Eternal Temptation: Awakening Sinful Desires - Chapter 217

Chapter 217: After all, you are the Heavenly Genius of this generation.
Another young master, who walked with a group of servants behind him, snorted in disdain. “Indeed. If you value your lives, you should know better than to challenge us. Now hurry up and step aside before you regret it!” He said that, and his minions snickered behind him.

This caused the muscular youth’s blood to boil with rage, and he pointed at the arrogant young master and roared, “Who are you calling a loser? You bastard! If you’ve got the guts, then fight me! Or do you need your servants to protect you, coward?!”

As soon as he said this, he swung his hammer with force and smashed it into the ground in front of him, creating cracks on the stone path that extended outward until it reached the feet of the young master who was taunting him. This caused the latter to jump back in alarm as he cried out, “You madman! How dare you attack me?! You are courting death!”

He raised his hand, and his body began to exude a powerful aura that was filled with killing intent. Soon, a sword materialized out of nowhere into his palm, and he pointed it at the muscular youth before shouting, “Prepare to die, scum!”

With those words spoken, the young master dashed forward in a blur and slashed his blade towards the target.

“Hahaha! Bring it on, idiot!” The muscular youth laughed as he raised his hammer, ready to block the incoming strike.

However, before either of them could connect their blows, a stern voice cut through the air like a knife through butter. “What do you fools think you’re doing?! If you can’t behave yourselves, then leave! We don’t need troublemakers causing disturbances at the entrance!” A powerful pressure bore down on them, forcing them to look in its direction.

One of the elders of the sect was hovering in midair with a grim expression etched across his face. His eyes burned with anger, and he glared at the two brawlers with obvious annoyance.

Seeing such a powerful cultivator in front of them made the arrogant young master pale and lower his sword. He stammered, “E-Elder, this fool attacked me first. I was just defending myself.”

The muscular youth wasn’t intimidated by the elder at all. Instead, he looked straight into the latter’s eyes without blinking, not caring about the consequences that might await him later on.

The elder frowned when he saw how fearless and stubborn the youth was, and he shook his head in disapproval. “That may be true, but that doesn’t justify your behavior either! Both of you are responsible for what transpired here today! If you wish to continue participating in the selection trials, then you better learn to control yourselves! I will give you both a warning now, but if I catch either of you causing more trouble, don’t blame me for punishing you both.”

Having finished scolding them, he waved his sleeve, and the two combatants found themselves lifted up from the ground and flung backwards against their will, sending them tumbling down the mountainside. “Now, start climbing the mountain again from the bottom!” The elder hollered as he gave them one last glance before turning towards other people who were watching. “All of you, carry on with the procession and head towards the trial grounds. Anyone caught trying to cause trouble again will not receive another warning.” He stated with authority lacing his voice, which compelled everyone listening to nod their heads in acknowledgment.

Once satisfied, the elder disappeared from view, leaving behind a trail of mist behind him. They all found the spectacle awe-inspiring and made a mental note to themselves not to get into any trouble during the remainder of the journey towards the sect.

Among the group were three young women who watched the scene unfold in front of their eyes. These three women had striking similarities, even though their dress sense varied. However, all of them had beautiful features, which made them stand out among the crowd of cultivators.

“Oh my! I didn’t expect things to become so rowdy on our first day here. Isn’t that exciting?” One of the women remarked with a chuckle while nudging the second woman standing next to her with her elbow. “What do you think, Xueling? Are you excited about the prospect of witnessing such thrilling events during the sect trials?”

The woman she addressed as ‘Xueling’ gave her a blank stare with her cold eyes. “Why should I care what happens to those brutes? It’s not like they have any merit. All they did was waste our precious time. Idiots like them should stay out of the way of real cultivators like us,” she replied with a dismissive tone.

The third woman, who had remained silent till now, spoke up. “Big sister, you shouldn’t judge people based on their actions alone. Not everyone can be as composed and level-headed as you. Sometimes, one’s temper gets the better of them, resulting in irrational decisions being made. Therefore, I think we should give these people the benefit of doubt.”

“Mei’er, as usual, you are wasting your breath on pointless arguments! Let me tell you this: if you wish to survive in this world, you better toughen up and stop thinking about others when they aren’t worth your time or effort! Otherwise, you’ll end up being crushed under someone’s boot without even realizing it.” Xueling stated with her cold voice that could freeze one’s soul.

However, her words failed to faze the other woman, who smiled at her response. “But, Big sister, not everything has to be about survival or competition. What’s the point of living a life without any meaning? Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. If we start discriminating against people because they are different from us, then how are we any better than the people chasing us?” She replied with a warm tone that carried a gentle aura.

Xueling sighed at the naivety of her sister. She was used to such conversations already, so she didn’t bother answering her. Instead, Ling’er intervened, “Okay, okay. Enough of that nonsense already. Let’s focus on getting into the sect first before discussing anything else. We’ll have plenty of time afterward to talk about such trivial matters. Don’t you agree, sisters?” She interjected with a playful tone and a teasing smile.

Both Xueling and Meiling nodded their heads in agreement. Thus, they continued their journey up the mountain in silence, with each of them lost in their own thoughts about the upcoming events.

Meanwhile, far away from where they were located, two figures also witnessed the altercation between the young cultivators and the elder of the Twilight Mist Sect. One of them laughed as he turned towards his companion and said, “Did you see that, Jacob? The Twilight Mist Sect is more tolerant compared to the other sects, isn’t it? It makes sense considering that it welcomes all kinds of talents, regardless of their social background. How would the elders of your Heaven’s Glory Palace have handled the situation if it occurred there?”

Jacob sighed at his friend’s comment and shook his head. “I’m afraid that the outcome of such a confrontation would have been far worse. After all, the elders of my sect value tradition above anything else. If the youngsters don’t behave themselves in accordance with the rules of decorum laid down by the sect since ages ago, then punishment will be swift and severe. They would have been kicked out of the sect and banned from joining again in the future. And that’s if the sect elders felt benevolent. If not, then they would have received much harsher punishments for disrupting the peace. After all, Heaven’s Glory Palace is known for its rigid discipline.”

“Well, that just proves my earlier statement. The Twilight Mist Sect is a good fit for me compared to the rest.” Argon replied as he glanced at Jacob with a smug expression.

Upon listening to his words, Jacob had an envious expression on his face, wishing he could be as relaxed as his friend when it came to matters involving traditions and customs. However, as the heir to the Gray family and the direct disciple of the sect master of Heaven’s Glory Palace, he couldn’t afford to do anything that would tarnish the honor of his lineage.

It’s been like this ever since he was born, with everyone around him expecting great things from him and holding him to an impossible standard. Although he has no complaints about fulfilling his responsibilities, there are times when he wishes he could just be free and enjoy himself without having to worry about what others think of him. However, this isn’t an option for him. If he doesn’t live up to expectations, then he wouldn’t be worthy of the privileges that come with it.

Therefore, he must strive hard and accomplish great deeds to prove his worthiness.

“Well, we’re almost at the summit of this mountain. Once we arrive there, you can register for the trials.” Jacob commented after a short pause, drawing Argon’s attention back to him.

“Indeed. I can already see several people who have a formidable aura. They must be the top talents of the younger generation, and I can’t wait to challenge them.” Argon said with excitement shining in his eyes.

“Haha… They don’t stand a chance against you. After all, you are the Heavenly Genius of this generation.” Jacob chuckled as he glanced at his friend with admiration.

Argon smirked at Jacob’s compliment, although he didn’t say anything further since he didn’t want to appear too arrogant. However, his confidence in his strength was unshaken.