"Cough, cough. In this sect selection, the one who stole the most limelight was undoubtedly Senior Sister Tan Yueqing!"
"She reached the summit in five hours and was a full fifty steps ahead of second place. In the end, True Monarch Tinghan of Slaughter Ice Peak and True Monarch Xiuyue of Broken Sword Peak fought over her. She was truly riding far ahead, leaving the rest of us choking on dust!"
Tan Yueqing?
Lin Qi thought of the girl in plain robes she had seen on the Immortal Ascension Ladder.
At the time, Lin Qi had treated her as an imaginary rival, using her as motivation.
She remembered that girl had been the first to reach the summit of the Immortal Ascension Ladder.
So her name was Tan Yueqing?
"Which peak did she ultimately join?" Luo Ci's crisp voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
With so many people suddenly staring at him, his fair cheeks began to flush again.
His mouth opened and closed for ages, but he could not manage a complete sentence.
"I... I was just... a little curious."
He looked exactly like a shy little girl.
Under the table, his hand kept tugging at Lin Qi for help.
Only then did Lin Qi realize that her Third Junior Brother might be somewhat socially anxious.
Lin Qi nodded leisurely and played along with him. "I'm curious too."
People who loved gossip were happiest when they got a response.
The big-eyed girl grew more and more animated as she spoke.
"Senior Sister Tan has a top-grade Ice Spiritual Root. She has already taken Slaughter Ice Peak as her master and become True Monarch Tinghan's personal disciple. It is said that on the very first day after taking a master, she achieved Qi Induction. By now, she is probably already at the first level of Qi Refinement."
The girls beside her exclaimed one after another, "She's amazing!"
Lin Qi joined in the praise. "She really is amazing!"
Someone followed up with a question. "Then who came in second?"
"Do you even need to ask? The Lu Family's Twin Prodigies, of course!"
"Lu Lingfeng and Lu Lingyu are twins, a dragon and phoenix pair. They come from the Lu Family, one of Southern Continent's five great families. The Lu Family's Remnant Snow Swordplay and Broken Sword Peak's legacy spring from the same source. They came to Tianyi Sect specifically for Broken Sword Peak. The two of them reached the summit together, so they certainly caused quite a stir."
Someone immediately disagreed and refuted this.
"If we're talking about who stole the limelight, it has to be Senior Sister Zhao Qi from the Northern Continent!"
"That day on the Ascension Ladder, she wielded a fiery-red spear with truly imposing majesty. If she had not been plotted against, she might have been able to contend with the Lu Family Siblings for second place."
"Yes! It is said that Senior Sister Zhao Qi possesses the Fire Phoenix Bloodline, and her Fire Spiritual Root has a root value close to ten. Once she takes a Spirit Cleansing Pill in the future, she may well become a cultivator with a top-grade Fire Spiritual Root. Compared to the Lu Family Siblings, Senior Sister Zhao has greater talent!"
"Tch. But the Lu Family Siblings can communicate heart to heart. In the future, once they use Twin Swords Combination, their strength will multiply. They will not be inferior to Senior Sister Zhao."
"That's right, that's right! Broken Sword Peak sword cultivators are exceptionally strong. They have always been able to fight one against two, and challenging opponents above their level is nothing to them. How can you jump to conclusions based solely on spiritual root values?"
A whole group began arguing over whether the Lu Family's Twin Prodigies or Senior Sister Zhao Qi was stronger, allowing Lin Qi to glean quite a bit of useful information.
In the end, the big-eyed girl raised a hand to soothe everyone.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. If you want to know who is stronger, everything will be revealed at the Sect Grand Competition half a year from now."
The Sect Grand Competition?
Lin Qi, who had been diligently stuffing herself, paused and was instantly intrigued.
However, she did not ask directly.
The girls around her were probably rather average in ability and only watched the Sect Grand Competition for excitement. As they chatted, they began complaining about the trivial details of their own lives.
After finishing her meal, Lin Qi dragged Luo Ci away.
