Volume 3, Chapter 218 – Who Dares Call Themselves a Genius Before Me? (Part 4)

Qi Huang naturally stole a few glances as well—though purely out of curiosity about how outstanding this main body, who resembled a celestial maiden descended from the heavens, truly was. It certainly wasn’t because she wanted to know just how beautiful her current appearance had become.

Since she was standing close, she could clearly see the Phoenix Selection Token in Cheng Hongling’s hand. Listed on it were six criteria: Face, Figure, Skin, Voice, Natural Scent, and Fertility. At the very bottom was the Overall Score.

“Fertility? What the hell is that?”

Qi Huang froze for a moment before quickly realizing—every human had their hidden flaws, and a woman’s fertility was no exception.

Cheng Hongling gripped the token, and as pink light shimmered across its surface, evaluations for each category appeared one after another.

“Face: 10

Figure: 10

Skin: 10

Voice: 10

Natural Scent: 10

Fertility: 10

Overall Score: 10″

With each number displayed, Xu Mei read it aloud. The onlookers’ jaws dropped further with every word, and even Silver ZombieGeneral Li Hua’s face gradually twisted in shock.

“This general has underestimated the Crown Princess’s beauty. The imperial palace’s Phoenix Selection Token is notoriously strict—any woman with an overall score of six or higher qualifies to become a concubine. Yet, this is the first time I’ve seen a perfect score. With looks like yours, you could easily rank on the entire cultivation world’s ‘Moon-Veiling Ranking’. It seems you truly cannot be allowed to live today.”

General Li Hua’s crimson eyes burned with fervor, as if he were the one personally selecting a consort.

“Do you have anything left to say now?” Cheng Hongling demanded coldly.

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“Wait! I question these results!” Zeng Cai shrieked hysterically. “I won’t argue about subjective things like appearance or fertility, but how could her figure score higher than mine? Are my breasts not as full? My waist not as slender? Or my hips not as perky?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Li Hua replied matter-of-factly. “You’re shorter than her, so her proportions are superior—her legs are longer!”

His explanation showed no bias, as though he had already accepted Cheng Hongling’s status as the Crown Princess.

Zeng Cai scrutinized Cheng Hongling from head to toe, her face twisting with resentment. Then she spat, “Fine, even if that’s true, how could her natural scent be a perfect ten? Women with innate fragrance are already one in ten thousand, and even then, it’s usually faint. How could hers be flawless? Is your token malfunctioning?”

“General Li, it seems your authority isn’t worth much. Even your subordinate dares to openly question you!” Qi Huang sneered.

“How dare you!” Li Hua roared, his twelve-foot spear instantly lifting to point at Zeng Cai’s nose.

Zeng Cai shuddered, her already-pale face turning ghostly white. After all, she was only at the early Ghost Mirror Realm, equivalent to a cultivator’s Unity Realm.

“If you think it’s broken, test it yourself,” Cheng Hongling said impatiently, tossing the token back.

The moment Zeng Cai caught it, the Natural Scent category immediately dropped to five—a devastating contrast.

“You’ve lost. How do you intend to atone for insulting Huangtian County?” Cheng Hongling drew her sword once more.

“I admit defeat. But don’t act so self-righteous! You’re an outsider—what right do you have to speak for Huangtian County?” Zeng Cai snarled.

“Hongling’s father is from Huangtian County. So is her mother. Her ancestors for generations were all from Huangtian County. How is she an outsider?” Xu Mei retorted.

“Impossible! She must have outsider blood. I refuse to believe Huangtian County could produce a woman of such beauty!” Zeng Cai shook her head vehemently.

“Enough stalling. It’s time to fulfill your promise,” Qi Huang said with a malicious grin.

This woman had some charm, but she was nowhere near the level of Mu Ruoyi. Worse, her heart was rotten—making her suitable only as cat food, not a wife.

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“No! I won’t accept this! You’re not from Huangtian County! Even if you win, it doesn’t change the fact that this place is a rat’s nest! Its people deserve to be looked down upon!”

“No need to worry about that—you won’t live to see it,” Qi Huang smirked.

With a flick of her divine sense, she immobilized Zeng Cai and dragged her into a spatial ring. To conceal her true strength, she only used about one-tenth of her power.

“No! NO! I won’t accept this! Cheng Hongling, you traitorous little bitch!” Zeng Cai screamed.

