EmmaCruzader
patreon
Unparalleled Rival! 6: Mao Ruyue
🕑 Added 2024-06-27 07:51:39 +0000 UTC6: Mao Ruyue
"Did you hear? It seems the monstrous genius chose the Eternal Star Academy! It's the same place you'll be going, young lady!" the maid exclaimed, her eyes bright with clear excitement in her expression.
The talk of the entire human race, the monstrous genius born out of nowhere, hadn't even passed a day and the entire Spiritual Network was filled with news about him.
From how he looked, to how he acted, what his origins were, everything was up for discussion.
Mao Ruyue let the maid finish smoothing her hair before speaking, her expression apathetic but her words "equally" excited.
"I wonder if I'll be able to meet him, it would be good for the clan."
Good for the clan, what a disgusting word.
"He'll surely be delighted! He'll probably try to pursue you like all those other boys, though unlike those wastes, he might be worth it," the maid commented casually and finished adjusting the ornaments on Mao Ruyue's head.
Then she stepped back and let the young lady look in the mirror, her obsidian-black hair perfectly styled, the golden ornaments on her head only accentuating her ethereal beauty even more.
Red lips and sharp eyes, silver irises that would leave anyone mesmerized if looked directly into, so absorbed that looking away would be difficult if not impossible.
The young lady of the Mao clan was an unparalleled beauty recognized throughout the human territory.
Mao adjusted the white robes on her body even more, it was difficult but she managed it with the practice she had gained over time, yet her elegant and graceful figure was clear to anyone who looked closely.
"All set, your beauty is as radiant as ever, young lady. I'm sure you'll astonish everyone with your performance today; the Awakening Ceremony will undoubtedly witness a great genius being born, perhaps even a genius greater than 'that' genius," the maid said excitedly, naturally. Mao Ruyue was the first daughter of the leader of the Mao clan, the next heir of the clan, noble blood ran through her veins.
The entire human race, expected great things from her, as always.
Mao Ruyue had long since become accustomed to this, carrying the weight, the responsibilities, doing what was best for the clan.
Since she was a child, that was the mantra her parents had instilled in her head.
Now that her path to cultivation was about to begin, it wouldn't be any different; she would become a pillar, not just for her clan, but for the entire human race, that was her duty, her destiny.
"Let's go, I still have many things to do." She was never someone to waste time; she preferred to get things done quickly and efficiently.
.
.
.
"And what do you think?" Master Peak Xu Yinxing asked, with a hint of hidden nervousness. She had taken Tian Lang on a speedy "tour" of Silver Moon Peak; as a non-member, she could only show him the "public" places, yet she felt she had done a good job and despite the limitations, had showcased the charm of her peak.
Tian Lang rubbed his chin thoughtfully, causing Xu Yinxing to twitch; she didn't like being kept waiting, it irritated her. She had to remind herself that she needed Tian Lang and couldn't lash out at him, not yet.
Tian Lang then smiled and gave a thumbs-up.
"This place is amazing! I didn't expect there to be so much here," he exclaimed truthfully. Silver Moon Peak had never been explored in the novel, so it was interesting to have a tour, even if it was just of the more common areas.
"I'm glad you like it! You'll be able to visit these places while you're here. I'd love to show you more as it's even more incredible, but only peak members can access it," Xu Yinxing said with a hint of regret.
Tian Lang had to stifle a laugh; she was pretty bad at hinting things.
Throughout the tour, it became extremely obvious to him that she wanted him to join the peak. Her attempts to conceal it were poor, too poor.
He knew some cultivators were a bit socially inept, but he hadn't expect it to be to this extent,. However, he wouldn't deny that it worked in his favor; this served his purposes well. She was too dangerous for him, and it was best to make her think she had convinced him to join her side—only that way could any future problems be diverted to her.
Maintaining a serious expression, he pretended to ponder her words. There was no point in beating around the bush with someone like Xu Yinxing; she preferred things to be simple and direct, and to get on her good side, he'd have to play by her "rules."
"Master Xu, if I were to join Silver Moon Peak, what would I need to do?"
His direct question caught Xu Yinxing off guard; fortunately, being a high-level cultivator, she could react faster than any normal person could dream of. She quickly composed herself, straightened her back, and with a serious expression, looked at Tian Lang, pretending to consider it.
