26: Chapter 26 Am I at the peak of the Innate Realm? Want to try and see?

[You bared your teeth at them, revealing a smile you considered friendly.]

[The crowd retreated another two steps.]

[Xiao Wang yawned, flicked its tiger tail, and looked innocent.]

[Soon, it was your turn.]

[The guards of Yunyang City were clearly experienced and not as easily startled as the soldiers in small towns, but upon seeing your "Beauty and the Beast" combination with Xiao Wang, they still froze for a moment.]

[The young guard leading them took your household registration documents, scanned them casually, and let his gaze linger on your face for a split second longer. His ears turned slightly red before he stamped the documents and handed them back.]

["Go ahead." He cleared his throat and added, "A word of advice, Young Miss: during the Martial Arts Tournament, private fighting is prohibited throughout the prefecture. Violators will be disqualified from the tournament and will spend three months in jail."]

["Many thanks." You took the documents and nodded.]

[The young guard's ears turned even redder as he turned his head to look elsewhere.]

[You took Xiao Wang and entered the city.]

[Yunyang City was more than three times larger than Chengan Prefecture, with a main street wide enough for horses to gallop. Restaurants and teahouses lined both sides, with banners fluttering in the wind. Because the Martial Arts Tournament was approaching, young Martial Artists carrying sabers and swords could be seen everywhere on the streets, gathering in groups of three or five, looking high-spirited.]

[You didn't wander around much and headed straight for the Martial Arts Tournament registration point.]

[The registration point was located at the Martial Arts Square in the east of the city. Before you even got close, you could see the square teeming with people—at least two or three hundred. Some were queuing to register, others were sparring in small groups, and some were leaning against the walls, watching coldly.]

[The moment you stepped into the square, the surrounding noise visibly dropped a notch.]

[Everyone's eyes turned toward you.]

[First, they saw the tiger.]

[A giant, snow-white tiger with black markings on its forehead forming the character "King." It stood nearly four feet at the shoulder, its body sturdy, muscles rolling beneath its fur. Every step it took carried the composure and pressure cultivated in the mountains and forests.]

[Then, they saw the person.]

[Honey-brown skin accentuated features as deep as if carved. A high ponytail revealed a sharp jawline and a slender neck. A hunter's tunic was cinched at the waist, outlining the smooth contours of a narrow waist and long legs. A simple long sword hung at your hip; the scabbard was worn, marking it as a weapon that had truly been used.]

[A beauty paired with a ferocious beast.]

[The impact of this scene was ten times stronger than either one alone.]

[Several young men gathered together, whispering.]

["Did you see that... that girl?"]

["Nonsense, who didn't see her? That figure, that waist... tsk."]

["Look at those legs of hers, so long and straight—"]

["Shut up. Take a look at that thing next to her before you let your imagination run wild. That tiger could bite your head off in one gulp."]

[On the other side, several female Martial Artists gathered, their gazes not nearly as friendly.]

[The leader was a young woman in a goose-yellow dress. She wasn't bad-looking, but her expression right now was as if she had swallowed a fly.]

["Another one," she snorted coldly. "Dressed like that, bringing a beast to strut around the city, acting as if she's afraid people won't notice her, right?"]

[A round-faced woman beside her quickly chimed in, "Exactly, exactly. One look and you can tell she has no real strength; she's just a vixen who only knows how to use her face to seduce men."]

["I've seen plenty of people like this," the woman in the goose-yellow dress pursed her lips. "She's probably not even at the Houtian Middle Stage. She's only coming to the Martial Arts Tournament to find a backer to marry."]

["Sister Zhou is right!"]

[You didn't even glance at them and walked straight to the registration line.]

[The queuing process was not peaceful.]

[Four young men approached you one after another to strike up a conversation.]

[The first one was wearing a brocade robe and introduced himself as a "direct descendant of a branch family of the Yunyang Zhao family" at the Innate Early Stage, asking if you wanted to have tea together.]

[You didn't look at him and said one word: "Scram."]

[Xiao Wang cooperated by baring its teeth at him, its white fangs reflecting in the sunlight.]

[The man in the brocade robe stiffened, let out two dry laughs, and retreated.]

[The second one was more direct, coming up and saying, "I am an Outer Sect Disciple of the Qingya Sect." Before he could finish, Xiao Wang let out a low growl, and he ran away.]

[The third and fourth were much the same; they all came because of your looks, and were all sent packing by a single word from you and a growl from Xiao Wang.]

[The people around began to whisper, saying how stuck-up this woman was, how cold, and so on.]

[You turned a deaf ear to it all and waited quietly.]

[Finally, it was your turn.]

[A woman in her early twenties sat at the registration desk, wearing the uniform of the Yunyang City Martial Arts Administration. She glanced at you—or, to be precise, she glanced at your hunter's tunic—her mouth curling in an almost imperceptible sneer before she withdrew her gaze, picked up a brush, and dipped it in ink.]

["Name."]

["Senior Sister Lin Shuang."]

["Age."]

["Twenty-five."]

["Affiliation."]

["None."]

["Martial cultivation level."]

["Xiantian Peak."]

[The woman's brush paused.]

[She looked up and sized you up from head to toe, her eyes looking as if she were watching an ant claim it could fly.]

["What did you say?"]

["Xiantian Peak." You repeated.]

[The woman put down her brush, leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and a mocking curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.]

["Young Miss, do you know the consequences of falsely reporting your cultivation level?"]

[You looked at her, saying nothing.]

[She held up one finger: "First, a lifetime ban from participating in the Martial Arts Tournament." She held up a second finger: "Second, you will be charged with fraud and imprisoned for half a year." A third finger went up: "Third, your affiliated faction will be implicated and barred from recommending any Disciple to compete for three sessions."]

[After speaking, she tilted her head to look at you, her tone carrying a condescending sense of "kindness": "I advise you to think carefully before you speak. Xiantian Peak at twenty-five? Do you know what that concept means?"]

[You didn't respond.]

["People from small places like yours," she glanced at your household registration documents, a curve forming on her lips, "don't you know what Xiantian Peak means? Our Cheng Prefecture Martial Arts Tournament has been held so many times, and those at Xiantian Peak under the age of thirty can be counted on one hand. The winner of the last tournament was only at the Innate Late Stage. You, a wild girl dressed like a hunter, just open your mouth and claim Xiantian Peak?"]

[She laughed, loudly, as if she had heard the funniest joke of the year.]

["I've been sitting in this position for three years, and I've seen all sorts of tall tales being told, but yours," she gave a thumbs up, "is the loudest."]

[The people around had already gathered.]

[The goose-yellow woman named Zhou Ruoxuan was the first to laugh out loud: "Oh my, I said it, didn't I? A vixen is a vixen after all. Even just registering requires bragging; it's truly hilarious."]

[The round-faced woman joined in the jeering: "Xiantian Peak? Why doesn't she just say she's a Grandmaster?"]

["Exactly, she should go take a piss and look at her own reflection. Is Xiantian Peak something someone like her could reach?"]

[Several men were also watching the excitement nearby; some shook their heads, others snickered.]

[You stood there, the surrounding mocking laughter surging in like a tide.]

[You looked down at Xiao Wang, and Xiao Wang looked up at you; in its amber tiger eyes were four words: Should I bite?]

[You stroked its ears, signaling it to stay still.]

[Then you raised your head, looked at the registration woman, and the corners of your mouth slowly curled up.]

["Am I at Xiantian Peak? Do you want to try me and find out?"]