Volume 8, Chapter 530 – The Holy Maiden Ceremony (Part 2)

“This proposal is excellent. It can test the Holy Maiden’s strength without disrupting the solemnity of the ceremony.”

Hua Ruyi immediately voiced her approval, and the others nodded subtly in agreement.

Hua Yu glared at Qi Huang, her teeth grinding audibly. She knew her plan had once again been ruined by this doppelgänger.

‘Is this really the same person??’

For the first time, Hua Yu felt a flicker of doubt. She had never seen a case where the personalities of a main body and its doppelgänger diverged so drastically. One cold and elegant, commanding all attention, the other clever and unpredictable, with an uncanny ability to adapt. They were practically perfect complements.

‘But did you really think this was over?!’

A sinister smile crept onto Hua Yu’s lips, she still had a backup plan.

Though Hua Ruyi agreed with this method of testing, no one in the audience stepped forward. Only a fool would volunteer to be the first to challenge the Holy Maiden at her inauguration.

“Wan Min, you go. Hold nothing back. It’d be best if you could humiliate her a little.”

At that moment, Elder Zhou, standing below the stage, whispered to her personal disciple. She knew this was their only chance to turn the tables.

“Understood!”

Wan Min accepted the order and leaped into the arena, then cupped her fists in greeting.

“Junior Sister Cheng, I am Wan Min, Elder Zhou’s personal disciple. Though I am of a higher seniority, my cultivation is also at the Incarnation Realm’s fourth layer. May I test you?”

‘Elder Zhou? So that old hag still hasn’t given up!’

Qi Huang frowned slightly in displeasure.

“Of course!”

Cheng Hongling agreed without hesitation. Enduring silently was not her style.

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Hua Yu’s lips curled mockingly, this was her backup plan.

‘Heh, Wan Min broke through to the fifth layer of the Incarnation Realm just days ago. Even if you’ve reached the fourth layer, what can you do? Today, you will be humiliated.’

She reveled in the thought.

“Be careful. Since she’s Elder Zhou’s personal disciple, she likely has ill intentions.”

Qi Huang secretly transmitted a warning to her main body.

“It’s fine. Thanks to the Tongming Comb I’ve used since childhood, my divine sense has always been stronger than my cultivation level. Right now, it’s already at the sixth layer of the Incarnation Realm.”

Cheng Hongling replied calmly. In truth, her divine sense had already reached the fifth layer during the Evergreen Conference. With her recent breakthroughs, it had surged to the sixth layer. Though she couldn’t compare to Qi Huang’s monstrous talent, among ordinary cultivators, she was already an anomaly.

“Good.”

Qi Huang smiled in satisfaction.

“Since the Holy Maiden has agreed to the test, you may begin. Remember, this is a friendly match.”

Hua Ruyi announced, then lowered her voice to Cheng Hongling. “Be careful. Her cultivation may not be just at the fourth layer.”

“Don’t worry, Sect Master. No one will disrupt the Holy Maiden Ceremony today.”

Cheng Hongling’s expression remained unchanged as she addressed Wan Min below. “Senior Wan, please make your move.”

Wan Min did not hold back. The divine sense of a fifth-layer Incarnation Realm cultivator surged toward Cheng Hongling with crushing force, she was clearly determined to cause trouble.

Hua Man and Hua Ruyi’s expressions darkened. They wanted to intervene, but their status made it inappropriate.

Yet Cheng Hongling remained unshaken. Her own divine sense, also at the fifth layer, clashed fiercely against Wan Min’s.

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Since both were only at the Incarnation Realm, their divine sense clash wasn’t earth-shattering. Ordinary people couldn’t even perceive it, until several birds flew into the invisible battlefield and were instantly shredded. Only then did the crowd realize the hidden danger.

“Their divine sense is clearly beyond the fourth layer, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. That’s definitely fifth-layer divine sense. When did Wan Min break through?”

“Wan Min has been at the fourth layer for years. A breakthrough was inevitable. What shocks me more is the new Holy Maiden, wasn’t she only at the third layer? Even if she broke through, she’d only be at the fourth. How is her divine sense at the fifth?”

“Right? Did she advance two layers in just a few days?”

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible! If her ancestral technique was that heaven-defying, why would she still be at the Incarnation Realm? She’d have long reached the Divine Realm or even the Heavenly Tribulation Realm!”