Internally, she was bursting with joy; it seemed her charms were too strong, convincing this boy so quickly.
She chuckled inwardly and began speaking with sharp eyes.
"So, you want to join this peak, eh... Let me tell you, boy, this peak is the strongest in the entire academy. Not just anyone can become part of it; if you want to join, you'll need more than a little talent." She would have admitted it outright, but as a peak master, she had an image to uphold.
Upon hearing her, Tian Lang feigned surprise, widened his eyes, and then nodded as if understanding.
"I see, I was too hasty, wasn't I? I understand now, I overstepped this time. I apologize and won't mention this again."
Xu Yinxing was stunned. What? Huh? Her mind went blank for a moment before she quickly reacted. Less gracefully than before, she placed a hand on Tian Lang's shoulder and spoke more softly.
"Seeing your sincerity, I'll make an exception. Normally, it would be very difficult to enter, but today I'm in a very good mood, and you seem like an honest boy, so I'll simplify the test."
Tian Lang smiled. He had expected her to act tough for longer, but in the end, she had "yielded" more easily than he anticipated.
"Simplify the test?" he said with excitement in his voice.
Xu Yinxing nodded quickly.
"Normally, there would be a great challenge that would test your talent as well as your willpower and strength. Right now, you lack strength, and your talent is obvious, so we'll do a test of willpower!"
This was actually important; she needed Tian Lang to be more than just a handsome boy with great talent. She needed him to be fearless, capable of facing difficulties and overcoming them no matter what.
Many great geniuses were actually just wasted potential without the will to confront the great dangers lurking in the void of space; they were nothing more than useless.
If she was going to place her hopes in someone, they should at least have the will to crush the heavens.
Tian Lang listened with interest. A test of willpower? That was new.
He smiled confidently and looked Xu Yinxing directly in the eyes.
"If that's what it takes, then I'm willing to do it!"
Xu Yinxing smiled upon seeing his confidence. It seemed there was some hope.
"If that's the case, then follow me. I'll take you to a special place."
.
.
.
"This! How is this possible!"
"Disgrace, it's a disgrace!"
"Shameful, completely shameful!"
The shouts filled the hall of the Mao Clan's awakening, where all the important members of the clan were gathered, each with stunned expressions, unpleasant looks, and clear disappointment on their faces.
Anger, disappointment, disillusionment, pity, disdain, rage, shame.
All kinds of negative emotions directed at one person.
The Patriarch of the Mao Clan, Mao Yuan, looked at his daughter, his first daughter, disbelief clear in his eyes, evident shock that soon turned into a cold gaze.
"Silence!" he said, and like a wave, his voice traveled forcefully through the entire hall. Those with lower cultivation turned pale, and those without cultivation nearly fainted.
"The ceremony is over. Everyone, Get out!" he said, waving his hand, and everyone understood that the clan leader was extremely upset.
Without saying anything more, the elders and other clan members left, not without mocking and clicking their tongues at the cause of all this.
Mao Ruyue stood still like a statue, frozen in her standing position. Her face had lost all color, her lips trembled. She wanted to say something, to do something, but she couldn't.
"I said Get out!" Seeing her still standing motionless, the clan leader shouted. She trembled and snapped out of her shock, nervously tried to approach him.
"Father, I—"
"No, don't call me that again." He raised his hand and refused to look at her.
Still, Mao Ruyue could see the disappointment in his eyes, deep disappointment.
Her body trembled once more, she nodded robotically and with tear-stained cheeks began to walk toward the door.
Before leaving, she paused for half a second, waiting for something, she didn't know what, but she hoped for something. But nothing came, just a sigh. Then she left with her mind in chaos.
Almost like a ghost, she stumbled to her room. Unable to help it, she collapsed onto her bed, staring at her ceiling unable to comprehend it.
How? Why?
She was the heir to the Mao Clan! The young lady of the Clan! The future head of the clan! A future pillar of humanity! That was her destiny! So why? Why!!??
Why such a low-grade talent!?
Unable to stop herself, her long nails dug into her palm, making blood start to trickle.
What should she do now? What was she supposed to do now?!
