Luck taken away? It doesn't matter, I quietly become a god

Junque Mountain.

As Rong Shu and his six companions stepped back onto the territory of Junque Mountain, memories of the past gathering of heroes quietly surfaced in their minds.

In the blink of an eye, more than sixty years have passed.

"Time really flies..."

"Junque Mountain, Liufang Pagoda... It feels the same as before, yet a little unfamiliar."

The time for reflection was short-lived; soon, the Shenfeng soldiers stationed on Junque Mountain came to verify their identities.

"This humble general pays his respects to Princess Xihe."

"No need to be polite."

Each of the six people took out their student tokens from the Jixia Academy to prove their identities.

"We have come here on the orders of the Grand Master of the Academy, accompanying the eight newly selected elites to gather herbs in the back mountains. May I ask where they are?"

"Your Highness, the top eight contestants are currently on the outskirts of the back mountain, and they have all arrived."

When Rong Shu and his group arrived at the edge of the back mountain, they saw eight young men and women standing under a locust tree waiting.

"...Someone's here."

"who are they?"

"I heard that they are from the Jixia Academy, and they came specifically to guide us..."

At this moment, Duan Yuyan had already taken the initiative to hide at the very back of the group.

Seeing Rong Shu's gaze fall upon him, Duan Yuyan shrugged and secretly transmitted his voice: [...Ahem, don't look at me. I'm not one of the top eight from last year. I'm probably not qualified to be the first to step forward and negotiate.]

Rong Shu: "..." Who can you blame for not making it to the top eight? Blame it on your incompetence, little Duan!

Actually, the six of them had already had a preliminary discussion on the way here.

Xing Xue was not good with words.

Si Chenbi practiced silent meditation.

As for Feng Qianli... let's not even mention him, he's just a rough and uncouth man.

Therefore, the important task of negotiating on behalf of Rong Shu and Lu Zhuo could only be entrusted to Rong Shu and Lu Zhuo.

One of them came from the Wenxin Academy and Zhanming Mountain, and was personally appointed as Princess Xihe by the Divine Wind Emperor.

One of them came from Lixin Academy, and was both the personal disciple of the Dean of Lixin Academy and the young sect master of Flying Sword Sect.

Normally, Lu Zhuo's involvement would suffice.

However, among the top eight in this year's competition, three of them come from three different dynasties and are all members of the royal family. Only Rong Shu's status as a princess is equivalent to them.

Finally, with five votes in favor, it was confirmed that Rong Shu would be responsible for the main negotiations.

At this moment, Rong Shu, without hesitation, addressed the new top eight:

"Gentlemen, we are students of Jixia Academy and also the top eight in the previous Heroes' Tournament. We have been ordered to come here to escort you to gather herbs in the back mountain. If you have any questions about Jixia Academy that need to be answered, please feel free to ask."

Upon hearing this, the top eight contestants bowed to Rong Shu and the other six.

"Greetings, senior sister (senior brother)..."

Lu Zhuo and Rong Shu secretly whispered their complaints: [Not a single rogue cultivator has stood out this year, nor has any cultivator from a mid-level force made it into the top eight.]

Besides the three who came from the royal family, the other five included two from the four great academies and three from the six great families, all of whom came from strong family backgrounds.

The foundation of the imperial family is still too deep.

Rong Shu's year was an exception, as no members of the royal families of the three major dynasties made it into the top eight.

Rong Shu's quarterfinal opponent, Ye Yunting from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, is from the Jinghong Dynasty, but is not a member of the royal family.

Si Chenbi comes from the Si family, and although Xianpeng Island, where the Si family is located, is under the jurisdiction of the Haixi Dynasty and is a separate region, she is not a member of the royal family.

The other six, apart from Feng Qianli, the dark horse, all have backgrounds from the four major academies or the six great families.

The four great academies teach without discrimination, and any independent cultivator who wants better opportunities for advancement will choose to join one of them.

Rong Shu, Xing Xue, and Lu Zhuo all came from academies, but stripped of their academy student status, the two were grassroots cultivators from remote corners of the country, and the other was a young sect leader of a mid-level power, but inconspicuous in the entire Central Continent.

