"Look..." Tang Wu paused, unsure how to address her. "Sister Su?" He gave a questioning look, wondering if he could continue with that form of address.

"For you, it would be Miss Su or Lady Su." Su Wenqing's cute and youthful expression—so often present when she was with Xu Mo—was gone. In its place was her usual cold and indifferent face, making it difficult for others to gauge what she was truly thinking.

"Yes, Lady Su. You seem like a reasonable person, so I will tell you the truth," Tang Wu said. The people behind him immediately glared at him, some even quickly shaking their heads left and right, silently signaling Tang Wu to keep quiet.

"..." Tang Wu nodded toward his sect members, expressing that he had the situation under control.

"When the beast tide arrived, we and Miss Mei were all together. But due to its sudden appearance, we were caught off guard, leading to our separation. Miss Mei and I ran in one direction, while the others went in another. We were both running for our lives. Miss Mei, who was wearing sandals, couldn't handle the rough terrain and ended up falling and injuring her knees. At that time, I was already anxious enough. And because of the loud noise the beast tide was making as it charged through, I didn't hear Miss Mei fall. When I looked back, she was no longer in sight—replaced by the approaching beast tide. I used a transportation talisman given to me by my master and narrowly escaped death." Tang Wu narrated the whole story, but he failed to notice that several points in his version didn't quite add up.

Wei Rong, who was already wrapped in a storm of emotions, rushed toward the place where the beast tide had just passed, his followers trailing behind him.

Su Wenqing merely gave Tang Wu a creepy smirk and walked back the way she had come.

She felt anger toward people like him—youths who thought they were better than the older generation, yet were here making excuses. People like Old Xu were the ones who had truly aged through wisdom. She knew her fate would have been the same had Old Xu decided to run away and save his own life—but he didn't. He turned back and carried her all the way through the beast tide.

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Su Wenqing didn't know whether Mei Xueyin was still alive or not, but what she was certain of was that Tang Wu wouldn't be having an easy time once he left the secret realm—if he managed to get out alive at all.

When she returned, Old Xu was waiting for her in the bushes.

"Now, let's go to the place you mentioned," Xu Mo said, trying to hide his emotions—but he was never very good at that.

"Old Xu, you're okay, right?"

"Yes. What would happen to me?"

"If you say so..."

Su Wenqing and Xu Mo continued their journey to the Nameless Ruin, but the mood between them was far from optimistic.

…

"Senior Tang, you handled the situation pretty well. For a moment, even I was almost fooled—if I hadn't known what truly happened," one of Tang Wu's followers said in a flattering tone.

"I gave her a chance. But she refused to take it," Tang Wu replied as they moved in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Mei Xueyin, who had recovered slightly, explained to Long Chen what had happened after his disappearance and how she had ended up there. Long Chen didn't react much throughout her explanation—except when he heard that Xu Mo had been announced as the True Successor of the Hidden Dragon Sect.

A position that had been vacant for many years—and one he himself had been competing for against the other Core Disciples.

"How could someone so weak be given the position of True Successor?" He had thought Mei Xueyin, proud as she was, would also harbor resentment toward someone who had seemingly come in through the back door. That's what he believed—after all, how else could Xu Mo, with only Qi Condensation Realm strength, secure such a prestigious spot?

"Yeah, you're right, Senior. Only someone like you—who has reached the peak of the Foundation Building Realm—has the right to stand alongside the Saintess. Not someone like Xu Mo." Mei Xueyin had come to understand Long Chen's strength, and he was quite close to breaking through to the Gold Core Realm. If he succeeded inside the secret realm, he would become a king among its inhabitants. A nineteen-year-old Gold Core Realm expert was nearly unheard of. His talent alone would be enough to attract the attention of the supreme sect in the region—Verdant Sky Hall.

In one sentence, she had shown her reverence for Long Chen, flattered his vanity, and openly referred to the True Successor by name—demonstrating just how much disregard she held for Xu Mo.

The Master in the Ring had long seen through Mei Xueyin's lies. But the Master also knew of Long Chen's lecherous nature. He couldn't blame a girl for doing what she had to do to protect herself.

Mei Xueyin didn't feel it was disrespectful, since Xu Mo had been her friend long before he became the sect's True Successor. And Xu Mo himself didn't mind, so why should she? What she admired about him was his ability to maintain and set clear boundaries. Many had assumed Xu Mo would become arrogant as soon as he was named True Successor—but he remained humble. The only difference was that his walk now carried just a bit more confidence than before.

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