Volume 7, Chapter 397 – You Are Destined to Stop Here Today

Though puzzled, Qi Huang felt not the slightest trace of panic. If this fool dared to act recklessly under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she would have the perfect excuse to crush him, and then take center stage herself.

The other disciples of the Honghua Sect, however, were far from calm. Their nerves were stretched taut, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Lü Er swaggered forward, his greedy eyes raking over Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang before he smirked triumphantly.

“Well? How impressive is this young master?”

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling exchanged glances. Their identical, exquisitely beautiful faces mirrored the same confusion.

“Remember this, every humiliation I deliver from now on is for your eyes alone. I will show you just how pitiful the men of the Western Continent truly are!”

With yet another baffling declaration, Lü Er turned on his heel, hands clasped behind his back, and strutted away.

“What the—? Is he deliberately showing off to us?” Qi Huang frowned, utterly lost.

“Hmph! Who knows?” Cheng Hongling retorted, withdrawing her gaze in disgust.

“What a shame. If only he had provoked us outright, I’d have made sure he understood he’s no better himself.” Qi Huang shook her head in disappointment.

Unbeknownst to her, Qi Huang had guessed correctly. Lü Er’s inexplicable behavior was indeed a display aimed at winning their favor. If he could capture the hearts of these beauties through such methods, there’d be no need to resort to borrowing the Immortal Stele.

The matches continued. The seventh versus eighth round was uneventful, a large sect effortlessly crushing a minor one.

“Next, Match Nine versus Ten! Contestants, step forward!”

Once the previous bout concluded, the Immortal Alliance disciple announced the next pairing.

At his call, a group of over a dozen youths clad in pristine white uniforms emerged from the crowd. Their most striking feature was their towering height. Every one of them, male or female, stood head and shoulders above the other cultivators present. The leader, in particular, seemed to look down upon everyone else.

“Which sect are they from? I’ve never seen them before!”

“I think they’re from the Xinglie Sect.”

“Xinglie Sect? Never heard of it!”

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“Of course a frog in a well like you wouldn’t know. They’re one of the Ten Great Sects of the Gaosheng Kingdom, up north!”

“One of Gaosheng’s Ten Great Sects? Then they must be incredibly strong!”

“Naturally. I’ve heard their top genius has already reached the Fifth Layer of the Incarnation Realm.”

“What?! Fifth Layer?! Good heavens! If such a talent were in our Western Radiance Dynasty, they’d easily rank in the top three of the Immortal Seed Ranking. And yet, a sect with such a prodigy is only tenth in Gaosheng?”

“Sigh… Such is the weakness of our Western Radiance’s cultivation world. Whoever faces them is in for a world of pain.”

The surrounding cultivators buzzed with discussion, already mourning the inevitable fate of the Xinglie Sect’s opponents.

“Fifth Layer of the Incarnation Realm? That’s on par with the top genius of the Donglai Sect. Who’d have thought even such talents would be drawn to this Evergreen Conference?”

Xu Mei couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

“Excellent! Another tool to liven things up.”

Qi Huang’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

The Xinglie Sect disciples strode onto the stage. Their opponents emerged from the opposite side led by a tall, poised woman. Her expression was serene, her features as if carved from ice, her steps graceful and unwavering. There was not a hint of retreat in her demeanor.

“It’s her!”

Qi Huang’s eyes widened. This woman was none other than the Sixth Princess of the Western Radiance Dynasty, Lin Ran.

“Wow! The Sixth Princess! This is a clash of titans!”

“Thank the heavens it’s her. If it were any other immortal seed from our dynasty, they’d just embarrass us!”

“Pity it’s not the Donglai Sect. If it were Cheng Kang, I bet he’d crush these foreign cultivators!”

“Be grateful! Besides, I doubt the Sixth Princess is much weaker than Cheng Kang. Every time they fight, it’s a battle to the bitter end. She only ever loses by the narrowest margin!”

The crowd’s spirits soared.

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“For her to face such a strong opponent right away… If she loses early, she won’t even get the chance to fight me.”

A flicker of sympathy crossed Cheng Hongling’s face.

