Spring passed and autumn arrived. In the blink of an eye, another half year had gone by.
During these six months, Zheng Xuanling’s heart demon had never once flared up. The Void Mustard Seed he had crafted grew increasingly perfect, the miniature world within the bead nearly identical to Yunmiao Peak—except the original locust tree had yet to be transplanted in.
“Let’s wait until after the trials,” Lin Tingwan would always say. “No rush.”
Zheng Xuanling didn’t push. He knew she was waiting for the right moment, waiting for everything to settle.
The day of the outer disciple trials had finally arrived.
This was an annual grand event for the Shangqing Sect. All outer disciples were eligible to participate. The top ten would be promoted to inner disciples, and the top three would earn the right to enter the Treasure Pavilion to choose weapons.
Lin Tingwan had been an outer disciple for over a year since entering the sect.
Today, she had to give it her all.
At dawn, Zheng Xuanling personally escorted her to the arena.
Hundreds of disciples had already gathered outside, the noise of their voices filling the air. When they saw the two approaching, they stepped aside and bowed in greeting.
“Senior Sister Lin!”
“Martial Uncle Xuanling!”
Lin Tingwan returned each greeting, while Zheng Xuanling merely gave a slight nod.
When they reached the edge of the arena, Zheng Xuanling stopped.
“I’ll wait for you here,” he said.
Lin Tingwan nodded and was about to enter when he gently caught her wrist.
“Tingwan.”
She turned back.
Zheng Xuanling looked at her, his gaze serious. “Be careful. Don’t overdo it.”
Lin Tingwan couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s just the trials, not a life-or-death battle.”
Zheng Xuanling shook his head. “Blades and swords have no eyes.”
Seeing his anxious expression, Lin Tingwan’s heart felt both warm and amused. She rose on her tiptoes and pressed a light kiss to his cheek.
“Wait for me to come back.”
With that, she turned and entered the arena, leaving Zheng Xuanling standing frozen in place, the tips of his ears faintly red.
Lu Ren had somehow snuck up to the sidelines, waggling his eyebrows. “Little Martial Uncle, your face is red!”
Zheng Xuanling shot him a blank look.
Lu Ren immediately cowered, shrinking back. “I-I’m going to cheer for Senior Sister Lin!”
With that, he was gone in a flash.
Inside the arena, the lottery draw had already begun.
There were a total of three hundred and twenty-seven outer disciples. Through the lottery, they were divided into sixteen groups, each with over twenty people. They would fight in a round-robin format, and those with the most wins would advance.
Lin Tingwan drew Group Seven.
Her first opponent was a male cultivator at the mid Foundation Establishment stage who wielded a heavy sword and favored an aggressive, overbearing style. Seeing that his opponent was a delicate-looking female cultivator, he politely cupped his fists. “Forgive my rudeness.”
The words had barely left his mouth when he lunged forward!
The heavy sword cut through the air with a whistling roar!
Lin Tingwan didn’t dodge or evade. She simply raised her hand—
A vine shot up from the ground, instantly wrapping around the cultivator’s ankle and hoisting him upside down!
The heavy sword slipped from his grip and clattered loudly to the ground.
The entire arena fell silent.
The cultivator hung upside down in midair, his face full of confusion. “Wh-what just happened?”
The referee announced flatly, “Group Seven, first match: Lin Tingwan wins.”
Eruptions of laughter burst from the sidelines.
Lu Ren was doubled over, laughing so hard he could barely stand. “That’s brutal! He lost before even landing a hit!”
Zhou Yuan nodded beside him. “Senior Sister Lin’s move is just too devious.”
Zheng Xuanling stood at the edge of the arena, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
Lin Tingwan cut through her opponents like a hot knife through butter.
Her strategy was simple—combining formations with vines to trap her enemies without them even realizing it. Sometimes, before her opponent could even see her move, they were already bound hand and foot. Other times, after struggling free from the vines, they would find an illusionary formation had appeared beneath their feet, leaving them spinning in circles, unable to escape.
After the seventh day of competition, Lin Tingwan advanced to the top sixteen with an undefeated record.
On the eighth day, her opponent was a senior sister at the late Golden Core stage who wielded fire-element techniques with incredible mastery. The vines burned upon contact with fire, and the illusionary formations were shattered by the blazing light.
