“Let’s talk inside.”
Lin Ci walked to the door and invited Zhuge Cai into the room.
Xia Xiaochan was quite perceptive; she brought over some tea, placed it on the table, then left the room to sit in the courtyard and meditate.
“Sit.”
Lin Ci extended his hand.
Holding a folding fan, Zhuge Cai wore a polite smile and slowly took a seat.
“A few days ago, I heard that Brother Lin emerged from seclusion, causing a magnificent celestial phenomenon. Quite impressive. It’s a pity I was out on business then and couldn’t come by to congratulate you. Please don’t take offense.”
“Not at all.”
Lin Ci replied tersely, though inwardly puzzled. What celestial phenomenon? What did that have to do with him?
But he knew better than to ask further. The mysteries of this world were too profound; the more questions he asked, the more likely he was to expose himself.
“That young lady who calls herself Miss Xia, is she your junior sister? I don’t recall ever seeing her before. Pretty and sensible—Brother Lin teaches well.”
“She’s alright.”
“Oh, I recently came down from the mountains and found some rare immortal tea from the Eastern Isles. It’s said to have the special effect of nourishing the Qi Sea. I brought a few packs for Brother Lin—please don’t refuse.”
“Thanks.”
“Heh… Brother Lin is still so taciturn.”
Zhuge Cai chuckled dryly. He had been trying hard to keep the conversation going, but Lin Ci’s answers never exceeded two words, which made things awkward.
Still, Zhuge Cai understood. This Chief Disciple’s personality had always been like this, so he didn’t think much of it.
“Brother Lin, let’s get to the point.”
Since that was the case, Zhuge Cai stopped with the pleasantries, folded away his polite smile, and spoke seriously.
“The Great Sect Tournament is next month, you must have heard about it.”
The Great Sect Tournament, next month?
Lin Ci’s heart tensed. He knew about the tournament but not the exact date.
The Great Void Sect held the tournament every five years in a battle arena format to test the cultivation achievements of its disciples—all would participate.
So it’s actually next month…
Seeing Lin Ci’s silence, Zhuge Cai continued.
“It’s not that I’m arrogant, but you also know the truth—our sect has seven Chief Disciples, yet only you and I have reached the late Golden Core Stage.”
“So the top spot in this tournament will surely be between us two.”
“And this year’s grand prize for first place… is the Ancient Sword Tian Xie!”
Lin Ci mentally took note of each point and nodded theatrically.
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Heh, that’s right. You must be aware of all this already. Perhaps I was just jabbering.”
Zhuge Cai waved his fan twice and lowered his voice.
“But I bet you don’t know what the second-place prize is.”
“Not really interested.”
Lin Ci feigned indifference.
The implication was clear: The second prize has nothing to do with me.
I only aim for first place!
You understand my meaning, right?
Obviously, Zhuge Cai got it.
He gave a dry laugh, shot Lin Ci a knowing glance, and then revealed the answer.
“The second-place prize is the Wan Bian Talisman!”
“The Wan Bian Talisman?”
Lin Ci stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Though his understanding of cultivation was limited, he happened to know this treasure.
It was a magical tool that could copy other talismans by imprinting them—and it could be reused multiple times.
Even if one was clueless about talisman crafting, as long as they had enough imprints, they could become a talisman master with this treasure.
It was practically made for him. Because he needed it so badly, Lin Ci had done some research on the Wan Bian Talisman before.
Zhuge Cai went on.
“Unless something unexpected happens, these two treasures will end up with us.”
“But I want to make a deal with you…”
“When the final battle for the championship comes, if Brother Lin can go easy on me and let me win first place, both the Tian Xie Ancient Sword and the Wan Bian Talisman will be yours.”
“What do you say, Brother Lin?”
After speaking, he lowered his head to take a sip of tea, his eyes subtly watching Lin Ci’s expression.
However, he was disappointed to see no sign of temptation on Lin Ci’s face.
Lin Ci understood his meaning.
Zhuge Cai wanted the title.
He feared Lin Ci’s strength and thus wanted Lin Ci to throw the final match so he could comfortably take first place.
In return, Lin Ci would get both first and second-place prizes bundled together.
It sounded fair enough, and the Wan Bian Talisman was something he truly needed. Maybe someone else would agree.
But… he still had to win in the first place.
At his current beginner level, how could he possibly defeat other Chief Disciples and stand on the final arena?
Huh?
Well, it wasn’t impossible!
Zhuge Cai’s proposal sparked an idea in Lin Ci’s mind.
Though this might not fit the original persona of a ruthless competitor, Lin Ci decided to take a risk and carefully chose his words.
“We cultivators must be ambitious and strive for self-improvement. How can we sacrifice our integrity for a mere treasure?”
Zhuge Cai smiled wryly.
Actually, he had received prior intelligence that Spiritual Crane Zhenren rarely cared about his disciples. Lin Ci, as a late Golden Core disciple with high cultivation expenses, was the sect’s most financially strained Chief Disciple. That’s why Zhuge Cai was trying his luck.
But it seemed the other party had no intention of throwing the match.
“My apologies for the impertinence…”
Just as Zhuge Cai was about to take his leave, Lin Ci suddenly spoke.
“So, what are the third and fourth prizes?”
Gotta sweeten the deal!
“Ah?”
Zhuge Cai was momentarily stunned, then his face quickly brightened.
It seemed this Chief Disciple was not a rigid traditionalist but someone who could adapt.
Or perhaps the resources at Wenxuan Peak had truly dried up to the point that Lin Ci had no choice but to negotiate.
No matter.
This matter was still open for discussion.
“Brother Lin’s meaning is clear. Leave it to me!”
“No need to see me out.”
Lin Ci said coolly, his tone tinged with some reluctance.
But once Zhuge Cai left the room, Lin Ci slowly curled his lips into a smile.
Good, the drowsy get a pillow delivered.
At the Great Sect Tournament, he definitely couldn’t beat the experts outright.
So if he had to throw the matches, why not do it thoroughly?
If second place wants to challenge first, what about third and fourth fighting for second?
As long as Zhuge Cai could convince a group to give up their prizes and improve their rankings, when the day of the tournament came, Lin Ci only needed to make his throwing obvious enough—letting those higher rankings slip away.
Not only would he collect all the prizes, but others would only suspect match-fixing by him, not something worse.
It all depended on how many Zhuge Cai could persuade…
Lin Ci stood and walked outside.
He glanced at Xia Xiaochan sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, meditating in the courtyard, and an idea struck him.
The Great Sect Tournament didn’t only reward the top few places.
Among the over three thousand disciples of the Great Void Sect, anyone who ranked in the upper tiers would receive some spiritual stone rewards.
And Xia Xiaochan had defeated some Qi Sea stage cultivators before, which was recorded!
Though those were scattered cultivators whose power couldn’t compare with sect disciples at the same stage, it was still a genuine cross-stage battle.
With a month to train hard, aiming for an upper-tier rank wasn’t impossible.
Of course, he wouldn’t expect too much. After all, his junior sister was as much a novice as he was, having entered the path less than half a month ago.
Not winning rewards was fine; her senior brother could throw the matches and support her!
“Xiaochan…”
Lin Ci stood in the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back, voice steady and firm.
“Tomorrow, I’m going to teach you swordsmanship.”