31: Chapter 31 The woman in white, who followed the scent,
Half a month slipped away like sand through fingers.
The Southern Wilderness Dao Discussion Assembly finally unveiled its grand curtain.
Outside the mountain gate of the Heavenly River Sword Sect today, the crowd surged, with Sword Qi and spiritual light weaving into a sea.
A massive platform carved from a single piece of white marble floated silently a thousand zhang high, surrounded by dense viewing seats that were already packed to capacity.
Immortal Sects from all over the Southern Wilderness, various Loose Cultivators, and curious onlookers had surrounded the area so tightly that not even water could leak through.
As noon approached, ethereal immortal music drifted from the horizon, clear and melodious.
Someone in the crowd shouted:
“They’re here!”
Before the words faded, the eastern sea of clouds was torn apart by an invisible, colossal force.
A massive fleet, large enough to blot out the sky, crushed the clouds and broke through the void.
Leading the fleet was a magnificent golden ship a thousand zhang long. On its hull, the five-clawed Golden Dragon Flag of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the book-and-sword emblem of the Jixia Academy snapped loudly in the gale.
Following closely behind were the Shadow Sect’s ghost-like giant vessel, which seemed to be composed of pure darkness, and the Wan Yao Valley’s warship, pieced together from the skeletal remains of giant beasts.
The arrival of the four top-tier powers together unleashed a magnificent pressure, like the collapse of the heavens, instantly enveloping the entire venue.
Countless Cultivators with weaker cultivation levels turned pale, feeling as if their minds were about to split. Even maintaining aerial flight became incredibly difficult.
A majestic shout, resounding like thunder, echoed through the heavens and earth.
“Heavenly River Sword Sect, receive your guests—!”
The golden spirit boat slowly descended, docking silently beside the white marble platform.
The boat door opened.
However, what emerged was not the expected Crown Prince Zhao Wuji, nor the legendary Libationer of the Academy, Sima Changfeng.
It was a woman.
She wore a plain white scholar’s robe, her face covered by a veil as thin as a cicada's wing, and she walked barefoot across the deck.
With every step she took, a lotus flower condensed from ink-black Spiritual Qi bloomed in the air beneath her foot. The moment the lotus blossomed, it quietly dissipated.
She carried no oppressive aura, nor the slightest trace of Killing Intent. Instead, there was a unique tranquility and scholarly air about her that brought peace to the heart.
Yet, it was this extreme tranquility that caused the muscles of the Heavenly River Sword Sect Master Ye Guocheng on the main seat, and Dugu Yun beside him, to instantly tense up.
Their swords hummed low in their sheaths.
It was the uncontrollable, instinctive reaction of a Sword Heart facing an ultimate threat.
“It’s her...”
Dugu Yun’s voice was dry, as if ground by sandpaper, “The contemporary Saintess of the Jixia Academy, Su Qianqian.”
“That old fox Sima Changfeng is actually willing to let her come out.”
At this moment, Li Mo was wearing the most inconspicuous Servant attire, shrinking into the farthest corner of the crowd.
He was not only wearing the repaired heaven-deceiving stone, but he had also affixed an Obscuring Talisman to his chest, minimizing his sense of presence to the lowest possible level. He was a drop of water, perfectly merged into the vast ocean known as ‘Servants’.
But the instant the woman in white appeared, the System in his mind abruptly sounded a shrill air-raid siren.
“Warning! Detecting a ‘Daughter of Destiny’ level unit!”
“The opponent possesses an S-rank innate talent: Eye of True Sight (Passive)!”
“Talent description: This person disregards the outer skin and looks directly at the essence of the Soul. In her eyes, all things in the world are like books.”
“Warning: The Host’s disguise has only a 50% success rate in front of her!”
“Damn it!”
Li Mo’s heart jumped. Without thinking, he turned to flee deeper into the crowd.
However, it was too late.
Su Qianqian, who had just stepped off the spirit boat and was smilingly returning the salutes to all directions, suddenly paused her steps.
Under the gaze of thousands, she slowly turned her head.
Her eyes, still astonishingly bright through the thin veil, seemed to pierce through the barriers of space, look past the figures of the two Sword Dao Grandmasters Ye Guocheng and Dugu Yun, and ignore all the noise and clamor in the field.
Finally, they locked—with perfect accuracy—onto the Servant Disciple who was currently bending over, preparing to sneak away.
Su Qianqian’s beautiful brows furrowed slightly. A trace of confusion flashed in her eyes, followed by a sliver of curiosity.
Finally, a joy and excitement surged forth, like that of a devoted scholar discovering an unparalleled, unseen, rare manuscript.
Her voice was light, yet amplified by Spiritual Qi, it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.
“How strange.”
“Among all these incomparably sharp Sword Books covering the mountain...”
“Why is there a book hidden here... that I cannot read?”
As soon as the words fell, she completely ignored Sect Master Ye Guocheng, who had come forward to greet her, lifted her skirt, and changed direction.
Step by step.
She walked directly toward the position where Li Mo was standing.
The entire scene fell into dead silence.
After a brief silence, an uproar erupted.
“Who is the Saintess looking at?”
“That direction... isn't that the area for the Servant Disciples?”
“Does the Heavenly River Sword Sect have such a hidden master?”
In an instant, tens of thousands of gazes converged into a massive spotlight, tearing through the crowd and completely illuminating Li Mo, who was frozen in a pose like a golden rooster standing on one leg.
Li Mo’s body stiffened.
He watched the woman in white drawing closer, watched the ink lotuses blooming and dissipating beneath her feet, and only one thought remained in his mind.
The first principle of the 'Scripture of Maintaining a Low Profile': Never arouse the curiosity of a woman.
Especially a beautiful, intelligent woman whose intuition is sharper than a Yao Beast!
Li Mo sighed silently. His fingers in his sleeve had already gripped the cold hilt of Little Black.
It seemed today’s optional off-site guidance was about to become mandatory overtime.
Su Qianqian stopped three feet in front of him.
She tilted her head slightly, her clear eyes staring at Li Mo without blinking, as if trying to peel his Soul from beneath this unremarkable skin and examine it carefully under the sunlight.
After a long pause.
Su Qianqian spoke, her tone carrying a childlike innocence and confusion.
“Senior Brother.”
“Have we... met in some book before?”
“Why does your Soul emit...”
“The scent of ink?”