Kill Jiang the Flower Thief!

"Hahaha, Brother Hao, I hear you found the Heaven Piercing Treasure Mirror in a mountain cave. We are truly filled with admiration."

"Eh... what is the Heaven Piercing Treasure Mirror worth? If Fairy Lin were willing, I would gladly gift it to her for her vanity!"

"Brother Hao is truly worthy of being the Senior Brother of the Zong Hao Sect; your wealth and generosity are indeed impressive!"

"It is a pity that Fairy Lin was molested by that Jiang Lin. I wonder if Fairy Lin's Dao heart will be affected during this Sect Grand Tournament, and if she will even participate."

"Hmph! Do not mention that flower thief! If that flower thief dares to show his face, I, Zhao Hao, will make him taste the ultimate technique of my Zong Hao Sect! Hao One Finger!"

"May I ask if you are Senior Brother Ye Liangchen of the Unadorned Willow Sect?"

"It is I, that is who I am!"

The man named Ye Liangchen snapped his fan open with a clack and tossed his bangs back once more...

"Greetings, Senior Brother Ye. We are from the Black Tortoise City Daily. We hear this is your first time participating in the Sect Grand Tournament. May I ask if you are confident in passing the test of the Bewildering Secret Realm?"

"Hahaha, what a joke! Who has Ye Liangchen ever feared? I am invincible! Invincibility is my very nature!"

"As expected of Senior Brother Ye, your dominance is truly overflowing. However, it is rumored that you were knocked flat by a single punch from a woman. Is this true? Could you tell us the details?"

"..."

"Fairy Luo, I hear your Fallen Flower Sect consists entirely of female disciples. Given that Fairy Lin of the Dragon Gate Sect was tragically molested by the traitor Jiang Lin this morning, are you worried..."

"Not worried." The woman, whose full name was Luo Caiye, said indifferently, "If that flower thief named Jiang Lin dares to lay a hand on my Junior Sisters, we shall ensure he enters upright and leaves horizontal!"

"What about that flower thief named Jiang Lin? Has he not come?"

"If that scoundrel dares to come! I shall avenge Fairy Lin! I will protect this righteous path!"

"No! Let me do it! A person like that only harms more young maidens by remaining in this world! I will scatter his ashes!"

"This fellow Daoist, your resentment toward the flower thief Jiang Lin seems quite profound."

"Damn it! Profound is an understatement! I haven't even spoken to Fairy Lin myself, yet he... ah... he infuriates me to death!"

"Kill Jiang the Flower Thief!"

"Yes! Everyone has the right to punish him!"

"Kill Jiang Lin!"

"Kill Jiang Lin!"

Nearly ten thousand young cultivators at or above the Cave Mansion Realm who were participating in the Sect Grand Tournament for the first time and had managed to reach Black Tortoise City were assigned to various venues for qualification tests, with nearly ten thousand gathered in Black Tortoise City Square alone.

The vast square was filled with chatter, ranging from mutual flattery to various forms of one-upmanship, such as comparing cultivation realms or boasting about which fairies they had once laid eyes upon.

Of course, the biggest topic of conversation remained the fact that Fairy Lin Qingwan of the Dragon Gate Sect had been molested by Jiang Lin in public, and whether the flower thief Jiang Lin would sneak in among the wild mountain cultivators to participate in the Bewildering Secret Realm.

Before long, without anyone knowing who started it, the crowd began to express their desire to kill the flower thief Jiang Lin, and soon, it turned into a collective chant. The waves of sound rolled one after another; first a small group started, then it spread across the entire area.

Some people didn't know what was going on, but seeing everyone else shouting, they felt that not joining in would make them stand out, so they followed suit. In the end, nearly the entire square was chanting.

Some female cultivators from different sects who were on good terms and whispering to each other were startled by the noise.

Just as the chanting had been going on for a while, someone shouted, "The Dragon Gate Sect has arrived."

In an instant, the entire square fell deathly silent.

