“Little sister, aren’t we taking the flying boat?”

Today is the official start of the Hundred Clans Conference, and everyone needs to gather at the foot of Mount Buzhou.

However, since the Buzhou Archipelago is separated from the foot of the mountain by a shallow sea, taking a flying boat is supposed to be the fastest way.

Qin Ruqing clicked her tongue. “An impressive entrance is definitely one of the best ways to attract attention, but do you think our family’s flying boat will stand out today?”

Qirong surprisingly fell silent, as if to say, maybe not.

The Qin family had prepared two types of transportation for Qin Ruqing and the others.

One was an ordinary flying boat, and the other was a flashy flying boat (ahem).

The Qin family wasn’t short on money and had even customized one of the best flying boats from the Southern Region.

However, to be honest, the Southern Region is the smallest and most remote of the four regions.

Therefore, the specially customized luxury flying boat from the Qin family seemed rather ordinary in this Eastern Region.

Yes, it wasn’t bad, just unremarkable.

With Qin Ruqing’s mindset, she either wanted to be the most dazzling one in the crowd or be strikingly different in a unique way.

But being unremarkable and blending in with everyone?

That was unacceptable.

“So, how are we getting there?” They couldn’t swim across the sea, could they?

Qin Ruqing said, “There are rental boats at the port. We’ll just take a boat.”

Turning to Lin Yijun and Tang Zifeng, she asked, “Are you two still going to mix in with our Qin family’s group today?”

Of course, Tang Zifeng was part of their team, but Lin Yijun had been sticking with them so much lately that Qin Ruqing found her team even more appealing.

Lin Yijun shook her head, “I won’t be following you today. The Lin family still needs to showcase our flying boat.”

She lifted her chin proudly, “Fortunately, our West Ridge Refining Arts are well-developed, so our flying boat is quite unique. No need to rent a boat!”

With that, she proudly walked away with her own people.

Qin Ruqing turned to Lu Wei, “Tsk, does she think that can hurt me?” It doesn’t bother me at all.

Lu Wei smiled and said, “Yijun likes to compete with you, both openly and subtly. Just let her compare.”

Lu Wei understood a bit about Lin Yijun’s mindset.

Qin Ruqing shook her head and turned to Tang Zifeng, “Tang Zifeng, your family should also have a flying boat to showcase, right?”

For the West Ridge family, this event was a crucial part of demonstrating their strength.

For a refining family, showing off their superb refining skills was already half the success of the Hundred Clans Conference.

Tang Zifeng nodded.

He stood in front of Qin Ruqing, looked at her seriously for a moment, as if he wanted to say something but held back.

Finally, he said, “Qingqing, I’ll go ahead.”

Tang Zifeng had not competed for any position within the Tang family.

Even though he could have become an elder, he didn’t.

Despite this, the Tang family greatly relied on him.

Qin Ruqing watched Tang Zifeng’s departing figure, with the other two from the Tang family trailing behind him.

Despite being selected as outstanding talents, they were overshadowed by Tang Zifeng’s presence, appearing like juniors.

Looking at Tang Zifeng, he always appeared meticulous and full of inner brilliance, as if he was quietly gathering some astonishing power.

Even Qirong, who was usually slow to notice things, said, “It feels like Brother Tang is a bit different now.”

Lu Wei asked, “Xiao Wu, did Brother Tang have something he wanted to tell you just now?”

Qin Ruqing smiled meaningfully and said, “Maybe.”

But she didn’t elaborate.

She felt a strange sense of peace and pleasure.

Stretching lazily, Qin Ruqing turned toward the port and said, “Let’s go. It’s time for us to perform!”

However, a minor incident occurred when renting the boat.

Qin Ruqing had chosen a luxurious cruise boat (shaped like a yacht), which was quite expensive, but the Qin family wasn’t short on money.

Just as they were finalizing the price with the boat owner, another group arrived, wanting to share the boat with them.

Yes, you heard it right—sharing the boat.

The group seemed to have hurried over and were slightly out of breath.

Lu Wei was negotiating with the boat owner when a hesitant voice interrupted.

“Um, excuse me, can we share this boat with you?”

Lu Wei turned in surprise, “What?”

