Feeling the giants' anticipation, Su Luo immediately had the Giant King try out the umbrella.
For the first time, the Giant King, holding the massive anti-petrification umbrella, left the Giant King's Court and appeared in Qingxu Heaven. Su Luo also learned where she had entered the Giant King's Court from and where she exited.
This included the giants.
The entire Qingxu Heaven was in an uproar…
The appearance of the Giant King shocked everyone. They had never seen such a tall "person" before.
Li Tianjue and Shang Xie Shaoqing had already seen the Giant King and were not too surprised.
But Chu Tianshu and the others, especially Tang Xiaoguo and Jun Mubai, along with many outer disciples of Qingxu Heaven, stared at him as if he were a curiosity. Even though the Giant King looked much like a human, apart from a vertical pupil and some patterns on his skin, they were still very intrigued.
Su Luo took the Giant King to meet a few elders, then toured Qingxu Heaven, and treated him to many delicious foods.
The Giant King marveled at everything, so excited he could barely speak.
During his three-hour excursion, the Giant King gained a great deal.
The people of Qingxu Heaven not only gave him a lot of spiritual grains and spiritual tea to take back and plant, but also various vegetable seeds, as well as ordinary cattle and sheep, and the edible spirit beasts raised by outer disciples, ensuring the giant race would not lack food.
Grateful, the Giant King longed even more to lead the entire giant race out of their prison to find a new dwelling. Under the magical power of the Golden Horn, he returned to the King's Court and told all his tribesmen about his experiences and gains.
The Giant King's Court also erupted in excitement…
In the following days, Su Luo entered the Giant King's Court every three days to relieve them from the encroachment of petrification seals. She also confirmed the uniqueness of this space, realizing that the flow of time was indeed different from the outside world.
She spent three days in the Giant King's Court, while outside, only an hour had passed. It was no wonder that when they experienced so many things in the Giant King's Court last time, it was merely a moment for those cultivators waiting outside.
Su Luo was completely relieved.
Not only did she feel at ease staying here and dispelling the petrification seals for the giants, but she also often cultivated here.
A month of cultivation in the Giant King's Court passed in less than a day outside!
For Su Luo, this was the greatest benefit of obtaining the Golden Horn; she no longer had to worry about insufficient cultivation time. It was a pity she couldn't bring others in; only the holder of the Golden Horn could enter after blowing it.
Time passed day by day…
The day of the Heavenly Pride Competition drew closer.
The Tianlu Bell rang again, and all the inner disciples gathered in the main hall. This was Bai Qi's first formal attendance at the morning meeting. The six elders were all present, indicating their extreme seriousness.
"The Heavenly Pride Competition is less than three months away."
The First Elder looked kindly at Li Tianjue, then at the others, and said with a smile, "This old man has absolute faith in your Senior Brother. Tianjue cultivates diligently every day, and I am very optimistic about him winning first place in this competition. But for others… Tianshu, tell me, how has your cultivation progressed?"
Chu Tianshu said with a hint of pride, "First Elder, I am already at Venerable stage eight!"
The First Elder frowned, however, "This old man remembers… you were already at Venerable stage eight last year. Why haven't you made any progress for a whole year?"
Chu Tianshu was instantly speechless.
He was only 22 years old, and cultivating to Venerable stage eight was already quite impressive!
"Hmph, you're just tinkering with your sword all day, aren't you?"
The First Elder's face darkened, and he reprimanded, "Don't think that just because you are the Crown Prince of the Beiming Empire, you can be complacent and squander money like water. Haven't you learned your lesson from the miserable defeat in the last Heavenly Pride Competition?"
Second Senior Brother had actually suffered a crushing defeat last time?
Upon hearing this, Su Luo became curious. What exactly happened then?
Lu Jixing beside her immediately leaned over and whispered to her, "Little Junior Sister, you don't know, in the last Heavenly Pride Competition, Second Senior Brother was defeated as soon as he entered the top one hundred, and he lost to a delicate woman."
Su Luo found it hard to believe, "Really? Second Senior Brother is that formidable."
Lu Jixing glanced at Chu Tianshu and sneered, "That opponent was Tianji Wen Daier of the Six Desires Sect, one of the Four Beauties, alluring and charming. Second Senior Brother, upon seeing her, could barely walk properly. How could he…"
"Get out, get out, get out!"
Before he could finish, Chu Tianshu turned and retorted, "Third Senior Brother, stop talking nonsense. I just didn't want to be harsh with a woman. And you? You didn't even enter the top one hundred, which is even more embarrassing than me!"
Lu Jixing pouted, "I was unwell last time, which led to an accidental mistake. That's much better than losing to a woman due to infatuation."
Chu Tianshu snorted, "As the Crown Prince of the Beiming Empire, have I never seen women? Would I be infatuated? You, who didn't even enter the top one hundred, have no right to speak to me."
"You managed to get 97th place, what are you so proud of…"
"Enough!"
Suddenly, an angry roar came from ahead.
The impatient Third Elder, puffing out his beard and glaring, said, "During the morning meeting, you two scoundrels are arguing like this, shut up! I warn you, if you don't achieve good results in this Heavenly Pride Competition, you will go into closed-door cultivation for three years upon your return, and no one is allowed to leave!"
Chu Tianshu and Lu Jixing cried out in misery, "No, Third Elder…"
Even their master wasn't this strict!
They would suffocate if they were confined to closed-door cultivation for three years without leaving.
But neither of them dared to retort. Tang Xiaoguo giggled and lowered her head, sticking out her tongue at Su Luo.
Zhan Li remained expressionless, standing silently by the side, as if the Heavenly Pride Competition had nothing to do with him. Jun Mubai glanced at Bai Qi, secretly covered his mouth to laugh, and gave Su Luo a playful wink.
After the Third Elder finished his scolding, the Second Elder spoke next, then the Fourth Elder, Fifth Elder, Sixth Elder… They each reprimanded the two of them. Various reminders, admonishments, lectures, encouragements, and cheers… Even Su Luo could feel the pressure the elders were under.
To maintain the reputation of Qingxu Heaven, and with the Sect Master absent, they had been exhausted for years. Moreover, among the inner disciples, only Li Tianjue was reliable, while the others all had their own problems, making it truly arduous for the elders.
Finally, the First Elder softened his tone and said, "Tianjue, do you have anything to say about this Heavenly Pride Competition?"
Li Tianjue, tall and elegant, calmly said, "Elders, I have a proposal. Although the Heavenly Pride Competition is still three months away from its official start, I wish to depart early. Instead of cultivating in Qingxu Heaven, it would be more effective for everyone to gain experience along the way."
The First Elder stroked his beard, "Hmm, this is a good suggestion. Cultivating at home is nowhere near as effective as gaining experience outdoors."
The other elders also agreed, "Indeed, only by encountering danger do you know to cultivate diligently and can unleash greater potential at crucial moments."
The Second Elder added, "However, Tianjue, you should only take a few inner disciples like Tianshu with you. The outer disciples will be led by me. As for Xiaobai, he is too young and not yet suitable for long journeys. And Qi'er has not fully recovered, so he cannot go either."
Jun Mubai and Bai Qi were greatly disappointed, having thought they could tag along for the trip.
But the Second Elder was right, so they could only give up.
After confirming this matter, the First Elder finally asked, "Tianjue, when do you plan to depart?"
Li Tianjue had clearly considered this question beforehand and immediately replied, "The venue for this competition is the Hongyue Empire, and the journey is long. I wish to depart tomorrow. In case of any unforeseen circumstances along the way, leaving earlier will prevent any delays to important matters."