The disciple recruitment concluded smoothly. Qin Xiao originally expected Su Lin and Cang Xing to come looking for him as well, but unexpectedly, not a single other person showed up before the gathering dispersed.
"Master, we'll head back first then. See you at the Spirit Medicine Valley secret realm."
Luo Yunshuang still felt a lingering reluctance, but since the secret realm was still over ten days away, all of them had to return to their respective sects to prepare.
The Disciple Exchange would also take place only after the secret realm, meaning they could only spend these next ten-odd days back at the Mysterious Yin Sect.
"Master, I must take my leave as well. If I'm away for too long, the Elder and my older brother will grow suspicious."
Cang Chen also stood up to bid farewell. Having sneaked out to come here, he could not afford to stay away for long.
"Off you go. See you at Spirit Medicine Valley."
Since the disciple recruitment was complete, Qin Xiao did not press them to stay. Today, they too had to return to the Tianyuan Sect.
With that, the three newly accepted disciples departed one by one.
"Master, you actually went so far as to give them Saint Origin Spirit Fruit? Do you have any idea what the consequences will be if word leaks out?"
While Lin Shimeng had held her tongue earlier, now that only the three of them remained, she finally could not hold back any longer.
Leaving aside how precious such an item was, once others caught wind of it, it was enough to invite a fatal disaster.
"This master naturally considered your concerns. Rest assured, I know what I'm doing."
Naturally unable to mention the system's mandatory functions, Qin Xiao could only claim he had everything under control.
"Let's hope so. Since you're confident, I won't say any more."
Though Lin Shimeng still felt a sense of indignation, she realized there was little else she could say.
In the past, she certainly would have reprimanded Qin Xiao, demanding to know why he hadn't contributed such a treasure to the sect. Now, however, she couldn't even be bothered to care.
"Let's head back as well."
With those words, Qin Xiao stood up to leave.
Once Qin Xiao and his group departed, a figure stepped out from Heavenly Character Room Number Two.
"So the brat really is in cahoots with the other two sects! He actually cost my family over a billion. Just you wait, kid. It turns out that whole recruitment display earlier was deliberately put on for my benefit, making me think they'd fallen out while they were actually cutting deals behind the scenes."
The speaker was none other than Yu Shaoqing. His father had assigned him a task just yesterday: keep an eye on Qin Xiao and find out what kind of background the brat truly had.
Despising Qin Xiao of his own accord, Yu Shaoqing had readily accepted the task. Hearing this morning that Qin Xiao had gone to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, he had immediately followed. Because the private room was warded with a sound-isolation barrier, he hadn't been able to hear their conversation, but the departing attitudes of the other three made it clear they hadn't suffered a falling out. It meant their arrangements had been settled long beforehand, and this trip had simply been about dividing the spoils.
After Yu Shaoqing left, another person emerged from Heavenly Character Room Number Three.
"Perhaps we can join forces with Pure Yang City. Given Qin Xiao's current strength, coupled with Yun Man and Lin Shimeng, the pressure on me alone is quite substantial. Besides, judging by Yu Shaoqing's tone, this kid seems tangled up with the other two sects as well."
The person stepping out of Heavenly Character Room Number Three was Fang Xiuxian, representing Tianyi City. He too had come looking for Qin Xiao, but arriving a step behind Yu Shaoqing, he had been forced to take Room Number Three.
Neither of their private rooms had activated their sound-isolation barriers, allowing them both to overhear the movements in the hallway.
Matters concerning the secret realm had already been settled the previous night, so all major factions chose to depart for their sects today.
Outside the gates of Pure Yang City, the Pure Yang Sect, the Mysterious Yin Sect, and the Tianyuan Sect all chose to leave at the same time.
Though the Pure Yang Sect was close enough that they could have returned the night before, since this was Pure Yang City, they practically counted as half-hosts and could hardly leave early. Thus, they chose to depart alongside the other two sects out of courtesy.
"Brother Kui, thank you for yesterday. Please accept this small token as compensation."
Catching sight of Gong Yuankui, Qin Xiao stepped forward and handed him a Storage Bag.
"Brother Qin is too polite. You won fair and square through your own strength; why should you thank me?"
Declining to take it, Gong Yuankui acknowledged Qin Xiao's prowess.
"Brother Kui, don't mock me. Just take it. If you won't accept it for yourself, then treat it as compensation for the losses suffered by your sect."
Forcing the bag into Gong Yuankui's hands, Qin Xiao knew very well that he had relied on all sorts of tricks to scrape together a narrow victory; he hardly dared claim he had won through raw strength alone.
"Since Brother Qin insists on being so courteous, I will accept it on behalf of the sect."
Seeing how persistent Qin Xiao was, Gong Yuankui found it difficult to refuse further. Whatever the contents might be, he would simply treat them as restitution for the sect.
"This... so much?"
