Cultivating with Bragging System

"Look over here, folks! Top-quality Bloody Jiao Vine, the very essence of yang! A miraculous aphrodisiac! Use shape to replenish shape; everyone who's tried it says it's excellent! Just a small piece a day, and I guarantee you'll be as vigorous as a dragon. Forty-nine times a night will be no problem at all…"

"My neighbor, Brother Wang, and I are both using it!"

DING!

[Detected someone nearby bragging. Congratulations, Host, for gaining Mana +25!]

…

"Hehuan Sect's Yin-Yang Secret Method, the Poison Dragon Drill! It's sneaky and powerful, strikes when least expected, and attacks where the enemy must defend—a fatal blow! Truly the best choice for murder, plunder, and backstabbing your teammates when you're on the road!"

"Only 100 Spirit Stones! You can't lose, you can't be fooled!"

DING!

[Detected someone nearby bragging. Congratulations, Host, for gaining Mana +23!]

…

"Huanxi Pavilion's latest invention: the Double-Headed Dragon Thunderstrike Staff! It's powerful, barbed, attacks from both ends, and even emits a light electric current when activated. It's without a doubt the ultimate magical treasure for subduing female cultivators!"

"Just nine hundred and ninety-eight, and I guarantee she'll be too thrilled to breathe!"

DING!

[Detected someone nearby bragging. Congratulations, Host, for gaining Mana +23!]

…

Just from walking from the outskirts to the city center, Wang Xiu's cultivation level rose another notch.

It couldn't be helped. There were simply too many people bragging, a constant, dense crowd of them that never let up.

Honestly, if the opening of the Ancient Sanctuary weren't so imminent, Wang Xiu would have loved to stay here for three days and three nights. That feeling… it was just too incredible!

…

In the center of Vermilion Bird City stood another wall, splitting the entire city into inner and outer halves. The outer city was overflowing with people, while the inner city was far more spacious.

A checkpoint was set up at the gate.

"Holy Academy badges!" behind a desk, a Nascent Soul Stage elder spoke without even looking up.

The so-called Holy Academy badges were, in fact, the tokens that granted a spot in the Academy. Most of the Great Immortal Sects distributed them before their departure.

Wang Xiu and the others handed their badges over. The Nascent Soul Stage elder took them, glanced at the information, and his head snapped up. He stared at Wang Xiu's group. "The Sanqing Immortal Sect?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it wasn't quiet, either. Everyone nearby heard him, and as if a switch had been flipped, their heads all whipped around to scrutinize Wang Xiu's group. Wang Xiu keenly sensed the distinct lack of goodwill in their stares.

"Are they from the Sanqing Immortal Sect?"

"One, two, three… Heavens, they have one hundred and twenty spots!"

"If it were the Sanqing Immortal Sect at its peak, we wouldn't say a thing about them taking these spots… But the Sanqing of today is nothing but a bottom-tier sect. On what grounds do they deserve so many?"

"I heard the Immortal Alliance originally only prepared eighty spots for the Sanqing Immortal Sect. The rest… they practically strong-armed them into giving them up!"

"Eighty became one hundred and twenty? What are they, bandits?"

"My Fuyao Cave Heaven was forced to give up two spots! My brother was originally qualified to enter the Ancient Sanctuary, but now his chance has gone up in smoke! This is an opportunity that comes only once every eight hundred years!"

"It was the same for my Hanhai Cave Heaven!"

"..."

Hearing the murmurs from the crowd, Li Zuoyue and the others exchanged glances, their smiles bitter.

"I was wondering how our Sanqing Immortal Sect suddenly got so many extra spots… so this is how it happened?" Li Zuoyue said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Xiang Tiange snorted. "The Sect Leader did this for the great revival of Sanqing. As for these people… it seems that after eight hundred years, they've long forgotten the sacrifices our Sanqing ancestors made! Without Sanqing, would they enjoy the peace they have today?"

"Be careful," Qin Guangling warned.

Huang Yunchong shifted the Yin-Yang Gourd on his back, looking ready to make a move at any moment.

Ji Zidian let out a delicate huff. "If they want a fight, then let's fight! It's not like we're afraid of them! Ouch! Senior Brother, what are you doing~"

She was halfway through her threat when she felt a tap on her head. It was Wang Xiu. She immediately pouted, feeling wronged.

Wang Xiu ignored her, walking up to the Nascent Soul Stage elder in charge of registration. He smiled and cupped his fist. "Esteemed Senior, is there a problem with our badges?"

The elder glanced at him and shook his head. "No, there's no problem, but…"

Wang Xiu said, "Since there's no problem, we juniors will head inside so we don't hold up the fellow cultivators behind us. We appreciate your hard work, Senior!"

