Within the Thousand-Mile Mountain and River Painting, the two women, Cyan Cicada and Yulan, could hear the commotion outside and also listened to the conversation between Lu Ping and Zhao Tianxuâs group.
Including Lu Ping taking action to repel He Tianqing and two black-robed Golden Core Cultivators, which they witnessed with their own eyes.
They flew out of the Thousand-Mile Mountain and River Painting, stirring up a fragrant breeze, and gracefully landed on the competition stage.
Their gazes fell upon Lu Ping as they carefully scrutinized him.
They were astonished by Lu Pingâs strength, able to easily intimidate the Late-stage Golden Core Cultivators into withdrawing, unwilling to confront him.
Such strength is even greater than that of the Sect Leader of the Three Saints Sect.
Facing the scrutiny of the two Divine Maidens, Lu Ping maintained a composed expression, briefly meeting the eyes of both women before focusing on the Cyan Cicada Divine Maiden.
At this close observation, Lu Ping couldnât help but notice how much Li Qingchan resembled Li Chaoge despite knowing she wasnât the latter.
She looks so much like Li Chaoge.
"With such power, Senior must have surpassed the Golden Core Stage, reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, right?"
"Itâs unexpected to have a Nascent Soul True Monarch present at this Divine Ceremony."
"Iâve witnessed the grandeur of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, although heâs different from what I imagined. This senior seems very young indeed, and I wonder which force he belongs to."
"Shh, speak less, donât offend him..."
Voices of discussion arose around, making Lu Ping the focal point of everyoneâs attention.
Meanwhile, Li Beihuoâs mouth opened and closed as he hesitated to ask about Lu Pingâs level of strength, wondering if he truly was a noble family member.
Yet the words remained unspoken in his mind.
Observing the reactions of Zhao Tianxu and Xuu Heyi, it seemed to confirm Lu Pingâs extraordinary prowess, potentially a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
Being such a powerful figure, itâs almost dreamlike to have previously considered him a brother.
"Hiss! His... strength is incredibly formidable!"
"Thankfully, we didnât provoke him a few days ago!"
"Heâs hidden his strength so deeply, who would have expected..."
Interestingly, not far away, Tai Yuming and three disciples from the Dark River Sect were also focused on Lu Ping, shocked by his might.
Upon careful reflection, Xu Chiâs greed led him to confront, ultimately being slain by Lu Ping, which made logical sense.
Luckily, the three hadnât foolishly provoked Lu Ping.
Xu Chi, oh Xu Chi, truly brought about his own demise.
Tai Yumingâs group felt a sense of realization, affirming the saying âPeople are not as they appear,â and vowed to act humbly henceforth, refraining from judging people by appearances.
Thus this turmoil came to an end.
In the distance, two figures approached swiftly, appearing as streaks of light, landing beside Zhao Tianxu and others in a blink.
These were two Golden Core Cultivators from the Three Saints Sect, boasting Late-stage Golden Core cultivation, representing elder-like figures within the sect.
Earlier, they received word of a disturbance at the Divine Ceremony with attempts to claim the Thousand-Mile Mountain and River Painting, prompting their immediate arrival.
On seeing Zhao Tianxu, the Cyan Cicada Divine Maiden, and others encircling Lu Ping, the two elders felt a twinge of suspicion, assuming Lu Ping might be the one causing trouble.
Zhao Tianxu quickly greeted them and concisely recounted the earlier events.
Upon understanding the situation, the two elders nodded respectfully to Lu Ping,
"Thank you, fellow cultivator, your righteousness is commendable."
Simultaneously, Lu Pingâs strength made them duly cautious.
Following this was the Divine Ceremony segment involving the acknowledgment of the Divine Maiden.
According to the prior competitive results, the Cyan Cicada Divine Maiden emerged victorious, chosen for acknowledgment.
The commencement of acknowledgment coincided with the unveiling of the Three Saintsâ Divine Radiance.
Due to the limited range of the Three Saintsâ Divine Radiance, not everyone present could receive its blessing.
To ensure fairness, the Three Saints Sect would implement a draw to elect five hundred cultivators for the Divine Radiance blessing.
Upon mentioning this blessing, Zhao Tianxu inquired whether Lu Ping was interested in it.
Although the drawing rules couldnât guarantee a direct chance for Lu Ping, making an exception for him wasnât possible, they considered individually bestowing the Three Saintsâ Divine Radiance upon him.
"Thank you for your kindness, but thereâs no need to trouble everyone."
Lu Ping responded, expressing no need for the Divine Radiance blessing.
Without a Heart Demon, his mind was clear, rendering the cleansing unnecessary.
Seeing Lu Ping voluntarily declining the opportunity for this blessing, Li Beihuo felt both envious and contemplative.
He envied Lu Ping for directly obtaining the chance for the blessing.
And pondered why Lu Ping would forsake such an opportunity, unaware of the Three Saintsâ Divine Radianceâs effects?
The response surprised Zhao Tianxuâs group, yet upon reconsideration, given Lu Pingâs formidable power, it was likely he wasnât troubled by Heart Demons or had eliminated them himself.
Therefore, his refusal was understandable.
Respecting Lu Pingâs decision, they refrained from discussing further, and began preparations for the draw.
The lottery process was straightforward.
Zhao Tianxu produced a stele-like artifact, positioning it on the ground.
This item, called the âLucky Stele,â was a Tier Two Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, named for its use as the drawing artifact, prominently appearing at Divine Ceremonies.
This draw would proceed using the Lucky Stele.
"This item is called the Lucky Stele; it possesses no spiritual intelligence. Anyone wishing to receive the Divine Radiance blessing only needs to walk before the stele, inputting their aura and name using Divine Thought."
"Once everyone inputs their information, the stele will randomly select five hundred individuals to receive the blessing."
Zhao Tianxu explained the purpose and use of the Lucky Stele along with the drawing process.
Upon hearing, everyone agreed this method ensured fairness.
With the Lucky Stele devoid of spiritual intelligence, no predetermined winning slots could exist.
Thus, doubts dissipated.
Under Zhao Tianxuâs direction, people queued orderly and, by his guidance, input their aura and name into the Lucky Stele one by one.
With each individualâs contact with the stele, manually inputting information, it provided a sense of security, ensuring their aura and name were indeed registered and not just neglected upon unsuccessful draws.
A total of over nine thousand cultivators spent an entire afternoon completing the input process.