Privilege of Being Mentioned in the Same Breath

Members of the Frost Lotus Dance Troupe got into position on stage, all of them wearing calm expressions on their faces.

Their bearing was completely different from the many groups that had performed earlier that night.

It was one that exuded composure and confidence, and only just enough to not be misinterpreted as arrogance.

Donning beautiful long gowns and intricate accessories, the dancers gave everyone a pleasant feeling just by looking at them standing there on stage.

Under everyone's eager gazes, music eventually sounded out from the background as the dance troupe finally began their performance.

Order.

Grace.

Beauty.

These words perfectly described the performance that came next, empowering the dancers as they mercilessly tugged at the hearts of men and women alike.

It was like a bank of swans wantonly showing off their beauty to the audience, knowing perfectly well that it was going to entrance the latter.

Every move was well executed, and the occasional eye contact sent electrifying shivers down the spines of the audience.

Even Zhao Yunxiao found himself subconsciously smiling in response.

However, that was about it.

The dance performance by the Frost Lotus Dance Troupe was indeed impressive and captivating, but... was it just his imagination?

Somehow, he had kind of expected much more than just this.

To a certain extent, he actually felt disappointed by the performance.

There was no doubt that in terms of the execution of the dance steps, they were surely far beyond Lu Zhiying's level.

However, he felt like they had failed to leave as deep an impression as Lu Zhiying did.

Zhao Yunxiao could not help but think that there was something lacking in the performance by the Frost Lotus Dance Troupe. Unfortunately, he could not put a finger to what exactly that was either.

Lu Zhiying's extraordinary appearances might have played a part, but that was definitely not the entire reason why.

Zhao Yunxiao rubbed his chin in contemplation and focused even more on the dance. But no matter how he thought about it, he could not identify the element that was making the difference.

"You sure look focused right now! Having trouble taking your eyes off of the beauties on stage?" Gu Qiansi teased from the side.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Junior Martial Sister Gu," Bo Fei interjected before Zhao Yunxiao could reply. "If anything, it only proves that Junior Martial Brother Zhao is a healthy young man! In fact, you should be more worried if he is distracted by something else instead of focusing solely on enjoying this beautiful performance!"

"Tch, men..." Gu Qiansi shook her head helplessly.

Zhao Yunxiao: "..."

Perhaps he should stop thinking too much and just enjoy the performance instead...

The Frost Lotus Dance Troupe prepared two separate dance routines. Through them, the dance troupe properly showed everyone just why they were renowned in the Black Tortoise Sect.

Just as always, their performance was presented in a flawless manner, making it an absolute treat to the eyes.

When it finally came to an end, the many disciples watching could not help but feel regret in their hearts.

Still, they did not forget the applause and cheers, which were almost mandatory considering the level of the performance that they had just enjoyed.

"Next will be the final performance," Zhao Yunxiao remarked while applauding along.

"The Shooting Suns..." Lu Zhiying furrowed her brows.

She could still clearly remember the disdain in Di Jinan's tone when he spoke to them earlier.

Now, it was finally time to see just what he was capable of!

"Sounds like Junior Martial Sister Lu has heard of the Shooting Suns as well?" the disciple serving their table asked while trying to put on the most charming smile he could muster.

"I've only heard of their name, but this will be my first time seeing them perform," Lu Zhiying turned around to look at him. "Does Senior Martial Brother know of them as well?"

"Of course! Don't be fooled by my appearance right now. I am actually very knowledgeable!" the disciple could hardly hide his excitement now that he had successfully gotten Lu Zhiying's attention. "The Shooting Suns can be said to be the most famous performance group in the inner sect, and I even have personal ties with a member of the group. If you are interested, I can introduce you to them in the future!"

"Would that person be Senior Martial Brother Di?" Lu Zhiying asked.

"Unfortunately, not..." the disciple let out a bitter smile before lowering his voice to a whisper. "I know that Senior Martial Brother Di is famous even among the members of the Shooting Suns, so a lot of girls are eager to know him. However, you really should not judge a book by its cover."

"Oh? Does Senior Martial Brother know something that I don't?" Lu Zhiying blinked in confusion.

"Ahem!" Zhao Yunxiao coughed loudly at this point. "Senior Martial Brother Lie, perhaps you can have this chat another day."

"R-Right, haha..." Lie Junshan laughed awkwardly. "Junior Martial Brother Zhao is right."

In his excitement to chat with Lu Zhiying, he had momentarily forgotten where he was right now.

If he ended up saying the wrong things here, where they were surrounded by many other outer disciples, there was always a chance that someone could inform Di Jinan of the matter.

And should Di Jinan really come to know of it, who knew just what punishment would await him?

