Volume 7, Chapter 377 – I Alone Am Enough to Participate

Lin Ran, the Sixth Princess of the imperial dynasty, one of the three great beauties of the capital, and the top immortal seedling of Poyun Peak, held immense fame in both the cultivation and secular worlds of the Western Radiance Dynasty. Thus, news of her joining the Longchang Sect quickly spread far and wide.

Because of this, Qin Quan summoned a meeting of the sect’s high-ranking members to discuss the matter.

“What exactly is the Sixth Princess thinking? With her status and background, she shouldn’t lack resources, right? Why would she travel thousands of miles to Yongning Prefecture just to endure hardship?”

Elder Ruan voiced her confusion.

“Who knows? Maybe she’s here for training? After all, hiding in a greenhouse and burying herself in cultivation won’t make her an immortal!”

Xu Mei speculated.

“She might have that consideration.”

Qi Huang suddenly spoke up, then shifted her tone. “But I believe her ultimate goal is me and the main body.”

“You two?”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward her in unison.

“Yes. Last time, because I was selected as an Imperial Consort, some rumors spread among the commoners. They said the emperor didn’t trust her strength and wanted to borrow outstanding bloodlines to strengthen the imperial family. If I were her, I’d probably want to prove myself too, and the Evergreen Conference is undoubtedly the best stage for that.”

Qi Huang explained.

“I think the same. If it were just for training, why would she specifically come to Yongning Province? And why join the Longchang Sect, right next to us? This is clearly a declaration of war.”

Cheng Hongling shared the same view.

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“Exactly. The Longchang Sect isn’t much larger than ours, and their top-tier combat power is inferior. She wants to prove to the world that even without relying on external forces, she can defeat me and the main body. Her intentions couldn’t be more obvious.”

Qi Huang continued to support the argument.

The high-ranking members all nodded thoughtfully, their expressions growing increasingly solemn.

“What’s the Sixth Princess’s cultivation level?”

Xu Mei asked worriedly.

“It’s said she’s already reached the second layer of the Incarnation Realm.”

Qin Quan provided the information.

“The second layer of the Incarnation Realm? Isn’t that the same as Hongling?”

Xu Mei was stunned.

“If it’s just the second layer of the Incarnation Realm, I’m fully confident I can defeat her.”

Cheng Hongling spoke expressionlessly. After all, back in the Yuxiao Sect, she had fought against mid-stage Incarnation Realm experts. With the Heavenly Thunder Sword bolstered by the Water Exquisite Art and the Dancing Butterfly Movement Technique, her combat prowess was indeed flawless.

“Mhm, I believe in my disciple’s strength.”

Xu Mei agreed without hesitation.

“It’s not that simple. Don’t you find it strange? Although the Western Radiance Dynasty isn’t exactly a land of outstanding talents, the number of geniuses who’ve reached the Incarnation Realm before thirty has already surpassed single digits. Among them, aside from the top immortal seedling of the Donglai Sect, who is far ahead of the rest, most are at the first to third layers of the Incarnation Realm. So how has the Sixth Princess consistently ranked in the top two of the Evergreen Conference? And how did she secure the position of Poyun Peak’s top immortal seedling?”

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Qin Quan reminded them.

“Why?”

Everyone exchanged glances.

“The reason is simple, she’s a dual cultivator of immortal and martial arts.”

Qin Quan enunciated each word clearly.

“What? Dual cultivation?”

Elder Ruan gasped, then said, “How is that possible? Ordinary people are already exhausted just cultivating one path. Dual cultivation? That’s just picking up a sesame seed and dropping a watermelon.”

“That’s why I said it’s for ordinary people.”

Qin Quan corrected her. “For ordinary people, dual cultivation would indeed mean biting off more than they can chew. But she’s the Sixth Princess of the imperial dynasty. As you know, martial training isn’t like immortal cultivation, it only requires body tempering and doesn’t demand innate talent.”

