Senior Sister Lin Chan felt deeply uncomfortable listening to that affected, sugary voice. She turned to look at Liu Rushuang, and seeing that expression on her face—so clearly full of calculated little schemes—deepened her distaste.
"Someone like you," she said, her voice sharp and uncompromising, "deserves to be a direct disciple?"
A flicker of shock passed through Liu Rushuang’s eyes. "Senior Sister Lin Chan..." She had not expected Lin Chan to humiliate her so openly in front of everyone.
Song Nianchu was also surprised; she hadn’t expected Senior Sister Lin Chan, who had always seemed so cold and aloof, to be so biting when confronting someone. Seeing Liu Rushuang get shut down like that gave her a secret sense of satisfaction.
Seeing their "goddess" aggrieved, one of Liu Rushuang’s sycophants immediately jumped in to defend her. "Senior Sister Lin Chan, Junior Sister Liu has excellent talent. She is an alchemist."
"I heard that even Elder Wu himself praised Junior Sister Liu’s talent," another sycophant chimed in to support him.
Liu Rushuang’s face lit up with a touch of pride at these words.
Lin Chan looked from Liu Rushuang to Song Nianchu. "If I recall correctly, you also qualified to be an alchemist during your testing, didn't you?"
"Yes," Song Nianchu replied, well aware that Lin Chan was standing up for her.
"So..." Lin Chan looked back at Liu Rushuang, "what exactly are you so proud of?"
"Senior Sister Lin Chan..." Huo Wen appeared on the scene at that moment. "There aren't many disciples in this sect who have the potential to become alchemists."
Lin Chan’s temperament was naturally cold, and she rarely interacted with others. She had only gone to Tianyu Peak to bring Song Nianchu along because her father, the Sect Master, had mentioned that Song Nianchu had good talent and was an alchemist who might also become a talisman master. She was entirely unaware that Huo Wen had been protecting Liu Rushuang ever since the girl joined the sect.
Seeing Huo Wen defend Liu Rushuang so fervently, Lin Chan didn't miss the subtext. She might not care for socializing, but that didn't make her a fool.
Lin Chan let out a cold laugh. "A clever move, indeed. You’ve managed to win over Elder Wu’s most prized apprentice the moment you walked through our gates."
Liu Rushuang’s expression stiffened for a moment, though deep down, she felt a sense of smug triumph. However, she had severely underestimated just how much Lin Chan could despise someone.
"This sect is a place for cultivation. If you’ve come here merely to show off and manipulate disciples into revolving around you, one day you will reap what you sow." Lin Chan’s words were exceptionally harsh. For a young woman, such a remark could be considered quite vicious. Had Liu Rushuang not provoked her repeatedly, and had those mindless disciples not been so blatantly biased, Lin Chan would never have spoken to another woman this way.
"Senior Sister Lin Chan, you’ve gone too far," Huo Wen said, shocked. He hadn't seen Lin Chan lash out at anyone like this in a long time.
"Senior Sister Lin Chan..." Humiliated, Liu Rushuang looked at her with a tearful, devastated expression. "I have never offended you. Why are you so full of hostility toward me?"
"Is this the fool you’ve been protecting?" Lin Chan asked with a look of utter contempt.
Huo Wen sensed Lin Chan’s intense dislike for Liu Rushuang, and his gaze shifted to Song Nianchu. "Senior Sister Lin Chan, is it because Song Nianchu has been speaking ill of Junior Sister Liu behind her back?"
Song Nianchu: "..." *What kind of pure-blooded idiot is this?*
Lin Chan looked at Huo Wen with a mix of shock and disbelief. "Have you really let this fool infect your brain so quickly?"
"Pfft..." Someone nearby couldn't help but laugh out loud, though they immediately stifled it, terrified of being exposed. Others tried their best to hold back their amusement as well, fearing they might draw Huo Wen’s ire. After all, none of the direct disciples present wanted to provoke a senior brother like him.