.
.
.
In a cavern, long and deep yet well-lit by what seemed to be silver crystals on its walls, carefully arranged to illuminate all the right places.
Tian Lang and Xu Yinxing walked for at least 10 minutes, which should have tired him out, but for some reason didn't; in fact, ever since awakening his spiritual roots, he had been quite energetic.
He knew why; now his body generated its own Stellar Qi, even though he hadn't started cultivating yet, thanks to the quality and quantity of Stellar Qi provided by his special-grade spiritual roots, his body continued to passively improve.
It was a passive metamorphosis, a benefit only those with special-grade talent had. As a side effect, it made eating or resting less necessary.
It was interesting to experience firsthand, although why didn't they just teleport there? Well, being a special place, the destination had protections against that; you could only enter directly and on foot.
Fortunately, they soon arrived.
The long path ended at the entrance of a large cavern, stone pillars hundreds of meters tall supported a huge round mirror at its peak that covered almost the entire ceiling; on the floor, an artificial lake, resembling a pool, lay.
Its water was clear and crystalline, so clear that its reflection was comparable to the mirror above it.
And in the middle, a one cubic meter platform stood.
Around the lake, twelve statues of strange appearance were placed: demons, monsters, beasts, beautiful women, and handsome men.
All positioned so they faced directly towards the platform in the center of the lake.
"This place..." Tian Lang could feel the abundant Stellar Qi; whether from the lake, the statues, the pillars, or the mirror, everything was a high-grade celestial treasure.
"As someone with a special-grade talent, your sense of Qi is better than that of other cultivators," Xu Yinxing commented upon seeing his reaction; while all cultivators could sense Qi, not all could do so in the same way.
Tian Lang had no cultivation yet his sense of Qi was extraordinary.
"Sense of Qi?" Tian Lang then remembered, the sixth sense that cultivators used; not much had been explained about it beyond its use for sensing "strength" levels and similar things.
"You'll understand more once you start cultivating; for now, we should focus on your test," Xu Yinxing pointed to the platform in the lake.
"This lake is known as the Mirror of True Judgment; there are twelve trials in total, but as you're only a mortal for now, you only need to pass the first two. No one has managed to withstand all twelve trials so far, so don't attempt to exceed yourself. Without cultivation, you could end up dying or worse."
So this was it, huh? Well, he didn't expect there to be something like this; he was somewhat nervous. His will... how strong was it? It was a difficult question to answer because he had never needed to test it so directly before.
Xu Yinxing approached the lake and looked at the statues; something she hadn't mentioned was that each statue tested different aspects of oneself: fears and desires.
Doing it randomly wouldn't work; she needed to know two specific things about Tian Lang: his will against death and his deepest desires.
Of course, although the latter was named as such, the reality was that she only wanted to know his intentions, if there was any malice in his heart towards the human race or towards the academy.
As long as he harbored none of these, then he was fine.
She then manipulated her Stellar Qi and activated two specific statues. One was a four-armed demon with two faces and six eyes. Its appearance was fierce, and a silent murderous intent began to emanate from it.
Anyone who looked at it would have trembled and taken two steps back. Xu Yinxing glanced sideways at Tian Lang's reaction; surprisingly, he remained firm and casual while looking at the statue.
'Alright, that was a good start.'
Then the other statue began to light up. It was a woman, a top-tier beauty with a perfectly sculpted and naked body, yet her private parts were "hidden" in a way that tantalized hearts.
The scent of flowers filled the air, an absolute and intoxicating temptation. Xu Yinxing furrowed her brow slightly and used her cultivation base to immediately dispel any impure thoughts. It was strange; she had overcome such a test long ago. Her heart was too pure to be affected in the slightest.
She shook her head and looked at Tian Lang, wanting to see his reaction.
But when she saw him, she blinked in disbelief. The boy had his hand on his chin, shamelessly examining the woman statue from head to toe.
He seemed to notice her gaze and instead of being embarrassed, he raised his thumb towards her.
"Master, this statue is incredible! Can I take it home?" She thought he had fallen for the temptation, but when she looked at him, his eyes were as clear as water.
She clicked her tongue.
