"Bang," with a sharp palm strike aimed at Jun Jiuli, she opened her eyes.
"What the heck is going on, 007?" Jun Jiuli instinctively blocked. Fortunately, the original body's cultivation realm was much higher than that of the woman who had attacked her. Thus, based on the original body's conditioned reflexes, she could still spar with this woman without revealing any flaws.
Host, the woman opposite you is the female protagonist of this world, Shui Bingqing. You are the villainous female supporting character, Mu Qingge.
"Get to the point," Jun Jiuli said, splitting her attention between the fight with Shui Bingqing and her conversation with 007.
Oh, the original host's wish is for us to make things difficult for the female protagonist, so you must win this battle against her.
Jun Jiuli had already received the memories of the original host. She felt speechless and said, "The original host was at the late stage of Core Formation, and this newcomer is only at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment. How could the original host possibly lose this battle??"
"Host, you really don't understand novels. She's the female protagonist. She has an elder in her body, her second master, who will intervene later and make you unable to control your body. Then you will be defeated by the female protagonist."
"The female protagonist succeeds in a higher-level challenge, using you as a stepping stone to gain widespread fame. In the end, she dismissively tells you, 'Geniuses are nothing more than this. My hard work has triumphed over genius.' With this profound statement, she gains enlightenment and directly breaks through from the initial stage of Foundation Establishment to the late stage."
Jun Jiuli was instantly speechless. This was simply cheating! And after winning, she would still show off. Utterly shameless.
Just then, she suddenly felt her body lose control. She slowly rose into the air. Seeing the female protagonist's spiritual energy-infused sword about to pierce her.
Without a second thought, Jun Jiuli directly used her spiritual power to attack.
Shui Bingqing suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, but she still persisted in thrusting her sword towards Jun Jiuli.
Jun Jiuli directly channeled her lightning ability. A lightning ball condensed into a luminous sphere in her hand, emitting a crackling sound. With a palm strike, she directly broke Shui Bingqing's delicate sword. Shui Bingqing was also severely injured, spitting out a mouthful of blood. She was about to fall to the ground like a stray dog.
At this moment, a man in white suddenly appeared, exuding an ethereal aura. He gracefully caught Shui Bingqing in his arms. He looked tenderly at the woman in his embrace and asked with concern, "Bingqing, are you alright?" After speaking, he quickly fed her a top-grade healing elixir.
Shui Bingqing coughed a few times and said intermittently, "It's this disciple's fault for being less skilled. Master, please do not blame Senior Sister Qingge."
The man's expression instantly changed. He assumed a cold and noble demeanor, looking disdainfully at Jun Jiuli and saying,
"Mu Qingge, your attack was a bit too heavy. After all, Bingqing is your junior sister. You are a whole major realm higher than Bingqing. Even if you win, it's not a glorious victory. You've truly disgraced your master."
The disciples below the stage instantly erupted in chatter.
"Yes, Senior Sister Qingge was too excessive. Junior Sister only wanted to learn from her. There was no need to be so ruthless."
"Hmph, I think some people are just jealous that Junior Sister has better popularity than her. Look at that ugly face, tsk tsk tsk."
Jun Jiuli was completely speechless and didn't give them any face. She retorted directly, "Today is the Grand Competition for the disciples of our Shushan sect. Each realm competes against its own realm, and a victor has been determined. Junior Sister insisted on challenging me. I initially wanted to refuse, as she is a realm lower than me."
"However, at that time, you were all being aggressive, saying that if I didn't agree to fight Junior Sister, it would mean I was afraid of her and that it would destabilize her Dao heart. I reluctantly accepted the challenge. Does accepting Junior Sister's challenge mean I can only lose and not win?"
The female protagonist's master, the Boundless Immortal Venerable, said, "Couldn't you have gone easy on her? Is winning really that important? Your actions have harmed our fellow disciples' camaraderie."
Jun Jiuli rolled her eyes and said, "Since Uncle-Master Boundless said that winning is not important, why do you insist that I lose to Junior Sister? I am already at the Great Perfection of Core Formation. Losing to a junior sister who has just begun Foundation Establishment would not only disgrace my master but also my sect."
"You, you, you, you're twisting facts. You're just overly competitive. Why drag your senior brother's reputation into this to cover for yourself." Boundless said.
At this moment, the people below the stage seemed to have just recovered. That's right, Senior Sister Qingge was a whole major realm higher than Junior Sister. Wasn't it normal for her to win? Why did it seem like no one wanted her to win?
