One Year

The cold winter blossomed into spring as Ten Thousand Flower Valley truly lived up to its name for the first time. The various herbs and flowers planted in the previous year all bloomed at once, blanketing the valley and the hills with all sorts of fantastical colors. There were many herb farmers, young and old, diligently tending to the valuable crops. They were all women of course, Chen Wentian was resolute about this. However, the women came from all sorts of poor backgrounds, chosen due to the compassion and generosity of his first three disciples.

The day finally came to depart for the Immortal Sect Competition. Chen Wentian gathered in the great hall with his disciples. He looked over at all of them with joy and pride.

Lin Qingcheng, his first, grew up over the year to be calmer and more mature. Now at the 10th Level of the Mind Focusing Realm, she was no longer a shy and helpless little girl from a backwater town. With her mysterious talent and speed of cultivation, it was indeed fitting for her to be his prime disciple.

Zhou Ziyun was once desperately seeking a path of survival for her clan. Now she was a woman who was filled with confidence. Her clan had made a complete turnaround and started expanding into new markets. The daily operations of the immortal sect were under her management. She was also confident in the growth of her own strength. Having unlocked her heaven defying mental capacity, her cultivation had skyrocketed to the 5th Level of the Mind Focusing Realm.

Wu Qianyu was as serene and noble as ever. Her mature body had lost a slight bit of plumpness after her bloody campaign against demons. However, it only served to accentuate her amazing curves. She, like the other two, also achieved amazing breakthroughs during her training. At thirty-one, she became one of the youngest 10th Level Spirit Initiate cultivators he had ever seen. Her progress in one year was simply astounding!

The three women each had their unique charm and attractiveness. Chen Wentian's feelings for them gradually deepened over time, as did theirs for him. There was an invisible bond between the master and his three founding disciples that could never be broken. Each of them was incredibly talented, even heaven defying. He felt they were truly his greatest fortune.

Chen Wentian looked over at his other disciples, the five icy yet dazzling plum blossoms. Their dazzling frosty beauty seemed to grow more profound as their cultivation increased. Powered by the unique dual cultivation method of Frozen Netherworld Jade and Blue Dragon flames, their cultivation speed would shock people silly.

Li Yuechan and Song Wushuang both reached the 6th Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm. Xu Lanyi, Su Xue, and Su Yue were close on their heels at the 5th Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm. Their individual determination and grit and their strength and solidarity as a group were both amazing. They encouraged each other and helped each other through the pain and suffering. They also shared their joy of successes together as they surpassed his expectations over and over again.

After sharing countless nights under the moon and stars together, Chen Wentian felt a different yet similarly deep bond with these five women. He memorized every detail about them, every grimace of pain, every smile of joy, every tear shed, every tender hug, every second of agony, and every passionate union. They didn't let him down and he wouldn't let them down either.

"Ten Thousand Flower Valley shall compete in the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent's Immortal Sect Competition. All of you have been selected to attend. Are you ready?" Chen Wentian asked.

"Yes, master!" A chorus of voices answered eagerly.

"Mmm." He nodded in approval and then looked over at Zhou Ziyun.

She bowed and spoke, "Master, the sect will be taken care of while we are all gone. All valuables have been stored away in our spatial bags. The valley will be closed off. If anything occurs, my people will send master a message."

"Great, Qianyu?"

"Yes, master!" Wu Qianyu summoned Tortoise Can Fly. "Please enter!"

Chen Wentian went first, followed by Lin Qingcheng and the rest. It was a tight fit for nine people but he enjoyed having Lin Qingcheng and Zhou Ziyun squished next to him.

They flew towards the nearest immortal island so they could take a teleportation array directly to the competition grounds. A teleportation array was a magical construct that defied common logic. Even the average immortal did not understand how it was possible. The Immortal Association held onto this secret and would construct them out of precious stones with the use of inscription masters. Chen Wentian did not have time to order one for his sect but it was on his to-do list.

In the air, Chen Wentian explained some basic things about the competition. The competition was held every four years for the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent. The subcontinent was a large land mass that included Chen Wentian's province. Each subcontinent managed their own affairs and they all had similar competitions. All the immortal sects within the subcontinent were invited but for older sects it was not mandatory. Most sects attended unless they wanted to avoid a tragic embarrassment or the immortal sect master was busy.

The competition had three groups of competition. The main group had no age limit and basically anybody under the immortal realms could compete. Since it would be unfair for young disciples to fight against old farts, there was a lower group that was limited to the peak of Mind Focusing. Thus, promising young men and women could showcase their talents without the pressure of having to fight against their seniors.

The last group was special and was called the junior group. It was limited to disciples aged twenty-one or younger. This arose out of the desires of some immortals to show off their supremely talented young seedlings that weren't able to show off or that might even get abused in the Mind Focusing group. This way, they can showcase their talent in a suitable environment.

Chen Wentian was secretly laughing at these arrogant immortals with their large sects and their prideful disciples. This format just so happened to give him the greatest advantage since he had both Lin Qingcheng and Zhou Ziyun. Each competition group would be valuable prizes. With some luck, Chen Wentian believed his girls could win all of them.

Zhou Ziyun was logically assigned to compete in the junior group. She was eager to meet up against those slut disciples of the Immortal Lion of Fortune He Xinghan. She wanted to slap their faces into the dirt.

With Lin Qingcheng, there was some room for debate but she chose to compete in the lower group. She didn't want to compete against her bosom friend Zhou Ziyun. She was also more than ready to face against other Mind Focusing Realm fighters after beating up pimps and kidnappers for a year.

While the remaining six all could compete in the main group, after a long deliberation it was decided that only Wu Qianyu would compete. Chen Wentian asked if Li Yuechan and the rest wanted to compete but they ultimately concluded that it was best to remain low key until they reached the peak of Spirit Initiate. They were worried about how their old master and Glacier Palace would react to their sudden increase in cultivation if they flaunted it on stage. Chen Wentian wasn't afraid of such trivial matters but he respected their feelings.

After figuring out the strategy, they finally arrived at the immortal island. Chen Wentian led them to a large runic platform surrounded by crystal studded rock pillars taller than trees. He synchronized his immortal energy with the teleportation formation as he sent them towards an exciting new land.