When Qin Xiao stated this condition, Lin Tiancheng was completely dumbfounded. What kind of demand was this?
"Er, Qin Xiao, what sort of reason is that? Could it be that you harbor some peculiar inclination?"
Lin Tiancheng simply could not fathom why Qin Xiao would make such a request.
"Er, Sect Leader, I am quite normal and have no strange inclinations. I raise this condition for my own reasons, but I cannot speak of them. If the Sect Leader does not agree, then I have no other choice."
Qin Xiao had not expected Lin Tiancheng to suspect him of some bizarre hobby, leaving him to explain it this way.
Although it was an explanation, Qin Xiao could not reveal the actual details; the System could not be mentioned, nor could the Spirit Liquid. He could at best attribute Spirit Stones to his fictitious master, so what else could he say?
"As for this... I can agree to your terms. Shi Meng has never taken a master and has been instructed by me personally since childhood. Taking you as her master is not entirely out of the question, but whether Shi Meng herself agrees is something you must discuss with her directly."
Lin Tiancheng knew Qin Xiao undoubtedly harbored his own secrets. Since the young man refused to speak, he would not press the matter further, but he could not simply make decisions on behalf of his daughter.
"As long as the Sect Leader agrees, that is enough. Just send Senior Sister Lin to my Seven Stars Peak, and I have my own ways of persuading her."
Seeing that Lin Tiancheng had consented, Qin Xiao replied with confident assurance.
Across the entire sect, the only two members of the younger generation possessing Heavenly Spirit Roots were Lin Shimeng and Yun Man. Prior to this, Qin Xiao would never have dared to dream that the sect's Holy Maiden would take him as her master, especially given that she was the Sect Leader's daughter. Now that the Sect Leader had broached the subject himself, an opportunity had presented itself.
If he could take on another Heavenly Spirit Root disciple, he wondered what new items might be unlocked-something beneficial for Body Refinement would be ideal.
"Since it is settled, you should return to Seven Stars Peak first. I will have disciples escort you; presumably, the Grand Elder will not dare to act too brazenly. I shall go speak with Shi Meng, and afterwards, she will come to Seven Stars Peak of her own accord."
After a moment of hesitation, Lin Tiancheng instructed Qin Xiao to depart, though he still had not figured out how to broach the topic with his daughter.
True to his word, when Qin Xiao took his leave, several Nascent Soul stage Senior Brothers accompanied him, and they encountered no danger along the path. It seemed the Grand Elder had chosen to exercise restraint.
Meanwhile, Lin Tiancheng arrived outside Lin Shimeng's chambers, pacing back and forth as he considered how to open the conversation.
"Father, what are you wandering about out here for?"
To his surprise, Lin Shimeng pulled open her door, looking curiously at the pacing Lin Tiancheng.
"Er, Meng'er, Father has secured a fated chance for you. I wonder if you would be willing to humble yourself and take someone as your master?"
Lin Tiancheng asked tentatively.
"A fated chance? A master? Who could it be? The Supreme Elder?"
Lin Shimeng asked with a puzzled expression. For her father to describe something as a fated chance, it could only point to the Supreme Elder throughout the entire sect. Yet the Supreme Elder had not accepted disciples for several centuries and remained in secluded cultivation.
"It is not the Supreme Elder."
Lin Tiancheng found the words difficult to utter. Just what ailed this fellow Qin Xiao to make such a bizarre demand?
"Father, speak plainly. Why are you acting so hesitant? Is this how a Sect Leader should behave?"
Lin Shimeng said with a hint of speechlessness. What had come over her father? Had he been possessed?
"It is Qin Xiao."
After careful consideration, Lin Tiancheng finally uttered Qin Xiao's name.
"What? Qin Xiao? Father, have you lost your mind? You want me to take him as my master? Does he even qualify?"
Upon hearing Qin Xiao's name, Lin Shimeng sprang to her feet, her face a mask of utter indignation. What on earth was wrong with her father?
"Do you know what cultivation realm Yun Man possessed when she first entered the sect?"
Instead of answering directly, Lin Tiancheng posed a counter-question.
"Er... I paid no attention to that. What does it have to do with me taking Qin Xiao as my master?"
Lin Shimeng asked, uncomprehending.
