The council hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect Sect's headquarters.
The candlelight flickered inside the hall, creating a suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere.
Sect Master Meng Tianyun sat in the main seat, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present.
"Did you all listen carefully to what I just said about the competition?"
Meng Tianyun's voice was deep and resonant, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
" The Seven Sects Grand Competition is not only about the overall situation in the Eastern Continent, but also about the allocation of resources among the sects over the next three years. There is no room for error."
The elder at the lower seat Nangong Hai, stroked his beard and smiled, his face glowing with health, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"Sect Master, please don't worry."
"Now, with the support of the sect's many top-tier resources, I, Sun Wuhen, have firmly stepped into the Divine Sea Realm First Level."
"Furthermore, the Holy Maiden has reached the Divine Sea Realm Second Layer. The Heavenly Sword Sect is determined to win the first place in this Seven Sects Grand Competition."
Upon hearing this, the five elders at the Divine Sea Realm in the hall nodded in agreement, their gazes all turning to the two young figures behind them.
Nangong Wuhen tall and proud, his expression arrogant, his eyes gleaming with undisguised smugness.
Beside him, Situ Shuang'er, dressed in a plain white dress, had her beautiful eyes slightly lowered, appearing somewhat absent-minded.
Meng Tianyun took in everyone's expressions, then his gaze gently fell on Situ Shuang'er.
" Shuang'er, is there something you don't understand?"
"If you have any needs regarding cultivation, please feel free to speak up, and I, the sect master, will certainly use the full power of the sect to satisfy you."
As a prodigy possessing the sect's only special physique, destined to reach the Good Fortune Realm in the future, Meng Tianyun naturally indulged her to the extreme.
Situ Shuang'er frowned slightly, her thoughts abruptly pulled back.
Hearing Meng Tianyun address her so intimately, a feeling of extreme displeasure and resistance flashed through her heart.
From childhood to adulthood, the only people who would call her by her maiden name like that were her mother, Lin Wanyin, and that utterly despicable Chu Yunfei.
Now, Meng Tianyun openly calls her " Shuang'er " in front of everyone, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
But since the other party was, after all, the head of a sect, she couldn't afford to lose her temper on the spot, so she could only coldly say:
"Thank you for your concern, Sect Master. This Holy Maiden has no doubts; I was simply pondering some personal matters."
Meng Tianyun was not angered by her distant tone; instead, he chuckled.
That's good.
"With this competition brought forward, each sect is revealing its trump cards Li Tianxing and Liu Qianying from the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect, as well as Si Yunshu from the Heavenly Edict Sect, are all formidable opponents. We must not underestimate them."
Situ Shuang'er raised her delicate chin, a hint of arrogance appearing on her aloof and proud face.
"The Patriarch's teachings are etched in my mind."
"As long as my opponent hasn't reached the Divine Sea Realm Fifth Layer, I'm absolutely confident I can defeat him."
The cold words fell to the ground, and the hall instantly fell into a deathly silence.
The elders exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with a profound and turbulent shock.
Divine Sea Realm Second Layer, facing an opponent who was not even at the fifth level, actually claimed to be absolutely confident of victory?
This domineering confidence, transcending three realms, would have been dismissed as madness by anyone else, but coming from the mouth of this saintess who had awakened a heaven-defying physique, no one dared to question it.
The Heavenly Sword Sect is truly poised to dominate all rivals in this grand competition.
Only Nangong Wuhen, standing to one side, had a slightly darker expression, his fist clenching tightly in his sleeve.
Ever since he learned that Situ Shuang'er possessed extraordinary potential, he had been extremely attentive to her, wishing he could give her his heart and soul to please her.
But all he ever got in return was Situ Shuang'er's icy cold face.
Even his still-attractive mother Lin Wanyin, treated him with polite distance, avoiding him like the plague.
When he first appeared at the Azure Mystic Sect, were these two women ever this cold?
A hint of violence and greed flashed in Nangong Wuhen's eyes.
"You shameless woman, stop pretending to be so high and mighty!"
"Once the competition is over, I will devour you completely, inside and out. Let's see how arrogant you'll be under my feet then!"
Meng Tianyun, seated at the head of the table, clapped his hands and laughed heartily, clearly extremely satisfied with Situ Shuang'er's confidence.
"Excellent! With such spirit, I, the sect leader, am completely at ease."
