Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 542: Fool's Luck

Yun Xiao turned at the sound, looking back.

Beneath the dark canvas of the sky where lantern lights flickered, two women approached from the bustling street market. They were not merely as beautiful as Immortals; they were genuine celestial maidens of the nine heavens!

A mystical fog wrapped around them, their skin smooth as jellied cream, faces fresh as blossoming peach flowers. Their long dresses were adorned with precious jade, their hairpins glimmering like stars in the milky way. Their charming faces, aquiline noses, and willow-leaf brows complemented their graceful figures, which stood proudly above the mortal dust.

It was the younger in the green dress who spoke. Her eyes, green as clear water, were lively and lucid, reflecting a clarity and nobility that made her seem both naively charming and approachable. Her delicate form seemed to float yet possessed strength, surrounded by a vast aura of immortal essence.

Her beauty alone, if descended to the mortal realm, would surely compel all beings to worship her.

Trailing behind was a woman in a blue dress, taller than the one in green, with a figure that curved in enticing outlines. Her blue eyes were as calm as the deep sea, exuding a tranquility, elegance, and maturity that contrasted sharply with her companion. Her brow held a depth of composure that well matched the solitary, revered, and ethereally beautiful image of a Heavenly Immortal.

Though one appeared playful and the other refined, their facial features bore some resemblance, making it easy to deduce they were sisters.

Clearly, the girl in green was the younger sister.

It was she who had spoken. When Yun Xiao turned around, she glanced at the roster and the name Lu Yao sparked her anger.

"Registering," Yun Xiao said, expressionless.

"Register, register, register your head!" The girl in green stepped forward, her scent crisp and refreshing as it hit Yun Xiao's nose, her annoyance clear as she demanded, "Quickly, by the order of this commander, erase your name."

"Commander?" Yun Xiao asked, puzzled.

"You don't know me?" she asked in surprise.

"No," he shook his head.

"What a bumpkin." She pulled a platinum-colored Suan Ni token from her bosom, nearly pressing it against Yun Xiao's nose.

He recognized the token; Liu Mumu had one too—a symbol of a Rank 8 Arbiter Commander. The token bore three elegant, flowing characters.

Her name was Jiang Heqing. This name also appeared on the board behind Yun Xiao, ranking just above his own.

It was said that at just 20 years old, she was the youngest Rank 8 Celestial Officer at the Skyruler Immortal Manor in Sky Soaring City, setting numerous records and shining as the city's brightest prodigy.

"Now do you know who I am?" the girl in green asked.

"I do. Lu Yao pays his respects to Commander Jiang." Yun Xiao nodded.

"Good, now erase your name," the girl in green said bluntly.

By erasing, she meant withdrawing his registration, something that indeed required his personal action.

"Why?" Yun Xiao asked calmly.

"I have important matters to attend to tomorrow morning. I don't have time!" the girl in green said irritably.

Yun Xiao understood. Originally, if there were five nominees and five registrations, then tomorrow's selection in Sky Soaring City would merely be a formality, not wasting her time.

With Yun Xiao registering, making it six candidates for five spots, she would have to attend.

"Erase it. What are you staring at? Idiot," the girl in green exclaimed impatiently when he didn't respond, her temper flaring.

Yun Xiao shook his head. "Commander Jiang, according to the rules, I have the right to compete, so I definitely will not withdraw my registration."

The girl in green could hardly believe her ears.

"Are you out of your mind?" she asked coldly, staring at him.

Yun Xiao didn't want to argue further and turned to leave.

"Stop right there!" The girl in green flashed in front of him, her eyes now sparking with anger. "Tell me, who sent you to annoy me?"

"Commander Jiang, if you want to fight, we can do so tomorrow morning. Fighting now wouldn’t draw an audience," Yun Xiao said.

"Shut up!" The girl in green grabbed his collar, glaring at him with her big green eyes. "Are you an Arbiter in training? Who oversees you?"

"What does that have to do with my registration?" Yun Xiao pulled her hand away, his gaze chilling.

"You dare touch me?"

The girl in green quickly retracted her hand when their skin touched, looking at Yun Xiao with even greater irritation and unable to hold back any longer, she snapped, "So you're a little Rank Arbiter Initiate, and you dare be insolent in front of me? No one has taught you manners, so I will!"

As she spoke, it seemed she was about to make a move.

"Qingqing." At that moment, the woman in blue appeared beside the girl in green, holding her hand with a slightly frosty demeanor.

"At the gate of Skyruler Immortal Manor, don’t cause trouble," the woman in blue told the girl in green.

"Sister! This guy's like a stubborn mule, he must be sick in the head!" the girl in green complained.

Throughout her life, from childhood to adulthood, everyone she encountered, even many high-ranking elders, had always bowed and scraped to her.

She had never met someone like Yun Xiao before.

The woman in blue glanced indifferently at Yun Xiao and said, "Forget it, just make time to come tomorrow morning."

"That won't do, sister! My 20th birthday is a big deal, I have too much to do, and I only have time tomorrow morning. I must leave for the Thunder Department in the afternoon," the girl in green urgently explained.

"He's currently under the care of Sister Mumu; you should speak to her," the woman in blue suggested.

"Do you know him?" asked the girl in green.

