Chapter 292 Chapter 292 – The Seeds Graveyard
"We are here!" George called, making the other four cease their meditation and get up. The trip took around 2 days without any events worth mentioning; they just flew the whole time and busied themselves with meditation and cultivation.
Getting up from the floor, they walked to the airship's railing and looked outside, seeing a valley large enough to contain millions. It was apparent that human hands reshaped it, making it more convenient for many spectators to find a place to sit down.
In the center of the valley was a large round platform, completely void of humans. It was unnaturally divided into four equal terrains – a lake, empty stone ground, forest, and icy plain. They were taking identical sections from the bottom of the valley, and their borders were sharp and obvious. At the center was the interesting converging point of all four areas, providing a weird glimpse into an area with all four attributes.
The valley seemed like a living painting from above, everything was organized perfectly. The ice seemed like a white sheet, the ground of stone had no blemish on it, the forest had completely still trees, and the lake was calm with no ripples. Ken and his group took a few minutes to soak in the beautiful view underneath them before looking around.
The valley was surrounded by mountains and hills, and the group could already find humans occupying many spots, scattered across them.
"We are landing now on the hill assigned to our sect. If you find anybody not from our sect on it or trying to enter, chase them out," Elder Yuhua gave her instructions as the ship started to lose height, "You can open a tent wherever you want," she added.
They landed on one of the best hills; among the four areas, it was on the opposite side of the forest, meaning they had a clear line of sight toward the other three places without having the forest obstruct it. In Ken's eyes, it was big enough to be considered a mountain in his previous world.
"How can we know what exactly happens in there from this distance?" Alaric asked in curiosity. Even as a fifth-stage cultivator, he still could only see the stone part clearly, which was the closest one to them. As for the other three terrains, two of them he could see but knew that people would look more like silhouettes than people, while he could not tell what happens within the forest.
"Junior, don't you know? The whole valley is covered with formations, many of which are of the eighth and ninth ranks. The Infinite Wisdom Sect offers a few products that can help you follow the battle, some of them by helping you see better to longer distances while others are even more creative, and their prices are higher as well."
An older disciple heard Alaric's question and answered it.
"Oh, have you participated in the previous Martial Arts Summit?" Alaric inquired.
"Yes, I'm 81 years old now, so I participated last time as well," the other man said proudly, "Anyway, the Infinite Wisdom Sect opens a market on their mountain every time, you should look into it. There are many gadgets you cannot find in our sect, although they are not as important for cultivation."
"We will, thanks!" Alaric thanked him and turned to the rest of the team in worry, "We will, right?" He made sure.
"We can, it might be interesting," Ken agreed. He also wanted to see the creativity of the sect known for its crafts, "Let's find a place to raise up our tents first."
The five could notice a certain hierarchy; the older and stronger disciples took the spots nearer to the peak of the mountain while the others picked lower areas for themselves. As for the peak itself, it was reserved for the elders.
"Let's take a place around the center," Ken said. He would not fight over a place for pride, but he also wouldn't lower himself or take a seat with a bad view. The center seemed like the best compromise.
"I don't like being underneath people, let me settle it," Tiara declared and took off, making the rest of the team wait. Other than George, the other three knew she was going to employ her charm, and they were indeed curious to know the extent of its powers. After all, she'd need to affect peak sixth-stage cultivators.
The enchantress went uphill in a confident step, ignoring all the disciples on her way to just below the peak, where the strongest rest. She kept a calm demeanor, fitting of one who had nothing to hide, and was ready to wear a playful smile when she reached her targets. Her mind raced with plans to use her charm subtly without leaving any bad impression.
Tiara's attire fluttered gently with the mountain breeze as she ascended the rocky terrain. Her confidence was more enchanting than her attire or the rhythmic sway of her hips. She was bringing out all her charm, and the people around her were affected.
The disciples she passed on her way couldn't help but be captivated by her aura, but her eyes were set on her goal, walking past the many other top disciples from all age groups without looking back. She reached the plateau near the summit where a group of strong-looking cultivators had claimed the area.
The senior disciples looked down from their lofty setup, their faces bearing the hallmark arrogance of those standing at the top. They had the right to be arrogant; they were the strongest among the representatives of the strongest sect. However, even they had their eyes glued to the incoming woman's figure.
