Arguing on Solid Grounds

Li Ruotong had already begun to consider retreating. He had consumed quite a bit of his Internal Qi as well, and he had no pills left to take. But after thinking it over, he gritted his teeth and continued chasing Chen Fan. He simply refused to believe in such evil luck. What if Chen Fan's pills were nearly exhausted already? If he gave up now, wouldn't he be playing right into Chen Fan's hands?

Seeing his opponent attack, Chen Fan smiled lightly without a care and continued using the Soaring Art to evade. After another round of pursuit, Chen Fan took yet another medicinal pill from his pocket and swallowed it outright.

The spectators below had long since grown impatient. It had nearly been an hour, yet the two of them had done nothing but chase and flee. There was not the slightest thing worth watching, and many people had already begun to complain bitterly. At this rate, when would it ever end?

In the arena, seeing this, Li Ruotong completely lost his will to fight. He cupped his hands and said, "I have learned much." Then he left the arena directly. He did not say anything like admitting defeat. After all, the battle had never truly begun; Chen Fan had merely relied on pills to drag things out until now. No one would truly accept that. Still, there was no need for him to keep tangling with Chen Fan. He had already displayed his strength before, so all he needed to do was wait for the final assessment from the stewards. If he kept fighting, he would only make himself look more miserable, so he withdrew.

Chen Fan awkwardly rubbed his nose. Though he had won, he had not displayed much ability either.

Then, amid everyone's anticipation, the inner court selection came to an end. No one else stepped forward, and Chen Fan simply remained standing until the very end. Some people had considered the possibility that Chen Fan might be running out of pills and that they could perhaps steal a victory, but even if they won by luck, it would be an unsporting victory and they would not be favored by the inner court at all. If they lost, it would be even more embarrassing.

Finally, under the gaze of the masses, an outer sect elder stepped into the arena and announced the end of the selection. Next came the stage where the inner court stewards selected their people. At this point, the disciples who had taken the stage earlier came forward one after another, each filled with hope and unease as they awaited their judgment.

Someone had already presented the roster of disciples in the arena to the three stewards. With grave expressions, the three stewards began examining it. According to the selection rules, the stewards of the three inner court palaces would first draw up their own lists of accepted disciples. Since these disciples each had their own strengths, the three stewards would naturally choose those better suited to their respective palaces based on their cultivation in the three major categories of techniques.

Not much time passed, but to the candidates in the arena, it felt incomparably agonizing. At last, Steward Xu of the Sword-Imperial Pavilion stood first and loudly read out the names of the disciples one by one. He announced four names in succession, none of which Chen Fan had heard before. They were probably people who had taken the stage earlier. Finally, he heard two more names: "Li Ruotong, Chen Fan."

After reading those two names, Steward Xu fell silent and sat down. According to the longstanding rules of inner court selection, once the stewards of the three palaces had each announced their chosen lists, the lists would be finalized if there were no conflicts. If a disciple was selected by two palaces and a dispute arose, it would be discussed openly, with the disciple's own wishes having the final say.

Chen Fan was stunned to hear his own name. He had not even used a sword before. Could Steward Xu of the Sword-Imperial Pavilion favor him even so? What he did not know was that while he did not know Steward Xu, Steward Xu knew him all too well. Chen Fan and Qin Ziyan had caused no small number of incidents together, and the Sword-Imperial Pavilion elders had long intended to recruit Chen Fan. That way, they could both cultivate an expert for the sect and keep Chen Fan under their noses, lest he and Qin Ziyan continue to run wild in the future.

Among those who heard Steward Xu's list, Qin Ziyan was undoubtedly the happiest. Her face bloomed with smiles as she watched Chen Fan in the arena. She did not care about all that; as long as Chen Fan entered the Sword-Imperial Pavilion, she could find him to play with every day.

The moment Steward Xu sat down, Steward Liu of Swordheart Hall immediately rose and rapidly announced a string of names. There were five in total, and the final two were unmistakably "Wu De" and "Chen Fan."

After hearing this, Steward Xu glanced at Steward Liu but said nothing. According to the rules, it was not yet time for discussion.