The three people who spoke were also part of a clan participating in the competition, though clearly from a less wealthy faction.

The leader was a girl in pink with big eyes and a pretty, cute appearance.

Among the female cultivator of the various regions, she wasn’t particularly remarkable.

However, she had adorned her ear with a small pink flower that made her look strikingly lively.

The commotion caught Qin Ruqing’s attention.

She looked over, raised an eyebrow, and walked over casually. “What’s the matter?”

Lu Wei smiled at the girl with the small pink flower. “We are from the Southern Region, the Qin family. This is our elder. If you have something to discuss, you can talk to her.”

The girl with the pink flower glanced behind her and suddenly widened her eyes.

The brilliance was too overwhelming.

The girl shook her head and quickly composed herself to perform a bow, which was a respectful bow among peers.

“We are from the Rui family of Nanpingzhou in the Eastern Region. I am the current head of the Rui family.” She continued, “We’d like to share this boat with you.”

The head of the Rui family? Qin Ruqing raised her eyebrows.

Even Qirong and Lu Wei looked at the girl with curiosity.

Qin Ruqing knew that while it was rare for someone her age to be an elder, being the head of a family was even more impressive.

Interesting.

The girl with the pink flower, seeing Qin Ruqing and the others remain silent, thought they were unwilling and began to persuade them:

“This luxurious boat is quite expensive, and there are only three of you from the Qin family. It wouldn’t be cost-effective to rent it just for you. How about we share the cost? We guarantee that the Qin family will disembark first and won’t lose any prestige…”

“Sure.” Qin Ruqing lightly interrupted her and said with a smile, “Let’s board.”

The girl with the pink flower was stunned.

They agreed so easily?

Before she could ask more questions, Qin Ruqing had already signaled her two companions and calmly boarded the boat.

The two members of the Rui family were astonished that the agreement had been reached so easily.

They asked, “Head, should we board as well?” Can they really share the boat?

The girl with the pink flower gritted her teeth, watched as the sails were raised, and squeezed out one word: “Board!”

Yes, the luxurious big ship set off steadily.

Qin Ruqing stood at the bow of the ship, her skirt fluttering in the wind, creating a gentle ripple.

Xiaohonghua, standing behind, couldn’t help but be amazed at the sight.

She gathered herself and stepped forward, asking, “Elder Qin, are you the Qin Ruqing ranked thirty-sixth in the Celestial Talent Handbook?”

Oh? It seems she knew the handbook well.

Qin Ruqing turned her head, “Why does Clan Leader Rui remember my rank so clearly? I’m quite low on the list.”

Usually, people only focus on the top ten or at most the top twenty.

Being ranked over thirty, she shouldn’t be known to many.

Xiaohonghua replied earnestly, “For a small clan like ours, it’s important to understand both ourselves and others to seize any opportunity in such a talent-packed event.”

She was right; it seemed the clan leader wasn’t just putting on a show.

Though Xiaohonghua appeared cute and harmless, Qin Ruqing felt she might not be as innocent as she looked.

Qin Ruqing assessed her in her mind but kept a neutral expression.

A shadow seemed to pass over the sky, and looking up, she saw a stunning large bird soaring above their ship.

The bird had a long, colorful tail, and its feathers shimmered with a magical glow under the sunlight.

Even without any special effects, the bird’s presence was impressive.

Upon closer inspection, Qin Ruqing noticed three people standing on the bird, with the leader’s flowing attire in blue and purple creating a beautiful arc in the air.

When people tried to see the owner of the dress, they could only catch a glimpse of a stunning face.

Soon, the bird flew away, leaving people feeling wistful.

Xiaohonghua sighed, “That’s Ming Yingxian! She’s riding a powerful Qingluan monster! That’s quite a show!”

Mingying.

Qin Ruqing thought to herself, no wonder she’s so famous with so many fans.

Look at the style she has.

Qirong, an ordinary person, was hanging on the edge of the ship, amazed by the bird.

It wasn’t that he thought Ming Yingxian was prettier than his sisters, but the spectacle was astonishing.

Xiaohonghua murmured, “As expected of the Ming Clan, they are truly impressive.”

Her tone suggested she admired not just Ming Yingxian but the Ming Clan itself.

