The Immortal Path of the Slowest White Lotus Chapter 1 Volume 57 Fifty-Seven: The Refining Equipment Competition (Part One)

  Qizong Hall is a refining room built by several major merchant guilds in the White Jade City. It stands in a quiet and secluded area at the corner of the city, where some famous families and sects gather to exchange ideas with their refiners. This is said to be a refining room, but it looks more like a palace mansion, with pavilions, towers, waterside pavilions, and gardens inside, very elegant. In front of the main hall, there is a large open space that can accommodate many people, making it suitable for various events. Holding the preliminary round here is most appropriate.

  Xiao Yao arrived at the Qi Zong Hall neither early nor late, but in front of the hall was already packed with people. Various luxurious carriages were parked in front of the gate, blocking the streets and making it impossible to pass through. She couldn't help but be amazed, thinking to herself: It's just a refining tool competition, is it that big of a deal? After finally squeezing her way to the front gate, she was about to enter when she was stopped by the guards on either side.

  "Please show me your invitation." The other party's tone was dry and cold.

  Xiao Yao stared blankly and said: "I don't have an invitation letter, but I am a cultivator who came to participate in the preliminary round."

  The other party was clearly somewhat skeptical, but still politely said: "Then please show the competition jade card, it's convenient for us to register."

  Xiao Yao followed his words and did so. The guard holding the jade plate had an even more suspicious look on his face, until after verifying and registering everything, he let him go, still looking a bit dazed.

  As soon as Xiao Yao entered the courtyard, a female cultivator came forward and said, "Senior, please follow me."

  The nun led her to the courtyard and said, "All the guests who came to watch the game are here, please feel free to join them, senior."

  Xiao Yao hastily called out as the girl turned around, "This little friend, please wait a moment. I'm here to participate in the tournament, not a guest. Would you trouble yourself to take me to the competition area?"

  The woman looked at her with a hint of surprise, took the token handed to her, and after a brief moment of distraction, said with a slight apology: "Sorry about that, I didn't quite understand the situation earlier. Please, after you."

  The female cultivator then led her through several corridors, circling back to the front of the Qizong Hall, pointing inside and saying: "Inside the hall is where all the masters rest, there are rules inside, only participating cultivators can enter, I'm afraid I won't be able to send you further, senior."

  Xiao Yao nodded at her and then pushed the door open by herself and entered.

  At this time, nearly a hundred people had gathered in the grand hall. Seeing a new person arrive, over a hundred divine senses swept past Xiao Yao's body. They saw that the newcomer was just a petite female Daoist cultivator, and some of the cultivators present couldn't help but look at her with disdain. There was no way around it - if this were any other one of the four techniques, it wouldn't be like this. Alchemy was a physically demanding task, and in this aspect, women's bodies really weren't as strong as men's. You say that a thin and weak female cultivator also came to join in on the fun, giving off a feeling that she was treating alchemy like child's play.

  But all the masters, mostly have proud bones and strange temper, and some masters regard refining equipment as a sacred thing, not tolerating any insult, so most of them looked at Xiao Yao with unfriendly eyes.

  Xiao Yao also knew that her female identity would inevitably be discriminated against, and she didn't mind. She found a corner and began to secretly observe the contestants in the grand hall.

  It must be said that nearly a hundred contestants were mostly robust and powerful, with heights of over eight feet, and their cultivation was at most in the Refining Spirit stage. Although there were a few who looked ordinary, they were exceptions. Moreover, even if they looked ordinary, it didn't mean that under their clothes, they were also ordinary. As for the female cultivators participating in the competition, although there weren't only Xiaoyao, they were still very rare, with a total of four people, including her. However, the other three women were all physically strong, with an aura of dominance surrounding them, and their heights were over seven feet. In comparison, Xiaoyao's height of just over six feet made her appear especially weak.

  She also found that the masters who came to participate in the competition could be roughly divided into three categories. A large part of them seemed to have come from the market, and they were familiar with each other, calling each other "Master Li" and "Master Zhang" with courtesy smiles, looking very enthusiastic, and it was they who were discussing loudly inside; there was also a small part, dressed in formal attire, with an air of arrogance between their eyebrows, wearing jade pendants representing famous families or sects on their waists, gathered in twos and threes in places far from the crowd, with a sense of self-importance; finally, there were those like Xiao Yao who had no background, scattered in various parts of the hall, standing or sitting, not interacting with others.

  As time passed, dozens of people entered the hall one after another. After a while, the sound of a bell came from outside the hall, and the door was completely opened. A middle-aged man with a full spirit and a red mole on his brow stood at the door and announced: "The competition is about to begin, please follow me to move outside the hall."

  As the hundred or so participants gathered in front of the main hall, they saw that the empty space had already been set up with spectator seats, and many people were already seated. Xiao Yao looked around and found that the people sitting on the seats were all from famous families and sects within the White Jade City, among whom many of the women wore veils to cover their noses and mouths. It was said that this was a rule among the aristocratic families in the White Jade City, where only young ladies from families with enough prestige and long history had the right to wear veils when attending events, showing off their noble status. The sects were not so particular, most of them wore uniform Taoist robes, and only the decorations on their waists could reveal their identities.