Qi Huang ignored her curses, suppressing her entirely within the ring before releasing the Nine Nether Demon Cats.

The moment the demon cats saw Zeng Cai, their eyes glowed hungrily. Starving, they let out low, bestial growls and slowly closed in.

“Ah! Y-you—what are you doing?! Let me out! LET ME OUT! I admit I was wrong! Spare me, please! We’re fellow disciples!”

Zeng Cai’s pleas came too late.

“Zeng Cai really is as prejudiced against locals as the rumors say. What a waste of a pretty face,” Qin Quan sighed.

“Since when did you get a spatial ring? Just kill a woman like her—why keep her?” Cheng Hongling asked suspiciously.

“No reason. Waste not, want not,” Qi Huang replied vaguely.

Cheng Hongling shot her a sharp glare, clearly misunderstanding her intentions.

“General Li didn’t stop me. Wasn’t she your subordinate? I’d love to know why,” Qi Huang asked curiously.

“You jest, Crown Princess. Soon, we’ll be family—what’s yours is mine,” Li Hua replied casually.

“So confident you can kill me?” Qi Huang’s lips curled slightly.

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“Rest assured, for the sake of uniting you with His Highness the Crown Prince, this subordinate will do his utmost.”

“…”

Qi Huang rolled her eyes. What kind of absurd conversation was this?

“Well then, who else wishes to try? If not, I’ll proceed with His Highness’s mission,” Li Hua called out to the powerful specters behind him.

“I’ll go!”

“I’ll go!”

Two voices rang out simultaneously as two figures stepped forward.

The first wore pristine white robes. Despite his crimson eyes and silver-white skin, he maintained an immaculate appearance, making him seem oddly out of place. He was Wang Kai, the Honghua Sect’s top genius six hundred years ago.

The second man was far more disheveled—his hair tangled, beard unkempt, and clothes ragged, revealing grimy skin. If not for his crimson eyes and silver complexion, he could’ve been mistaken for a street beggar. This was An Kang, the sect’s top genius four hundred years ago.

“An Kang, by seniority, I am your elder. Allow me to test her first,” Wang Kai asserted.

“Elder Wang, traditional virtues include not just respecting elders but also cherishing the young. Let me go first!” An Kang shot back without hesitation.

And so, the two began to argue.

“Why do they look so familiar?” Qin Quan frowned again.

“What do you mean? Do you know them too? Don’t tell me they’re also our Honghua Sect ancestors?” Xu Mei asked, stunned.

“They are!”

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After a moment of recollection, Qin Quan slapped his thigh and pointed. “The neat one is Wang Kai, our sect’s top genius six hundred years ago. The messy one is An Kang, our top genius four hundred years ago.”

“You recognize geniuses from six hundred and four hundred years ago?” Xu Mei stared in disbelief.

“Our sect’s archives contain a book titled ‘Honghua Sect’s History’, documenting many past luminaries with portraits. I’ve read it often, so I remember them.”

The group exchanged glances, speechless. Had Qin Quan not burned enough spirit money lately? Why were all these ancestors coming after them today?

“Though we walk different paths now, as esteemed seniors of the Honghua Sect, how could you bear to trouble your juniors?” Qin Quan tried reasoning with them.

“My apologies. Like that woman earlier, I was merely a hired façade for the Honghua Sect. The only difference is purpose—she was meant to bolster your reputation for beauty, while I was meant to bolster your strength. Strictly speaking, I’m no sect elder.”

“Same here. I heard the Honghua Sect recently produced an unprecedented genius, so I came to see for myself whether Huangtian County could truly birth a phoenix!”

Wang Kai and An Kang spoke one after another.

“In that case, stop arguing. Come at me together!” Cheng Hongling stepped forward, her posture heroic. “Earlier, I vindicated Huangtian County’s appearance. Now, let me vindicate its talent in cultivation!”

“Hongling, don’t be reckless! In their time, they were both called unparalleled geniuses of our sect. Their talent isn’t far beneath yours, and they’ve cultivated much longer—”

“I disagree.”

Qi Huang strode forward, her tone even more audacious. “Anyone else who wants trouble? Come at me all at once—I’m in a hurry.”

“Huh?!”

Cheng Hongling’s delicate frame trembled as she stared at her doppelgänger in shock.