It took a few moments for most disciples to break out of their daze, and this did not only apply to the male disciples.

Quite a number of female disciples were also momentarily captivated by Lu Zhiying’s sudden change in mood, with the impact made even stronger due to the stark contrast to her earlier inaction.

At this moment, she was no longer an accompaniment to the song.

Instead, the song had now become an accompaniment to her presence.

Zhao Yunxiao silently nodded to himself in satisfaction.

In front of his eyes, the upper echelons of the sect did not express as huge a reaction as compared to those watching in other locations.

However, the faint smiles on their faces were enough to show that they were rather pleased with the performance so far.

That’s right.

He had been completely surprised the first time he saw this as well, so how could they not feel anything?

From the very start, he had been confident that the response would be good.

The only question was just how impressed they would be, and the answer to that would depend on how well they did for the rest of the performance!

The second phase of was just about to come to an end.

Up next would be the time for Bo Fei and Gu Qiansi to join with their voices, representing the third part of that portrayed the lands gaining the ability to purge themselves of all evil.

This was also when Lu Zhiying would start dancing for real.

It was not just Zhao Yunxiao who was eagerly looking forward to this.

Even Bo Fei and Gu Qiansi themselves could not help but sneak glances towards Lu Zhiying as they started to sing, eagerly anticipating the next change.

And change, she did.

The once dull and expressionless puppet had already been given a breath of life with the flute, turning her into a true fairy.

Now, the entry of the vocals seemed to have finally granted her the ability to move by her own free will.

That slender figure of hers sprang into action as though she had just been freed of all restraints, diving straight into a symphony of movements that could only be described as mesmerising.

It was unclear if it was the dance that made her appear this captivating, or if it was her who was making the dance seem especially amazing.

Or perhaps both were true.

Either way, one thing was for certain.

The result was a beautiful masterpiece that was quickly engraving itself in the hearts of those watching.

Chopsticks stopped moving.

Conversations stopped flowing.

Many disciples did not even realise that their mouths were staying open, their eyes glazed over as though they had fallen under some sort of powerful hypnosis.

There was not just one disciple who felt their hearts pounding faster, their faces flushing as they turned as red as ever.

Some female disciples who managed to regain their bearings could not help but pinch their cultivation partners, granting them a rude awakening that brought them straight back to reality.

Others continued to remain in this dream-like state, fully immersed in the utopia that had been presented right before them.

As the final strum of the zither strings brought about the end of the song, Lu Zhiying slowly lowered her arms and lost the light in her eyes.

The enchanting fairy had now lost all of its earlier magic, reverting into the expressionless puppet that she once was.

It was an expected change that was fully aligned with the story behind the song.

Even then, some among the audiences could not help but feel a wrenching pain in their hearts, almost as though they had just lost an important part of themselves.

Thankfully, they did not have to grieve for long.

There was not a long pause between and the second song – .

The moment they heard the sound of the zither starting off the performance, many of these heartbroken souls secretly cheered in their hearts.

Unlike , there were no emotional stories behind .

It was a calming song about the natural beauty of butterflies, depicting how something that was in its simplest original form could still be ever so amazing.

There were no longer any surprises hidden in the dance routine this time around.

Just like the song itself, the dance focused on the concept of simplistic grace as it tried to portray the organised chaos to which a group of butterflies would adhere when flying around in the wilderness.

Lu Zhiying looked nothing like a real butterfly, but it was easy to see the message that she was trying to convey through each and every subtle movement.

Before they knew it, the audience found themselves imagining that they were standing in a lovely prairie, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of butterflies that fluttered freely around them.

It was calming and charming at the same time – nature at its very best.

Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived as the butterflies did not linger for long before dispersing, leaving behind nothing but memories for each disciple who ended up standing alone in the prairie while wishing for more.

It was a melancholic ending to a beautiful dream.

Next came the third and final song of their performance.

was a powerful song about the arduous journey of cultivation.

It told of how one had to constantly give it their all on the cultivation path, regardless of the pain that they were bearing at the moment.

With perseverance, all efforts would surely pay off one day.

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Because of the fundamental difference in concept, the dance routine for naturally placed much greater emphasis on powerful movements in comparison to the graceful .

This allowed Lu Zhiying to show yet another side of herself, imprinting a brand new impression upon the audience.

Three different songs, delivered through three different dances, brought out three different sides of her.

In just a matter of minutes, Lu Zhiying had gone from a mystical fairy to a graceful avatar of nature, and finally to this enduring manifestation of sheer determination.

It was as though Lu Zhiying had brought everyone along on an unexpected journey through time, using herself as a medium to show them the various aspects of the world.

And ironically, this journey ultimately came to an end along with the song .

As the final tunes were played, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but turn his attention to the audience seated before them, hoping to be able to somehow read their thoughts from their expressions.

He had not made any mistakes throughout the entire performance, and neither had the rest of the Flying Shell Performance Group.

At the very least, there were none that he had managed to spot.

Lu Zhiying’s dance was also as enchanting as ever.

It could be said that they had delivered their performance in its most perfect form – exactly the way it was intended to be.

However, just that alone did not guarantee that they would receive a good evaluation from the audience.

Of course, this was not a contest by any measure. There were no prizes set aside for the best performance of the night.

Yet despite all that, it was only natural for one to wish for a good reaction to their performance.

“Not a bad performance. Well done,” Mo Tianfeng was the first to break the silence.

The moment he heard that, Zhao Yunxiao felt as though a huge load had been lifted off his shoulders.

Mo Tianfeng might be the only one who had expressed any form of verbal appreciation, but that was more than good enough.