Stopping in the sky, the Dragon Gate Sect cultivators arrived on their swords and descended one after another into the vast square. The slender, delicate woman leading them did not land, but hovered in the air.

The woman hovering on her sword had long hair reaching her waist, her skirt layers as thin as mist and as light as silk. A golden belt cinched her waist, lending her an air of nobility while highlighting her graceful figure; her presence was as elegant as an orchid.

A Golden Thread Spiritual Jade rested quietly against her neck, adding a touch of understated grace. Silver butterfly earrings dangled by her ears, and a silver hairpin held her dark, lustrous hair in a delicate willow-leaf bun, topped with a single magnolia blossom, making her look fresh, beautiful, and extremely elegant.

"Ah... my eyes..."

Quite a few cultivators secretly tilted their heads to look up at the hem of her skirt, only to see nothing... and instead, they were injured by the sword aura...

"Everyone, I am Lin Qingwan of the Dragon Gate Sect. I am afraid the matters concerning me have already spread throughout the city. I do not wish to say much more. I thank you all for your good intentions, but Jiang Lin is a disciple of... the Dragon Gate Sect! Only I may deal with him! Therefore, I hope you will not interfere in my sect's affairs. I ask that you all spread the word."

The girl's sweet voice, carried by spiritual power, echoed throughout Black Tortoise City Square.

After saying this, accompanied by the Dragon Gate Sect's lead instructor, the girl drifted gracefully to the ground.

"Fairy Lin, I hear that the traitor Jiang Lin of your sect has taken your purity. Is this truly the case?"

As soon as Lin Qingwan landed, the Black Tortoise City NC News Department, the Black Tortoise City Penguin Highlights Department, the Old Wave News Department, and others swarmed toward her.

Black Tortoise City was famous for its news and information; the daily newspapers and various rankings of Wutong Province all originated here. It could be said that Black Tortoise City was the headquarters for the news sects of Wutong Province.

Hearing the reporter's question, Lin Qingwan's pretty face flushed slightly. Just as she was about to answer, the Nascent Soul Realm female elder leading the group pulled the girl behind her, cleared her throat, and said sternly:

"Rumors! It is all rumors! The traitor Jiang Lin is indeed not dead, and he did appear at the inn where our Dragon Gate Sect is staying, but our Qingwan is pure and innocent! Who is spreading these rumors?! I will smash their head in!"

"Eh? Is that really the truth? But Senior, I heard that Jiang Lin wore women's clothing and shared a bed with Senior Sister Lin. This matter..."

"Also a rumor! Qingwan stayed with me all last night; how could she have been taken advantage of by that scoundrel Jiang Lin?"

"Senior, we at the NC News Department pride ourselves on seeking the truth from facts. Someone at the inn saw with their own eyes that Jiang Lin kissed Fairy Lin!"

"Ridiculous! When Qingwan was battling that traitor, she was mindful of their shared sect ties and was caught off guard by a sneak attack, accidentally letting that rebellious disciple's arm brush against her cheek. That was all it was—a mere touch! The rumors spreading through the city about them embracing and kissing wildly are complete nonsense!"

"Senior..."

"Senior..."

The various news departments of Black Tortoise City launched a frantic offensive, firing off questions in a desperate bid to dig up some explosive scoop. However, this woman, who appeared young but was in reality over a hundred years old, kept her mouth shut tight; she was utterly impenetrable. Furthermore, every word this Dragon Gate Sect Lead Elder spoke was amplified by spiritual energy to reach the entire plaza, leaving no room for anyone to embellish the story later—after all, ten thousand people were listening.

Finally, a Cave Mansion Realm cultivator from the Penguin Highlights Department could no longer restrain himself and asked directly:

"Senior, it is rumored that Fairy Lin has been wounded by love and is struggling to overcome her emotional trials, causing her state of mind to suffer and her cultivation realm to plummet by two levels! Is there any truth to this?"