Chapter Three: Sights and Stories Among the Hundred Flowers

Looking out, the vast Hundred Flowers Valley was divided in two by a large lake at its center. In the middle of the lake lay a small island, upon which stood a six-sided stone pavilion. Tang Yi was sitting inside, slouched unceremoniously on a stone bench, his right shoe off and foot tucked under him, while his left leg bounced incessantly. In his left hand he held a cup of tea; with his right, he crammed a large piece of watermelon into his mouth, all the while exclaiming, “Mm, delicious, delicious!” Hong, Bai, and Lan each sat silently on their own stone benches, watching Tang Yi gorge himself in speechless resignation.

Two winding bridges linked the island to both shores. At that moment, two young disciples from the Hundred Flowers Sword Sect’s residence—a man and a woman, both about the same age as Bai Jianyuan and his companions—crossed one of the bridges and entered the pavilion. Seeing them approach, Bai Jianyuan and the others immediately stood to greet them with clasped fists. “Senior Brother, Senior Sister.”

The young man returned the gesture. “No need for such formalities, junior brothers.” Together with the young woman, he then saluted Tang Yi. “I am Liu Zhongyuan. Greetings, Master Tang.”

“Oh... oh. Hello, Senior Brother, Senior Sister.” Tang Yi replied casually, his mouth still stuffed, leaving the pair unsure how to respond. The atmosphere grew awkward, broken only by the sound of Tang Yi eating and drinking.

Liu Zhongyuan, being an old hand in the martial world, quickly recovered and addressed Tang Yi: “Our sect has prepared food and drink to welcome you, Master Tang. Please, let us escort you there.”

“There’s food? Why are we still here, then? Let’s go!” At the mention of food, Tang Yi leapt up, hastily putting on his shoe and leading the way.

Upon reaching the opposite shore, Tang Yi had to stop. Faced with a cluster of buildings, he had no idea which one was meant for the feast in his honor. He pretended to admire the scenery, gazing around. Truth be told, Hundred Flowers Valley was breathtaking—spring all year round, flowers in perpetual bloom. The fragrance of blossoms drifted on the breeze, mingling with the fresh scent of grass, making one’s spirit soar. Tang Yi was in high spirits. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, reflecting on recent events—so surreal that he wondered if he was dreaming. Ever since he’d been sucked into a black hole and found himself in a world filled with superpowers, his fate had been transformed. His unique abilities had made him the terror he now was.

He’d wanted to be a hero, to save the Earth and humanity. In the end, he saved that world, only to inexplicably arrive in this strange universe. Though it was still called Earth, who knew if he wouldn’t be sucked into another black hole and sent to some unknown world? With that thought, Tang Yi resolved not to use his black hole power unless absolutely necessary, and even then, to hold back half his strength—just in case.

This world was peculiar, but with his superpowers, he should have no trouble getting by. Back home, no one liked him, but here, everyone treated him as an honored guest upon witnessing his abilities—a world of difference. The thought made Tang Yi shout, “Oh yeah!” and he raised his right hand in a V for victory.

Liu Zhongyuan and his group were startled. “What’s wrong with this Master Tang?” Tang Yi was thoroughly enjoying himself. He was becoming decadent.

Led by Liu Zhongyuan, the group reached the banquet hall, where the sect leader of the Hundred Flowers Sword Sect, Fang Zheng, was already waiting. Fang Zheng greeted Tang Yi with a clasped fist. “I am Fang Zheng, sect leader of the Hundred Flowers Sword Sect. We have long awaited your arrival, Master Tang. Please, take your seat.”

Tang Yi returned the salute perfunctorily. “Thank you. Then I won’t stand on ceremony—I’ll eat first!” Without further ado, he began to devour the dishes at an alarming rate, much to the dismay of Fang Zheng and the elders, who could only watch in silent embarrassment. Though Hua Ruoxue had warned them that Tang Yi was eccentric, they hadn’t expected anything like this.

