22 Heaven’s Gate Competition II

"Human, wake up."

They needed to depart from Rivertown before sunrise if they were to reach Heaven's Gate province. Despite informing him of this, when she woke up, he was still sleeping soundly.

"He looks rather cute when he's asleep."

This marked the first time she had ever shared a room with a man. As the princess of Nagaland and a free spirit, she had traveled to numerous places and encountered many young men who attempted to court her. They were all extraordinarily wealthy and offered immense riches in their pursuit of her hand in marriage.

Usually, a single glance from her was enough to quicken their heartbeats and set their tongues wagging. However, Michael never looked at her with lust in his eyes. Instead of showering her with insincere compliments, he would often make fun of her and even referred to her as "ugly."

Strangely enough, she found this refreshing. Since her birth, no one had dared to disrespect her. Most people would shower her with flattery due to her status as a princess, and she had grown weary of it. But this human never cared about her royal status and continued to scold and ridicule her.

"I should give him a taste of his own medicine, hehe."

She wore an evil grin and raised her leg, taking aim at his backside.

Thop!

"What the?"

Suddenly, Michael was jolted awake by a swift kick to his backside, only to find Gaya standing before him with a mischievous grin.

"Did you just kick my butt?"

The system had never given him a warning about this. When he inquired with the system, it remained silent.

"I did warn you that I'd kick your ass if you didn't wake up," Gaya declared.

She looked stunningly attractive at that moment, causing his mind to go blank momentarily.

"Damn, she's attractive."

"Come on, hurry up, human. We need to leave now if we want to reach the Heaven's Gate province on time."

"It looks like I need to buy an alarm from the system shop."

He opened up the system and purchased a toothbrush, toothpaste, and face wash. Although cultivators didn't require these items to maintain personal hygiene, he felt strange going out without brushing his teeth. According to Abras's memories, commoners typically used a kind of powder to clean their mouths, and most didn't spend their coins on such items.

Gaya was puzzled as she watched him use the odd short stick and apply the cream to its tip.

"Eek!"

She jumped back when she saw him insert the stick with the paste into his mouth, forming white foam inside. The sight of it repulsed her.

Michael continued brushing his teeth for a few minutes and then stored the items away after thoroughly washing his face with the water he had bought.

Gaya couldn't resist taking a deep breath of the fragrance emanating from him, and her reaction reminded him of toothpaste ads on TV. She moved closer, sniffing the face wash. At that moment, she was standing just a few inches away from him.

"What's that smell, human?"

But the moment she opened her mouth to speak, he took a step back, despite her beauty. Observing the furrows on his forehead and his twitching nose, she was puzzled.

"What a mood-killer," Michael frowned.

No one would believe that such a beautiful girl would have bad breath, but it made sense considering her meridians were still broken, preventing the circulation of Arch energy throughout her body.

He swiftly bought another toothbrush from the system and generously applied toothpaste to it.

"Here, brush your teeth."

"What?" Gaya inquired.

Her face turned red as she speculated why he was making such a request.

"Do it now," Michael ordered.

He took her hand and placed the toothbrush in her grasp as her patience wore thin.

"How dare you... cough."

As she yelled, Michael redirected the air coming from her mouth back at her.

Instantly, her anger transformed into embarrassment as she couldn't believe how foul her breath had become.

How could a princess like herself have such bad breath?

After getting embarrassed, she couldn't bring herself to look directly at him.

"Come on, brush your teeth."

Awkwardly, she put the toothbrush into her mouth and began moving it as he had demonstrated.

"Argh."

Unexpectedly, she pushed the brush too far into her mouth and started to gag.

"Jeez, you're like a baby. Give me that."

He gently held her soft face and took the brush from her hand.

"Watch carefully; I won't do this again. Now, open your mouth," Michael instructed.

"Aah."

Like brushing a baby's teeth, he moved his hand rhythmically, cleaning her teeth without touching her soft palate.

"Don't swallow it."

He was concerned that she might accidentally swallow the toothpaste, which had a sweet taste.

After thoroughly brushing her teeth and rinsing her mouth with salt water, he had her wash her face. Then, he stored everything back in his system storage.

"Now, say something."

"Thank you?"

She leaned back a few inches as he leaned closer to her.

"Good, now that's better. But you must remember to brush your teeth twice a day, or I'll kick your ass."

She meekly nodded since she couldn't argue arrogantly in her current situation.

************************

The morning sunlight bathed the sky in a pure, scattered light, casting its ambitious glow upon every crevice of the land. Sparrows provided a melodic background with their chirping as he made his way to the Heaven's Gate province.

Heaven's Gate was an important place within the Bredia Kingdom. It was incomparable to Rivertown in both size and power. As a city established through the dedicated efforts of the Bredia royal family, the king held absolute control over it.

According to Gaya's knowledge, this city served as the home base for three major sects, leading to constant conflicts within its boundaries. Heaven's Gate City was primarily built to host the Heaven's Gate competition, which took place once every two years. Fortunately, the city didn't possess any precious resources. Otherwise, more blood would have been shed.

Michael and Gaya had traveled for over four hours from Rivertown before finally reaching Heaven's Gate City. From the outside, the city exhibited a magnificent structure and an aristocratic atmosphere so thick that even some of Earth's capital cities couldn't compare. This was especially true for small towns like Rivertown.

Unlike Rivertown's city wall, which was relatively modest, Heaven's Gate City boasted a towering wall of over forty meters. It was practically insurmountable for anyone below the Core Strengthening realm.

Upon reaching the city gate, Michael noticed that the city was teeming with people converging from all directions. Every two years, the Heaven's Gate competition attracted countless warriors and individuals from various kingdoms and cities across the continent.

Every person present at this gathering harbored a deep desire to witness the brilliance of the disciples from the three major sects. With the King of Bredia preoccupied by numerous internal and external issues, his presence was a rare sight, and today was no exception.

"This competition seems to be a significant event for humans. It's no wonder it draws such a crowd," Gaya commented.

"The competition is set to commence in a few hours! We've arrived just in time, and I can hardly wait to witness the battles."

The attendees were primarily composed of affluent individuals with considerable power and authority. Their motivations for being here were multifaceted. Firstly, they sought the opportunity to witness the genius disciples from the big sects. Secondly, they aspired to establish connections with these influential sects. Lastly, many hoped to identify and recruit new talents for their own houses, thereby bolstering their overall strength.

"Wow! There are so many people gathered here." Michael exclaimed as he ceased using the lightning dash.

Among the crowd, numerous fans had gathered to show unwavering support for their favorite disciples. Youngsters hailing from various powerful and influential families had journeyed from different corners of the kingdom, eager to earn admission into the sects by displaying their talents in the competition.

The families of these young talents were also in attendance for two reasons: to offer their support and to flaunt their own prestige. Securing a place as a disciple within one of the big sects was a matter of great honor, and participation in the Heaven's Gate competition was an even more prestigious achievement.

"This is my first time attending, so I want to take in everything. Let's get to the city square quickly. We can't afford to miss any of the action!"

"Agreed, let's hurry to the city square."