"Hey, is that how you talk to people?!" Before Crying Fish had the chance to flare up, the woman accompanying her took the opportunity to angrily rebuke Shen Jingbin.
Shen Jingbin cast a sidelong glance in her direction before proceeding to ignore her.
Crying Fish stuck out her hand to restrain her companion. Then, she turned to Shen Jingbin, but her gaze was still focused on Quiet And Steadfast who she could see out of the corner of her eye. "My friendâs a little impetuous. I mean you no ill will and us running into you was a mere coincidence."
"No worries. Happening to run into us or not is of no consequence."
"Our purpose today was to look for the Sect Leader of the Nymphs. What are you guys here for?"
"What does it have to do with you?" Shen Jingchen rudely replied.
Unable to bear with the treatment they were receiving any longer, Crying Fishâs companion spoke up. "Whyâre all of you so rude? Were your gentlemanly manners fed to dogs?"
"Mm, they were eaten up by you guys," Quiet And Steadfast unexpectedly cut in.
"You...!"
"Quiet And Steadfast, donât be like this. We were... we were just trying to..." Whenever Crying Fish encountered Quiet And Steadfast, her brain would automatically swap over to its stupid mode, and result in her stumbling over her words.
"Brother Dawn, weâre heading over to Hidden Eye Abyss to hunt Echo Bats," Before she had the chance to finish speaking, Crying Fish was abruptly interrupted by Leisurely Viewing Nanshan whoâd come running out of the Sect Leaderâs residence.
"Eh? There are other people here as well?" Leisurely Viewing Nanshan froze for a moment when she saw Crying Fish before eyeing her curiously.
"We donât know them. Hidden Eye Abyss, was it? Letâs head over there now then."
He then proceeded to lead Leisurely Viewing Nanshan away with Shen Jingbin and Quiet And Steadfast trailing behind them, leaving Crying Fish and her companions behind.
"Quiet And Steadfastâs being too much! Youâve liked him for so long, but he hasnât even spared a glance at you. Forget responding to your feelings, heâs even treating you like this!" Crying Fishâs companion indignantly said.
Troubled by her relationship with Quiet And Steadfast, Crying Fishâs expression turned cloudy. A long while passed before she finally said, "This isnât the first time heâs done such a thing, so whatâre you kicking up a fuss for? Letâs just bide our time for now. Once I become the Lead Disciple of the Nymphs, itâll only be a matter of time before he falls for me... Alright, letâs head inside."
With that, she led her companions into the Nymph Sect Leaderâs residence.
At this time, Shen Jingbinâs party had just reached Hidden Eye Abyss.
Hidden Eye Abyss was a place that almost never saw the light of day. It was a dark and damp locale, with Echo Bats being a specific monster that thrived in such conditions. Coming in at Level 118, they werenât particularly difficult to beat. However, they always appeared in a colony, making them incredibly annoying to deal with.
Leisurely Viewing Nanshanâs quest was for her to hunt down two hundred Echo Bats. While two hundred might sound like a large number, with the presence of three experts in their party, the task only took several minutes for them to complete. Once done, the party hurriedly made their way back to the Sect Leaderâs residence.
When they returned, they spotted Crying Fishâs companions hanging around the Sect Leaderâs courtyard. Crying Fish herself was nowhere to be seen, and they guessed that she was probably still in the midst of having an audience with the Sect Leader.
Ignoring the woman who was intensely staring at him with wide eyes, Shen Jingchen patted Leisurely Viewing Nanshan on the shoulder, indicating that she neednât bother with anything and should just focus on going inside to hand in her quest.
Leisurely Viewing Nanshan obediently nodded and jogged into the Sect Leaderâs residence. Along the way, one of the women intentionally knocked into her. She stumbled a little before she cast an aggrieved look at the woman in question. But in the end, Leisurely Viewing Nanshan put the matter aside and wordlessly walked into the residence.
