It was the fifteenth day of the fifth month—the Buddha Bathing Festival.

Kaihuang City was awash in jubilation, adorned with lanterns and colorful banners. The civilians rose early and knelt in worship before the Buddha statues in their homes.

If circumstances allowed, they would also visit Kaihuang Temple to pay homage to the Buddha and offer food to the monks, commemorating the World-Honored One's birth. Such was the devotion of Kaihuang City’s people to Buddhism and their reverence for the World-Honored One.

Even Lu Yang, who had no understanding of incense offering power, could sense the power being generated at this moment. Perhaps this was how the abundant masterless incense offering power in the Buddhist Kingdom had been accumulated day by day over countless years.

Only one person seemed unimpressed. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

“It’s not this immortal’s birthday today.” The Everlasting Immortal Fairy pouted, clearly displeased.

Come to think of it, I’ve known her for so long, yet I still don’t know when her birthday is. A thought stirred in Lu Yang’s mind. “When is your birthday, Immortal Fairy?”

“The first day of the sixth month.”

“Then what day is it today?” Lu Yang felt that a festival couldn’t have been created without reason. Surely this day holds some significance.

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy rubbed her chin and let out a soft “hmm.” Xiao Yangzi’s question is somewhat tricky. “The fifteenth day of the fifteenth month. I have experienced it so many times. Who knows... Ah, no, I’m only sixteen.”

She eyed Lu Yang warily. He didn’t hear me mumble just now, right?

As a minister, Lu Yang knew well that even if he had heard some things, he should pretend he hadn’t. With a blank expression, he asked, “Immortal Fairy, why are you looking at me like that?”

Only then did the Everlasting Immortal Fairy feel reassured to continue reminiscing.

“I remember now! Today is the anniversary of the first time this immortal defeated the Heaven Mandate Immortal and the other three after becoming an immortal!”

Lu Yang looked at the commoners splashing water in celebration along the streets. A subtle expression crossed his face.

Is today really worth celebrating?

Kaihuang City’s streets were packed with surging crowds, more bustling than ever since the city’s founding. No Buddha Bathing Festival before had been this lively.

Even Master Duanchen was overjoyed. He had known that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou wielded great influence, but he had not expected it to be this immense. The turnout was several times higher than any previous record. Even the monks assigned to maintain order were stretched thin.

When Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou passed by, they glanced at the arena stage, which was surrounded by throngs of spectators.

On the stage, cultivators at the Qi Training, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core stages displayed their various abilities, vying to pass the preliminary rounds.

As judges, the two naturally couldn’t comment on every match; that would be beneath their station. Only when the cultivators passed the preliminaries, stood out from the crowd, and entered the top eight would Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou make their entrance as judges to offer critiques.

Hence, even though the cultivators didn’t care for the prizes, every one of them would do whatever it took to squeeze into the top eight and receive the two’s commentaries. Any person praised by the two would gain fame instantly.

“Their levels are all pretty average.” Lu Yang watched for a moment. They hovered around the mid-tier of their respective levels, and even the slightly better ones were merely above average. No one was capable of challenging beyond their level.

“Make do. Do you think this is our sect, where prodigies are everywhere?”

Suddenly, the crowd stirred. Someone pointed at a Golden Core cultivator ascending the stage and exclaimed, “Look! That’s Huo Ying! It’s said that he completed the Zhuque[1] Trial at Zhuque Temple and advanced to ninety-ninth place on the Earth Ranking!”

“Why is he here?”

Lu Yang’s expression turned peculiar. He turned to Meng Jingzhou and asked, “What is this Earth Ranking?”

Meng Jingzhou shook his head. “Never heard of it.”

Lu Yang tapped the shoulder of the loudest spectator at the outermost edge. Surely this person would know. “Excuse me, could you tell me what the Earth Ranking is?”

The man turned, surprised by the question. “You don’t even know about the Earth Ranking?”

