Fairy, don't go! I have a mod.

“This ranking…” he said cautiously.

"How was it calculated?"

Tang Ruoyin looked at him, as if she had expected him to ask this question.

"Do you think only disciples of major sects will be noticed? With Yuantong and Nangong Yue around, the things you did in the secret realm will eventually be found out by the Myriad Realms Library."

“That monk says everything he hears, and Nangong Yue is from the Dihao Royal Court. The Royal Court’s intelligence network is like a leaky pot.”

She paused, then added.

"Besides, after your storybook became popular, Fengxintang has been eyeing you for a long time."

"They couldn't possibly not investigate a young Golden Core cultivator who suddenly appeared in the Eight Desolations."

Mu Tianmiao tossed the booklet back onto the table, her expression somewhat complicated.

Are you happy? Of course I'm happy.

Reaching second place on the Golden Core Ranking is already a well-known achievement, as all Golden Core cultivators in the entire Eight Desolations are only in the top ten.

The second place winner stood at the very top of the top.

His name will be known by countless people, his strength will be recognized by countless people, and even the Immortal Shadow Sect will gain more prestige.

But aren't you guilty?

He looked down at his hands.

These hands once gripped the Flowing Shadow Sword and unleashed that Heavenly Flying Immortal strike.

But that sword intent was given to him by his master, not his own.

If he competed based on his true abilities, where would he rank on the Golden Core Ranking?

second?

Tang Ruoyin observed the changes in his expression but did not expose him.

She simply picked up the jade slip again, registered the name of the next candidate disciple for him, and then said something without looking up.

"If you feel guilty, don't look at the rankings. Focus on your training and strive to be worthy of that position one day."

Mu Tianmiao turned to look at her, but before he could speak, a slight commotion suddenly came from the direction of the mountain gate.

Someone is walking this way.

Chapter 79 Girl, your clothes are a bit ugly...

Mu Tianmiao sensed a fighting spirit.

It wasn't that murderous hostility, but something purer.

It's like a drawn sword pointing at you from afar; the tip hasn't even arrived yet, but its sharpness is already there.

The oppressive feeling emanated from the direction of the mountain gate, passing through the bustling crowd and the noisy din, and locked onto him with unerring accuracy.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

Strangely, despite such a strong fighting spirit, the opponent did not make a direct move.

That imposing aura was steadily contained within a perfectly controlled range, like a sharp blade sheathed in its scabbard...

You know how sharp it is, but it hasn't been drawn.

This is to say hello, not to fight.

Mu Tianmiao turned around.

Then he froze.

A figure was walking through the air.

It was a woman.

Dressed in black, with a long sword with cloud patterns at her waist, her long hair was tied up high, revealing a section of her fair and slender neck.

She neither flew on a sword nor rode any spirit beast; she simply walked step by step through the void, each step causing a faint ripple in the air beneath her feet.

Her face was unadorned, yet her features were already exquisite, with sword-like eyebrows that slanted upwards towards her temples, and starry eyes as clear and cold as frost. Her aura was so aloof that it seemed as if she had stepped down from a snow-capped mountain.

Mu Tianmiao had just seen this face before.

First place.

Ye Jianling.

"Wow!" he blurted out instinctively.

"Beauty!"

Then he paused for a moment and added another sentence.

"Such strong fighting spirit, yet you didn't just cut me down directly, that's really polite."

Tang Ruoyin took a deep breath and glared at him with an expression that seemed to say, "Can't you even tell the situation right?"

Mu Tianmiao was completely unaware.

He was genuinely sighing.

The fighting spirit was so strong that it sent chills down his spine, but the other person didn't actually draw his sword and slash at him; he just stood there steadily in front of him.

What's more, she's so beautiful.

Mu Tianmiao looked at the female sword cultivator in black, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe, finally settling on her collar.

Ye Jianling landed on the ground, his sword intent concealed, and was about to speak.

"girl."

Mu Tianmiao spoke first, her tone as sincere as could be.

"Your clothes... don't quite match."

The words Ye Jianling was about to utter were: "Fight me."

He was forced to choke back his words.

Her lips parted slightly, then closed again, and a rare look of bewilderment appeared between her cold, sharp eyes.

She subconsciously looked down at her clothes.