Chen Fan was not too surprised this time. Steward Liu had known about him already, and he had become famous overnight in Swordheart Hall before. Steward Liu probably found it difficult not to recruit him. If he had to choose between the two palaces, he would undoubtedly choose Swordheart Hall. Although the Third Elder watched him like a tiger eyeing its prey, nothing was more wonderful than being with Ye Wan.

Yet Ye Wan was quite worried at this moment. Of course she wanted Chen Fan to enter Swordheart Hall, but she also knew the Third Elder's attitude toward him. Still, she was even less willing to let Chen Fan enter the Sword-Imperial Pavilion. What a joke—wasn't that handing her man over to someone else on a silver platter?

Once Steward Liu finished announcing the names, the crowd below exploded. It was rare enough for a disciple to be favored by two inner court palaces at once, let alone Chen Fan, who had not displayed any sword techniques at all. Anyone with eyes could see that there was definitely something fishy here! Many believed Chen Fan had connections to some important figure in the inner court and had secured an allocated spot through the back door. But if he truly went through the back door, did he need to do it through two palaces at once? Wasn't that adding legs to a snake, as though he feared others would not notice?

After Steward Liu finished reading the names, he looked at Steward Xu beside him. His gaze was firm, and he looked determined to win. Just then, Steward Zhang of Soaring Heavens Palace suddenly stood and directly called out, "Chen Fan..." Chen Fan was actually the very first name, clearly showing Soaring Heavens Palace's sincerity in recruiting him. Steward Zhang then announced three more disciples, including Jiang Yueying.

Once Steward Zhang's list came out, the crowd below boiled over. Being favored by all three palaces at once was something that had not happened for many years. At this point, no one doubted that Chen Fan had gone through the back door anymore. Some even believed that Chen Fan had not drawn his sword because he feared accidentally injuring his opponents. Did such a genius need to go through the back door? The Great Devil King truly deserved his title; it was no empty reputation!

Chen Fan was stunned at first, but he soon understood. The Soaring technique he had just used—the set of techniques Yun Zhongjun had taught him—must have been far from ordinary. He remembered how Wu Xu had been utterly shocked upon seeing it back then. It was perfectly normal for Steward Zhang to choose him now. Still, putting his name first was a little too deliberate, wasn't it? These lists were usually arranged according to the order in which disciples had appeared.

Steward Xu and Steward Liu were also rather surprised. What they had thought would be a contest between two palaces had instantly turned into one between three.

Some of the selected disciples in the arena wore delighted expressions, while those who had not been chosen were slightly disappointed. Still, they were not overly dejected; they had likely expected it. Then every one of them looked toward Chen Fan. By now, everyone else had been selected by one inner court palace, and only this one person remained undecided.

"Very well. It seems the only disciple under dispute this time is Chen Fan." Having reached the discussion stage, Steward Xu no longer hesitated and spoke first. "To be honest, the elders of our pavilion had already recognized Junior Nephew Chen's accomplishments in swordsmanship before. During this recruitment, they also instructed me to bring Junior Nephew Chen back to the Sword-Imperial Pavilion. I ask that you two yield him to us."

The crowd below erupted once more. The Great Devil King had actually already caught the eye of the Sword-Imperial Pavilion elders. His swordsmanship must be especially exquisite; what a pity they had not had the chance to witness it this time.

"Senior Brother Xu, that is not quite right. When Junior Nephew Chen entered the outer sect two years ago, I personally arranged it. At that time, Junior Nephew Chen's Internal Qi cultivation already qualified him to enter Swordheart Hall. I merely wanted him to continue tempering his External Force techniques. Now, entering Swordheart Hall would be entirely deserved." Steward Liu showed no intention of yielding an inch. It seemed they had truly locked horns now.

"Hehe, what a joke. You did not think highly of him then, and now you do not think it is a little late? As they say, what has passed is already a mistake—thus it is called a fault. Your Swordheart Hall simply missed him. Since that is so, it is Heaven's will, proving that Junior Nephew Chen has no fate with you." Steward Xu's words did make some sense, and he was clearly trying to drive a wedge between Chen Fan and Swordheart Hall.

