99: Chapter 99 A Peerless Poem

"You frowned as you looked at the sheer garment that had fallen into your cup. You had gone to great lengths to brew this tea, and now that it was contaminated, could it even be drunk?"

"Meanwhile, on the other side, a group of male Cultivators was eyeing you covetously."

"Most of them had cultivation at around the Nascent Soul Realm, with very few Soul Transformation Cultivators, though there was one Return to Void Cultivator among them."

"However, no one made a move. They knew that the seats you occupied were reserved for Prodigies of the Heavenly Pride Ranking; it was not worth provoking a Heavenly Pride Ranking Prodigy over a mere sheer garment."

"Furthermore, this was a flying ship heading to the Tianheng Continent. Whether you were currently a Loose Cultivator or a Prodigy from a small School, since you had made it onto the Heavenly Pride Ranking, you were at least at the Peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, or possibly a Soul Transformation Cultivator. Moreover, once you arrived in the Central Plains, major powers would definitely try to recruit you. Either way, they were not people they could afford to offend."

"Anyone with a bit of sense would know that offending a Heavenly Pride Ranking Prodigy for the clothes of a Fan Service Girl was a highly unprofitable endeavor."

"However, this particular Return to Void Cultivator clearly lacked sense. He walked up to you and snatched the sheer garment of Fairy Mengdie."

"Then, to your shock, he put it into his mouth."

"You: '...'"

"He looked at Fairy Mengdie: 'Meng Die, I love you, I love you so much...'"

"His speech was slurred with the garment in his mouth, yet he gazed at Fairy Mengdie with deep eyes."

"'Why won't you give the garment to me? Why give it to him? I am a Return to Void Cultivator, ah, ah, ah!'"

"This dim-witted Return to Void Cultivator spat out the saliva-soaked garment, stared at Fairy Mengdie, and then wore the garment by wrapping it around his own head."

"'Kill, kill, kill!!!' the Return to Void Cultivator shouted, looking at you."

"Fairy Mengdie also frowned at this Return to Void Cultivator."

"There were Return to Void Cultivators among the guards protecting her, but they would only intervene if her life was in danger. While this Return to Void Cultivator was not bright, he did not pose a threat to her."

"For a moment, she did not know how to handle it."

"'Kill, kill, kill!' the Return to Void Cultivator shouted at you."

"Then, Spiritual Qi surged. In an instant, a flash of white light appeared, and the Return to Void Cultivator who had been shouting 'kill, kill, kill' collapsed to the ground, falling silent within moments."

"A Return to Void expert had just died like that?"

"Everyone present subconsciously looked at the gray-robed elder beside you."

"An Integration Venerable."

"Generally speaking, once one reached the Body Integration Realm, one could be considered an upper-echelon Cultivator on the Tianheng Continent. Those in the Body Integration Realm could be called Integration Venerables and would be respected wherever they went. Typically, the Sect Masters or Grand Elders of major powers were at this cultivation level."

"Even for the Prodigies on the Heavenly Pride Ranking, most could only Breakthrough to the Body Integration Realm, and not even all of those one hundred individuals could achieve it."

"As for Undergoing Tribulation, one could be called a Great Emperor. Even among the Heavenly Pride Ranking, only the top ten had a chance to touch upon that Realm. As for the Mahayana Realm above that, since the Tianji Pavilion first released the Heavenly Pride Ranking, among thousands of Prodigies, only three had broken through to the Mahayana Realm."

"Therefore, how could they not be shocked by the sudden appearance of an Integration Venerable?"

"'Your Highness!' Venerable Li Kun said to you respectfully."

"You nodded casually and poured out the tea in your cup."

"Venerable Li Kun's attitude toward you shocked the crowd once again. An Integration Venerable calling you 'Your Highness'—what kind of cultivation must you have?"

"The gazes directed at you by the crowd were filled with wariness, envy, jealousy, and various other emotions."

"Those 'Paper' Young Misses could not help but straighten up, looking at you with lingering, affectionate gazes."

"The person protecting Li Wenhao, currently hiding in the shadows, was also extremely shocked. He had always thought Venerable Li Kun was just an ordinary person; he never expected him to be an Integration Venerable!"

