Lin Qi's accidental triumph over Gao Xiong solidified his reputation as a supreme, hidden powerhouse within the Whispering Willow Sect. Word of the "Unseen Shattering Grade" disciple who destroyed a sacred relic using only "Subtle Avoidance" even began to circulate in the surrounding regions.
This news reached the ears of Princess Lianhua, the beautiful, talented, and notoriously arrogant Saintess of the powerful Heaven-Shattering Palace. She was traveling the realms to observe promising young geniuses, and this absurd tale intrigued her.
"A disciple who breaks monuments by simply sidestepping?" Lianhua mused, tapping her fan against her chin. "Either he is an unprecedented genius employing the lowest form of mockery, or the Whispering Willow Sect is desperately trying to hide their poverty."
Driven by curiosity and a healthy dose of contempt for minor sects, Princess Lianhua arrived at the Whispering Willow Sect the very next day, flanked by a retinue of guards and high-level Elders.
Sect Master Wu nearly fainted. The arrival of the Heaven-Shattering Palace Saintess was an event that could either propel his sect to glory or utterly obliterate it.
The Audience
A grand, but hastily arranged, tea ceremony was set up in the main hall. Sect Master Wu, trembling in his finest (and only) robe, presented Lin Qi as the guest of honor.
Lin Qi was simply confused by the elaborate cushions and the tiny cups. He missed the comfortable Basilisk.
Princess Lianhua, radiating an aura of frosty perfection, appraised Lin Qi. She expected to see a man whose eyes held the depth of the cosmos. Instead, she saw a boy whose eyes were currently glued to a crumb of dried cake on the table.
"Disciple Lin Qi," Lianhua began, her voice musical and slightly condescending. "I have heard tell of your remarkable talent, your ability to tame beasts, and your unconventional methods of defeating opponents."
Lin Qi blinked, finally focusing on her. "Oh. Hello. I'm Lin Qi. Is this little cake supposed to be eaten with the tiny flower on top?"
The Elders of the Heaven-Shattering Palace gasped, scandalized. Only the most vulgar bumpkin would comment on the delicacy and the ceremonial presentation.
Lianhua, however, merely narrowed her eyes. A test? she thought. He is trying to gauge my humility by acting the fool.
She took a sip of her rare Cloud-Silk Tea, maintaining her perfect composure. "Your actions suggest a mastery of the Dao of Effortless Contempt. Are you not concerned that your lack of obvious exertion will lead to complacency?"
Lin Qi frowned. "I don't think I understand. I just try not to trip too much."
He then reached for his teacup, which contained the steaming, precious Cloud-Silk Tea. He was trying to show his manners by using his pinky finger, but due to his natural clumsiness, his hand was shaking.
The Spilled Revelation
Lin Qi's hand slipped. The teacup tilted violently, sending a torrent of the boiling hot, extremely precious tea directly toward Princess Lianhua's face and robe.
A normal cultivator would simply raise a spiritual barrier. A master would deflect the liquid with a gust of Qi.
But Lin Qi, in his panic, did neither. He simply gasped and raised his hand in a desperate, frantic gesture to try and catch the liquid.
The sealed Core of Infinite Density again reacted to the sudden emotional stress (the stress of ruining the nice lady's fancy dress). A minute pulse of G-EVS's cosmic power—the sealed Dao of Water Manipulation—involuntarily activated.
The boiling hot Cloud-Silk Tea, instead of splashing onto Lianhua, instantly froze solid mid-air into a perfect, six-sided snowflake crystal.
The crystal, perfectly formed and emitting a faint, radiant white light, gently floated down and landed precisely in Lianhua's empty teacup, cooling it perfectly.
Lin Qi blinked. "Oh, thank goodness! I didn't spill it!"
Princess Lianhua, however, was staring at the shimmering crystal in her cup. Her guards and Elders were gasping in horror and then stunned reverence.
The Dao of Effortless Contempt was one thing. But this?
To instantly freeze boiling liquid into a perfect form, at close range, while seemingly panicked—this was the legendary 'Fist of Frozen Fate,' a technique rumored to belong only to true Immortals!
Lianhua's arrogant facade finally fractured. A cold bead of sweat traced a path down her temple.
Original Maxim, whispered by a terrified Elder: "When a fool reaches for a teacup, the wise man ducks, for the fool may accidentally condense the elements themselves."
Princess Lianhua slowly set down her cup. She rose and executed a flawless, respectful bow—a gesture she rarely gave even to her own Sect Master.
"Disciple Lin Qi," she said, her voice now tinged with awe and a sudden, intense fascination. "I understand now. Your 'clumsiness' is merely a mask for a terrifying, subtle control over the very elements. You didn't spill the tea—you gave me a demonstration of the Ice-Form Dao of Instantaneous Condensation. I am indebted to your wisdom."
She was utterly convinced that Lin Qi was an ancient master who, through his "innocent act," had just tested her spiritual resolve and forced her to witness his power.
Lin Qi, completely baffled by the bow, just smiled brightly. "It's okay! It was just a silly accident!"
Princess Lianhua, mistaking his genuine relief for profound humility after a display of devastating power, resolved right then and there to figure out the true secrets of this "Unaware Immortal." She dedicated herself to observing him, much to the extreme terror of Sect Master Wu.