Volume 7, Chapter 392 – Drawing Lots (Part 3)

“Holy crap, turns out Lü ‘Er’s ‘Er’ stands for ‘edgy’ ¹ or chuunibyou. This is short for 中二病 (zhōng èr bìng), which literally means middle school second year syndrome !”

Qi Huang was dumbfounded. She never expected someone at the Evergreen Conference to share the same idea as her, though whether it was stupidity or confidence, she couldn’t tell.

“Ah! His thoughts are exactly the same as Junior Sister Qi Huang’s?”

Ruan Lingyu said in disbelief.

“Could it be… he’s as strong as her?”

Yun Fei voiced her concern.

“Or maybe he’s just as mentally unwell as Junior Sister!”

Su Qingying delivered another sharp-tongued remark.

“Senior Sister Qingying, when you roast people, could you at least whisper? That way, I can pretend I didn’t hear it.”

Qi Huang immediately flared up in embarrassment and anger.

Su Qingying, however, remained expressionless, her face the picture of unrepentant indifference.

“Where did this reckless fool come from? How dare he spout such nonsense!”

“Forming a team alone? Does he think this is a clinic where everyone’s lying on sickbeds waiting to be beaten? This is the Evergreen Conference, every participant is an elite from within and beyond the Western Radiance Dynasty!”

“Has the bar for the Evergreen Conference dropped so low that even lunatics can join now?”

“If you’ve got guts, show us your lot! I’ll make sure you’re sent packing back home tomorrow!”

The surrounding cultivators erupted in fury, collectively turning on him.

“Heh, you’re right. To me, the Yongning Prefecture Evergreen Conference is just a clinic, and you lot are nothing more than insects comparing symptoms. Your talent is even lower than your IQ, yet you still have the nerve to cultivate? You’re just addicts. Since I’m here this time, I’ll make sure to cure you of that addiction!”

Lü Er remained utterly unfazed as he continued to provoke them. Then, he revealed his lot.

“My number is five. If anyone wants to be the first to quit their cultivation addiction, feel free to find the holder of number six!”

Rеad оո КatReαⅾiոɡСafe

“Just you wait! We’ll see who cures who!”

“Who has number six? Who’s got it? Let’s swap! I drew a minor sect, it’d be a guaranteed win for you!”

“Whoever has number six, name your price! I’ll buy it at a premium! Speak up now! If I find out you’re hiding it, I’ll end you!”

The crowd exploded into chaos as cultivators scrambled to find the holder of number six. Yet, no one stepped forward. After all, who would be foolish enough to trade a lone opponent for a full team?

“SILENCE!”

Steward Cai’s furious roar gradually quelled the uproar.

Lü Er shook his head disdainfully and swaggered off the stage.

“That guy’s way too arrogant. He actually said he’d cure us of our cultivation addiction.”

“He’s just a doppelgänger, meaning his main body must at least be at the Incarnation Realm. He has the right to be arrogant.”

“But this year’s Evergreen Conference has at least a handful of Incarnation Realm geniuses. What’s he so proud of?”

“Who knows? Maybe he’s as mentally unstable as Junior Sister Qi Huang. The Evergreen Conference doesn’t screen for sanity, after all.”

“Heh, if those two ever face off, that’d be a real ‘symptom exchange’!”

The senior sisters whispered among themselves.

“What ‘symptom exchange’?”

Qi Huang rolled her eyes. “Don’t underestimate him. Even though he’s a doppelgänger, his cultivation is at least at the third layer of the Incarnation Realm!”

“What? Third-layer Incarnation Realm? How do you know?”

Cheng Hongling, who had been silent until now, immediately spoke up.

“He probed me with his divine sense earlier.”

Rеαⅾ οո KαtRеαdіոgСαfе

Qi Huang answered succinctly.

“Ah! If that’s true… just how strong is his main body?”

The adorable Miao Xiang was visibly shaken.

“No idea.”

Cheng Hongling shook her head gravely.

“Why not? Isn’t a doppelgänger’s talent supposed to be 80% of the main body’s? Can’t we estimate his main body’s strength from that?”

Shen Yuan asked naively.

“First, 80% is the ideal scenario, it depends on how much essence blood the main body provided. Most doppelgängers don’t even reach that. Second, doppelgängers don’t start cultivating at the same time as their main bodies, they begin much later. So there’s no way to infer the main body’s strength just from the doppelgänger’s cultivation.”

Cheng Hongling, the Honghua Sect’s only Incarnation Realm cultivator, explained.

“Exactly. Take me, for example. If I hadn’t taken shortcuts, would I have 80% of my main body’s strength now? Obviously not, I’d be lucky to have even 10%.”

Qi Huang added.

