The Golden-Wing Queen's Gaze

War?

Hearing this, Lin Ke could not help feeling faint ripples stir in his heart.

The Cloud Frontier Beast Venerable!

There was a very good chance the Cloud Frontier Beast Venerable was behind it!

Although the original owner of his body had known little about current affairs, judging from his memories and what Lin Ke had observed since transmigrating, relations between the humans and the Demon Race in the Cloud Frontier were quite tense.

Both sides had mighty experts, however, so they maintained a certain degree of restraint to avoid devastating casualties.

But the Cloud Frontier Beast Venerable's Spirit Pearl-Lin Ke's Mysterious Bead-had been used up. The Beast Venerable probably could no longer contain his fury and had seized this opportunity to launch a war.

If Lin Ke could think of this, the Golden Wing Sect's higher-ups certainly could too.

Expanding the recruitment of outer disciples was hardly a venture that yielded boundless profits for a tiny investment. Outer disciples had assignments and stipends, after all.

A sect only had so many assignments available. If thousands or even tens of thousands of outer disciples suddenly joined, there would simply not be enough work to distribute.

And once those assignments were handed out, stipends had to be paid as well, placing an even greater burden on the sect.

But once war broke out, outer disciples would inevitably become cannon fodder.

That meant there had to be enough cannon fodder, or they would never be able to sustain the war's attrition.

With that in mind, Lin Ke would have to go back and have a proper talk with Fang Tong about whether his son should join the sect at a time like this.

Then again, war was also the best way to sift gold from the flames.

Cruel though it was, those who survived among the cannon fodder and distinguished themselves would be refined into true gold.

In the end, how to weigh that choice was up to Fang Tong himself.

"Back then, your sister lost her parents and younger brother. Later, she brought back a boy just like her brother. To think you've already grown so much." The Transmission Elder continued speaking to Lin Ke:

"When your cultivation inexplicably regressed, I felt it was such a shame. Seeing you return to the Dao Foundation today is quite gratifying."

"As for that Li Le, I think nothing of his father, Yuan Yong True Person. If he bullies you in the future, simply invoke my name, Rain Spider True Person."

Although Rain Spider True Person's voice was indifferent, that was merely her temperament. The concern for Lin Ke in her words was unmistakable.

Had it been the original owner of this body, he probably would have been so overwhelmed that he would have kowtowed in gratitude, especially given his memory of the Transmission Elder coming to investigate immediately after the Mysterious Bead caused trouble by drawing away his spiritual power.

But Lin Ke knew that Rain Spider True Person's change in attitude was definitely not some fond remembrance of old ties.

Otherwise, she would not even have needed to come see him. A few words sent to inquire after him would have been enough for Lin Ke to believe her.

The problem was that Lin Ke had already learned in his previous life that, once you had met enough people, you no longer had the inclination to smile kindly at every one of them, lend everyone a helping hand, or keep each of them in your thoughts.

Personnel managers, for instance, stopped hiring according to their personal preferences once they had met enough people. Instead, they hired according to actual needs.

As the Transmission Elder, Rain Spider True Person recruited thousands upon thousands of disciples every year, and she had been doing so for centuries.

Under those circumstances, who knew how cold her heart had become? Who would keep thinking about some Qi Refining Stage disciple bringing her younger brother to join the sect?

Still, not keeping someone in mind was one thing. If a disciple truly amounted to something and rose through the ranks, recalling events connected to that disciple from centuries ago would be effortless for someone with Rain Spider True Person's abilities, let alone events from only a few years back.

Of course, whatever he thought, Lin Ke could hardly say it aloud.

He returned to his seat, his face showing heartfelt emotion and gratitude, and replied through voice transmission:

"Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts, Rain Spider True Person! Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts! This kindness, this kindness-Lin Ke will never forget it!"

As he spoke, he continued thinking.

Why exactly had Rain Spider True Person suddenly changed her opinion of me?