He glanced at the sky outside the hall, then gave Nangong Wuhen a meaningful look.
"It's getting late, Shuang'er, you should go back and rest."
"The imperial city is now a melting pot of all sorts of people, and since you don't want to stay at the sect's residence, especially with the night so late and the dew so heavy, let Wuhen escort you back. That way, you'll have someone to look after you."
Nangong Wuhen understood immediately and stepped forward, adopting a humble and gentle gentlemanly demeanor.
"Sect Master, rest assured, this disciple will do everything in my power to safely escort Shuang'er Sister Shuang'er back to the sect."
Situ Shuang'er felt annoyed and refused without even thinking.
"No need, I wouldn't dare trouble Senior Brother Nangong."
"This place is only a few streets away from my home; I can go back by myself."
Nangong Wuhen's eyelids twitched slightly, and a surge of anger rose in his heart, but his face still wore a gentle smile.
"Junior sister, why be so formal?"
"Now that powerful figures from all the major sects have gathered, if we happen to encounter some ignorant evil cultivator on the way and disturb our junior sister, and the sect leader blames us, I, your senior brother, cannot bear the responsibility."
"Let's go, consider this my way of showing brotherly respect as a fellow disciple."
Seeing that Nangong Wuhen was like a stubborn leech, Situ Shuang'er took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to draw her sword.
She ignored him, coldly flicked her sleeves, and strode straight towards the door.
Nangong Wuhen's lips curled into a smug smile as he followed closely behind at a leisurely pace.
The sound of drums echoed from both sides of the street, and the two remained silent the entire way.
Before long, the secluded and quiet house in the west of the city came into view.
Situ Shuang'er stopped in front of the mottled gate, turned to the side, and her gaze was as cold as a knife.
"That's enough, Senior Brother Nangong, please return."
Nangong Wuhen stood at the bottom of the steps, looking over the courtyard wall into the inner courtyard, and spoke with a smile.
"Junior sister, don't be in such a hurry to send them away."
"Speaking of which, it's been quite a while since I've seen Aunt Lin. Now that I've come this far, it's only proper for me to go in and greet my elder."
Situ Shuang'er's face turned completely cold, her eyes filled with chilling intent.
"Senior Brother Nangong, my mother has been unwell recently and is probably resting by now."
"Entering a woman's residence in the dead of night is hardly in keeping with the dignity of the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sword Sect!"
Nangong Wuhen's smile froze, and anger surged within him, but he still didn't tear off that hypocritical mask.
"Since your aunt is unwell, as a junior, it is even more important for us to go in and visit her."
Before he could finish speaking, Nangong Wuhen completely disregarded Situ Shuang'er's attempts to stop him and pushed open the heavy wooden courtyard gate.
A sharp squeak rang out, particularly jarring in the silent night.
" Nangong Wuhen, you are shameless."
Situ Shuang'er's pretty face turned red with anger, her heart filled with both shock and fury.
My mother was already in a bad mood during the day, with red and swollen eyes. Now that she had finally calmed down, if this ill-intentioned fellow were to break in and disturb her, she might suffer even more grievances.
Seeing that Nangong Wuhen had already strode into the front yard, Situ Shuang'er dared not delay and could only grit her teeth and quickly follow.
at the same time.
In the inner wing of the backyard, the dim candlelight still flickered slightly.
The peculiar fragrance, a blend of male and female sweat and spiritual energy, lingered in the air.
Lin Wanyin finally stepped back a little and raised her hand to rub her cheek.
She looked up at the young man who was towering over her, her tone tinged with reproach.
"Damn it, it's been a stick of incense burning for ages!"
Chu Yunfei blinked innocently.
"You can't blame me for that, I've already tried my best."
"Besides... he's always been so ambitious, there's nothing I can do about it."
You dare to talk back!
Lin Wanyin was both embarrassed and angry. She bit her reddened lower lip with her pearly teeth and was about to raise her hand to pinch Chu Yunfei's waist hard.
Sudden!
Click.
A crisp sound of a door opening suddenly rang out at the front gate of the yard.
Immediately afterwards, light footsteps crunched over the fallen leaves and twigs, steadily approaching the backyard wing.
Lin Wanyin felt her blood run cold, and her face instantly lost all color.
"It's over... it's Shuang'er... Shuang'er is back!"