Dual Cultivator with a cultivation system

"Hmm, give me those as well," Wang Ming said, pointing at spherical items.

"Oh, the beast-attracting orbs? Sure. How many do you need?" the NPC asked.

"Hmm, about a thousand," Wang Ming said casually.

"I see, a thousand—wait... did you say a thousand?" the NPC asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Wang Ming raised an eyebrow.

"No, just... don't use them all at once, or you'll attract thousands of Core Formation Realm beasts at the same time," the NPC warned as he placed the orbs inside a spatial pouch and handed it to Wang Ming.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're wearing that?" Min Li asked, pointing at Wang Ming's face.

Wang Ming didn't reply immediately. Instead, he adjusted the mask he was wearing—a completely white mask with two small holes for his eyes, concealing his entire face.

"Well, I don't think the Sect Master would want me to reveal my face to everyone before the tournament. Plus, there are more players here, which increases the risk of my identity being exposed," Wang Ming shrugged as he replied. He had seen several masks on the weapons floor and bought one, remembering the Sect Master's words about keeping his identity hidden until the competition, especially since there were disciples from other sects present.

"I'm sure many sects already know your name, and a lot of disciples from our sect recognize you too," Min Li pointed out as they kept walking.

"True, but as long as they don't know my face, it's fine. And as for the disciples from our sect, do you really think the Sect Master cannot stop them from talking about me?" Wang Ming asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Min Li.

"Fair point," Min Li replied after a few seconds.

"So, what are you going to do now? You're already qualified for promotion to the inner court since you completed the quest. Are you leaving…? Don't tell me you're going to tag along with me to help me complete my mission. Sigh, I hope your girls don't get jealous," Min Li said with dramatic flair, winking at him, which made Wang Ming snort.

"Well, I might help you, but that's not my main reason…" Wang Ming replied.

"Tsk, you could have just lied," Min Li said with displeasure, though she was curious about his real reason.

"I plan to climb the rankings—to reach the top 10,000, maybe even higher," Wang Ming stated, causing Min Li to look at him in surprise.

"You do realize that many of the top 10,000 are at the Golden Core Realm or even higher, right?" Min Li reminded him. She knew that many cultivators here could reach realms beyond the Golden Core Realm, and many of them trained in the virtual world to experience the feeling of the higher realms. Experiencing higher realms there made breaking through in real life significantly easier, which was one of the reasons the virtual world facility was so important.

"Hmm, I should be able to reach the rankings now since I have a suitable technique," Wang Ming said indifferently.

"Sigh, you're taking things too lightly," Min Li said with a frustrated sigh. Even though she knew there was a possibility for him to accomplish it, it still annoyed her how casually he was treating the situation.

"By the way, give me some cores. Let me buy some more pills for recovery and buffs," Min Li said. There were pills in the game that worked like potions, boosting certain attributes.

"I don't have any more. I already spent all of them," Wang Ming said nonchalantly, causing Min Li's eyebrow to twitch.

"Huh? What do you mean you spent all the cores? You had hundreds of them! Even if you bought the most expensive weapon, you should still have some left," Min Li said suspiciously.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" she added when she saw Wang Ming walk away without answering her.

"Oh, Disciple Min Li, I didn't expect to see you here!" A young girl walked toward Min Li and Wang Ming, making them stop to look at the newcomer.

"Oh, Tang Nian! How are you?" Min Li said as she hugged the beautiful girl.

'This woman seems familiar… Where have I seen this face before?' Wang Ming thought as he observed the newcomer, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

"Hmm? Why do you look so grumpy?" Min Li asked, raising an eyebrow as she noticed Tang Nian's annoyed expression.

"Ugh, you know, Min Li, I was about to get player-kill achievement and impress my big sister, but some bastard from the Yang-Yin Sect stole it! I was just one kill short! You must have seen the announcement… Damn, the Yang-Yin Sect!" Tang Nian stomped her foot in irritation.

Meanwhile, Min Li and Wang Ming froze. Min Li turned to look at Wang Ming, her expression twitching.

"Oh… Sorry! I didn't mean you guys!" Tang Nian said awkwardly, realizing that Min Li and her amused companion were also from the Yang-Yin Sect. "By the way, who is he?" she asked curiously.

"Oh... this is Wang Ming, a fellow disciple from the sect," Min Li said after some hesitation.

Tang Nian nodded but didn't pay him much attention, as his surname didn't belong to any of the top families she knew of. This caused Min Li's lips to twitch, and she wondered what expression Tang Nian would make once she learned Wang Ming's true identity.

"Tang Nian, just like my Min Family, her Tang Family is also one of the top families from the capital," Min Li whispered to Wang Ming, who nodded in understanding.

'Tsk, all top families are arrogant. Maybe I should start acting more arrogant too,' Wang Ming contemplated.

"Also, she's like her sister, who is the personal disciple of the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect. She is also a candidate for the tournament," Min Li informed him.

Wang Ming's eyes widened as he recalled his time in the secret realm, where he had met the princess, and the personal Disicple and the sect master of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

'I see... So she's her sister. No wonder I felt her face was familiar,' Wang Ming thought as he followed the girls to the hunting grounds, which were filled with disciples.