The Cruel Reality

The Training Ground.

Fu Haotian's face was twisted with fury as he continued to vent his rage.

No one dared to challenge him. All eyes turned toward the platform, where Nanli Qingming sat calmly on his grand chair, his gaze sharp and discerning.

It seemed the results were about to be announced.

Suddenly!

A streak of light shot through the distant sea of clouds, and a graceful maidservant appeared in the training ground.

Once a direct disciple of the Celestial Palace and now the Supreme Elder’s personal attendant!

The moment she appeared, Nanli Qingming and the high-ranking elders of the Celestial Palace grew solemn.

Tens of thousands of disciples watched in awe.

Only Fu Haotian’s eyes gleamed with delight!

The maidservant ignored everyone else, walking straight to him and bowing respectfully.

"Young Master, the Supreme Elder has ordered this servant to deliver the Heavenly Ring."

Her voice was soft as she carefully presented an ancient ring with both hands.

The plain-looking ring rested in her slender, jade-like fingers, yet it radiated an extraordinary glow, swirling with countless terrifying Dao rhythms.

Instantly, all eyes were fixed upon it!

Fu Haotian’s face lit up with triumph as he took the ring and quietly probed it with his divine sense.

Then, he threw his head back and laughed, confidence overflowing.

"Hahaha!"

"You all celebrated too soon! This young master still has ten thousand demon corpses!"

As his voice echoed, the entire crowd paled.

With his words, the ring erupted in dazzling light.

A mountain of demon corpses, towering hundreds of feet high, materialized before them. The sheer number and scale of the ghastly pile left everyone horrified. The three small hills of demon corpses from before were nothing but pebbles at its base in comparison.

Nearly half the training ground was filled with the grotesque mountain of corpses. Disciples gasped in shock, their voices hushed.

Even the presiding elder was stunned speechless, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"This—!"

Murmurs spread like wildfire outside the arena, filled with awe and terror.

"Heavens above!"

"That pile must truly number ten thousand!"

"Today, I’ve truly witnessed something extraordinary. Such a grand display—only Senior Brother Fu could pull this off!"

"I always said Senior Brother Fu was the only rightful candidate for Chief Disciple!"

"Senior Brother Fu is invincible!"

"What ‘Senior Brother Fu’? From now on, we should call him Chief Senior Brother Fu!"

"Ah, yes, yes!"

The tide of opinion shifted instantly.

Fu Haotian had finally become the center of attention, his eyes gleaming with unshakable confidence.

With a sidelong glance, he sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"Hmph."

"How dare mere fireflies challenge the brilliance of the moon? Are you even worthy?"

"You old fool, wasting your life in cultivation, yet your judgment is still so pitiful. To mistake a pebble for a gem—did you truly think you could fathom this young master’s true power?"

"Soon, this Chief Disciple will personally see the two of you off!"

Neither the high-ranking elders on the platform nor the disciples outside mattered to him anymore. He openly mocked Wei Zhenfang and Zhong Limeng with biting scorn.

At this moment, Haotian was brimming with the confidence of absolute victory, as if he had been born to stand above all others, and the crowd was merely fortunate to witness his glory.

Seeing his expression, Zhong Limeng trembled with fury.

She believed her talent and wisdom far surpassed Fu Haotian’s.

The outcome had been clear just moments ago—victory was within her grasp.

Yet, with the Supreme Elder’s blatant interference, Fu Haotian had overturned the results right before everyone’s eyes. All the hardships she and her brothers had endured, risking their lives to hunt demons, were erased in an instant by mere nepotism.

If this was how things were decided, what was the point of the competition?

The sight of those ten thousand demon corpses only filled her with bitter mockery.

If Fu Haotian won like this, where was the fairness?

She glanced at him again—his face was twisted with cruel triumph.

If such a ruthless, arrogant man became Chief Disciple, or worse, took control of the Cangyun Celestial Palace, not only would she and Elder Wei suffer, but even the fellow disciples who had supported her would meet a grim fate.

The Celestial Palace in his hands would be a disaster.

With gritted teeth, Zhong Limeng raised her head and addressed the platform in a clear, resolute voice.

"This disciple dares to speak!"