It certainly had nothing to do with his cultivation.

The sect had plenty of Dao Foundation cultivators, and even more inner disciples. What did Lin Ke amount to?

As for talent?

When he had been tested back then, his talent had been an entirely ordinary middle grade. It was not even high grade, much less supreme grade, transcendent grade, peerless grade, or any of those legendary grades.

The fact that his Dao Foundation had reached a hundred and thirty percent could not be discerned from the outside. Unless he revealed it himself, not even a Nascent Soul cultivator could tell.

However much he thought it over, he could find no explanation in himself.

Instead, it reminded him of that glance during the Year Festival.

The Golden-Wing Queen's gaze upon him had felt almost tangible.

At that thought, Lin Ke felt slightly more at ease.

After all, kindness without a reason always put people on guard. Kindness with a reason, however, could be a little more reassuring once that reason was understood.

As for why the Golden-Wing Queen had glanced at him?

Perhaps it was because of the Mysterious Bead, perhaps because his Dao Foundation had reached a hundred and thirty percent, or perhaps because of something else entirely.

In any case, the Golden-Wing Queen was far too removed from him. There was no need to dwell on it.

Unlike Rain Spider True Person, who, aside from her cultivation, was not so far removed from him that he could not hazard a guess or two.

Ah, it still comes down to cultivation...

Lin Ke sighed inwardly, then set those thoughts aside and focused on watching the Sect Grand Tournament.

Many people around his seat were looking at him, curious about why he had won the Transmission Elder's favor.

But none approached him to strike up a conversation. After all, this seemed to involve a dispute between elders. Many of them were no fools and had no desire to be drawn into the maelstrom of conflict between such powerful figures.

That left Lin Ke in peace to enjoy the matches.

Most bouts between Qi Refining Stage disciples involved art-level spells and exchanges with low-grade spirit flying swords. Few of them possessed Spirit Insects.

After all, although the Golden Wing Sect specialized in handling insects, not everyone could have a Spirit Insect.

Lin Ke had previously reached the ninth level of Qi Refining without possessing a Spirit Insect of his own. He had only acquired some after going to the neglected Green Mulberry Garden, and even those were Blackgold Silkworms with almost no abilities whatsoever.

One could well imagine how scarce Spirit Insects were.

This, in turn, had spurred the Qi Refining Stage disciples to hone their spellcraft.

Many contestants knew only basic spells of the five elements, yet they found all sorts of ways to use them.

Some, for instance, combined the Water Arrow Art and Fireball Technique to create steam that obscured their opponents' vision.

Others combined the Fireball Technique and Entangling Art to form a cage of flames.

Still others used the Mountain-Moving Art and Water Arrow Art to turn the ground into a swamp, hindering their opponents' movements.

In short, a hundred flowers bloomed in full splendor, opening Lin Ke's eyes.

After all, great wisdom might lie within classics and renowned works, but everyone could come up with little ideas of their own.

In the course of their lives and cultivation, many cultivators might discover distinctive ways or methods of using a particular spell. They might think nothing of it themselves, yet once put into practice, those methods could prove to be flashes of brilliance.

These little ideas gave Lin Ke plenty of inspiration too.

In fact, many of those who had come to watch the Sect Grand Tournament probably had much the same thought.

Beyond joining the excitement and enjoying the spectacle, much as people watched the Olympics every four years, they had also come to learn and find inspiration.

Thus, Lin Ke thought of many ingenious uses for spells.

This Sect Grand Tournament alone lasted a full two days and two nights, only finally ending on the morning of the second day.

Everyone here was a cultivator. Even disciples at the first level of Qi Refining possessed spiritual power, making dispelling fatigue a simple matter. Exhaustion was therefore not an issue.

The final match, however, drew even more spectators. Some Golden Core Stage Personal Disciples even appeared high overhead.

"Final match, Lin Quan-meng versus Fang Du!"

At last, the final had arrived!