Of course it wasn’t simply to ask about these schools. Miao Yi was a little hesitant, but in the end still said it out, "My main objective is to find two people."

"Oh!" Hong Changhai asked, "Who is Milord searching for?"

"One boy and one girl. That year, when the Boundless Secular World’s seal was lifted, the two of them entered two different schools that were situated around Changfeng City. Alas, I’m not sure which two schools they were. I only have a few clues to work with. I’m not sure if Elder Hong can figure anything out from them."

"Since you can provide clues, that will surely allow us to narrow down the search. Pray tell, Milord. Maybe this old man can determine which school it was based on them."

Of course he was going to speak of it. Miao Yi gave a nod, and thought back with a solemn face, "Now that I think about it, there were many strange things about one of the schools that set it apart from the others. At the time, it was actually hidden within a small residence, but when we pushed open the gates and entered, we found an entirely different realm within. Inside, we were met with flas.h.i.+ng rays of lights, and waves of a rich aura interwoven together. The sound of heavenly music lingered in the air as exotic smells a.s.sailed our nostrils. Standing to the left and right were numerous majestic-looking demiG.o.ds clad in golden armour. The sight was truly awe-inspiring, as though it was a sacred land beyond heaven. Within the inner reaches of the residence, surrounded by all that dazzling light and rich auras—was a yellow-robed cultivator sitting cross-legged on a s.h.i.+mmering lotus flower throne, with a sword on his back. He possessed an amiable countenance, and seemed both friendly and benevolent. Has Elder Hong ever heard of a school with such an extravagant display, or one with a cultivator who enjoyed such extravagance? A cultivator bearing a friendly countenance, wielding a sword, and clothed in yellow robes?"

"....." Hong Changhai was completely stupefied. He mused, ‘Flas.h.i.+ng rays of light? Interwoven waves of rich auras? Sounds of heavenly music lingering in the air? Nostrils a.s.sailed by exotic smells? A lotus flower throne? And majestic-looking G.o.ds clad in golden armor? Are you messing with me?’

After being stunned for a while, Hong Changhai didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry as he said, "Milord. Forgive me for being blunt, but what you just described is exactly the legend being spread among the mortals. It’s too strange, and practically inconceivable—there shouldn’t be any school in the cultivation realm with a display as exotic as the one you just described. Where did Milord hear this from? Could there be a mistake?"

Miao Yi shook his head, "There is no mistake. I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Uhh…, you saw it with your own eyes?" Hong Changhai immediately tried to think of something as he stroked his beard. He racked his brains, but simply shook his head in the end, "I have never heard of a school with a display so overly flamboyant. Furthermore, when the Boundless Secular World’s seal was lifted, the various schools had an agreement on the recruitment of disciples. For the sake of fairness, they were forbidden from making displays of any sort to try and entice mortals, much less such a spectacle. Did Milord mistake it for something else? You must know, not even the Six Sages themselves would create such an unbelievable display of grandeur. Forgive me for being blunt, but the scenes Milord described only exists in legends that are spread among the mortals!"

Miao Yi was adamant, "There was no mistaking it. Please consider it once more, Elder Hong. Check if you may have missed anything."

"This….," Hong Changhai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. That said, he still did as he was told and racked his brains to try and think of something. However, he still ended up shaking his head, "I have truly never heard of any such school with such an unbelievably pretentious display. Not to mention, Milord said that the yellow-robed cultivator was sitting on a glowing lotus flower throne. That made even less sense. Of all the cultivators in our Celestial Nation, none of the schools follow the practice of sitting on a lotus flower throne. There might be a possibility if it was a cultivator of the Boundless Nation, or the Buddha Nation, but it is impossible for the Celestial Nation to allow those two Nations to send their schools over to her own territory and recruit disciples right when the Boundless Secular World’s seal was lifted." 

When Miao Yi heard this, he thought for a moment and had to agree. What the other person said was indeed logical. He couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment, "Has Elder Hong really never heard of a school like this?"

Elder Hong shook his head, "It could be that my knowledge is limited, but the way I see it, there may be one other possibility…"

Miao Yi anxiously asked, "What is that possibility?"

Elder Hong looked up at Miao Yi and said, "An illusion! Someone with a large reserve of transcendence energy used a great art to create an illusion, and then casted a deceptive vision over Milord’s mind's eye"

Miao Yi was shocked, "Is that possible?"

