The woman still possessed charm and elegance, truly captivating.

But considering the age gap between them, especially since she was Wang Jingzhan's mother, Lin Hao thought it best not to complicate matters.

So he feigned ignorance and said, "Elder Han is broad-minded and has raised her son well, a model mother indeed."

Han Liyue, having experienced much more in life than Lin Hao, understood his meaning, and a trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes.

She realized she was getting old, unable to compete with those young female cultivators.

Lin Hao's rejection was something she could understand, but it still made her angry, so her attitude turned cold.

"I understand," she said, flicking her finger to extinguish the burning incense.

"Leave, and let's pretend nothing happened today."

Leaving the woman's residence, Lin Hao couldn't help but smile wryly, thinking he might have offended Elder Han.

He figured he should restrain himself from indulging in nightly revelries, lest he provoke a woman's jealousy and get backstabbed.

But it didn't matter; he was confident he would shine in the inner sect competition and leave this wretched place soon.

The day before the competition.

The Xuan Yin Sect was bustling with excitement.

A hundred stages made of black gold were set up on Chaoyang Peak.

Since it was at the peak, the entire area was used for building the stages, so there were no stands, but that didn't stop the cultivators from watching.

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Those who came to watch the inner sect competition were all quite skilled, at least at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and watching a match while standing on a flying sword was a breeze!

Cultivators below Foundation Establishment also had ways to watch; they could hitch a ride on a Foundation Establishment master's flying sword, though it required some spirit stones.

For Qi Refining stage cultivators, watching higher-level cultivators could enhance their understanding of cultivation, making the cost in spirit stones worthwhile.

Especially for those shrewd cultivators looking to take this opportunity to befriend inner sect disciples.

So that when they entered the inner sect themselves, they would have some backing.

Compared to the outer sect, the inner sect of Xuan Yin Sect had far fewer disciples, less than 2,000, and a significant portion of them were out on secret missions, so only over 1,000 participated in the competition.

The night passed without incident.

In the morning, Lin Hao went to see Han Liyue to report.

"Elder Han, I'm going to participate in the inner sect competition, so I'll be troubling you for a while."

The woman did not reply.

Lin Hao thought she was probably still angry, but he couldn't possibly coax her.

He simply bowed deeply outside her cave dwelling and then stepped onto his flying sword, heading to Chaoyang Peak.

With a goose-yellow sword sheath on his back, Lin Hao ascended Chaoyang Peak and looked towards the sect master's palace, where he indeed saw Feng Cangyue.

His master was still in a red long dress, standing out among the white robes like a white rose in a camellia bush.

He made his way through the crowd and respectfully saluted Feng Cangyue.

"Master."

Feng Cangyue nodded slightly and extended her jade-like finger, shooting out a stream of light.

"This is for you. Perform well on the stage and don't disgrace the prestige of Great Bamboo Peak."

"Yes, Master."

Lin Hao knew that what his master bestowed must be a rare treasure, but he restrained his curiosity and did not check it on the spot.

"Go on."

Lin Hao saluted again and prepared to return to the stage to await the start of the competition.

Unlike when he came, on the way back, he heard a lot of chatter.

It was because not many had recognized him earlier; with nearly 30,000 people in the Xuan Yin Sect, countless strange events occurred every month.

His "collusion" with the witch had long been forgotten.

But when people saw him salute Feng Cangyue, those dusty memories were awakened, and they began to point fingers at him.

"That's him, the ruthless one who colluded with the witch and released a thousand great demons."

"Nearly a hundred of our sect's disciples died because of this."

"The Discipline Elder wanted to punish him, but was slapped away by Master Feng."

"Because of him, many were implicated."

"What a scoundrel, how does he still have the face to stay in the sect?"

Ha, a bunch of hypocrites, only daring to point fingers behind his back?

Lin Hao smirked, his eyes cold, ready to retort, but before he could speak, a clear voice like a mountain spring rang out.

"You take hearsay as truth, is that worthy of a cultivator's identity?

If you can't even discern basic right from wrong, has your cultivation gone to the dogs?"

Leng Fengchun, clad in white, with a sword named Wenxin on her back, exuded a heroic aura that made many men feel ashamed.

"Who are you to stand up for Lin Hao?" a cultivator with triangular eyes sneered, his eyes darting around.

"Are you also his lover?"

Clang!

Wenxin was unsheathed.

The cold tip of the sword pointed directly at the throat of the triangular-eyed man.

"If you can't speak properly, I can make sure you never speak again."