The outer sect competition ended beneath the sound of a great bell.
Its echo rolled across the mountains of the Green Bamboo Sect, passing over bamboo forests, training grounds, disciple residences, and distant peaks wrapped in mist.
For a long time, the arena did not quiet.
Disciples stood in their seats, staring at the floating stone board above the central stage.
Rank 1: Jian Wuji.
Rank 2: Su Wanqing.
Rank 3: Fang Lin.
That third name caused the most noise.
A newcomer.
A boy who had entered the sect not long ago.
A disciple who had started from nothing and climbed through battle after battle until he stood just beneath the two Spirit Foundation monsters of the outer sect.
Even though Fang Lin had admitted defeat against Su Wanqing, no one mocked him.
No one dared.
Because everyone had seen enough.
He had defeated Chen Hao.
That alone was enough to shake the outer sect.
Fang Lin stood quietly below the ranking board for a moment, then turned and left.
He did not remain to enjoy the cheers.
He did not speak to the crowd.
He did not look toward the faction side.
His path through the arena parted naturally as disciples moved aside.
Some bowed.
Some watched with admiration.
Some looked at him with fear.
Fang Lin ignored all of it.
By the time he returned to Room 53579, the sky had already begun to darken.
He closed the door behind him.
Silence returned.
Only then did he slowly exhale.
The competition was over.
His body still carried exhaustion from the past several battles. His Qi was stable after breaking through to Late Qi Conjunction, but repeated fights against ranked disciples had pushed him hard.
Chen Hao had forced him to destroy his sword.
Su Wanqing had shown him the gap between Qi Conjunction and Spirit Foundation.
And more importantly—
He had almost revealed too much.
Fang Lin sat down on the bamboo bed.
Frost Wind rested beside him, its cold aura calm and steady.
The sword Elder Feng had given him had already become important.
Without it, even exchanging a few moves with Su Wanqing would have been difficult.
Fang Lin closed his eyes.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone floated silently.
The smoky mist around it moved slowly.
It had awakened slightly after absorbing spirit stones.
It had produced cosmic energy.
It had strengthened his body and soul.
It had given him Phantom Transformation.
But Fang Lin knew this was only the beginning.
His current strength was still far from enough.
Spirit Foundation.
Core Formation.
Higher realms.
The world was far larger than the outer sect.
Just as he was thinking, a faint fragrance appeared in the room.
Soft.
Cool.
Like mountain flowers after rain.
Fang Lin's eyes opened immediately.
A ripple passed through the air.
Then a red figure appeared silently near the window.
Feng Jiu'er.
She stood there in red robes, her black hair falling behind her shoulders, her expression calm and beautiful as always. Moonlight touched the side of her face, making her seem almost unreal.
Fang Lin stood.
"Fairy Feng."
Feng Jiu'er looked at him.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Her gaze moved from his face to his shoulder, then to Frost Wind beside the bed.
"You admitted defeat."
Fang Lin nodded.
"Yes."
"You still had strength left."
"Yes."
Her eyes narrowed faintly.
"Then why?"
Fang Lin replied calmly, "Too many people were watching."
Feng Jiu'er became quiet.
Then, after a moment, the corner of her lips curved slightly.
"At least you are not completely foolish."
Fang Lin looked at her.
"That almost sounded like praise."
"It was not."
"I see."
Feng Jiu'er's eyes turned slightly colder.
"Do not get carried away just because you reached third place."
Fang Lin nodded.
"I know."
"No, you do not."
She stepped forward.
"The higher you climb, the more people look at you. Some will admire you. Some will fear you. Some will want to use you."
Her voice became sharper.
"And some will want to cut you apart to see what makes you different."
Fang Lin remained silent.
Feng Jiu'er looked directly into his eyes.
"You have already attracted too much attention."
"I know."
"This time, I believe you."
A brief silence passed.
Then Feng Jiu'er waved her hand.
A jade box appeared in the air and landed on the table.
Then a second.
Then a third.
Fang Lin's eyes flickered slightly.
The spiritual energy coming from the boxes was dense.
Very dense.
Far beyond ordinary outer disciple resources.
Feng Jiu'er said calmly, "Your reward."
Fang Lin looked at her.
"The official reward?"
"Partly."
He understood immediately.
"And the rest?"
Feng Jiu'er looked away slightly.
"Additional compensation."
"For what?"
"For not embarrassing me after I gave you Wind Break Palm."
Fang Lin stared at her for a moment.
Then said, "So this is also an investment?"
Feng Jiu'er's expression remained calm.
"Yes."
But her eyes shifted away for the briefest instant.
Fang Lin noticed.
He did not expose it.
Feng Jiu'er pointed toward the first jade box.
"Twenty low-grade spirit stones."
Then the second.
"Three middle-grade spirit stones."
Fang Lin's pupils narrowed slightly.
Middle-grade spirit stones.
Those were far more valuable than low-grade ones.
For an outer disciple, even one middle-grade spirit stone was difficult to obtain.
Feng Jiu'er continued, pointing toward the third box.
"Healing pills. Better than the trash you bought from the marketplace."
Fang Lin paused.
"You knew about that?"
Feng Jiu'er looked at him as if he had asked something stupid.
"You think buying pills after a public duel went unnoticed?"
Fang Lin did not reply.
She waved her sleeve again.
A small jade slip appeared and floated toward him.