Expecting Qin Xiao to have handed over maybe a million or two in Spirit Stones, Gong Yuankui was astonished to find a full one hundred thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones inside, alongside a thousand drops of Spirit Liquid.
"It's not much; I earned all of this yesterday. If Brother Kui hadn't yielded, I wouldn't have made a single spirit stone. You've earned this."
What Qin Xiao gave was roughly equivalent to what he had given his own disciples, omitting only the Saint Origin Spirit Fruit, a treasure he dared not casually toss about.
"Second Elder, this disciple dares not keep such a sum. It should be turned over to the sect to help make up for our losses."
Though Gong Yuankui was a man of the world, the sheer scale of Qin Xiao's gift was staggering-more than enough to cover the loss of five quota spots.
"What is it? Making such a fuss over nothing."
With a look of utter disdain, Han Mingyuan reached out and snatched the Storage Bag.
Having watched Qin Xiao trick Gong Yuankui into abandoning all his advantages during yesterday's duel, Han Mingyuan held a deep grudge against the youth. If not for the unseemliness of bullying a junior, he would have loved to thrash Qin Xiao himself.
"Hm? So much?"
Yet the moment Han Mingyuan peered into the Storage Bag, his expression shifted in surprise. The kid had actually offered this much compensation?
"Not bad. You certainly know how to play the game, brat. Yesterday's business is water under the bridge. This old man believes you possess genuine talent; I must say, I rather admire you."
Stowing the Storage Bag away instantly, Han Mingyuan completely flipped his attitude, looking at Qin Xiao with newfound warmth.
"What is that old ghost Han playing at? Why the sudden change of heart? Did Qin Xiao slip him some incredible treasure?"
Watching Han Mingyuan's abrupt turnaround, the Mysterious Yin Sect's Great Elder, Wei Jian, was completely baffled. Moments ago, the man had looked ready to tear Qin Xiao apart; now he was showering him with admiration?
"Never mind. Regardless of what Qin Xiao handed over, if it smooths things out between us and the Pure Yang Sect, it's all to the good."
Though curious, Lin Tiancheng decided not to press the matter. Securing a strong relationship with the Pure Yang Sect mattered far more than anything else, seeing as they remained the premier power in Qingzhou.
After a few more rounds of casual pleasantries, each sect's contingent finally set off for their respective homes.
Along the journey, Lin Tiancheng found himself brimming with questions, though he hardly knew how to broach the subject. Even after summoning his daughter to his side, he could pry nothing out of her.
It was only once they had safely returned to the sect that Lin Tiancheng finally snapped.
"Qin Xiao, even if you cannot cultivate, what on earth is going on with your Body Refinement? The Seventh Elder never displayed the slightest sign of practicing body techniques. Furthermore, the resources you throw around far exceed anything the Seventh Elder possessed back then. I know you're harboring secrets, but must you keep every single detail hidden? And up to now, our Tianyuan Sect hasn't seen any benefit from your windfalls. Don't you think it's time you shared a bit of that with your own sect?"
Naturally, Lin Tiancheng had kept Qin Xiao under investigation all this time. He could tell quite clearly that the young man didn't treat Spirit Stones like ordinary currency at all. Furthermore, watching his own daughter and Yun Man recover using Spirit Liquid-a luxury so extreme it could never have been left behind by the Seventh Elder-made it obvious there was more to the story.
"Take this. It's half of my entire fortune. Since the Sect Leader has gone out of his way to protect me, I can't afford to be stingy."
Without hesitation, Qin Xiao tossed Lin Tiancheng a Storage Bag containing the exact same contents he had given Gong Yuankui: one hundred thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones and a thousand drops of Spirit Liquid.
"So much? I still underestimated you... Very well, I won't ask where you got it. Since you're handing over half your wealth to the sect, I'll make sure nothing touches you."
Staring at the contents of the pouch, Lin Tiancheng felt a sudden urge to leap into the air, yet he managed to maintain his composure. As Sect Leader, he had seen plenty of grand spectacles in his time.
Fortunately, the bets from yesterday had been placed through the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, leaving Ling Ruoxue as the sole outsider who knew Qin Xiao had walked away with hundreds of millions of Spirit Stones. Without that context, Lin Tiancheng never would have believed this was merely half his fortune.
Even so, Lin Tiancheng deduced that Qin Xiao must have taken a substantial cut. After all, Qin Xiao had sought out Ling Ruoxue just before the merchant association placed their wagers. Though he hadn't witnessed Qin Xiao handing over stones to her, it was likely payment for intelligence, meaning Qin Xiao's share should have been modest. To think it turned out to be this enormous-half of it alone amounting to over a hundred million meant his total haul exceeded two hundred million!
This brat Qin Xiao had not only tied himself to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association and established solid ties with the Pure Yang Sect, but more importantly, he had the backing of a Body Integration stage expert like Ye Qiuyue. In Qingzhou, he was essentially free to walk sideways.
That realization only cemented Lin Tiancheng's resolve to protect Qin Xiao at all costs.