Volume 7, Chapter 378 – Be My Sect Master’s Wife

Qi Huang had originally intended to keep the rewards for herself. Unfortunately, that evening, her master arrived at her home with several senior sisters in tow.

“Um… There’s something I don’t know if I should bring up…”

Xu Mei spoke hesitantly, her words trailing off.

“Master, whatever it is, just say it. Leave it to me!”

Qi Huang blurted out without thinking.

“Really? That’s wonderful!”

Xu Mei’s face immediately brightened with joy. Then she continued, “You know, all of your senior sisters have reached the Body Refinement Realm. If we followed the normal selection process, they would all be eligible to participate in this year’s Evergreen Conference. And they all want to visit the prefectural capital and the imperial city to broaden their horizons…”

She stopped there, but the implication was clear.

“That’s right, Junior Sister! Can we join you at the Evergreen Conference? We don’t care about the rewards, we just want to see the world!”

Yun Fei, the second senior sister, took over the conversation. Despite her usually sharp and intelligent demeanor, her eyes now sparkled with intense longing, like a well-behaved baby bird begging to be fed.

“Yes, yes! Junior Sister, you have no idea—we’ve never been to the Evergreen Conference before. We really want to experience it!”

Miao Xiang, the actual sweet and innocent one of the group, grabbed Qi Huang’s hand and gently shook it.

“Only the most outstanding disciples from each sect get to participate in the Evergreen Conference. Just standing on that stage is an honor in itself. I want to try it too!”

Shen Yuan also voiced her thoughts directly.

The remaining senior sister, Su Qingying, was too proud to beg outright, but her beautiful eyes were filled with unmistakable hope.

“Go? Go where?! This year’s Evergreen Conference is different from before! With your meager skills, you’ll only hold Junior Sister back!”

Ruan Lingyu, the eldest senior sister, was far more rational and immediately shut them down. After all, she had participated in the conference before.

Under Ruan Lingyu’s stern rebuke, the other sisters could only shrink back and fall silent.

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“Sigh…”

Qi Huang let out a helpless sigh. She finally realized she had oversimplified things. For geniuses, the Evergreen Conference was all about the rewards. But for disciples of average talent, just stepping onto that stage for a brief moment of pride was enough, victory or defeat didn’t even matter. To the former, it might seem laughable, but to the latter, it was something worth being proud of for a lifetime.

Cheng Hongling seemed to come to the same realization, her face also showing hesitation.

“Fine, fine! If you want to go, then go!”

After a moment of contemplation, Qi Huang gritted her teeth and agreed.

“Really?! Junior Sister is the best! I knew she’d say yes!”

The senior sisters immediately erupted into cheers.

“Are you sure about this?”

Cheng Hongling pressed seriously.

“I’m sure. As their junior sister, I can’t be too selfish. They have the right to pursue their dreams too.”

Qi Huang gave a solemn explanation before turning to her senior sisters. “But I have to make something clear, I’m not the sect master of the Honghua Sect. I can’t just decide who gets to participate. If you’re truly determined, you’ll have to go through the normal selection process. Whether you make it or not depends entirely on your own abilities.”

“That’s fine! As long as you give the green light, that’s enough. Right now, there aren’t even ten Body Refinement Realm disciples in the entire Honghua Sect. We could get selected even with our eyes closed!”

Yun Fei exclaimed excitedly.

“Exactly! We came to you just to secure a chance to participate. The sect master listens to you, Junior Sister, so we needed your approval first.”

Shen Yuan explained.

“Tsk… Why won’t you listen to reason?”

Ruan Lingyu shook her head in resignation.

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“It’s fine. Participating doesn’t necessarily mean fighting. If you encounter a strong opponent, just make an appearance on stage and leave the rest to me.”

Qi Huang thought for a moment before offering a compromise.

“That’s actually a good idea. The Immortal Alliance never stipulated that participating disciples must engage in combat.”

Cheng Hongling nodded in agreement.

The senior sisters were all sensible girls, so they didn’t raise any further objections.

And so, the Honghua Sect’s selection for the Evergreen Conference proceeded as scheduled!

After several days of matches, the results were soon announced. As expected, all five senior sisters made the cut, along with four male disciples, including Wang Zong and Cheng Hongling, bringing the total to ten. As for Qi Huang? Her doppelgänger naturally didn’t count.

With so many participants this time, a leader was needed to manage and coordinate. To maintain control, Qi Huang took it upon herself to assume the role of team leader.

