The match on Arena Number Seven was over.
Just as Lin Fan had predicted, this "unremarkable" battle did not cause any waves. The audience clapped politely and then immediately turned their attention to other, more intense arenas.
Their conclusions were highly consistent: "A fine match." "That junior sister from the Ninth Peak has potential, she's just too green. She should go back and train for a few more years." "Qian Dali won fair and square, a well-deserved victory." "The result was as expected."
Yue Qingqian's name, and the "Ninth Peak," were but a fleeting thought in people's minds before being quickly forgotten, perfectly blending in with the hundreds of other eliminated ordinary disciples.
On the high platform's elder seating, an elder responsible for overseeing the entire competition happened to witness the end of this battle. He stroked his beard and nodded slightly, mentally appraising, "This girl's foundation is decent, and her swordsmanship has form, but she is a bit impetuous and rash. Hmm, a good seedling, but needs much more polishing."
He, and everyone else present, had been completely deceived by this textbook-level performance.
The "perfect failure" plan had achieved unprecedented success.
On the arena, after winning the match, the honest Qian Dali immediately walked to the edge of the stage, extended a hand towards Yue Qingqian below, and scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "Junior Sister Yue, thank you for the match. You are very strong. That last strike almost broke my defense. I was just lucky."
Yue Qingqian, still maintaining her "actor's self-cultivation," did not take Qian Dali's hand. Instead, she pushed herself up from the ground, slowly stood, and cupped her fist towards him in sincere respect, saying humbly, "Senior Brother Qian's strength is profound; I am thoroughly convinced. I have learned a lot from today's battle. Thank you for your guidance."
This polite exchange of commercial flattery between the two put a perfect finishing touch on this "harmonious" match.
Yue Qingqian turned and, amidst gazes full of well-intentioned sympathy and encouragement, began to walk with a limp (which was also faked, of course) towards where Lin Fan was.
However, just as she was about to reunite with Lin Fan, a discordant voice rang out from the crowd nearby.
"Hmph, I thought the junior brother and sister of that coward from the Ninth Peak would amount to something. Turns out, she's just another piece of trash eliminated in the first round!"
The voice was harsh and full of malice.
Yue Qingqian frowned and looked towards the source of the voice. She saw that the speaker was none other than the outer sect disciple who had tried to skim their allowance and was driven away by her senior brother's wisdom, Wang Hu. At this moment, he was standing with a few of his cronies, looking at her with a face full of ridicule.
One of Wang Hu's companions chimed in, "Exactly! I heard that Senior Brother from the Ninth Peak is a Qi Refiner who hasn't even reached Foundation Establishment in a hundred years. With a senior brother like that, what kind of junior sister can he teach? Just a den of trash!"
These words not only humiliated Yue Qingqian but also directly attacked the sacred and inviolable senior brother in her heart.
A surge of anger rose from the bottom of Yue Qingqian's heart. Just as she was about to step forward and argue, a hand gently rested on her shoulder.
It was Lin Fan.
He still had that harmless, timid appearance. He did not look at Wang Hu, nor did he show any sign of anger. He just looked at his junior sister and let out a long, self-reproachful sigh.
In a voice that was not too loud but just enough for the few people around to hear, he said, full of guilt:
"Junior Sister, don't argue with them. They... they're right. It's all my fault for being useless, for my low cultivation and lack of ability. I can't give you good techniques or get you good pills. The fact that you could last so long on the arena with your own hard work and talent is already... already very impressive. It is I, your senior brother, who has held you back..."
His voice was tinged with a sob, and his eyes were filled with pain for his own "incompetence" and infinite love and protection for his junior sister.
These words, this performance, instantly twisted the nature of the entire incident.
The surrounding disciples, who had been watching for excitement, immediately changed the way they looked at Wang Hu and his group.
The senior brother and junior sister were already pitiful enough—one with low cultivation but protective of his junior sister, the other hardworking but narrowly defeated. And you, Wang Hu, a grown man, are kicking them when they're down, mocking them as trash. This is simply a character problem!
In an instant, gazes of contempt, disdain, and disgust, like sharp swords, shot towards Wang Hu.
Being stared at by everyone, Wang Hu's face turned pale and then red. He had never expected that his single taunt would be so easily used by the other party to seize the moral high ground, turning him into a shameless bully. He opened his mouth but found himself unable to utter a single word of rebuttal. In the end, amidst the pointing and muttering of the crowd, he could only slip away into the depths of the crowd with his friends in tow.
Lin Fan, once again, without lifting a single finger, had perfectly resolved a potential karmic conflict and, in the process, reinforced the harmless persona of himself and his junior sister as "weak, pitiful, but very hardworking."
...
After successfully completing all their "performance tasks," Lin Fan and Yue Qingqian quietly withdrew from the noisy Grand Competition venue.
Returning to the tranquil and comfortable Lesser Peak, the air seemed to carry a celebratory sweetness.
Lin Fan could no longer maintain his stern director persona. He looked at his junior sister and offered his most sincere praise ever.
"Perfect! Junior Sister, your performance was simply perfect! Flawless!" he paced back and forth excitedly. "Your control of emotions, your grasp of timing, your use of body language... That final fall from the arena was a stroke of genius, full of artistry! you are simply a born actor! A peerless genius of the 'Dao of Stability'!"
Faced with such high praise from her senior brother, a brilliant, heartfelt smile appeared on Yue Qingqian's face.
"To reward you for your outstanding performance this time," Lin Fan smiled mysteriously, turned, and retrieved the "prizes" he had prepared for his junior sister from the cottage.
They were not some miraculous healing elixirs or high-grade magical treasures.
First, there was a brand new, larger, sharper, and more ergonomic "Spirit-Working Shovel 2.0 Upgraded Edition." Lin Fan had even personally inscribed a few tiny runes on it to make the digging process quieter and more effortless.
Second was a thick volume that he had personally written overnight. The cover bore several large characters: An Actor's Self-Cultivation (Cultivator's Special Edition).
Yue Qingqian accepted these two "prizes," which were incomparably precious in her eyes, with both hands, tears of gratitude almost welling up in her eyes.
In her view, these were not strange tools and books at all. This was recognition from the Great Dao! It was the highest reward from her senior brother for her successful embarkation on the true path of cultivation—the path of "stability"!
"Thank you, Senior Brother!" she said, her voice crisp.
Seeing his junior sister's joyous and grateful expression, Lin Fan finally let out a long sigh of relief.
He lay back on his beloved rocking chair, feeling the warm afternoon sun, his heart filled with peace.
Alright, the biggest trouble, the Sect Grand Competition, was finally dealt with. Now, he should be able to welcome another period of stable, peaceful days suitable for being a shut-in, right?