Chapter 32: The Listener Is None Other Than Oneself

Looking at Wen Li and her group, there was no need to mention the Alpha Squad in their combat gear; even their guide was dressed in a military uniform.

This black-and-white combination instantly drew everyone’s attention. Many cast subtle, judging glances their way. Whispers rippled through the crowd.

"Who are those savages? Why show up in military uniforms? Are they looking for a fight?"

A noble lady conversing nearby shot a disdainful look at Wen Li. "That guide is so unrefined."

When someone mentioned that Wen Li and her team were from the White Tower, these esteemed guides immediately wore expressions of disgust, as if Wen Li were something filthy. The conversation was loud enough that Wen Li and her team, standing on the periphery, could hear every word.

Yue Li stepped forward to shield her from their gazes, bowing his head with a warm, comforting smile. "Don't pay them any mind, little butterfly."

Wen Li was already accustomed to such looks. The members of the Alpha Squad did not offer verbal comfort, but they had already surrounded her in a protective formation. Seeing their tension, Wen Li waved a hand to signal that they need not worry. She presented herself with grace and met those malicious stares without a hint of fear.

Finally, a guide in a form-fitting blue dress, unable to stand the sight of Wen Li, couldn't help but speak up. "They’ll let any filth into this club now, won't they? Why aren't you busy serving your sentinels?" She spoke with an arrogant sneer, gesturing pointedly at the sentinels surrounding Wen Li.

Yue Li was about to retort, but a guide beside him held him back. The golden-haired, white-eyed girl replied in a calm, flat tone: "You’ll have to ask Mr. An that. Ask him why he invited guides like us to participate in this competition."

Wen Li wasn't the only one who had brought sentinels; almost everyone participating had brought several. Her retort effectively bombed every invited guide in the room. The lady in the blue dress was fond of making cryptic remarks, so drawing a bit of hatred toward her was only fair. Realizing Wen Li’s intent, the others immediately distanced themselves from their own sentinels—after all, no one wanted to implicitly admit that they were "filth."

Ebelise was choked by Wen Li’s words, her face cycling through shades of green and white. Unable to contain her anger, she decided to expose Wen Li’s identity. "A disabled guide acting so high and mighty! Who knows how many sentinels you’ve been linked to!"

The other guides stared at the golden-haired girl in shock. They hadn't expected the White Tower to send a disabled guide to compete! If she couldn't even summon a spirit beast, what was the point of competing? Just waiting to humiliate herself?

Watching the shift in everyone’s expressions with satisfaction, Ebelise prepared to say more, but as she tilted her beautiful face up, she met Wen Li’s gaze—completely devoid of ripples. Those pure white pupils made her heart skip a beat involuntarily.

Wen Li scanned the crowd and said, "Then I suggest you make sure not to be defeated by a disabled guide." With that, she led her group to their assigned station.

Once she regained her composure, Ebelise felt frustrated that she hadn't held her ground. She had actually been intimidated by a disabled guide. She brushed off the sentinels who came to comfort her and stormed away in a rage.

Bai Yan, who had been watching the drama unfold, looked away, thinking that this little guide was truly something else. But given Ebelise’s arrogant nature, there would surely be more interesting shows to come.

The members of Alpha Squad remained silent. Noticing this, Wen Li stopped and asked her dejected "puppies" what was wrong. The sentinels were all masked, hiding their expressions. Wen Li decided to pick the one who looked the most bewildered. Pointing to the sentinel at the end, she said, "You, tell me."

Wen Li remembered him as the shy boy who had been teased last time. As expected, the sentinel’s eyes darted around, panicked and unsure of what to say. Stepping beside him, Wen Li spoke with gentle reassurance. "Can you tell me?"

The sentinel glanced at his captain, then gathered his courage. "I’m sorry, Guide Wen. If it weren't for us, you might not have had to hear such awful things!"

Wen Li was momentarily stunned, then chuckled as she looked at the sentinel’s bowed head. Her crisp laughter echoed in the ears of every sentinel, dissipating their deep-seated anxiety.

"Don't dwell on these things. If you let someone else's words bother you, then they have already succeeded. This is not your fault. Even without you, if it had been another team, the scene today wouldn't have changed, would it? What others say is their business; you are the most important person to listen to."

Sterb’s gray eyes flickered. The girl’s words dispersed the oppressive atmosphere. The sentinels lifted their heads, a light reigniting in their eyes.

The White Tower’s reputation had always been abysmal. Frequent reports of sentinels running wild and the existence of the guide soothing system led the vast majority of the Federation to believe that guides from the White Tower were "dirty." Only mandatory military service and high benefits kept any guides around to purify these soldiers. The outside world also looked down on the White Tower for restricting guide spirit power levels to A-rank or above, and exclusively accepting healing-type guides. Those with families or capital chose private clubs; no one was willing to come to a den of tigers and wolves like the White Tower.

Wen Li understood the nature of the work, but she didn't feel there was anything shameful about it. Serving soldiers was a sacred duty. Before she transmigrated, she had always respected those who protected the nation. A stable, peaceful life was bought with their blood. After arriving here and witnessing those hideous, terrifying pollutants, she knew they faced the possibility of death every single second. The sentinels here underwent rigorous training and risked their lives to clear out pollutants. They did not deserve to be treated this way.

The guides in this world were simply pretending to be ignorant. Moreover, the enemy's hostility was inexplicable, and they had clearly dug into her background beforehand—they had come prepared.

Seeing Wen Li feeling down, the sentinels had assumed it was because they were the reason she was being mocked. They stood there, heads bowed in guilt and unease. Wen Li stood on her tiptoes and gently patted the sentinel’s helmet.

"Let’s go, my teammates. Don't forget the task I’ve assigned you."

The opening act was over, and Wen Li was about to begin her first match. A second before entering the venue, Sterb shouted, "All members, attention! Salute!"

All the sentinels knelt on one knee in perfect unison, right hands pressed against their hearts, performing a standard military salute to Wen Li. The girl watched them with a smile, her heart softening, feeling a surge of strength. She was going to... she was going to take first place!

The first match was a test of spirit power purification, lasting three hours. The club would randomly pair participating guides with sentinels in need of purification and record their progress. Due to differences in individual purification methods or the purity of spirit power, the state of the sentinels would vary before and after.

There were 70 participants in the S-group for this competition, including many B and C-rank guides. Wen Li’s purification purity was exceptionally high, but as a "disabled" guide, her spirit power reserves were limited; she would need significant rest time between rounds. She needed to carefully estimate the spirit power levels of her opponents.