125 - I’m Really Not an NPC

"Do you think the Master can win?" a curious new disciple of the Lieyang Sect asked. "Uh..." The question left the other disciples unsure of how to respond. "Well, it might be quite difficult," someone cautiously replied. "It's not entirely impossible, though," another tried to comfort. "Oh!" The new disciple suddenly realized that Yue Ling might not necessarily be a match for the revered and invincible Sect Master! Unable to contain his admiration, he shouted loudly, "The Sect Master is invincible and will surely defeat Yue Ling!" For a moment, everyone around was stunned, their expressions as if they'd seen a ghost. What on earth was this guy doing? Couldn't he understand their subtle way of speaking? Huo Yun, hearing someone shout so loudly, furrowed his brows. As he caught the full context, his face darkened promptly. This idiot fan, what the hell is he shouting for? Isn't he putting me on the spot? Whatever, if he wanted to firmly secure his position as the Sect Master of Lieyang, he needed the support of disciples who admired him. For now, he decided not to bother with it. But before he could calm down, the new disciple suddenly shouted again, "Sect Master, to let heroes across the world witness your magnificent form, I've decided to livestream the whole event!" "..." Everyone was dumbfounded, staring at the excited and animated new disciple, at a loss for words. Zhang Xiaofeng gaped in disbelief, murmuring to himself, "My goodness, how does this guy manage to stir up so much trouble? But, I like it." He paused and couldn't help but chuckle. "Defeat Yue Ling? For Huo Yun to have such blindly loyal followers, I must admit, his way of winning hearts is quite effective." Qing Feng nodded in agreement and said calmly, "But he will soon be disappointed in the Sect Master." "Haha, indeed. Qing Feng, I love how confident you are in Yue Ling!" After speaking, Zhang Xiaofeng quietly glanced towards Yue Ling, his eyes filled with adoration. He hesitated briefly, then resolutely decided, "I'll put away all of Yue Ling's posters later. I must not desecrate my goddess like this!" "As for the repercussions..." Zhang Xiaofeng's expression grew serious as he thought about the recent forum events, secretly rejoicing, "I probably won't even need to lift a finger." I am Huo Yun, and I'm seriously freaking out! Now that this Xuanshen livestream is starting, any mistake is not an option—it's not about losing, but about losing face. Stopping the stream is impossible as well, or it would suggest he was scared. The series of strategic errors before had already dealt a severe blow to his authority as the Sect Master. If anything else went wrong, the consequences would be dire. The pressure was enormous! It seemed he needed to give it his all, to put on a spectacular show, and even in defeat, it should be with grandeur! Even in death, it should be with glory! [Livestream: Yue Ling Challenges the Invincible Sect Master of Lieyang!] "What kind of ridiculous title is this?" "As soon as I saw 'Yue Ling', I rushed in. Wait, is this title for real?" "Yue Ling Defense Squad, reporting No. 331!" "Yue Ling Defense Squad, reporting No. 2018!" "Yue Ling Defense Squad, reporting No. 20181217!" ... "Streamer, sorry to inform you, you're already a goner." "Forget about the Lieyang Sect, just hurry up and watch the goddess!" ... The new disciple joyously watched the skyrocketing viewership in the livestream, thinking to himself, "As expected, the Sect Master is famous across Tianxuan, renowned in Xuanshen. Just putting his name in the title immediately draws so many viewers." Regrettably, he was still a rookie and didn't check the comments—otherwise, he'd probably be planning his escape. [Countdown: 3, 2, 1, Trial begins!] Huo Yun tightened his grip on his long blade, immediately raising his alertness to the max. Even though Yue Ling stood still, every inch of his skin felt like it was pierced by needles. To this day, Yue Ling’s nimble and spirited swordsmanship was deeply engraved in the hearts of every Star Phantom player. The oppressive feeling of potentially being attacked from any angle at any time forced everyone who faced her to remain exceedingly tense, lest they end up dropping dead with a lapse of attention. However, Huo Yun failed to notice the mysterious cosmic expanse that appeared deep in Yue Ling's eyes. Suddenly, Huo Yun's eyes widened in alarm. Before him floated a dense arrangement of deep blue ice needles, reflecting a chilling glow under the sun, all pointed sharply at him. "What is this!" Huo Yun was shocked, yet before he could ponder, an uncountable shower of deep blue ice needles rained down upon him. In panic, Huo Yun hurriedly swung his crimson blade in front of him, colliding with the rain of ice needles in a blink. "Ding ding ding~" Amidst the dense sound reminiscent of rain hitting plantain leaves, Huo Yun felt as though his blade was being assaulted by a thousand-meter waterfall. In less than half a second, his right hand was completely drained of strength, unable to hold the hilt any longer, releasing it from his grasp. In his horrified gaze, the dense ice needles engulfed him, piercing into his body from all directions. "Ah!" Huo Yun screamed in agony, the piercing pain causing him to howl miserably and roll frantically on the ground. However, he didn’t immediately die and respawn; instead, the excruciating pain vanished abruptly, replaced by an unbearably itchy sensation, as if countless insects were crawling inside him. Huo Yun furiously scratched at his body, the intense itch from within unrelenting, causing him to roll and writhe, laughing and crying, snot and tears streaming down his face. The disciples of Lieyang Sect stood in a numbed silence, dumbly staring at the scene before them, collectively speechless. Zhang Xiaofeng, dumbfounded, asked, "What on earth is Huo Yun doing?" All they saw was Yue Ling gently raising her sword, followed by Huo Yun randomly swinging his fiery blade. In less than a second, he flung his own sword away and started rolling on the ground, seemingly mad. They couldn’t even sense a hint of spiritual energy emanating from Yue Ling. There’s no way this could have been her doing, right? "Is the Sect Master...?" "Could he be ill?" "This is..." "Did Yue Ling do something?" "It can't be her, clearly she didn't even use any spiritual energy or release any hidden weapons." "Then what's going on?" "Wait, what is the Sect Master trying to do?" Suddenly, Huo Yun felt an unbearable heat, as though he’d been tossed into a steamer. Within seconds, he was drenched in sweat, his mind already blurred from torment, desperately seeking something to cool down. Ah~ There seemed to be a very cool and soothing presence up ahead! Thus, under the astonished gaze of everyone, Huo Yun suddenly got up from the ground and then, under their shocked eyes, lunged fiercely with a snarling face towards the quietly standing Yue Ling.