159: Boasting to the extreme

With two super Prodigies of great renown joining, the group from Sun Moon Sword Manor attracted even more attention.

Iron Woman Ying puffed out her full chest, her expression extremely Divine Qi.

From time to time, Cultivators would fly over to greet them.

"Fellow Daoist Tie, what is the relationship between those two and your daughters? Would it be convenient for this Old Woman to be introduced?"

A woman with graying hair and a majestic countenance approached with a face full of smiles, secretly slipping over a top-grade Magical Artifact.

Iron Woman Ying tucked the Magical Artifact into her bag and said apologetically, "Sect Leader Liu, I'm truly sorry. Those two are my daughter's friends. You know the temperaments of super Prodigies like them; they don't like to socialize with outsiders at will. Please don't make it difficult for me as a mother, Sect Leader Liu."

"I understand, I understand!"

The Old Woman wasn't surprised. She pulled out another Magical Artifact and slipped it over. "Fellow Daoist Tie, you have raised your daughters well; this Old Woman is so envious. If you have time in the future, please come visit my Qingming Mountain!"

"Certainly, certainly!"

Iron Woman Ying grinned.

Qingming Mountain was a super power ranked in the top three of the Futuo Ancient Realm. Two of its female disciples had successfully passed the preliminary rounds of the Ascension Assembly, but their rankings were only near the edge of the top ten thousand.

In the past, she wouldn't have even been qualified to contact the Dominator of such a colossus. Now, they were all putting aside their status to take the initiative to show goodwill, which greatly satisfied her vanity.

"Having a good daughter is truly beneficial. If we can really establish a relationship with those two, let's see who in this Futuo Ancient Realm still dares to look down on my Sword Manor!"

She turned her gaze forward.

Tie Yihua and Gu Shaoyou walked at the very front with indifferent expressions.

Ying Shiya was all smiles, busy attending to them, for fear that anything done inadequately would upset these two.

"It's the first time I've seen my sister look so gentle and enthusiastic!"

Ying Shiying and Su Quan trailed at the very back of the crowd, having no presence at all.

"Submitting to the strong is an innate nature in many people's bones. Once your strength surpasses those two in the future, your sister will also treat you with respect and fear," Su Quan said calmly.

"Old Man Su, you're talking nonsense again. How could I possibly become stronger than those two?"

Ying Shiying rolled her eyes and whispered, "I heard them say that those two's strength can rank in the top one thousand of this Ascension Assembly."

"Do you know the concept of the top one thousand? That Heavenly Prodigy Saintess of our Futuo Ancient Realm has been invincible for three hundred years, yet she could only rank near the 6,000th mark."

Su Quan grinned. "I, Old Man Su, have always been very accurate in judging people. Eldest Young Miss, you have an extraordinary skeletal structure and innate talent; your future achievements will surely be far above theirs."

"Alright, alright, stop joking with me. I'll be satisfied if I can successfully reach Foundation Establishment in this life!" Ying Shiying muttered softly. Suddenly she thought of something and asked, "By the way, Old Man Su, how is my Life-bound Dharma Sword?"

"It's forged."

"Forged?"

Ying Shiying's beautiful eyes widened. "To what extent was it forged?"

"As thin and light as a cicada's wing, with the sun and moon accompanying the blade; the sword's edge can slay Immortals and demons."

"You really are something, Old Man Su, here you go again!"

Ying Shiying was a bit angry. She raised her fist to strike him, but feared that a single blow would shatter Su Quan's hunched frame, so she could only put it down resentfully.

"Where is This Young Miss's dharma sword? Bring it here quickly."

"It's on the Sword Casting Platform."

Su Quan spread his hands.

"Hmph, then I'll wait until we get back. If you dare to lie to me about this, I will definitely punish you... punish you by making you wash my socks for a month!" Ying Shiying glared at him huffily.

Cultivation talent had always been the most sensitive and fragile part of her heart.

She hated it most when others made jokes about this.

Su Quan didn't explain further. His gaze looked faintly into the distance. At the end of the horizon, a giant island was suspended in the sky, with vast divine light shooting out, enveloping the world.

Below the island, it was already crowded with a bustling mass of people.

These were all Cultivators who were not qualified to enter the island.

