I grabbed the rod. It was still scalding, but nowhere near hot enough to hurt my toughened skin. After I pulled it out of the floor, I happily ran toward Zhao XiuYing.

I guessed that I’d frightened the shit out of her because she bolted in the opposite direction.

Yes! Fear me! I am your reckoning. Muahahahaha!

Since I had her on the run, I sent another slash of sword Qi at her back. It hit, but her protective talisman absorbed all the damage.

That forced her to realize that running away would not work for long.

I moved fast, using my body cultivation to its fullest. Once again, I closed in on her. She barely fixed her mentality in time to block my blade with her fan. Then she tried to throw me off her with an Icy Wind technique.

I dodged and slashed down at her Achilles tendon. Most of my strike was absorbed by her talisman, but that was when it broke! My blade dug into her skin and pierced her heel.

She screamed and fell to the floor.

Wanting to end this quickly, I placed my sword against her neck.

“You get one chance to surrender.”

For a second, she looked so pitiable that any normal person would want to comfort her... but what Xianxia ever had normal people cultivating? I certainly wasn’t one of them.

It seemed like the whole stadium, for a brief moment, held their breath as they waited for the show to end.

Icy Tsundere Fairy very calmly took out a talisman that had been hidden in her sleeve. “Never!”

Fire erupted from the paper. Power at the peak of Nascent Soul emanated from the flames!

Motherfucker!

Of course, thank fuck, I had that little gourd pendant. It grew in size just before my protective barrier burned to ashes. The jade cork popped out, and the bottle started sucking in the attack’s energy as if it had a tiny black hole inside of it.

Unfortunately, the spell was too powerful. Fractures spread across its once exquisite surface. They glowed a suspicious, angry red.

For a second, I was terrified that my pendant wouldn’t be able to suck in all the fire… but the cracks grew dark. Then the gourd crumbled to dust.

I stared at the remains and almost coughed up blood.

Fuck! My plans! I was going to use that pendant to survive my goddamn tribulation.

Now I had to wait until I found or purchased another quality protective item.

I glared at Zhao XiuYing, who shrank back. Then horror filled her face as she realized what she’d just done. Silent tears started to fall from her eyes.

Ugh. This was why you didn’t give children access to fucking military-grade talismans.

Fuck. While I wasn’t an expert at making them, I had some experience using them. Especially during wartime.

The item she just pulled out was something only an Immortal Bone Creation realm Master could create. And the materials used in it were so expensive that it could take me all the way up to the Nascent Soul stage from the first layer of Qi Condensation.

Who the fuck would waste one of those fuckers on me?

The referee walked over, his brow covered in sweat. Yeah, this guy would have been fucked, too. And the elders inside the box were all too far away to get here in time to stop it. I mean — if they were prepared for it — sure, they could have reached me. But nobody was expecting a goddamn child to pull out a fucking military-grade talisman!

Fuck demonic cultivators!

“Winner, Fairy Lin!”

The crowd cheered. The pleasant sound almost wiped my anger away.

With the biggest grin on my face, I waved back. It was nice to be appreciated.

***

It took a while to clean up the arena floor. They even had a four arts cultivator decorate it with paintings of flowers hanging in mid-air. They even turned part of the field into a painted bamboo forest.

Then they brought out each of the recovered kids who had taken part in the finals... aside from Icy Tsundere Fairy, who was being detained for questioning.

Young Master Zhang appeared much better than the last time I saw him, but his face was still pale. His bodyguard stood next to him, hovering like a mother hen.

McTraitorFace looked like she was going to be sick, but kept it together.

Wang Chunyu, the most forgettable guy here, held his head up high.

Several sect elders floated down from their box. One, I recognized as the only Spear Grandmaster of Majestic Sword Peak, Unwavering Thunderous Strike, flanked by two Sword Grandmasters I was not familiar with.

Then Elder Fifth Flower Drop from Mystical Bamboo Peak and Elder Drinking Crescent from Divination Peak dropped to the ground. The woman carried her fan coquettishly and avoided looking at Crescent’s face… which was covered by an ancient and massive talisman of protection.

Yeah, he was a bit of an eccentric, but what could someone expect from a diviner that powerful?

Elder Five Palms of Body Peak jumped down, causing the newly repaired floor to break under his feet.

Fuckin’ show off.

