"Secret!"
Lin Qi wore an unfathomable expression.
Really, she was mainly afraid that if she said it now, Luo Ci would get stabbed in the heart again.
As his senior sister, she had to be kinder to her junior brother.
Luo Ci gave a soft snort and did not press further.
The two wandered around the Affairs Hall for quite a while before leaving.
The moment they stepped outside, Lin Qi spotted the big-eyed girl she had met in the dining hall earlier that day.
The girl recognized Lin Qi and Luo Ci at a glance. "It's you two?!"
Luo Ci's face stiffened, and he did not know how to respond.
After a few seconds, Lin Qi spoke. "I didn't expect us to meet again. My name is Lin Qi, and this is my junior brother, Luo Ci. I still haven't asked what I should call you, Sister."
"Xu Ying from Class C-1. I didn't expect us to be quite fated."
Disciples studying at Tianyi Peak were assigned to classes according to when they climbed the Immortal Ascension Ladder.
Over a thousand people were divided into eighteen classes—A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and so on. There was one Class A, two Class Bs, and three of every other class.
Being in Class C-1 meant Xu Ying's aptitude was fairly decent. If she worked hard enough, she might even become an inner sect disciple.
Xu Ying had an easygoing, instantly friendly personality. Meeting Lin Qi, who was just as unreserved, the two hit it off after only a few exchanges.
Lin Qi asked her about the sect tournament.
Xu Ying gave her a look that said, Just as I thought.
"In the dining hall, the moment I mentioned the sect tournament, Little Sister Lin, your eyes lit up. I knew you'd definitely be interested!"
Little Sister Lin?!
Lin Qi was stunned by the form of address.
She nodded awkwardly. "Yes, yes. My junior brother and I are both very interested!"
Xu Ying did not suspect a thing and happily began explaining.
"I heard that because the sect took in many promising seedlings this year, the Sect Master decided to put up much richer prizes than usual. There are Spirit Cleansing Pills, high-grade spirit artifacts, rare medicinal pills, spirit treasures, and more. The top ten are beyond our reach, but I heard that as long as you make it into the top hundred, you'll receive rewards!"
"Really?" Lin Qi put on an astonished expression, leaned closer, and whispered, "Other than those, are there any hidden benefits?"
Xu Ying stared at Lin Qi with wide eyes, as if she had found a kindred spirit.
She leaned close to Lin Qi and whispered, "This is inside information, so don't tell anyone else."
"I heard the Heavenly Selection Secret Realm will open in half a year. Anyone who enters the top hundred will be qualified to enter the Heavenly Selection Secret Realm."
"Also, many Golden Core True Persons who have been in seclusion will emerge around then and choose a few disciples to take under their names... In any case, there are plenty of benefits. Little Sister Lin, you absolutely can't miss it!"
Lin Qi gave her a look that said she understood.
She took two spirit fruits given to her by Senior Sister from her pocket and stuffed them into Xu Ying's hands.
"Thank you, Sister Xu, for telling me all this. This is a token of thanks. Let's become friends today, so Sister Xu, you mustn't refuse."
"Oh, and you can just call me Little Qi from now on. No need to be so formal."
Being called Little Sister Lin made her feel uncomfortable all over.
Lin Qi was simply too good at handling people. Xu Ying became her good friend in a daze, and they even exchanged jade tablet imprints.
Before leaving, Xu Ying patted her chest and promised, "Little Sister Qi, don't worry. The moment there's any news about the sect tournament, I'll definitely tell you first!"
Lin Qi waved with a smile. "Thank you, Sister Xu. Next time, I'll bring you some delicious spirit fruits."
In just that short while, the two looked as though they could hardly bear to part.
Anyone unaware of the truth would have thought they were incredibly close.
Luo Ci was so shocked by Lin Qi's social skills that his eyes widened, and for a long time, he could not say a word.
Lin Qi's little hand patted his shoulder. "Junior Brother, dealing with people is a discipline in itself. You still have plenty to learn."
Luo Ci nodded solemnly. "Senior Sister is right."