"It is!" Elder Hong nodded his head with certainty. "To someone possessing a deep and profound cultivation, it shouldn’t be a difficult matter. If it really was a Milord described, then I believe there is a large possibility that this was the case. According to the agreement made by the various schools, they were not allowed to set up any grand displays in those places to draw in the mortals. Not to mention the sound of heavenly music, the scene Milord described was simply too grand—it would be impossible to escape the attention of the various schools as they watched one another, especially in such a small confined s.p.a.ce. Unless there was truly someone who could create a new dimension within that s.p.a.ce, only then would it be possible. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to hide it. Even more so in such a small residence. All these signs point to one thing—there is a high chance that it was an illusion intentionally created by someone with ill intent."

‘Little Brother!’ Miao Yi felt a surge of worry, and stood rooted to the spot in a daze. ‘If it was really the work of someone intentionally hiding his true ident.i.ty, then how was he going to find his Little Brother from now on?’

He couldn’t understand why the other person would do such a thing. If it was for the sake of obtaining the immortal herb, the other person could have easily tricked him into giving away the other immortal herb in his hand at the time as well….

Miao Yi thoughts were in complete disarray….

"Milord. Milord!" Hong Changhai had to shout a few times before Miao Yi came to his senses. Miao Yi cupped his fists and apologized.

Hong Changhai asked again, "May I know about the clue pertaining to the other school?"

As he said this, he was wondering, ‘The other school can’t be even more inconceivable, would it?’

After Miao Yi regained his composure, he thought for a moment before saying, "The clues surrounding the other school were a little more obvious compared to the previous one. Many had borne witness to it. At the time, Fairy Hong Chen of the Realm Beyond Heaven descended upon that particular school. Its location was roughly at-" 

"Fairy Hong Chen?" Hong Changhai exclaimed, cutting him off. At first, he couldn’t figure out where this tiny Changfeng City was, but when Miao Yi mentioned Fairy Hong Chen, it immediately came to his mind. Nodding repeatedly, he said, "So it was THAT Changfeng City! I understand now. The school Milord is speaking of must be the one within the domain of the First Earthly Branch’s Overlords—the Glorious Cloud Sect."

"Glorious Cloud Sect?" Miao Yi’s earlier dejected spirits was instantly lifted. "How can Elder Hong be sure that it was the Glorious Cloud Sect? There is quite a distance between the domain of the First Earthly Branch’s Overlord, and the Fifth Earthly Branch."

"If Milord didn’t mention about Fairy Hong Chen, I would never have realized. Has Milord never heard of the ‘Twin Fairies Beyond Heaven’ from the Realm Beyond Heaven?"

"The Twin Fairies Beyond Heaven?" Miao Yi blankly said. He rubbed his nose, fully aware that his own knowledge was limited. He could only cup his fists and ask for guidance, "Please unravel this mystery for me, Elder Hong."

"Milord’s mind is taken with the affairs of the Cave. It’s natural for Milord to not have any concern to spare for this." Hong Changhai was afraid that things would be awkward for him, so he immediately humoured him to ease the situation, before chuckling, "Speaking of these ‘Twins Fairies Beyond Heaven’, they are a couple of stunning fairies of the Realm Beyond Heaven. One is Fairy Hong Chen. The other is Fairy Yue Yao. Without even speaking of their cultivations, their beauty alone is enough to convince those who behold them that they were born of divinity. Their peerless beauty is truly enough to topple nations. Not only do both of these heavenly beauties belong to the same school, they are also disciples of the Mu Fanjun of the Realm Beyond Heaven. They are not someone that the everyday riffraff can hope to approach. People like us can only admire them from afar."

Miao Yi nodded. This, he believed.

This was because he had the fortune of catching a glimpse of Fairy Hong Chen from not far away. Saying that her appearance was a peerless beauty capable of toppling nations was no exaggeration at all. Even after all this time, he still felt a deep yearning in his heart. That one moment was firmly engraved into his heart, so much that he probably wouldn’t be able to forget it for the rest of his life. He had yet to see a woman more beautiful than Fairy Hong Chen in his entire life. She was truly too beautiful. Any man who saw her would probably have difficulty trying to forget her as well.

Only, this wasn’t his main concern. Miao Yi couldn’t help but curiously ask, "Does this have anything to do with the school that I’m talking about?"

