26: Elder's Interest

Night slowly descended.

The massive commotion on the Martial Arts Training Ground, triggered by the list of those advancing to the top sixteen, finally subsided as the crowd dispersed, leaving only the empty arena and scattered debris, silently narrating the day's intensity and frenzy in the cooling night wind.

Most Disciples had already left, either to conserve energy for tomorrow's arduous battles or to mourn their failures today.

However, on the high platform, the Outer Sect Elders responsible for overseeing the Minor Competition did not, as usual, leave immediately after the preliminary rounds.

They remained seated in their grand chairs, expressions varied, their gazes subtly drifting towards the name on the notice board that countless people discussed, questioned, and even revered—Lin Ye.

Silence spread among the Elders.

Finally, it was Elder Wang, the most hot-tempered and always disapproving of the Evil Path, who first broke the quiet.

“Hmph!” He slammed the armrest heavily, stroking his beard and glaring as he said, “This is absolutely preposterous! I have presided over the Outer Sect Minor Competition for over a decade, and I have never witnessed such an absurd thing! A Utility Disciple, whose Qi fluctuations are barely discernible, actually made it into the top sixteen by such opportunistic, pure luck! This… this is simply a disgrace to my Qingyun Sect’s Outer Sect!”

His voice was filled with undisguised anger and disdain, representing the sentiments of the vast majority of Disciples outside the arena.

“Senior Brother Wang, you are mistaken,” Elder Liu, who sat beside him, constantly stroking his beard with deep-set eyes, slowly shook his head and retorted, “Luck, once is luck, twice is coincidence, but what if it’s seven or eight times in a row? How can there be such continuous luck in this world?”

“Then what do you mean, Junior Brother Liu?” Elder Wang shot him an annoyed glance.

“What I mean is,” Elder Liu’s gaze grew sharper, and he stretched out his hand, pointing towards the center of the Martial Arts Training Ground, “This child is not as simple as he appears on the surface!”

He paused, his voice becoming low and penetrating: “You only saw his awkwardness in being passively beaten, and his good fortune when winning. But did you clearly see his lower body, like an old tree with gnarled roots?”

“You only saw the clumsiness of his Moves, and the weakness of his counterattacks. But did you feel the terrifying Foundation of his body-tempering Cultivation Technique, which remained as steady as Mount Tai even under heavy blows?”

Elder Liu’s two consecutive questions caused the other Elders present to fall into contemplation.

Elder Wang frowned, scoffing, “What good is a solid Foundation? All brawn and no actual combat strategy, he’s just a more durable punching bag! Look at his few victories; which one wasn’t due to his opponent’s own mistakes? Either they stepped on a stone, or they slipped themselves—it’s simply ridiculous!”

“Ridiculous?” Elder Liu remained unmoved, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes instead. “Senior Brother Wang, you and I have both cultivated for decades. Ask your own Dao Heart, would a truly panicked youth, facing an exhausted opponent, instinctively flail wildly, or seize that fleeting, sole opening to strike a decisive blow?”

“Sun Hao’s ‘Layered Wave Palm’ became unstable in his lower body for only half a breath at the moment of exhaustion! Feng San’s exposed ankle during high-speed movement was even more fleeting! Yet, this Lin Ye, every seemingly ‘coincidental’ counterattack, landed precisely on this sole, fatal weakness! Can this truly be explained by the word ‘luck’?”

Elder Liu’s words were like heavy hammers, striking hard at the Heart-Nature of every Elder.

Silence once again fell upon the high platform.

This time, no one easily refuted him. They were all experienced individuals, and after Elder Liu’s insight, recalling the details of Lin Ye’s battles, a chill involuntarily ran through their hearts.

Indeed, a person’s Moves can be clumsy, their expression can be feigned, but that terrifying grasp of combat opportunities, imprinted in their very bones, can absolutely not be faked!

“Either he is truly blessed by heaven, favored by the heavens,” the Chief Elder Zhang, who had remained silent, finally spoke slowly. His voice was hoarse and steady, every word carrying undeniable weight, “Or…”

His deep gaze swept over every Elder present, and he said, word by word:

“Great wisdom appears as foolishness.”

“A youth who can control his Heart-Nature, strength, and timing to such an extent… if all of this was an act, then this child’s cunning and schemes are simply too terrifying!”

At these words, everyone was astonished… Just as the Elders on the high platform were engaged in an intense mental confrontation because of Lin Ye.

In the distance of the Martial Arts Training Ground, on the secluded mountain path connecting the Inner and Outer Sects, a figure in snow-white robes quietly hid in the shadow of an ancient pine tree.

Su Qingyue.

She had not left.

With her cultivation far surpassing that of the Outer Sect Elders, the hushed discussions on the high platform clearly reached her ears, not a single word missed.

Her perpetually icy, beautiful face showed no emotional fluctuations, but deep within her eyes, colder than autumn water, ripples quietly spread.

The Elders’ debate, especially Elder Liu’s and Elder Zhang’s analyses, almost perfectly confirmed her suspicions!

This youth named Lin Ye, indeed, had a secret!

In her mind, the scene she witnessed on the arena yesterday resurfaced.

The seemingly clumsy dodges always managed to perfectly avoid vital points; the seemingly awkward blocks always used the most resilient parts to endure; the seemingly lucky counterattacks always seized the sole combat opportunity!

Once, it was a coincidence.

Twice, it was luck.

But again and again… this was inevitability!

This was a startling combat wisdom, carefully disguised beneath “clumsiness” and “luck”!

“Terrifyingly stable Foundation…”

Su Qingyue silently chewed on Elder Liu’s words in her mind.

She knew better than anyone how crucial a Cultivator’s Foundation was. It was the bedrock of a towering edifice, the root system of a sky-reaching tree. The more solid the Foundation, the more immeasurable the future achievements.

But she couldn’t understand.

How could a Utility Disciple, who had only joined the sect for just over three months, whose Qi fluctuations were faint, and who was regarded as a waste by everyone, forge a “solid Foundation” praised even by the Outer Sect Elders in such a short time?

Where did his mysterious body-tempering Cultivation Technique come from?

And why would he go to such lengths to disguise himself as a fragile waste?

One mystery after another, like layers of mist, enveloped that slender figure, making Su Qingyue, for the first time, feel such intense curiosity towards a peer.

She longed to personally tear away this disguise and see what kind of Soul was hidden beneath that seemingly timid exterior.

“Lin Ye…”

She silently uttered the name under the cold moonlight.

The wind stirred her skirt and her waterfall-like black hair.