Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

Chapter 214: I Preferred Your Unruly Attitude from Before!

Hum!

A sharp, resonant blade intent pierced the air as the crimson light upon the blade of Crimson Oath suddenly flared into blinding brilliance!

A terrifying aura, far surpassing the previous Soul Severing strike, flooded everyone’s perception.

Disciples below the Nascent Soul Stage might not have fully comprehended the sheer lethality contained within this strike. However, as the target, Li Xingji understood it all too well.

Merely sensing the gathering momentum made his scalp tingle and his soul tremble. He had no doubt that even Zhuo Hongyi would have to dodge this strike rather than meet it head-on.

If he took this hit, even if he didn’t die, he would be flayed alive!

“Stop! Stop, stop!”

“I yield! I admit defeat!”

After a brief but intense internal struggle, Li Xingji helplessly chose to surrender.

“Huh…? Well, that’s a bit boring, Li Xingji.”

Han Lie looked at him with disappointment. “I preferred your unruly and arrogant look from before.”

Since Li Xingji had publicly admitted defeat, Han Lie had no choice but to dissipate the gathered energy.

The entire arena erupted in an uproar once more!

The disciples of the Myriad Pill Hall, who had been pinning their hopes on Li Xingji to defeat Han Lie and break into the top ten, instantly deflated like popped balloons.

Some were furious at his lack of fighting spirit, questioning why he didn’t have the courage to fight to the bitter end. Failure wasn’t terrifying; what was terrifying was losing one’s courage and confidence.

Of course, they weren’t the ones standing in the arena. It was easy for them to stand on the sidelines and accuse Li Xingji of cowardice. If they were in his shoes, they likely would have surrendered even faster.

Human joys and sorrows are rarely synchronized.

Unlike the dejected and devastated supporters of Li Xingji, Han Lie’s supporters and female fans felt like it was the New Year. Some celebrated winning their bets, while others rejoiced that Han Lie’s performance had far exceeded their wildest expectations.

“As expected of Big Brother, truly amazing!” In the spectator stands for the Spirit Treasure Hall, Xiao Qingge waved her arms excitedly, dancing with joy.

“Expected,” Zhuo Hongyi murmured from the contestant seating area, the corners of her lips curling slightly.

Even though Han Lie hadn’t fully unleashed Unity, the mere aura of the technique had made her feel a sense of pressure. How could Li Xingji, someone she had already defeated, dare to face it head-on?

Beside her, Han Feng was much lower-key than before.

After all, he still had to survive in the Myriad Pill Hall. Although Li Xingji had been defeated by Han Lie, he was still the respected Eldest Senior Brother in the hearts of over 10,000 Myriad Pill Hall disciples.

Losing to Zhuo Hongyi, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, was acceptable given the gap in cultivation. But losing to Han Lie, who was also at the early Nascent Soul Stage—and losing so miserably—was a bitter pill to swallow. Even if Li Xingji accepted it, many of his junior brothers and sisters certainly wouldn’t.

If Han Feng dared to gloat right now, his future days in the Myriad Pill Hall would be very difficult indeed.

“…”

After a long while, once the venue gradually quieted down, Grand Elder Chi Lian finally spoke.

“Very well. Since Li Xingji has chosen to voluntarily concede, I declare the winner of the first match of the top ten qualifiers: Han Lie.”

“Brother Li, thank you for the match,” Han Lie said with a cheeky grin, cupping his hands.

“Hmph!”

Li Xingji’s face was dark. Having no face left to say anything, he turned and stormed off the stage.

Before the Sect Comprehensive Competition began, he had truly believed that after proving his Dao and reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, he would shine brilliantly and make a name for himself.

But… ideals are lush, while reality is barren.

In the team competition, he ran into Zhuo Hongyi and returned in defeat. In the individual competition, he ran into Han Lie, who seemed to be cheating. Suffering two crushing defeats in a row, the fact that Li Xingji’s Dao Heart hadn’t shattered was a testament to his mental resilience.

When Han Lie returned to the contestant area, the dozen or so Golden Core Perfection disciples looked at him with entirely different eyes.

Initially, they thought Zhuo Hongyi and Li Xingji were the biggest dark horses of the tournament. They never expected another super dark horse, in no way inferior to the other two, to be hiding in plain sight.

With Zhuo Hongyi and Han Lie present, they gave up any hope of competing for the championship or runner-up spots. Fighting for third place would be considered a success.

After the first qualifying match ended, the second followed immediately.

Although every subsequent match was intense, with everyone fighting tooth and nail for a ticket to the top ten, the level of shock they brought to the 100,000 Inner Disciples paled in comparison to the first match between Han Lie and Li Xingji.

No matter how fierce a battle between Golden Core Perfection cultivators was, compared to the clash of immortal techniques between Nascent Soul Old Monsters, it looked little different from child’s play.

Several days later.

As the final match concluded, the list of the top ten for the individual competition was finalized.

Zhuo Hongyi’s advancement went without saying; her opponent had forfeited before the match even began. Rather than going up to lose face, surrendering was the more dignified option.

Bai Ling, relying on the top-tier cultivation technique Ten Thousand Blood Pagoda Art, along with profound techniques and divine abilities, also easily defeated her opponent and smoothly advanced to the top ten.

As for Han Feng…

He advanced as well, though the price he paid was quite severe. However, compared to the benefits of entering the top ten, the cost was acceptable. The Spirit Stone reward was secondary; the main prize was the Spiritual Power Heavenly River Baptism for the top ten!

The subsequent matches to determine the specific rankings were a bit complex, involving both a winner’s bracket and a loser’s bracket. It took over half a month to finalize the rankings below the champion and runner-up.

Bai Ling ranked third, taking the bronze.

Han Feng narrowly avoided the bottom, ranking ninth. With his late Golden Core cultivation, securing ninth place in the individual competition was already a personal highlight. After all, everyone ahead of him was a monster among the younger generation.

Finally.

Just as Han Lie had predicted before the competition, the two standing on the stage to decide the champion and runner-up were himself and Zhuo Hongyi.

The audience had been eagerly anticipating a visual feast, hoping to watch Han Lie and Zhuo Hongyi exchange apocalyptic immortal techniques.

Instead, the two merely tested each other with a few moves before Zhuo Hongyi laid down her arms and surrendered.

Her action caused an immediate outcry, with many disciples shouting “Rigged!” and “Refund!”

But the dissatisfaction and protests of the crowd could not change the result, as surrendering was fully within the rules.

“In light of Zhuo Hongyi’s surrender, I formally announce…”

“Han Lie from the Servant Department is the Champion of this year’s Sect Comprehensive Competition Individual Event!”

With Grand Elder Chi Lian’s announcement, the dust finally settled on the competition.

And so, Han Lie, somewhat anticlimactically, took the crown.