Chapter 44 Let us start fighting all over again!

Liu Yi was sitting in the very front row. She was slightly stunned upon hearing this, clearly not expecting Fairy Sixiang to suddenly call her up to the stage.

There had been no advance notice whatsoever...

However, the surrounding disciples, upon hearing the name of Fairy Taiyi, lost all their composure and grew even more excited.

"Fairy Taiyi?"

"Are you an idiot? She's the winner of the Greater Thousand Sect beauty pageant! Even our Sect Master only placed second!"

"Oh, oh, oh! So it's the Seventh Elder... It is said that she is contemplative and values words like gold. It's really hard to imagine what she sounds like when she speaks."

"Indeed, and the Seventh Elder rarely makes public appearances. Ever since I entered the sect, I have never seen her once!"

"Really? Then this is a supreme stroke of fortune for us!"

"I am so envious of the personal disciples taken by the Seventh Elder... If I could become her disciple, I'd gladly eat immortal fruits and swallow immortal pills!"

"You're just greedy for both."

These remarks naturally did not escape Liu Yi's ears, making her feel even more restless.

With the arrow already nocked on the bowstring, she had no choice but to release it.

Thus, Liu Yi abruptly stood up from her seat and walked with stiff limbs toward the center of the grand ceremony.

Qin Xi could tell that her entire body was profoundly uncomfortable; she was even moving her arms and legs on the same side.

Fairy Sixiang's smile grew increasingly flamboyant, seemingly pleased to exact revenge for the beating she had received the other day.

Seeing Fairy Sixiang hastily step aside to yield her spot, Liu Yi took her place and cast a cold, icy glare at her.

Just you wait.

Fairy Sixiang broke out in a cold sweat and quickly retreated.

"..."

Having taken over Fairy Sixiang's spot, Liu Yi could only silently stand there without uttering a single word.

Everyone involuntarily swallowed hard, growing somewhat nervous.

It was as if she had said everything, yet at the same time, nothing at all.

Liu Yi's gaze swept across the assembled crowd. After a brief moment, she turned and left without the slightest trace of attachment.

Qin Xi felt embarrassed on behalf of his master; right now, her toes were probably curling hard enough to dig through the floorboards.

At this moment, Bu Weiwei sighed, "...How imposing."

Qin Xi turned his head in disbelief, "Huh?"

"She was communicating with us using just her eyes!" Bu Weiwei gazed at Liu Yi's retreating figure. "That icy attitude... She must be telling us that one must be as mature and steady as she is!"

A Ling had a different opinion, "I don't think so."

Qin Xi nodded. Sure enough, there were still sharp-eyed people who realized that his master was simply socially anxious.

"She was clearly telling us that if something can be solved without speaking, we shouldn't speak—we should use this!" A Ling raised her fist and shook it twice.

"..."

Fine. He had forgotten that these companions of his were each more blockheaded than the last.

"Qin Xi, why do you have such a hopeless look on your face?" Bu Weiwei asked.

"She's just afraid of communicating with people. Why do you have to overcomplicate it?" Qin Xi sighed.

"How is that possible? Look at the disciples behind us! Which of them didn't perceive something extraordinary from that gaze?"

"So passionate! Because of that look, my fighting spirit is burning right now!" a certain sword cultivator said, eager to try.

"So touching! A single look can convey such a moving story." A certain sound cultivator shed tears of emotion.

"Terrifying! I was actually able to catch a glimpse of the method to break through a cultivation bottleneck from a single glance!" A certain talisman cultivator immediately sat down in lotus position to meditate.

"What a bunch of morons! Is there something wrong with me, or is there something wrong with these people?" A certain Confucian cultivator felt cynical about the world.

"Do you understand the Seventh Elder better than we do?" Some of the people in the back noticed Qin Xi's strange expression and laughed heartily. "Looks like you're just a newbie who just joined the sect! Let me tell you, we've been studying the Seventh Elder for sixty years. We are intimately familiar with the deeper meaning behind all her actions. We're so close to her we might as well be acquainted!"

"..."

You lot haven't even met her in person.

There's no saving these people.

They must be the kind of people who write standardized Chinese reading comprehension questions.

The sect initiation ceremony ended shortly after, interspersed with some performances by senior brothers, but Qin Xi was in no mood to watch.

An even more important matter weighed on his mind.

Because of this, he kept his eyes locked on A Ling, who was not far away.

Feeling the persistent gaze fixed upon her, A Ling grew somewhat flustered.

"W-what is it?" A Ling asked timidly.

"Would you like to have a private meeting with me in a moment?"

"Huh?" A Ling glanced at Bu Weiwei and Jiang Baiqiu nearby, looking rather bewildered. "Are you not bringing the two of them?"

"No, this matter is very important. It has to be just the two of us," Qin Xi said solemnly.

"Eh?!"

A Ling had never encountered such a situation before, so she could only nod blankly while her heart pounded wildly.

Seeing that she had stepped into his plan, Qin Xi wore a crafty smile.

...

"Big Sister, lend me some spiritual stones!"

Qin Xi could no longer afford to care about anything else; he went straight for the goal with A Ling.

In his eyes, A Ling was no longer just a person; she was a pile of spiritual stones.

Rich benefactor! Save me!

"..."

A Ling tilted her head in confusion. She had never anticipated this development.

Yet, it also put her nervous heart at ease.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" She let out a breath of relief. "How many?"

"One thousand five hundred lower-grade spiritual stones!"

Qin Xi didn't dare ask for too much. He had already swindled five hundred spiritual stones from A Ling previously; to milk her any further would be impolite.

"One thousand five hundred lower-grade spiritual stones? Is that what you've been agonizing over?" A Ling didn't seem to care much about these spiritual stones. "You should have just told me earlier."

Just as A Ling was about to fish the spiritual stones out of her storage ring, a thought suddenly struck her.

Instead of taking them out immediately, she turned her head and asked, "Then... if I lend you the spiritual stones, can you promise me one thing?"

"What is it?" Qin Xi instantly turned serious. "Within my capabilities, I'd be happy to help."

"If you agree, you won't have to return these spiritual stones." A Ling paused. "I'd like to invite you to take on a commission task with me."

"A commission task? Do you mean those tasks issued to disciples by the sect?"

Qin Xi seemed to have heard of this before. Disciples could accept commission tasks within a minor realm called the "Myriad Worlds Realm," and upon completing them, they would receive special rewards.

"Yes. However, this task is quite difficult—it's a Foundation Establishment-stage task, and it'll be hard for me to complete it alone."

"A Foundation Establishment-stage task? Wouldn't it be better to cooperate with senior brothers and sisters who are already in the Foundation Establishment stage? Why choose me?" Qin Xi asked curiously.

After all, expecting two Qi Condensation-stage cultivators to complete a Foundation Establishment-stage task was practically impossible.

"This matter is rather special and involves things outside the scope of the mission itself... I trust you guys much more than those unfamiliar senior brothers and sisters."

"Besides, I feel that even though the few of us are only at the Qi Condensation stage, we should be able to pull off a Foundation Establishment-stage task, just like the trial when we entered the sect."

Hearing this, Qin Xi lowered his head and pondered for a moment:

"But if it's just the two of us dealing with the Foundation Establishment stage, the danger level is still too high. Should we... have all four of us go together?"

He turned his head to look at Jiang Baiqiu and Bu Weiwei, who were playing string figures nearby.

A Ling looked at the two of them—one turning a "turtle into a flying horn" and the other a "flying sword into a megaphone"—and nodded.

Seeing that she agreed, Qin Xi did not hesitate:

"Very well... Let's begin our battle anew!"