Before the elder could say anything more, Wang Xiu made a sweeping motion with his hand, collecting all the badges they had just handed over. He then led Xiang Tiange, Ji Zidian, and the others toward the inner city.

The guards at the inner city gate frowned slightly, looking to the elder as if for instructions. The elder stared at Wang Xiu's back for a long moment before finally looking away and giving a nearly imperceptible shake of his head.

The guards understood the signal. They opened the gate and let them pass.

…

Once they passed through the gate, the atmosphere grew even more tense. There were already several thousand cultivators in the inner city. Upon seeing the group from the Sanqing Immortal Sect approach, they moved as one, gradually forming a semicircle to block their path forward.

These people hailed from the various Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands. They were the cream of the crop, the absolute top talents in all of Nanzhou. Now, they were acting in concert, and even without a word, the invisible pressure from their collective stare was immense.

Even the ever-confident Xiang Tiange clenched his fists, ready to shed his robes and fight at a moment's notice.

Wang Xiu stood at the head of his group. Looking at the crowd forming a ring around them, his face showed not a flicker of fear. Instead, he wore a faint smile as he continued walking forward, his calm and collected demeanor drawing astonished glances.

"Who is that?"

"I've never seen him."

"I recognize the two behind him, though. The Pure Yang Warlord, Xiang Tiange, and the Heavenly Time Sword Lord, Li Zuoyue. Both are famous names on the Golden Core Ranking!"

"And yet, figures like them seem to be following that young man's lead?"

"Hiss..."

The distance between the two groups shrank. The area grew quieter, the murmurs of discussion fading into silence. Everyone's heart began to pound, tense with anticipation for the clash that seemed imminent. Although the outcome was hardly in doubt, a confrontation of this scale before the Ancient Sanctuary had even opened was enough to make one's blood boil.

THUD!

Wang Xiu stopped. A few feet in front of him stood a youth in white robes. His expression was tense, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist, ready to draw it at any second.

Behind him, the members of the Sanqing Immortal Sect were equally tense, prepared for battle.

Just when everyone assumed a fight was about to break out, Wang Xiu's expression suddenly softened into a warm smile. He took the initiative, stepping forward to shake the white-robed youth's hand. "I see that you have a magnificent bearing, sir, and the auspicious aura between your brows tells me you are a man blessed by great fortune… You are clearly one of this world's rare chosen geniuses. Might I be so honored as to make your acquaintance?"

The white-robed youth was stunned. "Ah?"

Wang Xiu stepped even closer, his face a mask of sincerity. "May I ask your esteemed name?"

Still bewildered by the situation, the youth answered instinctively, "Shen Taixu of the Taixu Cave Heaven!"

A look of comprehension dawned on Wang Xiu's face. He spoke with heartfelt earnestness, "So you're the Taixu Sword Lord, ranked nineteenth on the Golden Core Ranking! I am Wang Xiu, from the Divination Sect of the Sanqing Immortal Sect. I have long admired your name! I have heard tales of the heroic Taixu Sword Lord, a man brimming with youthful vigor, as bold as a young dragon soaring to the heavens. Seeing you today, I know that you truly live up to your great name!"

Hearing Wang Xiu's praise, Shen Taixu's fair face flushed red. He scratched the back of his head and grinned foolishly. "Not at all, not at all. You're too kind, haha!"

The crowd: "..."

As the saying goes, you don't slap a smiling face. With Wang Xiu greeting him so amicably, the harsh words Shen Taixu had prepared suddenly had no outlet.

Nearby, a woman in purple robes shot Shen Taixu a disdainful look. So much for the Taixu Sword Lord! He gets a few flattering words from this Sanqing Immortal Sect charlatan and he's so turned around he doesn't know which way is up! The Divination Sect of the Sanqing Immortal Sect! Can you trust a single word from those people? Is anything they say true?

Hearing her, Shen Taixu spun around in anger, drawing his sword and pointing it at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The woman in purple seemed unafraid. She snorted coldly, about to retort.

Just then, Wang Xiu's gaze shifted to her, his eyes filled with profound admiration. "This lady has the beauty of a Heavenly Immortal and the cool poise of the autumn frost. She is like a fairy from the Nine Heavens descended to the mortal realm, so captivating she haunts one's very soul… If I'm not mistaken, you must be the famed Fairy Zi Yan, ranked forty-sixth on the Hundred Flowers Ranking, correct?"

Zi Yan was stunned for a long moment. She stared at Wang Xiu's flawless face, his praise echoing in her ears, and a sweet, pleasant feeling blossomed in her heart. She desperately wanted to smile. But her reason told her she couldn't, that she absolutely must not believe this charlatan's words.

She took a deep breath and said, "Oh, my! This Junior Brother may be young, but your eyes are certainly sharp! Hehe~"

The crowd: "..."