In the Guhan Sect, Song Wanníng was in the middle of cultivation when a knock came from outside the courtyard. She slowly opened her eyes, sending her divine sense outward. Her brows furrowed.
It had only been a single day, and they already could not sit still?
Song Wanníng rose unhurriedly, casually pulling out a robe and changing into it before stepping lazily out of the courtyard. Leaning against the gate, arms crossed, she gazed at the group of people before her, their aggressive auras flaring.
"You are Song Wanníng? The new true disciple?"
Lin Hao's eyes lit briefly when he saw her, stunned by her beauty for a moment. Then, after taking a closer look at her cultivation level, his confidence swelled. With this level of cultivation, she dared to take the seat of a true disciple? What a joke.
The surrounding disciples also had their moment of surprise at her looks, but in the face of cultivation and benefits, beauty was irrelevant.
War intent burned hot in every pair of eyes. One after another, disciples stepped forward, eager to issue her challenges.
They all saw Song Wanníng as an easy target. If they could snatch her position, they could enjoy it for at least a month.
Even a short taste of the true disciple's privileges was worth it.
Most of those here today were ordinary inner sect disciples, not particularly high in cultivation.
The real experts were waiting to watch from the sidelines.
Song Wanníng's eyes swept over the crowd with a faint glance, quickly understanding the situation. She accepted Lin Hao's challenge directly.
He was the highest ranked among them, at late-stage Void Refinement.
Her choice made more than a few people exchange puzzled looks.
"Song Wanníng, this is the Spirit Realm. Do you know how big the gap is between small stages in Void Refinement?" someone mocked.
"Exactly. Understandable though—someone from the lower realm must think it's still possible to leapfrog ranks whenever they want."
"Hahaha, picking Senior Brother Lin Hao? She's overconfident."
Laughter rose all around.
Even those who disagreed with such comments did not speak up for her. They only watched coldly from the side.
Song Wanníng's smile remained unchanged, the curve of her lips deepening until those watching felt an inexplicable chill. Gradually, the laughter died.
Only then did she speak, voice calm. "Since that's the case, let this ascender have a taste of the Spirit Realm. I want to see just how strong its natives are."
They kept calling her a "lower realm ascender," their tone dripping with disdain.
Very well. She would show them what an ascender truly was.
"Good. Since you dare to accept, don't blame me for bullying the weak!" Lin Hao said.
He was inwardly delighted. With his cultivation, even staying in the inner sect was already decent. Now he had the chance to taste the life of a personal disciple—he would not let it slip by.
In the Guhan Sect, challenges regardless of cultivation were nothing unusual. After all, in true danger, no one cared about your rank.
"Come, to the battle platform!" Lin Hao waved his hand, leading the crowd toward it.
Song Wanníng watched their retreating backs, her smile fading, and followed.
As she walked, she felt multiple divine senses probing her. Her gaze turned icy, sweeping the surroundings with an open warning.
Only when the hidden senses withdrew did she continue.
"Hiss... such sharp senses." Sun Lian patted her chest. That look earlier had made her feel like she was locked in place by a venomous snake.
Only now did she realize her back was covered in cold sweat.
She was not alone. Several others wore ugly expressions. They had meant to probe Song Wanníng's background, but were discovered and even threatened in return.
"She's gotten arrogant with just a little skill. Too ostentatious!"
"Looks like we'll have to remind her this isn't the lower realm, where she can run wild."
They exchanged glances and also headed for the platform.
Before long, more disciples were following. Everyone wanted to see who this suddenly appeared personal disciple was, and what she was truly capable of.
In the sect master's hall, Luo Hantian had also heard the news.
"Sect master, aren't you worried the girl will be bullied? You appointed her personally. If she loses, won't that be a slap in your face?" The Great Elder sat to the side, tone full of schadenfreude.
Luo Hantian shot her a glare. "Slap in the face? Sparring among disciples is a good thing. Besides, it's not certain whose face will be slapped."
He recalled Liu Xingzhi's report and a flicker of amusement curled his lips.
Those people were eager to act, but this time they might be the ones suffering. This girl could face a Divine Soul cultivator without flinching—why would she fear them?
"Enough. Stop worrying about this. In a few days, the Lingxi Secret Realm will open, and you'll need to lead the team."
His mind turned. He wondered if the girl could secure a spot in the secret realm. Perhaps he should hint it to her. If she truly had the ability, it would be good for her to go in.
"I know, I know. You just want to find out her background. No need to guard her so closely." The Great Elder was surprised at how much Luo Hantian was protecting her.
It seemed the girl was far from ordinary.
"Heh, of course I'll protect her. If she weren't Junior Sister Ling's disciple, I'd steal her as my own!" Luo Hantian shook his head in regret before shifting the conversation back to the Lingxi Secret Realm.
…
On the battle platform, Song Wanníng stood calmly in the corner, long sword in hand.
Today, she had no intention of holding back. She would strike like thunder and end it swiftly. If ordinary disciples kept challenging her, it would only waste her time. She needed to fight talented disciples to truly improve.
So she had to make sure these people completely abandoned the idea of challenging her again.
Pretending to be weak was not her style. She preferred to be bold and high-profile, not endlessly belittled. Her gaze sharpened slightly, her smile growing wider.
Lin Hao stepped onto the platform under countless eyes, feeling rather pleased with himself.
Like most here, he believed Song Wanníng had only become a personal disciple because of her connection to Leng Qingzhu.
Naturally, he assumed her strength was average.
Still, he knew better than to be careless. If she had some treasure that could tip the scales, it would be disastrous for him.
Standing in the center, he fixed a sharp gaze on her.
In the next instant, he took out a golden staff, runes glowing and light streaming along its length.