"Evernight Blade Sect offers three Bright Fruits in honor of the Daoist Master's ascension to the Heaven-Man Realm!"
...
Another round of gasps came from the crowd.
From the low murmurs around him, Ning Qi learned the origin of these Bright Fruits. The Evernight Blade Sect was founded in a place where a spiritual tree called the Bright Tree grew, emitting radiance day and night, making the surroundings as bright as day—hence the sect's name.
This Bright Tree only bore fruit once every ten years. The Bright Fruit could purify the body, enhance hearing and vision, and even slightly increase the user's comprehension. It was undoubtedly a top-grade spiritual fruit.
Ning Qi's eyes sparkled.
"Maybe I could get one Bright Fruit to study. If I can reverse engineer a cultivation method, I might be able to apply it to the Zhenwu Peach Tree."
He was quite hopeful.
The flood of gifts today was truly a great harvest.
Even beyond his expectations.
Though nominally given to Daoist Longshan, most of them would ultimately be stored in the Zhenwu Sect's treasury. As the Guardian of the Dao of the Zhenwu Sect, Ning Qi naturally had access. In a sense, these treasures might as well have been given to him.
He even thought about asking his Master to host a few more Heaven-Man Ceremonies like this.
Of course, Ning Qi wasn't a selfish person. Whatever treasures he obtained would ultimately benefit the entire Zhenwu Sect.
...
"Cangzhou's Misty Rain Pavilion presents one Ice Silkworm Armor..."
...
"Yunzhou's Ascetic Sect presents one Relic Pill..."
...
"Divine Sword Sect presents a pair of renowned swords..."
...
Gasps continued to ripple through the crowd.
Daoist Longshan was in high spirits.
Perhaps because of his previous battle with the Wang Clan Patriarch and even forcing the Wang Clan to bow its head, many factions had prepared their gifts with great care—far surpassing what would typically be seen at a Heaven-Man Ceremony.
This was natural.
People always act based on the situation.
Daoist Longshan had demonstrated a talent far beyond the average Heaven-Man. Many naturally wanted to hear his lecture and were more than willing to build good relations with him.
With even the Green Ox Bladesman coming to offer his congratulations today, it was clear they had not misjudged him.
Once the last guest finished presenting their gift.
The Dao Arena fell silent.
But instead of looking at Daoist Longshan, many eyes turned toward the remaining four Heaven-Man experts.
Now, only the gifts of these four remained.
Daoist Baihe felt the many gazes and smiled kindly.
He cupped his hands to those around him and said:
"Shall this old Daoist go first and embarrass myself?"
"Please, Master!"
Daoist Baihe smiled peacefully and said:
"The Zhenxuan Sect and Zhenwu Sect both belong to the Daoist path. Today, the Zhenxuan Sect offers 1,200 volumes of Daoist scriptures as a congratulatory gift. I hope Daoist Longshan will not find it lacking."
Daoist Longshan immediately waved his hands.
"Master Baihe, your gift is deeply appreciated by this humble Daoist!"
His eyes shone with joy—this gift had struck right at his heart.
Although he had inherited the Zhenwu legacy, most of it was martial arts, and his Daoist scripture foundation was relatively shallow. Today, with these 1,200 volumes from the Zhenxuan Sect, his foundation would be greatly enhanced.
Naturally, the Zhenxuan Sect would not offer anything trivial. Surely there would be many rare and unique scriptures among them.
Even more importantly, it symbolized the support of the Zhenxuan Sect. From now on, the Zhenwu Sect would no longer be so isolated within the Daoist community.
Ning Qi's eyes lit up as well.
He had already read through all the scriptures in the Scripture Pavilion. Now with 1,200 more Daoist volumes, his foundation would grow even deeper. Compared to martial manuals, Ning Qi actually preferred Daoist texts—many of them contained profound truths that could nourish him at crucial moments.
They were the source and fuel of his Dao comprehension and method creation.
What neither Master nor disciple knew was that the original gift from the Zhenxuan Sect had only been 800 volumes. But upon seeing the Green Ox Bladesman arrive and witnessing the depth of Zhenwu Sect's foundation, Daoist Baihe had secretly added 400 more. The scriptures were still en route, and no one would know—they could always send an additional batch with haste later.
This gift was plain and unpretentious—leaving no room for criticism.
Lord Xiaoyao laughed heartily:
"Master Baihe's exquisite gift makes mine look a bit shabby in comparison."
Everyone smiled.
Lord Xiaoyao pulled out a jade box from his robe. Once opened, it revealed a fiery red crystal.
"This is a Millennium Sunfire Jade. It has miraculous effects in nourishing the body and enhancing essence and energy. I heard Brother Longshan aims to cultivate the Three Realms of Heaven-Man, so I offer this to wish him a smooth path forward!"
Daoist Longshan was deeply moved.
The gift was valuable, but the sentiment even more so.
Lord Xiaoyao was a carefree man. If he acknowledged someone, even a beggar on the roadside could become his sworn brother. Daoist Longshan had met him during a training journey, and they'd been friends ever since.
This Millennium Sunfire Jade wasn't as simple as Lord Xiaoyao made it sound.
It greatly enhanced the cultivation of the Flower of Essence for Heaven-Man experts—truly a priceless treasure.
The faint envy in the Wang Clan Patriarch's eyes said it all.
"Brother Xiaoyao, I will remember your kindness!"
Daoist Longshan's expression was solemn.
Lord Xiaoyao only laughed and waved it off.
The Wang Clan Patriarch withdrew his envious gaze and tactfully continued the moment.
"Master Baihe and Lord Xiaoyao's gifts make this old man feel quite inadequate. To congratulate Daoist Longshan, I've brought a seed of the Enlightenment Tea Tree. I hope the Daoist Master won't mind."
There was a trace of barely noticeable awkwardness on his face.
Truly, with such remarkable gifts preceding him, his offering seemed lacking.
The Enlightenment Tea Tree was indeed extraordinary—a top-tier spiritual tree. Its leaves could aid in Dao comprehension, and the most refined leaves could even trigger moments of enlightenment!
If the Wang Clan Patriarch had presented a full-grown Enlightenment Tea Tree today, it would've made him the brightest presence at the event.
Unfortunately.
It was just a seed.
Cultivating that seed into a full Enlightenment Tea Tree was an incredibly difficult task, requiring untold time and effort—and it might not even succeed.
In fact.
The Wang Clan had tried for a long time after acquiring the seed, even damaging some of its vitality. With no better option, the patriarch had chosen to give it away as a gift. Otherwise, he would never have parted with it.
This seed was rather like an empty promise—it sounded good but was mostly for show. Among those in the know, it could easily become a source of embarrassment.
And how could the Heaven-Man experts not be in the know?
Even a few Core Formation Realm martial artists had odd expressions, but they quickly lowered their heads and pretended to sip their drinks to avoid being noticed by the patriarch.
The Wang Clan Patriarch was a bit annoyed inside. He had expected only one or two average Heaven-Man experts to attend this ceremony, in which case the Enlightenment Tea Tree seed would've saved face. He hadn't anticipated three Heaven-Man experts showing up—one of whom was even a powerhouse ranked on the Heaven-Man Ranking.
He hadn't seen this coming and now felt stuck in an awkward position.
Daoist Longshan merely smiled and gave thanks:
"Thank you, Patriarch Wang."
He hadn't expected anything overly precious from the Wang Clan Patriarch anyway—he hadn't even expected him to come in person.
To present a seed of the Enlightenment Tea Tree was already more than enough.