Chapter 2497

So this time, they simply held a competition among all the disciples, selecting the top seven for the seven available spots. To be safe, they also chose three reserves.

Zhu Yanyi was definitely going. There was a sect leader match, and Yan Aohan would attend as family. He wouldn’t fight; his main job was to take care of Zhu Yanyi, and protect others when possible.

Besides Zhu Yanyi, Hong Lian and Ouyang Tianyun were also going. Zhuge Hongwen stayed behind to manage the sect’s affairs.

Since learning Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan’s true identities, Zhuge Hongwen no longer worried about their travels. If anything, she worried for their opponents, as not all immortals could defeat the Yan Emperor.

Yan Aohan helped Zhu Yanyi to the gathering place. The ten disciples were already there, wearing identical uniforms with only slight differences in collar patterns.

Hong Lian and Ouyang Tianyun were waiting too. Seeing Zhu Yanyi’s belly, Hong Lian worried, “Sect Leader, do you really need to go? Your belly is so big.”

“I’m not planning to fight. Besides, it’s a best-of-five series. If you win, I can just rest, even with my big belly.” Zhu Yanyi gave a look that said, My rest depends on you, which left Hong Lian feeling helpless.

“Alright, let’s go.” Yan Aohan summoned a cloud vehicle. He helped Zhu Yanyi on first, then let Ouyang Tianyun and Hong Lian guide the ten disciples aboard.

“We’re heading to the Zhongrui region for the competition. The flight takes about fifteen days. You can do whatever you like on board—cultivate, read, eat snacks, or just play.” Zhu Yanyi said with a smile.

“Thank you, Sect Leader,” the ten disciples replied without hesitation.

Zhu Yanyi disliked strict rules. She believed group trips should be relaxed.

Yan Aohan brought out a recliner, helped Zhu Yanyi settle in, and said to the others, “Arrange yourselves. If you want, you can even have a barbecue.”

“Senior Grand Elder, can we really barbecue?” one disciple asked with a grin.

“Of course. Do you need me to provide tools?” Yan Aohan nodded, smiling.

“No need, we brought our own.” The disciples efficiently started setting up. Some spread blankets, others set up grills, lit fires, and prepared food. Their smooth coordination showed they had done this before.

“Why do they seem so familiar with this?” Zhu Yanyi asked softly.

“I think it’s good. It really fits your style,” Yan Aohan said. Following one’s heart, not overthinking, just being happy and doing what one wants.

Seeing such disciples, Yan Aohan felt more approval. With them, Zhu Yanyi’s efforts were not in vain.

Zhu Yanyi didn’t think as deeply as Yan Aohan. She had founded the Azure Sovereign Sect out of curiosity, wanting to play. Now it had grown too large, becoming hard to manage, so she had become a hands-off leader. Fortunately, with Zhuge Hongwen as an all-around strategist, she didn’t worry about the sect’s affairs.

“This reminds me of when we were in the mortal realm, and you led us to save the Bright Forest,” Ouyang Tianyun said with deep feeling.

“Missing people in the mortal realm?” Zhu Yanyi understood her thought.

Ouyang Tianyun nodded. “It’s normal to miss them. You don’t know? We still have so many senior and junior brothers and sisters there.” In the past forty years, no one from the Sage Academy had ascended.

“I believe in them. As long as they work hard, they will have a chance to ascend,” Zhu Yanyi said. She also missed those past times.

But time never goes back. They were now immortals; returning to be mortals was unrealistic. So she only hoped those in the mortal realm would work harder.

Zhu Yanyi always followed the path of following her heart. She knew such things couldn’t be forced. Whether they would meet again in the immortal realm depended on their own talent and effort.

“It seems the Sect Leader was very powerful in the mortal realm,” Hong Lian said, curious about Zhu Yanyi’s past.

Over the years, instead of understanding Zhu Yanyi better, Hong Lian felt she was even more unreadable.

Zhu Yanyi smiled lightly. “As cultivators, we all go through this. It’s not about being powerful. If I didn’t work hard, I might have turned to ash. If I turned to ash, it would be fine, but my husband would be sad. So, to keep my husband from being sad, I naturally had to cultivate hard.”

Saying this, Zhu Yanyi looked at Yan Aohan, her eyes full of tenderness. “Aohan, isn’t that right?”

Yan Aohan nodded with a smile, rubbing Zhu Yanyi’s head. “Yes. And I don’t want you to leave me. So you must keep working hard. Even if you want to slack off, you can’t, because I will supervise and urge you.” As he spoke, Yan Aohan peeled walnut kernels for her.

These walnuts were a new variety in the immortal realm, discovered by the Immortal Empress and Immortal Emperor. Considering walnuts were good for Zhu Yanyi’s pregnancy, they had sent many via flying birds.

Zhu Yanyi was in a very lazy phase lately. Though she knew walnuts were good, she didn’t like moving. So Yan Aohan took time every day to peel them for her.

Yan Aohan carefully peeled the walnuts, placing the kernels in a crystal bowl, so Zhu Yanyi could easily pick one up and eat it.

The ten disciples nearby didn’t care about this. They were busy discussing what delicious things to barbecue.

“Seeing their vibrant energy, I feel like I’ve aged a lot,” Zhu Yanyi said with a sigh.

Yan Aohan laughed. “You have one in your belly. How are you old?”

“Exactly,” Ouyang Tianyun added. “Besides, you’re only over a hundred years old. If you’re old, what are we? Ancestors?”