I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

Han Qing Sect

Among the three great dynasties, the overall strength of the Great Ming Dynasty ranks first, with three ancestors in the Void Realm in the court. The Great Luo Dynasty has two, while the weakest is the Great Zhou Dynasty, which has only one Void Turtle.

In terms of prosperity, the Great Ming Dynasty borders the Central Continent, naturally enjoying economic prosperity and a wealth of talent. However, due to the infamous desolate land to the north, which is often plagued by evil spirits and monsters, disasters frequently occur.

The flying ship of Tianluo Sect came from the south, so it naturally did not see any desolate land, but it did spot ships from other sects.

Han Qing Sect, one of the top sects in the Eastern Continent, had their ship approach this way, flying alongside Tianluo Sect. Then, several powerful cultivators stepped through the air to greet Liang Mengchao and the others.

“Did you encounter any attacks from the demon race on your way here?” Having participated in so many joint competitions, even if the strong from different sects were not familiar with each other, they had seen each other a few times and recognized one another. Liang Mengchao’s attitude towards Ye Yong was not very good, but he was a hearty man in public, and others liked to befriend him.

“No, why? Did you encounter something?” The strong from Han Qing Sect were quite puzzled. A massive human flying ship, unless in extremely dangerous places like the desolate land, would not be approached by any demon or evil spirit. Moreover, with the “Peace Treaty between Humans and Demons,” an attack on a sect’s flying ship by demons was even less likely to happen.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly an attack. The other party was a lone demon, seemingly probing our strength.” Since it involved the demon race, this was not a secret. Mentioning it served to remind their human compatriots, which was better.

“That’s strange. Why would they do that? Don’t they fear exposure of their identity, risking a breach of the treaty and punishment from the demon race’s holy ones?”

Without any clues, the strong ones did not delve deeper into the discussion, merely expressing their opinions briefly before moving on to the true purpose of their visit.

“That one over there is your ace new disciple, Ye Yong, right?”

“Remarkable appearance, reminiscent of my own glory days.”

—

“Not bad, not bad, just a tiny bit worse than when I was young.”

Although there were many disciples on the deck, Ye Yong stood out like a spotlight in the darkness, making it nearly impossible for him to go unnoticed.

The strong members of Tianluo Sect watched coldly, and even Liang Mengchao, who had a grudge against Ye Yong, felt that these old fellows were shameless.

On the side of the Hanqing Sect’s ship, the railing was crowded with disciples, all peering to see who Ye Yong was.

After all, compared to ordinary prodigies, Ye Yong was far too famous. Since joining the sect, he had repeatedly made headlines. With his dual talents in music and painting, and his literary gifts, he had showcased the “Yin-Yang Dual Sword” in competitions among his peers. Especially with his recent poem, “A Great Task is Bestowed Upon This Person,” which had spread throughout the Eastern Continent, it had reached the ears of even the poorest cultivators, resonating like thunder and striking deep into their souls—a perfect motivational piece.

I may not have a background now, but this is a trial given to me by heaven. Once I rise to prominence, I will be my own background.

A good timeless couplet can stir the hearts of people. Some smaller sects even use this poem as a doctrine to inspire their disciples to work hard in their cultivation.

“Shall we go over and have a few words with him? You don’t mind, do you?” a strong member of the Hanqing Sect asked.

“No way. The competition is imminent. What if your conversation affects his state of mind and leads to a loss in the contest?” a Tianluo Sect strongman coldly refused.

“Come on, you’re all from major sects. How could you possibly do something like that?”

“Perhaps you are unintentional, but who knows? Haven’t you heard that unintentional words can hurt the most? If there’s anything, you can tell us, and we’ll help relay it.”

“Actually, it’s nothing much. We just want him to visit our ship and interact with our disciples.”

They had just arrived at the boundary of the Daming Dynasty, and there was still at least half a day’s journey to Buhong Sect. Although there were two days after reaching their destination for the young disciples to make friends, with dozens of major sects and hundreds of smaller ones, there were so many disciples, and Ye Yong was just one. Even if he wanted to speak to each person, two days wouldn’t be enough. It would be better to take this opportunity to let the Hanqing Sect disciples get to know Ye Yong in advance.

The Hanqing Sect members were quite perceptive; they understood that their prodigies would feel competitive towards Ye Yong, but that was exactly why they should interact more. After all, young people need to experience setbacks occasionally to grow faster. Moreover, they were genuinely curious if Ye Yong was really as extraordinary as the rumors suggested.

The strong members of Tianluo Sect exchanged glances. Those who could join the joint competition were elite disciples, likely to become high-ranking members of their sect in the future. Letting Ye Yong interact with them wouldn’t be a bad thing. Of course, they couldn’t consider only Ye Yong; other disciples also needed connections and opportunities to expand their networks.

Soon, a bridge was established between the two sects’ ships, allowing disciples to socialize and move back and forth.

Compared to Tianluo Sect, the disciples of Hanqing Sect were clearly much more enthusiastic. As soon as the bridge was set up, a group of young female cultivators rushed over, surrounding Ye Yong as if they were admiring some rare animal.

Ye Yong felt quite speechless. People have a herd mentality; if it were just one or two, the others would surely hesitate, but when the crowd grew, it was different. The gazes of the female cultivators were quite unrestrained, as if they wanted to see through him completely.

Some who recognized Liang Xiaorou saw her sitting next to Ye Yong, trying to get close, but Liang Xiaorou didn’t seem interested in engaging.

“Young Master Ye, may I ask you…” When one person mustered the courage to speak to Ye Yong, the others quickly followed suit. Ye Yong felt like a popular star holding a press conference, with reporters clamoring to ask questions, making it impossible to hear who was saying what.