After buying what she needed, Lin Qi also stopped by the Scripture Pavilion to borrow several books.
Luo Ci noticed that some were about talisman crafting and blinked. "Senior Sister, you know how to make talismans too?"
Lin Qi looked at him meaningfully. "Junior Brother, cultivating all day is far too dull. Pick up a hobby for fun, and you can relax a little in between cultivation."
"A hobby? Relax?!"
Luo Ci felt his worldview take a tremendous blow.
Since when had talisman crafting and pill refining been classified as hobbies?
How were all those talisman masters and pill masters supposed to live with that?
And could studying them really be relaxing?
Wasn't that just adding burdens to an already heavy cultivation schedule?
Poor Luo Ci had only just entered the sect when an overwhelming sense of urgency came crashing over him.
Faced with two senior sisters who worked so hard, even the thought of resting felt like a sin.
Lin Qi caught sight of Luo Ci's dazed expression and silently withdrew her gaze.
Junior Brother, grind away!
Let's grind the entire Cangwu Realm to death together!
As they climbed Zonglei Peak, Luo Ci ascended the Stone Steps with exceptional motivation.
It was as though each step he climbed brought him one step closer to Qi Refining First Stage.
His utterly focused appearance made Lin Qi unable to resist sighing.
"Junior Brother, if you'd had this mindset yesterday at Qingyun Palace, Master wouldn't have had to drill you for so long."
Luo Ci shot her a resentful glance, then continued climbing the Stone Steps with a bitter face.
Halfway up, he was too exhausted to continue. He held a Spirit Stone in his hand and absorbed its energy, intending to resume climbing once he had recovered his spiritual energy.
Lin Qi also sat nearby in meditation to recover her spiritual energy.
But as she meditated, she suddenly felt that something was wrong.
Why was all the surrounding spiritual energy being snatched away by Luo Ci?!
Lin Qi opened her eyes and realized that something was off with Luo Ci.
Meditation should have been relaxing and pleasant, yet his face was tightly furrowed, shifting from green to white. He looked quite miserable.
Lin Qi hurriedly contacted Senior Sister through her jade tablet and asked for help.
Senior Sister Yuan Xi immediately guessed what was happening.
"The cold energy of those Stone Steps suppresses the absorption of spiritual energy. Third Junior Brother should be about to break through, but affected by the Stone Steps, he can't absorb enough spiritual energy from the outside world by himself."
Lin Qi had also suffered from that cold energy before and immediately understood.
"Senior Sister, I know what to do!"
She threw out the array disk given to her by True Monarch Qingyun, and a third-grade Spirit Gathering Array formed where they stood.
The last time she tested it, thirty Spirit Stones had been used up.
Lin Qi felt the Spirit Gathering Array Disk consumed too many Spirit Stones, so she had not used it again.
She swiftly inserted thirty Spirit Stones.
Once the array activated, the spiritual energy instantly became several times denser, and Luo Ci's complexion finally returned to normal.
Watching the Spirit Stones in the array disk deplete at a furious pace, Lin Qi felt a tiny bit of heartache.
Once Luo Ci successfully reached Qi Refining First Stage, he had better thank his senior sister properly, or it would be utterly inexcusable!
Seeing that Luo Ci's condition had improved, Lin Qi did not want to stand there waiting idly, so she took out a Spirit Stone and silently absorbed its energy.
By the time the thirty Spirit Stones were nearly exhausted, Luo Ci finally woke from meditation.
He clenched his fists in delight. "Senior Sister, I've reached Qi Refining First Stage!"
"Congratulations, congratulations." Lin Qi silently crushed the spent fragments of the Spirit Stone.
She put away the array disk, pointed at the Spirit Stones that had changed from bright and smooth to rough and dull, and beckoned Luo Ci over.
"Junior Brother, let's discuss your breakthrough."
Cherish this Lin Qi, who still loved smiling and teasing people. Later on, she would be taking the aloof goddess route.
I have something to do tomorrow, so the update may be a little late. I'll do my best to maintain stable updates. Everyone, please be more active—the new book needs data. Hearts.
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