The identity jade token of Xu Mingyu, ranked fiftieth on the Bai Mu Rankings, lit up at the same moment.
He froze for a beat, quickly picking it up to check. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.
The few people beside him exchanged startled glances.
"Someone's challenging you?"
"That can't be right, wasn't this already settled?"
The sudden light from his jade token had clearly disrupted their plans.
"I don't know either, but since there's a challenge, let's go see for ourselves."
A spark of battle intent flashed in Xu Mingyu's eyes. He was hardly worried about anyone challenging him. Even if he lost, at worst he would just drop in rank, and he would still have a place in the Lingxi Secret Realm.
No one imagined the challenger could be from outside the rankings. Everyone assumed it was another ranked cultivator. After all, anyone who could break into the top fifty clearly had unquestionable strength.
"Come on, let's go have a look!"
A lively group headed toward the battle platform, abandoning their training plans in the back mountain. Curiosity outweighed cultivation; they all wanted to see who had the nerve to challenge Xu Mingyu.
Meanwhile, disciples drawn by the commotion gathered at the battle platform. When they saw Song Wanníng standing below it, surprise flashed across their faces.
"Isn't that… Song Wanníng?"
"She's the one issuing the challenge? Let me see who she's challenging… hss—Senior Brother Xu Mingyu?!"
"You can't be serious. Has she gone mad? Xu Mingyu is ranked fiftieth!"
"I wouldn't call it madness, more like arrogance. No one's challenged her recently so now she thinks she's invincible."
Some disciples exchanged skeptical and disdainful looks. Song Wanníng's previous bold proclamations were still fresh in their minds, and now she was aiming straight for the top fifty. To them, this wasn't confidence, it was foolishness.
A supervising elder nearby tried to dissuade her. "Perhaps you should choose another opponent. Xu Mingyu is at his peak right now, with first-class strength. He's nothing like Lin Hao or Sun Lian."
If she lost too badly, it could shake her confidence.
"Thank you for the reminder, Elder, but I choose him."
Song Wanníng smiled faintly, her longsword spinning in her hand to form a blooming sword flower—casual, graceful, and entirely untroubled.
The elder could only shake his head. He would not press further. Everyone walked their own path, and sometimes a setback was no bad thing.
As the crowd grew, Xu Mingyu finally appeared.
When he saw the unfamiliar challenger, one name came to mind immediately—Song Wanníng.
That name had been ringing in his ears lately; it was impossible not to know it.
"Song Wanníng?"
He lifted a brow, his gaze lingering on her face with mild amusement.
Indeed, she was a beauty.
Song Wanníng returned a faint smile, giving him an equally amused once-over.
"Xu Mingyu?"
Her tone matched his perfectly, returning his words to him without a single change.
The smile on Xu Mingyu's face cooled slightly.
His friends immediately jumped in to tease him.
"Yo, our Young Master Xu is being provoked? Don't go easy on her just because she's pretty!"
"As if! Everyone knows Young Master Xu has a soft spot for pretty faces, hahahaha…"
His friends, all ranked cultivators themselves, weren't taking Song Wanníng's challenge seriously. Her looks, though, they found interesting.
The surrounding disciples joined the laughter, treating Song Wanníng like a joke she didn't realize she was telling.
"Shut it!"
A faint flush colored Xu Mingyu's face as he glared at his friends before turning back to Song Wanníng. He had expected her to be embarrassed or angry. Instead, her calm expression and the quiet, unreadable depth in her gaze made him feel oddly self-conscious.
When it came to beauties, he did have more patience.
"You're certain you want to challenge me? I haven't accepted yet, so you still have a chance to change your mind."
His smile turned roguish. If possible, he would rather not see a beauty bloodied and bruised.
"Do all you so-called genius disciples talk this much?"
Song Wanníng let out a soft laugh and vaulted directly onto the battle platform.
Endless chatter—what was the point?
"Heh, some personality. I like it."
Rather than be angered, Xu Mingyu's interest only deepened. Under the teasing gazes of his friends, he joined her on the platform.
As the two took their places, a wave of jeers rose from the crowd, all aimed at Song Wanníng.
"She's about to see her real strength. She's been floating too high lately."
"Exactly. None of the true disciples even bother with her. She refuses other challenges, but thinks she can take on a top fifty? Please."
Most had never seen Song Wanníng fight, but they had heard her bold claims. Their impression of her was already poor.
"Hey, why don't we make a bet?"
Someone suggested a wager, but with everyone only willing to back Xu Mingyu, there was no way to open one fairly.
"What, not a single person's betting on Song Wanníng to win?"
That earned another round of laughter.
No one took the match seriously—not even Xu Mingyu.
"You see? No one believes you can win. I suggest you give up now. I'd hate to hurt a beauty."
His gaze lingered on her face, his heartbeat quickening. The more he looked, the more he liked what he saw. An idea formed—if he impressed her with his strength, maybe she would follow him. Many women in the sect wanted to, but none had caught his eye until now.
"Enough nonsense."
Song Wanníng was on the verge of rolling her eyes. This man talked far too much. She pulled a storage pouch from her sleeve and tossed it to the disciple who had proposed the wager.
"Bet on me to win."
If no one else believed in her, she could at least bet on herself.
If she won, it would be free profit.
"Hss… generous, aren't we?"
The disciple peeked inside and found over a thousand top-grade spirit stones.
"Looks like you really have faith in yourself."
He didn't refuse. After all, he was certain the stones would end up in his hands anyway.
Seeing her bet, others rushed to stake their own wagers, eager to claim her spirit stones for themselves.
"Let's get started."
Song Wanníng's tone held a hint of impatience. If they kept stalling, the sun would set before they began. Her sword rang sharply as it left the scabbard, a wave of battle intent sweeping over the platform.
Whatever Xu Mingyu had been about to say died on his lips. His expression shifted, and the way he looked at her changed entirely.