Steward Liu was furious beyond measure upon hearing this, but he understood that during inner court selections like this, the stewards argued on solid grounds in order to seek talent for their own palaces and for the sect. Sometimes harsh words were directed at the matter, not the person. Moreover, Steward Xu was not being completely unreasonable. He truly had failed to recognize talent with discerning eyes before. If Chen Fan bore a grudge over it, the chances of him being willing to enter Swordheart Hall would be slim.

Still, he was unwilling to give up. He said to Chen Fan, "Junior Nephew Chen, your Internal Qi and External Force have both indeed achieved modest success. No matter what you choose, there will be no issue. Of course, if you are willing to choose Swordheart Hall, you may directly take an elder as your master and become that elder's personal disciple. What do you say?"

Steward Liu had clearly seen that the situation was unfavorable, so he directly offered preferential terms. Chen Fan secretly thought that he had no interest in taking a master or anything of the sort. If they offered Ye Wan's hand to him, he would immediately agree to enter Swordheart Hall.

"How laughable. Swordheart Hall has elders, but does my Sword-Imperial Pavilion not have any?" Steward Xu refused to be outdone. "Junior Nephew Chen, do not concern yourself with such things. If you enter my Sword-Imperial Pavilion, an elder will likewise take you as a disciple."

"Senior Brothers, is it not a little inappropriate for you to ignore me like this?" At last, Steward Zhang of Soaring Heavens Palace spoke. "Although I have not met Junior Nephew Chen before, inner court selection is nothing more than an evaluation based on what occurred during the matches. So many people here saw everything clearly. Judging from the technique Junior Nephew Chen displayed earlier, the Soaring Art was the only one that left a deep impression. With such attainments in the Soaring Art, entering my Soaring Heavens Palace is what everyone expects."

Steward Xu and Steward Liu both furrowed their brows. These words were difficult to refute, and Steward Zhang had even invoked so many onlookers. In that case, even if the Sword-Imperial Pavilion or Swordheart Hall ultimately succeeded in forcibly taking Chen Fan, it would be difficult to convince the masses.

Meanwhile, the crowd below had already begun to stir, buzzing with discussion. This melon was truly delicious to watch. Qin Ziyan and Ye Wan had both been caught off guard as well. Why had Soaring Heavens Palace suddenly appeared too? It looked equally desperate for talent like Chen Fan. One had to know that Soaring Heavens Palace generally had higher requirements when choosing disciples. Those with talent in the Soaring Art were extremely difficult to find, so its total number of disciples was far lower than that of the other two palaces. Throughout the years, whenever Soaring Heavens Palace and one of the other two palaces had simultaneously chosen a disciple during inner court selection, the disciple would usually be yielded to Soaring Heavens Palace.

Yet none of the three palace stewards showed any intention of backing down. One after another, they continued arguing without end, and before long, all three were red in the face.

At that moment, a streak of light tore across the sky. Someone was racing over from the direction of the inner court, and before he arrived, his voice came first. "Would the two stewards be willing to do this old man a favor?"

For a moment, everyone present was greatly shocked. Judging by that aura, the arrival had to be an important figure. Steward Liu and Steward Zhang, in particular, revealed wary expressions.

Then a figure landed, and the light faded away. It was an old man with a benevolent expression and graying temples. Whether judging by his apparent age or the aura one could sense from him, he was certainly an old fellow who had lived for countless years.

Upon seeing him, Steward Xu was greatly relieved. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, First Elder!"

The old man was the First Elder of the Sword-Imperial Pavilion. His gaze swept across everyone present. When he saw Qin Ziyan, he was slightly startled and seemed faintly pleased. The Little Witch had run away and gone missing for many days, leaving the old fellows frantic with worry. He had heard earlier that she had returned, and thinking of today's inner court selection, he had come directly to see for himself. Sure enough, he found her here. She must have gone off wandering with Chen Fan again. However, he quickly resumed a solemn expression, looked toward the stewards of the other two palaces, and said, "I have come specifically to take Chen Fan as my disciple. I ask that you two oblige me."