The Martial Competition Ends, Gu Hao Extends an Olive Branch

The vicious dog departed with an air of nonchalance, hiding its deeds and fame. The entire venue fell deathly silent once more, and only a variety of complicated gazes landed on Jiang Lin.

After all, Yun Yao was the sect master and a Mahayana Stage cultivator. Apart from the grand elder and the others, no one dared scrutinize him, so Jiang Lin alone had to endure all those appraising looks.

With all those strange gazes on him, Jiang Lin lowered his head, his face dark. He swore to kill them all.

Yun Yao understood those looks too, and his body was already trembling with anger. His two disciples had become damned eunuchs. How was he, their master, supposed to hold his head up!?

Most importantly, he was the sect master of the Pure Void Sect. From now on, the first thing people would think of when they saw him was that his two disciples had become eunuchs before everyone's eyes. Would he have any dignity left!?

"Sect Master Yun, would you like me to have Wang Sang get his dog to...?" The grand elder did his best not to laugh, but he simply couldn't help himself. In the end, he failed to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.

Pei Xuan had already been carried onto the raised platform by other disciples. A disciple from the sect master's faction asked cautiously, "Sect Master, what should we do with the injured Senior Brother Pei?"

Yun Yao wanted to lose his temper, but he remembered that all the disciples were watching. He suppressed the anger in his heart and said in a deep voice, "Leave him here. Jiang Lin, go tend to your eldest senior brother's wounds."

"Yes, yes, yes." The disciple put Pei Xuan down and hurried off the platform, afraid that if he was too slow, he would get caught up in it.

Before Jiang Lin could step forward, Gu Xiran let out a groundhog scream and rushed to Pei Xuan's side, holding him tightly in her arms.

"Eldest Senior Brother!!! Are you all right, Eldest Senior Brother!!!"

Green-tea Gu Xiwan was back online to throw shade. She stepped forward and affectedly comforted Gu Xiran. "Sister, Senior Brother Pei was only stabbed a few dozen times and had that part cut off... He should be fine. Ah, I forgot Senior Brother Pei won't be a man anymore. I suppose he isn't fine."

Qin Chuan was also slowly making his way toward the platform. When he heard Gu Xiwan's words, he caught a whiff of green tea. But since it was directed at his enemy, this was good green tea.

Who said this green tea was bad? This green tea was wonderful.

"You, you, you...!!!" Gu Xiran had been left speechless by Gu Xiwan's green-tea act. Pei Xuan, meanwhile, had just woken up and heard Gu Xiwan's words, only to faint again from anger.

Seeing that another argument was about to break out, Qin Chuan hurriedly spoke up. He had no desire to watch the heroine and the vicious female supporting character pull each other's hair here.

"Sect Master Yun, Grand Elder, and all the other elders, I won first place in the martial competition. Shouldn't I receive my reward?"

"Junior Brother Qin should indeed receive it." The grand elder spoke up, going straight over Yun Yao's head and settling the matter with a single strike of the gavel.

"Sect Master Yun, why don't you hurry and give Junior Brother Qin his reward?" Xuanyang immediately spoke up in support of the grand elder. As long as Yun Yao was unhappy, Xuanyang was happy.

"Indeed, Sect Master Yun. Junior Brother Qin is injured too. Hurry and give him his reward so he can go back and tend to his wounds sooner." Jin Feng had been called over by Jin Pang to help Qin Chuan in the first place, so naturally he spoke up for him.

"Sect Master Yun, surely you don't want to withhold the reward because Martial Uncle Qin defeated your disciple?" Jin Pang was pinning labels on people again.

"Shut up! Don't talk nonsense. How could Sect Master Yun be that sort of person? He has always been fair and selfless. He could never show favoritism for the sake of his own disciple." Jin Feng waited until Jin Pang had finished before pretending to reprimand him.

"Senior Brother Yun, I'm about to faint. Surely it isn't that once I faint, you can welsh on the reward? Then, in the future, the other disciples..."

Before Qin Chuan could finish, Yun Yao interrupted him and tossed him a storage bag. "This is your reward: a Spirit Ascension Fruit, a magic treasure, and a token. With the token, you can go to the Pure Void Sect's."

