Chapter 4
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Mu Huan disappeared through the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion. Elder Cao didn’t have the patience to wait for her to emerge. He looked back at the crowd and called out another name. “Heng Yu, you go in as well. This will add a bit more suspense.”
Because of his close relationship with Heng Yu’s master, You Yun, he treated Heng Yu with considerable warmth.
“It’s your turn,” Wu Mei said with a gloating smile. “Master Luo, don’t disappoint my expectations.”
Heng Yu had been waiting for this moment.
She smoothed the sleeves of her Daoist robe and slowly walked out from the crowd. The disciples in front of her instinctively moved aside, creating a path for her.
Passing the elders, Heng Yu paused briefly to perform a disciple’s salute before calmly walking to the Scripture Pavilion.
The doors of the pavilion, originally carved from ancient redwood, were now completely obscured by a white mist.
Heng Yu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and vanished into the mist.
After Heng Yu entered, the blue-robed elder asked the other elders, “We were most optimistic about Wu Mei, but she received a Quasi S-rank mission. Between Luo Heng Yu and Mu Huan, who do you think is more likely to receive the mission to seduce the Buddhist disciple?”
The elders exchanged glances.
One of them pondered for a moment and said, “It’s hard to say, but between the two, I think Mu Huan has the advantage. She possesses a seductive physique, is highly skilled in dual cultivation, and her cultivation is also higher.”
Some nodded, clearly agreeing with his assessment.
But just as he finished speaking, Elder Cao, who had been calmly standing at the front, turned around. “I actually think Heng Yu is more likely. That Buddhist disciple of the Undying Sect is known as the Light of Buddhism, which speaks volumes about his strong willpower. Seductive arts or dual cultivation techniques would be unlikely to sway him. Therefore, when choosing someone for this mission, they might prioritize the disciple’s character.”
Although Liao Wu was a junior in Elder Cao’s eyes, his words were filled with respect. That young Buddhist disciple was only a matter of time away from reaching the pinnacle of the cultivation world.
The blue-robed elder who had first asked the question laughed. “It seems we’ll only have the answer when they come out.”
Everyone outside waited with bated breath.
Inside the Scripture Pavilion, Heng Yu passed through the mist and entered a world of darkness. She narrowed her eyes, surveying her surroundings, and used her spiritual energy to probe the area. She confirmed that she was indeed alone in this darkness.
There wasn’t even a single stone or blade of grass.
“Nothing at all? It seems this isn’t the final testing ground.”
Having figured this out, Heng Yu took a step forward.
As she continued walking resolutely, her vision gradually brightened and cleared.
Within the vast white space, a giant water mirror floated in mid-air.
Over the past few days, Heng Yu had inquired about many of the sect’s secrets and naturally knew what this water mirror was. It was a sacred artifact of the Hehuan Sect, crafted by the sect’s founder. No one knew how it worked, but for nearly ten thousand years, all inner sect missions had been assigned by this water mirror.
A distant and ancient voice echoed through the void. “Step forward and place your hand on the water mirror.”
This was likely the voice of the Sword Spirit.
Heng Yu obeyed, stepping forward and placing her right hand on the surface of the mirror.
As her hand made contact, ripples spread across the previously calm surface.
Heng Yu lowered her gaze and waited patiently.
After a while, lines of text began to form on the blank surface of the water mirror.
Seeing the words, Heng Yu’s face darkened.
“Master Luo and Master Mu have been inside for a quarter of an hour. Why haven’t they come out yet?”
“They should be out soon—they’re coming out!”
Two figures appeared at the previously empty entrance of the Scripture Pavilion.
Chi, Wu Mei, and the others, who had been waiting casually, all focused on the two figures, trying to discern the results from their expressions.
But—
One wore a green Daoist robe, her hair tied up, her face grim.
The other wore a pink gauze veil, her long hair flowing down her back, her expression equally grim.
Some disciples felt that their expressions were too off and whispered amongst themselves.
“Could it be… that they both failed?”
“No way, could such a difficult mission be assigned to an ordinary inner sect disciple?”
Even the elders were puzzled.
Just as Elder Cao was about to speak, a line of golden text slowly appeared above the Scripture Pavilion.
[Mu Huan, peak Foundation Establishment, Inner Sect Mission: Seduce Dao Sect Leader’s direct disciple Dao Zhuo, time limit: three years, A-rank mission.]
Mu Huan only received an A-rank mission?
