refinement cultivators may join your sect officially?"

"Of course," Feng Jun replied with a smile. "Luohua’s rules align with cultivation practices, where Qi Refinement Realm permits apprenticeship, and Foundation Establishment permits teaching disciples. The greatness of heaven and earth is dwarfed by the greatness of rules."

The observers fell silent, their thoughts revealing the sentiment that Luohua was truly no ordinary sect.

Apprenticeship only after reaching Qi Refinement Realm? This was impressive when most Daoist sects counted one single Qi Refinement cultivator as their ultimate combat force. Even Maoshan’s relative prestige had been based on a mere Qi Refinement Initial Stage cultivator wrestled into their fold.

And as for only allowing disciples to recruit students upon Foundation Establishment Realm? That notion was even more absurd—if everyone followed such practices, the Daoist traditions of Huaxia would’ve been extinct long ago.

Yet, Mountain Master Feng could confidently uphold such high standards, and few could object. After all, he himself had reached Foundation Establishment Realm.

Thus, although his remarks were discomforting to hear, they only reinforced the reality: The truly powerful dictate the rules of the game.