Chapter 279 This is the event you were talking about?
The Blossoms of the Seven Emotions, passed down for millennia within the Blooming Sanctuary, were mysterious and powerful, each serving a unique purpose.
Especially the Blossom of Love.
The ancestors of the sanctuary had once placed a protective spell within the Blossom of Love. Whenever the Blooming Sanctuary faced a great battle, disciples could come before the Blossom of Love.
Friendship, family, love—no matter the type of emotion, as long as it could move the Blossom of Love, one could receive its blessing.
However, since there were no male disciples in the Blooming Sanctuary, even if someone managed to stir the Blossom of Love, it was rare to receive a particularly powerful blessing.
Thus, rather than being a source of ancestral blessings, the Blossom of Love was more of a comforting ritual for most disciples.
And this ritual was quite popular.
Even if one couldn\'t obtain any rare treasures from the Blossom of Love, they might still receive small trinkets.
Things like bronze mirrors, wooden combs, or dolls—these little items were as popular as prizes from a claw machine.
With the possibility of heading to the Sepulcher of the Sacred soon, many disciples seized the opportunity and gathered before the Blossom of Love.
The atmosphere on the hillside was lively.
Around the Blossom of Love, many female disciples were laughing and playing, clearly enjoying themselves.
"Amelia, I love you."
"Lila, honestly, I feel the same."
The two female disciples gazed into each other\'s eyes, their hands gently clasped together.
They looked deeply in love, as if nothing could come between them.
As their words grew more tender, their faces slowly drew closer.
It seemed like their soft lips were about to meet.
Plop.
Just then, a flash of light flickered from the Blossom of Love, and a slightly translucent pebble fell to the ground.
"Hahaha, a pebble? You two really put on a good show, but come on, that was way too fake!"
The surrounding disciples burst into laughter.
The sound of their laughter echoed across the hillside, with some laughing so hard they collapsed onto the grass, clutching their stomachs. Their light silk dresses were soon covered in flowers and grass.
After all, a pebble was the worst reward from the Blossom of Love.
These common stones could be found anywhere, in any quantity.
The Blossom of Love rewarded based on the sincerity of the emotions expressed—whether friendship, family, or love. As long as the feelings were genuine, the reward would be extraordinary.
But if the emotions weren\'t real, no matter how convincing the act, it wouldn\'t work.
Thinking back to the two disciples\' seemingly flawless performance, and then looking at the plain pebble on the ground, the laughter only grew louder, like the ringing of silver bells.
"Lila, you\'re always saying you love me, but it\'s not working, is it?"
"Ugh, you\'re no better. I should\'ve brought that little yellow dog from the mountain with me. Even if it\'s cross-species, it wouldn\'t have been as bad as this. At least I wouldn\'t have ended up with just a pebble."
The two disciples chuckled, and under the amused gazes of the others, they slunk away in embarrassment.
Their pride? Completely shattered.
"This is the event you were talking about?"
Watching the laughter and excitement in front of him, Timothy couldn\'t help but feel a bit intrigued.
"What do you think? Not bad, right? Want to give it a try with me? Who knows, we might even receive the blessings of the Blooming Sanctuary\'s ancestors~"
Holy Maiden Aeliana covered her mouth with a soft laugh, her eyes carrying a hint of playful charm.
Timothy raised an eyebrow. "I\'m down to try, but what if we end up with just a pebble too?"
"No way!" Aeliana shot him a mock glare, clearly pretending to be annoyed.
Then, as if something amusing crossed her mind, she smiled again. "Who knows, maybe if we go together, we\'ll get something really valuable~"
"You\'re dreaming," Timothy chuckled.
After all, those two disciples earlier had put on such a convincing act, and yet the Blossom of Love had seen right through them. It was obvious that the Blossom of Love could directly sense genuine emotions. Unless the feelings were real, no matter how good the performance, there was no fooling it.
As for the three types of emotions…
Family?
Friendship?
Sure, Timothy and Aeliana had a good relationship, but neither of those really applied to them.
Meanwhile, more disciples were stepping up to the Blossom of Love. This time, one of the pair was a familiar face.
On the left, dressed in flowing white robes, stood Serena, the sanctuary\'s top disciple. Even among the many beautiful disciples, she stood out.
Back when the Blossom of Love went out of control, Serena had been the first to rush into the room and hand Timothy a love letter. Of course, she was also the first to experience the ultimate embarrassment…
Now, the disciple holding Serena\'s hand was Lyria.
Lyria kept her head slightly lowered, her long lashes fluttering nervously. Her voice was soft as she spoke, "Serena, this is just an act. I don\'t have any… extra feelings for you. Please, don\'t take it seriously."
"Don\'t worry, I won\'t. It\'s just a performance, after all. Besides, the Blossom of Love can tell what\'s real and what\'s not. We just need to act convincingly enough. If we\'re lucky, we might get something better than a pebble. And if not, well, a pebble\'s fine too."
Serena smiled, completely unbothered.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
After all, the Blooming Sanctuary only had female disciples. There was no way anyone could stir the Blossom of Love with genuine feelings, right?
As for Lyria, while they got along well, their relationship wasn\'t exactly deep. In fact, Lyria often seemed to avoid her, almost as if she were afraid of her—or maybe even disliked her a little.
Still, as the senior disciple, Serena felt she should be understanding. She wasn\'t expecting to get anything special from the Blossom of Love. A pebble would be more than enough.
The two of them walked hand in hand to the Blossom of Love.
"Lyria, just act a little. It\'s a sign of respect for the Blossom of Love," Serena said gently.
"Yes, Senior Sister."
Lyria responded, slowly lifting her head.
Serena was slightly taller than her, and as they stood there, their eyes met.
"S-Senior Sister…"
Lyria\'s voice trembled slightly, and she completely forgot her lines.
The weight of all the eyes on them from every direction made her even more nervous. Her hands were cold, and she was shaking just a little.
Finally, Lyria couldn\'t take the pressure anymore. She gave up on reciting the cold, scripted lines.
Instead…
She stood on her tiptoes and gave Serena a quick, feather-light kiss on the cheek.
Then, in a fluster, she quickly pulled away, her head lowered, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
"Hmm?"
Serena blinked, clearly taken aback by the sudden kiss.
"She didn\'t even want to say the lines… Does she really dislike me that much?"
As the senior disciple, Serena felt a pang of disappointment. She sighed softly, feeling a bit down that she couldn\'t seem to make everyone happy.
But then, something caught her attention. Lyria\'s cheeks… were they a little flushed?