"Xinghan is a pitiable child."
Qinglian Zhenren looked at Bei Xinghan, who was unconscious on the bed, with undisguised affection.
Because of his close friendship with Bei Canghai in his early years and his pity for Bei Xinghan's background, Qinglian Zhenren had taken it upon himself to teach Bei Xinghan.
Before the age of ten, Bei Xinghan was a rather likable child. However, everything changed drastically when he accidentally learned about his origins.
He secretly found Bei Canghai and expressed his filial affection.
Yet, all he received was neglect.
Bei Canghai neither acknowledged nor accepted him.
Bei Xinghan refused to give up. Later, thinking to cater to Bei Canghai's interests, he asked for guidance under the guise of practicing swordsmanship. In the end, he was driven down the mountain by an exasperated Bei Canghai, who declared that he would never become the foremost sword cultivator on the Kyushu Continent.
From then on, Bei Xinghan's personality changed. He no longer joked or socialized, dedicating himself entirely to practicing his sword.
Stubbornly, he wanted to prove Bei Canghai wrong with his results, but he went astray.
He pursued the number one spot, ignoring the true essence of swordsmanship. His failure in front of everyone was the last straw.
"He is influenced by inner demons and has sealed his senses with the outside world. Only by entering the Sea of Consciousness can he be awakened.
Both you and Lu Zaiye have defeated him. Lu Zaiye's cultivation means his divine soul power is not as strong as yours, making you the most suitable candidate."
If there were any other options, Qinglian Zhenren would not have approached Xu Yi.
"But I can't guarantee that I can help Bei Xinghan break through his inner demons."
Xu Yi preferred to be upfront with the harsh realities.
If she failed, she might cause secondary harm to Bei Xinghan. Would Qinglian Zhenren blame her for that?
"Xu Yi, regardless of the outcome, I will not blame you and will fulfill my promise to grant you the Soul Stabilizing Needle." A glint suddenly flashed in Qinglian Zhenren's eyes. "If you succeed, I will also provide a generous reward."
Bei Xinghan was a child he had personally raised. In comparison, the effort he had invested in Bei Xinghan was even greater than that in his own son, Long Haotian.
He could not stand by and watch Bei Xinghan be ruined.
Generous reward!
Xu Yi seized upon the key point.
The "generous reward" mentioned by the sect leader of Xuanqing Sect should be very satisfactory to her.
"Then I would like to see the Soul Stabilizing Needle first."
Xu Yi grinned, giving Qinglian Zhenren a shy smile.
She needed to personally confirm if the Soul Stabilizing Needle was as Qinglian Zhenren described before making a final decision.
Qinglian Zhenren, disgusted by Xu Yi's smile: ...
He should have known long ago that Xu Yi was full of schemes.
Shy?
Hmph.
Qinglian Zhenren glared at her irritably, but still raised his hand and casually plucked a crystal-clear long needle from the void.
Xu Yi chuckled, accepted the Soul Stabilizing Needle, and her eyes immediately shone with astonishing brilliance.
With just one glance, she dared to conclude that it was an extremely rare treasure.
Xu Yi examined the Soul Stabilizing Needle almost drooling.
After retracting her spiritual sense, Xu Yi immediately made up her mind, deciding that for the sake of the friendship between their two sects, she would sacrifice herself to save Bei Xinghan.
"How is it? Do you have any other questions? Speak them all now."
While Xu Yi was examining the Soul Stabilizing Needle, Qinglian Zhenren was also observing her expression. He was now confident, and his tone carried a hint of teasing.
"No questions, no questions." Xu Yi grabbed the Soul Stabilizing Needle and stuffed it into her storage ring, a bright smile on her face. "Given my friendship with fellow Daoist Bei, I must help with this matter. Sect Leader Qinglian, tell me, when do we begin?"
Xu Yi's attitude had changed visibly.
Slippery!
Qinglian Zhenren cursed inwardly, but said calmly, "No rush. Tomorrow you still need to participate in the grand ceremony. Come here again the day after tomorrow."
"Alright, I've noted it down." Xu Yi secretly glanced at Qinglian Zhenren's expression and tentatively asked, "If that's the case, may I take my leave then?"
Qinglian Zhenren did not answer and directly removed the barrier.
Xu Yi happily left the room.
The Xuanqing Sect disciples who had been waiting for a long time immediately surrounded Xu Yi as soon as they saw her, trying to pry into her conversation with Qinglian Zhenren. Xu Yi gave them perfunctory answers.
The fewer people who knew about this matter, the better.
She exchanged pleasantries for a moment before returning to the Xuanji Sect residence with Pu Tao.
Meanwhile, the reception hall of the Xuanji Sect residence was packed with guests. Many sects and families had come to offer congratulations, and their praises could be heard from hundreds of feet away.
Xu Yi was so startled that she didn't dare to go in and finally had to sneak back to her room with Pu Tao by climbing over the back wall.
That night.
Lu Zaiye, who had already secured a spot in the top three, did not enter meditation all night, waiting for someone to bring a "surprise."
It wasn't until dawn, with the faint sounds of conversation from outside, that Lu Zaiye left his room with a cold expression.
"Lu Zaiye, what's wrong?"
On the way to the competition grounds, Xu Yi's smile never faded.
Last night, she had recognized the Soul Stabilizing Needle as her own and had tested its power multiple times, feeling excited all night.
Thinking that today she would not only receive the grand competition rewards but also collect her winnings, her mood became even more joyous.
It was only now that she realized Lu Zaiye's mood seemed to be off again.
Was he angry because he didn't get first place?
"Nothing."
Lu Zaiye spoke without looking sideways, uttering two cold words.
Xu Yi shrugged and said no more.
Based on past experience, Xiao Lu would usually recover on his own within a couple of days.
Xu Yi quickly put the matter aside and began to ponder how to help Bei Xinghan break through his inner demons tomorrow.
To be honest, before yesterday, she had never known that inner demons could be overcome with external help.
Inner demons were essentially formed from one's own evil thoughts.
If they could not be broken, one would be limited by them, making no progress in cultivation. Even worse, they could lead to qi deviation.
However, breaking through inner demons could perfect one's Dao heart and make cultivation smoother.
In Xu Yi's cultivation journey so far, she had never experienced inner demons, so she could not imagine what method she should use to deal with them.
The more Xu Yi thought about it, the more troublesome it seemed, and her brow furrowed.
As Lu Zaiye sensed Xu Yi's distraction, his expression became even colder.
The disciples who had been chatting and laughing moments before gradually lowered their voices as they noticed the solemn expressions of the two.
When they appeared on the competition grounds, they were all expressionless and moved like the wind.
The other cultivators couldn't help but sigh, marveling at why the Xuanji Sect could secure the first and second places in the grand competition. From the demeanor of their disciples, it was clear that the Xuanji Sect must be a top sect with strict discipline and diligent disciples.
Undoubtedly, this was a beautiful misunderstanding.
When Xu Yi came back to her senses, she looked around with confusion and asked Elder Qingfeng, "What's wrong with the disciples? Why are they so quiet, not even a smile?"
They were fine on the way here; why did they suddenly seem like different people?
Elder Qingfeng, unaware of the reason, coughed lightly and made a vague statement, "They wish to display a positive and upward outlook during the grand ceremony."
"Oh, I see." Xu Yi chuckled knowingly, then quickly restrained her smile, striving to maintain the same spirit as her disciples.
The Xuanji Sect disciples, who were holding back laughter and speech out of consideration for Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye: ...
They weren't!
They didn't!
Grandmaster, please don't listen to Elder Qingfeng's nonsense!