“If that’s the case… then his main body must be far stronger than the third layer of the Incarnation Realm?”

Ruan Lingyu’s face darkened with worry, and the others’ smiles gradually faded.

“Of course, there are exceptions. If his main body is a lazy bum who slacks off, the doppelgänger might surpass him.”

Qi Huang quickly tried to reassure them.

“Right, right! That’s possible too!”

Ruan Lingyu hurriedly agreed, and the others’ expressions eased slightly.

“Impossible. If a main body is surpassed by their doppelgänger, their position would be at risk. No one likes being ordered around, Cheng Ling’s betrayal is a prime example.”

Reaԁ оn КatRеaԁіոɡCafе

Cheng Hongling immediately refuted via mental transmission.

“I know. I was just comforting them! Besides…”

Qi Huang also replied telepathically before speaking aloud in a solemn tone.

“Besides, who said doppelgängers always betray their main bodies? Have I done anything to you?”

Cheng Hongling froze momentarily before falling silent.

“And with me here, what’s there to fear? Even if his main body is at the peak of the Incarnation Realm, he’d just be a tool to liven things up for me.”

Qi Huang declared confidently, finally putting the others at ease.

The lot-drawing soon concluded. Qi Huang was burning with curiosity to know the results, but they couldn’t inquire until the assembly disbanded.

“The lot-drawing is now complete! The first match begins tomorrow at 9:15 AM, proceeding in numerical order. Ten matches will be held daily until the first round is finished.”

Steward Cai added a few more details before issuing a final warning.

“Let me remind all fellow cultivators one last time. The Evergreen Conference recognizes the number, not the person. Protect your number. Lose it, and you forfeit your right to compete.”

Hearing this, every sect instinctively concealed their lots, planning to reveal them only after scouting their opponents.

“That’s all. Return and rest well, only then can you perform at your best.”

With that, Steward Cai stepped down from the platform.

BOOM!

The plaza erupted into chaos as every sect scrambled to gather intel on their opponents.

“We’re doomed. We drew the Huxiao Sect. They’re already strong, and they’ve recruited two Incarnation Realm powerhouses as reinforcements. How are we supposed to fight that?”

“Relax. There are many out-of-town cultivators this year who don’t know the local scene. We’ll just find some sect to trick into swapping lots.”

Rеad οո ΚαtRеаⅾіոɡCаfе

“Haha! We drew the Longchang Sect, one of Yongningzhou’s weakest!”

“What’s there to celebrate? They’ve got the Sixth Princess as reinforcement. She’ll crush us like a mother disciplining her child, we won’t even be able to lift a hand!”

“Dammit! Blame the Immortal Alliance for ruining what should’ve been a lucky draw!”

“Psst… we drew the XX Sect!”

“Hide it quick! If anyone hears, we’ll lose this lot for sure!”

“I wonder who drew the Honghua Sect? So jealous!”

“Jealous? Cheng Hongling’s already at the Incarnation Realm. You looking to get humiliated?”

“Humiliation? That’s a reward! Three years ago, she kicked me once. I still haven’t washed that robe, the fragrance lingers. I’m keeping it as a family heirloom!”

Everyone was opening a blind box. If the opponent was too tough, they’d try to swindle someone into swapping. If the opponent was weak, they’d keep their lot hidden. The entire process was a web of deceit, even more dramatic than the lot-drawing itself.

The Immortal Alliance had always turned a blind eye to this behavior since the lots didn’t affect the final outcome, they couldn’t be bothered to intervene.

But this year, one number was in particularly high demand, number six. Everyone wanted to teach Lü Er a lesson, though some just wanted an easy win.

Unfortunately, the sect that drew number six seemed to think they’d hit the jackpot and stayed silent.

The Honghua Sect, knowing that number six wasn’t a pushover, focused on scouting their own opponent. They soon discovered that number fifty-one was a relatively weak local sect with no Incarnation Realm geniuses, not even a Unity Realm cultivator among their disciples. They also hadn’t attracted any reinforcements, clearly just there to make up the numbers.

Qi Huang was disappointed. She’d been itching to unleash herself on the Evergreen Conference stage, only to draw a total rookie in the first round. What a buzzkill!

In contrast, the rest of the Honghua Sect was overjoyed. They didn’t want to be deadweight for Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang, at least not in the first round.

Seeing her senior sisters so happy, Qi Huang’s frustration faded. After all, shared joy was double joy.

“Who has number six? I’m giving you a chance to swap. Otherwise, you’ll regret it!”

Suddenly, Lü Er’s voice rang out. He had just scanned the plaza with his divine sense and realized none of the strongest sects had drawn number six. For someone who wanted to make an example out of a weakling, this was equally disappointing.