"Fairy Mengdie quickly adjusted her state, smiling at the crowd again before strolling over to your side with a seductive gaze."

"'This little woman, Meng Die, greets this brother.' Meng Die bowed to you and said, 'I presume this brother must be Xiao Huo.'"

"You looked at Fairy Mengdie. This woman had likely been plied with drinks countless times, and every step she took was coquettish; truly, she was a Fan Service Girl."

"You had no interest in such a woman."

"'He is Xiao Huo,' you said, pointing to Xiao Huo beside you."

"Meng Die was stunned. She looked at Xiao Huo, who was carrying a large sword on his back and breathing rapidly as he looked at her; she found it hard to believe."

"One cannot judge a person by appearance. Some may look kind but have evil hearts, while others may look wicked but possess kind hearts."

"Take Fairy Mengdie for example. Although she cultivated a Dual Cultivation Technique and appeared like a Fan Service Girl who had experienced countless battles, she was actually still a virgin."

"Every time she invited someone to spend the night together, she would use medicinal powder to confuse them, then use her charm techniques to make them believe they had experienced a great battle with her, while she would extract their True Essence while they slept. Therefore, up until now, she had never actually fought even once."

"Fairy Mengdie loved romance and poetry very much, but all the men she met only desired her body. Thus, she held poetry gatherings many times, simply wanting a husband who could write poetry, to whom she would give her virginity as a gift."

"Today, she had found him. Upon hearing it was written by a Prodigy from the Heavenly Pride Ranking, she was overjoyed."

"As soon as she came out, she looked toward the seats of the Heavenly Pride Ranking. There was a man in black who seemed inexperienced in affairs between men and women, his gaze toward her somewhat hurried. Then there was a little loli, and sitting next to the little loli was a luxuriously dressed man, but his eyes held a sense of aggression."

"Until she saw you."

"The moment she saw you, her heart ignited."

"In that instant, she was certain that you were Xiao Huo!"

"Meng Die was anxious and looked at you again, saying, 'Your Excellency, are you really not Young Master Xiao Huo?'"

"You looked at this woman named Meng Die and couldn't help but think, a Fan Service Girl who had learned from hundreds of people."

"'That is Xiao Huo, this Fan Service Girl Young Miss!' you said softly."

"'Impossible!' Meng Die said, looking at you, 'You are definitely Xiao Huo!'"

"Venerable Li Kun stepped forward and stood beside you."

"Seeing this Integration Venerable, Meng Die calmed down a little. She looked at Xiao Huo: 'Are you Xiao Huo?'"

"Xiao Huo was actually quite furious. What did she mean by 'I am not Xiao Huo, he is Xiao Huo'?"

"Did he not look like Xiao Huo?"

"Fairy Mengdie looked at Xiao Huo helplessly: 'Since you are Xiao Huo, then you must be able to write a poem of the same level as the one just now.'"

"She looked at you again: 'I believe Brother Xiao Huo will definitely be able to defeat this impostor.'"

"'Actually, he really is Xiao Huo.'"

"However, Meng Die did not listen to your explanation. Instead, she walked to the side and said, 'The previous poem had no restrictions on the theme. This time, let's write about me.'"

"As she spoke, Meng Die spun around twice on the stage."

"As soon as Meng Die finished speaking, two attendants brought over two sheets of paper and placed them in front of you and Xiao Huo."

"However, this time it was real paper."

"You looked at the crowd, especially at Meng Die's seductive gaze."

"This was forcing you to write."

"Forget it, let's just write."

"Xiao Huo looked at you, feeling somewhat unconvinced. Clearly, the poem had been written by him—well, actually, it was written by the Soul entity inside his large sword—but regardless, this honor should have been Xiao Huo's. Why was it yours?"

"And he, Xiao Huo, actually had to prove himself in this way!!!"

"Xiao Huo was very furious, really very furious."

"'Old Zhao, hurry up and write a poem for me. I want to use poetry to slap their faces hard and let them know that I am the real Xiao Huo.'"

"The long sword behind Xiao Huo hummed twice, and then Xiao Huo quickly wrote down a poem on the paper."

"Holding the brush, you didn't know what to write for a moment."

"You knew how to write poetry, but you didn't want to, just like a novel author who has a plot in their head but doesn't want to type it out."