This showed how much cultivators from the Eastern Region valued rank and power.

Qin Ruqing nodded.

She enjoyed seeing beautiful people.

As they approached the foot of Mount Unfortunate, more teams flew by, indicating that even before the event officially started, various clans were already showing off their skills.

Besides Ming Yingxian, Qin Ruqing also saw one of the top contenders for the event.

It was none other than the “strongest contender for first place,” the first sword of the Sword Sect, Dan Qing.

At the time, Qin Ruqing hadn’t paid much attention because there were so many flying teams, and she was distracted by the beautiful people.

Suddenly, Xiaohonghua pointed to a spot in the sky and called out, “Sword Sect Senior Brother!”

Huh?

Qin Ruqing looked over and saw three streaks of light in the distant sky.

The Sword Sect wasn’t using any fancy transport; they were simply flying on swords, plain yet eye-catching.

The sword flew straight through the air.

The reason it seemed ordinary was that the flying sword was quite plain, without even a sparkling tail.

What drew attention, however, was the people on the sword.

They exuded an overwhelming presence, their aura fierce and sharp, almost tangible with sword energy.

Passersby had to move aside to make way for these three sword cultivators.

Qin Ruqing stood at the bow of the boat, sensing the aura and narrowing her eyes.

The cultivator on the sword was at the Golden Core stage.

The leader of the sword sect had solid Golden Core cultivation.

Qin Ruqing suddenly smiled, thought for a moment, and flicked a spark of fire.

The spark moved extremely fast and silently, shooting straight up into the sky, right towards the sword cultivators flying past.

The golden flame did not have any aggressive power or visible aura.

It silently dispersed into smoke and attached itself to the leading cultivator’s sword.

The sword turned red, and the expression of the person on it suddenly changed.

Reacting quickly, he used sword energy to disperse the unknown flame, but the flight rhythm was disrupted, and the sword wobbled.

The other two sword cultivators looked on alert and asked, “Elder Brother, did someone attack us? Who was it?”

The leader, Dan Qing, turned his gaze sharply toward the red-clad woman standing on the boat below.

After retracting his gaze, Dan Qing murmured, “Is it a formidable opponent?”

The sword continued its flight and soon vanished over the horizon.

On the boat, Qin Ruqing remained calm, but the girl with the small pink flower looked startled.

She had caught every detail of Qin Ruqing’s spell despite its speed.

For the Qin family of the Southern Region, being ranked thirty-sixth?

That was ridiculous!

As the coastline became visible, Qin Ruqing said quietly, “We’re almost there.”

The shore was crowded.

It wasn’t that people were pushing towards the coast, but rather that the central area was so packed that people had spread out to the edge of the shore, with their feet almost in the water…

The crowd was very excited and thrilled. Whenever a family appeared in the sky, they would cheer loudly.

If the family was one they favored, their cheers could become ear-splitting.

At the top of the Unmoving Mountain stood four celestial figures, looking down with aloof expressions.

“The auspicious time has arrived.”

The voice came from Feng Qinxue, the head of the Eastern Region’s three states.

She wore a red, form-fitting silk dress, similar to a qipao, with a high slit that highlighted her alluring curves.

Feng Qinxue turned and looked at the other three heads of regions, her red lips curving into a smile. “Let’s announce the rankings.”

Her tone carried an invisible hook.

She was a woman who blended charm into her very being without any hint of vulgarity.

The other three regional heads nodded in agreement.

Looking from left to right: the first was the barefoot celestial with the star disc—the Southern Region’s head.

To the right was the Western Region’s head, characterized by his bald head.

It was said that his association with the monks of the Western Region had given him a touch of Buddhist nature.

Next was Feng Qinxue, the Eastern Region’s head.

The final one, on the far right, was a stern-faced figure—the Northern Region’s head, a stark contrast to Feng Qinxue’s exaggerated charm.

“Let Qinxue announce the rankings,” the stern-faced head said, clearly familiar with Feng Qinxue, his face even flushing slightly.

It seemed the stern face wasn’t truly cold; he probably needed a bit of help with his social skills.

With that expression, it’s better to leave the crazy sword cultivators from the Northern Region alone.