Fang Lin caught it.
"This is?"
"A sword technique."
His gaze sharpened.
Feng Jiu'er said, "Frost Wind is a good sword, but you still swing it like someone using a kitchen knife."
Fang Lin's expression stiffened slightly.
"That comparison is harsh."
"It is accurate."
He looked at the jade slip.
"What technique?"
"Frost Trace Sword Art. A middle-grade Earth technique."
Fang Lin's grip tightened slightly.
Earth grade.
Far beyond what outer disciples normally touched.
Feng Jiu'er said, "Do not practice it publicly at first. Learn the basics. Hide the rest."
Fang Lin looked at her.
"You also think I should hide more."
"You should hide everything you can."
Her voice became serious.
"Strength shown openly becomes information. Information becomes weakness."
Fang Lin's eyes moved slightly.
Those words were close to Uncle Wei's teaching.
Feng Jiu'er continued, "If you reveal a killing card, then make sure the person who sees it cannot speak."
Fang Lin was silent.
Feng Jiu'er looked at him closely.
"You understand this already."
"Yes."
"Good."
For a while, neither spoke.
The room was quiet.
Outside, the night wind moved gently through the bamboo forest.
Fang Lin looked at the jade boxes on the table.
This reward was too heavy.
Spirit stones.
Middle-grade spirit stones.
Healing pills.
An Earth-grade sword technique.
Even if part of it came from the competition, Feng Jiu'er had clearly added much more herself.
Fang Lin said, "Fairy Feng."
"What?"
"This is too much."
Feng Jiu'er's eyes narrowed.
"You dislike it?"
"No."
"Then take it."
"I cannot repay this now."
"I did not ask you to."
Fang Lin looked at her.
Feng Jiu'er's expression remained composed, but her tone softened slightly.
"You are too weak."
The words were blunt.
But this time, they did not sound mocking.
They sounded almost like worry.
"You climbed quickly," she continued. "But the outer sect is still only the outer sect. Chen Hao is not the end. Su Wanqing is not the end. Jian Wuji is not the end."
Her gaze deepened.
"Outside the sect, people die for less than what you are hiding."
Fang Lin's heart moved slightly.
She did not know everything.
But she knew enough to be concerned.
He lowered his gaze briefly.
Then cupped his hands.
"I will remember."
Feng Jiu'er watched him.
"You had better."
A faint silence passed.
Then Fang Lin asked, "Why help me this much?"
Feng Jiu'er's eyes shifted.
For once, she did not answer immediately.
The moonlight moved across the room.
Her red robes fluttered faintly though there was no wind inside.
Finally, she said, "Because I want to see how far you can go."
Fang Lin looked at her.
"That is all?"
Feng Jiu'er met his gaze.
Her expression was calm.
But her eyes were not as cold as before.
"For now."
The words settled quietly between them.
Fang Lin did not press further.
Feng Jiu'er turned slightly, preparing to leave.
Then she paused.
"One more thing."
Fang Lin looked up.
"The official reward ceremony will happen tomorrow. Act surprised when they give you the rest."
Fang Lin blinked.
"You brought it early?"
"I dislike waiting."
"That sounds like you."
Feng Jiu'er turned her head slowly.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
She stared at him for a moment.
Then, unexpectedly, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
It vanished almost immediately.
But Fang Lin saw it.
Before he could speak, Feng Jiu'er stepped into the air.
Her figure blurred.
Then she disappeared from the room without a trace.
The fragrance faded slowly.
Fang Lin remained standing for a while.
Then his gaze returned to the table.
The jade boxes glowed faintly.
The jade slip rested in his hand.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone suddenly pulsed.
Strongly.
The smoky mist stirred with clear hunger.
Fang Lin's eyes narrowed.
The stone reacted to the spirit stones.
Especially the middle-grade ones.
He slowly sat down and opened the first jade box.
Dense spiritual energy filled the room.
The grey stone pulsed again.
Fang Lin closed the box.
Not yet.
He had to be careful.
The competition had ended, but the danger had only deepened.
He stored the boxes away one by one.
Then he looked at the Frost Trace Sword Art jade slip.
Frost Wind.
Frost Trace Sword Art.
Late Qi Conjunction.
Rank 3.
And the grey stone waiting to awaken further.
Fang Lin slowly closed his hand around the jade slip.
His path after the outer sect competition had begun.
But for some reason, his thoughts returned briefly to Feng Jiu'er's final words.
For now.
Fang Lin looked toward the window where she had disappeared.
After a moment, he shook his head lightly.
Then he sat cross-legged and began cultivating.
Outside, the Green Bamboo Sect remained restless after the competition.
Inside Room 53579, Fang Lin's new rewards waited silently.
And somewhere high above Rising Phoenix Mountain, Feng Jiu'er stood alone beneath the moonlight, looking toward the outer disciple residences.
Elder Feng's voice suddenly came from behind her.
"You gave him quite a lot."
Feng Jiu'er did not turn.
"It was a reward."
Elder Feng smiled.
"Of course."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Grandpa."
"I said nothing."
"You were thinking something."
"I often think."
Feng Jiu'er turned and walked away.
Elder Feng watched her leave, smiling faintly.
Then he looked toward Fang Lin's room in the distance.
"Little fellow," he murmured softly, "you had better grow quickly."
The night deepened.
And beneath its silence, new currents began to move.