I knew.
Mu Lingxi continued to pant.
For some reason, I knew he was stronger, and yet I chose to fight him...
Mu Lingxi's swift response was driven by her protective instincts for the sect's sacred grounds, combined with her deep spiritual connection with the mountains. She perceived Yang Wei's presence as a disruption to the natural order and a potential danger to the sect's spiritual sanctity.
However,
When she witnessed him dodge her Emberstorm Bow of the Celestial Phoenix, she was eager to fight him and test just how far she'd gone in her cultivation.
But after this display, she was certain that she hadn't gotten anywhere— or rather, her pride wouldn't let her see that.
Mu Lingxi collapsed to her knees, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as she slammed her handless arm against the ground.
The pain seared through her body, but she refused to concede defeat.
In her mind's eye, she saw a vision of her father, an authoritative figure with long white hair and beards, and her elder brother, Mu Zhong, a young man with short black hair tied in a bun, both adorned in white wide-sleeved overflowing garments.
"I'm sorry, Father, Senior Brother Zhong..." she muttered.
Her heart was heavy.
Gritting her teeth, she expelled her spiritual energy, willing her left arm and right hand to heal.
However, the process was agonizingly slow compared to how fast it usual was.
The process was hindered by the damage inflicted on her soul by Yang Wei's debilitating [Jade Magic].
Still on her knees, she wiped off the blood from her lower lip with her right thumb and smeared it on her left palm before forming hand seals.
"It's not over yet, I can still summon it..."
But the moment was shattered as Yang Wei materialized before her.
"Oh, so you're one of those people."
He observed her with a sly smirk.
Mu Lingxi met his gaze, her eyes masking all her emotions.
Yang Wei let out a sigh and casually raised his hand a bit, explaining,
"To be more precise, you're trying to prove something by winning this fight. Perhaps it started as your dedication to this... cult, but you also believed that by defeating me, you would gain some modicum of respect from whoever it is that you're trying to impress."
Mu Lingxi remained silent, her expression now one of puzzled contemplation.
With a nonchalant demeanor, Yang Wei closed his eyes and continued,
"I completely understand. But it's all so foolish. People measure their worth against each other, using their race, hard work, talent, family lineage, and heirlooms as the yardstick. Unfortunately, this path only leads to the loss of parental love, as those considered less talented are deemed unworthy of love... unloved."
Mu Lingxi's eyes widened, her initial stoic facade now replaced by one of understanding.
Yang Wei's voice grew softer as he shared his insights,
"You don't need to be so cautious. Making mistakes shouldn't dictate whether someone will love or acknowledge you. Perhaps, if you hadn't been so fearful of losing to me, you might have stood a better chance of entertaining me. In the end, your constant hunger for validation from others is your greatest flaw. No amount of training or evolution can overshadow that. You are your own worst enemy."
Mu Lingxi lowered her head, her black hair falling around her as she whispered, "Maybe you're right."
There was a deep frown on her face, a visible cloud of sadness enveloping her.
Yang Wei looked at her calmly, a soft smile followed his lips as he said, "Regardless, I'm sorry for what I said earlier."
Mu Lingxi lifted her eyes to look at him, confused and surprised at the same time.
"What?" she muttered.
Yang Wei leaned in, his voice was soft and, "I've fought and decimated entire magic clans and even empires. But not once has a human challenged me to a one-on-one fight, except for one guy… It's actually quite funny when I think about it."
He placed his right hand on her head, and with a reassuring tone, he told her, "Woman, you are not weak. You are strong, maybe even one of the strongest women I've ever met."
A strange flicker of memory crossed Mu Lingxi's mind, an image of her father appeared and for a moment Yang Wei seemed like him.
Then without warning, a single tear rolled down her cheek, touching the ground.
Mu Lingxi quickly wiped it away, exclaiming, "What's this? Why am I crying?"
Yang Wei chuckled a little and said, "Good question. It seems I've touched your heart."
"T... Thank you."
Mu Lingxi, slowly standing up, thanked him before wiping away more tears from her eyes.
She then spoke softly, "You wanted to speak with the Matriarch, right?"
Yang Wei nodded, but then turned to look at the other defeated cultivators, concern etched on his face as he hoped his actions wouldn't cause any serious problems.
Mu Lingxi noticed this and sighed as she followed his gaze, "The only one in a badly beaten situation is Junior Brother Wang Hao. With enough spirit rejuvenation pills and some healing techniques from Junior Sister Chen Mei, he should be fine."
Yang Wei gazed at Mu Lingxi for a moment before she folded her arms and asked, "Why're you looking at me like that?"
Yang Wei shook his head, his expression light, "It's nothing, just surprised you're taking it so well."
Mu Lingxi turned and started walking deeper into the sect. She sighed and then glanced back at Yang Wei, "Even if I wanted to make a fuss about it, I don't have what it takes to defeat you without putting myself at a grave disadvantage."
Yang Wei and Mu Lingxi walked down the vast pathways of the sect, encompassed by the commotion of medical cultivators rushing to tend to others who had fought Yang Wei and come out defeated.
The piercing gazes of sect cultivators carrying nothing but hatred locked onto Yang Wei as he strolled alongside Mu Lingxi.
"Isn't that the man that was floating above the sect just moments ago?"
"He's the bastard that got everyone running around like mad dogs!"
"And look at him, he thinks he can casually walk next to jade like beauty like Senior Sister Mu."
"I hate him already!"
Mu Lingxi looked a little surprise, she calmly looked at Yang Wei and then told him, "I'm surprised you're not bothered by the words of these disciples."
Yang Wei kept walking straight ahead, he didn't look concerned one bit.
"Hm?" he uttered as his gaze shifted to Mu Lingxi.
And then, Yang Wei sighed and spoke, "Why should I be bothered? After all... They're weak."
"Somehow I expected that response." Mu Lingxi dressed her bangs a bit.
Casually, Yang Wei looked at Mu Lingxi's clothing, and it was partly torn and filthy. "You should be more worried about your clothes..." he told her.
Mu Lingxi folded her arms.
"If you're worried about me feeling embarrassed by looking like this in the presence of these people, trust me, I'm not. Just because I couldn't defeat you doesn't mean I wouldn't decimate them in a fight and burn their souls for a decade if they tried to use me as an expense for their comedy."
"Jeez," Yang Wei said. "What is it with you and torturing souls?"
Mu Lingxi didn't respond.
Instead, she outstretched her index and middle finger which caused a jian nearby to instantly fly toward her.
She abruptly stopped the jian mid-air and directed it to hover before her.
"Let's fly. It'd be faster if we want to reach their destination," she declared as she mounted the sword like a stairway, her hands placed behind her back and she soared upward.
They could've travelled there through spatial means, but she somewhat wanted Yang Wei to see a bit of the Dragon Blossom Sect.
Not one to be outdone, Yang Wei invoked his [Wind Magic], propelling himself to the same altitude as Mu Lingxi, both now 20 meters above the sect.
Turning to Yang Wei, Mu Lingxi asked with some curiosity, "If you don't mind me asking, what's your cultivation realm? Are you perhaps a 3rd Path Cultivator?"
Yang Wei, his chin held in thought, asked, "What's a 3rd Path Cultivator?"
Mu Lingxi's expression shifted with bewilderment. "What…? I mean, what realm of cultivation are you in? There's no simpler way to ask," she said, already looking confused.
Yang Wei surveyed her and then replied, "In that case, the most accurate answer would be that I'm not a cultivator."
Mu Lingxi's features contorted in disbelief.
Her eyebrows shot up in shock as she subtly exclaimed, "Wait, what?"