Ning Zhiquan smiled. "Brother Hex, Wang ng isn’t here yet."
"If you hadn’t ntioned him, I’d have forgotten he even existed. Oh well, let’s just ignore him."
A glimr of anticipation flashed through Ma Tian’Er’s eyes. "Brother Hex, let’s just wait a bit longer. The one-year mark is tomorrow, after all. I think Wang ng will co."
"Hehe, since Junior Sister Ma says so, we’ll wait a bit more."
Li Tianyi leaned back in his chair with one leg crossed over the other. He had also been training desperately, but he ignored all recruitnt offers from factions, regardless of their strength. It wasn’t that he looked down on the power of the factions; he simply had no interest.
Suddenly, Ma Tian’Er’s eyes lit up. She heard a familiar set of footsteps outside.
’There was a ti,’ Ma Tian’Er thought, ’when I believed I could face this calmly. Tis had changed, everything around had changed, and so I should have changed too.’
’But why? She knew Wang ng wasn’t the sa person he used to be, so why couldn’t she control her own feelings?’
In the blink of an eye, a smiling face appeared before them.
Wang ng had appeared. Seeing the familiar Ma Tian’Er, the still-scruffy Li Tianyi, the beaming Mingren, and even the stone-faced Tang Wei... it all felt so endearing.
’What could ti and environnt really change?’
Before Wang ng’s smile could fully form, the faces of the two senior Holy Hall disciples darkened.
"Wang ng, you sure are putting on airs!" Mu Ziqing said coldly.
Initially, Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing hadn’t wanted to bother with Ning Zhiquan’s group. They brought nothing to the table, and even the strongest among them, Ning Zhiquan, was only average. Who could have imagined that Ma Tian’Er and Li Tianyi would perform so well?
Especially after Ma Tian’Er beca a mber of the Empress Faction, which was like a direct ticket into the Cultivation Academy’s inner circle—a truly incredible feat. Coupled with Ma Tian’Er’s gentle personality, Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing naturally took it upon themselves to look after this little group of Holy Hall Disciples. Just to cater to Ma Tian’Er, they were really putting on an act, playing the part of benevolent Seniors.
"Wang ng, Brother Mu is only scolding you for your own good. What have you been doing this past year? We Holy Hall Disciples are a team. Here, we can only rely on each other. Not participating in group activities is a grave mistake!"
Hex Zui said earnestly.
Mingren bead, knowing the two were playing good cop, bad cop.
"Seniors, Wang ng has surely been focused on his cultivation. And he’s here now, isn’t he? Wang ng, it’s been a while!"
Mingren laughed and gave Wang ng a hug.
Li Tianyi ca up as well, and the two bumped fists. Ti and circumstances could change so things, but so things would never change.
"Junior Sister Ma, everyone’s here now. Let’s begin."
Hex Zui’s attitude toward Ma Tian’Er was completely different—extrely respectful.
The waiters outside began to move. Wang ng sized up Ma Tian’Er. ’Looks like the girl’s been doing well,’ he thought. ’She’s in great spirits and full of energy.’ Although he had been busy, he’d heard about Ma Tian’Er’s rare Wood of the Five Elents attribute and that she had joined a faction. That put his mind at ease.
Once the initial tension eased, the atmosphere beca quite pleasant. This was mainly because Wang ng wasn’t the focus, and Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing clearly didn’t want to ruin the good mood over him.
At the table, it was Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing who did all the talking, while the others mostly listened.
They were humoring Ma Tian’Er, but it was the two seniors who were paying. Given the "generosity" of their two seniors, everyone else naturally played the part of a good audience... which also ant they could eat more.
Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing were talking up a storm while Wang ng and the others ate as if there were no tomorrow. This was especially true for Wang ng and Tang Wei. Expenses within the Cultivation Academy were not low, and everyone had to keep a budget. Wang ng had been quite frugal over the past year, so with a rare free al, of course he was going to eat his fill and enjoy it.
Tang Wei held back even less. It was a free al; not eating would be a waste, so he might as well eat his fill.
"Another plate!" Tang Wei, who already had a large appetite, was not being polite at all.
"I’ll have a plate too!" said Wang ng.
Li Tianyi elegantly wiped his mouth. " too."
Every ti one of the three opened their mouth to order more, Mu Ziqing and Hex Zui visibly winced. By the end, their mouths were twitching, but in front of Ma Tian’Er, they could only grit their teeth and bear it, maintaining an appearance of great magnanimity.
Little did they know that Wang ng and his two friends were not the type to stand on ceremony...
Fortunately, Mingren and Ning Zhiquan felt so "pity" for the two seniors’ wallets and only ate sparingly. They were more worldly-wise.
"For you all, the real challenge begins tomorrow. I assu the Star Ring has already explained the procedure to you. Don’t rush. The first battle is very important. Choose your opponent well, and don’t be nervous. Normally, in a random match, you should encounter opponents of similar strength. Whoever is more ruthless, whoever performs better, will win."
Mu Ziqing got to the main point, displaying his experience as a senior.
"You can’t be arrogant, but you can’t lose confidence either. The Holy Hall’s low ranking is a reflection of the overall resources of our Four Directions Small Thousand World. In terms of individual strength, the gap isn’t that large."
Hex Zui explained, but his explanation sohow lacked conviction.
"Seniors, please rest assured. We will give it our all."
"We’re not worried about Junior Sister Ma," Mu Ziqing said with a smile. "Junior Brother Li and Junior Brother Ning should be fine too, as long as they have a bit of luck."
"Mingren, Tang Wei, and Wang ng, the three of you need to be careful. Especially you, Wang ng... can you stop eating for a mont?"
Hex Zui said.
Wang ng nearly choked and quickly stopped eating. "You’re right, Senior. I will of course do my utmost not to disgrace the Holy Hall!"
"You... This isn’t about disgracing the Holy Hall, it’s about your life! In the first year of combat, you absolutely must maintain a twenty percent win rate. Otherwise, you’ll be taken away and disposed of imdiately. There’s no room for negotiation."
Mu Ziqing said.
"Hehe, if you’re lucky, you might run into the ’Master.’ That would be extrely fortunate."
Mingren laughed.
"Haha, that would be a stroke of incredible luck! I really don’t know where that guy popped up from. A lot of people have their eyes on him, but you guys shouldn’t get your hopes up. The chances of that are extrely low."
Hex Zui laughed as well.
"A ’Master’? Or a faker? Is he any good?" Wang ng asked.
"Wang ng, I think it would be great if you could run into him. This guy is basically your savior. Anyway, he’s just so pathetically weak dude, but he keeps on fighting. No one knows how many matches he’s lost. That’s why everyone calls him the ’Master.’ It’s a joke—he’s the most genuinely naive fool you’ll ever et."
Hex Zui laughed. If there were more people with such a self-sacrificing spirit, everyone’s lives would be much easier.
"A pity he won’t live much longer," Mu Ziqing said, shaking his head.
Wang ng’s mouth fell open. ’Could it be... I can’t be that unlucky, can I?’
Seeing the astonished look on Wang ng’s face, the two of them thought he was scared, which only deepened their contempt for him.
"Alright, regardless, as your seniors, we wish you success right from the start!"
Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing said. It had to be admitted, they really did look the part of seniors.
After the gathering ended, Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing naturally escorted Ma Tian’Er as she left. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to co to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
User Comments
0 comments from readers