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Within the Sacred Lotus Academy's vast plaza, the air crackled with astonishment. Ruo Xue's proud claim that her man was among the trial candidates stunned Su Mei and Hua Yu Feng, their exquisite faces frozen in disbelief. As fellow Hundred Flowers Sect Saintesses, raised together since childhood, they knew Ruo Xue's gentle facade veiled a pride rivaling any prodigy. Countless suitors from neighboring powers had sought her hand, only to face her deft rejections. Her sudden admission of a beloved was a dreamlike shock.
"Your man?" Su Mei and Hua Yu Feng's eyes widened, exchanging bewildered glances, struggling to process her words.
"Who is he? From which power?" Su Mei, curiosity alight like a child's, pressed, her alluring lips chattering.
"A mere rogue cultivator," Ruo Xue replied with a serene smile.
"You're serious?" Hua Yu Feng frowned. A Saintess marrying forfeited her claim to Sect Leader, easing their rivalry, yet their sisterly bond transcended such concerns.
Ruo Xue nodded firmly.
Su Mei and Hua Yu Feng shared a look, their intrigue intensifying. What man could compel their proud sister to such sacrifice? Their anticipation for the trials surged.
Nearby, Yan Hong Lian and Yan Die Qing overheard Ruo Xue's answer, their lips curving in approval. Lan An's frequent mentions of her proved her worth as a sister-wife.
Though whispered, their exchange reached the surrounding geniuses, igniting fury. Eyes blazed at the Ten Thousand Mile Live Mirror, seeking the rogue who'd stolen their goddess's heart.
"Ladies, why are you here?" a deep male voice interrupted, drawing attention.
Two youths descended, crimson robes fluttering, landing beside the Yan sisters. Their fiery red hair marked them as Yan Clan kin, one at Mid Nascent Soul Stage, the other's aura concealed, exuding an ordinary air. The former was Yan Yang, whom Lan An had met at the Beast Arena and Ling Wu City auction. The latter, Yan Ri, a peerless Yan Clan genius, second only to Yan Hong Lian in status, son of the Great Elder.
At fifty, Yan Ri boasted Mid Spirit Form Stage cultivation, surpassing Mu Zi Yin's talent. His entry to Sacred Lotus Academy was delayed, stubbornly awaiting Yan Hong Lian's maturity to join her, driven by ambition to wed the clan leader's daughter and secure his rise.
In a clan of countless branches, Yan Yang and Yan Ri, distant cousins thrice removed, viewed the sisters as ideal brides to elevate their status, even eyeing the clan leadership. Yan Yang coveted Yan Die Qing, while Yan Ri doggedly pursued Yan Hong Lian.
Both had entered the Academy via the Yan Clan's eight quota slots, a privilege of their Eighth-Grade power.
"Clinging shadows!" Yan Hong Lian and Yan Die Qing huffed, eyes flashing with disdain. These persistent suitors, trailing them from clan to Academy, were insufferable.
Raised together, the sisters knew Yan Ri and Yan Yang's arrogance and penchant for flaunting superiority over the weak a trait common in this dog-eat-dog world, yet repellent. They regarded them as mere clansmen, nothing more.
"Do we report our whereabouts to you?" Yan Die Qing retorted, tossing her short hair with a pout.
Yan Hong Lian crossed her arms, ignoring them.
Unfazed by their coldness, Yan Ri and Yan Yang smiled. "We're just puzzled why you'd care for these commoners' trials," Yan Ri said, his tone dripping with scorn for the unbacked candidates.
To them, those without strong backing were mere rabble. Nearby veteran students, trial entrants themselves, seethed but held their tongues. The Blazing Flame Gang, founded by Yan Clan predecessors like Yan Yue Qi, loomed large. Yan Ri, recently named Vice Leader, wielded influence, his elder brother the current Leader a near-disciple of an Academy elder.
Yan Ri's clout made him untouchable, a contender for the Sacred Lotus Ranking, a prestigious list granting new students superior benefits, even over veterans. Curiously, the Yan sisters spurned the Blazing Flame Gang despite the Leader's invitations.
Yan Hong Lian's brow arched at Yan Ri's contempt. Her crimson lips parted, each word deliberate, "Because my man is in this trial. Any objections?"
"What?!" The crowd jolted.
Ruo Xue glanced at Yan Hong Lian, nodding with a smile a draw in their subtle rivalry.
