Under Lin Fan's almost harsh guidance and the dual effect of Yue Qingqian's heaven-defying talent, a month later, she finally gained a preliminary grasp of this ultimate skill called "playing the pig."
She could now perfectly stabilize and disguise her own aura and spiritual energy fluctuations at the level of "late-stage sixth level of Qi Refining." Whether she was in action or in quiet cultivation, it all appeared so natural that not a single trace of artificiality could be seen.
Lin Fan expressed his basic satisfaction with this and immediately initiated the third phase of the special training.
"Aura disguise is just the foundation. Next is the core of our performance—combat acting," Lin Fan brought Yue Qingqian to a clearing in the back mountain of Lesser Peak.
"Junior Sister, from now on, forget about your 'Heavy Earth Sword Intent,' and completely seal away that 'Willow Catkin Movement Technique' that you've turned into an assassin's advance skill." Lin Fan's tone left no room for debate. "Using either of these two things in the competition is equivalent to pasting a label on your forehead that says 'I am a peerless genius, come pay attention to me.' That is the path to death."
Yue Qingqian nodded obediently. She was now 200% convinced by her senior brother's words.
Lin Fan took out a standard-issue iron sword from his storage pouch and threw it to her.
"For the next three months, you only need to practice one sword technique," he said, demonstrating it himself. "This sword technique is called the 'Green Pine Sword Art,' one of the basic sword techniques distributed by the sect, a set for every inner sect disciple. Its characteristic is... completely ordinary, balanced and peaceful, without any highlights."
Lin Fan demonstrated the entire set of sword techniques. His movements were as standard as a textbook, but they indeed looked completely devoid of power.
"Do you know this sword technique?" he asked.
"Mm... I've seen it, it's very simple," Yue Qingqian replied. With her talent in the sword Dao, this kind of basic sword technique was something she could remember after seeing it just once.
"Very good." Lin Fan nodded, a mysterious smile on his face. "But what I'm going to teach you is not how to practice it correctly, but how to... use it 'perfectly wrong'."
"Wrong?" Yue Qingqian looked confused.
"That's right." Lin Fan picked up a branch and began to draw diagrams on the ground to explain. "According to my intelligence analysis, our designated opponent, Qian Dali, has three signature defensive counter-attack moves: 'Monolith Stance,' 'Mountain Lean Strike,' and 'Earth-Shaking Wave'."
"So, your task is, when you fight him, to precisely use sword moves with 'obvious flaws' that can be perfectly countered by these three moves of his."
He demonstrated personally, using a move from the "Green Pine Sword Art" called "Vigorous Pine Greets Guest." This move was supposed to be executed with a straight sword and a steady presence. But the moment Lin Fan thrust the sword, his wrist deliberately stiffened for a tenth of a second.
"See that?" he said to Yue Qingqian. "That stiffness. That superfluous movement will make your sword move still look powerful, but in the eyes of a true expert, it's a huge flaw. And this flaw can be perfectly exploited by Qian Dali's 'Mountain Lean Strike' to knock you back. This way, your defeat will appear reasonable, because you are 'unskilled,' not because you are throwing the match."
For the next month, Lin Fan acted like a top-tier theater director, bit by bit, designing every move and every sword strike for Yue Qingqian on the arena.
How to strike the sword to expose a non-fatal but obvious flaw.
How to make her retreating footwork look a bit clumsy but not entirely chaotic when countered by the opponent.
How to make her breathing become rapid after "intensely fighting" for thirty moves.
The entire fight was meticulously choreographed by him in advance, like a dance. Its complexity and refinement were a hundred times more difficult than winning a battle.
When Yue Qingqian could finally use this "flaw-ridden" "Green Pine Sword Art" with ease, Lin Fan initiated the fourth and final, and also the most important, phase of the special training.
"Facial expression and body language management, commonly known as, acting class."
In the clearing, Lin Fan had Yue Qingqian practice the scene that was about to unfold in the arena over and over again.
"Wrong, do it again!" Lin Fan frowned, interrupting her without mercy. "When your 'flaw' is caught by Qian Dali and you're knocked back by him, your expression can't be calm! You need to show three parts surprise, three parts unwillingness, and four parts annoyance of 'I almost succeeded'! Your brows should be slightly furrowed, and your lips should be tightly pressed, understand?"
"Also, when you are 'running out of spiritual energy' and your sword moves start to slow down, your breathing! Pay attention to your breathing! It needs to be a bit rapid, and it would be best if a few beads of sweat appear on your forehead! Only then will it look like you've given it your all!"
"Finally, the most crucial step, the posture when you are knocked off the arena." Lin Fan demonstrated by lying on the ground himself. "You can't fall straight down, that's too fake. Your body should lean to the side, with a staggering buffer motion. After landing, you should first kneel on one knee, support yourself with one hand, and clutch your chest with the other. Then, raise your head and look at your opponent on the stage with a complex expression that mixes 'admiration for their strength' and 'acknowledgment of your own inferiority.' Only then can you slowly, unwillingly, lower your head. This entire set of actions is what will perfectly shape your image of a 'narrow defeat'!"
This devilishly detailed guidance completely reshaped Yue Qingqian's understanding of the word "battle."
She finally understood that in the eyes of her unfathomable senior brother, all things in the world could be considered the "Dao." Fighting was not the goal; survival was. To survive better, even battle itself could be interpreted as an art of seeking fortune and avoiding disaster. What a profound and awe-inspiring realm this was!
Three months passed quietly amidst this bizarre special training.
The day of the Sect Grand Competition's official start finally arrived.
On Lesser Peak, Yue Qingqian was fully prepared. Underneath her new inner sect disciple uniform, she wore the "Dust-Hiding Robe" that gave her peace of mind. She perfectly suppressed her aura to the late-stage sixth level of Qi Refining, not a fraction more, not a fraction less. In her mind, she had rehearsed the "failure script" tailored for her no less than a thousand times.
Before setting out, Lin Fan saw her off and gave her one last piece of advice.
"Junior Sister, remember, the arena is a stage. You are not a cultivator going to compete, but an artist pursuing art. Your target is not the opponent on the stage, but the approval of the audience and the elders below. Go, perform a good show, and then, we'll go home."
Yue Qingqian looked at her senior brother's eyes, which were filled with trust and expectation, and nodded solemnly and firmly.
There was no trace of nervousness or fear about the competition in her eyes. Instead, a roaring flame called "a sense of mission" was burning within them.
She was not going to win.
She, Yue Qingqian, was going to lose today!
And she was going to perform the most perfect, most inconspicuous, most brilliant, and most successful failure in the history of the Sky Profound Sect!
The senior brother and junior sister, one with a calm expression, the other with high spirits, walked side by side towards the bustling and lively competition venue at the foot of the mountain, each with a completely different mood.