For a month after the Sect Grand Competition ended, Lesser Peak entered a golden age that Lin Fan had dreamed of—one that was nearly perfect.
The source of the trouble—the Grand Competition—had been perfectly circumvented by their exquisite acting. Yue Qingqian's "defeated but glorious" image was deeply ingrained in people's minds, but it only left a vague impression of "decent potential" in a few people's hearts before being quickly drowned out by the light of more intense battles and emerging geniuses that followed.
No one paid attention to the Ninth Peak anymore, and no one disturbed their lives.
Lin Fan was extremely satisfied and at ease with this. He returned to his retired old man lifestyle of watering the herb garden in the morning, improving his defensive arrays in the forenoon, drinking tea and watching the sky from his rocking chair in the afternoon, and meditating for a while at night. He felt that his decision to "trick" his junior sister into the sect, despite the huge karmic risk, was the most brilliant decision of his life. Without his junior sister, he would have had to personally participate in that damned competition.
Meanwhile, Yue Qingqian became completely immersed in the cultivation of the "Dao of Senior Brother," unable to extricate herself.
Her understanding of "stability" had transformed from initial passive acceptance to active exploration. With the "Spirit-Working Shovel 2.0 Upgraded Edition" that her senior brother had rewarded her with, she had excavated a massive underground complex beneath her cottage, with a structure more complex than an ant's nest, featuring nine misleading exits and three independent cultivation rooms. Besides her basic cultivation, she spent the rest of her time studying the book An Actor's Self-Cultivation (Cultivator's Special Edition), and would occasionally practice various expressions in front of a mirror, her acting skills improving daily.
The senior brother and junior sister, one enjoying the quiet years on the surface, the other digging deep and storing up resources in an underground world, formed a harmonious yet slightly bizarre picture.
Lin Fan was even optimistic enough to think that such peaceful days could last at least until the next decennial Grand Competition.
However, he had ultimately underestimated the Heavenly Dao's determination to get him "back on the right track," and he had also underestimated the unexpected "aftereffects" that a "perfect failure" could bring.
On this day, just as Lin Fan was comfortably lying in his rocking chair, contemplating whether to add a layer of physical defense to his cottage (like a thick layer of iron plating), the warning array he regarded as his lifeline was once again, untimely, triggered.
Lin Fan practically shot up from his rocking chair, instantly entering a state of high alert.
"Who is it now?!"
But this time, the visitor's aura was gentle and faint, without any hostility. A moment later, a young girl in a light green alchemist's robe, looking somewhat shy and timid, cautiously walked into the courtyard.
"Excuse me... is this Lesser Peak of the Ninth Peak? Does Senior Sister Yue Qingqian cultivate here?" The girl's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, and she seemed even more timid than Lin Fan.
Although Lin Fan was suspicious, he still put on a gentle and harmless smile. "It is. May I ask what business you have, Junior Sister?"
The girl seemed not to expect the legendary reclusive Ninth Peak disciple to be so friendly. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly introduced herself, "Hello, Senior Brother. My name is Su Mu, a disciple of Hundred Herbs Peak. I have been sent by Elder Liu of our peak to deliver a letter to Senior Sister Yue."
"Hundred Herbs Peak? Elder Liu?" Lin Fan's mind quickly flashed through his intelligence encyclopedia and found the relevant information—Liu Changqing, one of the three great alchemy elders of Hundred Herbs Peak, late-stage Golden Core cultivation, a well-known alchemy fanatic with a rigid personality who paid no mind to worldly affairs.
What connection could we have with such a person? Lin Fan grew even more vigilant.
Just then, Yue Qingqian, hearing the noise, also came out of her cottage.
Seeing the person she was looking for, Su Mu's eyes lit up. She quickly presented a letter carrying a faint medicinal fragrance with both hands and said with a face full of envy, "Senior Sister Yue, congratulations! Elder Liu saw your performance in the Sect Grand Competition and is full of praise for you!"
At these words, both Lin Fan and Yue Qingqian were stunned.
Full of praise? Full of praise for what? For her losing quickly, or for the graceful posture she had when she fell off the arena?
Yue Qingqian, full of confusion, opened the letter and quickly scanned it. A strange expression, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, appeared on her small face.
She handed the letter to Lin Fan.
Lin Fan took it, and in an instant, he understood the whole story. Then, his inner world was left with only two words—it's over.
The content of the letter was simple. Elder Liu praised Yue Qingqian's "composure" and "tenacity" displayed in the competition. Most importantly, with his Golden Core master's insight, he had keenly observed that although Yue Qingqian's total spiritual energy was not high during the battle, every output of her spiritual energy was "precise, stable, pure, and flawless." This represented a mastery over her own power that had reached a state of perfection far exceeding her peers!
And this unparalleled, fine control over spiritual energy happened to be the most precious and rare talent for becoming an outstanding alchemist!
Therefore, Elder Liu had determined that Yue Qingqian was an alchemy prodigy who had been led astray by the sword Dao!
Thus, he had specially issued an order, inviting Yue Qingqian to attend the "Public Alchemy Class" to be held at Hundred Herbs Peak in three days, an event that only inner sect disciples recognized by the elders for their alchemy potential could attend.
After reading the letter, Lin Fan felt his vision go dark, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.
He had calculated everything, avoided all the risks from combat, but he had never calculated that a performance of "playing the pig" would, because the "acting was too good," catch the eye of an expert from another field!
Alchemy?
In his view, that was a super trouble whirlpool ten times larger than the arena!
What do alchemists deal with? Rare herbs! Where are rare herbs found? In dangerous lands infested with various Yao beasts! This meant going out, fighting!
What do alchemists refine? Top-grade pills! What do top-grade pills attract? Countless covetous gazes, robbery, and even murder!
And this damned "public class"! What did that mean? It meant socializing! It meant staying with a group of strange, unpredictable people!
This... this was a catastrophe!
"Um..." Lin Fan took a deep breath and immediately tried to decline on behalf of his junior sister. "Thank you for Elder Liu's kindness. But my junior sister... she is dedicated to the sword and has no interest in alchemy. Also, she is naturally frail, gets dizzy from the smell of medicine, and is afraid of fire..."
He came up with seven or eight ridiculous-sounding excuses in a row.
However, Su Mu, who had delivered the letter, looked at him with a sympathetic gaze and said in a small but firm voice, "Senior Brother Lin, I... I'm afraid that's not possible. This letter is Elder Liu's 'Elder's Recommendation Letter,' not an ordinary invitation. According to the sect's rules, any disciple who receives an Elder's Recommendation Letter, unless they have a special reason like being in death seclusion, is not allowed to refuse without cause. Otherwise, it would be a great disrespect to the elder..."
Su Mu's words were like a heavy hammer, smashing hard on Lin Fan's heart.
He was checkmated.
This was an "invitation" that seemed full of goodwill but was in fact an "order" that could not be refused. If he dared to refuse, the next moment, Lesser Peak would become famous for "disrespecting an elder," and the trouble it would attract would only be greater.
Lin Fan slowly raised his head and looked at the sky. He could almost see the mocking, formless face of the Heavenly Dao.
He understood. His little clever tricks were, after all, no match for the rule-maker. The Heavenly Dao had just used a more tortuous, more insidious method that he had never expected, to once again, precisely, deliver trouble to his doorstep.
His peaceful days, which had only lasted for a month, had come to an end.