Tiara approached them, her smile a blend of innocence and cunning. The leader of the group, a bulky cultivator with cold eyes, eyed her with suspicion. Yet, she maintained her smile and casually drifted closer.
"Greetings, seniors. I'm Tiara, your junior," she said with a slight bow, her voice soothing and pleasant to the ears. "It seems you've found the perfect spot to view the upcoming tournament. It's indeed a place fitting for our best cultivators."
The bulky cultivator seemed somewhat softened by her words, but still, the aloofness of getting the highest spot among his peers was evident. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly. His eyes lingered for a moment on the skin of her neck and below it.
Tiara did not reveal much cleavage to keep her disciple uniforms respectful, but she was showing just enough skin to make one wish the cloth would cover one centimeter less.
"Oh, nothing much," she said, now circling around their setup, her fingers gently tracing the air, each movement released Charm Qi that tickled the senses of the cultivators. "We were hoping to share this spot with you, just a small area for our tents. My companions and I promise to be of no disturbance."
Her words wove through the air, infused with gentle coaxing techniques, trying to work around the firm resolve of the strong cultivators. She did not rush it or try to overwhelm them, but instead, she continued to reason with the disciples.
"Leader, I don't mind if you let her and her friends stay here," One man commented, clearly affected by Tiara's technique.
"Thank you. It's a long-standing tradition in our sect to support your juniors and make friendships grow. It'd be my pleasure If you were my friends, don't you feel the same?" Her words seemed to hang in the air, making the group of men gulp and consider agreeing.
The cultivators exchanged uneasy glances, feeling the pull of her enchantments. They suspected that they were being affected by something, but the charm was soft, respectful, and the offer tempting.
"I also think we should let her stay…" Another man said.
The leader of the group, now less rigid, sighed, "We don't usually do this, but you seem respectful enough. You can set up your tents on the west side of our area, but ensure your group doesn't cross into our space," the bulky cultivator finally agreed, albeit reluctantly.
Tiara bowed gracefully, "Thank you, seniors. We're honored by your generosity. May we bring glory to our sect." Her bow almost made them strain their necks and eyes in an attempt to check out her mounds, but they didn't get a single glimpse of the mysteries inside Tiara's robes.
She turned and descended the hill with a triumphant smile, leaving behind her five disappointed men. As she rejoined her group, they all were in awe of the effortless diplomacy she displayed.
"Way to go, Tiara. I didn't expect you to be able to convince them to give us some of their space," Alaric praised, this time giving an honest compliment.
"It's not that hard, it's not like they were our enemies or had a bad opinion of me. To begin with, they were relatively friendly to me, and it made my job much easier," Tiara explained, before gesturing to the top of the mountain, "Shall we go?"
"Let's go," Ken agreed, and the five soon raised their tents in the space they were assigned to by their senior brothers.
"Infinite Wisdom Sect's open market starts selling items in 8 hours, what should we do in the meantime?" Alaric asked.
"Rest and cultivate."
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On another mountain a few kilometers away:
"I know you don't want to bother and set up your own tent, how about sleeping in mine?" A man with shiny red hair told a beautiful lady with platinum hair who looked around her lazily, probably looking for someone she could dump the work on.
"I suddenly really want to try my hand at setting tents," she answered sarcastically, "Leave me alone, Felix, you've been too clingy lately. Didn't I tell you that you can marry me if you capture Ken Sue alive?" Vivienne tried to get rid of the pest.
"I would gift him to you on a platter of silver, but the cunning Serene Lotus Sect worked behind the scenes and saved him, making him even betray his family and sect. He is too shrewd and evil for a child," Felix complained.
"I don't see how it is my problem if you fail to deliver your promises," she said with a shrug.
"You better see it soon, or else, you might lose the support of the Ashford clan, are you sure you can afford that during the Martial Arts Summit?" Felix sent a grabby hand, stroking her long, smooth hair as if she were already his, "You need our protection now more than ever, after all, you must be aware of the tournament's one of many nicknames, The Seeds Graveyard."
'Ah, screw him.' Vivienne never felt a stronger urge to run away from her sect and abandon its protection than at that moment.
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