"The Foundation Establishment stage-merely the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Seven days later, when Immortal Sword Peak came to Seven Stars Peak to cause trouble, Yun Man had already reached the early stage of the Golden Core realm. Over twenty days after that, during the sect disciple tournament, she advanced to the late stage of Golden Core. A month later, upon heading to the secret realm, she had already broken through to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and now she is close to reaching the mid stage of Nascent Soul."
Had Lin Tiancheng not kept a close watch on Seven Stars Peak and investigated Yun Man himself, he would never have believed it. Barely three months had passed, yet she had vaulted from the late Foundation Establishment stage straight to the early Nascent Soul stage, with the mid stage almost within reach. Such a feat could never be accomplished by a Heavenly Spirit Root alone.
Lin Shimeng possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root as well. Nurtured by her father since childhood, she had begun Qi Condensation at age six, reached Foundation Establishment at nine, and attained the Golden Core realm at thirteen. Even so, it had taken her nearly eight years to reach the Nascent Soul stage-a swift pace by ordinary standards, yet far too slow compared to Yun Man.
"That is impossible. I do not believe it. How could anyone in this world cultivate at such a pace?"
Shock washed over Lin Shimeng as she listened to her father's words.
Following the disciple tournament, she had gone to challenge Yun Man, at which point Yun Man was at the late Golden Core stage, standing at the half-step peak. Because of this, Lin Shimeng had concluded that Yun Man must have previously concealed her cultivation, arriving at the sect already possessing late Golden Core strength. Through sheer coincidence and vast resources, she had reached the peak of the Golden Core realm, before using a month of secluded cultivation in the secret realm to find her breakthrough and enter the early Nascent Soul stage.
Yet Lin Tiancheng's account revealed that Yun Man had entered the sect at merely the late Foundation Establishment stage, and that all her progress had occurred while under Qin Xiao's tutelage. How could Lin Shimeng not be stunned?
"Believe it or not, Father has no reason to deceive you. Others likely realize this truth as well. Can you still claim that Qin Xiao does not represent a fated chance?"
Were it not for his position as Sect Leader, Lin Tiancheng would have considered taking Qin Xiao as his own master, seeing as he too possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root. He simply did not know if Qin Xiao would accept him.
"Even so, why must I take him as my master? Can he not assist me without such a bond?"
Lin Shimeng muttered rebelliously, the thought of bowing to Qin Xiao growing more distasteful the more she considered it.
"There is no other way. When I negotiated with him, he agreed immediately on the sole condition that you become his disciple. As for whether you accept, the choice rests entirely with you; Father has done all he can. Oh, and he also left word that the moment you arrive at Seven Stars Peak, he is confident you will agree to become his pupil."
Knowing his daughter's proud and self-assured nature, Lin Tiancheng refrained from coercion, opting instead for a deliberate provocation to drive her toward Qin Xiao.
"Where does he get the audacity to say such a thing? Such arrogance! I had no intention of going, but now I must see for myself what gives him such confidence.
True to form, Lin Shimeng took the bait. With those words, she stormed out of her quarters and headed straight for Seven Stars Peak.
Indeed, no one understood a daughter better than her father. A mild provocation was all it took for Lin Shimeng to seek him out on her own. Whether the arrangement ultimately succeeded would depend entirely on her own fortune.
Meanwhile, up on Seven Stars Peak, Qin Xiao reclined leisurely upon a rocking chair.
"Master, what has you in such high spirits?"
Knowing that Qin Xiao had attended a council meeting that day, Yun Man had forgone secluded cultivation to engage in light meditation on the peak. Judging the time right, she stepped outside and approached Qin Xiao, who was relaxing in high spirits.
"Disciple, barring any unexpected hitches, you're about to gain a Junior Sister."
The thought of acquiring another Heavenly Spirit Root disciple delighted Qin Xiao, especially since it would unlock new supplies. Nothing could be more pleasing.
"What? A Junior Sister? Didn't Master go to a council meeting? Where did you manage to recruit a Junior Sister from?"
Yun Man stared in bewilderment. The meeting attendees were exclusively elders; where would a Junior Sister spring from? Could she have been encountered along the return journey?
"Ah, do not ask. You will understand shortly."
Qin Xiao decided to maintain a bit of mystery and give Yun Man a surprise.
"Open this door!"
Just as Qin Xiao and Yun Man were exchanging casual remarks, a voice rang out from beyond the courtyard.
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