As Lin Chen arrived at the mission board, his steps slowed, and his expression froze in mild confusion.
The usually quiet grounds around the board, a place where only a few disciples came and went, had been completely transformed. Instead of silence and solemnity, there was noise—clamor, shouting, and the bustling sound of trade.
Dozens of disciples had set up makeshift stalls, some laying down cloth on the ground, and others propping up wooden stands.
Herbs, spiritual grass, pills and even crude talismans and many other strange things were displayed like goods in a marketplace. A few had even taken to waving their wares in the air, shouting prices as if they were street vendors in a town.
Lin Chen blinked. What in the heavens…? Did the sect suddenly open a market?
One disciple with a broad smile yelled, "Freshly picked Spirit Peaches! Sweet and juicy, only two low-grade spirit stones each!"
Another countered from the next stall, "Bah! Don't listen to him, mine are cheaper—one spirit stone, and I'll even throw in a stalk of Bittergrass for free!"
A third disciple, sitting cross-legged behind his mat, chimed in solemnly, "Handmade talismans—tested personally! Suitable for sneak attacks"
The crowd bustled with energy, the sect grounds now resembling a rowdy mortal street.
Lin Chen rubbed his eyes, half convinced that the endless combat drills had finally rattled his brain. Yet when he opened them again, the sight did not change.
The sect's dignified mission board stood tall in the background, but all around it outer court disciples bustled like mortals at a city market.
Lin Chen pinched his cheek. Ow. Not a hallucination.
Now he was genuinely bewildered. What in the Heavens happened to the outer court disciples? Outer disciples may lack talent, but turning into vegetable hawkers on sect grounds? Is this a side effect of Qi deviation?
He had to know what was going on. Finally, he grabbed the sleeve of a passing disciple.
"Brother, why in the heavens has the sect turned into a vegetable market?" Lin Chen asked, half serious, half bewildered.
The disciple chuckled knowingly, as if he had heard this question a hundred times before. "Ah, so it's your first time seeing this. Don't be alarmed. It may look strange, but this is perfectly normal. It happens once every three years."
Lin Chen blinked. "Once every three years? What kind of bizarre tradition is this?"
The disciple's grin widened. "Naturally, it's because of the Inner Court Competition. Every three years, all outer disciples are given a chance to compete. The top 5 can directly join the Inner Court."
Lin Chen's eyes lit up slightly. "Oh? But even so, why the stalls? Why is everyone suddenly selling things like this?"
"Haha, I can understand your confusion," the disciple said, waving a hand at the bustling crowd.
"You see, for this grand event, nearly every outer disciple in the sect gathers — more than five thousand in total. Where there are people, there is profit. Some disciples take this chance to sell herbs, talismans, pills, or even secret manuals. It's cheaper than buying from sect stores, and the demand is sky-high. So, the grounds turn into a market overnight."
Lin Chen followed his gesture, watching the shouts and exchanges with new eyes.
"So it's not madness," he muttered under his breath, "it's business… like a festival market."
The disciple gave him a knowing smile, then excused himself to tend to his business.
Lin Chen changed his mind. Missions could wait.
After hearing about the Inner Court Tournament, Lin Chen changed his mind. Missions could wait. A new plan had already been formed in his heart.
Why waste time running errands for a few spirit stones, when a direct path upward had just opened before him?
With his current cultivation at the first stage of Essence Forging, he was no longer some weakling scraping by at the bottom. In fact, he could already stand among the stronger outer court disciples.
By his own estimate, he had at least a ninety percent chance of entering the top five. That would be enough to guarantee promotion to the inner court. And once he became an inner disciple…
Better cultivation techniques. Better resources.
Lin Chen smirked faintly to himself. "No harm in participating," he thought.
***
At the same time,
In one of the Starfall Sect's elder quarters, the air was heavy with silence. Though daylight streamed freely through the wide windows, scattering across the polished wooden floor, the atmosphere felt strangely oppressive.
Upon the high seat sat a man. His posture was straight, his robes immaculate, but his face was obscured by the angle of the light, leaving only a sharp silhouette.
Before him, a disciple knelt on the floor. His head lowered until his forehead nearly touched the tiles. His body trembled, not from the chill, but from the pressure that weighed down him like a mountain.
The elder's voice rang out, smooth yet edged like a blade.
"So you still haven't discovered who killed Yu Feng?"
The kneeling figure trembled. "N-no, Elder… this subordinate has searched, but—"
"Silence." The word cracked like thunder. "I gave you almost one month. A dog could sniff out more in that time. Are you telling me you are worse than a dog?"
The disciple's shoulders shook. He slammed his head against the floor in desperation. "Please, Elder! Grant me another chance! I swear on my life, I will uncover the culprit!"
The elder leaned forward. His tone dropped, cold and venomous.
"Swear on your life? Hah. Trash like you has no life worth swearing on. Yu Feng was useless, but at least he was good at taking care of things. You? You can't even follow a trail of blood!"
The kneeling disciple flinched, but gritted his teeth beneath the hood. "Elder, I beg you! Allow me one final attempt—if I fail again, I'll cripple my own cultivation!"
"Cripple your cultivation?" The elder's laugh was mocking, sharp. "If you fail again, I'll save you the effort and scatter your soul myself."
A sudden wave of Qi blasted outwards. The disciple was hurled across the floor, smashing against the doorway before sprawling outside like discarded trash.
The elder's voice carried after him, cold and merciless.
"Get out. Next time you step into this hall, either bring me the killer's head… or prepare to offer your own."
Inside the hall, the elder rose slowly.
"I wonder who killed Yu Feng," he murmured, his voice low and measured. "Did the sect somehow sniff out our plans? It does not appear so. Hmm, no matter. The Heavenly Stone will be ours to claim." He paused, a cold smile ghosting his lips "And when the Divine One rises, all will bow."
A soft, crazed laugh slipped from him, barely more than a breath. "Hahah… All glory, all flesh, all eternity — to the Divine One."
***
Outside, the cloaked disciple staggered to his feet, spitting blood onto the tiles. His hands clenched so tightly his nails bit into flesh.
"Damn it all… which wretch killed Yu Feng and dragged me into this mess?" His voice was venomous, hoarse with rage. "When I find him, I'll cripple his bones, grind him into the dirt, and make him kneel until he learns despair."
"Lin Chen…"
The name left his lips like a curse. "That whelp's name keeps surfacing—the one who rescued those kidnapped girls. They were supposed to die by Yu Feng's hand. If he is the one who interfered—" his lips curled into a cruel sneer.
"—I'll carve him apart, piece by piece. I'll make him kneel, licking the filth beneath my boots, before I crush his soul."
With a hateful snort, he turned and stalked away.
Lin Chen remained blissfully ignorant that a viper's fangs were already aiming at his throat.
*****
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Also, if you have any ideas or suggestions for the story, feel free to share them in the comments — I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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