"If you want a beautiful woman, you better find something real. Let's stop wasting time; go to the platform," she scolded.
Tian Lang nodded. The real trial was starting now.
He was calmer than before. While the statues had a strange effect, it was more like seeing illusions within his mind.
The four-armed demon projected scenes of death, quite realistic in every aspect but lacking in one thing: real death. And although Tian Lang hadn't been dead for long, he had felt death, however brief.
Something fake could never compare to the real thing.
The woman... well, that was harder. There were many temptations there, but most of it was "maybe." He didn't know another way to describe it, but it was as if it showed him things he could have but not the feeling of truly having them. And while the images were undoubtedly tempting, they would only serve if he were too pure.
He had had some ex-girlfriends, so purity didn't exist at all.
He walked up to the lake, the crystal-clear water reflecting his face, a familiar and yet strange, but comforting, face. He smiled at himself and without much thought, began to undress.
First, he removed his upper clothing and quickly started to remove the lower part.
"W-what are you doing!?" Xu Yinxing exclaimed in alarm as she saw him suddenly undressing. Her hands shot up to cover her eyes, but it was obvious to anyone looking that her fingers were too spread apart.
Tian Lang looked at her, confused.
"I don't want to get my uniform wet," he said. Didn't he need to go to the center of the lake?
She tried to tell him that there was a "bridge" that could be deployed, but for some reason, she remained silent.
She looked at the statue of the woman and frowned. It seemed she needed to reaffirm her own foundations and retake the test. She couldn't allow her mind to be disturbed, although she knew it wasn't her fault. The statues affected different individuals in different ways depending on their cultivation level; the higher the cultivation, the stronger their influence. So any impure thoughts she might have right now were the statue's fault. Wisely, she ignored the fact that the statues merely used what was already inside each individual to evoke images in their hearts.
'It seems I've relaxed too much. I must train my will again.'
But later. she would do it later. For now, with a somewhat flushed face, she remained silent and watched as Tian Lang submerged himself in the lake wearing nothing but his boxers.
Before his awakening, Tian Lang had been skinny, but once his roots awakened and Stellar Qi began to nourish his body, things changed.
It had been barely over 6 hours, but his body now overflowed with health. His previous lack of weight had completely disappeared, and while he still didn't have prominent muscles, it was clear to anyone looking that his body was now fit and his muscles were beginning to show.
Certainly, this was something that could only be achieved by a supernatural energy like Qi.
"It's a bit cold," Tian Lang felt the water against his body. Maybe he should have kept his clothes on, but it was too late to change his mind.
He had reached the platform already. Without hesitation, he climbed onto it, letting the water drip off his body. He looked at himself in the reflection and almost whistled.
It seemed he would gain those muscles he wanted without needing to do much. It was great.
Unable to resist, he raised his arm and flexed it a bit.
"S-stop fooling around, let's begin," Xu Yinxing quickly interrupted.
Tian Lang nodded and sat cross-legged on the platform, facing directly towards the statues.
"Now what?" he asked.
Xu Yinxing cleared her throat and with a serious expression pointed to her location and began to explain.
"We will start with the test of courage," she said, pointing to the demon statue. Its six eyes gleamed in intense crimson, and the platform where Tian Lang sat shimmered with crimson matrix patterns.
The lake gained an ethereal blood-like light, and the mirror at the top began to change.
Unable to stop it, Tian Lang closed his eyes.
This time, Xu Yinxing looked with seriousness, leaving all other thoughts behind. If anything went wrong, Tian Lang could be affected. These trials put the very spirit at stake, and any mishap could be detrimental.
In the mirror at the top, an image soon appeared.
A boy running through a vast forest hand in hand with a younger girl, a brother and sister. Both were smiling and playing as young children would, happy and oblivious to the danger around them.
The Mirror of True Judgment was special; it wasn't just a high-level celestial treasure but many high-level celestial treasures working together.
Its goal was simple yet crucial: to test true will in all its aspects.
The method was straightforward—creating extremely realistic illusory worlds. Once inside, your spirit couldn't distinguish between reality and falsehood, trapped in a fictitious scenario where your true self was tested.
Cultivators could try to resist its influence, but for those without cultivation, it could well be an eternal cage. If they couldn't pass the test, their spirit would be trapped for eternity, their soul torn from their bodies.
