The view changed instantly. Mi Fengsi scanned his surroundings on instinct. The first thing he noticed was the floating islands with mountains peeking out. It didn’t take long to realize why the venue was labeled Nine Heavens Peak.

  Mi Fengsi had never heard of a local in the Primordial Realm and assumed that it was a virtual area in the Xiyinet, but reality begged to differ. Granted, floating mountains weren’t unheard of, but they often hinted at a high density of spiritual qi or treasures. That was only for a single floating mountain, and clusters of floating mountains were simply unheard of.

  He simply assumed it was a private immortal grotto owned by Sovereign Thrallsong or the Heavenly Immortal Court and left it at that. Mi Fengsi looked around him and saw other people already standing there or just walking out of their portals.

  It surprised him. No, not the number of people—that was actually far below his expectations. It was everyone around him who walked out of the portals who were in the Immortal Realm. Mi Fengsi only saw true immortals, but he wondered if an immortal monarch was among them.

  Before Mi Fengsi could wonder what to do next, several servants came forward to address each immortal. The strange thing was that each of them had the exact same face. It was only a moment later that he realized that the servants were actually just puppets.

  Mi Fengsi probed the puppets and discovered that they were at the venerable level. He couldn’t help but stare, aghast at the exorbitant cost it would take to produce so many puppets.

  Although he was a true immortal, that didn’t mean he could make venerable-level puppets. He could probably make weaker ones, but the materials he would need would be far more costly than those required by a true puppeteer.

  Once again, Mi Fengsi sighed at the power of the Heavenly Immortal Court. Just the financial power alone was enough to squash his clan like a bug. Yes, he didn’t think this was Sovereign Thrallsong’s personal wealth. Even if she had the wealth, who would create so many servant puppets? It would be much less costly to just accept some cultivators as servants.

  He was led to a box with five other immortals. Mi Fengsi didn’t know them, but the room was more than large enough for them to sit in their seats without bothering each other.

  Still, Mi Fengsi introduced himself. They were in the same box, and how bad could Sovereign Thrallsong’s guests be?

  Mi Fengsi introduced himself using his title. It was a little-known title even among his clan and the surrounding area. Most of the time, he secluded himself, making him more famous as the Mi Clan’s Immortal Ancestor.

  He didn’t know how truthful his fellow immortals were, but that did not stop him from having a pleasant conversation. He discovered that two immortals hadn’t come to listen to Sovereign Thrallsong. Instead, they wanted to experience the Soul Sovereign’s means.

  One was a soul immortal who wanted to see a peak Soul Sovereign’s means, while another wanted to temper their willpower.

  Mi Fengsi was speechless. The two didn’t come to enjoy Sovereign Thrallsong’s music, but to cultivate! Thankfully, the other two were much more normal. They had just entered the lottery to have a chance to see an immortal sovereign with their own eyes and got lucky.

  Not long after, a puppet servant entered, carrying a fruit platter. The aroma made Mi Fengsi salivate. He recognized only one species of peach—a peach from the Life Peach Tree.

  The Life Peach Tree was a subroot of the Longevity Peach Tree. Even the lowest-grade fruit it bore could heal almost all injuries for a mortal and extend their lifespan for one year. Its mystical powers could even increase the hard thirty-six-hundred-year lifespan limit mortals had.

  Mi Fengsi wondered if the friend who had sold him the ticket would regret it once he knew that he would get a Life Peach with the ticket.

  That thought soon disappeared. He could see mortal cultivators and regular mortals from the box. The non-immortal cultivators and mortals appeared in different areas of the venue.

  Immortals like himself appeared at the third level, while cultivators were at the second level and were seated together. Mortals took the lowest level right in front of the stage. It was standing-only and the most crowded area. It was a logical thing to do considering the difference in life levels.

  The peaches were likely given only to immortals like himself. So even if his friend had come, he would likely have had to stand on the first level with the other mortals.

  Unlike immortals, cultivators and mortals did not receive individual puppet servants to direct them. The cultivators were better off, as they had a puppet servant to guide a group of them. Mortals had to follow the instructions on their Xiyi Talismans as their only guide.

  It was fine, since the Xiyi Talisman would react if they went the wrong way. At least, from what he saw.

  Mi Fengsi knew that there were VIP tickets with even more luxurious boxes, but those could be acquired only through the lottery or by purchasing them from someone who already won. He had tried to buy one but failed.

  He thought it would be easy to buy one from a mortal considering his wealth as an immortal, but many of them auctioned them off. In the end, they were acquired at astronomical prices—ones that he could not stomach.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  The puppet servant’s return brought Mi Fengsi out of his musings. In its hand were several articles. After distribution, Mi Fengsi wore a head tie, several badges, and an outer coat. All the articles had a stylized print of Sovereign Thrallsong. In his hand was a clear stick with a black handle.

  Apparently, the stick would glow once activated, and he was supposed to wave the stick to the song. Coordinated with all the other fans in unison, it would make for a stunning sight.

  Unlike Mi Fengsi’s candid actions, the other immortals were much more reserved. None of them rejected the items, not even the two immortals who came here to temper themselves.

  Mi Fengsi did not find it strange. Although even he found the style of the articles off-putting—even a hardcore fan like himself would not wear them outside of this specific event or alone—the materials used to craft them were exceptional.