"Tch, useless," Said the woman disdainfully in a low tone.
Her companions tugged at her clothes, hinting for her to be less brazen. After all, Shen Jingchen and Quiet And Steadfast were just outside.
The woman cast an indignant gaze at the three people standing outside. To her frustration, they didnât even spare her a glance, and she angrily stomped her foot down on the ground.
But, what she didnât know was that, with Shen Jingchen leading the discussion, the three of them were talking about how to take care of the woman once she stepped out of the Nymph Abode.
While the two groups were waiting for their respective party members, all disciples of the Nymph Abode suddenly received a piece of news that stirred their hearts.
All players from the Nymph Abode that were online received an invitation from their Sect Leader at the same time to âBattle for the Position of Lead Discipleâ.
[Guild] Slight Chill: I received an invitation to battle for the position of Lead Disciple of the Nymphs! Did anyone else receive it?!
[Guild] Eight National Treasures: I got one too! I got one too! What the f*ck is going on?
[Guild] Lingering White Clouds: I received one too +1.
[Guild] Gentle Flower: Same here +2.
All of the Nymphs within Jade Sea Pavilion popped out and indicated that theyâd received an invitation as well. After a moment of stunned silence, they began guessing what had led to this.
Shen Jingchen, who was whiling the time away, noticed what was going on in the guild chat the instant it became active, and immediately informed the two people beside him. When they heard the news, Shen Jingbin and Quiet And Steadfast hurriedly checked their guild chat.
Bronze Tree was also abuzz with activity as a result of the Sect Leaderâs invitation.
[Guild] Black Kite: Wtfwtf! Did any of you receive an invitation? ï¼ÎÎÎï¼ï¼ï¼
[Guild] Cheshire Cat: I received it. It wasnât just me; my Nymph friends got them as well.
[Guild] The Winds Of Ximen: Whatâs happening?
[Guild] Black Kite: I suddenly received a letter from my Sect Leader with an invitation in it. Itâs an invitation to participate in a battle to become the Lead Disciple of the Nymphs!
[Guild] Little Tadpole: Sister Black Kite, Iâve got bad news for you: I got one as well.
Little Tadpole was the lowest leveled Nymph in the guild.
[Guild] Black Kite: ...
[Guild] Delicate Flower: Ahahahaha!
[Guild] Cheshire Cat: Haha.
[Guild] The Winds Of Ximen: Hahahahaha. Rofl.
[Guild] Black Kite: ... Stop laughing, you bunch of beasts! Sobsobsob, someone tell me whatâs going on!
[Guild] Nutjob: Dawn, Quiet And Steadfast, and I are helping a Nymph out with her hidden quest. Her quest was probably what triggered it. Iâm guessing that all of the Nymphs have received an invitation.
[Guild] Pure Crane: A grand melee within the sect?
[Guild] Nutjob: We canât say for sure at the moment.
[Guild] Pure Crane: Since thatâs the case, all of the Nymphs whoâve received an invitation are to gather at the Nymph Abode. Letâs have a look at whatâs going on.
Chapter 294: An Invitation From The Sect Leader (2)
Since Pure Crane was taking charge of things, Shen Jingbin closed up the guild chat. At this time, Leisurely Viewing Nanshan had finally come running out of the Sect Leaderâs residence with a broad smile on her face. Following behind her was Crying Fish who also wore an ecstatic smile on her face.
"Brother Dawn, Iâve completed my quest! I received lots of Experience, gold coins, and was even named the change for some thingy! Do you know what Iâm supposed to be the judge of, Brother Dawn? Does the Swordmaster Pavilion have something like this?" Asked Leisurely Viewing Nanshan as she happily skipped over.
Shen Jingbin and company exchanged glances with one another.
"Nanshan, youâre a judge now? Did it talk about anything thatâs happening now?"
