Zhang Qifeng's Reward

The voice that suddenly came from behind sent a chill down Zhang Xishun's back.

When?

How could someone appear behind him without making a sound?

His cultivation was at the late Qi Sea Realm, and he was not far from reaching its peak!

Unless his opponent was at the Spirit Realm or higher?

Zhang Xishun hurriedly turned around. The panic and wariness in his eyes quickly gave way to despair.

He wore a blue Daoist robe, his temples were completely white, and his presence was imposing.

Zhang Xishun knew the identity of the elderly cultivator before him.

Qingchan Peak's Martial Suppression Elder, and the master of Cangwu Studio.

Fu Qian.

"You want to see the list, don't you?"

Fu Qian spoke slowly, lifting his chin slightly with a contemptuous, arrogant air.

"Fu Qian!"

A vicious glint flashed in Zhang Xishun's eyes. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and tried to slap himself in the forehead.

He wanted to kill himself!

But before his hand could reach his forehead, a black line appeared around Zhang Xishun's wrist.

In the next instant, his right hand was severed at the wrist and fell to the ground.

Fu Qian moved his divine sense. A wisp of Destiny True Qi flowed out and pierced straight into Zhang Xishun's qi sea.

Then all the true qi in Zhang Xishun's body and his meridians were sealed.

This was Chen Yan's first time seeing a Wanhua Realm cultivator's methods.

Unlike cultivators at the Qi Sea Realm or below, who relied on brute force, Fu Qian acted with effortless composure and grace.

Then Fu Qian merely swept a careless glance across the depths of Zhang Xishun's eyes, and the Qi Sea Realm cultivator fell stiffly to the ground like an abandoned puppet.

Fu Qian crooked a finger in the air, and Zhang Xishun's body floated upward.

"Very good."

Though Fu Qian hadn't looked Chen Yan in the eye, gazing only at Zhang Xishun suspended in midair, he was indeed praising Chen Yan.

Chen Yan said nothing, simply cupping his hands toward Fu Qian.

"How did you discover this man was on the list?"

Fu Qian asked.

"Elder, one of my friends was unfortunately killed in this incident. I've been deeply grieved ever since."

Chen Yan said:

"So I've been secretly investigating Elder Song's death. Perhaps they thought I was connected to the matter, so they sent Zhang Xishun to approach me.

"But I have quite a few connections in the Outer Court now. I noticed that something was off about Zhang Xishun, so I reported it to Qingchan Peak."

Chen Yan made it all up. There was no one left to contradict him.

Fu Qian raised an eyebrow.

"Your connections in the Outer Court?"

"Some of the Outer Court stewards are very eager to make progress, so..."

At that, Fu Qian understood.

Some people were trying to curry favor with Lin Qifeng, so they also went out of their way to please this kid, Chen Yan.

How laughable.

Still, perhaps he could make use of that.

Fu Qian thought it over.

"Keep investigating Zhang Xishun's network of contacts in the Outer Court. If you discover anything else, I'll reward you handsomely."

Fu Qian said:

"And pass my regards to your master."

"Yes."

Chen Yan answered.

The next instant, Fu Qian and Zhang Xishun vanished from the clearing.

Discover something else, and there'd be a handsome reward?

So there was nothing for him this time?

Chen Yan grumbled to himself.

Elder Fu seemed quite skilled at dangling carrots.

The next day.

The second day of the Outer Court Grand Competition.

Chen Yan walked from below the arena up to the viewing platform.

Nearly everyone present turned their attention to him.

After all, the Outer Court elder's Personal Disciple had given such a dazzling performance the day before.

Chen Yan himself, however, felt a little strange.

Ever since he'd entered the martial arts grounds that morning, all the way until he took his seat behind Lin Qifeng, Lin Qifeng hadn't looked at him once.

It was true that he wasn't the kind of disciple Lin Qifeng favored. He was only a tool for delivering messages.

But Lin Qifeng had never been this cold toward him before.

"You went to Qingchan Peak yesterday?"

Only after Chen Yan sat down behind him did Lin Qifeng finally speak.

"Yes."

Chen Yan replied.

He had a pretty good idea why Lin Qifeng was in a bad mood today.

"Didn't I tell you not to get involved in Qingchan Peak's affairs? Let them make their own mess, didn't I?"

"You did, Master."

"So what did you do?"

"..."

Chen Yan didn't answer right away.

When faced with questions that were difficult to answer, silence was the best response.

Any answer he could say aloud would be worse than silence.

Chen Yan didn't know what punishment awaited him for going against Lin Qifeng's wishes.

After all, though he was nominally Lin Qifeng's Personal Disciple, in reality he was just a messenger.

But he didn't regret it.

Stopping the disaster that would befall the Outer Court more than two years from now was something he felt he had to do.

But what punishment awaited him?

Would he be expelled from the sect, or thrown out of the Empty Mountain Sect?

Chen Yan could accept either outcome.

He had no particular attachment to Lin Qifeng or to the Empty Mountain Sect, where he had lived through more than twenty Reincarnations.

Perhaps he'd be freer if he left the Empty Mountain Sect.

"You brat."

Lin Qifeng said sternly, then paused briefly.

"I never expected much from you, but your personality is surprisingly to my liking."

Chen Yan's face filled with question marks.

He had expected Lin Qifeng to reprimand him.

As far as Chen Yan knew, Lin Qifeng and Fu Qian had a terrible relationship.

As Lin Qifeng's disciple, getting involved with Fu Qian could be seen as a slap in Lin Qifeng's face.

But Lin Qifeng hadn't reprimanded him as Chen Yan had expected.

"Come to think of it, when you joined my sect, I still owed you a welcome gift. I'll make it up to you today."

As Lin Qifeng spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and space warped and trembled.

A palm-sized jade box appeared in his hand. Inside were nine ice needles, each carrying a faint blue glow.

"These are Po Bing Needles. I came across them by chance when I traveled through the Qingque Kingdom years ago. They're a middle-grade, third-tier spiritual weapon. If you drive true qi into them, they can pierce straight through the protective true qi of cultivators at the same level."

Lin Qifeng said:

"As for their other uses, you can figure those out yourself."

"Thank you for the gift, Master."

Chen Yan said respectfully.

"Don't get too excited."

Lin Qifeng said:

"If you get mixed up in Qingchan Peak's nonsense again, don't blame me for breaking your legs!"

"I understand, Master."

Chen Yan said.

Just then, the gong rang across the martial arts grounds, signaling the start of the Body Tempering Realm competition.

Chen Yan tucked the nine Po Bing Needles into his robes.

A middle-grade, third-tier spiritual weapon. Lin Qifeng had certainly been generous.

Around the Outer Court, the treasured possessions of stewards and ceremonial attendants were, at best, only middle-grade spiritual weapons.

Chen Yan, however, wasn't particularly impressed, and his emotions barely stirred.

In his previous Reincarnation, the reward he'd received had been a middle-grade, second-tier magical artifact.