Chapter 103: Competition Begins, Entering the Top Eight

Qin Xiao remained cautious and avoided the main entrance. Instead, he slipped through the member-exclusive back door, leaving the auction house quietly.

He went straight back to his residence and met Lin Tiancheng and his daughter just as they were leaving for the banquet. Qin Xiao said he felt unwell and would not go. Since he was staying, Yun Man decided to stay too.

Lin Tiancheng could hardly object. Qin Xiao could not cultivate, so it was normal for him to feel unwell. Yun Man was Qin Xiao’s little follower; it made sense that she would refuse to go too. His own daughter, however, had to attend.

Qin Xiao neither knew nor cared what happened at the banquet that evening. He gave Yun Man a Saint Origin Spirit Fruit, then went to cultivate.

The night passed without incident. By the next morning, everyone had gathered at Pure Yang City’s largest arena.

Heavenly Clothes Pavilion was entirely absent today. Having no realistic chance of success, they needed to regroup, especially after suffering heavy setbacks while Chen Shunyi’s pressure mounted.

Whether the city authorities had arranged it deliberately or not, the strongest factions had yet to face one another. Their opponents were all relatively weak, and most bouts ended in a clean sweep, with a single fighter defeating all three opponents.

Matches like these could not reveal the opponents’ true strength. Qin Xiao could not be bothered to watch and sat to one side, meditating.

Quite a few people were still watching Qin Xiao. That morning, they had all received word that the mysterious fourth-floor guest had entrusted the Black Tortoise Armor to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association for repair. The association had agreed, so the item was now in its hands.

Quite a few people had also discovered that the mysterious guest was Qin Xiao. No secret stayed secret forever, but he had not expected his identity to come out so quickly.

Lin Tiancheng had naturally caught wind of the rumors, though he struggled with how to broach the subject.

“Sect Leader, ask whatever you want to ask. Why do you keep staring at me?”

Lin Tiancheng’s staring had made Qin Xiao so uncomfortable that he finally spoke.

“Qin Xiao, was the mysterious buyer on the fourth floor yesterday you?”

Lin Tiancheng had already asked Lin Shimeng, but she had told him to ask Qin Xiao himself. A grown daughter really did have a mind of her own.

“It was me. I borrowed the Spirit Stones, and the item has been handed over to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association.”

Qin Xiao had prepared his story well in advance. He was simply making it up.

“I know about the item. The Immortal Dao Merchant Association announced it, after all. But why would they lend you so many Spirit Stones? And where did you get such a prestigious Membership Card?” You are reading on nоvelping.com, the official source.

Lin Tiancheng knew the treasure was no longer on Qin Xiao. What puzzled him was where the card had come from. Who would lend Qin Xiao two billion Spirit Stones? Did he think he was that important?

“That involves all sorts of things, Sect Leader. Don’t be so curious. Anyway, it was borrowed. If I can’t repay it, the Sect won’t have to. They’ve already taken the item, haven’t they? It can cover the debt if I can’t pay.”

Qin Xiao could only say it was complicated. How else could he explain it?

“I see. Very well, I won’t ask further.”

In truth, Lin Tiancheng had already formed his own conclusion.

At last night’s banquet, he had learned that the Dharma Treasure was a damaged piece of Black Tortoise Armor. How could an item like that have come up for auction? Surely, once the price rose, the Immortal Dao Merchant Association had realized its mistake and hired Qin Xiao as a shill to buy it back. That would spare them criticism.

They had merely moved it from one hand to the other. The item was not lost, and no Spirit Stones needed to be paid—two birds with one stone. Perhaps they had chosen Qin Xiao because he had saved Ling Wushuang’s life. That would also explain their announcement the next day: the mysterious guest had returned the item to them for repair.

A clever scheme, and a good way to recover the loss. Otherwise, how could Qin Xiao possibly have one and a half billion Spirit Stones?

One could hardly blame Lin Tiancheng for thinking this way. It was the only explanation that made sense to him. Nothing would convince him that Qin Xiao had two billion Spirit Stones.

The elders of the other two Sects thought much the same. They had questioned their disciples closely on their return and learned that Ling Ruoxue was in Qin Xiao’s room too. It seemed a shill had been arranged in advance, ready to bid at the crucial moment.

They had little respect for such tactics, but given the value of Black Tortoise Armor, they could understand them. Some things had to be recognized and left unspoken. They had no proof, after all.

Qin Xiao had no idea they were thinking this. If he had known, he would have jumped up to agree. Yes, he was a shill. Absolutely.

He was still worried that some desperate rogue cultivators might target him. They would not care about any of that; whether or not the item was on him, they would only believe it after searching him themselves.

“Master, why must I fight every single match while she never steps into the arena once?”

After coming down from another clean sweep, Lin Shimeng was annoyed and challenged Qin Xiao.

“Come on, they’re all small fry. You can handle them easily. Don’t worry. Do well, and your master will make it up to you afterward.”

Qin Xiao had no intention of exposing Yun Man during these early minor matches. Revealing her true depth too soon would ruin his plans to hook three prospective disciples.

“What kind of reward?” Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.

At the mention of compensation, most of Lin Shimeng’s anger faded. She immediately asked what it would be.

“Something good, definitely. Better than what I gave you before. Just treat this as a warm-up. Keep it up!”

Qin Xiao could only placate her for now. After eating the Saint Origin Spirit Fruit last night, Yun Man had improved considerably. He had to keep that hidden and catch their opponents off guard later.

“It’s a promise, then.”

Lin Shimeng had no doubts about Qin Xiao’s wealth. If he said it was something good, it could hardly be poor. These opponents were small fry anyway; she would treat the matches as a warm-up.

To outside observers, however, Qin Xiao’s strategy appeared entirely different.

“Tianyuan Sect’s strength is falling behind. They keep sending out their strongest disciple, Lin Shimeng, to make it look as though the Sect is still strong. They don’t realize they’re exposing her movements and techniques. Tianyuan Sect may lose its place this time.”

City Lord Yu Chengfeng shook his head slowly.

“Fifth Brother, I wouldn’t say that. I can’t quite make out the two waiting on the sidelines. They may still have something up their sleeves.”

Deputy City Lord Yu Heguang disagreed with his brother’s assessment.

“Twenty-seventh Brother, you worry needlessly. Coming from Central Province, you are unfamiliar with Tianyuan Sect. Lin Shimeng is already their Holy Maiden and the Sect Leader’s daughter; she represents their absolute ceiling. What hidden strength could remain? If any existed, they would not expose their Holy Maiden so early.”

Yu Chengfeng explained with a smile.

“Indeed. It seems I overthought the matter.”

Hearing his elder brother’s reasoning, Yu Heguang conceded the point.

The other factions thought much the same. They all regarded Lin Shimeng as the strongest of Tianyuan Sect’s three contestants. Defeat her, and Tianyuan Sect would be all but out.

The preliminary matches continued through midday until the top eight contenders were established.

Since almost all the top eight had won every bout, they were ranked according to previous years’ standings: Pure Yang Sect first, Immortal Dao Merchant Association second, Mysterious Yin Sect third, Pure Yang City fourth, Tianyuan Sect fifth, Mysterious Yin City sixth, Tianyi City seventh, and an old, established family eighth.

“The top eight have been decided. Next we’ll draw lots and pair them off, separating the upper four from the lower four. Once all the rankings have been determined, there can also be challenge matches.”

With the top eight decided, the host stepped onto the platform to announce the rules for the next stage.