On the stage.
Perhaps because she had always maintained the image of a “gentle senior sister” in front of others, Yirou, unable to control her emotions any longer, let her words pour out like a flood breaking through a dam.
“Why?!”
She spoke while attacking the person opposite her.
“Why do you get so much support from the elders?
I’ve been working hard too!”
“You just casually mess around with the disciples in the sect every day and get their support, while I give my all and still can’t compare to you!”
“You,” she swung a punch forward with force, “never even considered me as a rival from the start!”
Bang!
Tang Xin didn’t dodge this blow but raised her arm to take it.
“Yes.”
The senior sister of the Xuanling Sect nodded.
“I really never considered you a rival from the start.”
Perhaps not expecting such a straightforward answer, Yirou was stunned on the spot.
She had always seen Tang Xin as her greatest rival.
In terms of status, experience, and level, she was one of the few in the Xuanling Sect who could be said to be closest to Tang Xin.
Yu Lingzi choosing her as the disciple for the chief competition wasn’t without reason; it was because she truly met the selection criteria for the sect’s chief.
When Tang Xin went into seclusion, she immediately realized her opportunity had come.
She put her heart and soul into doing everything right, worked hard to improve her level, completed the tasks assigned by the sect, and thought for the Xuanling Sect…
She did everything she believed was right.
But even so, she couldn’t gain recognition!
She couldn’t gain the elders’ recognition, nor the recognition of the Xuanling Sect disciples!
“What exactly is so good about you?”
Yirou shouted, “What exactly have I not done?
Why are you so popular?”
Tang Xin pushed her hand away, rested her chin in thought for a moment, and replied.
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t know?”
Seeing the completely serious expression on the other’s face, Yirou didn’t know how to respond.
“I just did what I wanted,” she continued, “I do what I want, and as for what others think, it seems beyond my control.”
“That’s it?”
She stared at the other person intently.
“That’s it.”
The head senior sister nodded.
“Heh,” Yirou was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed, “I don’t understand, I really don’t understand why I failed.”
She had done everything she was supposed to do, yet the one the sect leader valued was her, and the one who gained the Saintess’s favor was also her.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t experienced failure before, but she couldn’t tolerate inexplicable failure.
“I know why.”
Tang Xin replied.
“Even though you pretend to be sincere, always wearing a smile, you’re somewhat selfish and self-centered… but there’s no doubt, you’re an excellent disciple of the Xuanling Sect.”
“You genuinely care for your junior brothers and sisters, genuinely busy yourself for the sect, never doing anything to harm the Xuanling Sect, nor have you violated any sect rules.”
“You could be considered a role model for the Xuanling Sect disciples.”
Yirou was stunned once again.
No matter what, she never expected that the Xuanling Sect’s head senior sister, whom she had challenged, targeted, and even accused, would say so many words of praise about her.
Weren’t they rivals?
“You failed for only one reason,” Tang Xin slowly raised her arm and pointed at herself, “and that’s because I’m here.”
“You…?”
Yirou didn’t grasp her meaning.
“Yes, because of me,” Tang Xin said, “because I, the head senior sister of the Xuanling Sect, am here, that’s why you failed.”
“It’s not that what you did was bad, but it wasn’t good enough, not good enough to overthrow me.
Isn’t it only natural for someone like you to fail?”
“Not good enough…”
Yirou furrowed her brows.
“Well, such complex matters aren’t something you can figure out in a short time,” Tang Xin said, rubbing her wrist, “I’ve changed my mind.”
“For now, I can’t hand over the position of the Xuanling Sect’s head to someone as naive as you.”
She waved at the person opposite her.
“Make your move,” Tang Xin said, “now, you are my opponent.”
Opponent…
Yirou looked into her clear eyes.
For once, she was finally being looked at directly.
For some reason, the uncontrollable anger in her heart was completely smoothed over by some force.
Now, not only was she not angry, but she felt a sense of relief and lightness.
Damn, is this the magic of the Xuanling Sect’s head senior sister?
Why does she have this kind of power…
“I’m going to defeat you!”
Yi Rou cast aside all her thoughts, let out a delicate shout, and once again activated the Shadow Step Technique, unleashing the most powerful combat strength she had since becoming a Golden Core cultivator.
Coincidentally, a cloud moved over the martial arts arena, blocking out the sunlight and turning the entire platform into a shadowy realm.
Swish!
Swish swish swish swish!
Over a dozen attacks were launched almost simultaneously, coming from different directions, all targeting the same person.
Bang bang bang!
Tang Xin was no longer on the defensive.
Instead, she took the initiative to attack, shattering each shadow dagger with her fist wherever it landed.
Her movements flowed with the wind, without any unnecessary steps, each one perfectly timed.
Her strength was neither too much nor too little, just enough to break through the opponent’s attacks.
Her expression remained absolutely focused throughout, as if nothing could disturb her.
Watching the battle, Yirou seemed to understand why she had lost.
Because Tang Xin possessed an inner strength.
It wasn’t just about power; her confident aura was even more captivating…
Boom!
The shadow daggers’ attack was dismantled, forcing Yi Rou out of the shadows.
“I will try my best,” she gathered her last bit of true energy and launched her ultimate move, “to surpass you!”
“Shadow Fist!”
“Meow Meow Fist!”
Meow~
Accompanied by a cat’s meow, the third event of the Xuanling Sect’s chief disciple competition, the arena battle, came to an end.
“Ten to zero,” Elder Xuan Miao commented from the audience, “Compared to Tang Xin, Yirou is still too inexperienced in terms of mentality and needs more training.”
“Let her come to me,” Elder Linghua said with an appreciative look, “I guarantee she’ll mature… as much as she needs to.”
After waiting for a moment, the victor, Tang Xin, wiped her hands on her clothes and stepped down from the stage.
“You’re in trouble,” the Saintess reminded her.
“What trouble? I held back at the end, didn’t hit her face or chest, just gently pushed her down,” the chief senior sister said, puzzled.
“It’s because you didn’t use force that it’s more troublesome,” Xu Lexian said, looking meaningfully at Yirou, who was being helped up by two disciples, “But even if you had used force, trouble would still follow…
You always make these choices at critical moments, don’t you?”
“Huh?”
On the other side of the arena, Yirou stood up, slightly panting, her hand gently pressing the spot where she had just been hit.
For some reason, a hint of blush appeared on her face…