For cultivators, while this wouldn't happen, their souls would still be affected and, in the worst cases, injured. And in this universe, nothing was more terrifying than a soul wound.
"If he fails, how the hell am I going to explain this to the Director and the other Peak Masters?" This wasn't a trial a new student should undergo; even experienced students would hesitate to do so.
But she couldn't avoid it. Only this way would she know if Tian Lang would be able to accomplish what she desired.
"If he passes, I'll reward him later." She didn't know how, but she would. That was a promise.
In the distant sky, thunder rumbled. A cultivator's promise was not without consequence; once solemnly spoken, it would be engraved in the will of the heavens, and if unfulfilled, the heavens would rain down punishment upon the cultivator in question.
Only those above the will of the heavens could break such oaths; only the eternal had such privilege.
In the image within the mirror.
The boy and girl ran to a grassy clearing, laughing and playing, unaware that a pair of sinister eyes watched them from the shadows.
Silently, the beast approached, its fierce jaws dripping with saliva.
Xu Yinxing watched attentively. What kind of person was Tian Lang? What would he do? The image in the mirror was extremely vivid for those experiencing it from within—feelings, sensations, everything was realistic to the extreme.
For Tian Lang, the girl he held by the hand had become the person he loved most—his family, his blood.
So when danger came knocking, what would he do? How would he act?
The answer came without delay. When the fierce wolf leaped out from its hiding place towards them, the boy who represented Tian Lang looked alarmed and immediately placed the girl behind him. There was no fear in his eyes, no fear at all.
Instead, there was anger. That was interesting. Xu Yinxing raised an eyebrow; fear was natural, and even with courage, being afraid at the same time wasn't contradictory.
But in the image, Tian Lang didn't show fear; instead, there was anger—anger towards the wolf.
The wolf growled but didn't attack immediately; for some reason, it felt that the prey before it was unusual.
Tian Lang told the girl to run. She refused, but he insisted and soon sent her away. In the clearing of the meadow, only a boy and a wolf remained, facing each other, sizing each other up.
With the girl out of the scene, was it time to escape, right? Once there was nothing left to protect, why fight?
But Tian Lang didn't do that. He looked at the wolf coldly and mocked it.
"You are an old wolf, abandoned by your own, weak and pathetic, why don't you attack? or are you afraid?" It was true; it was a lone wolf without a pack.
The wolf growled, feeling the boy's disdain, and without hesitation, it lunged.
Tian Lang smiled. He quickly crouched down and picked up a stone from the ground that he had been eyeing secretly. When the wolf was about to reach him, he didn't hesitate to use the stone and struck it on the jaw.
The wolf growled but didn't stop; its front leg slashed, its claws tearing Tian Lang's face.
Blood gushed, searing pain assaulting his senses, but he didn't stop.
He growled similarly to the wolf and threw himself at it. With the stone in hand, he struck and kept striking, even when the wolf bit into his shoulder and tore his flesh.
"No one!" he roared.
"Nothing!" he shouted louder.
"Threatens my things!" Even as blood poured from his mouth, he didn't stop fighting, and soon the rock in his hand was covered in blood.
The boy took a deep and heavy breath, removing the dead wolf from on top of him. Despite deep bleeding wounds on his body, a manic look was clear in his eyes.
He spat blood and saliva and dropped the stone from his hand, clutching his shoulder and looking up at the sky, now turning crimson.
"No one will ever take anything from me," he whispered to himself in a voice that no one should have heard.
Then everything turned dark, and Tian Lang on the platform took a deep breath and opened his eyes, eyes bloodshot.
"That was..." It was like living another life, memories, experiences, all given out of the blue but at the same time still holding him.
He shook his head, gradually the images began to fade in his mind until they disappeared completely as if it had only been a dream.
He took a deep breath and calmed himself, blinking as the crimson light faded away.
It was a simple yet complicated trial. The scenario wasn't overly complex but served its purpose. It wasn't designed to look spectacular or magnificent but to test willpower and courage, making him experience an extremely realistic situation that would reveal his true colors.
Only by experiencing it firsthand could one understand how it felt.
