Chapter 234: Chrysanthemums

Rutger probably thought that he was dreaming. He didn’t want to accept the fact that a mere Heavenly Realm Cultivator could actually stop his pressure just like that. He looked around, trying to find someone that could explain the entire situation to him… he didn’t find anyone. In return, all of them stared at him as if he was the most foolish thing in the world.

“Hey, Rutger. Did you get a little rusty?” One of the cultivators in the room smirked, walking away after saying his two cents.

The others also started walking away, tired of dealing with Rutger and his short temper. Nevertheless, they couldn’t stop thinking about me. Even if Rutger did get a little rusty, there’s no way that someone from a lower realm could easily block Rutger’s intense Qi Energy Pressure like that. There’s just no way… or so that’s what they’re probably thinking.

I quietly left my seat and headed to the kitchen where food was served. The Black Spirit Tournament is tomorrow and I have no time to waste. As soon as I finish eating my fill, I would continue my ascent and try to get as far as I can. That way, my body would properly adjust to this Plane and it might give me a chance to survive the Black Spirit Tournament.

For a moment, I thought that stopping Rutger’s Qi Energy Pressure would put me in an even greater danger but by some miracle, Rutger actually had a bad reputation in this household. That made things a lot better compared to what I previously expected.

“Hey, new kid. I know that you’re strong. But you shouldn’t show too much of your power in front of everyone.” A lady, who was getting a plate full of salad, whispered with great concern. Her eyes occasionally glanced at me as if she pities me… and I think she probably does.

“I don’t know how you got here but we know that you’re a new face. Wherever our Sect Master Yan Sun found you, we couldn’t care less. But there are rules and etiquette in this household that you shouldn’t mess around with. Here, it’s ‘offend someone and suffer the consequences’. Fortunately, you only offended someone with a weak backing. If it were any other cultivators back there, you would’ve been dead cold by the time nighttime ends.”

“And, why are you telling me all this?” I asked. It may have come off as a bit crude, but one thing I learned from my past experiences is that I should never take anything at face value. Even if this woman seemed gentle and trustworthy, there’s a possibility that she might be conniving with others so they could get rid of me. Or maybe I’m just overthinking things and she actually is a nice person.

Now that I took a good look at her, she is probably the most prepossessing lady around. She reminded me a lot of Natalia, who had the same white silky hair. Her pale white eyes also made her look as calm as the snow in an early winter morning. And not to mention her proportionate figure, which is just right for a lady. It would be rude if I say that she’s not that big and she’s not that small either, so I’ll just be thinking about it in my head.

“Um… why are you looking at me like that?” The lady asked, her brow raised. She didn’t even answer my question.

“I’m Tang Yongrui.” I suddenly said out of nowhere. What on earth, Yongrui! This is no time to be messing around! You’ll die at this rate!

“And?”

“Your name, what’s your name? You were talking about rules and etiquette a moment ago. And I know that I have to introduce myself before I could ask your name.”

“Yan Chu-Hua, that’s my name.” She responded, then she shook her head upon realizing that she fell right into my trap. “In any case, consider yourself warned. I just didn’t want you to end up like the others.”

The others?

Upon saying that, Chu-Hua then headed to a nearby table and started eating. I sat opposite her.

Now, I should mention that even though cultivators on a higher realm don’t really need to ingest some sort of sustenance, we still enjoy it nonetheless. There’s a famous saying that a cultivator could survive on a single piece of tofu and the energy of the universe for months at a time. And that’s probably true. As for me, I don’t really want to try it. I like eating as it is.

“What do you mean by others?” I didn’t really know what to ask Chu-Hua so I decided to ask her about the last words she said a moment ago.

“I meant… there were others like you, who overstepped their boundaries and overestimated themselves. The next day, they’d be gone. We all know that Rutger is behind it. But we don’t have the luxury to deal with him. Right now, we have to get to the main building of the Gulong Household as soon as possible. We heard that they’ll be picking the candidates for the Black Spirit Sect tomorrow.”

“Wait, but isn’t the Black Spirit Sect happening tomorrow?! You’ll only know who’ll participate on that very day?!”

“Stop talking while your mouth is full. And yes, the Black Spirit Sect is happening tomorrow. I’m surprised you knew about it. Are you willing to participate in it?” She asked. “You probably don’t know this but… the candidates that they’ll be picking for tomorrow would include those who are in the first, second, and third threshold. In my opinion, you’re most likely to be one of the candidates.”

“What do you mean?”

“You managed to get to the first threshold in just a few hours. That speaks a lot about your ability. If you ever get picked, then I wish you the best of luck. A lot of deaths happen during the Black Spirit Tournament. It’s a literal bloodbath every single time.”

“That’s very encouraging, you know.”

“Now then, I have to go.”

“Where are you going?”

“To the third threshold where I’m staying. I just came down here to check you out.”

“Wait!” I called out before I thought things through. Seriously Yongrui, don’t let your small head think!

“What is it this time?!”

“I’ll go with you.”

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