If a dignified Core Formation True Person lost to a junior sister in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, how would others slander Senior Sister's reputation in the future?
Thus, everyone fell silent.
Shui Bingqing saw that the fellow disciples she usually got along with weren't speaking up for her and felt incredibly wronged. Indeed, in this world, family background was paramount. Senior Sister had good parents, so everyone sided with her.
Thinking of this, she started to sob sorrowfully.
"Master, I'm sorry. It was my overestimation of my abilities. I shouldn't have competed with Senior Sister Qingge. Master, please don't seek justice for me. The Mu family is powerful. Someone like me, who has risen step by step from the common folk as an orphan, cannot compete."
Jun Jiuli looked at her with a face full of question marks. Was this woman's head filled with water?
Jiuli didn't indulge her and said, "Junior Sister Shui, you insisted on competing with me today. Losing is losing, and winning is winning. There's no need to talk about being an orphan from the common folk. No one cares about your identity. Don't look down on yourself. Stop living in your own world, wallowing in self-pity, as if everyone with a family background owes you something."
Boundless: "Mu Qingge, that's enough. I'm showing restraint for the sake of your master. Otherwise, just for injuring Bingqing, I could cripple your Core Formation with a single move. What are you so arrogant about?"
"Junior Brother Boundless, you speak with such great confidence. You think you can cripple my disciple's Core Formation just like that?" The newcomer was none other than the sect leader of Shushan, the Boundless Immortal Venerable.
All the disciples below the stage bowed in unison.
"Greetings, Sect Leader."
"Greetings, Master."
"Alright, no need for formalities."
"What happened to cause this dispute?" Boundless asked.
A supervising disciple stepped forward and explained the entire incident in a few words.
After listening, Boundless said, "Shui Bingqing. You have already done very well to win the championship for the Foundation Establishment realm with your initial stage of Foundation Establishment strength."
Shui Bingqing's face lit up with joy. She looked provocatively at Mu Qingge, her eyes seeming to say, "See? Even your master is helping me."
Before she could finish her gloating, she heard the Boundless Immortal Venerable continue, "However, the most important thing to avoid in cultivation is arrogance. You, a mere cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, dare to challenge your Senior Sister Qingge. You clearly misjudge the situation and overestimate your abilities. Go back and diligently cultivate your foundation. Only then can you achieve something in the future."
Shui Bingqing's face immediately fell. Golden tears hung on her eyelashes, about to fall, making Boundless's heart ache.
He then said, "Senior Brother, your words are somewhat biased towards your own disciple. Mu Qingge is already at the Core Formation stage. Bingqing's courage to challenge her has already surpassed most disciples of Shushan. Moreover, Mu Qingge is the senior sister and should have shown some leniency towards her junior sister. Yet, she was so cruel, leaving Bingqing severely injured."
His words not only made the Boundless Immortal Venerable frown in confusion but also displeased all the disciples below the stage. Not everyone was like Shui Bingqing, unable to assess their own strength. Did those who dared not challenge Senior Sister Qingge become inferior to Junior Sister Bingqing?
Boundless said, "Junior Brother, I am simply stating the facts. I am not favoring anyone. Although Qingge is the senior sister, she is a year younger than your personal disciple. In the cultivation world, strength has always been paramount. There is no such thing as who should yield to whom."
At this moment, the venom in Shui Bingqing's eyes seemed to turn into substance. Everyone was biased towards Mu Qingge. If she didn't have a good family background, would the Boundless Immortal Venerable still speak up for her like this?
She tugged at Boundless's wide sleeve and said, "Master, let's go. I want to return to our Boundless Peak. I don't want to stay here. Even if we're right, we can't win against others. It's better to go our own way and let others talk."
Boundless, also heartbroken, picked up Shui Bingqing. In a blink of an eye, they were gone.
The people around them were also speechless. Today, they realized that the Boundless Immortal Venerable and his young disciple seemed to live in their own world, unable to hear others speak. It was truly exasperating.
After everyone dispersed, Boundless said to Jun Jiuli, "Qingge, don't you think your Uncle-Master Boundless and his disciple are acting a bit strange?"
Jun Jiuli respectfully replied, "Master, this disciple dares not speak presumptuously."
"Alright, then go back and rest quickly. Don't just immerse yourself in cultivation day after day. Make time to come out and socialize with your fellow disciples, so you don't end up isolated and unsupported like today."
"Yes, Master, this disciple has learned."