"Time to end the night with a bang! Now we will be having the final performing group for the night. Please welcome onto stage... the Shooting Suns!" the master of ceremony introduced in excitement, drawing everyone's attention back to the stage.

Cheers immediately erupted from the crowds in both the Inner Grounds and Outer Grounds.

Even some of the elders in the Core Grounds could not help but reveal smiles.

The Shooting Suns had not been arranged to be the final performing group for no good reason.

They had earned their reputation through their stable and impressive performances throughout the years.

Over time, they had shown their skills time and time again, consistently proving their critiques wrong regardless of the occasion.

And now, just their name alone was enough to guarantee an impressive showing!

There were five members of the Shooting Suns, each responsible for a different role.

Di Jinan and another female disciple were responsible for the vocals, while the other three were all instrument players.

In a way, they were similar to the Flying Shell Performance Group, or at least the version of the Flying Shell Performance Group before Lu Zhiying joined.

However, the difference in the two groups' popularity was apparent for all to see.

It was understandably so as well.

Di Jinan alone was already extremely handsome, but he was not even the only good looking one in the group.

All five members possessed looks that could easily catapult them to superstar status.

Standing together on stage, they were like a painting that had come straight to life!

And they were not simply selling their looks either.

When the music began, everyone was instantly brought into a spectacular world of tunes that was enough to give them goosebumps.

Impressive music.

Impressive visuals.

And finally, impressive stage presence.

All of that came together to bend the knees of even the most musically obtuse individual, forcing them into submission before the power of music.

Before they knew it, even Zhao Yunxiao's group, that already had a bad impression of Di Jinan from earlier, began to immerse themselves in the performance.

"They are good," Lu Zhiying said reluctantly.

"They are good, indeed," Zhao Yunxiao agreed, though he was obviously just as reluctant.

"There is no need for comparison," Gu Qiansi said. "The most important thing is to enjoy what we are doing."

Lu Zhiying bit her lower lip in indignance.

Nobody could deny the fact that the Shooting Suns' performance was one of the best ones of the night, if not the very best.

Their exhilarating performance brought the atmosphere to a high, making it the perfect way to end the night.

But just because the performances had ended, it did not mean that the celebratory banquet was over.

Long after the performance ended, cheers were still reverberating throughout the banquet locations as everyone continued to enjoy the rest of the banquet.

At the Inner Grounds, the Shooting Suns finally arrived at the celebratory banquet venue, to great fanfare.

Being the last group to perform, it was not surprising that they were also the last to arrive at the banquet venue.

The moment they entered, cheers erupted from the crowds as they chanted the names of the members of the Shooting Suns.

And as the face of the Shooting Suns, Di Jinan's name was clearly overwhelming that of the other members.

Numerous disciples walked up to them to congratulate them on their wonderful performance earlier, but unfortunately, not everyone was lucky enough to receive a good response from them.

The Shooting Suns was famous even among the inner sect, so they were naturally selective about who they interacted with.

Those whom they deemed unimportant were met with cold responses, or worse still, some did not even receive a response.

This naturally led to unhappiness among some inner disciples, who started discussing among themselves.

"What are they so smug about? Do they really think that they are irreplaceable?"

"My thoughts, exactly. I have to admit that they are good, but it's not like they are the only good ones. In fact, the group that left the deepest impression tonight has to be the Flying Shell Performance Group!"

"I agree. The Shooting Suns' performance has become rather predictable over time. In contrast, the Flying Shell Performance Group really took everyone by surprise!"

These discussions started as quiet whispers among individuals, but quickly evolved and spread as more and more people joined in.

The members of the Shooting Suns usually completely disregarded their haters, thinking that it was a waste of time to deal with them.

But as these discussions began to gain momentum, it became impossible for even their proud selves to ignore.

"Flying Shell Performance Group?" Di Jinan said with a frown. "How good can they be? What gives them the right to even be compared to us?"

He could still remember how the group had been overwhelmed and rendered speechless by his presence earlier that evening.

For a group comprising such meek individuals, he could hardly imagine anything impressive coming out of them!

"What's their performance like? Is the recording ready?" another member of the Shooting Suns asked, just as dissatisfied as Di Jinan at the comparison.

For the New Year celebration, not only were the performances projected to the Inner Grounds and Outer Grounds, but they were recorded as well.

This not only allowed everyone to relive the wonderful performances once more, but also allowed each performing group to review their own performances, as well as those of the other performing groups that they had inevitably missed.

The only thing was that since it was both unnecessary and expensive to keep a library of all past performances, each recording would only be kept for a year.

They would be overwritten at the following year's New Year celebration.

However, this was already more than enough.

"That's a good idea," Di Jinan scoffed. "Bring out the recording. Let's take a look and see if this Flying Shell Performance Group truly deserves the privilege of being mentioned in the same breath as us!"