The storyteller’s gavel struck, signaling a discussion on the popular contenders for this Hundred Clans Conference.

As he was from the East Region, he started with the Eastern Region’s participants.

“There are only two gold-tier families from the Eastern Region participating this time: the Fang Family from Yingzhou and the Ming Family from Buzhou.”

“The Fang Family’s Fang Zhiming is a prodigy, mastering both alchemy and swordplay. He is one of the top ten seeds of this conference.”

When Fang Zhiming from the Fang Family was mentioned, the sound of melon seeds cracking seemed to pause for a moment before continuing.

Qi Rong remarked, “Ah, mastering both alchemy and swordplay, isn’t that like Third Sister?”

“Pfft, what a bad thing!” When Lin Yijun looked over curiously, Qin Ruqing spat out a melon seed shell, “I meant the melon seed shell, haha~”

Lin Yijun was puzzled about why melon seed shells would provoke her.

Tang Zifeng, on the other hand, gave Qin Ruqing a thoughtful glance.

“The Ming Family’s Ming Yingxian is known for both beauty and strength, a genius in law cultivation. Her fame surpasses Fang Zhiming’s, though in my humble opinion, their strengths are about equal. Ming Yingxian’s additional fame is likely due to her beauty. After all, while Fang Zhiming is strong, he’s not exactly a handsome young man.”

A burst of laughter arose from below.

Qin Ruqing chuckled, “This person is quite bold.”

Saying Fang Zhiming isn’t handsome is basically calling him ugly.

After discussing the popular seeds from the Eastern Region, the storyteller moved on to the Western Region.

Although the Western Region is not as prosperous as the East, it is a major region, known for its expertise in arrays, symbols, and Buddhist cultivation.

The storyteller pondered for a moment and said, “The Western Region, while not as flourishing as the Eastern, has indeed produced many talented individuals this generation.”

“The Shi Family’s genius array cultivator Shi Hanfei, the Helian Family’s symbol cultivator, and especially the Buddhist figure known as the Light Source Buddha.”

“There are only Buddhist cultivators in the Western Region, and they form their own sect, all adhering to Zen Buddhism. Buddhists are generally benevolent, but it’s best not to provoke them lightly because, though they are vegetarian, they can be fierce.”

Qin Ruqing, like a little mouse, commented, “The storyteller’s going off-topic, but he’s quite amusing.”

The idea of being vegetarian yet not vegetarian has some nuance to it.

The storyteller also realized he was digressing, “Returning to the Light Source Buddha, it is said he possesses innate Buddha nature. In my opinion, his strength should be greater than Fang Zhiming and Ming Yingxian, making him a contender for the top three in the conference.”

Someone below asked why he wasn’t the first.

The storyteller shook his head, “The number one position in the Hundred Clans Conference is always held by the top prodigies among prodigies. The competition for the top spot is incredibly fierce; even the four regional directors cannot predict who will claim first place.”

After discussing the Western Region, the storyteller moved on to the Northern Region.

Qi Rong was fuming…

“Why didn’t he mention us from the Southern Region first?”

“Because the Southern Region is small and poor~”

Qi Rong choked a bit. Fine, he agreed with that, but “The Northern Region isn’t wealthy either!”

Qin Ruqing tilted her chin, signaling him to listen carefully, “The Northern Region is unique!”

The Northern Region indeed has its own characteristics.

It’s a place where a single sect, rather than a family-based structure, is the cornerstone of the world.

The storyteller sighed, “For some reasons, the Northern Region focuses on sects rather than families. The only sect in the Northern Region is the Sword Sect!”

“Of course, the Sword Sect is mostly made up of family members, but when they present themselves, they rarely mention families and only talk about the sect.”

“And, in the Northern Region, 90% of the cultivators practice swordsmanship, and the remaining 10% also practice combat-oriented paths.”

Lin Yijun leaned back, puzzled, “Why have a sect if there are families?” Lin Yijun didn’t quite understand the concept of a sect.

Qin Ruqing, having finished the sunflower seeds, glanced around for more.

Tang Zifeng quietly pushed over a plate of seeds he had peeled, and Lu Wei poured the remaining seeds into Qin Ruqing’s plate.

Qin Ruqing smiled and took them all.

Lin Yijun twitched her lips but continued to look at Qin Ruqing, hoping for an explanation.

Qin Ruqing calmly ate the seeds and said, “The Northern Region guards the entrance to the Ancient Forest, which is a beastly stronghold. The family-based system doesn’t work there!”

Lu Wei pondered for a moment and added, “I’ve heard that sect cultivators are very united.”

Qin Ruqing nodded, “In such an environment, the concept of families is weakened. All cultivators must unite against external threats. If family interests are emphasized, internal conflicts and discord will arise.”

“So, in the Northern Region, there are no families, only the Sword Sect. And everyone practices swordsmanship.”

On the first floor, the storyteller announced, “The Sword Sect’s eldest disciple, Dan Qing, is the top swordsman of his generation! I believe he has the best chance to win this conference!”

Qin Ruqing raised an eyebrow subtly.

Indeed, someone from the audience asked, “Earlier, you mentioned that even the Four Regions’ Directors couldn’t distinguish the top competitors?”

The storyteller honestly nodded but then struck the table dramatically, “But I’m not a director; I can have personal preferences!”

“I just think that this Sword Sect’s top swordsman might win this year’s championship!”

Qi Rong glanced at Qin Ruqing and swallowed the words “sister, your biggest competitor” he was about to say.

After all, it was public, and not many knew that his sister was aiming for the top spot.

