<h4>Chapter 176 Ch-176: Outside of the Secret Realm </h4>


    ?Outside the secret realm, in a location far from the original site, the sky was dark, and heavy rain poured down.


    ROAR


    A few beasts red at each other with bloodshot eyes, as if they wanted to tear each other apart. The next second, they rushed towards each other with mouths open, baring sharp fangs, and drool leaking from their mouths. However, before they coulde in close range with each other, two figures suddenly appeared in the middle of their rush. The beasts got angry and wanted to tear the figures, but the next second, they fled in fear without looking back, sensing that their cultivation was much higher than their own. The two figures were Hui Mei and Tang Ning, who got teleported out of the secret realm.


    "Huh, where are we?" Tang Ning asked, struggling to maintain her bnce as dizziness set in from the sudden teleportation.


    "Looks like we''ve been teleported to some unknown ce, but I recognize it. It''s not too far from the Heavenly Sword Sect," Hui Mei remarked, surveying the surroundings. Initially on high alert during the teleportation, her guard lessened as she noticed some weaker creatures in the vicinity. Her vignce disappearedpletely when she recognized the familiar surroundings.


    "Oh," Tang Ning nodded in acknowledgment as she recognized the ce, but she noticed a disappointed look on her master''s face.


    "Master, is something on your mind?" Tang Ning inquired, noting the thoughtful expression on Hui Mei''s face.


    "Oh, no. I was just thinking about Wang Ming," Hui Mei replied with a sigh.


    "Master, did you really intend for him to join as your personal disciple?" Tang Ning asked with a hint of difort in her voice. She was aware that her master could ept more disciples, but the idea still made her feel uneasy.


    "Indeed," Hui Mei replied with another sigh, causing Tang Ning to panic slightly. She hastily voiced her own opinion.


    "But, Master, he''s a Dual Cultivator. I doubt he''ll join," Tang Ning remarked. She understood her master''s desire to have him join, recognizing the potential boost to the sect''s reputation and strength with such a talented sword cultivator. Despite feeling a twinge of jealousy and reluctance, she couldn''t deny the advantages. However, she doubted that a Dual Cultivator would forsake his own pleasures to join their sect.


    "Even though he''s a Dual Cultivator, he''s a talented sword cultivator. I nned to offer some female disciples who would be willing to Dual cultivate with him," Hui Mei exined. She was aware that many female disciples would eagerly take up the opportunity, as it would not only enhance their cultivation but also involve Dual Cultivation with the handsome Wang Ming.


    "Moreover, I''ve already abandoned the idea of taking him as a personal disciple," Hui Mei teased, noticing the downcast look on Tang Ning''s face. She could easily discern her disciple''s thoughts. Tang Ning, hearing this, shot Hui Mei a puzzled look.


    "You''re not? I don''t see any other chance, and I can''t imagine you joining as a regr disciple either," Tang Ning replied. Despite her reluctance to admit it, she believed Wang Ming deserved the prestigious position as the personal disciple of the sect master. Even with the tempting offer of dual cultivation, she doubted her ability to convince Wang Ming to join as a regr disciple. Offering him an ordinary disciple position seemed more absurd.


    "Hmm, I was considering offering myself. If I became his partner, even if he didn''t join the sect, he''d surely help his Dao Companion, wouldn''t he?" Hui Mei remarked with a smirk. Confident in her own beauty, she doubted Wang Ming would reject her. She knew that many males both within and outside the sect would leer at her. She believed she could acquire powerful sword techniques, even if Wang Ming didn''t share the ones she sensed at the treasure pagoda. In this world, it''smon for females to offer themselves for mutual benefits with the opposite sex in exchange for favors, and it''s not frowned upon; males do the same.


    Tang Ning, upon hearing this, had her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide with disbelief. A brief silence ensued as Tang Ning tried to process her thoughts, which became jumbled due to Hui Mei''s unexpected words.


    "What, Master? What are you saying? Is your old age catching up to you?" Tang Ning eximed loudly, causing Hui Mei''s eyebrows to twitch a bit.


