Zanxing

Chapter 54 - Xiao Shuang (2)

The family expelled this cultivator from their clan, and his townsfolk mocked him behind his back. Friends who once were close to him now felt ashamed to be associated with him, and everyone cursed him as disgusting and perverted. Not only that, but some people also deliberately teased him, forcing him to wear women's clothes in public for their amusement. Eventually, for reasons unknown, they even disfigured his face.

The disfigured cultivator was filled with rage and, after being driven to despair, attempted to drown himself in a lake. By a twist of fate, he fell into the path of demonic cultivation and became a demon cultivator. Because this cultivator had a mental block about having two faces before he fell into darkness, after turning into a demon, he also developed two faces: one with a blue face and sharp teeth resembling a monster, and the other beautiful and gentle, loved by all. He used his beautiful face to seduce others and his monster face to harm them.

When Zanxing saw this page, she thought it was probably just a fictional tale made up by the author, far too melodramatic. However, as she watched this demon cultivator carefully hide a flower against his chest, she suddenly felt that what was written in the book might not be entirely false.

Rumor had it that before the cultivator fell into the demonic path, he was gentle and courteous, and acted with decorum. Although sometimes people felt that his behavior was too reminiscent of a woman's—such as his love for flowers and beauty—they attributed it to his refined tastes. It wasn't until they discovered his fondness for cross-dressing that everything changed.

Zanxing had initially been wary of this demon cultivator, but now, as she looked at him, she felt a tinge of sympathy.

This cultivator's behavior, when viewed from a different perspective, was merely a personal preference; on a larger scale, it was nothing more than being transgender. There was nothing wrong with that. Why should he be driven to such extremes? The malice of humanity could sometimes be utterly incomprehensible, which was truly infuriating.

"Big brother," she said while dodging the attacks from the two-headed Asura, "I support you being yourself, but please, don't harm the innocent."

Once the two-headed Asura's "face" was revealed, it stopped pretending. The more gentle and alluring the beautiful face became, the more savage and terrifying the monster's face appeared. As they fought, the robe was torn by the wind, revealing a body that was unlike any ordinary human, a wild blue figure with veins visible on the surface of its skin, as if it would burst apart at any moment.

Zanxing secretly gathered her strength, and the flowers that blossomed from her iron rod quickly formed into a wreath in her hands. She called out, "I think this suits you perfectly!" With that, she exerted her wrist, and the wreath flew into the air under the dark sky like a brilliant flash of colorful clouds, instantly capturing the attention of the two-headed Asura.

The demon cultivator's gaze followed the colorful cloud, and his claws instinctively reached for the wreath, seemingly unable to control himself as he attempted to place it on his head.

And indeed, he did so.

The pink wreath was gently placed atop the man's head. At that moment, Zanxing could not tell if it was an illusion, but the monster's face suddenly softened. The man's face seemed to melt away like ice, becoming blurry, then gradually clarifying into a strange visage—one that was neither overly handsome nor horrifying, but rather a gentle and refined young man's face.

He seemed pleased with the wreath, a smile slowly curling at the corners of his mouth. Unlike the previous false mask, this smile seemed to reflect the satisfaction of a small wish being fulfilled.

Immediately afterward, the wreath atop his head erupted with a brilliant golden light, engulfing the demon cultivator.

At the same time, a surge of spiritual power poured into Zanxing's body. On the ranking stone in front of the competition stage, Zanxing's name shot to the top as if riding a spiritual vessel.

Xuanling rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "What did she do? How did the two-headed Asura lose?"

Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow, watching the figure in the clear heart mirror. He scoffed, "Tsk, using underhanded tricks again."

The jungle was empty, nothing remained. Only a single solitary, overly brilliant wreath lay on the bloodstained ground. Zanxing walked over and bent down to pick it up.

She had hidden the Exorcism Spell within the wreath. The Exorcism Spell was powerful, and if placed atop a demon cultivator's head, it would undoubtedly vanquish the demon. Yet few would dare to place the Exorcism Spell directly on a demon cultivator's head.

Zanxing was merely taking a gamble, hoping that this cultivator, who fell into darkness due to people's gossip, would still be moved by a flower, just as he had been many years ago.

He was indeed moved; wearing the wreath on his head meant Zanxing had defeated him. However, as she looked at the wreath in her hands, she did not feel joy, but rather an inexplicable heaviness.

The wind in the dense forest blew through, quickly dissipating the flowers that had blossomed due to the "Mirror Flower, Water Moon." Zanxing watched for a moment, then hoisted the iron staff onto her shoulder and continued forward.

...

As the first day passed, more than half of the disciples shattered their exit talismans and left the Xumi Jiezi Scroll early. The rankings on the bluestone slab changed repeatedly.

Unlucky disciples encountered high-level demon cultivators right after entering; they hadn't even fought before retreating, resulting in zero spiritual power, naturally placing them at the bottom. Those luckier faced only low- to mid-level demon cultivators, slowly accumulating spiritual power over time, though it was a slow process.

Of course, there were also disciples like Zanxing, who leisurely competed by using a Torch Eye Talisman, choosing her opponents. Though it seemed unfair, there was little that could be done about it.

New disciples participating in their first inner sect assessment and performing outstandingly naturally drew attention. Among them, Tian Fangfang and Mu Chengxiao were two unexpected dark horses. They both did not appear to come from major sects but had exceptionally rare natural talents suitable for cultivation. Tian Fangfang was incredibly strong, with abundant spiritual power. Mu Chengxiao appeared to wield the five elemental powers with ease, seemingly completing a fragmented text on his own, truly a genius.

They had also encountered several mid-level demon cultivators and even defeated one or two high-level ones. Although it was a hard-fought battle, they ultimately triumphed. Their names now appeared on the top line of the ranking stone, and judging by Xuanling's expression, these two might very well secure a spot among the three direct disciples.

Still, the new disciple ranked highest was Hua Yue.

For Hua Yue, low-level demon cultivators were not worthy opponents, and he easily dealt with mid-level ones as well. High-level demon cultivators were his true targets. By defeating mid-level and high-level demon cultivators, he firmly maintained his position at the top.

To be honest, even among older disciples, Hua Yue's potential was noteworthy. Yueqin and Zhao Maiyi both believed that if Xuanling were to choose direct disciples, Hua Yue would be the best candidate. However, Cui Yufu did not think so; he favored Zanxing, likely because she had perused the niche books he compiled and even managed to practice a Torch Eye Talisman. Cui Yufu said to Xuanling, "If you don't want her, I do! I want her as a direct disciple, I like her!"

"Oh, that's unfortunate; I want her too," Li Danshu chimed in with a smile. "Having someone so skilled at alchemy in our alchemy room could save us a lot of spiritual herbs. This girl is much better than those useless younglings. I like her too."

Gu Baiying rolled his eyes at them, uninterested in joining the conversation.

"Oh," said Ziluo, "it seems like Junior Sister Zanxing is heading in that direction... Hua Yue is right ahead."