That meant…
[Luo Heng Yu, late Foundation Establishment, Inner Sect Mission: Seduce Undying Sect Buddhist disciple Liao Wu, causing him to fall in love and shatter his Buddhist golden body, time limit: ten years, SS-rank mission.]
Boom.
On the platform of the Scripture Pavilion, over a thousand inner sect disciples buzzed with whispers.
This time, not only were there Quasi S-rank and S-rank missions, but even the once-in-a-millennium SS-rank mission had appeared.
However, considering the difficulty of seducing the Buddhist disciple and the impact of success, everyone felt that the SS-rank rating was not surprising.
“An SS-rank mission. Has this ever happened before since the founding of our sect, besides this time?”
“It’s quite exciting to think about. If that high and mighty Buddhist disciple falls in love and gets entangled in worldly desires, wouldn’t the whole world see the Undying Sect, see those baldies, as a laughingstock?”
“Actually, this mission is more suitable for Master Mei. A forbidden Buddhist disciple and a seductive demonic woman, the combination is even more thrilling.”
“You’ve read too many mortal stories. Don’t tell me that high and mighty Buddhist disciple wants to convert our demonic women of the Hehuan Sect?”
The discussions of the men and the giggles of the women filled the air.
With her high cultivation, Heng Yu naturally heard these comments.
She took a deep breath. This mission was truly troublesome. Was the Light of Buddhism so easy to seduce? If the Buddhist disciple abandoned Buddhism, countless Buddhist cultivators would see her as a thorn in their side.
She hated dealing with such troublesome matters.
Unexpectedly, despite her hopes, this mission had fallen on her.
That woman Mu Huan was truly useless!
Heng Yu glanced at Mu Huan standing beside her, her thoughts filled with complaints. She had been so confident before, claiming the mission to seduce the Buddhist disciple was hers, and now she only received an A-rank mission!
Heng Yu was almost more disappointed than Mu Huan herself.
Closing her eyes, Heng Yu calmed herself.
She bowed to the elders and returned to the crowd.
Mu Huan glanced at Heng Yu’s calmly departing figure, then thought of her own mission and stomped her foot in frustration.
Heng Yu casually found an empty spot and stood there.
She lowered her head, fiddling with the tassel hanging from the hilt of her sword, when a shadow suddenly fell over her.
It was Wu Mei.
With her hands clasped behind her back, Wu Mei looked at Heng Yu with a beaming smile. “Not bad, not bad. Now it’s up to you to find a way to conquer that lofty flower.”
Heng Yu scoffed. “You’re here to gloat, aren’t you?”
Wu Mei’s words from ten days ago still echoed in her ears. She had said Heng Yu’s seductive arts were terrible, her admiration value low, and she was destined to fail.
Wu Mei’s long nails were painted with bright, colorful polish. She stroked her face. “There’s a bit of that, yes. You stole the mission I was hoping for, can’t I be a little dark inside?”
Her frankness made Heng Yu laugh.
Fine, this openly wicked woman was indeed hard to dislike.
“But I’m also here to offer you some advice.” Wu Mei giggled. “Chi has always wanted to try and seduce you. Perhaps you could take this opportunity to get involved with him and learn some seductive arts and how to conquer others from him?”
“Among the ten young masters, Chi is the most handsome and the best at dual cultivation. I think he would be a good choice.”
Heng Yu smiled.
Her wrist flickered, and the blade of her sword, previously fully sheathed, slid halfway out.
Heng Yu held the sword horizontally, pointing the sharp blade at Wu Mei.
“Rather than learning seductive arts, I’d rather spar with you and test your swordsmanship.”
Wu Mei’s expression remained unchanged. “Are you getting angry out of embarrassment?”
“I just want to teach you a lesson about your loose tongue.”
Heng Yu sheathed her sword completely.
She twirled the sword in her hand and placed it back at her waist. “There’s nothing interesting to see here anymore. I’ll take my leave.”
However, as she descended the nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, Heng Yu couldn’t help but ponder something.
—Learning seductive arts was out of the question.
But, acquiring a few aphrodisiacs potent enough to knock out even a Nascent Soul cultivator, just in case… perhaps that would work?
Soon, Heng Yu dismissed this idea.
After drugging the Buddhist disciple, someone would have to make an antidote…
It was clearly a losing proposition; she couldn’t allow herself to suffer a loss.
Perhaps she should consider abandoning the mission and defecting from the Hehuan Sect instead.
