A Consequence of Opposing the Heroine’s Halo (GL) - Chapter 26

Liu Sanye and Guan Rong stood nose-to-nose in a confrontation. The atmosphere was suddenly thick with tension; the onlookers were as silent as cicadas in winter, yet all were watching with keen interest.

Guan Rong glanced around at the crowd before narrowing her eyes and glaring at Liu Sanye with a fierce expression. “You little shorty, you’ve got some guts. Do you even know who I am?” As she spoke, she raised the long whip in her hand, the threat of intimidation unmistakable.

Liu Sanye glanced at the red whip, turned her face to the side, and curled her lip. She replied absent-mindedly, “I know. Aren’t you just the big boss of the Heaven Class?”

Hearing this, Guan Rong let out a cold snort and lifted her chin smugly, as if being a class bully were some magnificent achievement. Seeing this, Liu Sanye couldn’t help but puncture her pride.

Pretending to look distressed, Liu Sanye suddenly let out a sigh and delivered a finishing blow: “It’s a pity that your strength as a ‘boss’ was entirely bought with precious treasures and spirit pills. There’s quite a bit of water in your stats. Even though you’re at the middle stage of Qi Refining, I reckon you couldn’t even beat a slightly stronger early-stage cultivator. You’re just a hollow showpiece.”

Liu Sanye’s verbal daggers were aimed straight for the heart, causing Guan Rong’s face to instantly turn the color of pig liver.

Guan Rong had everything—looks, family background, status—but her one fatal flaw was that she possessed a Sub-Spiritual Root. Because of this, even with a massive intake of heavenly treasures, her progression was slow and the results were mediocre.

Guan Rong didn’t want to just sit around at home waiting to die, which was why she had come to the Hegui Sect. She hoped to enter Green Wood Peak as a disciple of Feng Zhu and obtain a Creation Pill to transform her spiritual root. Otherwise, why on earth would she come to this ghost of a place to endure such indignities!

Guan Rong flew into a rage on the spot. She brandished her whip at Liu Sanye: “Little shorty, what did you say?! Say it again if you’re brave enough!”

Liu Sanye crossed her arms and tilted her head up. “I said you’re a hollow showpiece. What? Did I hit a sore spot?”

Without another word, Guan Rong raised her whip to strike Liu Sanye. Liu Sanye didn’t even flinch; a sharp-eyed Bai Tong stepped forward and struck Guan Rong’s hand with her palm. Guan Rong’s hand went numb and powerless from the pain, and the whip fell directly to the ground.

Seeing Guan Rong in such a pathetic state, the one looking smug now was Liu Sanye. “See? I told you you were a hollow showpiece, but you wouldn’t believe me and insisted on testing it yourself.”

Guan Rong’s face was deathly pale from pain. She hissed, “The two of you will regret this!”

Ma Shi, who had been standing behind Guan Rong, stepped forward to deal with them on her behalf, but Guan Rong held him back. “Save your strength. Deal with her properly on the stage later!”

Ma Shi nodded, his eyes fixed on the two of them like a sinister, venomous snake.

Liu Sanye felt very uncomfortable under his gaze. She whispered into Bai Tong’s ear, “That guy must be Ma Shi. He looks like bad news at first glance. You must be extremely careful later.”

Bai Tong nodded obediently. “Don’t worry, I will.” After a pause, Bai Tong added, “Next time you argue with someone, don’t stand more than two zhang away from me.”

Liu Sanye was puzzled. “Why?”

Bai Tong replied, “Beyond two zhang, I can’t see you.”

Bai Tong’s current divine sense could only clearly perceive things within that six-meter radius. Liu Sanye had an epiphany; she had almost forgotten about that.

Over the years, the Heaven Class had accumulated thousands of disciples; nearly ninety percent of the outer sect was stationed here. However, only a few dozen of them would ever successfully reach the Foundation Establishment stage and promote to the inner sect. Those who failed to reach Foundation Establishment would spend the rest of their lives here.

This was because Hegui Sect regulations explicitly stated that Qi Refining disciples must remain within the mountain gates. They lacked the qualifications and the ability to represent the Hegui Sect on outside missions or trials.

The Heaven Class contained many new recruits, but also many “old foxes” who had been idling there for decades or even a century. To spark their fighting spirit, the outer sect tacitly allowed private duels and organized the Grand Competition every year. The competition functioned through challenges: the winner on the stage had to accept the challenger’s “letter of challenge.” If no one challenged a person, they would automatically advance to the next round. The final person standing on the stage would receive a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward.

Taking a Foundation Establishment Pill during the process increases the success rate of a breakthrough by eighty percent. Once you step into Foundation Establishment, that is the true beginning of the path to immortality.

There is a world of difference between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining. A Foundation Establishment cultivator can crush a hundred Qi Refining cultivators effortlessly; it is essentially the difference between a celestial and a mortal. Foundation Establishment and Bigu (fasting) mark the start of the journey, but they are also the first major “super-difficult” hurdles one encounters.

Many people spend their entire lives failing to reach Foundation Establishment. The thousands of people lingering in the Heaven Class were proof enough of that problem. One could imagine how precious and sought-after that pill—with its eighty percent success boost—was in the eyes of these disciples.

Xun Qiu was presiding over the competition from the side. On the central formation in the martial field, names of combatants constantly flickered into existence. Long lists of names were being generated row by row. Liu Sanye squinted her eyes and counted; the duel between Bai Tong and Ma Shi was ranked over a hundred slots down.

Even with seven arenas running simultaneously, it would be at least afternoon before their turn.

So why on earth did we come here so early…