On the way to the Affairs Hall, she spoke leisurely. "Did you hear that, Junior Brother?"
"The Sect Grand Competition is a wonderful opportunity for you to surpass your Senior Sister here. Remember to cultivate diligently when you get back."
Luo Ci seemed to have been lost in thought. At Lin Qi's reminder, he immediately straightened his back.
"Rest assured, Senior Sister. I definitely won't lose to you!"
Lin Qi nodded leisurely. "Rest assured, your Senior Sister won't go easy on you either."
The sect's Affairs Hall served many functions. Buying and selling goods, handing in and accepting missions, and updating information were all handled here.
The moment Lin Qi and Luo Ci entered, the dazzling variety of spells left them utterly dazzled.
The mission hall had lifelike illusory demon beasts, battle-scene projections that made one feel personally present, and breathtaking terrain hiding murderous intent.
The trading hall displayed item projections accompanied by phantom explanations. Precious items were even specially enlarged and projected, bathing the entire hall in shimmering, radiant light.
Lin Qi and Luo Ci were like country children entering a city for the first time. Their eyes could not take everything in, and their mouths nearly fell open.
The Affairs Hall was the sect's largest marketplace, but transactions here did not use Spirit Stones. They used Contribution Points.
Lin Qi glanced at the Contribution Point prices of the items and immediately shut her mouth.
She bumped Luo Ci beside her. "Junior Brother, you're from the Southern Continent Luo Family, after all. How are you as startled as I am?"
Luo Ci gave Lin Qi a rather disdainful look.
"An Aristocratic Clan must support an entire family. Even one of the Southern Continent's five great families cannot compare with a sect."
Lin Qi fell silent. It seemed she had revealed how little common sense she possessed.
She had thought the so-called five great families could stand shoulder to shoulder with sects.
After this incident, Lin Qi realized just how lacking her common knowledge was.
Whether it was the original little Lin Qi or the current Lin Qi, both were bona fide "illiterates." When it was time to speak less, she had better keep her mouth shut, lest one wrong sentence arouse suspicion.
Fortunately, Lin Qi's skin was thick enough. She calmly said, "Junior Brother knows so much. Unlike your Senior Sister, who comes from some small place and knows nothing."
At the mention of a small place, Luo Ci recalled how he had looked down on Lin Qi in the little courtyard. Feeling somewhat guilty, he immediately withdrew his gaze.
When new disciples first arrived at the sect, they all received a certain number of Contribution Points.
Outer disciples received ten, inner disciples forty, and personal disciples one hundred.
Lin Qi had learned from Senior Sister Yuan Xi that although they were personal disciples in name, they actually received the benefits allotted to inner disciples from the sect.
However, Zonglei Peak would separately make up the difference.
This was because True Monarch Qingyun had said that the assessment she had privately established could not affect the disciples' cultivation resources.
Therefore, Lin Qi currently had one hundred Contribution Points.
She had previously thought one hundred Contribution Points was not a small amount. But when she saw the rows of jade plaques hanging in the trading hall, she discovered that she could only afford one lowest-grade Magic Tool.
Lin Qi immediately fell silent.
She tentatively asked a menial disciple, "Can't the goods in the trading hall really be purchased with Spirit Stones?"
The menial disciple had likely been asked this question many times already and answered decisively, "No!"
After answering, the disciple stared brightly at Lin Qi.
Lin Qi could only honestly follow the rules.
She took the shopping list provided by Senior Sister Yuan Xi and bought each item one by one.
Most of them were medicinal pills and Spiritual Items for warding off cold and resisting frost, along with three hammers and iron nails.
One hundred Contribution Points—not one more, not one less—were spent exactly in full.
Looking at the bill, Lin Qi deeply sighed at Senior Sister Yuan Xi's thoughtfulness and care!
If she had been left to buy things herself, just the varieties of hammers would have spun her in circles, let alone reasonably allocating those one hundred Contribution Points.
Luo Ci had just finished selecting what he wanted. Seeing the bulging bundle in Lin Qi's hands, he asked in confusion, "What are you buying all this for?"
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