Huo Wen looked somewhat embarrassed and irritated. "Senior Sister Lin Chan, Junior Sister Liu has only just joined the sect. If no one had been whispering in your ear, why would you hold such deep hostility toward her?"
"What? She’s a good-for-nothing; am I not allowed to say it?" Lin Chan was already quite displeased with Huo Wen by this point.
"Junior Sister Liu has excellent talent; how could you call her a good-for-nothing?" Huo Wen was dissatisfied with how Lin Chan was siding against Liu Rushuang. "We have a practical class this afternoon. Why don't we have them spar and see who the real good-for-nothing is?"
Huo Wen still had a great deal of confidence in Liu Rushuang. Although Song Nianchu had displayed three elemental attributes during the aptitude test, she hadn't even begun her actual cultivation yet. Junior Sister Liu, on the other hand, had already started, and she was superior to Song Nianchu in every aspect. Most importantly, he recalled what Junior Sister Liu had told him early that morning: a direct disciple with three elements who held hostility toward them like Song Nianchu did was a threat that could not be left alone; it would be disadvantageous for all of them.
"Senior Brother Huo Wen, wouldn't that be inappropriate? After all, Nianchu and I grew up together..." Seeing Huo Wen push for a spar with Song Nianchu, Liu Rushuang suddenly became anxious. Had this been before, she certainly would have agreed. But when they were reciting the mental cultivation method earlier, Song Nianchu had leveled up. She had a nagging feeling that Song Nianchu was quite sinister now that she was no longer simple-minded, and she had no desire to go head-to-head with her.
"Junior Sister Liu, you are just too kind-hearted, still worrying about the friendship of growing up together even now..." Huo Wen attempted to reason with her.
Lin Chan, however, could see that Liu Rushuang was anxious, though Huo Wen misinterpreted it as her valuing their childhood bond.
"Senior Brother Huo Wen..." Liu Rushuang tried to decline.
Song Nianchu interrupted her, speaking up first: "I agree." Although she didn't want her three-element talent publicized so soon, she wouldn't pass up an opportunity to deal with Liu Rushuang. Someone was bound to take first place in the practical class this afternoon, and a competition between direct disciples was the perfect stage. She had her sights set on that top spot.
"Nianchu..." Liu Rushuang tried to dissuade her, but Song Nianchu didn't intend to give her the chance. She looked directly at Huo Wen and asked, "Huo Wen, what if I win? You can't just call for a match without any stakes, can you?"
"I have a mid-grade Spirit-Restoring Pill here..." The moment Huo Wen brought out the pill, Lin Chan frowned. She wanted to say something, but seeing that Song Nianchu was about to speak, she silently remained in the background.
"I don't need a Spirit-Restoring Pill." Even though she had just entered the sect, Song Nianchu already knew enough about its inner workings; what she wanted right now was sect points.
"Then what do you want?" Huo Wen felt Song Nianchu was too greedy. She was clearly inferior to the Junior Sister Liu he favored.
"Points. I want two hundred sect points." As soon as Song Nianchu said this, Huo Wen and the other direct disciples gasped. Sect points were incredibly useful; they could be used to access the Cultivation Room or to exchange for various medicinal herbs and pills.
"Nianchu, that’s too harsh." Liu Rushuang wasn't fully aware of how valuable the points were, but judging by the reaction of the other disciples, she knew it was significant. "Since that’s the case, let’s just not spar."
Song Nianchu gave Liu Rushuang a meaningful look, then asked Huo Wen, "It seems the Junior Sister Liu you value so highly is a bit of a coward..."
Lin Chan offered a rare smile, adding fuel to the fire: "Huo Wen, is this the Junior Sister Liu you think so highly of? Afraid before the match has even begun?"
"She's just worried about the points..." Huo Wen said, sounding humiliated.
"Right, she’s worried because she thinks she’s going to lose, not because she’s confident she’ll win. In that case, you won't have to pay those points," Lin Chan quipped, continuing to goad them and leaving both Liu Rushuang and Huo Wen in an impossible spot.