Grandmaster Unwavering Thunderous Strike stared at the only spear wielder of the group.

“Young Zhang QiangQiang! I was not planning on taking a disciple in this life, but what I saw from you changed my mind. Are you willing to accept this Spear Grandmaster as your Master?”

The pre-teen practically shook as he said, “Y-yes!”

Unwavering smiled with satisfaction and made a come here motion.

Young Master Zhang strode over to stand behind his new master. They would perform the actual acceptance ceremony later in private. It was nice to see this brat find a good master.

The man we all secretly called the Spear Saint never took a disciple in my previous life. Zhang QiangQiang must have had an impressive fight with Zhao XiuYing to force him to change his mind.

I still can’t believe I missed it!

One of the Sword Grandmasters stepped up to my fellow cannon fodder.

“Disciple Hu Bolin!” The Tiger Brother stiffened. “Are you willing to take me as your master?”

“Yes!” The preteen beamed as he ran to grab his spot behind the sword grandmaster.

Elder Fifth Flower Drop gestured to McTraitorFace with her fan. “Little Fairy Liu ChuHua. Are you willing to accept this Peak Elder as your master?”

She hesitated for a second, glanced at me, then turned and bowed to the elder. “Yes!”

At least this was a different master than the one she had in her past life.

I knew a bit about Fifth Flower Drop. She wasn’t a terrible master. Her disciples had all become strong and elegant women.

Elder Drinking Crescent stepped forward. His deep hoarse voice emanated from beneath the talisman. “Young Wang Chunyu. I have performed a divination. Out of all the disciples I’ve seen in this trial, you are the one with the most fate with my cultivation technique. Are you willing to become my disciple and join me on Divination Peak?”

“Yes!” Then he excitedly marched to his new position.

Next, that show off, Elder Five Palms laughed boisterously. “Young Zhang WeiWei!” The bodyguard’s eyes grew wide. I guess he didn’t predict that a body cultivator of all people would call his name. And I couldn’t blame him, since even I thought he was here to pick a fight with one of the Sword Grandmasters again. “Are you willing to worship me as your master?”

“No.”

“Then get over—No?!” Elder Five Palms blinked at the kid, then scowled. “Maybe you don’t realize who I am.”

“I want to train on Majestic Sword Peak with my young master.”

“You understand that the Zhang Clan has no hold on you anymore.”

“Even so.”

Damn. That preteen had some guts.

“Zhang WeiWei!” QiangQiang said. “Do you think Elder Five Palms can ‌teach you what you need to know to become powerful?”

He gradually nodded.

“Then go with him.”

The bodyguard turned to Elder Five Palms and bowed. “Then I will accept you as my master.”

“This brat! You’re lucky I’m impressed with your loyalty. Now get over here!”

Since they had finished accepting their disciples, the Elders stepped aside. Usually, they’d run off to start introducing their new disciples to their peaks, but they probably all knew that something interesting was about to happen. Elder Five Palms even took out a bag of melon seeds and grinned like he was about to watch a good show.

Finally, it was our time to take the spotlight.

The Sect Leader and Fairy Verdant Bamboo both drifted down to me.

I admit ‌it gave me a bit of joy to see her face flushed red with fury.

Little Spring and I both bowed and said, “This Junior greets the Sect Leader and Peak Master Verdant Bamboo.”

After they acknowledged our greeting, my friend and Sect Leader spoke up, “I understand that Little Verdant Bamboo here would give you her inheritance if you won the wager.”

“Those were the terms.”

“This is ridiculous! You can’t expect me to give some random child like you the legacy my master left me.”

Of course, she would use her superior position to get out of the bet. I doubted she had it in her eyes since the moment she made it.

In fact, it was possible that she hadn’t been responsible for any of the trickery going on at all. Not if she planned to never fulfill the bet in the first place.

“Silence.” The pressure from an Immortal Bone Creation expert crushed down on my past life’s master. I could sense it, but he was so in control of his power that it only touched the bitch. Very quickly, she shut her mouth.

“Little Lin. You have something to say to Peak Master Verdant Bamboo?”

I nodded.

It was time. Muahahaha!

“Peak Master. Both of us will be part of the same sect in the future. We’ll have to work together for the betterment of the sect and not just for our own selfish desires. I cannot, in good conscience, take away the precious inheritance your master left you.”