The higher-ups’ faces were filled with shock.

“How is this possible?”

Hua Yu’s expression twisted in disbelief. She couldn’t comprehend what kind of monster Cheng Hongling was, more of a freak than even herself, the so-called “Nine Monster”.

As time passed, beads of sweat began forming on Wan Min’s forehead. Though her opponent’s divine sense was only slightly stronger, it seemed inexhaustible, showing no signs of weakening.

Cheng Hongling stood gracefully, completely at ease. With her divine sense at the sixth layer, she didn’t need to exert full force, she could simply grind Wan Min down slowly.

Meanwhile, Qi Huang kept a vigilant watch. If Hua Yu dared interfere, she would teach her what a true monster looked like.

Before long, Wan Min’s momentum faltered. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, clutching her head in agony, the backlash of overusing her divine sense.

“Elder Zhou, take your disciple away.”

Hua Ruyi waved her hand, her lips curling slightly as she barely suppressed a smirk.

Elder Zhou, humiliated, rushed forward to drag her disciple away, her face ashen. It was clear she now realized she had backed the wrong horse.

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“As you’ve all witnessed, the Holy Maiden’s cultivation has indeed reached the fourth layer of the Incarnation Realm. Now, does anyone still doubt her talent?”

Hua Ruyi’s gaze swept across the crowd. Silence reigned, the entire plaza was deathly still.

“Good. In that case—”

She turned to her disciple and commanded, “Hua Yu, step down. The Holy Maiden inauguration will proceed.”

Hua Yu clenched her jaw but had no choice but to turn and leave.

“Hmph!”

Qi Huang snorted coldly before returning to the crowd.

The rest of the ceremony proceeded smoothly. Cheng Hongling scraped off Hua Yu’s name and engraved her own alias in its place. From this moment on, she was the official Holy Maiden of the Huarong Sect, and Qi Huang, naturally, shared in the glory.

Of course, the entire Biyu Peak benefited as well. As the saying goes, “When one attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.” With a Holy Maiden in residence, obscurity was impossible. From that day onward, disciples from other peaks even switched factions to join them. However, shedding their reputation as the “last-ranked peak” would still take time.

In stark contrast, Hua Yu’s status plummeted. As a deposed Holy Maiden, she was treated worse than an ordinary disciple, mocked wherever she went.

Unable to endure it any longer, Hua Yu informed the Cao Family that she wished to marry immediately. Still clinging to pride, she hid the fact that she had been stripped of her title.

The Cao Family was overjoyed. They immediately spread word that Cao Yang would wed the Huarong Sect’s Holy Maiden and even presumptuously set an auspicious date, inviting prominent figures from all sides, unaware that the Holy Maiden had already been replaced.

After finalizing the date, the Cao Family merely informed Hua Ruyi, leaving no room for negotiation.

Hua Ruyi was only too happy to comply. She began preparing for the wedding, not out of any teacher-student affection, but as a matter of duty.

The entire Huarong Sect also participated willingly. After all, Hua Yu was still one of their own. Internal conflicts were to be resolved internally, they couldn’t let outsiders look down on them.

Thus, Hua Yu’s wedding was still lively, though only by the standards of an ordinary disciple’s ceremony.

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Ten days later, Cao Yang arrived at the Huarong Sect’s gates with a grand procession of several hundred, all experts at the Incarnation Realm or above, ensuring swift travel.

“Hurry up and send out your Holy Maiden!”

Cao Yang, growing impatient, shouted toward the gates. But there was no response.

“You’re refusing me? Do you want another taste of immortal might?”

Enraged, he resorted to threats.

“Young Master, please calm down. Today is your joyous occasion. If you miss the auspicious hour, it’s our Cao Family that will suffer.”

An elderly man at his side hurriedly advised.

“Fine!”

After some thought, Cao Yang reluctantly reined in his temper.

“Young Master, you’ve waited years, what’s a little longer? Once you marry the young madam, the Huarong Sect will become our Cao Family’s vassal. Our position will be unshakable.”

The old man soothed.

“Uncle Wang speaks wisely.”

A faint smile finally returned to Cao Yang’s face.

But at that moment, a middle-aged man approached and whispered, “Nephew, there’s something you should know. I just heard from a Huarong Sect disciple that Hua Yu is no longer their Holy Maiden.”

“What did you say?!”

Cao Yang’s smile froze once more.