He touched his shoulder, a lingering phantom pain still present. He hadn't known he could be so ruthless.
"What do you think, Master? Did I pass the test?" he asked, turning to look at Xu Yinxing, ho was still staring into the mirror in a trance.
His voice brought her back to reality, and she blinked, her gaze somewhat strange as she nodded.
"Yes, you passed successfully."
Unable to help it, Xu Yinxing compared him to herself. The first time she had taken the test had been disastrous. Though she hadn't failed, she hadn't passed either. It had taken her several years to prepare, years of near-death experiences and careful cultivation to face the test again, and even then, she could barely say she had achieved half as good a result.
She couldn't help her heart pounding. Such courage—if he possessed such courage, then surely he would be able to achieve it.
He could do it.
She looked at Tian Lang with brighter eyes. If she had only thought of him as a promising future student before, now his standing had instantly risen several degrees.
Tian Lang scratched his cheek and smiled. Though it had been an unexpected trial, it seemed things were going well.
It was time to take the next step.
"In that case, let's move on to the second test. I'm more confident now," he said.
Xu Yinxing nodded. She, too, had much more confidence. If he had passed the first test so easily, then the second would undoubtedly be even simpler.
In her time, it had been extremely easy for her too. Temptations? Just crush them with your fist until they're a pulp—simple.
"The next one is the temptation trial," she said calmly, pointing her hand towards the statue of the woman.
This trial would reveal Tian Lang's deepest desires, where she could also discern his intentions.
If his desires involved harming humanity or the academy, she would kill him on the spot. Apologizing to the academy's leaders and other masters would be easy in such a case.
Tian Lang sat back down, watching as a pink light began to flood the matrices of the platform. The lake also acquired some of that light, and soon his eyes began to close.
Soon, his consciousness was drawn into another illusion.
Xu Yinxing watched the mirror intently, ready to act if necessary, but soon the image that projected made her cheeks blush deeply.
"Y-You-You!"
There were laughter, flirtatious voices, and moans accompanied by more laughter.
She tried to cover her eyes but couldn't help but keep looking.
In the mirror's image,
In a glorious palace atop the skies, made of marble and gold, there was a lush garden filled with all kinds of exotic plants and flowers.
In the middle of the garden, a long hot spring appeared, where dozens of ethereal beauties, unclothed, submerged themselves while cuddling close to a young heroically handsome man.
Their bodies were voluptuous, all perfect; there were fair skins, dark skins, even skins of different colors, a truly unique variety.
All of them looked at the young man with blind love as he enjoyed their caresses, a young girl with blond hair with red tones and golden eyes so bright they could almost shine approached the young man, rubbing her body against his and kissing his face shamelessly
Her breasts pressing against his side.
"There's no need to be impatient, Ruoxue, I have enough of myself for all of you," he smiled mischievously, making all the girls let out small laughs.
Xu Yinxing, out of the picture, couldn't help but have her left eye twitch. This brat...
Once he became her student, she would teach him proper control.
"Do you even have something for me?" the strangely familiar voice of a woman made Xu Yinxing look back at the image in the mirror.
Her expression froze as she saw herself arriving completely naked. She walked sensually until she submerged in the waters, her hips swaying slowly until she reached Tian Lang's side.
Like a complete vixen, her crude imitation approached the boy coquettishly, caressing his chest with her fingers.
"You have been a very good disciple. Tell me, what reward should I give you? A massage? A bath? Or perhaps... my body?" she whispered in his ear with a blush on her face.
"Bagh!!" Xu Yinxing almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
She grabbed her chest, feeling the anger starting to come over her as well as the shame. The shame overcame the anger, and nervously, she looked at the image in shock.
How could a student who seemed so educated have such impure thoughts?!
She felt rage but also a bit of shyness. Was she really that attractive in his eyes?
"Hmph! You just want to hog him, Lang clearly wants all of us to enjoy ourselves with him."
Suddenly, a familiar girl appeared and pulled Xu Yinxing away from Tian Lang, cuddling up to him and rubbing her soft breasts against his arm.
Xu Yinxing froze when she saw her sister also appear on the screen. With a dead look, she gazed at Tian Lang on the platform, debating whether or not to kill him right then and there.
