Chapter Ninety-Nine: Born with Envy

The crowd below erupted once again. Almost every new participant received the same jeers, yet the so-called master of the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion remained seated at the highest point in the hall, watching everything unfold with apparent indifference, making no move to intervene.

As if sensing Yunsi's gaze, Wenshi Ming looked in her direction. Startled, she quickly averted her eyes.

A new person had taken the stage, and Yunsi glanced at them casually. They seemed to be about the same level as the previous participant.

Being the last to arrive, Yunsi knew it wouldn't be her turn anytime soon. She stood for a long time, her legs growing sore. She maneuvered around the crowd and found a spacious, inconspicuous corner to sit down.

The crowd erupted again, the same heckling voices rising once more with the usual taunts.

Yunsi rested her chin on her hand, watching from a distance, and couldn't help but find it amusing. People are so naturally envious, she thought. When they encounter someone stronger, they feel jealous; when faced with someone weaker, they look down on them; and when they meet someone of equal strength, they flatter each other and band together. They disdain improvement, using their ridicule of the strong as an excuse for their own lack of progress. How laughable!

The sky turned crimson with the setting sun, now only half visible over the distant mountains.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's your turn! Are you going up or not?"

A weight on her shoulder jolted her awake. Yunsi rubbed her eyes, realizing that people were staring at her. She cursed silently, "Damn it! I actually fell asleep!"

"Heh! You fell asleep? Are you even serious?"

"Look at this tiny girl, daring to come to the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion. Just wait until she cries her way home, haha!"

"..."

The voices of the crowd reached her ears. Yunsi glanced around and, unsurprisingly, it was the same troublemakers. Each one had a smug, disagreeable face. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Ignoring their disdainful looks, she slowly made her way up to the octagonal platform.

Scanning the crowd, she finally looked up, her gaze settling on the eaves behind Wenshi Ming. She smiled knowingly.

Standing in the center of the Bagua formation, Yunsi made a series of quick hand seals. With a forceful gesture, a stream of air began to swirl around her, causing the wind to rise and the clouds to gather!

The environment changed rapidly. The setting sun in the west began to rise again. Withered trees sprouted new leaves and soon were covered in vibrant greenery. Within moments, the dead trees were blooming with flowers.

Yunsi changed her hand signs, and the clear sky was obscured by dark clouds. Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and torrential rain poured down. Strangely, despite the heavy rain, Yunsi remained completely dry. The other people, however, were soaked through in minutes.

As they hurried to find shelter, the rain suddenly stopped. Just as some brave souls ventured out to investigate, they saw the freshly bloomed flowers and leaves fall from the revived trees, leaving them bare in the wind.

Believing it was all over, those hiding cautiously emerged, glancing around. As everything returned to normal, the fear in their eyes gradually faded.

Then, a voice from the crowd sneered, "Hmph, it's just an illusion. What's there to be so surprised about?"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a fierce wind arose, sweeping up the scattered flowers and leaves into a vortex. The vortex grew larger and larger, seemingly about to envelop the entire palace.

"Boom!"

The vortex burst apart, and in an instant, everything around them changed. Snow as thick as goose feathers began to fall, blanketing the area covered by the vortex in white.