In truth, Tang Yi couldn’t be blamed. He had forcibly used his powers to create a super black hole, a feat that drained his energy immensely. He hadn’t eaten much before, and after arriving in this world, he hadn’t eaten at all. He was running on empty—his life force itself was depleted. But since he was effectively immortal, it didn’t really matter. Still, he needed massive amounts of food to replenish his energy—he could eat more than a pig!

While Tang Yi feasted, in the Blood Kill Sect’s Azure Robe Hall, Cheng Tiansheng was reporting the failure of the previous day’s mission. “I failed in my duty, Hall Master. Please punish me!”

“Enough. You’re not to blame for this. I will report to the Sect Master myself. You may go.” Hearing this, Cheng Tiansheng quickly withdrew, but he knew that if he hadn’t returned without any casualties, his position would be forfeit, perhaps even leading to his expulsion from the sect—a true disaster.

The Blood Kill Sect—one of the six great sects of the cultivation world—had enjoyed a string of successes recently. In the past thirty years, at each of the three selection events, the Blood Kill Sect had supplied nearly a hundred promising candidates to the Blood Fiend Sect, including one with a rare innate constitution. Moreover, in the past two years, disciples on training missions had discovered a small but rich spirit stone mine, greatly pleasing Su Xiong, the current Blood Fiend Sect leader.

But the news from the Blood Kill Sect today left Su Xiong deeply displeased. Someone from the cultivation world had blatantly interfered in mortal affairs, and, more importantly, had targeted the Blood Kill Sect, the sect’s mortal-world bridge. That was unacceptable. Su Xiong made his way to the communications array—a device all sects possessed in varying numbers. Even the smallest sect or family would have one or two of these, which allowed for real-time voice and video communication—much like a video call.

The Blood Fiend Sect had no shortage of such arrays. On the mountainside, a large plaza had been carved out, one side of which was a vast stone wall lined with over a hundred stone chambers, each containing a communication array. The chambers varied in size; the smallest could barely hold five or six people and the device itself. Su Xiong entered a chamber three times larger than most—reserved for the highest-ranking members such as the sect leader and elders.

Inside, the walls were inlaid with glowing stones that filled the chamber with a soft, gentle light. Su Xiong approached the communication array, whose base was as large as an executive’s desk, and etched with patterns emitting a faint blue glow. In the center was a rectangular slot, above which stood a half-meter-wide circular, mirror-like screen.

Su Xiong drew a rectangular jade token from his robes and inserted it into the slot. The round screen emitted a gentle blue glow, flickering for five or six minutes before resolving into an image. An elderly man with a childlike face, white hair and beard, was stroking his long whiskers. This was Lu Changsheng, current leader of the Divine Sword Sect.

He greeted Su Xiong with a smile. “What’s got you in such a hurry, Little Su?”

Su Xiong, visibly angry, replied, “Elder Lu, someone has broken the rules, interfering in the mortal world—and targeted our Blood Kill Sect. I request that we advance the Ten-Year Selection Assembly.”

“Advance it? That seems unnecessary. It’s only a few days away; what’s the rush?” Elder Lu replied.

“Precisely because it’s so close, I want it moved up. Such rule-breaking must be handled severely, or it will affect the entire cultivation world.” Su Xiong insisted.

“And what exactly happened?” Elder Lu stroked his beard.

“…That’s the situation. Elder Lu, this can’t be taken lightly,” Su Xiong urged. He knew full well that Elder Lu must already know, but since the Divine Sword Sect stood to benefit, Lu was feigning ignorance.

“If it didn’t concern your interests, would you be so anxious? Besides, the Hundred Flowers Sword Sect is under the Divine Sword Sect, after all. You give me no face at all,” Lu thought to himself, but said aloud, “Very well. I’ll help notify the other great sects. Let’s set the assembly for ten days from now, on the first of next month. That will give us time to investigate this Tang Yi, who dares to meddle at such a time.”

“Thank you, Elder Lu. I’ll notify Kunlun and Qingcheng. Shushan and Emei, I’ll leave to you.” With that, Su Xiong withdrew his jade token and inserted another.

The leaders of the great sects were all puzzled by the news, including Su Xiong himself. There were only twenty days until the once-in-a-decade assembly. Normally, in the two years leading up to the event, all sects and families would strictly forbid their disciples from descending the mountain, precisely to avoid such incidents.

