"Master, I won!"

Upon returning from the competition, Tu Hongye looked at Xiang Wan with sparkling eyes, his face full of expectation for praise.

Xiang Wan calmly took a sip of tea and nodded slightly, saying, "Mm!"

"Master, I won!"

Tu Hongye turned around and moved closer to Xiang Wan, his breath almost hitting her face.

He looked like a child, begging for praise and rewards after winning an award.

Xiang Wan said helplessly, "I understand, you did a good job."

"Master, aren't you going to reward me?" A hint of grievance flashed in Tu Hongye's eyes.

Xiang Wan almost spat out a mouthful of tea in his face.

How old are you? Do you still need a reward?

Seeing Tu Hongye's disappointed expression at not giving her a reward, Xiang Wan's lips twitched. "Alright, what kind of reward do you want?"

"Master, can you stand up?"

Ha, quite a lot of demands!

This is the first time my disciple has won a competition. Considering how dedicated he is to the Sanqing Sect, it wouldn't hurt to cooperate.

Xiang Wan straightened his Taoist robe and slowly stood up.

When Tu Hongye stood in front of her, the height difference between them made Xiang Wan feel a little uncomfortable.

Lacking a height advantage, Xiang Wan unconsciously tried to back away, but was immediately hugged.

This move completely baffled Xiang Wan, and her thoughts began to involuntarily drift in that direction.

"Master, all I want is a hug, a warm hug, so that I don't feel like I'm alone in this world anymore."

Her thoughts were instantly pulled back, and Xiang Wan felt ashamed, her face flushing slightly.

She raised him herself, but he lacked a sense of security and had a somewhat extreme personality. Treating him like her own son, giving him a hug wouldn't be a big deal. How could she think such a despicable thing about her apprentice?

Xiang Wan patted Tu Hongye on the back and said with a smile, "Hong'er has grown up. Master can no longer hug you whenever you want like when you were little. It was Master's oversight that I didn't know Hong'er had such a childlike side."

Tu Hongye's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Master, I'm a little scared. I'm afraid that when I really grow up, you will leave, leaving me all alone in this world, with no one to comfort me when I'm lost or to warm me when I'm sad. Master, will you leave?"

Xiang Wan suddenly didn't know how to answer.

She had indeed thought that once the Sanqing Sect was established and her great revenge was achieved, she would retire to the mountains or travel the world. She had never really thought about what Tu Hongye would do after that.

In her heart, Tu Hongye should marry a wife, have several children, and live happily ever after—this is what all masters sincerely hope for.

"Disciple, you're overthinking it."

He took a long time to think, and his answer was ambiguous. Tu Hongye's breathing faltered for a moment before returning to normal.

"Hmm, my disciple keeps having nightmares like this. Maybe he's just overthinking it."

Tu Hongye let go, gave Xiang Wan a sincere smile, and then went to find the waiter to bring Xiang Wan her food.

The second round of competition eliminated many more people, leaving fewer than fifty sects remaining. Tu Hongye entered an abandoned underground prison. Evil spirits had been released into the prison beforehand, and whoever was the first to kill ten spirits within the allotted time would qualify for the next round.

Just like the first round of the competition, ten people entered each time, and the competition was about their courage to kill ghosts and their methods of exorcising ghosts.

Xiang Wan had been teaching Tu Hongye for many years, and his skills were extraordinary, but he lacked the necessary magical artifacts. Therefore, Xiang Wan specially purchased a Ghost-Slaying Sword at a high price from the sects that had failed to qualify.

In fact, the peach wood sword can also slay ghosts, but Xiang Wan was afraid that revealing it too early would attract the covetous eyes of those with ulterior motives.

The third round of competition is not just about slaying and subduing ghosts; it also involves a contest between sects.

This time, the competition venue was no longer within the capital city, but in a mountain forest on the outskirts, where there was a mass grave, countless magic arrays, and ferocious ghosts and demons that had been set up in advance.

Each sect can send five people in; if they have fewer than five, they can leave without adding anyone or recruit others. However, once inside, life or death is uncertain. Whoever finds the most sacred objects buried by the government before dawn will be the champion of this competition. At that time, the imperial court will not only reward them handsomely but also help them establish their own sect, making them a powerful ally of the royal family.

In fact, all the sects in this dynasty were established in reliance on the imperial court. Those sects that were independent of the court either lived in seclusion or were not located within the country's territory, so naturally, not many people knew about them.

In such situations, it's not uncommon for weaker sects to form alliances. However, those like Xiang Wan, who entered with only one disciple, were too few in number. The sects they were allied with looked down on them, and the major sects despised them. Countless people were watching them openly and secretly, but Xiang Wan pretended not to notice and remained calm with her disciple.

When Tu Hongye and I were cultivating in the mountains, we did encounter robbers. In the end, we all became victims of their swords, which only made our money pouches fuller time and time again.

Among the crowd, the disciples of the Pingyang Sect stood out. Their dazzling red attire was flamboyant and domineering, and the surrounding sects intentionally or unintentionally kept their distance from them.

Inside the Qingshui Gate, a woman dressed in a light blue dress stared at Shen Beiming with eyes as cold as ice, wishing she could tear him to pieces.

Shen Beiming looked grim; his eyes held not only hatred, but also coldness and ruthlessness. He seemed even more ruthless than the last time they met.

The disciples of the Rushan Sect all wore earth-yellow robes and each carried a magical artifact.

Then there's the Blazing Sun Sect, which seems to be a very popular sect recently. Many people are betting on it, probably because they're optimistic about the potential of one of its disciples.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!