"How could it not have anything to do with it? Fairy Yue Yao was precisely from the Glorious Cloud Sect! Wait, that’s not right. That’s not exactly the case either." When it came to the subject of beautiful women, it seemed even old men were no exception; Hong Chanhai’s attention had been caught and he excitedly said, "It happened exactly during the last opening of the Boundless Secular World. For some unknown reason, Fairy Hong Chen descended upon the land where the Glorious Cloud Sect was situated. It was just then that the Glorious Cloud Sect recruited a follower with a ‘Phoenix form’ as their disciple."

"Phoenix form?" Miao Yi sucked in a breath of cold air. Even though his knowledge was limited, he was no longer the ignorant fool he was before. He obviously knew the significance of the so-called ‘Phoenix form’ in the cultivation realm.

The ‘Bearing of Dragon and Phoenix’ referred to certain types of people, with the male being the dragon, and the female being the phoenix. People bearing these two types of cultivation apt.i.tudes would have twice the results with half the effort when it came to cultivation. It was a gift bestowed upon them by the heavens. It wasn’t something that one could obtain just because he or she wished. It was the greatest cultivation apt.i.tude in existence.

Dating back to ancient times, the people that bore these types of apt.i.tudes would either find great success or go out to create sects and schools. The various major schools would attempt to recruit them at all costs each time one appeared. It was clear how highly sought after they were.

Miao Yi never expected that a ‘Phoenix form’ bearer would appear in the ancient Changfeng City right when the seal on the Boundless Secular World was lifted that year. He wasn’t sure if that person was a local of Changfeng City, or someone that had rushed to Changfeng City from a foreign land. There were many people from various lands that congregated at Changfeng City at the time, after all.

"Correct. It is indeed the Phoenix form!" Hong Changhai chuckled, "It was unfortunate for the Glorious Cloud Sect. A Phoenix form bearer was already at their doorstep right when Fairy Hong Chen coincidentally descended upon them. Let me ask Milord—if Fairy Hong Chen took a fancy to that person and wanted to bring her away, who in the Glorious Cloud Sect could resist? In the end, they could only stand by and watch as Fairy Hong Chen brought the person away with her and flew off. After which, that female disciple was immediately bestowed with the t.i.tle of ‘Yue Yao’ by Mu Fanjun as soon as she stepped into the Realm Beyond Heaven and was accepted as Mu Fanjun’s disciple. Right now, she is Mu Fanjun’s youngest disciple and also the Fairy Yue Yao that we know of today. Such a fortuitous opportunity would make anyone sigh in jealousy!"

"It’s indeed quite deserving of a sigh!" Miao Yi couldn’t help lamenting either when he heard this—from a mere mortal, to instantly becoming Mu Fanjun’s disciple; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the sheer distance that she had jumped between these two statuses was akin to having crossed a gap that normal people would have to struggle for ten thousand years to attain. No words could describe the amount of envy that he felt.

However, he never even thought that this person could be his Little Sister. In his eyes, his Little Sister was nothing but a dirty, snot-nosed little crybaby. He hadn’t considered her beautiful even though they stayed together for so long. If someone told him that his Little Sister was able to grow to become Fairy Yue Yao, whose beauty was on par with Fairy Hong Chen—he wouldn’t believe it even if they beat him to death; he wouldn’t have such unbelievable thoughts of his Little Sister either.

Alas, the world was like a game of chess. The rise and fall of the river of fate was full of unexpected twists and turns!

However, he still tried to ask, "Then do you know of that Fairy Yue Yao’s true name?"

"This I do not know. It seemed no one had ever mentioned it in the rumors before!" Hong Changhai shook his head.

Now, Miao Yi finally understood why Hong Changhai could be so sure that the school he was referring to was the Glorious Cloud Sect. For something so coincidental to occur, it would be difficult to forget about it even if one tried.

‘It seems like Little Sister is at Glorious Cloud Sect then. I wonder how she is doing!’ Yi took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Then he cupped his fists and said, "Is Elder Hong familiar with anyone in Glorious Cloud Sect that you could introduce me to?"

He never expected that his Little Sister would be so far away. The distance between the First Earthly Branch and the Fifth Earthly Branch wasn’t small. It would likely be dangerous for him to head to such a foreign place with his cultivation, but how could he even be bothered with danger right now? His only concern was that Glorious Cloud Sect’s status was too high and no one may even pay him any heed if him didn’t know anyone there. Therefore, he had to ask Hong Changhai.