“Mmhm, we’re cultivators from the Great Xia. We’ve come to the Buddhist Kingdom to participate in the competition,” Lu Yang replied honestly.

“No wonder you don’t know. Our Buddhist Kingdom’s Xitian Temple ranks cultivators to encourage them.

“There are three leaderboards in total: the Human Ranking for Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Earth Ranking for Golden Core cultivators, and the Heaven Ranking for Nascent Soul cultivators. Each ranking has a hundred spots.

“See Huo Ying on the stage? He’s ninety-ninth on the Earth Ranking for prodigies. He is ninety-ninth among Golden Core cultivators! It’s said that even Basic Nascent Soul cultivators are no match for him. Though no battle achievements have been reported yet, everyone says his strength rivals that of veteran Basic Nascent Soul cultivators!”

The man grew more excited as he spoke, as if Huo Ying were some remarkable figure.

“Who would have thought he would come to participate in Kaihuang City’s Buddha Bathing Festival? At this rate, the other cultivators won’t stand a chance!”

Lu Yang finally understood. No wonder Huo Ying seems somewhat skilled. So it’s because he is ranked among the Buddhist Kingdom’s Golden Core cultivators. This is a prodigy comparable to Lady White Bone!

“Why didn’t they continue ranking beyond the Heaven Ranking? I would like to see where I’d rank.” Meng Jingzhou shook his head regretfully. I’ve come to the Buddhist Kingdom too late. Had I known about the rankings, I would have come when I was at the Nascent Soul Stage.

Suddenly, the crowd erupted in cheers again, each wave louder than the last.

“It’s Fang Wudi![2] He’s ranked ninety-fifth on the Earth Ranking! He’s come too!”

“What? The Fang Wudi who obtained the supreme cultivation method from the Harsh Sand Secret Domain!”

“Even he came!”

“A clash between dragons and tigers indeed.”

A battle between two cultivators on the Earth Ranking—what a rare display!

“Fang Wudi, I didn’t expect you to come as well!” Huo Ying’s expression grew grave, as if he were facing a formidable foe. Though he had never fought Fang Wudi, he had heard many stories about him. There must be a reason he ranks above me.

“I’ve heard you possess the Innate Supreme Physique. When you were born, a golden dragon coiled and entered your body, turning into your birthmark. Later, you absorbed pure yang energy at noon and drew qi into your body, achieving the Foundation Establishment Stage in a hundred days. In the Harsh Sand Secret Domain, you formed your golden core and forged yourself into iron skin and copper bones. You’ve nearly reached the pinnacle of body refinement!”

“I was just passing through and thought I’d give it a try.” Fang Wudi produced an iron staff from his storage ring. It was unclear how many outlaws had met their end beneath that staff.

“Huo Ying, huh? You’re not bad either. I’ve heard your mother is the Holy Maiden of the Mystic Insight Holy Land. Before you were born, you were tempered with great medicines. When you were born, you held a strand of Innate Purple Qi. Later, you annihilated the wolf bandits, fought flying corpses, roamed three thousand li across the great desert, escorted sacred relics while battling peerless foes, and even turned your back on the Holy Land in a rage for the sake of a beauty. That’s truly admirable...”

The two locked gazes. The battle was on the verge of breaking out at any moment.

The spectators’ blood boiled with excitement. Who would have thought they would get to witness such a battle at the Buddha Bathing Festival right from the start?

Lu Yang watched the battle between Huo Ying and Fang Wudi intently. Seeing them evenly matched, he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. It’s hard to imagine that there are three people ranked between them.

“The Buddhist Kingdom truly has experts. They managed to rank them despite such small gaps.”

Meng Jingzhou watched for a long while, yet failed to see anything exceptional about the two.

“Wait, these two talked each other up for so long, and this is all they’ve got? When I was at the Golden Core Stage, I could have taken them both on myself.”

1. Vermillion Bird ☜

2. “Wudi” means unbeatable. ☜