Chapter 963 - I Became a Villainess and Was Pestered by Beautiful Girls

The training of the Light Clan was extremely arduous. Wearing the restraint gear felt like carrying a mountain on one's back, unbearably uncomfortable. In such conditions, one still had to fend off the elders' attacks and learn the so-called "Ancient Body Techniques." However, Tang Xin, having once undergone secluded training with Senior Xinghong, considered this level of hardship to be quite normal now. Moreover, during this process, she discovered that her strength was continuously improving. She was already at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, and theoretically, without a breakthrough, it was impossible to further refine her strength. Yet, the Ancient Body Techniques taught by the Light Clan elders seemed capable of truly "pushing one's limits." "Umph—Aha!" With her left hand, Tang Xin repelled the Grand Elder, kicked another sparring partner away with her right leg, and with a forward headbutt, blocked the last one. This was inestimably stronger than merely taking hits from three people when she first started. "How do you feel?" Grand Elder Guang Meng asked. Tang Xin slowly lifted her arm and gave a thumbs up. "Actually, if you had the time, you should train for three to five years," the Grand Elder said. "But I guess you can't wait that long, so let's call it here." Szzz— The restraints detached piece by piece from their connections. Tang Xin removed her helmet and took a deep breath of fresh air. "Phew—everything about this is good, it's just a bit hot to wear." "You can continue to practice the Ancient Body Techniques we taught you," Guang Meng reminded her. "Though it's not very powerful, it has considerable benefits for strengthening the body and improving health." The Grand Elder took Tang Xin back to the high tower, all the way to the "Path of Light" made of crystal leading to the top of the tower. Merely looking at this "path" evoked an inexplicable sense of tension in one's heart. "How many people in the Light Clan have successfully reached the top of the tower?" Tang Xin asked. "All elders with voting rights have made it through," Guang Meng replied. In other words, out of the vast Light Clan, only a dozen or so people had completed the challenge... Tang Xin took a deep breath and nodded to the Grand Elder in gratitude. Then, she stepped forward into the test area. Upon entering, the bracelet on her wrist emitted a glaring red light, indicating that the energy level had reached a dangerous value. "Be calm, breathe deeply." Tang Xin, unflustered, walked on the crystal path, letting the light shine upon her without reacting. Inside the high tower, the Heart of Light's energy changed nature far more rapidly compared to the outside. If one became impatient, the energy would become hotter; if overly cautious, the energy's intensity would increase. In short, it would do everything in its power to test the intruder. Relying on her physique and recent adaptation to the Heart of Light's energy, she could still bear the physical pressure. However, as she walked, Tang Xin felt that the scenery before her eyes seemed strangely unfamiliar. A dim land, a burning sky, an unpleasant smell, piercing wails... Tang Xin was aware these were all illusions. Yet, she didn't quite understand why these illusions were appearing. Was her inner darkness truly about "destroying the world"? But she didn't want to do that, did she? What good would destroying the world do? If she destroyed it, where would she and her girls live their cheeky lives? 【This is not the 'evil' you 'hope' for, but the 'evil' the Heart of Light believes you possess.】 "Who? Who's talking? Why is it showing up in subtitles?" Before Tang Xin's eyes, a line of text suddenly appeared, accompanied by a young girl's narrating voice. And she could tell, this had nothing to do with the system... after all, the system never had "narration." 【I am the spirit of the divine artifact, or rather, the nascent form of a divine artifact's spirit.】 "Do you have to communicate in this format?" Tang Xin took out her broom and felt around it, discovering that indeed, inside it, there was a tiny ball of extremely mysterious energy expanding and contracting. High-level "artifacts" had the potential to birth "artifact spirits." But it was a random event, not every semi-divine artifact would necessarily develop an artifact spirit. 【The Heart of Light believes you to carry this kind of 'evil' potential and will prevent you from getting any closer.】 "What do I do then?" Tang Xin inquired. 【This world force, devoid of will, only acknowledges absolutes. You need to completely isolate your 'evil'.】 "Completely isolate it?" Tang Xin failed to grasp the meaning of the divine artifact's spirit. 【The two forces within you are mixed, which is not good. If you wish to further strengthen your 'original power' you will sooner or later have to isolate the other force.】 "Are you talking about the forces of the righteous and demonic paths?" Indeed, in her righteous form, she could use demonic power, though not to its fullest extent. So, this situation could limit the development of her righteous form? 【As you rise in power, the fundamental conflict between these two forces will become increasingly apparent.】 "What would happen if I forcefully cultivated?" Tang Xin was curious. 【You would accomplish nothing. Stuck at a bottleneck, indistinguishable from the masses.】 "How do you know this?" 【Because I possess two different forces. But I am a divine artifact; I don't need to cultivate myself, so it's not a problem.】 "Alright then." Tang Xin could feel that the artifact spirit wasn't deceiving her. Though she had never performed a blood oath or similar rituals, there was a special connection between a master and a divine artifact, especially since this was an artifact she had crafted by hand. "How do I isolate the demonic power?" 【You should know how.】 After contemplating seriously for a while, Tang Xin's brows unfurled. The source of her demonic power was her second dantian, to completely isolate it meant to concentrate the power there and "seal" it. Of course, sealing it didn't mean she would never use it again, but rather to apply a special lock to it. For instance, it could only be opened when transforming into her demonic form. These were things she could naturally achieve, without needing to learn. Tang Xin closed her eyes and performed a hand seal. With strands of demonic qi appearing in her dantian, her hair tips turned slightly white. "Seal the Demonic." The whitening was but a moment, almost like an illusion. When Tang Xin reopened her eyes, everything returned to normal. Inwardly looking, even she could no longer sense a trace of demonic qi. Had she not known her own situation, she might have doubted whether she was entirely a "righteous and stern Senior Sister"... With the demonic power sealed, the illusions before Tang Xin vanished altogether. Even the light from the Heart of Light became gentle, as if enjoying the spring sunshine, comfortable and relaxing. Tang Xin quickened her pace, running on the crystal path, and quickly, the Heart of Light's several meters radius appeared before her. Also appearing, was the thoroughly shocked Grand Elder Guang Meng. "Do you really have not a single bit of evil in your heart?!"