"I implore the Palace Master to intervene and uphold justice!"

Though her voice was soft, her determination was as unyielding as an army of thousands.

In such dire circumstances, Zhong Limeng still dared to speak out—her courage put most men to shame.

Such indomitable spirit marked her for greatness.

Half the disciples secretly lifted their gazes, their eyes filled with hidden hope.

On the jade steps of the high platform, the elders remained silent, their expressions complex. None spoke, none moved.

Above them all, the Palace Master Nanli Qingming sat motionless, his face unreadable.

Only a trace of helplessness flickered in his eyes.

The same resignation was mirrored in the expressions of the seven other sect leaders seated beside him.

These eight powerhouses saw everything clearly.

The true victor of this competition should have been Zhong Limeng.

Yet, the Supreme Elder had intervened, shamelessly tipping the scales in Fu Haotian’s favor. The cheating was laid bare, completely disregarding the rules of the demon-slaying trial.

The Supreme Elder’s cultivation was peerless, and as the foremost authority in the sect, with his lifespan still stretching far into the future, no one dared oppose him.

At this moment, no one could speak out.

Even such blatant favoritism and disgraceful conduct had to be tolerated.

After all, background and connections were also part of one’s strength.

The selection of the Chief Disciple wasn’t just about talent and character—connections mattered just as much.

Unless Zhong Limeng possessed heaven-defying luck or divine providence, her excellence alone would never be enough.

Nanli Qingming could only remain silent, bound by circumstance.

Justice?

In the face of absolute power and influence, it was nothing but fragile idealism.

Reality was always this cruel.

On the high platform, including Palace Master Nanli Qingming, the eight powerhouses remained silent.

Witnessing this oppressive silence, the crowd was stunned.

Many disciples felt their beliefs shatter, their faces blank with shock as they looked around, only to see their fellow disciples equally dumbfounded.

The entire training ground fell into a deathly hush.

Seeing the platform’s tacit approval, Zhong Limeng’s face turned deathly pale, her clear eyes tinged with red.

She had fought with everything she had, only to lose to something as hollow as background.

Faced with such underhanded tactics, not a single person dared to speak up for fairness!

Her gaze swept across the elders—still, no one spoke.

Even the senior brothers behind her lowered their heads in shame, no longer meeting her eyes, clearly cowed by Fu Haotian’s influence.

Among thousands of fellow disciples, not one had the courage to stand with her.

Standing alone, Zhong Limeng didn’t blame them for their fear.

She could only clench her fists in silent frustration, despair finally creeping into her eyes.

That look of desolation was visible to all.

It was as if the sorrow of the world had condensed into her delicate features, leaving her stranded in a desert of isolation, her spirit parched.

"Ai…"

The presiding elder sighed helplessly, about to announce the results.

Suddenly.

A burst of laughter shattered the silence!

"Hahaha…"

Tens of thousands of eyes turned in shock—the one laughing was none other than Wei Zhenfang!

The guest elder, who had remained silent until now, was laughing heartily, standing right beside the mountain of ten thousand demon corpses without a trace of fear. His laughter was wild and unrestrained, brimming with confidence.

Even with the outcome decided, even knowing he would soon face retribution, he dared to laugh like this.

Had he gone mad from terror?

The crowd watched in bewilderment as Wei Zhenfang clasped his hands behind his back and cast a sidelong glance at Fu Haotian, his lips curling into a smirk.

"And this… is your so-called trump card?"

Hiss—

Such audacity! Many gasped in shock.

Before them stood ten thousand demon corpses!

Even if half the Celestial Palace’s forces were mobilized, such a feat would be impossible to achieve in mere days.

Wei Zhenfang actually dared to speak such arrogant words—had he truly lost his mind?

Tens of thousands of onlookers wore expressions of shock and doubt.

Fu Haotian burst into laughter, his confidence practically oozing from his face.

"You really are a joke!"

"Facing ten thousand demonic corpses, what kind of ripple do you think you can possibly make?"

Yet Wei Zhenfang merely shot him a disdainful glance, as if looking at a complete fool.

Turning away, he stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Zhong Limeng.

"Lady Zhongli, do you recall the ring this old man entrusted to you earlier?"