Chapter 742: Advice from a Romantic and the Second Discussion Begins

When Zhang Deming came to a stop, he was already back at his table. Two children stood silently to the side, and Yuee Mengsheng and the others near him had also arrived.

Figures continuously emerged on the surrounding floating islands. In just a few short minutes, the once-empty islands were teeming with disciples.

A moment later, all the islands trembled and began to drift faintly in unison. A gentle breeze carrying a light fragrance stirred, signaling that the conference had begun once more.

As the floating islands began to rotate, ethereal music filled the air. As before, a troupe of disciples who practiced Music and Dance Cultivation floated down, dancing gracefully to the melody.

As they danced, the sky slowly darkened, turning to night. High above, the full moon formed by the Spirit Nurturing Celestial Bead grew exceptionally bright and beautiful.

Amidst the dance, a sapling in the center of Baiyuu Plaza grew at a rapid pace. Following the rhythm of the performance, it transformed in moments into a magnificent, towering tree of breathtaking beauty.

TWANG…

HUU…

The instant the tree reached its full form, the note of a flute and the chime of a zither suddenly rang out in perfect harmony. Two male disciples had appeared on the magnificent tree, both handsome enough to be considered heartthrobs even among cultivators.

One of them had sharp, resolute features and a chiseled physique. Incredibly handsome, he exuded an air of faint coldness and masculine energy, giving him a cool, aloof demeanor.

He sat on an overhanging branch, leaning lightly against the great tree. One leg dangled freely while the other was bent, resting on the branch. He held a Cyan Jade Flute to his lips, softly playing a series of lingering notes.

A breeze from an unknown source, bound for an unknown destination, rustled his hair and pristine white robes, causing them to flutter gently. The moonlit night, the cool man, the magnificent tree, and the haunting melody of the flute combined to form a breathtakingly beautiful scene, like a painted scroll come to life.

On the other side of the tree sat a man who radiated scholarly elegance. Though refined in his bearing, he was by no means effeminate. He was seated cross-legged on a branch, with a Treasure Zither of Three-Star Magical Artifact Level hovering over his lap.

As his fingertips danced across the strings, the Zither Sound actively intertwined with the flute’s melody. Faint ripples of Spiritual Power emanated—a perfect fusion of the Heart Spirit Dao and the Music and Dance Dao—yet it contained not a hint of aggression, only endless tranquility and sublime harmony.

Midway through the piece, Dang Rushuang and Pei Xiaoxiao reappeared at the treetop. Barefoot and clad in long gowns, they danced gracefully among the fluttering Flower Demon Elves.

In that instant, every disciple present was utterly mesmerized. This picturesque scene captivated them all. Some wished they could be part of it; others longed to embrace one of the performers.

“Holy crap, the guy playing the flute looks like Senior Brother Zhou. Doesn’t he use a staff? What’s he doing playing a flute?”

“Hehe, it’s all just ‘playing,’ isn’t it? Just a matter of long versus short. Who knows, maybe he can handle other big ‘staffs’ too!”

“I have to admit, dressed up like this, Senior Brother Zhou is even hotter!”

“I just want to know who had enough pull to get Senior Brother Zhou, the most aloof of the Inner Sect’s Core Disciples, to play the flute for the opening ceremony!”

“I think Senior Brother Dang is more handsome. The cold, aloof type like Senior Brother Zhou does nothing for me. Besides, Senior Brother Dang’s Zither Sound is way more soulful than Senior Brother Zhou’s flute playing.”

“Well, no duh. One’s a Musician who majors in the Zither Sound Dao, the other is a Staff Cultivator who just minors in the Flute Sound Dao. Is that even a fair comparison?”

“Go on, get outta here. I don’t care if they play the staff, the flute, or the zither. I’m not interested. No matter how handsome they are, they can’t compare to Senior Sister Dang’s beauty.”

“It’s over, I’m done for. I’m completely captivated by Senior Sister Pei. This old man’s heart is fluttering like it’s spring again!”

“Senior Sister Dang just keeps getting more beautiful! My heart is racing; I can’t look away!”

“Senior Sister Pei is the real dark horse. She has that cool, mature beauty on the outside, but with a hint of adorable clumsiness underneath. It’s just so captivating! I can’t get enough!”

“Oh man, I really want to take one of those Flower Demon Elves home as a pet!”

“Pervert!”

“Oh, come on! It’s bad enough the senior sisters are seducing us, but now they’re sending the senior brothers to tempt us, too? How are we Apprentice Disciples, who are trying to prepare for promotion, supposed to deal with all this stimulation?!”

“Exactly! Not a single one of these sect masters and grandmasters has our best interests at heart!”

“…”

This dance piece was as good as ever.

‘Especially since the Sect, in the name of variety, actually managed to rope in Zhou Shengxian and Dang Leqi—the two titans among the Inner Sect’s Core Disciples—to perform the music. They’re just… exceptionally good at leveraging their assets!’

They had also added many elements from the Celestial Universe, making the scene truly mesmerizing. Many disciples were completely entranced.

A moment later, the music and dance concluded.

The sky brightened once more. One by one, the disciples all vanished, as did the great tree.

At that moment, the figure of Sect Leader Dang Jun’an appeared on Baiyuu Plaza on the massive island below.

“Fellow Daoists and disciples, we meet again!” Dang Jun’an said with a bow. He scanned the crowd before continuing, “Today is the second round of the Two-World Exchange Conference. The previous round, on ‘Messaging and Communication,’ has concluded, as I’m sure you’ve all seen.

In the clash of ideas between our two worlds, many disciples have gained a great deal. The discourse on Dao and Skills has brought profound inspiration to many, and some disciples have even experienced the legendary advancement through Enlightenment Dao.

That disciple was fortunate, and so are all of you. To be a part of such a conference, to live in this era—you are all truly blessed.

Of course, if you wish to be among them, you will all need to redouble your efforts. Time waits for no one!

The Celestial Universe had the privilege of choosing the topic for the first round, and they chose ‘Messaging and Communication.’ For this second round, it is our Sect’s turn to set the theme.

Therefore, as your hosts, we, the Celestial Spirit Sect, will also choose a difficult Daoist Technique problem that both our worlds are currently working to overcome!

For this second round, our chosen topic is: Data Storage!

The progress of our era and the arrival of our friends from the Celestial Universe have ushered in the great age of Array Artifacts in Hongmeng. This has brought about epoch-making, world-shaking changes for both our realms.

Data—or more specifically, storage via Array Space and quantum big data—is a critical path of development for both our sides.

Our Sect hopes that through this exchange, we can discuss array-based storage and quantum big data storage. We hope that in the clash of ideas between the disciples of our two worlds, we can forge a new path forward in this field and open up new horizons for us all.”