    "Brat, who are you calling old? Do you want my special training?" Hui Mei retorted, her tone challenging, and a mischievous smirk formed on her face as she looked at Tang Ning.


    "No, sorry, Master. You''re not old. I''m old. Please, no special training," Tang Ning replied, her body shuddering in horror. She vividly remembered that Hui Mei''s special training was more like torture in the name of training, and she had experienced it firsthand when she mistakenly called her master old before.


    "Hmph," Hui Mei snorted, finding amusement in Tang Ning''s frightened expression. Tang Ning breathed a sigh of relief when she realized her master wasn''t angry.


    "But, Master, are you seriously considering him to be your partner?" Tang Ning asked curiously.


    "Yes. Now, let''s return to the sect. I''m confident we''ll encounter him again in the tournament," Hui Mei said, prompting Tang Ning to nod with aplicated expression before departing towards their sect.


    The ck Bamboo Kingdom, Royal Pce


    At the entrance of the pce, numerous guards patrolled the area, adorned with powerful defensive artifacts and wielding high-cultivation weapons.


    "Hey, have you heard about the recentmotion in the royal pce?" one guard whispered to another beside him.


    "Hmm, are you talking about themotion rted to Princess Wu Jing?" the other guard responded in a barely audible voice.


    "Yes, the king almost went crazy when he found out the life token of Princess Wu Jing''s bodyguard shattered. I was present at that time when the king waspletely panicked and enraged," the guard shared, his body trembling as he recalled the king''s berserk killing intent.


    "Who did they encounter that such an expert died?" asked the other guard in curiosity, ignoring the trembling guard beside him.


    "Even the king does not know. How do you expect me to know? But the king has sent spies and an army to the location where the token shattered," the guard exined, shaking his head.


    "Maybe she died?" suggested the other guard, causing the guard standing beside him to pale in fright.


    "Idiot, don''t talk nonsense. If someone hears this, our heads will roll down," he warned, and the other guard covered his mouth as cold sweat dripped from his forehead.


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, a figure materialized in front of them, causing the guards to startle. They promptly raised their weapons toward the intruder.


    "Who''s there? How dare you teleport here! This is the royal pce. Don''t you know the consequences? Do you want to die?" the guards shouted. Their eyes widened in shock when they saw the person who had arrived.


    "Princess Wu Jing!" they eximed, narrowing their eyes as they noticed cuts on her body.


    "Princess, are you alright?" asked one guard as they rushed towards her, wanting to help her get up. However, she pped his hands away.


    "Don''t casually touch me," Wu Jing said with a cold re. The guards shuddered and hastily bowed their heads.


    Wu Jing was surprised that the secret realm had directly transported her to the royal pce, which brought her relief. This turn of events was unexpected. She regarded the guards with more coldness than usual, having experienced betrayal from her most loyal guards and subordinates.


    "Sigh, I have to get stronger, and I''ll have to inform Father about Wang Ming," Wu Jing thought to herself. Realizing she couldn''t rely on others for her safety, she decided to focus on increasing her own cultivation. She intended to tell her father about Wang Ming''s talent, choosing not to mention the recording. There was a chance Wang Ming might leak it, and moreover, her mindset had shifted, considering Wang Ming a potential match. She had never seen someone as talented as Wang Ming in her entire life, and moreover a veil of mystery surrounded Wang Ming as he possed such powerful techniques that she never saw in her life, he venpleted all hundred floors of the treasure pagoda that no one seeded, listing all the achievement andparing to her pursuers, the other men looked trash in her eyes


    "Hmm, I''ll meet youter at the tournament," Wu Jing mumbled with a smirk. Her face flushed as she rubbed her butt as she remembered the spanking she received, her face froze as realization hit her that she had awakened a new fetish, a reaction the guards noticed but chose not to dwell on for more than a few seconds orment on.


    "Move out of the way; I need to meet my father," Wu Jingmanded, and the guards hurriedly cleared her path as she went inside the pce.