Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

At nightfall, the Lotus Stage.

The Lotus Stage, named after the lotus, was the most famous tavern in Lotus City.

Seven floors high, standing amidst the Lotus Pond next to the Southern Domain Palace, its top floor shaped like a lotus flower, it looked from afar like a proud, solitary white lotus on a field of turquoise waves.

As the sky darkened, the colorful lanterns hanging under the flying eaves of the Lotus Stage lit up one after another.

Seen from a distance, it was a sight of unmatched beauty!

Besides its unique structure, the immortal delicacies of the Lotus Stage were renowned throughout the Southern Domain and had even received praise from a Nascent Soul True Immortal.

However, dining at the Lotus Stage was far from cheap, and even with Spirit Stones in one's pocket but without any backing power, one simply could not book a private room, nor did they qualify to sit in the main hall.

Even though Wang Chen hadn't been in Lotus City for long, he had heard of the great reputation of the Lotus Stage.

Tonight, he was here to attend the gathering of newly initiated disciples of the West Sea Sect of the Southern Domain.

After showing his invitation to the doorkeeper, Wang Chen was led by a beautiful courtesan into the splendidly decorated main hall of the tavern, then took the Ascending Ladder straight to the fifth floor.

The Ascending Ladder was an elevator straight out of the fairy world, moving up and down, powered by an array.

The courtesan led Wang Chen to a luxurious private room on the fifth floor where about forty or fifty cultivators were already seated at four tables, enjoying a dance performance by the courtesans.

Fairy music wafted through the air, fragrant mist curled about, an extraordinary banquet scene unlike any in the mortal realm.

With a single sweep of his Divine Sense, Wang Chen was startled to find that, except for the serving courtesans, nearly all the cultivators present were from the Purple Mansion!

And most of them were quite young.

He even saw a young girl with two buns on her head who was at the second layer of the Purple Mansion's Cultivation Level!

A prodigy!

Thanks to his immortal cultivation interface, Wang Chen had been levelling up rapidly, breaking through Mansion at just over twenty years old, his pace of advancement undoubtedly extremely fast.

But compared to these chosen ones, he really wasn't much!

"Superior Wang has arrived,"

As he entered the private room, the guiding courtesan reported to everyone present.

A pair of scrutinizing eyes suddenly focused on Wang Chen, making him feel as if he were being pricked by needles.

Wang Chen, maintaining his composure, greeted them, "I, the latecomer Wang Chen, pay my respects to all the senior brothers and sisters!"

The gathering of newly initiated West Sea Sect disciples of the Southern Domain had a self-explanatory name; it was a networking event for new disciples. Noticing that many present were at the second or third layer of the Purple Mansion's Cultivation Level, he decided to act humbly and keep a low profile.

"Hahaha!"

At this moment, a young man dressed in a Cloud Brocade Robe came forward with a laugh, "Junior Brother Wang, you need not be so formal, we are all fellow sect members."

This man was handsome with an extraordinary air and at the third layer of the Purple Mansion's Cultivation Level.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

He introduced himself, "I am Yang Kaifeng from Lotus City. May I ask where you are from, Junior Brother?"

Wang Chen found it odd that the man who had sent him a Flying Sword Messaging didn't know his origins.

He frankly replied, "I'm from Wan City."

"Wan City?"

Yang Kaifeng was momentarily startled, "Where is that?"

Without showing his feelings Wang Chen answered, "North of Jade Dragon Mountain."

"Er..."

The smile faded slightly from Yang Kaifeng's face, "That place is quite far."

Before he could finish, someone snickered aloud.

Saying the place was far was just Yang Kaifeng being polite, to put it bluntly, it was an obscure backwater.

None of the cultivators present were ordinary, and they quickly understood that Wang Chen had no significant background; probably he had just lucked into becoming an Inner Sect Disciple of the West Sea Sect.

Yang Kaifeng, with deep slyness, maintained his smile, "Junior Brother, please take a seat here."

Wang Chen felt his smile was somewhat forced and realized he might have come to the wrong place tonight.

But since he was already here, leaving now would offend many.

There was no need for that.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Wang Chen sat down at the designated table Yang Kaifeng had pointed out.

There were the fewest people at this table, only seven including himself, and everyone kept a certain distance from each other.

The atmosphere at the table was far less lively and active than at the other three tables!

Wang Chen politely nodded to the cultivators at his table and started to slowly savor the Spiritual Tea that had just been poured by a servant girl on his own.

He quickly realized that in this private room, a dining table represented a circle of its own.

The core circle was the one where Yang Kaifeng sat. The ten cultivators at his table had an air of dragons and phoenixes about them, with a demeanor that showed they were from Noble Clans, the faint arrogance at the corners of their brows.

The topics they discussed were also so highbrow that Wang Chen could not understand the terms they used!

The other two tables were the most populated, practically full, and were somewhat less prestigious compared to Yang Kaifeng's circle.

Moreover, many people cast frequent glances towards Yang Kaifeng and his companions.

As for Wang Chen's table...

They were like lonesome ghosts and spirits!

Birds of a feather flock together, and this situation was only too normal.

Wang Chen guessed that the people at his table were in much the same situation as himself, perhaps slightly stronger, but only by a limited extent, and then were somehow subtly ostracized by the circle centered around Yang Kaifeng.

These cultivators looked somewhat aloof and antisocial; they didn't like to talk much, and there wasn't much interaction between them.

In contrast, Yang Kaifeng, as the host of this cultivation gathering, seemed particularly dazzling.

He was witty and at ease, constantly dishing out clever quips without neglecting any of his tablemates—a perfect host.

A top-notch social cultivator indeed!

After Wang Chen arrived, five or six more cultivators came one after another.

The time had not yet come, but everyone was already there.

Yang Kaifeng raised his glass and stood up, saying, "Fellow disciples, to meet is fate, let us drink this cup to the full!"

"To victory!"

Everyone raised their glasses in unison, and the atmosphere in the private room reached its peak.

Yang Kaifeng drained his glass and clapped his hands, saying, "Let the feast begin!"

Accompanied by the pleasant sound of celestial music, a line of beautiful servant girls entered one by one, presenting dish after dish of delicacies that were a feast for the senses, making one's mouth water just by looking at them.

It would be a waste not to eat, so Wang Chen picked up his ivory chopsticks and took a slice of fish laid on ice.

The jade-white fish was as thin as a cicada's wing, melting in the mouth with unparalleled freshness, and a rush of cool, pure Spiritual Energy poured straight into his stomach.

The Lotus Stage Immortal Feast truly lived up to its reputation!

Wang Chen couldn't help but feel his appetite surge, and he began to enjoy the meal with great relish.

He had no interest in fawning over Yang Kaifeng's circle but was very interested in the immortal feast, determined to carefully taste every delicious dish.

Comforting his stomach was worthwhile after the trouble of coming all this way tonight.

But what Wang Chen hadn't expected was that while he was enjoying himself in the corner, planning to dine and dash, someone had set their sights on him.

"Are you Wang Chen?"

A young cultivator with an air of arrogance approached Wang Chen and sneered, "You're the one who put on quite the show in the Lichun Courtyard some time ago, aren't you?"

His voice rang out clearly into everyone's ears, and the lively atmosphere of the scene suddenly paused.

The gazes of dozens of cultivators once again focused on Wang Chen!

Surprise, curiosity, disdain, mockery, pity...

A range of emotions flashed across their faces!

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