Lin Xinyi slowly got out of bed, but after a few steps, she still couldn’t remember what she had been thinking about. Just then, a bell sounded from outside, and Lin Xinyi froze in place.
“Master, is there something else you need to say~?”
Qin Huaiyin walked over slowly, only to see Lin Xinyi’s eyes filled with fear. Before she could ask, Lin Xinyi turned around anxiously and grabbed hold of her.
“What time is it?!”
“Huh? Master, why are you asking about something like that?”
“Stop wasting time! Just tell me!”
“It’s already a quarter past noon…”
When Lin Xinyi heard those words, it was as if all her strength had been drained. She slowly stepped back twice, leaning against the wall behind her. The despair in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Qin Huaiyin had no idea what had happened to make Lin Xinyi, who had been perfectly fine moments ago, suddenly look like a puppet touched by a nerve—and with such terror.
“The sect’s selection tournament is today! Why didn’t you wake me? How did you let me sleep until noon?!”
“But Master said you weren’t interested in the selection. I saw you resting so comfortably, so I thought I’d let you relax a little longer~”
Qin Huaiyin tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes. The panicked expression on her master’s face was something she rarely showed. Even when Lin Xinyi was anxious deep down, she always buried it inside.
But at the same time, Qin Huaiyin couldn’t understand why Lin Xinyi was acting like this. What was so different about this selection? So she missed it—what was the big deal? In the past, Lin Xinyi hadn’t even bothered to take a look. After all, the selection didn’t require all elders to attend.
Sometimes, only elders who spotted promising talents would go to the sect selection to observe, while those who didn’t see any disciples they liked simply skipped it. Lin Xinyi had never taken such matters to heart.
“Master, you’re so anxious—could it be that you want to take on a junior brother or sister for me?”
Qin Huaiyin, who had been about to speak, stopped and looked at Lin Xinyi with a faint, puzzled smile. She wondered if Lin Xinyi had discovered some extraordinary genius in the sect and regretted missing the chance because she arrived too late.
Qin Huaiyin thought her master was considering taking another disciple, and she didn’t feel uncomfortable about it. Instead, she smiled. After all, living alone in this grotto-heaven was quite boring. She was used to loneliness, but the thought of having a new junior brother or sister actually made her happy.
“It’s over, it’s over…”
“It’s not too late, Master! Hurry over~”
“It’s… already too late…”
“Master is this frantic—could it be that you said you weren’t interested, but secretly went to check before~”
At this point, Lin Xinyi couldn’t hear a word. Her heart was a mess. She had planned to struggle a little longer with her scheme today, but she never expected to sleep all the way until noon.
‘Lin Yi! Lin Xinyi! You deserve to be screwed over!’
Lin Xinyi didn’t care about anything else. She grabbed the ceremonial robe from the side and threw it over herself, then rushed out of the cave abode. Before Qin Huaiyin could even react, she wanted to say she could take her, but Lin Xinyi was already running too fast.
“That disciple must really be a genius to make Master act like this~”
Qin Huaiyin cupped her cheek, a hint of anticipation in her eyes. But at the same time, she recalled Lin Xinyi’s nature. After all, she herself had been captured by Lin Xinyi to be raised as a cauldron. The new disciple probably wouldn’t be much better off.
“Well, it looks like when the new disciple arrives, I’ll have to help take care of them. Otherwise, they’ll be ruined by Master too…”
With a helpless sigh, Qin Huaiyin slowly pushed open the door and saw Lin Xinyi opening the entrance to the grotto-heaven and dashing out. She watched her master’s frantic figure, still reeling even after the grotto-heaven’s exit had closed.
‘I hope it’s a cute little junior sister…’
After silently praying to herself, Qin Huaiyin slowly walked into the Rain Pavilion, picked up the jade pipa that had been set aside, and sat down on the long bench. She began to play softly, and the beautiful melody once again filled the entire grotto-heaven.
…
Using her spiritual power to boost her speed, Lin Xinyi reached the outskirts of the Celestial Altar in the blink of an eye. Looking up, she could see the towering spectator stands. She kept praying that it wasn’t over yet.
‘It’s fine. That hundred-person battle lasts half a day by itself, and the matches after that definitely won’t end anytime soon…’
Lin Xinyi kept comforting herself as she hurried to the edge of the barrier. Passing through it, she rushed toward the elder’s platform. No matter how panicked she felt inside, she forced herself to stay calm.
‘Calm down. Calm down. Can’t let anyone see how nervous I am…’
The moment Lin Xinyi passed through the outer barrier, Murong Xue, who was sitting on the platform, sensed it immediately. Her fingers, which had been lightly tapping the armrest of her chair, stopped.
“It seems Elder Lin knows how to time things. Afraid someone might snatch away the little sweetheart she’s been eyeing…”
Murong Xue looked at the battle results on the Celestial Altar, a smile curling at the corners of her lips. The outcome had taken everyone present by surprise, yet they had no choice but to believe it.
“Interesting…”
Murong Xue stood up, walked to the edge of the platform, and looked down at everything happening on the battlefield of the Celestial Altar. Meanwhile, Lin Xinyi had just stepped onto the platform. Hearing the thunderous cheers and applause around her, the bad feeling in her heart grew more and more real.
‘No. No…’
Lin Xinyi’s appearance didn’t draw any attention from the surrounding elders. Instead, all eyes were fixed on the center of the Celestial Altar. Sensing something, Lin Xinyi trembled slightly as she walked to the edge of the platform and grabbed the railing.
“Bai… Bai Qianqian already won a match? It’s… it’s okay. I’m not too late…”
As she spoke, Lin Xinyi held the railing. When she saw that silvery-white figure standing in the center of the Celestial Altar, she felt as if her heart had been squeezed. Slowly lifting her head, she also saw Murong Xue rising from the highest seat.
“The… the Sect Leader? Why is the Sect Leader here…”
The moment she saw Murong Xue stand up, Lin Xinyi’s bad feeling intensified. She could only think of boosting her opponent’s strength in the next match—maybe sending a dozen or so spirit artifacts to arm Bai Qianqian to the teeth.
‘Maybe that way, Bai Qianqian will lose, and I can avoid the curse of her becoming my disciple. I can make sure she never crosses paths with me again.’
“I hereby announce the champion of this sect selection…”
While Lin Xinyi was still dreaming of a bright future, Murong Xue’s cold voice rang in her ears. Lin Xinyi looked up, disbelief written all over her face. Wasn’t it only a quarter past five? There should be plenty of time until the end.
“Why… why is the champion being announced now…”
Lin Xinyi stood at the edge of the railing, her body feeling weak. Even her vision blurred for a moment. But that silvery-white figure at the center remained dazzling, as if everything around her had faded, leaving only her to see clearly.
“Champion: Bai Qianqian…”
When that name was called out, Lin Xinyi finally came to her senses. It wasn’t an illusion. Everything was real—more real than ever.
“Why… why so fast…”