"'A Soul at the Undergoing Tribulation Realm,' you thought, looking at the humming large sword behind Xiao Huo."

"'Forget it, I'll just write something random.'"

"Before long, the two sheets of paper with poems appeared in Fairy Mengdie's hands."

"Although most of the people present had come for Fairy Mengdie or these 'Paper' Young Misses, there was still a portion who were curious about the poetry and were eager to know what was written on them."

"'First is the poem from our Brother Xiao Huo.' Fairy Mengdie said, looking at the poem you had written."

"You did not explain that 'You really are not Xiao Huo,' anyway, as long as everyone knew you wrote it, that was fine."

"Fairy Mengdie read out the poem you wrote in a seductive voice."

"'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.'"

"'Today I met a Fan Service Girl, she isn't as pretty as my Mu Xue.'"

"The crowd present went quiet. Could this even count as a poem?"

"However, Fairy Mengdie looked at you and said nothing. She then coldly looked toward Xiao Huo: 'Next is the poem from this impostor.'"

"Fairy Mengdie's tone was cold and emotionless, forming a sharp contrast with how she had just read your poem."

"'Clouds suggest her garments, flowers her face, spring breezes brush the railing, dew makes the blooms lush.'"

"'If not seen atop the Qunyu Mountains, one would meet her under the moon at the Jade Terrace.'"

"'Good poem!' someone said impatiently."

"Then, the people around him glared at him fiercely, and he stopped talking."

"Then, very soon, someone continued: 'These two poems truly show a clear difference in quality.'"

"This was an old man with gray hair and a beard. If he were elsewhere, he would certainly be seen as a venerable elder, but now, a 'Paper' was lying in front of him."

"He stroked the 'Paper' in front of him."

"'Everyone, please listen to my analysis. This "One, two, three, four, five" may seem crude at first glance, but it actually holds deep significance! One, two, three, four, five is the order of the world's creation; six, seven, eight, nine, ten is the extremity of all things returning to the Origin. This poem uses numbers to enter the Dao, using simplicity to control complexity, pointing directly to the Origin of the Great Dao! The saying "great skill looks like clumsiness, great music is hard to hear"—this is exactly that principle!'"

"'Especially the last two lines—"Today I met a Fan Service Girl, she isn't as pretty as my Mu Xue"—are the finishing touch! The two characters "Fan Service" subtly match the teaching of the Tianji Pavilion to "bestow blessings upon all spirits"; "Girl" refers to a noble woman. And "my Mu Xue" uses the name of one person to overshadow all the beauties in the hall; this is the expression of true feelings, the ultimate nature and emotion! The entire poem flows in one breath, without artificial embellishment, it is truly a masterpiece of returning to simplicity!'"

"The crowd below listened, stunned. Some had already begun to lower their heads in contemplation, as if they had truly realized some great Dao from 'One, two, three, four, five.'"

"Hearing the old man's words, you were also stunned, even doubting if you had written something that good?"

"The old man changed the subject, his face showing disdain: 'As for this "Clouds suggest her garments, flowers her face"—it is a pile of flowery words, flashy but without substance! What "Qunyu Mountains," "Jade Terrace under the moon"—it is all cliché! Poetry values truth, not beauty.'"

"'Compared to the Young Master's work, this poem is like heavily made-up, vulgar powder meeting a peerless beauty fresh as a lotus rising from clear water—no, it is not even as good as vulgar powder; it is simply Dong Shi imitating the frown, a clumsy imitation! What "clouds suggest her garments"? If clouds could think, they would have long since crashed and died!'"

"After speaking, the old man respectfully glanced at Venerable Li Kun beside you, this Integration Venerable."

"The people around also followed his gaze to this Integration Venerable, then instantly reacted and chimed in, fearing they would fall a step behind."

"'This poem should only exist in heaven, how often can one hear it in the human world!' 'Returning to simplicity, the Great Dao is simple!'"

"'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten; such a masterpiece, it will surely be passed down through the ages.'"

"You: ..."

"Xiao Huo: '...'"

"On the other side, Meng Die looked at you, smiling sweetly: 'As expected, the brother who can write such poetry is the real Xiao Huo~'"