It was their first time performing in front of the entire sect for the New Year celebrations, so they could not help but feel uncertain of themselves.

In that regard, this single compliment from Mo Tianfeng felt like it had validated every last bit of effort that they had spent on preparing for this performance!

“Thank you for the kind words, Elder Mo,” Bo Fei answered on their behalf.

Under the calm yet watchful gazes of the audience, the members of the Flying Shell Performance Group took a quick bow before making their way down the stage.

Now that the pressure of an impending performance was no longer there, their steps were much lighter than before.

The calm atmosphere at the banquet no longer felt oppressive, but peaceful instead.

What they did not know was that, in stark contrast to the muted response that they were getting from those in the Core Grounds, the disciples were going wild at the celebratory banquets located at both the Inner Grounds and the Outer Grounds.

In the Inner Grounds, the numerous inner disciples broke out into fervent discussions immediately after the performance ended.

“What did they say her- I mean, what did they say their name is? Flying Shell Performance Group?”

“Flying Shell? Have you heard of them?”

“Not me, that’s for sure. Is it a new performance group?”

“Who are the members of the group? I don’t remember seeing them around. Are they outer disciples?”

“Junior Martial Sister Huang is there as well as Junior Martial Brother Zhao, so they are probably all outer disciples.”

“Do you know them? In that case, are you able to find out more about them?”

“What do you want to know?”

“Just general information, such as who the members are and whatnot.”

“Quit lying through your teeth. All you want to know is who that dancer is!”

“W-What about it? Stop pretending as if you don’t want to know her!”

“I think I have seen her around before. Isn’t she working at the Yellowshell Mines?”

“She’s a miner? With those looks of hers?!”

“Can you imagine her getting all sweaty and dirty down in the mines? Damn, just thinking about it is enough to drive me crazy!”

“No, that’s not quite right. I have seen her at the sect library previously. I’m sure she’s a sect librarian instead.”

“A sect librarian? That suits her somehow.”

“I suddenly feel like my arsenal of techniques is a little lacking. Perhaps it is time to go look for some new ones.”

“That’s a good idea, I don’t mind accompanying you to give my two cents.”

“Don’t spout nonsense if you don’t know anything. I saw her at the Medicine Pavilion along with both Junior Martial Sister Huang and Junior Martial Brother Zhao the other day. There is no doubt that she is working at the Medicine Pavilion. That’s likely how they got acquainted.”

“Wow, looks like getting injured isn’t necessarily a bad thing from now on.”

“Come, let’s have a duel! No stopping until I get sufficiently injured!”

“You idiot! At least figure out when is her shift at the Medicine Pavilion before doing something like that!”

“What are all of you so excited about? No matter what, isn’t she still an outer disciple? Are you really considering her as a potential cultivation partner?” an irritated female disciple could not resist bursting everyone’s bubbles.

With that, the excitement in the Inner Grounds immediately calmed down a little.

Indeed, no matter how attractive she was, it was not ideal for an inner disciple to select an outer disciple as their partner.

Even ordinary mortals tend to select their partners in accordance to matching backgrounds for obvious reasons.

As cultivators, this would be even more of a concern since their cultivation levels had a direct impact on their lifespans.

And if they could help it, most people would want a cultivation partner whom they could spend most of their lives with.

“That’s a real pity indeed. If she is an inner disciple, she would really be a good catch!” someone lamented.

“She’s a good catch? And you know that based on what? Just from her appearance and dance?”

“That is important too! Are you telling me that you only look at someone’s personality? As if anyone will believe you!”

“I believe in love at first sight! Who cares if her talent is low? If she’s the one, then all of that won’t matter!”

“I agree! Rather than living a long but mundane life together with someone whom I am not attracted to, I’d rather have a short but passionate relationship with someone I truly love!”

Those words stirred up the level of excitement at the celebratory banquet once more.

“Well said! What is the point of being cultivators if we have too many considerations to even pursue our hearts’ true desires?”

“And who is to say that she would always remain an outer disciple? Perhaps she will also become an inner disciple one day!”

“That’s right! We all have to start somewhere. Who hasn’t started off as an outer disciple at one point?”

“Senior Martial Brother Wei hasn’t...”

“Ah, that’s true. Tch, don’t bring a core disciple into this discussion!”

Watching the disciples’ heated discussions, the deacons present could not help but let out amused smiles as they continued to enjoy the show.

Those in the know could not help but wonder.

If the current reaction from the inner disciples was already this strong, just what would become of them if they realised that this young lady was none other than one of the three outer disciples who had managed to form a true spiritual meridian root?

In the Outer Grounds, the discussions among the disciples were much tamer in comparison.

This was not to say that the performance did not leave as huge an impact on the outer disciples.

Instead, it was the complete opposite.

Many inner disciples had already been exposed to tonnes of amazing performances in the past, but that was not the case for most outer disciples.

Because of that, even more outer disciples were feeling butterflies in their stomachs right now, with an overwhelming majority being the male disciples.

However, most of them were consciously suppressing their emotions, not allowing anything to show on their faces.

That was because, unlike the inner disciples, most of the outer disciples knew exactly who Lu Zhiying was.

Many had already been attracted by her looks since before, but this performance tonight had resulted in most of them confirming the feelings in their hearts.

For some others, this served as a wake-up call that steeled their determination to clearly express themselves.

At the same time, they were not nearly naive enough to think that they would be the only ones trying to get Lu Zhiying’s attention from now on.

Therefore, they could not help but feel wary of the other disciples around them.

They understood that it would likely be a fierce race to the finish from today onwards, and none of them were willing to show their cards to their competitors!