“No matter. If she falls, I’ll personally send this Xinglie Sect packing. Then she’ll understand the gap between us.”

Qi Huang’s voice was calm.

Cheng Hongling opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

“Lin Ran, Guest Elder of the Longchang Sect!”

On the stage, Lin Ran clasped her fists in salute.

“Xiao Wei, Top Immortal Seed of the Xinglie Sect!”

The tall youth from the Xinglie Sect raised a hand in a half-hearted gesture.

“You! Where are your manners? She’s the Sixth Princess of the Western Radiance Dynasty, the face of our nation!”

A cultivator from the crowd couldn’t hold back, chastising him angrily.

“The cultivation world exists beyond mortal hierarchies. What do I care for her status?”

Xiao Wei retorted with zero decorum before turning back to Lin Ran.

“I’ve heard you’re the second-ranked immortal seed in the Western Radiance’s cultivation world, second only to that Donglai Sect guy.”

“That was the ranking for the past three years. The future… will be decided after this Evergreen Conference.”

Lin Ran replied modestly.

“Don’t bother dreaming. The future won’t change, because today, you’re stopping right here!”

Xiao Wei’s lips curled into a malicious grin, as if he’d long since studied her.

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“Oh? Unfortunately, I’ve made a promise that forbids me from stopping here. So today, I’ll have to send you back home first.”

Lin Ran’s refusal was polite yet firm.

“That promise, to Cheng Hongling, right? What’s the point in determining who’s the stronger chicken among poultry?”

Xiao Wei sneered.

“You’ve done your research, I see. But tell me, if I’m only at the Second Layer of the Incarnation Realm, how is it that I’ve consistently achieved high rankings in past Evergreen Conferences?”

Lin Ran remained unruffled, her composure unshaken.

“Heh. That just proves the cultivators of the Western Radiance are all trash, if a mere Second Layer woman can be your second seed!”

Xiao Wei scoffed, casting a disdainful glance at the crowd below.

“Who the hell are you calling trash?! Get down here and fight me! I’ll knock your teeth out!”

“Sixth Princess, show them what you’ve got! Don’t let these foreign dogs look down on us!”

“Sixth Princess, win this! From today, you won’t just be the Sixth Princess of the mortal realm, you’ll be the Sixth Princess of our cultivation world too!”

“That’s right! Anyone who disrespects you, we’ll wipe out their entire sect!”

The local cultivators erupted in fury, rallying behind Lin Ran with fervent cheers.

“Huh. Suddenly, I feel like I’ve been too low-key.”

Qi Huang glanced around, seeking confirmation.

“Why would you think that?” Xu Mei asked, puzzled.

“First Lü Er, now this Xiao Wei. How dare such weaklings strut around like this? Shouldn’t someone of my caliber be more… flamboyant?”

Qi Huang countered.

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“What are you planning? Stay focused, remember our ultimate goal.”

Cheng Hongling sensed danger and immediately warned her.

“She’s right. Our mission is to obtain the Golden Fate Blossom Seeds. With Elder Zuo, Steward Cai, and Elder Zhou watching like hawks, the slightest misstep will give them an excuse to act.”

Yun Fei added sensibly.

“Relax, I was just thinking out loud.”

Qi Huang quickly backpedaled. Though she did yearn to make a scene, she knew now wasn’t the time.

Cheng Hongling, however, remained skeptical, eyeing her doppelgänger warily. After all, this one had a history of unpredictability.

“I am honored by your support!”

Lin Ran saluted the crowd with heroic grace before turning to the Xinglie Sect disciples.

“I came to Yongning Province to prove myself. But it seems, before that, I must first prove the worth of the Western Radiance’s cultivators.”

“Unfortunately, today, you won’t be proving anything.”

Xiao Wei shook his head mockingly, then addressed his fellow disciples.

“Stay back. I’ll play with her alone.”

“Fellow Daoist, may we begin?”

Lin Ran ignored his taunts, instead prompting the Immortal Alliance referee.

“Match Nine versus Ten. BEGIN!”

The moment the command rang out, both figures vanished, reappearing as streaks of black lightning, hurtling toward each other.