Two red-robed figures presided there, possessing peak Mahayana Realm cultivation, ready to suppress any opportunists who tried to force their way through. This was unavoidable; although the Floating Divine Island was large, even more Cultivators had rushed here.

If they were allowed in indiscriminately, the divine island would probably be crushed.

"Which power do you belong to?"

The red-robed woman's eyes were cold as she looked at Ying Shiya and the others walking over.

"Ying Shiya of Sun Moon Sword Manor, bringing ten kinsmen to the island. I ask for the Immortal Child's understanding!"

Ying Shiya's tone was very polite.

At the same time, she showed her right arm.

On her fair wrist, there was a golden flame-like mark.

This was the proof of island entry granted for passing the preliminary round of the Ascension Assembly.

"Granted!"

The red-robed woman's red lips parted slightly.

She extended her jade-like hand, and a red halo enveloped everyone.

Then, through space-time travel, everyone was instantly transported to the Floating Divine Island a hundred thousand meters above.

"What a brilliant method!"

Ying Shiya was somewhat amazed.

She herself was at the Mahayana Realm, but she felt that before that red-robed woman, she had no power to resist.

"Those red-robed women should be the attendants under the seats of Immortal Realm experts. They are at least at the Immortal Realm, but under the constraints of the Laws of heaven and earth, they have fallen back to the Mahayana Realm. Naturally, they are far stronger than you or me," Gu Shaoyou said indifferently.

Ying Shiya's beautiful eyes lit up, and she leaned in shamelessly. "Thank you, Young Master Gu, for clarifying. Young Master Gu..."

"Oh ho!"

Su Quan sized up the surrounding environment.

Even after layers of screening, the number of Cultivators on the floating island was still terrifying.

They formed groups of three to five, each forming their own camps, coldly sizing each other up.

Being able to stand here meant they were likely to be competitors later.

"Let's wait for dawn. Tomorrow at sunrise should be the deadline. We'll see how the Immortals arrange things then." Tie Yihua found a relatively clean patch of grass and sat cross-legged.

"Is the Ascension Assembly about to begin? It's truly like a dream!"

Ying Shiying's beautiful eyes were dazed.

The thought of the Heavenly Prodigy Saintesses from the very top of the Myriad Worlds competing and fighting after dawn tomorrow made her heart surge with excitement. Even if she couldn't participate, having the chance to witness it with her own eyes was already a blessing in life.

"Xiaoya, come over here for a moment!"

Taking advantage of this gap.

Iron Woman Ying called Ying Shiya to the back of the crowd.

Ying Shiya walked over in confusion. "Mother, is something the matter?"

"Nothing, Mother just wanted to ask you, are you nervous?"

"It would be a lie to say I'm not nervous."

Ying Shiya looked around, her beautiful eyes gradually turning solemn. "None of those who can pass the preliminary round are easy to deal with, but I will do my best to show all my natural talent. I will surely win the favor of an Immortal Venerable!"

"With this level of confidence, Mother is much more relieved!"

Iron Woman Ying showed a loving expression. She glanced at Gu Shaoyou, who was sitting under a tree not far away with his eyes closed and focused, and whispered, "Xiaoya, what does that Young Master say? Is there a chance?"

Ying Shiya was stunned for a moment, then realized what her mother meant. Her face turned slightly red as she looked at Gu Shaoyou's handsome face, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Iron Woman Ying understood her daughter's thoughts perfectly. She winked and said, "Xiaoya, if you like him, be bold and pursue him. That boy is handsome, has great talent, and has such a large rear; he looks like the type to let you conceive a girl. Mother likes him very much!"

"Mother, please say less!"

Ying Shiya sighed helplessly.

With Gu Shaoyou's handsome appearance, probably no woman could resist the attraction.

But she also knew there was still a gap between the two of them.

Not to mention anything else, Gu Shaoyou was a seeded contestant who could rank near the top thousand in this assembly, while she... had barely qualified.

"Alright, alright, I won't meddle in you young people's affairs. But Mother wants to tell you, with Sun Moon Sword Manor standing behind you, our capital isn't necessarily much worse than others." Iron Woman Ying laughed merrily.

Ying Shiya didn't speak further. After a slight hesitation, she still walked towards Gu Shaoyou.

Her mother's words were not entirely without reason.

