Dual Cultivator with a cultivation system
Chapter 354 - 354: Ch-354: I don't swing that way

Zhou Huixin casually asked but everyone could feel temperature drop suddenly, and they could imagine veins bulging on her forehead in anger.

Sensing the tension, the culprit quickly bolted out.

[ The Strongest Disciple went offline ]

"Tsk, I have to teach this girl a lesson. She, along with the others, has become too audacious. Heh... maybe I'll toss them a mountain of paperwork, or make them train until they cry," Zhou Huixin clicked her tongue, formulating a suitable punishment while reading the message. Her eyes suddenly gleamed with a sadistic light, and she nodded to herself with a satisfied smile.

Far away, the girls suddenly felt a chill run down their spines, as if some unseen malice had just been directed at them.

Zhou Huixin then looked up and resumed watching Wang Ming's progress.

One Hour Later

The room was completely silent. Everyone sat in stunned numbness, their eyes flicking blankly between Wang Ming's performance and the rankings.

"Fuck, he's already in the top 500," Qin Mu said, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

"Yeah," Zhou Huixin replied indifferently, showing no outward reaction—but inwardly, she was screaming.

'Damn, if he joins my peak, won't he become the Peak Master?' Zhou Huixin felt a twinge of nervousness. Her position suddenly felt threatened, and for a moment, she was tempted to reject Wang Ming and take back her offer. But she quickly shook her head. Winning the next competition between peaks mattered more, and she was tired of their peak always placing last.

Hiss—

"Huff, finally it's over. He made it into the top 500," Jiang Hong exclaimed after an hour, his eyes bulging as he watched Wang Ming's name rise in the rankings.

"If time hadn't run out, I think he could have made it into the top 3," Lei Ping said, still in disbelief. If that had happened, even the royal family would've harassed them to reveal Wang Ming's identity before the competition.

"I can only imagine the disciples from our sect searching for him once they leave their pods," Lei Ping muttered. "I'm sure even core disciples will come to investigate. It's good we moved Wang Ming's pod, along with Min Li's and his teammates', to a separate room." The others nodded in agreement.

Some disciples might even try to attack or cripple Wang Ming, viewing him as a threat to their position, even though they were sure none would dare to do so atleast openly inside the setc. Unfortunately, this was quite common in the cultivation world. But after what they had seen of him, none of them believed anything would happen to Wang Ming so easily.

---

Heavenly Sword Sect

Just like in the Yang-Yin Sect, the room was silent and numb. The Peak Masters and Hui Mei, who had been watching Wang Ming's continuous slaughter of monsters, were left speechless—mouths agape, jaws practically touching the ground.

"Yeah... there's no way I can defeat this monster," Tang Ning finally broke the silence. Although she had already admitted defeat in her mind, she had at least hoped she could catch up to the person on the screen someday. But after watching Wang Ming take down beast after beast nonstop for hours, she gave up and admitted it openly. Hui Mei, who heard her, remained silent. She had nothing to say to refute those words.

'I doubt even the cultivators of the past could match him in talent—let alone me or the other sect masters, who can't even compare to the old generation of cultivators, much less to someone like him,' Hui Mei thought.

Then her gaze shifted toward her communication token, which was blinking continuously with a red light.

"Hmm, should I just..." An absurd idea popped into Hui Mei's head. She pondered for a moment before turning to look at Tang Ning with an intense gaze. Her eyes swept over Tang Ning's figure, and she nodded to herself in satisfaction, unable to help but entertain a certain thought.

Tang Ning, who had been quietly observing Wang Ming, suddenly felt a sharp, burning gaze on her. She turned toward her master, only to find Hui Mei staring at her with unsettling intensity. The way she was being looked at gave her the chills.

Fuck... what the hell is she thinking? She can't possibly... right?

Tang Ning swallowed hard, feeling increasingly nervous under that stare.

"Tang Ning, what do you think about finding yourself a partner?" Hui Mei asked abruptly.

Everyone turned to her with bewildered expressions, unsure of where this was going. But the most extreme reaction came from Tang Ning, who nearly fell on her butt as her heart leapt into her throat. Her worst fears seemed to be coming true.

"S-Sect Master! Even though I have no trouble finding a partner, that person must be talented and stronger than me! And—most importantly—they must be a man! Not a woman! I'm straight, Sect Master! I know you might have a preference for women, but I definitely don't!" Tang Ning blurted out in one breath, flustered and defensive.

Hui Mei, initially pleased by her answer, froze at the last sentence. Her face darkened as a vein twitched on her forehead.

"What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever say I had such... weird preferences?" she snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously. Everyone instinctively swallowed hard.

"Eh? Really?" Tang Ning asked in surprise, feeling both relieved and a bit guilty. Maybe I misunderstood, she thought.

"Yes, really," Hui Mei replied curtly.

Then, from the side, one of the Peak Masters foolishly chimed in, "Then, Sect Master, why haven't we ever seen you with a partner all these years?"

Everyone turned slowly to look at the audacious speaker, eyes filled with pity.

"W-Wait—n-no—!" the Peak Master stammered as a glowing portal suddenly opened beneath him and sucked him in, destination unknown.

'Idiot,' everyone thought at once.

This was Hui Mei's go-to punishment for those who got on her nerves—and whatever happened to the victims inside that portal remained a mystery. All they knew was that when those people returned... they were much quieter, no longer loudmouths.

"Anyone else want to ask a question?" Hui Mei asked with a sweet smile.

Everyone shook their heads vigorously.