The Hehuan Sect Was Squeezed Dry for Ten Thousand Years, but It Became a Sacred Ground?

Chapter 44: This Fool! She’s the One! Pack Her Up and Send Her to Ah Chen!

To protect the last shred of her dignity—which was already in short supply and might even be running on credit—Duanmu Yao clutched her chest tightly and crouched on the spot.

Anger, helplessness, shame… A torrent of emotions surged through her, making her forget to maintain her golden statue form. Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes.

She had never felt so aggrieved in her entire life.

A proud Foundation Establishment cultivator like her had just been toyed with by two mere Qi Refinement cultivators!

Bastards!

Boohoo!

Deep down, she was still a girl who had always had things go her way. While her royal Golden Dragon physique gave her a rebellious spirit, she lacked the ability to withstand setbacks.

After suffering defeat for the second time, her mental state completely collapsed.

Yu Hua reacted quickly. The moment she saw Duanmu Yao’s golden spiritual energy fade, she swiftly sheathed her sword and leaped away to a safe distance.

Watching from the sidelines, Mei Attendant sighed helplessly before stepping onto the stage. She shielded Duanmu Yao and announced the final victor.

“The winner of this year’s New Disciple Sect Tournament—Yu Hua!”

The moment she spoke, the entire venue fell silent.

The battle for the top three had been nothing short of dramatic.

The strongest contender had ended up in the most miserable state.

Senior Sister Yu had won with an unconventional strategy.

Meanwhile, many eyes turned toward the root of all evil—Zhou Qin.

If she hadn’t burned Duanmu Yao’s clothes, Yu Hua might never have come up with that strategy.

Zhou Qin felt baffled.

Why was everyone looking at her like she had committed some heinous crime?

…

Even Ning Chen, who had been watching remotely, hadn’t expected the match to unfold this way.

Interesting.

Turning off the screen, he flipped out of bed.

After watching so many fights, he felt his blood boil. He needed to move.

Seeing that Zhu Attendant and Tao Attendant had already given up and were lying limp on the bed, he stacked them on top of each other.

Ning Chen: Up and down.

Zhu Attendant, Tao Attendant: BABA.

…

Xu Qingyao sighed deeply, finally coming to terms with the absurd outcome.

She silently made a decision—next year, the tournament would have a new rule: No malicious destruction of clothing.

After awarding the fourth to tenth-place prizes and instructing the other stewards to oversee the dispersal of the crowd, she approached the three finalists—who had been forcibly gathered but were still at odds with each other.

Duanmu Yao, having slightly regained her composure, glared at Zhou Qin and Yu Hua like she wanted to tear them apart.

Xu Qingyao felt exhausted but spoke with an undeniable authority.

“You three, come with me. The Sect Master wants to see you.”

To prevent any more chaos, she enveloped them in her overwhelming spiritual energy and soared into the sky.

Within a few breaths, the Sect Master’s hall appeared before them.

“Follow me.”

After landing, Xu Qingyao gave a brief command and strode inside.

Duanmu Yao shot one last vicious glare at the other two before snorting and marching forward.

Zhou Qin smiled kindly at Yu Hua but, seeing that she wasn’t moving, took the middle spot.

Yu Hua trailed behind them silently. In her past life, she had been ambushed from behind, and now she hated having anyone behind her.

This scene mirrored the day they had first entered the sect.

…

As if sensing their arrival, the massive doors slowly creaked open.

Regardless of the sect’s overall strength, the grand hall exuded an undeniable majesty.

“Sect Master, I have brought the top three of this year’s tournament,” Xu Qingyao reported with the utmost respect in the presence of outsiders.

As a senior sister, she represented the sect’s reputation. If it was tarnished, she lost face too.

Although the match for third place hadn’t happened, anyone with eyes could tell that the fourth-place female disciple was nowhere near Zhou Qin’s level.

The girl wasn’t a fool—she knew she couldn’t win and had happily settled for fourth place.

“Disciple Zhou Qin (Duanmu Yao) (Yu Hua) greets the Sect Master!”

The three of them knelt in unison.

Zhou Qin worried that Qing Yi’s presence would be exposed.

Yu Hua remained wary, determined not to let anyone detect her reincarnation.

In the Great Xia Dynasty, the Nascent Soul stage was already the peak of combat power. Naturally, Duanmu Yao remained exceptionally respectful, not daring to throw a tantrum.

In short, each one was more well-behaved than the last.

“I understand,” Liu Ruyan nodded, folding her hands neatly over her lap, exuding an air of untouchable nobility.

Her gaze swept downward.

“Raise your heads.”

The three girls complied, but their eyes remained lowered, not daring to meet her gaze directly.

Liu Ruyan studied them carefully and felt satisfied.

“Not bad. You are the future of my Qinglian Sect.”

Each one possessed unparalleled beauty, though with distinct styles. At the very least, they wouldn’t make Ah Chen suffer too much.

If they had been ugly, no amount of talent would have changed her mind.

That was why, during this disciple recruitment, an unspoken but strict criterion had been enforced—no ugly recruits.

Liu Ruyan even planned to uphold this rule for generations to come.

She wasn’t surprised to see these three here. Their strength was leagues beyond the other disciples.

If their names hadn’t been on the list, that would have been the real surprise.

Among them, the most talented was undoubtedly the girl named Yu Hua.

Before joining the sect, she had cultivated up to Qi Refinement Stage 3 using a mere fragment of a common technique. In just half a year after entering the sect, she had already reached the seventh stage and could even complete external missions.

The second most impressive was Zhou Qin, who specialized in alchemy. Even though she had started over, regaining Qi Refinement Stage 8 in just over a year was an astounding feat.

As for the weakest link, that would be Princess Duanmu Yao.

Not that she lacked talent—reaching Foundation Establishment at such a young age was commendable—but her Golden Dragon Physique would inevitably hold her back.

Normally, royal family members who failed to awaken the Golden Dragon Physique would have their talents sealed, permanently cutting off their path to the Nascent Soul stage.

Still, in terms of raw cultivation, Duanmu Yao held the advantage for now.

“Who ranked first in the tournament?” Liu Ruyan sought to confirm her guess.

A short-haired, valiant-looking girl stepped forward.

Liu Ruyan paused, turning to Xu Qingyao. Seeing the latter’s wry smile, she instantly understood that something unusual had happened.

She didn’t press the matter. Instead, she first distributed the rich rewards according to their rankings.

Magical treasures, protective gear, elixirs, talismans—everything was accounted for.

After the three girls expressed their gratitude in unison, Liu Ruyan spoke again.

“With your potential, you may choose to apprentice under me or the Grand Elder and become a personal disciple.”

This was nothing short of a bombshell, but each girl reacted differently.

Duanmu Yao was the most excited. Without hesitation, she knelt before Liu Ruyan.

“Master above, please accept this disciple’s bow!”

An opportunity to learn under a Nascent Soul powerhouse? She couldn’t afford to miss this!

“Good, good, good.” A rare warmth appeared on Liu Ruyan’s usually cold face. She granted Duanmu Yao additional rewards and instructed, “From now on, focus wholeheartedly on your cultivation. Do not slack off.”

“Yes, Master! I understand!” Duanmu Yao beamed with joy, kowtowing obediently, completely forgetting her earlier humiliation.

Liu Ruyan’s smile deepened. She exchanged a subtle glance with Xu Qingyao, both fully aware of what this meant.

Perfect. This one’s a fool.

She would be the first to be sent to Ah Chen.

As for the so-called limitations of the Golden Dragon Physique?

Before Ah Chen’s Supreme Yang Saint Physique, that was nothing but a joke!