Lin Mu, Saintess, Little Shrubby and the twins enjoyed a meal before relaxing for the rest of the time.

It was already night time and tomorrow, Lin Mu would have to get ready for the Tournament's next stage.

Shortly after they had finished the meal, Lin Mu felt the identity token receiving an announcement.

~humm~

"Next match?" The Saintess easily guessed.

"Yes." Lin Mu replied, holding the identity token.

"Who is it?" She asked.Content © 2024.

"Me." Lin Mu answered.

"That's quick." The Saintess commented, not expecting Lin Mu's turn to be this early.

"Mmhmm, the chances were less." Lin Mu nodded his head. "Though it also makes things easier for me." 

If Lin Mu was done with his own match early on, he would be free to help out the others. And thankfully, other than him, none of his companions had matches in this cycle.

There were going to be four matches at once like before, but since there were just 32 contestants left, it would all be over in four days.

"Though I'm starting to figure out the methodology of the Temple." Lin Mu suddenly spoke after seeing the other matches.

"What is it?" The Saintess asked, wondering what Lin Mu was thinking.

"They're trying to end the fights of the stronger contestants early on." Lin Mu answered before showing her the other three matches.

Other than Lin Mu, the ones fighting also included Third Prince Feng Baxing, Dugu Shanhe, and Childe Wildfire. All of them were fighting cultivators who were not at the top.

"Hmm, considering the past record. This cycle will indeed end quickly." The Saintess agreed, having known about these cultivators.

With her senses, it wasn't hard for her to learn about the city talking about the top contenders.

"Though, aren't these fights…. A bit unfair, perhaps?" Lin Mu wondered.

"Rather than that, it is fair." The Saintess shook her head. "I think the temple also intends to clear out the weaker contestants first, as they wish to secure the tournament properly. Considering the 'interference' that is happening, they certainly don't wish for the more promising ones to be affected." She explained.

Lin Mu thought about it and it did make sense.

Whether the weaker contestants fought the top rankers now or later, it would all be the same. In fact, if by some luck they actually managed to win against the top rankers, they would become a dark horse, amping up the excitement.

"They will certainly get some good rewards if they manage to defeat a top ranker though." Lin Mu said.

"Speaking of that, did you collect your reward?" The Saintess asked. "If the Temple of the Four Guardians has a lot, it is rare resources and materials." 

"Ah yes! I did get something new." Lin Mu replied before taking out the chunk of ore he had gotten. "Faux Vine Metal ore." 

"Oh? Interesting. Seems like a perfect reward for your bow." The Saintess recognized the ore and knew its uses.

"Indeed. I'll have to refine it to use it, though." Lin Mu said, to which the Saintess shook her head.

"You don't necessarily have to refine it much." She spoke.

"I don't?" Lin Mu was confused.

"Take out your bow." She stated.

"Sure," Lin Mu immediately withdrew Wonder Seeker.

~TWANG~

As soon as the bow appeared, it seemingly burst out in excitement as waves of energy spread from it.

"Huh?" Lin Mu was surprised by this and could feel the bow wanting to leave his hand.

"For a High Grade Immortal Weapon like Wonder Seeker, you don't need to personally refine the ore. The weapon will do it on its own." The Saintess explained. "Only if the material is particularly difficult to handle would you need to process it yourself." 

"I see… so what do I do now?" Lin Mu questioned.

"Let the bow do it all. It knows innately what to do." The Saintess responded, to which Lin Mu released his grip.

~WHOOSH~

In the next second, Wonder Seeker flew out of his hand and hit the chunk of Faux Vine Metal ore.

~SHUA~

A powerful aura emanated out of the bow before faint tendrils of energy came out of its body. These tendrils extended towards the Faux Vine Metal ore and wrapped around it.

Lin Mu watched as it all happened, and extended his own Immortal sense to check what was happening. 

His Immortal Sense probed the bow and the Faux Vine Metal Ore, observing the changes that happened.

"The bow's refining the ore on its own? That's interesting." Lin Mu was surprised at the efficiency of the bow.

He could sense the mass of the ore chunk decreasing little by little. Lin Mu reckoned it would take him a while to do the same. 

'At least a couple of days maybe.' Lin Mu thought.

It was also why he hadn't thought of using the ore before.

"Just leave it be now. It should be done in a few hours." The Saintess advised.

"Alright." Lin Mu agreed.

After this, Lin Mu didn't talk to the Saintess about the Tournament and let the bow finish refining the ore. They merely talked about casual things, as Lin Mu didn't want to think anything about the tournament for the time being.

He simply wanted time to relax and calm down. After all, he had constantly been thinking about the tournament, analyzing the contestants as well as teaching Lu Xu and the others.

All that took a lot of brain power, and even with Lin Mu's stamina, he was tired out mentally.

Resolving the fatigue in such a relaxing way was the best and Lin Mu was thoroughly enjoying it.

He didn't even realize when the time passed in the blink of an eye and it was already time for dawn.

There were just three hours left till his match and Wonder Seeker was almost done with its refinement as well.

~HONG~

And a short while later, Wonder Seeker let out a sonorous sound before the Faux Vine Metal ore disappeared entirely.

"It is done!" Lin Mu was now sure of it.