A Windfall (4,000 Words; Please Vote!)

As far as Li Xiuwen knew, Senior Brother Chen would be competing too.

Senior Brother Chen could take Huang Sihai and Qiu Xiang.

Thunder Boy probably would not go. He was at the peak of Sinew Washing and had spent this whole period in seclusion, focusing on breaking through to Meridian Weaving.

Li Xiuwen had two places to fill.

He would ask his uncle-in-law and aunt-in-law whether they wanted to go.

If they did not, he would pull Little Loudspeaker in.

And if that failed, there was still A Gui.

He had two places too.

A Gui's sect seemed to consist of only him and his master.

So A Gui had a place to spare as well.

One way or another, they could bring Little Loudspeaker.

After Li Xiuwen and the others left,

Tiger Granny picked up the office phone.

Mr. Ming's deep, weathered voice came from the other end.

"Mr. Ming!"

"How did the tomb expedition go?"

"Mr. Ming, better than expected. Having A Wen study Martial Way Metaphysics under Ye Lao was a good choice. They cracked the Silk-Thread Puppet Array in the Inner Tomb, then Su Ming of Heaven's Will attacked them, forcing them to hide in the Nether Abode, where they became trapped. A Wen cracked the Martial Way mechanisms inside and led everyone into a hidden chamber even Old Chen hadn't found. There they discovered the true Nether Abode and a Treasure containing the Heavenly Mountain Lineage's inheritance. All six gained insight into a Heavenly Mountain Secret Art from it and have now handed those arts over to the Learning Society. I've put the Treasure in the vault. The tomb expedition was a complete success!"

"The Heavenly Mountain Lineage? Then that nameless recluse from the Southern Sea must have inherited Heavenly Mountain's teachings. The lineage