Chapter 82

Everyone walks a different path in cultivation.

So it wasn’t surprising that as soon as the competition began, Shen Xian’er followed her senior brother’s instructions and immediately ran to a quiet corner to hide.

“Junior sister Xian’er.”

A few disciples approached, surrounding her.

“Huh? Are we fighting already?” Shen Xian’er rolled up her sleeves, eager to brawl. “Just so you know, I’m not afraid of you! My senior brother taught me tons of awesome moves. I’ll have you all down in no time! I’ll punch—”

She struck a pose, yelling out bizarre move names.

The disciples exchanged looks, clearly a bit confused.

“No, no! We’re not here to fight,” said one of the female disciples from Yunding Peak, hesitating before summoning the courage to say, “We just… we’d like your autograph.”

“Eh…”

Shen Xian’er blinked and glanced around. They didn’t seem like they were lying.

“…Alright, then.”

She pulled out a little table and stool, sat down in the corner, and began signing autographs.

Watching this from the spectator seats, Han Luo facepalmed hard.

“You little brat… I told you not to trust anyone! What if they’re pretending just to catch you off guard and ambush you during the signing?”

He was practically hopping in frustration. He wanted nothing more than to charge down and smack those disciples flying.

Thankfully, Xian’er seemed to have luck on her side. The group really were just fans.

After the signing, they stuck around, clearly intent on acting as her personal guard squad.

Meanwhile, the chaotic free-for-all continued in full force.

“Yaaawn…”

Shen Xian’er stretched and watched the fighting from afar. She wanted to join in and play too.

But she remembered her senior brother’s advice to lay low and not initiate conflict, so she obediently stayed put.

Well, if no one’s going to fight me and I’m not supposed to go looking for a fight… then I might as well have a snack, right?

She pulled out a pouch of food from her waist and began neatly laying out her snacks on the table.

While others were fighting tooth and nail for glory, Shen Xian’er was treating the whole thing like a picnic show. Eating and drinking as if she were watching theater—her relaxed manner made many shake their heads.

But no one was surprised.

In this free-for-all, there were a few people no one wanted to mess with: Chi Xiao, Li Jun, Shen Xian’er, and now Wu Dao.

Any of them had the strength to win the entire competition. Challenging one of them directly was a gamble that most weren’t willing to take.

Shen Xian’er, now full and content, found the tournament utterly boring. It wasn’t nearly as fun as playing around back at Luoxian Sect.

“Yaaawn…”

She stretched again. Sleepiness hit her like a wave.

Looking around and seeing that everyone else was busy fighting, she thought, No one will notice if I take a nap, right?

And so she did.

She pulled out the comfy bedding her senior brother had prepared just for her and lay down in the corner for a nap.

This scene drew laughter from the spectators.

If anyone else had done this, they would’ve been mocked relentlessly. But when Xian’er did it, with her cute little face and carefree demeanor, people just couldn’t help but find it adorable.

But this was still a tournament.

Soon, a few uninvited guests approached, knocking aside her makeshift bodyguards and standing over her, prepared to strike.

Taking down Shen Xian’er—even by underhanded means—would catapult them to fame.

The cultivation world is cruel. Many powerful cultivators have fallen simply due to carelessness, slain by those far weaker.

That’s why only those who survive to the end are called true victors. No one cares about how you win.

“Xian’er, wake up! Don’t sleep!”

“C’mon, little lazy pig, get up!”

“Still sleeping?!”

The entire arena began shouting at her to wake up.

But the little girl continued to snooze peacefully, oblivious.

“Haha… what an interesting little girl. To sleep so soundly in the middle of this mess,” Yun Ding chuckled fondly.

He had once wanted to adopt her as his goddaughter, but Hongniang got to her first.

Still, his fondness remained. Yun Yangzi, along with the other peak masters, all doted on Xian’er, rarely pushing her to cultivate.

In any other sect, a disciple of her monstrous talent would’ve been pressured to train nonstop, to secure the sect’s future.

But they knew something others didn’t.

Yes, Shen Xian’er was an extraordinary genius, but someone even more terrifying was quietly biding his time.

Several of them subtly turned their attention toward the stands—where Han Luo, blending in with her fan club, was waving a “Go Xian’er!” sign and yelling louder than anyone else.

A few peak masters couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

How did their two most powerful geniuses end up being such oddballs?

They weren’t like Lu Dancheng or Ye Qingqing—those had always acted like prodigies.

Even Li Jun and Chi Xiao carried the air of budding powerhouses.

But Han Luo and Shen Xian’er? They looked more like a pair of unserious children. If you didn’t know better, you’d never believe they were the future of the sect.

Are all monstrous talents just… problem children? they wondered.

Then someone remembered their senior brother, the current sect master, as a kid. He used to drag them all around to spy on senior sisters…

—

“Hahaha… what an amusing junior sister,” Lu Dancheng laughed in the tone of an indulgent big brother. “She’s truly a joy.”

“She has a pure heart,” Ye Qingqing said gently. “In such a corrupt world, that’s a rare thing.”

“With that kind of temperament, I doubt she can shoulder great responsibility,” Badao cut in bluntly.

That brought silence.

They were soon heading to the Golden Battlefield, leaving the future of Luoxian Sect in the hands of this new generation.

Chi Xiao, Li Jun, Wu Dao—they were all competent successors.

But for those who had seen the cruelty of the outside world, the three still fell short.

Shen Xian’er had the potential to become a true peerless genius. But with her carefree nature, if she ever met someone good at scheming, she’d fall right into their trap.

Silence lingered.

Lei Jiu looked like he wanted to say something about Han Luo but held it in.

After all, from what they knew, Han Luo was just an ordinary disciple from Wudao Peak. Compared to Shen Xian’er, he was leagues behind.

And he’d only completed five temperings… how could someone like that possibly lead a generation?

“Let’s not dwell too much,” Lu Dancheng finally said with a smile. “With the peak masters and Yun Yangzi here, I believe they’ll guide her well. Perhaps by the time we return, she’ll be a powerhouse of the Eastern Region, one who can stand against emperors and sovereigns alike.”

“Well said,” Lei Jiu nodded. “The cultivation world is full of surprises. Who knows what the future holds… right, Badao?”

Everyone turned to look at Badao.

He remained silent, his gaze fixed on the arena below, lost in thought.