The competition was in full swing. Xing'er quietly landed at a mountain gate some distance from the edge of the arena, then hurried from the gate toward the sword arena. The girl's bedraggled and aged appearance naturally drew sidelong glances from quite a few disciples.
Even the several hundred disciples in the small inner sect sword arena all turned to look the moment Xing'er reached the edge of the sword platform. Most of them wore looks of disgust, while only a small number showed sympathy—but that sympathy was almost painfully conspicuous.
This was hardly surprising. With several hundred disciples all in their teens and twenties, and only Xing'er looking like an old woman of seventy or eighty, the contrast naturally led to different treatment. Standing out from the crowd would have been one thing, but the girl was also rather meek by nature and lacked even the slightest hint of assertiveness.
"Hold your head high. From this moment onward, you're no longer just Ding Ruoxing'er. You're also a Dao Venerable's disciple. You don't represent only yourself—you represent me, your master as well." I couldn't help encouraging her.
Ding Ruoxing'er hesitated at the foot of the stairs. After hearing my words, she did her utmost to straighten her formerly hunched back. The broad outlines visible in her eyes gradually narrowed somewhat—this was the look of vigor returning to Xing'er's brows and eyes. Clearly, she had also gained some self-awareness.
"Master, as your disciple, Xing'er won't let you down! Even if I die, I won't bring shame upon you!" Xing'er's resolve had finally firmed considerably.
"Good. See if those three who harmed you are still among them?" I asked. Identifying the culprits was necessary.
"They are! Senior Sister Tang Qi, Senior Sister Hai Ziyu, and Senior Sister Yang Pingping—they're all over there!