She could only push herself to grow faster, to grow strong enough to overshadow the meaning Mu Zixu held for the Wuji Sect.
Song Wanníng carefully put away the Heart-Guarding Mirror, then followed the sect master out of the Treasure Pavilion.
She headed toward Alchemy Peak on her own.
But halfway there, Mu Zixu suddenly appeared and blocked her path.
Song Wanníng frowned. Did Mu Zixu really run out of patience this fast? This was inside the sect grounds.
Yet he only stared at her coldly, then flicked his hand. A barrier snapped into place around them. Everyone else's sight was cut off.
Inside the barrier, only Song Wanníng and Mu Zixu remained.
"Martial Uncle Mu, what do you think you're doing?" Song Wanníng narrowed her eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.
"Don't tell me you plan to make a move inside the sect? Or are you here to stand up for your precious disciples?"
She folded her arms, showing no fear at the idea of Mu Zixu attacking her out of nowhere.
Mu Zixu's eyes chilled at her words. He had to admit it. Song Wanníng's personality was truly irritating. He didn't like it at all. But Song Wanníng's talent…
Mu Zixu's tense expression loosened slightly. He took the initiative to speak. "Song Wanníng, I can give you a chance to become my disciple. As long as you're willing to bow to me as your Master, I'll take you in. From today on, you'll be my final disciple."
He spoke with arrogance. Even now, he acted like he was bestowing a favor. Too many people wanted to be Mu Zixu's disciple.
Even Song Wanníng had wanted that back then. He was the one who chose someone else, which made her lash out and escalate things to this point. So in his eyes, Song Wanníng should be thrilled to accept. And she should cut ties with Dao Qing completely.
But Song Wanníng stared at him, stunned for a few seconds.
She dug a finger in her ear. "What did you say?"
Had she misheard?
Mu Zixu let out a cold snort. "I'm giving you a chance to acknowledge me as your Master. But you must promise to cut ties with that Dao Qing completely. You can only have me as your Master. As for your Master from the lower region, he can only rank beneath me."
His voice was firm, laced with disdain toward her lower region Master. How could a mere cultivator from the lower region compare to him?
His righteousness and confidence made Song Wanníng burst out laughing.
"Hahaha…" She bent over, hardly able to breathe. Mu Zixu was just too ridiculous.
"What are you laughing at?"
Mu Zixu's expression darkened with anger. But he still held back, telling himself he'd fix Song Wanníng's bad attitude later.
She wiped tears from her eyes, then looked up at him with bewilderment. "Mu Zixu, where in the world did you get the confidence to say something like that?
You're not even qualified to carry my Master's or Senior Dao Qing's shoes. And you think I'd take you as my Master? You sure know how to dream."
Her expression chilled. She didn't care that Mu Zixu looked ready to kill her. Mockery spread across her face. Some words had been stuck in her chest long enough. It felt good to finally let them out.
"Mu Zixu, sure, you're pretty talented. You had a smooth life since childhood. Your only hardship was probably forcing the sect to ascend to the Spirit Region.
But your character is trash. You're petty, narrow-minded, and you can't even tell right from wrong.
You always think the world revolves around you, so you expect everyone to flatter you, indulge you, and treat you like something sacred. And the moment someone goes against you, you want to kill them just to vent."
Song Wanníng didn't bother hiding the killing intent rising within her. She stared at him, her fighting spirit burning.
"I fought Ye Chuxue for that inheritance because I didn't want it to fall into her hands. Did you really think I cared about you?
Heh.
Mu Zixu, you'd better understand something. This world doesn't revolve around you.
You're not qualified to point fingers at everyone else. You're even less qualified to put yourself above them. You should've woken up to reality a long time ago."
Her words burrowed into his ears like a curse.
Mu Zixu's killing intent surged. He had already lowered himself to take Song Wanníng in. Not only did she refuse, she dared insult him?
"Song Wanníng, do you really think a bit of talent lets you act like this? I don't care how talented you are. If you offend the wrong people, you'll never grow at all. Everything will be meaningless in the end."
His eyes grew icy. "I'm giving you this chance because it's a pity you followed Dao Qing. If you insist on this path, don't come begging later."
A flash of unwillingness ran through his mind.
How was he worse than Dao Qing? Why did Song Wanníng choose Dao Qing over him?
Song Wanníng saw all those emotions clearly. A sneer pulled at her lips. "Will I regret this? I don't know. But I do know you're the one regretting things right now."
Cold intent burst in her eyes.
"You don't need to threaten me. You don't get to decide whether I can grow or not. And you, whether it's alchemy or character, will never compare to Senior Dao Qing."
That final sentence ignited Mu Zixu's fury completely. He raised his hand violently, killing intent swallowing him whole. How dare she…
For a moment, he really wanted to kill her at any cost.
But he forced himself calm again. He had fought too hard for everything he had now. Song Wanníng wasn't worth throwing it all away.
He closed his eyes, crushed his anger, then stared at her word by word.
"Song Wanníng, you'll pay the price for today's choice."
One day, he'd prove he was a thousand times stronger than Dao Qing. Song Wanníng would definitely regret her decision today.
But Song Wanníng only met his stare coldly. "I'll be waiting."
She didn't think Mu Zixu would even make it to that day.
He swept his cold gaze over her, then withdrew the barrier. He looked at her one last time and left.
Every disciple he passed felt the rage burning off him and quickly backed away.
Song Wanníng watched his departing figure, killing intent churning in her chest as well. But her wings weren't fully grown yet, so she wasn't in a rush.
Besides, she wanted Mu Zixu to strike first so she could return the blow openly. She wasn't about to let anyone accuse her of murdering a fellow disciple.
…
Back at Alchemy Peak, Song Wanníng rested for two days, then resumed her dull cultivation.
The Hunyuan Heart Scripture had taken her this far. All that remained was repairing her Primordial Soul.
She shut herself inside the training room every day, constantly thinking through the feasibility of the process.
Meanwhile, something major erupted on Mu Zixu's side.
Feng San had been accused by a disciple of forcing himself on a married woman. Someone had directly shattered his heart meridian.