Chapter 3: The Beauty and the Beast

“Li Ge, what do you mean by this! Ye Cha became an outer sect disciple entirely through his own efforts, don’t think I don’t know that you all often dump your daily tasks on him, and gang up to bully him!”

Before Ye Cha could speak, Zhou Xiaoyue interrupted.

When the speaking man approached, Zhou Xiaoyue looked at his arrogant demeanor and his face covered in black moles, densely packed like sesame seeds on a steamed bun. Just looking at it made one’s heart ache.

Not to mention his tiny, bean-sized eyes and thick lips.

He was uglier than the ghastly ghosts of the Ghost Cult, truly a sight that polluted the eyes just by looking at him.

Who knows if it was heaven’s favor towards women, but in this world of cultivation where men are scarce, women, whether in strength, appearance, or figure, are all superior.

On the other hand, men are a bit of a mixed bag…

Like Li Ge standing in front of her now, his appearance represented most men in the cultivation world, with only a small fraction being of average looks.

An extremely rare few were above average, and a super rare few were exceptionally handsome!

Ye Cha belonged to that super rare category. Such a handsome and dashing appearance was rare in the cultivation world, barely countable on one hand.

Fortunately, the rules of the Lingtian Sect were strict. As an outer sect disciple, Ye Cha was not subject to the inner sect disciples’ interference, so they couldn’t see such a pleasing sight.

As for the outer sect disciples, many had their eyes on Ye Cha, but under the protection of Zhou Xiaoyue and a few other sisters, and with his status elevated from a servant to an outer sect disciple, Ye Cha had peacefully passed half a year without being overwhelmed by the voracious women.

But now, Zhou Xiaoyue had become an inner sect disciple, and in a few days, after registration, she wouldn’t be able to come here anymore…

This meant she wouldn’t be able to see Ye Cha’s handsome face again, just like the other inner sect disciples.

This wouldn’t do!

If she hadn’t met Ye Cha, Zhou Xiaoyue would have left the Affairs Hall amidst the envious gazes of others, happily living the life of a dedicated inner sect disciple.

But there was no ‘if’…

One look at Ye Cha, and a lifetime was ruined!

No!

Although Ye Cha had the worst five-element roots, it didn’t mean he couldn’t cultivate. Even though he was only in the Qi Condensation stage now, it was only because he lacked resources for cultivation.

Thinking about the sect’s small competition starting in two days, Zhou Xiaoyue didn’t hope to stand out and be chosen by any of the Twelve Peaks’ masters, advancing from an inner sect disciple to an elite disciple.

Instead, she had her eyes on the rewards for the participants: three bottles of Spirit Energy Pills!!!

Whether in the Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment stage, the only pill that wouldn’t harm the meridians at this stage was the Spirit Energy Pill, which had been refined through countless improvements over the millennia, eliminating all its shortcomings.

Unlike a few thousand years ago, when consuming pills led to stagnation in cultivation, causing a group of outstanding cultivators to die of frustration.

Three bottles of Spirit Energy Pills, plus two high-grade spirit stones, and dipping into her savings, she could definitely help Ye Cha reach the Foundation Establishment stage!

Then, they could both become inner sect disciples.

And if they could become partners, that would be even better!

Zhou Xiaoyue silently thought about these things. For Ye Cha, these external matters were insignificant!

Everything, just because Ye Cha was worth it!

“Zhou Xiaoyue? Hmm, it’s been so long since we last saw each other. I thought you had gone to the Beast Realm to search for treasures, trying to please him!”

Li Ge, seeing Zhou Xiaoyue speak up for Ye Cha, instantly scoffed.

Zhou Xiaoyue’s feelings for Ye Cha were known to everyone in the outer sect.

Wasn’t it just because she was captivated by Ye Cha’s good looks?

Her usual attentive and humble attitude was just shy of prostrating herself. It was a shame that Zhou Xiaoyue, with her decent three-element roots, was so bewitched by a man that she neglected her cultivation.

She was likely to never become an inner sect disciple, so what was there to fear from such a woman!

Besides, Ye Cha, that bastard, always thought highly of himself, directly rejecting the advances of other female cultivators. Unlike him, who had ambiguous relationships with multiple female cultivators in the outer sect.

Even if there was a conflict with Zhou Xiaoyue, there would be plenty of female cultivators eager to avenge him!

And among these female cultivators, although a few had decent resources and were kind to him, often sending him small gifts, Li Ge was not satisfied.

He wouldn’t stay in the outer sect forever. Once he went to the inner sect, that would be the hunting ground for his prey!

Now?

It was just a small trial, a preliminary accumulation of experience!

So, even if some female cultivators openly and covertly wanted to have an indecent relationship with him, Li Ge still reluctantly rejected them, saying to wait for later.

After all, strong cultivators had a sense of cleanliness and wouldn’t like men who slept around.

Li Ge believed that with his conditions, becoming a companion to a Nascent Soul cultivator wasn’t impossible.

Everything was possible with effort.

And now, he had to deal with Ye Cha, that little bastard, to prevent other female cultivators in the sect from seeing him.

There were indeed people who were disliked at first sight.

Ye Cha was one of them.

When Li Ge first saw Ye Cha, he had just arrived at Lingtian Sect and stood out among the new recruits, attracting many gazes.

The ink-colored ribbon on his forehead made Ye Cha look as white as jade, with his sword-like brows.

His tall and upright figure only made the women drool, barely able to keep their eyes off Ye Cha.

At first glance, Li Ge immediately categorized this man as someone he disliked, knowing he couldn’t let Ye Cha leave the outer sect safely.

With Ye Cha around, his chances of catching prey would increase by a factor of a few…

Ye Cha’s eye-catching appearance not only made Li Ge dislike him but also the other male cultivators in the outer sect.

They wished Ye Cha would just die and stop bewitching the hearts of the female outer sect disciples.

And when they heard that Ye Cha had been promoted from a servant to an outer sect disciple, Li Ge couldn’t sit still anymore. After discussing with a few other male cultivators, they planned a scheme against Ye Cha.

Now, everything was ready, just waiting for the right moment.

As long as Ye Cha was lured to that place, and they set up a scene of catching him in the act, Ye Cha would have no choice but to silently endure the injustice!

Thinking of this, Li Ge suppressed his excitement and, without further acknowledging Zhou Xiaoyue, spoke to Ye Cha with contempt.

“Ye Cha, I have reported your actions to the Elders. Come with me now!”

****