"Eh? You guys donât have anything like this in your sects? My Sect Leader said that there are many outstanding talents in our sect, but weâre currently in a something-something state of crisis, so we need a leader. He decided to use the most common method of having a sect competition to select the Lead Disciple. He also told me that after many rounds of testing, he found that I met all of the requirements to be a judge, so he appointed me as one to oversee the competition."
"What rights do you have?" Quiet And Steadfast asked.
Leisurely Viewing Nanshan looked at her control panel and said, "My description says that I have to oversee the competition and determine whether anyoneâs throwing their matches. If they are, Iâm to disqualify those that are guilty of cheating. Also, I have the final say when it comes to the rules."
Shen Jingbin and companyâs eyes lit up when they heard the latter half of what she said.
That also meant that the decision on who becomes the Nymph Abodeâs Lead Disciple largely rests on Leisurely Viewing Nanshanâs shoulders! If thatâs the case, didnât that mean they didnât have to worry about it falling into Crying Fishâs or some other random personâs hands?
Quiet And Steadfast shot a glance at Shen Jingchen, who immediately understood what was going on. So, after gently taking hold of Leisurely Viewing Nanshanâs shoulders, he pulled her over to the side in an attempt to sweet talk her.
Quiet And Steadfast allowed the elite Nymphs in Jade Sea Pavilion to pull out their best equipment, allowing them to enter the competition in the best possible state.
If nothing unexpected were to happen, then the position of Lead Disciple would likely end up in the hands of his guild!
"Fish, Fish! You received one as well, right?! That invitation!" There were also some Nymphs whoâd gone with Crying Fish on her trip to the Nymph Abode but hadnât accompanied her inside. When they spotted her, they revealed looks of elation on their faces and surged up to question her.
"Fish, did the Sect Leader give you any preferential treatment when you went in?"
Crying Fishâs gaze swept past Quiet And Steadfast, who was standing outside and had his back towards her; her sight landing on the little Nymph that had been pulled aside by Shen Jingchen. Although she didnât know what the Sect Leader had said to that Nymph, she could say with certainty that she, Crying Fish, had obtained a considerable advantage! With this advantage, securing the position of Lead Disciple would be a cinch!
Due to her high Luck, she had a sufficient amount of reputation with the NPCs in the sect. Sheâd also accumulated a significant amount of Contribution Points. All she needed to do was ask, and the Sect Leader had divulged plenty of inside information regarding the competition to her.
For example, the competition would begin the next day at seven in the morning and would last all the way until eight at night. Once players had confirmed that theyâd be participating, they werenât allowed to take any breaks till it was over. The competition was slated to take place at two battlegrounds, and each location was playing host to a battle of attrition. The last man standing in each battlefield would then proceed to the final round where the winner would be decided.
However, she, on the other hand, had been seeded directly into the finals!
During the finals, sheâd have the absolute advantage when facing two other opponents whoâd be both physically and mentally exhausted!
Whatever preferential treatment that the little Nymph had received was nothing to be afraid of!
When she thought of this, Crying Fish couldnât hold back the joy that was threatening to break free from within, and she returned her gaze to Quiet And Steadfastâs back. It was a scorching gaze filled with desire, and it was almost as if sheâd already become the Lead Disciple of the Nymphs.
"Did I receive any preferential treatment? Hehe, I received lots of it... just wait and see. The position of Lead Disciple will definitely be mine!" Said Crying Fish as she gave her companions a determined smile.
At that time, Shen Jingbin happened to turn back and saw Crying Fishâs smile, and she felt a sense of foreboding run down her spine. She tugged at Quiet And Steadfastâs sleeve and gestured for him to lower his head before she whispered into his ear, "Somethingâs not right with Quarrelsome Fish; she probably got her hands on some secret information when she was inside. Tell the members of Jade Sea Pavilion to be careful."
Quiet And Steadfast looked in Crying Fishâs direction when heâd heard what Shen Jingbin had said. His expression darkening when he caught sight of Crying Fishâs lingering smile.