Without looking at Yun Xiao, the woman in blue replied, "I just heard about the incident in Sangju City. There was an Arbiter named Lu Yao who survived. It must be him."

"Oh? Fool's luck?" The girl in green blinked her beautiful eyes, glared at Yun Xiao, and bit her lip. "You little wretch, just wait. I'm going to find Sister Mumu right now and knock all your teeth out."

With that, she restrained herself from violence. They entered the Skyruler Immortal Manor.

Not two steps in, the girl in green asked, puzzled, "Even if he's under Sister Mumu, doesn't he understand his place? Wouldn't a beating do him some good?"

The woman in blue shook her head. "I've learned a bit about him. Though his life is as cheap as grass, he seems to be a pawn that Liu Zongyu is using to challenge Lord Lu. Our father is about to be promoted; let's not get involved in their messy affairs."

"A pawn?" The girl in green rolled her eyes. "No wonder he's as dumb as a post. What background does he think he has, trying to grab my hand? Lucky I dodged quickly, or I would have been defiled."

"You silly child, a touch of the hand is hardly a defilement…" the woman in blue said with a mix of laughter and exasperation, caressing the young girl's cheek.

"Hehe," the girl in green giggled, then suddenly remembered something and quietly asked, "But I heard that Jiang Lanyue, that illegitimate child, was also slaughtered?"

"That's correct." The woman in blue's gaze turned chilly. "But isn't that a good thing for us?"

"What about father?" the girl in green asked.

"Who knows if he cares? He has plenty of illegitimate children who can't be brought into the light. He wouldn't grieve if a few died," the woman in blue remarked.

"True…" The girl in green nodded thoughtfully. "Still, Liu Zongyu daring to kill Jiang Lanyue along the way shows no small amount of guts."

"He probably got carried away," the woman in blue said with a cold laugh.

"Sister, should we still go to Liu Mumu?" asked the girl in green.

"Now is not the time. It would only trouble father." The woman in blue shook her head.

"But my birthday feast…" The thought alone nearly brought the girl in green to tears. She had planned this day for a long time.

All the second-generation Immortals of Sky Soaring City had received invitations, and yet she, the star of the show, had to make a trip to Skyruler Immortal Manor.

Though it might not delay her much, it was still a hassle!

The girl in green turned back, glaring towards the gate of Skyruler Immortal Manor, biting her lip, "Lu Yao, right? Fine, if you dare not withdraw your registration, tomorrow morning, I'll make sure you regret it!"

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Outside Skyruler Immortal Manor, as Yun Xiao left, he glanced once more at the registration board.

At the very top of the list was the name Jiang Haiyan.

"Two sisters, Jiang Haiyan and Jiang Heqing, peace under heaven, those are good names."

These sisters were the pinnacle of talent in Sky Soaring City.

Jiang Haiyan, the older, was the same age as Lu Yao and the strongest Arbiter under 30 at Skyruler Immortal Manor!

Their father was the governor of Sky Soaring City, a Rank 5 Celestial Officer named Jiang Taiping. The man in charge of the city! And he was about to be promoted.

With this promotion, the sisters’ prospects would naturally rise as well, their futures boundless.

Their paths, along with the Lu An and Lu Yao brothers, might cross on the Arbiter stage, but while some use the position as a stepping stone to greater heights, others dedicated their lives to it, even at the cost of their lives.

The sisters belonged to the former group, Lu An to the latter.

Lu Yao, if he were still alive, would undoubtedly belong to the latter as well.

And now, a new Lu Yao had arrived at a crossroads of fate.

"Tonight, with peace under heaven and calm waters, there will be no killing." Yun Xiao chuckled softly and went to buy a few jugs of celestial wine before returning alone to his cultivation chamber.

Along the way, the other Arbiters treated him as an outcast, none willing to come close.

Whispers about his registration and even the confrontation with the Jiang sisters at the entrance of the Skyruler Immortal Manor had already circulated.

"Ten years gone, and he's lost his mind on the road."

"Is this naive youth alive from Sangju City because he's too clueless?"

These sneers were like ants crawling into his ears.

Yet Yun Xiao walked on as if he heard nothing; along these paths, he had come to understand one principle.

To rise above slander and opportunism, one needed only to cut through it all with a single sword!

And so, with a jug of wine and a sword, he returned to his cultivation chamber, immersing himself in his swordplay, enjoying a night of carefree solitude.

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The next day, dawn broke… Because a new name appeared on the registration board, the entrance to the Skyruler Immortal Manor unexpectedly buzzed with activity.

"The challenger is Lu Yao!"

The people of Sky Soaring City knew this name well. Just a few days ago, this youngster had become an Arbiter and even reported a senior Arbiter.

As for the affair in Sangju City, Yun Xiao was not the main character, and the people didn't think much of it. But today, his name once again drew a crowd to the gates of the Skyruler Immortal Manor.

"What's this guy doing? A mere Arbiter Initiate daring to enter the ranks of geniuses?"

"He probably didn't get the memo and registered by mistake."

"I heard it's Commander Jiang Heqing's 20th birthday today. Is this Lu Yao kid a bit clueless?"

Early in the morning, before the Arbiters even emerged, the gates were already abuzz with gossip.

Just then, amid a thunderous sound, the great doors of the Skyruler Immortal Manor swung open!

A host of Arbiters stepped over the threshold and walked out.

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