Page 142

When the Headmaster of Wuji Sect visited, Xinyao felt her ego swell to bursting.

Her little nose stuck up high, she enjoyed watching Ruoning's expression of shock as she was slapped in the face by reality. Xinyao's secret grin was barely containable.

After all, last night, Jin Jie had come to report on Yino's performance at Wuji Sect.

Though Jin Jie thought Yino's movements were suspicious, it didn't matter. What was important was that Yino was incredibly powerful and had even performed great deeds at Wuji Sect. After all these years, Xinyao, his spiritual stakeholder, could finally hold her head high!

Just as she was reveling in her pride, the middle-aged man drinking tea on the stage burst out with a laugh:

"Hai yahhh!"

"Let me tell you, Old friend, forget about his accomplishments, your son's been charming the socks off every girl around!"

"Take my Yuyan, for instance. You know how she is, yet Yino managed to cozy up to her. I caught a glimpse at the commendation ceremony… Yuyan was holding his hand, and they were making eyes at each other. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!"

Mu Daosheng slapped He Chensheng's shoulder, his eyes gleaming with gossip, practically writing 'gossip' on his face.

This was just the usual tea-time talk for two middle-aged men.

But as soon as Mu Daosheng mentioned it, the two girls who had been arguing below the stage went pale.

Ruoning was stunned by Yino's heroic deeds in fighting evil at Wuji Sect.

But it was Xinyao who was enjoying the show until she heard about the hand-holding. Her smile morphed into a pouty face.

The hall fell silent for a moment, filled only with the laughter and chatter of Mu Daosheng and He Chensheng.

"Old friend, your boy really takes after you!"

"I heard from my daughter, Yanran, that besides Yuyan, there are a few other girls at Wuji Sect always hanging around Yino. Maybe he'll bring your daughter-in-law home in a few months~ Ahahaha"

Mu Daosheng was still gossiping away.

But this time, before he could finish, He Chensheng gave him a pointed look, hinting at something.

Mu Daosheng then realized and followed He Chensheng's gaze to find a petrified Ruoning below.

"Uh... and who is this young lady?"

Mu Daosheng, being the carefree headmaster of Wuji Sect, didn't recognize the daughter of the prestigious Liu family from Jiangnan. For a moment, Ruoning felt like a nobody, standing there at sixteen.

"She… is Miss Ruoning from the Liu family..."

Seeing the girl's despair, He Chensheng quickly stepped in to introduce her.

Mu Daosheng slapped his forehead and greeted her warmly:

"Ah, so she's the young lady of the Liu family!"

"I'm Yino's fiancée!"

Out of nowhere, Ruoning burst out, her eyes sparkling as if she could take no more.

The expressions of the others present were a mix of confusion and surprise.

"I'm going to find Yino at Wuji Sect!"

"?"

"I'm going to challenge him to a duel!"

"?"

"If Yino loses, I'll take him back!"

"?"

Ruoning got more excited as she spoke, her stubbornness shining through.

But as the atmosphere grew awkward, Mu Daosheng suddenly suggested:

"What if you lose, Miss Ruoning? Would you like to stay at Wuji Sect for cultivation?"

His tone was loaded with suggestion, practically calculating the odds on his face.

But Ruoning snorted, dismissing his idea: "I'll never lose! I've reached the mid-Core Formation stage, far beyond my former half-step Foundation Establishment. It's not a gap that can be closed with just tricks!"

"Core Formation, so what? Yino broke through to Core Formation this morning."

"?--?"

Silence fell once more.

The tables turned so fast that Ruoning's smile hadn't even had time to straighten before she slumped into a pout just like Xinyao. She seemed almost soul-crushed, her last straw of hope snapping as she stumbled backward, leaning against a pillar for support.

"How can this be? It took me nearly ten years to escape Yino's shadow, to finally reach mid-Core Formation..."

"I don't believe it. How could Yino catch up to my cultivation overnight?"

"I don't believe... I don't believe... there must be something fishy. Is it like in those fantasy novels where Yino suddenly awakened some innate Holy Physique? No way..."

Ruoning was losing her mind.

Seeing her dream on the verge of being shattered, Mu Daosheng realized the seriousness and quickly tried to smooth things over with a laugh.

"Miss Ruoning, how about this?"

"Next month, we're opening a secret realm in the Western Region. The Immortal Alliance will issue a major exploration reward, open to all sects and factions..."

"At that time, not just Wuji Sect, but also cultivators from the four directions will join in."

"Why don't you wait a month for the Immortal Alliance to issue the reward, then go to the Western Region to find Yino and see for yourself?"

Mu Daosheng assured her confidently.

As his words fell, not only did Ruoning regain her thoughts, but Xinyao, who had been watching the show, also widened her eyes.

"The secret realm in the Western Region?"

"Yes, I heard the Azure Forest has been rather unstable lately. It's time for these young ones to gain some experience..."

"Hmm!"

Thinking of the Azure Forest, Xinyao raised a hand to her lips, recalling the recent news about the Full Moon Cult.

But before she could react, Ruoning had already accepted:

"Alright! I'll go to the secret realm and see just how capable Yino really is!"

"You old hag, you'll see me drag Yino back home all tied up!"

As she finished, Ruoning made a face at Xinyao, not forgetting to get back at her.

"?"

Xinyao was still thinking about the serious matter when she was suddenly taunted, bringing another issue to mind.

With Yino's womanizing ways, if Ruoning got desperate and threw herself at him, who knows what might happen in that secret realm in a month's time!

And besides Ruoning, Yino was apparently flirting with other girls at Wuji Sect.

Tsk, I leave him alone for just a month, and he goes wild!

Xinyao gritted her teeth, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

She secretly clenched a jade pendant, sending a message to Jin Jie at Wuji Sect—

Keep an eye on Yino! Next month, a shameless woman is coming to steal him away! Don't let her use any dirty tricks!

…

At the Wuji Sect Plaza, amidst the crowd:

The black-clad woman listened to her master's distant instructions through an earpiece while watching the dark-haired boy in the sunlight, surrounded by a ditzy girl and a cool immortal woman.

Jin Jie blinked, scratching her head in disbelief.

"How am I supposed to tell the Sect Master this?"

Could it be that Yino didn't need anyone to steal him away, as he was already busy charming other girls?