Flashback
The girls watched as Wang Ming entered the arena alongside Bai Lingxi, Shi Yu, Luo Li, and Shang Rui.
"Are you sure they're at the Golden Core Realm?" Xue Jiaxin asked nervously, not bothering to check their cultivation herself, assuming Outer Court disciples to be below her.
"Yes, they are. Now, let's investigate a bit before we return here," said Ren Xi, to which the girls nodded and left the place.
Currently, the girls were walking through the Outer Court, searching for disciples. To their surprise, it seemed like everyone had disappeared.
"Strange, doesn't the Outer Court seem emptier than before? Where are all the disciples?" Xue Jiaxin muttered with a frown on her face.
"You're right. A few minutes ago, I didn't see any female disciples, and now even the males are gone," Ren Xi commented as they continued walking, unable to spot anyone.
"Hey, you there! Stop!" Lin Xue shouted when she spotted a male disciple who appeared to be in a hurry. The disciple stopped and turned towards them.
"Fairies, do you need something? If so, I'd be happy to help," the male disciple said excitedly, his face flushing with a blush. His enthusiasm caused the girls to look at him with disdain.
"Where are all the disciples? We can't seem to find anyone," Tang Jingling asked, eyeing the Outer Court disciple.
"You don't know?" the male disciple asked, looking at them oddly, which irritated Xue Jiaxin.
"If we knew, we wouldn't have asked, would we? Now tell us," Xue Jiaxin said, her voice laced with irritation.
"Y-Yes, they've gone to register for the promotion exam," the male stuttered as the girls raised their eyebrows in surprise.
"Promotion exam?" Ren Xi inquired.
"Yes, the Inner Court promotion exam. The Supreme Elder announced it all of a sudden, so everyone rushed to register," he hurriedly explained.
"Hmm, what's it to you if we did or didn't?" Ren Xi replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Fairy, you shouldn't visit his establishment. The prices are nothing short of daylight robbery, and I've heard from my partner that his services are a waste. Instead, why don't you come with us? We'll treat you—" one of the disciples began badmouthing Wang Ming. He was one of the victims whose partner had experienced Wang Ming's techniques. However, before he could finish, the girls cut him off.
"Stop your rant. Who the hell are you to tell us what to do or not? Now, tell me what I want to know, and it better be the truth, or else..." Ren Xi warned, releasing a hint of her cultivation.
The disciples gulped nervously, their saliva stuck in their throats as the oppressive aura made them tense.
"Yes, yes," the disciples hurriedly nodded and revealed everything they knew about Wang Ming, including the shameful details of how their partners had ditched them to cultivate with him. Even though it was humiliating, they didn't lie, as they valued their lives more.
By the end of the explanation, the disciples left, and the girls stood there in silence with strange expressions on their faces. Some of them even had their lips twitching.
"This... he is very..." Ren Xi began, struggling to find the words.
"Audacious," Lin Xue chimed in.
"No, I'd say shameless," Ren Xi corrected.
Flashback End
They snapped back to reality and looked at each other.
"Honestly, I can't believe he had the guts to Dual Cultivate with almost all of the disciples," Xue Jiaxin said with a mix of admiration and amazement.
"Yes, honestly, when I heard about the death match, I was surprised but didn't visit. I didn't expect it was Wang Ming who fought in the match. If I'd known about someone like him, I would have watched it. At least I could have checked how strong he is," Ren Xi muttered.
"Whatever, we can see if his Yang Qi truly improved the girls' cultivation by watching the matches," Tang Jingling said, recalling how the male disciples claimed their partners' cultivation seemed to have improved. Still, they wanted to confirm by watching the upcoming match.
"Look, it started," Lin Xue pointed out as two contestants appeared on the stage.