Bai Hua Blossom Sect, Saintess Ceremony
As the ten Elders' reverent chant echoed, countless Bai Hua disciples joined in unison, their voices shaking the heavens:
"Welcome, Master of Bai Hua!"
Before myriad gazes, space rippled, a fragrant floral breeze wafting through, soothing the crowd's spirits.
A woman stepped from the void, lotuses blooming beneath her feet. Clad in flowing white robes, her raven hair cascaded past her slender waist, swaying lightly. A gossamer veil shrouded her face, an immortal descended to earth.
Tall and graceful, her full breasts and gently curved hips accentuated a captivating waist. Though her loose robes concealed her form, they couldn't hide her bewitching allure.
Yet, it was her aura that ensnared hearts—ethereal, untainted by mortal dust, devoid of the arrogance befitting such beauty. She was serene, tranquil, like an ancient well: clear, close, yet infinitely distant.
She was Su Yan, Master of Bai Hua.
"Greetings, Bai Hua Immortal!"
The crowd rose, clasping hands in salute, their voices laced with admiration.
In any setting, a Void Refinement cultivator commanded respect, let alone one as prodigious as Su Yan. With a lifespan exceeding ten thousand years, at under 200, her future was unfathomable.
Su Yan's attire was the simplest at the ceremony, her loose white robes veiling her ghostly figure, yet her lofty aura shone undimmed.
Behind her delicate veil, serene eyes, still as a lake, swept the plaza.
Suddenly, they paused. A red-haired woman sparked a faint sense of danger, her aura, though deeply concealed, familiar. Su Yan had once suffered its sting.
"A Strange Fire? Yan Clan's made great strides," she mused. A clan wielding two Strange Fires was staggering.
But Su Yan's heart barely stirred, her composure unshaken. She glided to the phoenix throne.
Pausing before sitting, her sleeves fluttered, lips parting softly, her仙-like voice reaching every ear:
"Su Yan, on behalf of Bai Hua, thanks all for gracing us."
Despite her exalted status, she bowed slightly.
"No, Immortal, please!"
Men groaned, as if her courtesy were a sin.
Elderly powerhouses nodded respectfully. A Void Refinement cultivator's humility, her breadth of spirit, surpassed many men.
"No wonder Mother insisted we attend," Yan Hong Lian sighed, awed.
After courtesies, Su Yan settled on the throne, flanked by Elders, with thousands of elite disciples below. Though a woman, her presence rivaled any great sect's, her poise unshakable.
She nodded to the Elder beside her.
A woman with violet hair, elegantly pinned, stepped forward. In a purple qin gown, her voluptuous figure quivered, her grace impeccable.
"Who's she?" Yan Ting'er asked her sister.
"Great Elder Hua Yu Luan, Late Spirit Blossom Stage," Yan Hong Lian explained softly.
Hua Yu Luan's crimson lips parted, her voice resounding:
"This Saintess Ceremony unveils our three new Saintesses, the finest among thousands in talent and beauty, flawless in every way."
"I declare the Saintess Ceremony begun!"
As her words faded, Su Yan's仙 melody chimed:
"Summon the three Saintesses!"
Bai Hua disciples, as if rehearsed, echoed in harmonious chorus, shaking the realm:
"Summon the three Saintesses!"
Melodious qin notes rose, cherry blossoms swirling in the breeze.
Three women appeared before the crowd, their faces unveiled.
Instantly, eight in ten men surged forward, youths leaping to their feet.
Time seemed to freeze.
Three women, barely twenty, each a unique marvel, breathtakingly beautiful.
"Great Saintess, Su Mei!" Hua Yu Luan proclaimed.
"Hee, Su Mei greets all esteemed guests," the lead woman giggled, her voice a silver bell, her charm overwhelming. Youths' hearts pounded, eyes reddening, breaths ragged.
A seductress in human guise, she wore a crimson gown, her proud figure a symphony of curves. Her face bore a hint of wanton allure, soul-stealing, with fiery lips and eyes weaving silken threads of desire—a calamity of beauty.
Many knew her other identity: Su Yan's direct disciple, a stark contrast to her master's serene elegance.
"True Charm Art," Yan Clan's Seventh Elder warned the sisters gravely.
Yan Hong Lian nodded. Even as a woman, she nearly succumbed to Su Mei's spell.
"Hmph, just a shameless vixen," Yan Ting'er pouted.
"Second Saintess, Hua Yu Feng!" Hua Yu Luan announced proudly, her prized disciple.
"Yu Feng greets all," a cool, crystalline voice replied.
Clad in a regal golden gown, her ebony hair flowed like a waterfall. With phoenix eyes and willow brows, her balanced figure stood tall.
Though she greeted the crowd, her gaze never met the youths'.
Hua Yu Feng's arrogance was palpable, a beauty of fierce pride. Such a woman ignited men's desire to conquer her, fists clenching, vowing to earn her regard.
"Third Saintess, Yan Ruo Xue!" Hua Yu Luan introduced.
All eyes fixed on the final figure at the plaza's heart.
No boundless charm, no haughty pride—just a gentle stream, pure and cool.
She stood quietly, sky-blue hair draping her shoulders, pink lips and pearly teeth exuding refined grace, laced with subtle allure.
Her deep, watery eyes gazed afar, tinged with longing, stirring heartache, urging protection forever.
Few knew she truly missed him dearly.
Thanks to him, she stood here, a woman lost in fleeting first love, parted from her beloved, steeped in melancholy.
"Ruo Xue!" a radiant Elder whispered, Yan Ruo Lan, Second Elder and her master.
Regaining focus, Yan Ruo Xue brushed her blue hair, speaking gently, "Ruo Xue greets all."
Her soft voice bathed listeners in warm waters, soothing their souls.