  Call him ill-informed, but Mi Fengsi could not recognize the materials. That did not stop him from noting their unique qualities that even immortals would find valuable.

  Once he donned the coat, he could feel his immortal qi merging with the threads. Regular objects could not hold immortal qi, and the powerful energy would cause them to break down. The threads could not only hold his immortal qi, they could store it. If processed by an artificer, it could easily become a true immortal artifact.

  The badges were different, having been crafted out of some unknown metal. If they were melted down and reshaped, they could easily be used as a dagger or other small-form weapon.

  Mi Fengsi didn’t think the set would cost his entire fortune, but it was still a sizeable wealth nonetheless. He couldn’t fathom the fortune used to gift every attendee. The tickets sold definitely couldn’t fund all these gifts.

  His eyes caught sight of the items handed out on the second and first levels. He couldn’t help but consider robbing the cultivators and mortals for their sets.

  According to the Xiyi Talisman, immortals, mortal cultivators, and regular mortals would receive a set of goodies. Cultivators received a badge, head tie, and a glow stick, while mortals only got a head tie and badge. Although they appeared the same outwardly, the materials used to make them differed wildly.

  Mi Fengsi concluded that this notification was to prevent immortals or cultivators from hunting down those weaker than them in order to steal the gifts.

  Personally, Mi Fengsi would not. Part of it was out of trust for Sovereign Thrallsong and his own principles, but according to the notification, those who were found to have committed such crimes would have their Xiyi Talisman functions restricted, if not sealed entirely.

  He didn’t think it would stop those who thought themselves untouchable, but it would prevent ninety-nine percent of the thievery. It wasn’t perfect, but Mi Fengsi did not put too much thought into the matter. It wouldn’t affect him anyway.

  Although the set he received was expensive, it was far from enough for other immortals to form a life-and-death enmity with him for.

  The box soon entered a calm. None of the immortals present would cultivate since the wait until the start of the concert was only an hour or two at most. The two who came to temper themselves closed their eyes and tuned out the outside world.

  Mi Fengsi made small talk with the remaining immortals. The three soon exchanged their handles on the Xiyinet. All talk disappeared when the sky darkened, transforming directly from day to night. The night sky became the backdrop for the concert.

  The stars shone brightly, allowing even mortals to see each other in the darkness. It wasn’t enough to make out distinct features, but more than enough to prevent chaos. The mortals showed no fear, only awe at the beauty.

  Laymen watch the excitement, while experts grasp the subtleties.

  Even the immortals became silent, but not out of awe. They were not as ignorant as the mortals. They knew what kind of feat turning day to night was. Even if it was inside an immortal grotto, a secluded realm, it did not diminish the feat—especially since none of them could sense any fluctuation from the shift. It was as if the natural laws had not been manipulated.

  Their attention was soon attracted to the stage as a mist emitting an ethereal light blossomed from the center. Although murky, a shadowy figure appeared within the flowering mist.

  Mi Fengsi instinctively released his immortal sense to gain a clearer picture of the figure in the mist, but he discovered that his immortal sense could not leave his body. He, and likely many others, were shocked. This wasn’t like changing day to night; it was something happening to him. Cultivators valued control, especially over themselves. This desire only increased in the Immortal Realm, yet he could not sense anything amiss until he took action!

  This meant that the controller behind the scenes had reached an incredible level of skill. Between changing day to night and this, it was hard to judge which was more shocking. If an immortal had both power and skill, the sum of the two parts would be more than a simple addition.

  A sigh escaped Mi Fengsi’s lips. He had always held awe for the Heavenly Immortal Court, but it was only today that he gained an inkling of how terrifying they were. He didn’t know if the people who performed these two feats were the same person, but it was still amazing nonetheless.

  Mi Fengsi did not dwell on it any longer as tunes flew past the mist and entered the crowd. He had always known that the Heavenly Immortal Court was powerful, so he put it behind him and enjoyed what he came here for.

  Although the music came first, the opening song of the concert focused more on the singer’s vocals. It was quiet, almost akin to a breathless whisper, but the song reverberated throughout the venue as if sung right next to the listener.

  The song was simple, almost too simple. Not only was the tune simple, but so were the words. Even a mortal could compose it, but the vocals made the song. It spoke of beginnings—of the original desire of the heart.

  Mi Fengsi could not detect anything strange with the song. No immortal or essence qi, or even soul fluctuations. Yet, he couldn’t help but recall his early years—when he was named the immortal seed of the Mi Clan. How proud and ambitious he was! He wanted to soar into the sky and prove that the Mi Clan was not wrong.

  He recalled these memories as if they were yesterday. Even his current self couldn’t help but feel emotional at the passage of time, the difference between his original expectations and the current reality. Perhaps for others, they might feel gratified as they achieved their original goal, unlike him.

  The song held distinct meaning to different people. It was not a bad song. In fact, it was a terrific song as an opening.

  “Coming was really the right choice. Songs heard from recordings could never bring out the same emotions as in person,” Mi Fengsi praised.

  The song ended in a few minutes, bringing either relief or reluctance. Soon, the second song started.

  https://discord.gg/WCTeWEH

  https://www.patreon.com/KaiserBlak

  topwebfiction.

  Volume 1 is now available on Amazon

  Volume 2 is now available on Amazon

  Volume 3 is now available on Amazon