She raised her trembling hand but resisted as best she could. She couldn’t do it; he was too important. Instead, she would make sure to punish him properly once he became her official disciple.
"A reward, huh? Fine, this master will give you a great reward," she smiled strangely while gritting her teeth.
Xu Yinxing endured the images in the mirror for almost two more hours, growing increasingly irritated.
"How many times do you need to do it, you damn pervert!" she roared, feeling her purity completely destroyed.
She had been a young and dignified lady, never exposed to such shameless things before. Even the thought of holding hands would have made her blush in the past.
Now? Now her mind was contaminated with images she never thought possible. She didn’t even know the human body could adopt so many different positions...
Her now-tainted mind would never see women the same way again.
Still, she reminded herself that she needed to stay vigilant. If there was even the slightest hint that Tian Lang posed a danger to humanity or the academy, she would gladly kill him on the spot.
She looked at the mirror with a flushed face, wondering if she could ever look her sister in the eye again after this.
"She must never know..." she promised herself to keep this secret to the grave.
After who knows how long, Tian Lang in the image seemed to snap out of his trance and stood up.
"I'm sorry, girls. I would love to stay with you forever, but there are times for everything. I must continue to work hard so that you can stay by my side forever," he said solemnly, and with extreme reluctance, he moved away from the dozens of girls calling him with sweet, affectionate voices, all filled with desire.
Tian Lang dressed and wielded a glorious sword as he gazed into the distant horizon with sharp eyes.
To keep everything he longed for, he had to remain steadfast and ready to face any calamity. Occasional enjoyment was fine, but he couldn't let himself be carried away and neglect everything else.
With that understanding, he began to soar through the skies, ready to face any adversity.
Then the image darkened.
On the lake platform, slowly and calmly, Tian Lang opened his eyes. A long stream of misty vapor exhaled from his nose and mouth.
He smiled happily and cheerfully. He hadn't had this much fun in years.
He stretched and stood up with overflowing happiness.
"I believe I have passed with great success, Master! You were right, it was extremely simple."
Of course, Tian Lang had no idea whatsoever that Xu Yinxing could see with absolute clarity and in the best possible definition everything that happened during his trials.
Unaware of this, he smiled at the woman who seemed like a statue of ice.
She looked at him with indescribable thoughts in her eyes. Her face, still red, began to return to its natural color, and with a snort, she withdrew her stellar Qi from the statues.
She constantly reminded herself to wait; if she lesson him now, he might try to escape and join another peak, and she wouldn't be able to "teach" him properly.
With no small amount of frustration, she spoke through gritted teeth.
"Yes, you have successfully passed the trials. Now you can join the Silver Moon Peak."
Tian Lang blinked, sensing that she was a bit strange, but shrugged and quickly exited the lake, grabbing his clothes.
Once he put them on, he felt the arrays briefly activate, and all the water in his body evaporated the next instant.
"Wow, that's cool," he admired the clothes more than before.
"What's next?" he asked, turning to look at Xu Yinxing, who seemed to want to avoid looking directly at him.
She coughed and cleared her throat.
"Now we go to the main hall and begin the acceptance ceremony."
Xu Yinxing lamented inwardly. Her first real disciple would be a complete pervert.
Why was her luck like this?
.
.
.
Note:
5600 words, I thought about reaching 6000 but I think this is a good point to leave it.
I had to rewrite this chapter several times, that's why it took so long, sorry about that. I know there are few people following this and making them wait like this makes me feel bad haha, but I had to do it because I had to change many things.
I said this chapter would be where the cultivation begins, I'm sorry it's not the case, again rewriting made me extend too much.
Anyway, I hope to start with it soon.
Next update: ?
Comments
KickAsterisk
Was just rereading and I wanted to mention that I really appreciated the insight from the “Main character” of Mao Ruyue. I’m curious to read about her future interaction with Tian Lang and how they’ll progress from there. I’m assuming she’ll be lost and desperate to earn back some validation while simultaneously being a bit apprehensive towards any perceived kindness no matter how much she wants it.
EmmaCruzader
Working on it, I'll probably finish John's illustration first ;D
Josh Snider
> Next update: ? Here's hoping the next update is Defiant!