"It's her? Hmph, his taste isn't bad," Yan Hong Lian eyed her "rival," approving yet tinged with jealousy.
"She seems easy to live with… bah, who'd want to!" Yan Ting'er, charmed by her grace, grumbled.
The three Saintesses stood revealed, each distinct, captivating youths in heated transmissions:
"Great Saintess is a nation-wrecker! Her voice alone nearly undid me. Marry her, and I'd crumble."
"You, marry her? Take your hand out of your pants!"
"I'd conquer Second Saintess. She can scorn the world, but she'll be gentle for me, heh."
"Fools! Third Saintess is wife material—graceful, noble, the perfect virtuous spouse."
"Whatever, I'm Great Saintess Su Mei's loyal fan!"
"I'm for Second Saintess!"
"I adore Third Saintess, you shrimp!"
Amid the fervor, Lan Yu sneered inwardly. The Saintesses enthralled him, and with the Yan sisters, this trip was priceless.
A young genius, raised under his father's strict ban on women, Lan Yu's blood stirred at these peerless beauties, his heart craving possession.
The more he thought, the fiercer his resolve to grow stronger, to earn his father's blessing to wed them.
"Ahem!" Hua Yu Luan quelled the crowd, scanning the enamored youths with satisfaction. "Our Saintesses aren't merely beautiful—their talent and strength are peerless among peers."
"I invite prodigies to spar with them, proving my words and Bai Hua's enduring legacy, its heirs ever outstanding, eternal!"
"Eternal!"
"Eternal!"
Disciples roared, their fervor shaking the skies.
Many nodded. Sparring with Saintesses showcased Bai Hua's might, elevating its prestige and proclaiming its heirs' excellence—the ceremony's true aim.
Boom! Boom!
A stone arena, hundreds of meters wide, rose from the plaza's heart, forged of adamant rock, fortified by arrays.
The stage for the battles to come.
Swish.
A youth with a sword leaped onto the arena.
Gu Fei Hua stood proudly, vowing to redeem his earlier humiliation.
"Which Saintess does Young Master Gu challenge?" a Bai Hua Protector, acting as referee, asked.
"Second Saintess," Gu Fei Hua declared, eager to tame this haughty beauty before the world.
Hua Yu Feng's eyes flashed, her stunning form appearing on the arena.
"Strike," she said coolly, facing Gu Fei Hua.
"Hmph, we'll see how long your pride lasts," he fumed inwardly, bowing politely. "I obey—Gale Slash!"
Drawing his Upper Mysterious-Grade sword, paired with his Wind root, he unleashed Gale Slash.
Winds coalesced around him, merging with sword shadows, forming razor-sharp gusts slashing toward Hua Yu Feng.
She flicked her sleeve, slender hands forming a palm seal, her lips parting: "Peach Blossom Palm."
Wood spiritual energy condensed, cherry blossoms swirling, fragile yet tightly interwoven.
Layers of blossoms bloomed with her palm, shattering the gusts, their momentum surging toward Gu Fei Hua.
His face shifted, dodging with swift footwork, closing in for melee, his sword dancing.
"Peach Blossom Array," Hua Yu Feng whispered, hands weaving seals.
Vines sprouted from the arena, binding Gu Fei Hua's advancing feet, as cherry trees encircled him, layer upon layer.
"An array? When did she set it?" Gu Fei Hua's face darkened. A Wood Array Master, her Peach Blossom Array was pure Wood energy.
Spectators grew solemn. Bai Hua's Wood root focus was known, but Second Saintess's array mastery was a shock.
"Concede," Hua Yu Feng said haughtily.
"Hmph, you underestimate me!" Gu Fei Hua roared, laughing. "Qingfeng Sword Art, Third Form—Wind Cleave!"
His sword spun, sharp sword qi and gales toppling blossoms.
"Explode," Hua Yu Feng said calmly.
Boom! Boom!
The array detonated, a controlled spiritual explosion of immense power.
As dust cleared, Gu Fei Hua emerged, disheveled, clothes tattered, saved by inner armor, unharmed.
Furious, he cursed her recklessness. Such array detonations, akin to self-destruction, were rare in spars.
Raising his sword, he prepared another move, his pride as a Seventh-Grade prodigy unyielding.
Hua Yu Feng frowned. Observers noted the un-exploded vines at his feet—she'd shown mercy, sparing his legs despite his armor.
Yet, he pressed on, ignorant.
Her eyes flashed disdain. Such weak skill and temperament dared claim genius status?
Spectators shook their heads, disappointed in Qing Yun's prodigy.
"Enough, Fei Hua, return!" his Elder transmitted, halting further disgrace.
Suppressing humiliation, Gu Fei Hua bowed feignedly. "Saintess's skill is extraordinary. This ends in a draw—until next time."
"Shameless," many scoffed. Her mercy was clear, yet he claimed a tie.
Hua Yu Feng ignored him, her sleeves fluttering as she rejoined the Saintesses, scorning his words.
"You—" Gu Fei Hua flushed, slinking back to his seat.
"Thank you, Young Master Gu," the Protector smoothed over. "Who's next?"
"Hee, my turn!"
"Oh!"
A fiery figure appeared, her allure rivaling the Saintesses, her status even loftier.
Yan Clan's Great Princess, Yan Hong Lian.
On the dais, the ten Elders tensed, uncertain if their Saintesses could best her.
Even Su Yan's calm wavered, her gaze pensive.
"Which Saintess does Lady Yan challenge?" the Protector asked hesitantly. Only Su Mei, nearing Late Nascent Soul, could face her.
Yan Hong Lian's tongue flicked her lips, her slender hand pointing to the serene figure.
Enunciating each word, she declared:
"I challenge her—Yan Ruo Xue!"