In this battle, Lin Tingwan finally got serious.
She no longer solely relied on defense. Instead, she took the offensive—her figure transformed into a flash of green light, darting through the sea of flames. Wood-type Spiritual Energy and fire-type energy were mutually restrictive, yet she cleverly channeled the fire energy into her formation, using fire to nourish earth, earth to produce metal, metal to generate water, and water to foster wood—the five elements cycled to nurture her vines in turn!
When the senior sister was finally entangled by the vines, her face was a picture of disbelief.
“You… how did you do that?”
Lin Tingwan gave a faint smile. “The five elements nurture each other. Fire isn’t the only thing that can counter wood.”
On the ninth day, the quarterfinals.
On the tenth day, the semifinals.
On the eleventh day, the finals.
Her final opponent was the universally recognized top expert among the outer disciples—a male cultivator at the peak Golden Core stage, just one step away from breaking through.
This man cultivated a metal-element technique, his physical body formidable, impervious to blades and spears. In his previous matches, he had relied entirely on his fists to blast his opponents out of the arena.
Lin Tingwan stood across from him, her expression calm.
“Junior Sister Lin.” The male cultivator cupped his fists. “Forgive my rudeness.”
Before his words even faded, he had already burst into motion!
His fist crashed like thunder, aimed straight for her face!
Lin Tingwan’s figure flickered, dodging the punch. Her footwork was bizarre, and in an instant, she had circled behind him, her palm striking out!
Wood-type Spiritual Energy transformed into countless silk-like vines, surging toward him!
The male cultivator snorted coldly. Golden light flared around his body—Metal overcomes Wood! The vines, upon touching the golden radiance, shattered into pieces!
He spun around and threw another punch!
Lin Tingwan dodged again!
The two chased each other across the arena—one aggressive and powerful, the other agile and nimble—leaving the spectators dizzy trying to keep up.
“Can Senior Sister Lin win?” Zhou Yuan asked nervously.
Even Lu Ren turned serious for once. “It’ll be tough. The elemental counter is too strong.”
Zheng Xuanling stood at the edge of the arena, his face calm, but his hand clenched slightly inside his sleeve.
Inside the arena, Lin Tingwan fought while retreating, gradually being backed to the edge.
A flicker of pride flashed in the male cultivator’s eyes. “Junior Sister Lin, give up!”
Lin Tingwan said nothing.
She suddenly stopped retreating.
The male cultivator was startled, then overjoyed. He threw all his strength into a single punch!
At that very moment—
A light suddenly blazed beneath Lin Tingwan’s feet!
It was a formation she had laid down earlier! Her retreat had not been an escape but a lure to draw him into the formation!
The Five Elements Reversal Formation!
Metal generates water, water generates wood—the metal energy that was supposed to counter her had instead become nourishment for her vines!
Countless vines erupted from the ground, instantly binding the male cultivator like a tied-up dumpling!
He struggled desperately but found that the more he fought, the tighter the vines wrapped around him.
“I… I surrender!” he finally shouted.
The entire arena erupted in thunderous cheers!
“Senior Sister Lin won!”
“Incredible!”
“So formations can be used like this!”
The referee announced in a loud voice, “This year’s outer disciple trials champion—Lin Tingwan!”
Lin Tingwan withdrew her power, and the vines slowly loosened. She bowed to the male cultivator. “You were too generous.”
He smiled wryly and returned the bow. “Junior Sister Lin’s formations are exquisite. This loss was well-deserved.”
Lin Tingwan gave a faint smile, then turned and walked toward the edge of the arena.
Among the crowd, Zheng Xuanling stood there, his moon-white robe shimmering faintly in the sunlight.
She stopped before him and looked up.
“I won.”
Zheng Xuanling gazed at her, his eyes filled with pride and tenderness.
“I know.”
They smiled at each other.
From the sidelines, Lu Ren started the chant: “Kiss again! Kiss again!”
Zheng Xuanling swept them with a blank look.
The chants died instantly.
Lin Tingwan couldn’t help but laugh.
“Let’s go.” She took his hand. “Let’s go back and brew some tea.”
The two walked away side by side, leaving behind a full arena of cheers and envy.