He continued, “There are two ways to temper the body: the poor rely on perseverance, while the rich rely on wealth. As long as you can afford high-quality body-tempering herbs, even just soaking in medicinal baths at home will rapidly increase your physical strength. It doesn’t require much time or effort. And she clearly falls into this category. How many resources the imperial palace has, need I say more?”

At these words, everyone suddenly understood and turned their gazes back to Cheng Hongling.

Cheng Hongling finally showed a reaction. If this were truly the case, then her opponent would likely be a formidable one.

“I don’t know what you’re all worried about. No matter how strong she is, isn’t she just the second-ranked immortal seedling of the Western Radiance Dynasty? Her limit can’t surpass that kid from the Donglai Sect.”

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Qi Huang was somewhat exasperated. Then she asked, “What’s the cultivation level of Donglai Sect’s top immortal seedling?”

“The fifth layer of the Incarnation Realm.”

Qin Quan answered.

“Just the fifth layer of the Incarnation Realm? That means the Sixth Princess’s upper limit is around there. With me here, even if it were the fifth layer of the Divine Realm, I’d make her develop depression.”

Once again, Qi Huang spoke with her trademark arrogance.

No one doubted her, their trust in Qi Huang was absolute. But that didn’t ease their concerns about Cheng Hongling’s stubborn insistence on fighting alone. What if her foundation was damaged or her Dao heart shattered?

Qi Huang, however, didn’t overthink it. If the main body wanted to fight, then so be it, as long as she was happy. With her own strength, she could always step in at the critical moment.

“This time, no matter who comes, they won’t defeat the main body in front of me.”

Qi Huang reaffirmed her resolve.

In the following days, countless geniuses flocked to Yongning Province. Some from the Western Radiance Dynasty, others from foreign nations. Most chose to join the local major sects, as their goal was the rewards, not like Lin Ran, who was only here to prove a point.

Some of these geniuses concealed their identities, while others made theirs public. But even just the openly declared ones were enough to make the Honghua Sect’s higher-ups restless. They dispatched people daily to gather intelligence, delivering real-time updates to Cheng Hongling.

Cheng Hongling’s expression grew increasingly grave. She, too, wanted to prove her strength, but the situation was becoming more complicated by the day. She began to feel uncertain. After all, even the slightest improvement in her cultivation now required an immense amount of time. There was no way she could break through again within a year.

In contrast, Qi Huang’s days remained leisurely and carefree. She planted vegetables, slept, and steadily grew stronger.

The same went for the senior sisters close to Qi Huang. Like starving piglets suddenly given ample feed, their growth was astonishing, improving day by day. Even Miao Xiang, the weakest among them, had stepped into the Body Tempering Realm, while the most talented, Ruan Lingyu, had reached the fourth layer.

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During this time, Xu Mei also broke through to the first layer of the Unity Realm, solidifying her position as the Honghua Sect’s third-strongest expert.

Thus, the only one left “injured” in this world was Cheng Hongling! But there was no helping it, such was the path of cultivation. The higher one’s realm, the vaster the Qi Sea, and the slower the progress.

Another month passed, and the Honghua Sect began selecting disciples for the next Evergreen Conference. This time, the rules required a ten-person team battle, meaning they needed ten disciples under thirty to participate.

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling counted as one person, so that left nine spots to fill.

“Do we really need ten people? Can’t it just be me and the main body?”

Qi Huang immediately raised her objection.

“Technically, yes. The Immortal Alliance sets the maximum at ten but doesn’t specify a minimum.”

Qin Quan clarified.

“Good! I alone can handle all the competitors. Why trouble our fellow disciples?”

Qi Huang declared confidently, though her real motive was monopolizing the rewards.

Cheng Hongling didn’t object. She knew the competition this time would be brutal, and the other disciples would only be dead weight. If she really needed help, Qi Huang, her doppelgänger, was more than enough.

Naturally, Qin Quan had no reason to oppose the idea. Thus, it was tentatively decided that Cheng Hongling, along with Qi Huang as her “plus one”, would represent the Honghua Sect in the next Evergreen Conference.

To outsiders unaware of the truth, this decision would seem insane—sending just one disciple? Was the sect giving up, or were they simply looking down on everyone else?