220: Chapter 220 What kind of look was Xiao Nianyin giving me? Was she trying to make a fool of herself?

Lady Qingli's words, which had bloodily laid bare the internal and external troubles before his eyes, were like a cold tide, crashing wave after wave against Xu Ruyu's already chaotic state of mind.

He sat on a bamboo stool, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the rough rim of his cup, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the swaying bamboo shadows in the courtyard.

In his mind, the picture of the desperate situation outlined by Lady Qingli was becoming clearer and heavier.

Outside, powerful enemies lurked, sharpening their blades. Inside, jackals watched, waiting for an Opportunity to devour. He himself was as weak as an infant, standing beneath a crumbling wall.

This situation was more than just a mess; it was a death trap with no chance of survival!

Xu Ruyu felt a massive headache coming on, his temples throbbing uncontrollably.

In his past life, he had been an ordinary person who worked in technology and was a bit of a shut-in. Although he had gained a foothold after his Transmigration by relying on modern knowledge and his brainchild of "Air Cultivation," and had even stumbled upon a great Opportunity by sheer luck, managing a Sect? Dealing with such complex power struggles and survival crises? This was completely beyond his experience and capabilities.

His original idea was very simple, and also very selfish: find a relatively safe place, devote himself to studying the "True Explanation of Taixu Source Energy," improve his strength, and if there was an Opportunity, create some "black technology" to improve his life. Ideally, he wanted to figure out how to return to Earth, or at least live a comfortable and carefree life in this world.

The life or death of the Hehuan Sect? What did that have to do with him, a visitor from another world who had been forced to "marry into the family"?

But now… things were different.

That eccentric, terrifyingly powerful, yet inexplicably close and trusting "Old Ancestor Qingtian," that Little Girl who called him "Xiao Yuer" every other sentence, chased after him to learn "Air Cultivation," and didn't hesitate to brutally beat the past Ancestral Masters of the Hehuan Sect for his sake… It was she who, when everyone wanted him dead, had stood up, used the most unreasonable, absurd, and effective method to forcibly turn everything around, and shoved this Sect Master position onto him.

Although this "gift" was more like a hot potato, and perhaps even a deadly trap, the Little Girl's support and protection were real. She might act erratically, and she might have ulterior motives, but Xu Ruyu could feel that her desire to protect him was not fake.

If he were to shirk his responsibilities and run away just because he was afraid of trouble or feared the difficulties, wouldn't that be failing the Little Girl's good intentions? Wouldn't that make her lose Face in front of all those disciples and grand-disciples?

More importantly… Xu Ruyu's gaze drifted involuntarily toward the figure standing like an ice sculpture in the shadows at the corner of the courtyard—Xiao Nianyin.

She was still keeping her head down, but Xu Ruyu keenly captured the gaze from her ice-blue eyes sweeping over him from beneath her lowered eyelids.

There was no fear, no pleading, and not even much resentment in that look. Instead, it was filled with… cold mockery, a kind of indifference that bordered on schadenfreude.

It was as if it were saying: "Look, this is the Sect Master position you forcibly obtained. A mess that is rotten to the core, a group of jackals with their own ulterior motives, and an impending catastrophe. You, a little Cultivator at the Qi Refinement Stage, what do you have to bear this with? Besides fleeing in disgrace or becoming a stepping stone for others, what other fate could you possibly have?"

This look, like a tiny needle, caught Xu Ruyu off guard and pricked a sensitive and proud corner of his heart.

That was it. In Xiao Nianyin's eyes, he was probably always an ant, an accident, a nuisance. Before, it was because of Old Ancestor Qingtian's might that she had been forced to submit, forced to accept the humiliating status of a "bed-warming maid" and the reality that her cultivation was under a Seal. But deep down, she probably never truly respected him, and might even be looking forward to him breaking down and making a fool of himself under pressure, hoping it would prove that her "failure" wasn't because of her own issues, but because her opponent was too much of a Trash, or simply because of luck?

Was she convinced that he would shrink back due to the predicament before him, be at a loss, and eventually end up a laughingstock or even a sacrifice?

An inexplicable sense of displeasure and anger quietly rose from the bottom of Xu Ruyu's heart. He admitted that he was afraid of trouble, wanted to keep a low profile, and wanted to live a peaceful life. He admitted that his current strength was low and he knew nothing about managing a Sect. He even admitted that the current situation could be described as Hell difficulty. But… this did not mean that he had to admit defeat! To let people look down on him! Especially to be looked down upon by someone like Xiao Nianyin, who was once high and mighty but had now been reduced to a prisoner!

He, Xu Ruyu, was at the very least a Transmigrator from an era of information explosion, who had received higher education and had countless whimsical ideas and scientific theories in his mind! He was the founder of the "True Explanation of Taixu Source Energy," a freak who even made Old Ancestor Qingtian take notice and even "apprentice" under him! A mess of a Hehuan Sect, a group of native Cultivators with ulterior motives, and they wanted to make him retreat without a fight? They wanted to see him make a fool of himself?

To Hell with them! The feeling of being stifled by being looked down upon and underestimated, mixed with gratitude for the Little Girl's protection, and the stubbornness deep within his heart not to be at the mercy of others and not to fail the expectations placed upon him, acted like a catalyst, reacting violently and rising within Xu Ruyu's chest!