Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

Zhuo Hongyi and Xiao Qingge didn’t hesitate. Following Han Lie’s lead, they tossed twenty or thirty thousand Spirit Stones into the pool for fun.

Just as Han Lie had predicted, the odds were tragic.

Whether it was Zhuo Hongyi or Han Lie, the payout rates were so low they were practically criminal. It was like betting a gold bar to win a copper coin.

But it wasn’t just them. Saintess Bai Ling’s odds were even worse than Han Lie’s!

Han Lie’s odds were sitting at a pitiful “Ten to One”—meaning you had to bet ten stones just to win one in profit. Bai Ling’s? A staggering “Thirty to One.” The Sect clearly saw her as a lock for the finals.

Noon arrived. The sun hung high overhead.

Grand Elder Chi Lian materialized in the center of the Martial Arts Square. In the span of a few breaths, the noisy clamor of the crowd died down into absolute silence.

Chi Lian’s beautiful eyes narrowed, scanning the arena with the cold lethality of a viper.

“I have never liked wasting everyone’s time,” she said, her voice cutting through the air. “So, I’ll skip the nonsense. We will now officially begin the Battle for the Top Ten of the Comprehensive Sect Competition.”

She gestured to the empty stage. “Will the twenty disciples who have fought their way through the selection layers please come forward to draw lots.”

As her command fell, a Sect Steward leaped from the crowd, landing in the arena with a scroll in hand. He unrolled it and announced loudly:

“I will call the names. Please enter the arena in order. Failure to appear within the time limit will be considered an automatic forfeit.”

“Law Enforcement Hall, Zhuo Hongyi!”

“Zhuo Hongyi!” “Zhuo Hongyi!” “Zhuo Hongyi!”

Amidst the fanatical, impassioned chants of the Law Enforcement Hall disciples, Zhuo Hongyi shot out from the crowd, landing in the center of the arena with the grace of a descending crane.

The Steward continued. “Myriad Pill Hall, Li Xingji!”

A figure in blue-green robes drifted down. Li Xingji was the picture of a gentleman—refined, handsome, and elegant.

The moment his feet touched the stone tiles, the female disciples from the Myriad Pill Hall—and half the other departments—completely lost their minds.

“Senior Brother Li! Look at me!” “I want to have your babies!”

Given Li Xingji’s looks, temperament, and cultivation, such a reaction wasn’t surprising. However, the intensity of the thirst was bordering on deranged.

Some girls were screaming that they wanted to be his “Star Slaves,” seemingly having abandoned all dignity and reason.

Faced with this wall of hormonal shrieking, Li Xingji maintained a practiced, plastic smile—the kind of professional expression one wears when dealing with rabid fans.

“……..”

After Li Xingji, two more disciples entered the stage without much fanfare.

Then, the Steward looked at the list, paused for a microsecond, and announced:

“Servant Department, Han Lie!”

Boom.

The audience stands instantly erupted into a commotion.

“What the hell?” “Servant Department?!” “A servant disciple can participate in the Comprehensive Competition? And he made it to the Top Twenty? Are you joking?”

Under the bewildered and skeptical gazes of thousands, a figure walked slowly out of the crowd.

Han Lie.

He was tall and sturdy, his build powerful without being overly bulky. Dressed in a simple white Daoist robe, he walked with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm and unreadable.

Unlike Li Xingji’s delicate, pretty-boy handsomeness, Han Lie exuded a different kind of aura. He was mature, reserved, and steady. He felt like a mountain—grounded and immovable.

Anticipating the confusion, the Steward quickly added an explanation.

“Perhaps you are all curious why a disciple from the Servant Department is standing here.”

“The reason is simple. While Han Lie is indeed affiliated with the Servant Department, due to the unique nature of his cultivation, the Elder Council granted him an Inner Disciple Identity Token over ten years ago.”

“Therefore, he possesses all the rights of an Inner Disciple, including participating in the tournament and accepting high-level missions.”

As soon as the words left the Steward’s mouth, the shock turned into a different kind of uproar.

“Han Lie!” “Han Lie!” “Daddy Han!”

The female disciples in the audience shifted gears instantly. Their screams began to rival, and then surpass, the noise they had made for Li Xingji.

So what if he was from the Servant Department?

That mature, resolute face, combined with the mysterious strength to break into the top twenty… it was a potent mix. He didn’t look like a boy; he looked like a man.

And that wasn’t even mentioning his secret weapon. Han Lie possessed the Pure Yang Sacred Body. To female cultivators, his very presence was a biological magnet, radiating an irresistible, primal allure.

“As expected of Brother Lie!”

In the Myriad Pill Hall seating area, Han Feng clicked his tongue in admiration. “His cultivation looks like Golden Core Perfection on the surface, but his popularity is completely crushing our Head Disciple!”

In an inconspicuous corner of the VIP section, Bai Ling’s vermilion lips curved into a meaningful, secretive smile.

Even she found it hard to resist Han Lie’s charm when he was standing right in front of her. What hope did these ordinary disciples have?

Eventually, the crowd quieted down enough for the Steward to continue.

“Next… please welcome the Heavenly Void Sect’s Saintess, Bai Ling!”

If the women had gone crazy before, now it was the men’s turn to riot.

“Saintess!” “Goddess Bai Ling!”

Bai Ling’s stunning beauty, her perfect figure, and her high status were enough to drive countless male disciples into a frenzy.

It was no exaggeration to say that winning the heart of the Saintess was the ultimate dream for every man in the sect. It was a one-way ticket to the peak of life, a guarantee of limitless resources and prestige.

The tragedy was that none of them knew the truth: their Goddess had been claimed by Han Lie a long time ago.

Bai Ling’s entrance was low-key, mirroring Han Lie’s understated style. She floated down to the stage, her white dress fluttering like a cloud.

Upon landing, she subconsciously glanced at Han Lie.

Their eyes met. For a brief second, they shared a knowing smile that communicated everything without saying a word.

“………”

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, all twenty finalists were assembled on the stage. The gender split was roughly sixty-forty in favor of the men.

Grand Elder Chi Lian stepped forward. With a casual wave of her sleeve, twenty spheres of light shot into the air, hovering above the disciples. Each sphere was shrouded in a spiritual barrier, hiding its contents.

“Inside these twenty spheres are numbers ranging from one to ten, colored either Red or Blue,” Chi Lian explained, her tone concise. “If you draw Red One, you fight Blue One. Red Two fights Blue Two. The match order will follow the numbers one through ten. Simple enough for everyone to understand, yes?”

“Reporting to the Grand Elder, we understand!” the disciples chorused.

“Good. Begin the draw.”

As soon as Chi Lian finished speaking, Han Lie moved. He reached out, using his qi to grab a light sphere from the air and pull it into his palm.

Bai Ling, Zhuo Hongyi, and the others didn’t hesitate either, each snatching a sphere from the hovering cluster.

Please, don’t let it be Zhuo Hongyi or Li Xingji!

Before revealing their numbers, nearly every disciple on the stage was praying silently to whatever gods they believed in.

Those two were the nightmares of the bracket.

With their publicly known strength—and in Li Xingji’s case, confirmed Nascent Soul power from rumors—matching against either of them was a death sentence. It was basically delivering yourself as a free meal.

Against anyone else, even the Saintess, there might be a sliver of a chance. But against the Law Enforcement Hall’s executioner or the Myriad Pill Hall’s monster? Hopeless.

“Since you have all made your selection,” Chi Lian announced, a hint of sadistic amusement in her eyes. “Reveal your numbers. Let us see who faces who.”