"Even the way she walks is elegant~"
"Of course it is! If you were half as perfect as she is, you'd do the same!"
"I don't even care about that. My goddess shall definitely outshine everyone here!"
Song Meiling stood calm and steady as her eyes were fixed on the altar in front of her.
Everyone around had their eyes on her.
Elder Stonehead knew she wasn't just anyone—she was the daughter of Elder Ruyi. Because of that, he expected nothing less than extraordinary.
"Alright, hit the altar with your spiritual energy."
He went straight to the point.
Song Meiling prepared to strike with a firm palm instead of a fist which instantly caught everyone's attention. Every move she made seemed to hold the crowd in a trance. Only a handful of disciples managed not to get caught up in the way her hair swayed or her hips moved with each motion.
"Hmm…"
Song Chen muttered as he observed her closely.
『One thing my followers pointed out about this novel is that the women mainly practice a special form of hand-to-hand combat called Spirit Tide Palm. They say it was created by a legendary female cultivator named Li Qingyun.
Basically, it's all about channeling dense spiritual energy through your palms, so when you strike, it's super precise and packs a serious punch.
Unlike regular martial arts, which rely on sheer strength, Spirit Tide Palm focuses more on finesse and control. That's why it's so popular among female cultivators who are agile and quick on their feet.』
Song Chen nodded approvingly.
Song Meiling gathered as much spiritual energy as she could into her palm, then slammed it down on the altar with a force that made the whole place rumble fiercely.
RUUUUUUUUMBLE!
The altar glowed with a bright white light that tore a hole in the clouds above.
It was a grand spectacle.
The spectators just watched with mouths wide open.
"WHAT—!?"
"NO! It can't be!"
"What am I witnessing?!"
"This aura belongs to someone who has opened five spiritual seas!"
"Then how many spiritual seas does she have?!"
Soon after, the altar began to crack and crumble to dust.
"How could this be?! Th… The altar…! It's broken!"
"Elder Stonehead, the al… altar… it's broken!"
But Elder Stonehead needed no stories.
Everything was clear to him.
『That altar should be impossible for anyone at the Spiritual Sea-Opening Realm to break. Even a Qi Gathering cultivator wouldn't make a dent in it! But it just crumbled after that girl hit it… no, I'm pretty sure this is fate at work, maybe… this really is the rise of our Song Scholarly House…』
Cold sweat ran down Elder Stonehead's neck as he quickly scribbled notes on his scroll.
"Disciple Song Meiling, six spiritual seas. Qua…"
He shot a glance at the disciples, trying his best to hide just how shocked he really was.
"Qualified…"
The entire area went dead.
Except for the distant cawing of birds.
It was a silence born from shock.
The disciples were left speechless upon realizing one of their peers had an emperor talent grade!
Only Song Chen and Song Tianyu stayed calm, since they had expected this result.
Elder Stonehead cleared his throat feverishly.
"Ahem!"
He addressed the stunned disciples.
"I will return the accumulated results to Patriarch Scholarly, and in a few days, the rewards will be distributed to those who have earned them. Have a great day, aspiring daoists!"
Despite his inner satisfaction, he kept his cool.
The disciples went their separate ways, eager to talk about what had happened that day as they headed home.
Ye Shan strolled along with his entourage as he soaked in the praise being thrown his way while they fanned him and straightened his robes.
Meanwhile, Song Meiling hurried over to Song Chen.
"Big Bro Chen, did you see me out there?!"
She was burning with excitement.
She was almost like a child that was excited to show her parents her test scores.
Song Chen smiled awkwardly.
But before he could say anything, Song Meiling noticed his troubled expression.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Well, uh… (;一_一)"
Before Song Chen could answer, Tianyu intervened—
"Elder Stonehead!"
It prompted the elder to pause and turn back.
"Yes?"
Song Tianyu hurried over to Elder Stonehead, who waited with a pretty disinterested face.
"Is there a problem?"
This was him trying to avoid a long conversation.
He had other matters to attend to.
Song Tianyu pointed towards Song Chen, who stood with Meiling in the distance.
"You didn't let him test his spiritual sea…"
Elder Stonehead glanced at Song Chen and his eyebrows climbed with mild curiosity.
"Ah, Patriarch Scholarly's son?"
Tianyu nodded, a smile on his face. "Yes, him."