Tang Yi was now reclining comfortably on a chaise lounge, nibbling fruit and listening to Fang Zheng recount amusing stories about the Hundred Flowers Sword Sect. “Master Fang, could you tell me more about the cultivation world?” Tang Yi asked.

Fang Zheng was speechless. Where had this Tang “Master” come from, knowing nothing at all? If not for his terrifying strength, Fang Zheng would have suspected him of being a fraud. Though Tang Yi had done the sect a great favor, Fang Zheng had nonetheless reported everything to the Divine Sword Sect, just in case.

Awed by Tang Yi’s power, Fang Zheng told him everything he knew. After all, today’s novice might be tomorrow’s master; Fang Zheng had no wish to offend such a man, nor dared he deceive him.

“So, by intervening, I’ve landed myself in a heap of trouble. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered. Now I’m eating even more than a pig!” Tang Yi said regretfully after hearing about the attitudes of the cultivation world toward the mortal realm. Though he could have changed things, he didn’t want to—he was simply too confident in his own power, convinced he was now invincible. This notion would later cost him dearly.

Fang Zheng broke into a cold sweat, unsure what to do, but then Tang Yi said, “Forget it, whatever happens, happens. Go on—what other interesting things are there?” Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. “Let me think… Right, in twenty days, the cultivation world will hold its once-in-a-decade Selection Assembly. I hear it’s quite a spectacle, but I know very little about it myself.”

“Oh, a spectacle? Is there any way I could attend, or do you know where it’s held?” Tang Yi asked, clearly interested. Fang Zheng hesitated. The assembly was strictly for cultivators; he’d only heard rumors of it. As for the location, the heads of the mortal world’s sects knew, but even the greatest martial artists couldn’t reach it. Fang Zheng told Tang Yi all he knew.

“So I might have a chance after all? Excellent! By the way, do you have a map? Otherwise, how will I find it?” Tang Yi asked excitedly.

“Uh, Master Tang, there’s something I’m not sure I should say…” Fang Zheng said solemnly.

“So serious? Go ahead.” Tang Yi replied nonchalantly.

“Master, after your intervention, the Blood Kill Sect will surely report to their superiors. This could be a major issue. If you attend the Selection Assembly, you’ll be walking right into their hands!” Fang Zheng warned.

“No need to worry! Such things are a piece of cake for me. Come, show me the map.”

“Very well, I’ll take you,” Fang Zheng said helplessly, leading Tang Yi to his study.

Fang Zheng’s study was spacious; opposite the entrance hung a large wall covered by a curtain. When Fang Zheng drew the curtain aside, Tang Yi saw a map of the world, much like the one from his original world, but with different names. This was the Map of the Great Song.

The next day, with luggage prepared by the Hundred Flowers Sword Sect, Tang Yi bade farewell to Hong, Bai, Lan, and Fang Zheng, mounted his horse, and set out for the assembly. Now that he knew the location, everything was simple. He decided to travel slowly—perhaps he’d have some romantic encounter along the way. Humming a tune atop his horse, he let the animal amble at its own pace, taking half a day just to reach Hundred Flowers Town. Last time, he’d been in too much of a hurry to appreciate the place; now he intended to take his time. He dismounted, leading his horse leisurely through the streets.

“First, a good lunch. Once you get used to eating, it’s hard to stop! At least I don’t have to worry about getting fat, or that would be a tragedy.” Handing his reins to a stable boy, he strolled into an inn called the Ru Family Inn.

“Have you heard? The Azure Robe Hall of the Blood Kill Sect failed their mission this time,” a heavily-hatted diner said to his companion.

“Really? I’ve never heard of the Azure Robe Hall failing—since the Green Robe Hall and above, the Blood Kill Sect has had a spotless record! How many casualties this time?” another, who knew the sect well, asked.

“Casualties? Here’s the strange part: both sides had injuries, but not a single death. Even stranger, all the wounds were superficial—nothing worth remembering!”

“How odd! I heard a cultivator arrived at the Hundred Flowers Sword Sect yesterday. Could it be connected?”…