After discussing the Northern Region, the storyteller finally got to the Southern Region.

Qi Rong and Lin Yijun straightened up, eager to hear the evaluation of their region’s talents.

However, the storyteller frowned in difficulty.

Hmm?? Really?

The storyteller said, “The Southern Region is so remote that I’m having a hard time recalling any genius who could make it into the top ten of the conference…”

After a while, the storyteller finally recalled something.

“Ah, there is a place in the Southern Region called Western Ridge. Western Ridge specializes in crafting and once held a very famous crafting competition…”

“The crafting competition this year invited the President of the Eastern Region’s Crafting Guild, Master Minghua, as the chief judge. Clearly, this competition is of great significance. The champion is from the Southern Region’s Western Ridge, the Tang Family, Tang Zifeng!”

“This Tang Zifeng also has ties with our Eastern Region. Due to his outstanding talent in crafting, he was taken as a disciple by Master Minghua from the Eastern Region, becoming his closed-door disciple. If he participates in the conference’s crafting category, he might indeed secure a spot in the top ten!”

Lin Yijun listened, finding the mention of Tang Zifeng reasonable, as she knew his talent in crafting.

She was expecting the storyteller to also mention Qin Ruqing, whose reputation should also be noted.

However, the storyteller stopped talking.

The summary of talents from the Southern Region ended there.

Lin Yijun was stunned, “He… he didn’t mention Qin Ruqing!” This was incredibly shortsighted!

Qi Rong was indignant, “What level is this? I thought he had some insight after reviewing so many talents, but he’s just another opportunist!”

Lu Wei looked worriedly at Qin Ruqing, afraid she might be upset.

Qin Ruqing, who often boasted about gaining fame across the Four Regions, might care about this.

Tang Zifeng, with a stern face, stood up and pulled Qin Ruqing towards the door, “This person’s level is too low. Let’s find another place.”

Qin Ruqing, enjoying the sunflower seeds Tang Zifeng had peeled for her, was surprised by the group’s reaction.

Qin Ruqing, not resisting as Tang Zifeng tugged at her arm, blinked and said, “Why are you all so upset? I’m not angry!”

“It’s normal that they don’t know about us. If I were already famous across the Four Regions, my mission would be complete.”

She stopped Tang Zifeng from leaving and said, “Don’t be so fussy. He did mention you, which is already good.”

Tang Zifeng shook his head, “He mentioned me because of Master Minghua, not because of me personally.” He was more offended on Qin Ruqing’s behalf.

Qin Ruqing shrugged, “You guys don’t get it. Being underestimated first makes the eventual recognition even sweeter.”

If she were too famous now, she wouldn’t need to work as hard.

After Qin Ruqing finished her sunflower seeds, she realized the storyteller’s real purpose was to promote a manual of talents published by the Huicui Building.

“This scammer is actually selling books!” Qi Rong complained.

Qin Ruqing clapped her hands and stood up, excitedly saying, “I think he made some good points. Let’s buy a few copies!”

Qin Ruqing wasn’t joking; she bought several copies and treated everyone to one.

Back at the inn, they studied the talent manual.

Qi Rong, fixated on his sister’s fame, flipped through the manual until he found Qin Ruqing’s introduction.

【Southern Region, South Ridge Silver-tier Qin Family, a rapidly rising dark horse family with average overall strength in the Four Regions. Their talented elder, Qin Ruqing, is under twenty years old.】

【According to the manual, the person’s cultivation is conservatively estimated to be at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and they are fairly well-known in the Southern Region. Considering the situation in the Four Regions, their ranking among the top talents is mid-tier, with a lower probability of making it into the top ten.】

“This ranking is mid-tier, with a lower chance of being in the top ten… This book is definitely just a scam to make spirit stones!”

Qin Ruqing read it with interest and said, “Of course, it’s about making spirit stones, but some people will definitely buy it. Aren’t we part of the target audience? Besides, I think the reviews are quite fair.”

She was indeed exactly as the manual described, and there were no issues.

She flipped to the section about the North Region’s Sword Sect and laughed at a particularly harsh review. Lu Wei, curious, read the section aloud:

【If you encounter a Sword Cultivator from the North Region at the Hundred Clans Conference, my advice is: Run! Run quickly! Sword Cultivators are all broke, and North Region Sword Cultivators are even poorer and crazier!】

Lu Wei also laughed, “Poor and crazy… Is it really that bad?”

Qin Ruqing laughed so hard she could barely breathe: “Think about it, their entire region practices swordsmanship, with no variation whatsoever. How could they not be poor and crazy!”

Qi Rong made a profound observation: “So, that top sword cultivator from the Sword Sect must be even poorer and crazier!”

Qin Ruqing responded with laughter: “Hahaha, it’s hard to judge!”

After thoroughly enjoying the talent manual, Qin Ruqing had a good grasp of the popular talents in the market.

She remarked seriously, “Fairy Mingying’s strength seems average, but her fame is impressive, likely due to her beauty. She’s the top female cultivator in the Eastern Region, and also a talented law cultivator from a golden-tier family. Her status is indeed high.”

“It seems that the divine woman persona is still worth developing. I’ll change my look later, get an Eastern Region fairy outfit. That should hit the right note with those people.”

Qi Rong, Lu Wei, Tang Zifeng, and Lin Yijun were all left speechless: “What is your focus, exactly?!”

Qin Ruqing was not joking.

The next day, she took Lu Wei out to buy clothes and changed into a new look on the day the Hundred Clans Conference officially began!