No one dared to object, of course. In the world of cultivation, strength spoke for itself.

No sooner had the Honghua Sect finalized its ten participants for the Evergreen Conference than something utterly absurd occurred.

At noon that day, Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling were summoned by Qin Quan for a discussion. When they arrived at the main hall, they found all the sect’s higher-ups present, and standing in the center was a young man in his twenties.

This young man was handsome and stood tall, but the way he looked at everyone from the corner of his eye radiated arrogance. Only when Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling appeared did his expression finally shift.

“So this is Fairy Hongling? I thought the rumors about you were just exaggerations by the ignorant folks of Yongning Prefecture. But it seems you do have some beauty to you.”

Though his tone remained haughty, his eyes betrayed a flicker of admiration.

“Who is this guy?”

Qi Huang frowned slightly.

“He says his name is Zhen Chao, some ‘genius disciple’ from a sect in Xitong Kingdom!”

Qin Quan smirked. With Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang present, he had no reason to take this brat seriously.

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“You can’t even remember my sect’s name? How disrespectful! It seems you really are unfit to be a sect master, not only weak, but also forgetful!”

Zhen Chao immediately lashed out.

“What does he want?”

Cheng Hongling’s expression turned icy.

“He says he wants to be the Honghua Sect’s ‘Guest Sect Master’!”

Qin Quan looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“What?! A ‘Guest Sect Master’? Since when can sect masters be ‘guest’ positions?!”

The surrounding elders were stunned.

“That’s right. Your Honghua Sect is pathetically weak. Without a powerful external ally, you won’t get far in the next Evergreen Conference. But if I, this immortal, become your Guest Sect Master and lead you in this conference, you’ll definitely win the final prize.”

Zhen Chao smiled confidently.

“And then what? You take the rewards and leave, leaving the Honghua Sect with nothing?”

Qin Quan retorted.

“How would you end up with nothing? Even making it to the top ten in the prefectural-level Evergreen Conference comes with rewards. Aside from the top prize, which would naturally go to me, the rest would be yours.”

Zhen Chao spoke as if he were being magnanimous.

“How generous of you.”

Qin Quan’s tone dripped with sarcasm.

“You all discuss this slowly. Let me know once you’ve reached a decision. If words don’t work, then settle it with a fight. Whoever’s strongest gets to be sect master.”

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Qi Huang’s eyes gleamed mischievously as she stirred the pot. ‘This old man is weak but still tries to use me to get out of trouble? He deserves to be taught a lesson.’

Cheng Hongling gave her doppelgänger a puzzled look but didn’t comment further.

As for the others, none dared to speak up. No one knew this young man’s background, and it was common knowledge that many outside geniuses had recently flocked to Yongning Prefecture in hopes of seizing the Evergreen Conference’s rewards.

“Fairy Hongling speaks wisely. In cultivation, the strong rule. If you’re too weak to lead the Honghua Sect to prosperity, then you should step down from your position as sect master.”

Zhen Chao’s face showed appreciation.

“Uh…”

Qin Quan was now in an awkward spot. After a brief struggle, he said, “But Qi Huang, remember what I said. Once I retire, the position of Honghua Sect Master will be yours. If this kid becomes sect master now, when will you ever get your turn?”

“Hmm, that’s a fair point.”

Qi Huang pretended to consider it seriously.

“No worries. If you can’t be sect master, then be my Sect Master’s Wife. It’s all the same.”

Zhen Chao smirked.

“Sorry, but I don’t like being someone else’s subordinate. So the next Honghua Sect Master will be me, the final rewards of the Evergreen Conference will also be mine, and no one else gets a say. Now, you may leave.”

Qi Huang promptly issued the dismissal. Her earlier words had been a joke, not only was the sect master position at stake, but if this guy took a spot in the Evergreen Conference, one of the previously selected disciples would have to be cut. As the saying goes, “Fertile water must not flow to outsiders’ fields.” She had no intention of letting that happen.

“Are you sure about that?”

Zhen Chao’s lips curled into a disdainful smile. “Do you even know how many geniuses have come to Yongning Prefecture recently? I heard your main body just barely reached the second level of the Incarnation Realm. A mere second-level Incarnation cultivator? I could crush you with a flip of my hand. Without help, what makes you think you can win the final prize?”

Cheng Hongling didn’t respond.

Instead, her figure vanished like a ghost from where she stood.