Dual Cultivation

Su Yang and Lin Xinyi cultivated with each other almost nonstop for three weeks straight, secluding themselves inside Su Yang's room the entire time.

While they cultivated, news of Su Yang's bold claims to become a Core Disciple within three months spread like wildfire throughout the entire sect, making Su Yang a laughingstock and the center of mockery.

Naturally, Su Yang's death match with Yun Xiao Hong also spread at the same time. His blatant disrespect toward a Core Disciple and his belittling of their status as a whole instantly made almost every Core Disciple in the sect hostile toward him. Some even threatened to kill him if they were met.

This commotion caught the attention of the sect elders, but there was nothing they could do.

"Master, have you heard about the recent news on Xiao Yang?" Luo Li approached her master, Elder Chu, after hearing the news herself.

"Who hasn't heard of it? That fool not only picked a fight with a Core Disciple but also offended almost every Core Disciple with his bold claims! That idiot! I told him to stay lowkey!" Elder Chu cursed out loud.

"What should we do about it? The Sect Leader said we must protect him at all costs, right?"

"The Sect Leader is still away, and unless Disciple Xiao's life is endangered, we have no reason to bother her. We'll just keep a closer eye on him for now."

"What if the Core Disciples decide to act?" Luo Li continued to ask, clearly worried about his well-being.

"What do you know about our Core Disciples? They can make all the threats they want, but they won't act against a mere Outer Court Disciple. However, things will change once he becomes a Core Disciple—even an Inner Court disciple. If and when that happens, they'll likely start troubling him. However, the Sect Leader should have returned by that time."

"So, in three months?" Luo Li said.

"As if! There's no way he could become a Core Disciple in three months. It's simply impossible. Even if he meets the cultivation standard, he won't have enough contribution points to qualify." Elder Chu was confident that Su Yang would not be able to accomplish his claims, sharing the same sentiment as the rest of the sect.

Meanwhile, Elder Yao rubbed her eyes in the corner, looking like she hadn't slept in a while.

"Are you okay, Elder Yao? You don't look good." Elder Chu said to her.

"I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little stressed because of that idiot. If anything happens to him, my pills will take a nosedive in quality…" she sighed.

'And that bastard got a partner right after that day… Does it really mean nothing to him?' Elder Yao cried inwardly as she clenched her fists in frustration. She hadn't been able to focus on her alchemy after giving special assistance to Su Yang. Yet, Su Yang managed to get a partner.

"I'm definitely going to give him a beating the next time we meet!" she muttered.

"By the way, Elder Yao, you came here because you wanted to tell me something, right? What is it?" Elder Chu suddenly inquired.

They were in the middle of a conversation when Luo Li interrupted.

"Oh, I was just going to let you know that Xiao Yang will participate in this year's Yang Qi King. He's already submitted his Yang Qi, too."

"What?!" Luo Li was greatly surprised to hear this.

"Why would he do such a thing? His Yang Qi is nowhere near what it takes to win," Elder Chu pondered out loud.

"About that… His Yang Qi had a sudden breakthrough. It's to the point where it almost rivals the Yang Qi of his friend," she revealed.

"What?! Impossible! He must've cheated using his friend's Yang Qi!"

"No… that's not possible. I watched him submit his Yang Qi." Elder Yao shook her head.

"You watched him? So he had you submit it?" Elder Chu asked.

Elder Yao silently nodded, refusing to elaborate or give any more details.

"Does that mean he actually has the ability to control the quality of his Yang Qi, just like the Sect Leader suspected? Or did he have a fortuitous encounter in the last few months?" Elder Chu wondered out loud.

"I believe it's the latter, Master." Luo Li said. "He's been going out and doing high-priority missions recently, so it's likely he had a fortuitous encounter at that time."

"I see… but to increase the quality of his Yang Qi so much in such a short time… I cannot imagine what kind of heaven-defying treasure he'd managed to stumble upon…" Elder Chu sighed, her voice with a hint of envy.

"Do you think he has a chance of winning, Elder Yao?" Luo Li asked, her eyes filled with intrigue.

"Hard to say, but it's not impossible…" she said.

"I hope he doesn't think he can earn enough contribution from winning the Yang Qi King to become a Core Disciple…" Elder Chu sighed.

"I guess we'll see what he does in the next three months." Elder Yao said.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was already time for the result of this year's Yang Qi King to be announced.

The results will be revealed at the floating island where the matchmaking event took place.

"Who do you think will become this year's Yang Qi King?" The disciples spoke to each other while the names of the participants began appearing on a massive jade tablet.

"Definitely a Core Disciple."

"Hey, look at the name that just appeared! Xiao Yang! He actually participated in the Yang Qi King, too!"

The name Xiao Yang quickly attracted everyone's attention for a brief moment as they mocked it.

"Xiao Yang? That frog in a well who claims he will become a Core Disciple in three months? How laughable."

"If he becomes this year's Yang Qi King, I'll quit being a dual cultivator!" An Inner Court disciple shouted with a smug look on his face.

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