  When over a hundred masters stood in the middle of the spectator seats, the surrounding conversations gradually weakened and turned into whispers. All the cultivators were discussing in low voices who had an advantage, which family or sect's elder was being supported, and who had hope to win this time's mainland quota. The words were full of boasting, comparison, and ridicule.

  "Look quickly, there is even a woman participating in the competition."

  A loud and clear female voice suddenly came from somewhere, which was particularly noticeable in the quiet environment, floated into Xiao Yao's ears, and also attracted many people to turn their heads.

  Xiao Yao followed the sound and saw that on the main stage, six or seven noblewomen from aristocratic families who were veiled were pointing and whispering to each other about the four female cultivators among the contestants.

  "Really, there were indeed four women, but they were all tall and sturdy, at first glance it was impossible to distinguish between men and women."

  "Hehe, look at what my sister said. Not every girl is as lucky as my sister, born like a flower, delicate and lovely, a beautiful young lady who makes everyone's heart ache with love, whoever sees her wants to hold her in their hands and cherish her, and keep her in their mouth to prevent her from disappearing."

  "What's Sister Chen saying! If you go on like this, I won't speak to you again!" The woman's voice was both scolding and playful, embarrassed yet pleased.

  The other women burst out laughing, and one of them came out to mediate: "Alright, let's not tease her anymore, or she'll be so embarrassed that her head will be buried in the ground. However, as Chen said, not everyone can get heavenly blessings. Those women are born lowly and have no choice but to fight with men for survival, but they're all just pitiful people."

  "Sister Qiu is right. Although they can't escape their fate of losing, as women, let's not mock them later."

  This sentence immediately resonated with several women around her, their eyes revealing sympathy and pity at the same time, also carrying a sense of superiority.

  Only a few words, Xiao Yao didn't know if the other three women heard them, and even if they did, what kind of thoughts would they have. Having lived for tens of thousands of years, this was still the first time she had encountered someone showing her sympathy. Compared to hatred and disgust, sometimes sympathy could make people feel even more uncomfortable, especially when it's condescending "sympathy", which is a form of insult. It was exactly like that now.

  I still remember what my master once said: Some things, some people, don't need to be understood, just respect them. She has always remembered these words and has been running through her own way, not easily sympathizing or refuting. The world's Tao is vast and colorful, and it's not that only one's own way is the only one. Holding up one's own way and trampling on others' ways is the most undesirable thing to do.

  The Spirit Realm is a place of stark contrasts, where the sacred and the mundane coexist. Here, low-ranking cultivators can disregard high-ranking ones; the weak can belittle the strong; some cultivators do not seek the Great Way or eternal life, but instead indulge in power and wealth. There will also be those who speak with contempt.

  At first, she had the illusion that the mortal world was more refined than the Spirit Realm. However, as she gradually integrated into this world, she realized that the Spirit Realm is not inferior to the mortal world; it simply upholds the iron law of "the strong are revered" more thoroughly and ruthlessly! Those powerful beings standing at the pinnacle can protect and indulge mortals without any qualms, their authority unshakeable!

  This cruel truth has shaken the will of countless cultivators, causing them to either sink or cling to others. After all, whether in the mortal world or the Spirit Realm, those who have not yet achieved enlightenment are merely cultivators, far from being immortals; they are still mortals, and it is no wonder that they lose their way.

  Now, in her eyes, the Spirit Realm is a cruel testing ground where the strong grow stronger and the weak weaker. It clearly distinguishes between the two extremes, ultimately eliminating those who fail.

  So some people look down on, some insult, it means that they are not strong enough in this world! The weak mean to rely on others! To be slaughtered by others! At this moment, Xiao Yao's fingers tightened slightly, and her determination to become stronger was even more determined.

  A few thoughts flashed through her mind, and Xiao Yao's heart became even more stable. After experiencing the change in mood for a few breaths, when she came back to herself, there was no one speaking outside, and the empty front yard was quiet, with only the sound of the wind, the heartbeat and breathing of the crowd remaining.

  She looked around in a daze, but saw that all the cultivators were looking up at the sky. Following their line of sight, she saw a red sun hanging in the middle of the sky. Gradually, a black dot about the size of a sesame seed appeared on the surface of the red sun, but when she tried to sense it with her divine consciousness, there was nothing.

  "Here I come!"

  At this moment, someone let out a low cry of excitement, and Xiao Yao could feel that everyone around her was holding their breath, their eyes fixed unblinkingly. As the black dot slowly grew larger, finally, she saw clearly that it was a green dragon, and behind the green dragon, a magnificently decorated carriage was being pulled, with twenty male and female guards following on either side of the carriage, flying majestically towards this place.

  In an instant, the crowd erupted.