Young Master Gu appearing before her might be a fate arranged by the heavens. Although her talent was poor, as long as she could join an Immortal sect, who could predict her future achievements?

Besides!

Her face was also that of a top-tier beauty in the world, at least much better than that fierce woman Tie Yihua.

At this thought, her temperament couldn't help but become a bit more confident.

Seeing her sister's enthusiastic figure leaning shamelessly toward Gu Shaoyou again, a look of worry appeared on Ying Shiying's brow, and she whispered, "Old Man Su."

"Hmm?"

Su Quan withdrew his gaze from the sky.

"Do you think my sister has a hope of winning that Young Master over?"

"No chance!"

Su Quan only used two words.

"Ah? Not even a shred of hope? My sister has been obsessed with Cultivating since she was a child; this is the first time she's shown such strong admiration." Ying Shiying murmured.

Su Quan glanced at her and said casually, "Not a shred of hope."

"Why are you so certain?"

"A young Young Master with such outstanding looks and extraordinary talent is a rare commodity in the cultivation world. On ordinary days, there's surely no shortage of Saintesses with noble status and colossal backgrounds surrounding him."

Su Quan sneered. "To put it bluntly, compared to those women, your sister is probably not even as good as their maidservants."

"Tch, stop using those worldly views to judge love!"

Ying Shiying habitually rolled her eyes and chided, "So what if there's a gap in status? So what if there's a gap in background? There are many stories of Young Masters falling for maidservants and princes marrying commoner women."

"In This Young Miss's view, love is originally a very wonderful thing. When true love arrives, status, position, appearance, age, and so on are not problems..."

Ying Shiying sat with her knees hugged, her beautiful eyes full of longing.

Su Quan laughed in spite of himself. "Hearing you say that, you seem quite experienced in love. How many Dao Companions have you had?"

"Uh..."

Ying Shiying's fair face turned slightly red, and she was somewhat at a loss for words. She said stubbornly, "Although This Young Miss has no emotional experience, that doesn't mean I don't understand. I read many books on this subject when I was young."

Then, she said with some angry annoyance, "You talk as if you understand it very well. How many Dao Companions have you had, Old Man Su?"

"I, Old Man Su..."

Su Quan enthusiastically counted on his fingers and murmured, "That's truly too many to count, and every single one was a top-tier beauty of the world."

"Top-tier beauty? How beautiful?"

Ying Shiying had an expression like she was looking at a fool.

"Look, that one over there used to be my Dao Companion. She loved me to death."

Su Quan pointed casually.

Ying Shiying looked in that direction and saw in the southeastern airspace of the sky, a peerless young girl with a graceful figure and an overwhelming Aura stepping forward.

Fine pink scales covered her delicate body, a pair of well-rounded legs were straight and long, her silky hair fell over her full chest, and a pair of noble dragon horns on her head were extremely eye-catching.

"Old Man Su, your bragging is out of this world. Do you know who that is?"

Ying Shiying rolled her eyes weakly and continued, "If you picked someone else to brag about, there might be a tiny possibility, but that one... she is a Pure-blooded Dragon Clan Member."

"The invincible Heavenly Prodigy of the Mountain Sea Realm, hailed as the number one dragon among the current Dragon Clan's younger generation, and ranked seventh in this Ascension Assembly by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion."

The girl spoke incessantly.

Although her strength was lacking, she was exceptionally interested in this information and had memorized the rankings of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion over and over.

"Only seventh?"

A smile appeared at the corner of Su Quan's mouth.

It seemed there were indeed many extraordinary figures in this Ascension Assembly.

"Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense. Quickly give my sister some advice. How on earth should one pursue a man?"

"No chance. You'd better advise your sister to stop wasting her time soon, otherwise it'll be easy to bring about a fatal disaster. This old man's frame is a bit weary; you should also take a little rest, Eldest Young Miss!"

Su Quan turned on his side, his back to Ying Shiying, resting his head on one hand and closing his eyes as if asleep.

"Hey! What fatal disaster?"

Ying Shiying pushed Su Quan, but seeing that he had no intention of speaking further, she looked not far away. Her sister was all smiles, hovering around Gu Shaoyou, while the youth's expression was indifferent, his brow always filled with impatience.

She suddenly sighed in discouragement. "Sister... is there really no hope?"

...