243: Chapter 243 Taking Action in Secret

Peak Master Su Hanyan shook her head with a bitter smile, her expression filled with helplessness and bitterness.

"It is not that easy." Her voice was somewhat hoarse, as if she had exhausted all her strength in these few short days. "I already gave him that fruit from the martial kings treasure that boosts Mental Energy."

"After consuming it, his Mental Energy increased quite a bit, but he is still far from a Breakthrough to the 6th Grade."

"Sect Master, you are an experienced person; you know better than I do—from the 5th Grade to the 6th Grade, besides strength, one also needs a sliver of luck. To put it bluntly, that Mental Energy bottleneck is something many people are stuck at for their entire lives."

"Asking him to achieve a Breakthrough within half a month is not that I am unwilling; it is simply impossible."

The Sect Master fell silent. The others in the great hall also stopped speaking; only the teapot on the charcoal stove in the corner was bubbling and emitting steam. The Sect Master picked up his teacup to take a sip, only to find the tea had long since gone cold, so he set it back down.

He sighed, and that sigh contained too much—regret, unwillingness, but more than anything, a helpless acceptance. He had long anticipated this answer, but he had not wanted to give up without asking for himself.

"Even so, Lin Tian must still take the stage." The Sect Master's tone was heavy, every word sounding as if it were squeezed out from between stones. "Let him give it his all. Even if he loses, he must lose with dignity; we cannot let the world say that our Qixia Sect lacks even the courage to fight."

Peak Master Su Hanyan did not argue further. She knew arguing was useless. Although the Sect Master treated her well on ordinary days, in the face of the Sect's overall situation, personal gain or loss was never worth mentioning. She bowed silently and turned to leave the great hall.

Upon returning to Zixia Peak, Peak Master Su Hanyan called Lin Tian to her study. She told Lin Tian the outcome of the discussion in the great hall in detail, and by the end, her tone was full of apology.

After listening, Lin Tian frowned slightly. He was not afraid of losing—with his current cultivation at the Early Stage of the 6th Grade, facing Li Yun, who had just achieved a Breakthrough not long ago, the outcome was still uncertain. But that was not the problem.

The problem was, once he was on the Arena, under the eyes of the public, how was he supposed to fight? If he hid his cultivation and fought only with the strength of a 5th Grade Peak, then he certainly would not be a match for a 6th Grade Grandmaster, and he would have to do as Peak Master Su Hanyan said: trade a few moves and then admit defeat.

But if he let go and fought with all his might, then the fact that he was a 6th Grade Grandmaster could not be hidden.

A 6th Grade Grandmaster in his twenties—once this news spread, the entire Dynasty would be shaken. At that point, various forces would come to investigate his secrets, and with countless eyes watching him, his private fish pond in Black Wind Gorge would be exposed sooner or later.

He could not let the cultivation Foundation he had worked so hard to establish be destroyed just like that.

Therefore, Lin Tian shook his head and said to Peak Master Su Hanyan, "Master, I do not want to participate."

Peak Master Su Hanyan looked at him, the apology in her eyes deepening. "I know you do not want to. But they specifically named the strongest Genius of the Qixia Sect to fight, and you are the champion of the Seven Peaks Tournament; there is no way to avoid it."

"Do not put too much pressure on yourself—the opponent is a 6th Grade Grandmaster; it is only natural for you, a 5th Grade Peak, to lose to him, and no one can say anything. Just go up there, trade a few moves, and when it feels about right, concede and leave the stage."

"It is just..." She paused, her voice lowering slightly, "It is just that you might have to endure some bad reputation. After all, the whole world is watching, and losing never sounds good."

Lin Tian did not say anything more. He walked out of Peak Master Su Hanyan's study and headed back to his small courtyard. The night wind brushed against his face, causing his robes to flutter loudly. He looked up at the cold moon in the sky, his gaze flickering.

Trade a few moves and then concede? It sounded simple enough. But things were likely not so easy.

This battle would take place in front of all the various forces in the world. Sitting off the stage would be not only the heads of the major aristocratic families of Yun Prefecture but also experts who had traveled from afar from Qing Prefecture, and perhaps even spies secretly sent by other Schools.

These people had sharp eyes, especially the older generation of 6th Grade Grandmasters. With their Mental Energy projected, not even the slightest fluctuation of Qi on the Arena could escape their perception.

His current 6th Grade cultivation was only barely suppressed by the Perfection level Divine Turtle Breathing Method. But once he stepped onto the Arena and started fighting, with his blood and Qi surging and his Mental Energy being mobilized, he could not guarantee that the Divine Turtle Breathing Method would still be able to suppress it.

If some old monster were to detect a clue during the fight, the trouble would be massive.

He had to think of another way.

He returned to his courtyard, closed the door, sat cross-legged on the cushion, and went over the whole situation from beginning to end.

After thinking it over, a thought gradually emerged in his mind—since the duel on the Arena was risky, could he prevent the duel from happening in the first place?

If he fought Li Yun in private off the Arena and defeated or even injured him, then Li Yun would naturally be unable to participate in the competition half a month later.

If the duel on the Arena did not happen, he would not need to expose his cultivation in front of the whole world.

Thinking of this, Lin Tian's eyes brightened. Although this method was a bit unorthodox, when he thought about it carefully, it was indeed the safest option at the moment.

He and Li Yun were both 6th Grade Early Stage, their Realms were equal, and he possessed Perfection level movement techniques, Perfection level sword techniques, and Perfection level defensive martial arts, so he was not at a disadvantage in terms of combat power.

More importantly, there were no bystanders in a private fight; he could go all out without worrying about anyone's gaze.

Over the next two days, Lin Tian began to secretly investigate Li Yun's whereabouts. The group from the Qingyun Sect was arranged to stay in the guest courtyard on the east side of the Qixia Sect. The environment was secluded, separated from the main peak by a bamboo forest, and few Disciples passed by there.

Relying on the Perfection level Cloud Shadow Step, Lin Tian moved without a sound. He went to the east side every morning and evening to circle around, observing the movements in the guest courtyard from afar.

That Li Yun was quite composed, spending most of his time in his room Cultivating and rarely going out.

It was not until the afternoon of the third day that Lin Tian, crouching behind a blue stone deep in the bamboo forest, saw the gate of the guest courtyard open from afar. Li Yun had changed into casual clothes, bringing only two fellow Junior Brothers, and they walked out towards the mountain gate while chatting and laughing.

The direction they were heading was not the Martial Arts Arena of the Qixia Sect, nor the great hall's meeting room, but the path down the mountain.

Lin Tian's eyes flashed. Going down the mountain. This was a good opportunity. The risk of making a move within the Qixia Sect was too great, with patrolling Disciples and Elders' Mental Energy probes everywhere. But once they were down the mountain, it would be different; in the wilderness, as long as he found a secluded place, no one would discover him.

Lin Tian pushed the Divine Turtle Breathing Method to its limit, his entire aura like a stone sinking into the deep sea, without a single ripple. He followed them silently.