The Sect Leader tapped his chin. “You did go through a bit of extra trouble because of this bet, though, didn’t you, Little Lin?”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

“Then let’s do this.” He faced Fairy Bamboo. “As a Peak Master, you must have a few high-quality protective spiritual tools laying around and maybe a few useless trinkets. I think I remember seeing one that was a gray stone or something? Give that and a few defensive items to Little Lin and Little Spring as compensation for this nonsense. And this should end any hostilities.”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

Verdant Bamboo’s face relaxed.

Hahahaha! As if I would accept a goddamn hot potato like her inheritance. I wasn’t crazy.

If I had forced her hand, the sect would find my poor little body dead and robbed in some ditch the moment I left the sect… and possibly even before then.

No fucking thank you.

Because I willingly gave it back, I had not only protected my own ass, but I also received Verdant Bamboo’s goodwill.

My past life’s master might have questionable morals and be just as brain dead as the rest of Bloodsword’s harem, but she knew how to look favorably on those who showed no malice to her. To those who obtained her goodwill, she cared for them ten times better than they treated her. I was using this fact against her.

It also helped that, unlike a lot of the characters I’d seen in this dumbass harem Xianxia world, Fairy Verdant Bamboo was not the type of person who would consider losing a stupid bet like this to be losing face. At most, she’d say that she was merely being magnanimous to a talented Junior.

While all this wouldn’t guarantee my safety, I didn’t expect anything to. This universe was never safe. There was only the illusion of security.

It was an important illusion, though.

That illusion was what I wanted for myself and Little Spring as we increased our strength. Which was just another reason to join this sect.

And of course, one of my main reasons—

Fairy Verdant Bamboo tossed me a simple looking grey stone circle that had a rope tied to it. For those who didn’t know better, this was an item that appeared so mundane that it couldn’t get any more mundane.

For me, who knew what its function was, I couldn’t help but quickly pack it into my ring before my excitement showed on my face. Then she casually threw us each a simple protection pendant. They were nowhere near as strong as the jade gourd I just lost — only able to take a few peak Golden Core strikes at most. It was better than nothing at all.

Besides, even this might be a little eye-catching until I reached Foundation Establishment.

“Thank you, Peak Master!”

She sighed. “I have some things I need to take care of.” Then she glanced back at Little Spring. “Disciple Little Spring!”

He jumped, obviously not expecting to be called on.

“I can’t help but see that we have fate together. While Immortal Zhenren is powerful, I’m actually here in the mortal realm. I can be an active master for you while he can only offer you advice in your dreams.”

Did she just?

Little Spring peered at me.

“Why are you looking this way? This is a choice you have to make yourself.”

He glowered at me. “Sister Lin, what would you do if I really did decide to take Peak Master up on her offer?”

Smirking, I pulled out a jade slip. “This has your cultivation technique written down. If you prefer to go with Peak Master Verdant Bamboo, then that is your decision. You haven’t officially worshiped Immortal Zhenren as your master, so you have this right.”

“And you won’t stop me?”

I shrugged. In the beginning, when I was filled with rage at being thrown back in time, I’d wanted to manipulate this brat into being my loyal follower. But now? I just wanted him to be a halfway decent individual... for a cultivator. And maybe have my back in a crisis.

“I’m only your older martial sister. I won’t make your choices for you. Even if they’re bad ones…” I paused. “Well, choosing her wouldn't be so bad, since — if you come with me — you’ll be risking your life. Merely contacting Immortal Zhenren has the possibility of ending our lives.” I was very serious about that. This was his one chance to avoid a potentially meaningless death at the hands of a being that was so far above everyone in this realm that his mere breath could crush us. “That said, technically, if you choose to become her disciple, then I’ll be your Great Martial Aunt. Considering how impressive I am, that might be—“

Little Spring quickly bowed to Fairy Verdant Bamboo and cut me off. “This disciple apologizes to the Peak Master! I’m afraid I’ll have to decline your generous offer.”

“Then perhaps we’ll cross paths in the future.” She flicked her sleeve. “Sect Leader, I’ll take my leave. Rest assured that me and mine won’t harm these two children.”

Once he acknowledged her, she flew off.

My friend turned to us. “Are you ready, or would you like to rest first?”

Now that the token suppressing my cultivation was broken, I felt very refreshed. “I’m ready!”