Chapter 340 - Resignation
As Kang Lin approached the board where her next matchup was posted, she was actually quite happy. Reaching the sixth round meant that she was in the top sixteen cultivators in her division in the entire tournament. Even if she advanced no further, getting that far was a significant and admirable feat. She could definitely hold her head up high.
If fact, her fellow sect members were already recognizing her achievements. Everywhere she went, someone congratulated her, even some whom she’d always considered to be much more talented than she was. It was a heady experience.
Kang Lin felt … good, bringing honor to her family and her sect.
That positive feeling lasted until she saw the name of her next opponent—Yang Ru (Rising Tide Sect).
It wasn’t that she was afraid he would beat her—she was absolutely positive that he would. She lost around three quarters of their spars, and she suspected that she only won when he was either experimenting with a technique or simply wasn’t trying his hardest. But that was okay. Reaching the sixth round—being one of the top sixteen!—was already an amazing accomplishment. There was no shame in not reaching the seventh.
No, the problem was seeing him. She’d avoided him for months. Literally months. She hadn’t spoken to him or, with the exception of watching from the stands as he fought, even seen him in all that time.
Honestly, she’d hoped to keep up that streak for as long as possible. Years. Decades. Centuries if she could manage it.
When Kang Lin thought about him, her emotions became a tangled mess. She was positive she was doing the right thing. By forcing him away from her, he’d eventually find someone better for him. Someone who could keep up with his monstrous talent.
But...
There were rumors whispered by those in her sect who thought themselves too far away for her to overhear. It was said that Yang Ru had started dating again. Which was good. It made her feel … relieved. The thought of him being as miserable as she was made her heart ache.
The girls he had tea with though… All were of lower talent than even her. If she couldn’t keep up, they’d be left so far behind that no method that Master could conjure up would help them. He deserved a top talent. A star. Not trash.
The thought of throwing away her relationship with him only for him to end up in an even worse circumstance was agonizing. But what could she do about it? If Yang Ru wanted to be an idiot, that was his choice. Her backing away was what was best for both of them, and if he didn’t see that, he was a complete moron!