Elder Stonehead couldn't hold back a chuckle, and soon his serious face shattered into full-blown laughter. His voice was so annoyingly loud, enough to be heard all the way at the base of the hill. It was the kind of laughter you tried to hold in, but it just kept bursting out.
Song Chen sighed as he covered his face with his hand.
"Oh wow, how noble…"
After regaining his composure, Stonehead placed a hand on Song Tianyu's shoulder.
"Listen, boy, you're talented, but blind to reality. The patriarch's son is a lost cause. Don't waste your energy hoping for a miracle to fall from the heavens and spontaneously make him the martial world's top genius. He's destined for mediocrity. Maybe if the altar hadn't broken, he'd have had a chance."
The elder started laughing again.
"But he's not worth the effort. Just talentless trash."
He chuckled and patted a shocked Tianyu on the shoulder before walking away gleefully.
"Ahahaha!"
Perhaps, the "joke" was still on his mind.
Song Meiling shot a sharp glare at Elder Stonehead as he walked away. Her anger was bubbling inside, ready to explode like a volcano.
"How dare he speak of Big Bro Chen like that! Doesn't he realize you're the patriarch's son?!"
She marched forward to confront the elder.
However, Song Chen grabbed her by the arm and sighed as he pulled her back.
"Uuuuuu…! (＞﹏＜)"
She yelped in her high-pitched voice.
"Silly girl, don't do anything rash."
Song Chen warned calmly.
For him, this kind of situation was nothing new, so he didn't see the need to make a fuss.
"But, Big Bro Chen, he insulted you!"
Meiling held out her little fists.
"I can't just let it slide! (ﾉ≧∇≦)ﾉ"
In the end, her voice was too squeaky and childlike for anyone to take seriously.
It hurt her to hear people speak badly about the man she saw as her future husband. She knew he wasn't useless, and she couldn't stand the thought of anyone seeing him that way.
Song Chen shook his head.
"Let's just head home. I'm exhausted."
He forced out a yawn to emphasize his point.
Reluctantly, Song Meiling agreed, muttering curses under her breath directed at the elder as she nodded.
"Fine, let's go… hmph!"
She pouted begrudgingly.
Song Chen smiled. "Good."
The two turned and began descending the hill.
Meanwhile, Tianyu watched them leave and sighed.
"I wish there was something I could do to help you."
He placed a hand on his chest.
"But for now, I can only watch."
Truly, he wanted the Chen to keep his birthright.
With a heavy sigh, he adjusted his robes and walked away with his head to the ground.
･･･
The sun dipped below the Sacred Mountains.
Evening greeted the land.
Song Chen and Meiling walked slowly, mostly because she wasn't ready to say goodbye yet.
Normally, it was just because she would miss him, but this time she stayed longer because she was worried he might feel down after facing yet another round of ridicule from his clan brothers and sisters.
"Yawn~"
Song Chen stretched tiredly, giving the young beauty beside him a side-eye.
"Mei'er, you know you really don't have to escort me home. It's supposed to be the other way around."
Song Meiling shook her head.
"No, no, I just feel like walking Senior Brother home today. Don't worry about it."
She flashed him a warm smile.
Song Chen nodded knowingly──clearly, her intentions were too innocent and pure to hide.
『Silly little girl…』
He chuckled, and they continued walking.
A sudden silence came between them.
Song Meiling felt a weight on her chest, something she needed to share, and this moment of quiet felt like the right time.
Yet, she hesitated.
"If you've got something to ask, feel free."
Song Chen said casually.
He could easily sense something bothering her without even seeing it.
"Uh──?!"
Song Meiling was momentarily shocked.
"Well…"
She paused and twiddled her thumbs.
"I was wondering if you hated Elder Brother Tianyu."
Song Chen showed no reaction to the question.
"Hate? No, that's like watering a weed in your own garden. Waste of energy. If anything, I'm more disappointed in myself for not being competent enough to earn my birthright."
A casual response free from resentment.
『The life of an extra… we don't have rights to anything in a world that doesn't care about us…』
Song Meiling leaned closer to Song Chen until her delicate shoulder was touching his.
She stared at him with those big, purple eyes.
"Well I think you're plenty amazing, Big Bro Chen!"
"Haahh…"
Song Chen playfully knocked her head, but she took it with a bright grin and a giggle.
"You think everything I do is amazing."
"Because it is!"
The two laughed as they walked home.