Such a proportion is extremely rare, regardless of which conference it is held at.

Moreover, the leader of the group was Rong Shu, and the second place was Feng Qianli. These two "grassroots cultivators" defeated the core members of a group of imperial families, which was really unexpected.

Even now, sixty years later, some people still hold a grudge.

Just like now, the new champion of the gathering is Baili Xuanfeng from the Jinghong Dynasty, the twenty-ninth princess. She stepped forward and stared intently at Rong Shu: "You are the champion of the gathering from last year, Rong Shu."

Rong Shu nodded: "Yes."

"I heard you went to study at the Jixia Academy? Then I'll definitely seek you out for a duel when I get there in three years." Baili Xuanfeng's voice was cold and arrogant, his aura imposing.

They are very confident and have a lot of self-assurance.

Of course, Baili Xuanfeng did have the confidence to do so.

The concubine-born princesses of the Jinghong Dynasty, such as Baili Yan who was expelled from the family by Empress Jinghong, have single-character names, while the legitimate princesses have two-character names to highlight their extraordinary status, such as Empress Jinghong Baili Qinghuang and the current leader of the group of heroes, Baili Xuanfeng.

"……cough."

Behind Rong Shu, a soft cough sounded, as if someone was trying to suppress something.

She didn't need to turn around to know which guy was trying not to laugh.

Rong Shu ignored him, calmly meeting Baili Xuanfeng's gaze: "If I remember correctly, you are currently at the late Nascent Soul stage?"

"So what?"

"It's nothing, it's all good. Your Highness is exceptionally talented and has strong cultivation. Once you enter the academy, remember to challenge Rong Shu. I have high hopes for you!" Lu Zhu chuckled and stepped forward to smooth things over.

But Rong Shu knew perfectly well that he wasn't trying to smooth things over at all; he was just stirring things up. He just wanted to see a good show.

Three years later, when Baili Xuanfeng enters the Jixia Academy, she will find that Rong Shu, whom she wants to challenge, was already at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm ten years ago.

How could a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator possibly defeat an early-stage Deity Transformation cultivator?

Rong Shu hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.

But thinking about the "recruitment quota" that Senior Sister Yun Shu had given me, I felt it was better not to dampen the other party's enthusiasm first, in case I scared them away.

While Rong Shu was 'heavily tormented' by his conscience, Baili Xuanfeng was completely unaware. She turned her attention to the others, first staring at the most handsome Lu Zhuo, and asked, "Were you also among the top eight last year?"

Lu Zhuo gracefully opened her jade fan and replied with a light smile, "That's right, I am Lu Zhuo, the 'Zhuo' in 'Zhuozhuo qihua' (meaning 'bright and radiant'). I have met Your Highness the Princess."

Baili Xuanfeng stared at Lu Zhuo for several moments before uttering a startling statement: "You're quite handsome. Why don't you come back to the Jinghong Dynasty with me? I can make you my concubine."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, and Lu Zhuo was dumbfounded.

Rong Shu: ...Pfft!

Duan Yuyan then mocked him via telepathy: [Hahahaha! You peacock, you've finally met your match! Serves you right for showing off!!]

"No, no, no... I am not worthy of such a treat!" Lu Zhuo almost dropped the fan in his hand, hiding behind Rong Shu and Xing Xue as if he had seen a ghost, his voice trembling.

"Hmm?" Baili Xuanfeng frowned, thinking Lu Zhuo was dissatisfied with his rank, and immediately said in a displeased tone, "Do you want to be my husband? But my husband can only be selected from among the disciples of top-tier forces. You are just a disciple of the fourth-tier Flying Sword Sect. If it were a normal selection process, you wouldn't even be on the list..."

"No, no, no! It's me, it's me who doesn't want to leave my homeland, so I don't have any plans to get married yet... ptooey! I don't have any plans to get married yet!" Lu Zhuo forced a smile, but the smile was uglier than a crying face.

He still can't make the roster? Then he should really thank God!

Lu Zhuo had never once felt that it was such a wonderful thing that his sect was only a fourth-tier power!