"Heehee, he's my man too!" Yan Die Qing's playful giggle erupted, shaking the plaza like an earthquake.
The crowd gaped, doubting their ears. Ruo Xue's body trembled, glaring at the smug sisters. "That scoundrel, claiming the whole bunch?" she cursed inwardly. At the prior Grand Ceremony, she'd thought only Yan Hong Lian shared Lan An's bed, unaware Yan Die Qing had joined.
Su Mei and Hua Yu Feng caught the sisters' exchange, a daring thought forming: "Could all three…?" They shook their heads, dismissing the absurdity.
"Joking, ladies! A commoner worthy of you?" Yan Ri and Yan Yang scoffed, dismissing their claims as taunts.
"Exactly!" the crowd sighed, relieved. Sisters sharing a husband was too outrageous to accept—it'd crush their egos.
Yan Hong Lian and Yan Die Qing ignored their disbelief, unconcerned by others' opinions. Unseen, venom flashed in Yan Ri's eyes. His sacrifices to win Yan Hong Lian were vast; any rival would perish.
"Nangong Wan Rong? Why drag me here?" an elegant voice drew attention.
A refined woman in purple palace robes approached, her jade hairpin accentuating her rosy lips, peachy cheeks, and luminous eyes. Behind her, a plain-faced, sharp-tongued maid in servant garb urged her forward.
"Nangong Clan's Saintess!" many recognized Nangong Wan Rong, a renowned Academy beauty.
"Saintess Nangong brought a maid? But servants are expelled upon enrollment," a familiar acquaintance inquired.
"I know, thank you," Nangong Wan Rong nodded, inwardly resigned.
Nangong Yu, a Nangong Clan deacon, had saved her life and gifted a Beauty Nurturing Pill for her birthday, earning her trust as a sister. Nangong Yu's plea to join her at the Academy, as a personal maid due to her age exceeding the trial limit, was one Wan Rong couldn't refuse.
Yet, she puzzled over Nangong Yu's insistence on visiting the plaza. Unknown to her, Nangong Yu served Lan An, her soul bound to him (see Chapter 55). Tasked with befriending Wan Rong to infiltrate the Academy, Nangong Yu awaited Lan An's orders, hoping he'd appear in the trials. Failure meant expulsion, leaving her powerless.
"Sister Yu, are you hiding something?" Wan Rong asked, noting her pensiveness.
Guilt flickered in Nangong Yu's heart, but she replied, "Rest assured, I act for your good."
"My good?" Wan Rong echoed, puzzled.
"Don't you oppose your betrothal to the Saint?" Nangong Yu asked, mind racing.
"Can you help?" Wan Rong's eyes lit up. Nangong Clan tradition mandated Saintess-Saint unions, but she felt nothing for the current Saint, dreading the topic.
"I can't, but my friend can," Nangong Yu said confidently.
"Who? Where is he?" Wan Rong pressed eagerly.
"He'll appear in this trial. I'll introduce you, but his aid comes with 'conditions,'" Nangong Yu said, her tone suggestive.
"I understand, he won't lose out," Wan Rong agreed, missing the implication.
They settled to watch the trials begin.
Another figure arrived, less noticed for her beauty: Han Shen, heiress of the Seventh-Grade Han Clan. Gazing at the mirror's sea of candidates, she murmured, "I've done as you asked, pitting the Han Clan against Heavenly Wood Sect. Don't disappoint me, master…"
Achoo!* Outside the Academy gates, a youth sneezed, drawing curious glances. Cultivators catching colds? Absurd.
"Many are speaking of me," Lan An chuckled wryly.
In a quieter corner, he stood with Mu Zi Yin, Bai Mu Mei, Liu Shi Qin, and Li Zhu Luan, chatting. Their resplendent robes, gifts from Lan An, drew envious glares from nearby men and admiring glances from women. Yet, in the vast crowd of over ten thousand, barred from using divine sense, they were mere specks in a desert.
Little Lion lounged on Lan An's shoulder, while Ji Ya and Ji Bing, too old for the trials, remained in the Spirit Pearl Realm, healing. Ji Ya had secured Dark Spring Grass from Dark Origin Continent, aiding Ji Bing's soul recovery a lengthy process promising a Spirit Form Perfection wife for Lan An.
Before countless eager eyes, the seven Void Refining Stage Elders' solemn voices thundered, "First trial, commence!"