Yun Yao was nearly dying of anger. He had painstakingly selected those two treasures from the Pure Void Sect's treasury, and both were suited to Gu Xiran. As for the cultivation technique, it wasn't important; it was just an extra.

"Many thanks, Sect Master Yun. I need to hurry back and tend to my wounds, so I won't stay any longer." Qin Chuan took the storage bag and left. His goal had been achieved, and he didn't want to keep going back and forth with Yun Yao and the others in case further complications arose.

"Many thanks to the Grand Elder and Elder Jin as well. Qin Chuan will remember your kindness." Before leaving, he also thanked Zhang Daoyuan and Jin Feng, much more sincerely this time. After all, the two of them had helped stop Yun Yao several times.

"There's no need to be polite, Junior Brother Qin." Jin Feng beamed like a kindly elder.

"I was only acting impartially. Sorry to trouble you, Junior Brother Qin, but please give your master my regards on my behalf." The grand elder was beaming just like Jin Feng.

"Then Qin Chuan will take his leave." Qin Chuan stepped down from the platform and left at a brisk pace. Jin Pang slipped away after him, and Gu Hao, who was below the platform, slipped away as well.

"Sect Master Yun, since the martial competition is over, let's not waste everyone's time. Will you announce it, or shall I?" The grand elder looked at Yun Yao with a smile.

"You handle it." Yun Yao left with Gu Xiran and several other disciples. He truly couldn't show his face here any longer.

"All right, all right, I'll handle it." With a wave of the grand elder's hand, an elder announced the end of the inner sect martial competition. Only after awarding everyone their rewards did he declare the competition over.

Meanwhile, Qin Chuan had already met up with Jin Pang.

"Congratulations on taking first place in the martial competition, Brother Qin. Once your injuries have healed, I'll host a celebration for you and introduce you to those people while I'm at it." Jin Pang was even more enthusiastic toward Qin Chuan than before.

"Then many thanks, Brother Jin. You're entering the alchemy competition, aren't you? I remember the first-place reward is an alchemy furnace, right?"

Qin Chuan had suddenly asked another strange question. Jin Pang didn't understand why, but he answered honestly nonetheless. "The first-place reward in the alchemy competition is indeed a supreme-grade alchemy furnace."

"If you trust me, make sure your grandfather is beside you when you refine the alchemy furnace." Qin Chuan's tone was deadly serious.

Jin Pang was startled and silently committed it to memory. "I'll be sure to remember your words, Brother Qin."

Then he changed the subject and said with a grin, "But Brother Qin, do you really believe I can take first place in the alchemy competition?"

"Of course I believe in you, Brother Jin. We've reached Supreme Mystery Peak, so I'll head up first. We'll meet again once I've finished tending to my wounds."

"All right, I'll be waiting, Brother Qin. I'll give you the wager then too." Jin Pang smiled and waved Qin Chuan off.

After parting with Jin Pang, Qin Chuan slowly walked up Supreme Mystery Peak. Only after he had entered its formation did he speak to whoever was behind him. "Fellow Daoist, aren't you going to come out?"

"Martial Uncle Qin, I mean no harm. I'm the second elder's disciple, Gu Hao of the Wealth and Peace Merchant Guild." Gu Hao immediately showed himself and raised both hands slightly to show he meant no harm.

"What can I do for you?" Qin Chuan truly hadn't sensed any killing intent from Gu Hao. Moreover, he had heard the words "Wealth and Peace Merchant Guild," and had begun weighing the matter.

"I'd like to befriend you, Martial Uncle Qin, but you should need to go back and tend to your wounds. Might I have the honor of inviting you to speak in private after the formation competition?"

Gu Hao had originally intended to lay his cards on the table and make a deal with Qin Chuan today, but the appearance of heavenly lightning had made him change his mind. He would prepare a few things before making the deal with Qin Chuan.

"All right. It would be my honor to meet with you in private, Brother Gu." Qin Chuan agreed after giving it a little thought.

"Then I'll take my leave first, Martial Uncle Qin. And congratulations on taking first place in the martial competition today." Seeing that Qin Chuan had no intention of talking with him, Gu Hao didn't press the matter and become a nuisance.

"Thank you." Qin Chuan watched Gu Hao leave. Once Gu Hao had disappeared from Supreme Mystery Peak, he flew back to his residence.