The black, fitted outfit, with its clean lines and tight cuffs, is the standard attire for sword cultivators in the Myriad Mountains.

She's worn them for so many years, and no one has ever said there's anything wrong with them.

"My...my clothes...don't match?"

She looked up, her tone carrying a sense of bewilderment at being caught off guard and having her rhythm disrupted.

Mu Tianmiao had already stood up from her chair.

He turned to Tang Ruoyin with a bright smile and pointed in the direction of the queue.

"Sister Tang, you go first. I'll go and have a good chat with this young lady!"

Tang Ruoyin looked at him, her lips twitched slightly, but in the end she picked up the jade slip and sat down in the main seat for him.

Mu Tianmiao turned around and waved to Ye Jianling, her face beaming with smiles: "Come on, come on."

Ye Jianling hesitated for a moment.

She had originally come to issue a challenge, but the person in front of her reacted in a way that was completely unexpected.

There was no tension, no wariness, and not even any awe towards her status as the number one on the Golden Core Ranking.

He waved to her with a grin, as if greeting an old friend he had known for many years.

She pursed her lips, but still followed.

The two walked around the spirit-carved stone tablet, through the shade of the ginkgo trees, and until they reached a secluded spot away from the recruitment team.

The crowd queuing behind us gradually disappeared into the shadows of the trees, and the noise subsided.

Ye Jianling stopped, took a deep breath, sorted out his disordered thoughts, and raised his head to speak.

"you……"

"Oh my god!" Mu Tianmiao suddenly clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to her.

"Finally, I don't have to sit there anymore. I sat there all morning, and my butt is numb. Thank you so much for saving my life, heroine. We'll meet again another day!"

After saying that, he turned to leave.

Ye Jianling frowned.

Her reaction was extremely quick; instead of drawing her sword, she grabbed Mu Tianmiao's sleeve.

"You used me?"

Her voice turned cold.

Mu Tianmiao was pulled back by her, paused in his steps, turned around, and still had that bright smile on his face, without the slightest bit of guilt.

"How can this be called exploitation? This is called mutual benefit."

"Each takes what they need?" Ye Jianling frowned even more.

What do I need?

"Do you need me to take a look at this dress and see if there's anything wrong with it?"

Mu Tianmiao said it as a matter of course, and then hesitantly beckoned to her with his finger.

"Ah... come with me."

Ye Jianling stood still.

Looking at Mu Tianmiao's face, which showed no remorse, she couldn't tell whether he was truly carefree or had some other plans.

She hesitated for a moment, then let go of his hand and followed.

He was dressed in impeccable black, and the long sword with cloud patterns at his waist gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

She looked at Mu Tianmiao and suddenly asked, "Are my clothes really that ugly?"

Her tone wasn't like she was questioning, but more like she was confirming something.

Those clear, starry eyes stared straight at Mu Tianmiao, her lips slightly pursed, her expression still cold and stern.

But Mu Tianmiao could clearly read a kind of uncertain concern in her slightly tense jawline.

Mu Tianmiao almost burst out laughing.

"You asked about this?" Mu Tianmiao leaned against the bluestone.

"ugly."

Ye Jianling's expression didn't change much, but the fingers gripping her sword tightened slightly.

"How am I ugly?"

She asked again, her tone still calm, but with a hint of stubbornness that was less noticeable than before.

Even if she is a sword cultivator and doesn't usually care about these things, it's hard for her to remain completely unmoved if someone criticizes her clothes twice in a row, saying they don't match and are ugly.

Mu Tianmiao looked her up and down in her black clothes, shook his head, and spoke with such certainty that it was as if he were stating some irrefutable truth.

"Your uniforms from the Thousand Mountains are really ugly. I don't know what the designer was thinking."

Ye Jianling's lips twitched, wanting to refute but not knowing where to begin.

She has worn this outfit for over a decade, ever since the day she entered the temple, and has never felt there was anything wrong with it.

Black is dirt-resistant, the outfit is sharp and neat, and the tight cuffs won't hinder drawing the sword.

Shouldn't sword cultivators dress like this? Even their master's clothes are pretty much the same...

"Come with me."

Mu Tianmiao jumped down from the bluestone and dusted off his clothes.

"I'll get you a brand new outfit."

Ye Jianling did not move.