Chapter 88: Life Is Full of Surprises

“Qian Xiao, I’ll leave this matter to you,” Cao Yi said. Qian Xiao was the one who had just reported the situation to Cao Yi.

Hearing that the senior brother actually believed Lin Hao’s words, Qian Xiao felt a surge of panic, afraid he would be blamed for spreading rumors without properly investigating. The sudden order startled him, but he quickly nodded in agreement, “Rest assured, senior brother. Leave it to me. I’ll arrange for this junior brother to return to the outer sect immediately.”

Without another word, Cao Yi turned, released the phoenix, and flew off into the distance. No one else present dared to speak. Qian Xiao wasted no time in assigning someone to escort Lin Hao back to his previously allocated room in the outer sect. He quickly handled the procedures for Lin Hao’s re-entry into the outer sect.

As for the chores hall, its manager was expelled from the Qingcheng Sect for reporting false information, once Qian Xiao had swiftly uncovered the full story. All losses suffered by the chores hall were attributed to Senior Brother Yuan, who was also punished, his status in the logistics department dropping drastically.

Zhang Hongwei, however, proved clever; he hadn’t relied solely on Senior Brother Yuan, and his gift-giving was discreet enough that Qian Xiao found nothing, allowing him to escape unscathed.

After Lin Hao returned, he was soon notified. A knocking sound echoed—Lin Hao had been sitting for about half an hour. The knock interrupted his thoughts.

“Come in,” Lin Hao said.

Outside, a respectful outer sect disciple stood at his door. “Lin Hao, correct? Tomorrow, you may gather at the martial arena to participate in the inner sect disciple examination.”

“The inner sect examination? Are you sure, senior brother? I’m not even an official outer sect disciple right now,” Lin Hao asked, curious and suspecting the messenger had made a mistake.

The disciple’s eyes flashed with surprise at Lin Hao’s words. He asked again, “You’re Lin Hao, right?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Lin Hao replied.

“Then there’s no mistake. You’re now famous throughout Qingcheng Sect. The senior brother gave a personal order. Your identity as an inner sect disciple has been reinstated. Here’s your outer sect token. The senior brother even secured you a slot—tomorrow you can directly participate in the inner sect assessment. If you pass, you’ll officially enter the inner sect as an inner disciple,” the disciple explained, handing Lin Hao a token.

Taking the token, Lin Hao saw his name engraved on one side, with “Qingcheng Sect” carved on the reverse. His eyes flashed with astonishment, and he felt immense gratitude toward the Qingcheng Sect’s senior brother, Cao Yi, whom he had only met once. He hadn’t expected such a cold person to stand up for him.

At that moment, Lin Hao also felt a sense of closeness to Chu Yue, whom he had met only briefly. This was the first time he’d received such fair treatment in the Qingcheng Sect. It seemed not everyone here was as treacherous as he’d previously encountered. His earlier emotional turmoil was completely soothed.

Lin Hao had thought he would at best avoid punishment, but now he was allowed to directly participate in the inner sect selection. He stared at the token in disbelief. The outer sect senior brother assumed Lin Hao was overwhelmed with joy and patted his shoulder, “Alright, once you’re honored as an inner sect disciple, don’t forget to look after your senior brother here. Don’t let my effort in passing on the message go to waste.”

At this time, everyone in Qingcheng Sect knew about Lin Hao’s situation and that the senior brother had intervened for him. The messenger sought to curry favor, in case Lin Hao could help him in the future.

The pat on Lin Hao’s shoulder brought him back to reality. He smiled and nodded humbly, “Of course, senior brother. Perhaps I’ll need your help someday.”

“Right, we’ll look out for each other. If you need anything, just ask. I live next door—my surname is Wang,” the senior brother said.

“Alright, Senior Brother Wang. I’m sure I’ll trouble you in the future,” Lin Hao replied, polite as ever.

After their courteous exchange, Senior Brother Wang, perceptive as he was, advised Lin Hao, “You’d better prepare for tomorrow’s inner sect examination. It’s quite strict—not just about strength. There are several aspects to the test, including character and temperament.”

He offered Lin Hao a few more pointers before departing. Lin Hao thanked him, then returned to his room. Seated in his chair, he gazed at the token in his hand, a smile unconsciously curling his lips.

Life is full of surprises.

Just moments ago, he’d been worried about being expelled from the outer sect and wondered when he would finally enter the inner sect, or find the teleportation array. Now, opportunity had arrived.

Tomorrow’s inner sect selection would be his chance to impress everyone—he was determined to succeed.

Filled with motivation, Lin Hao began preparing for the examination.

Meanwhile, Zhang Hongwei sat in his room amid a heavy atmosphere with the three others who, like Lin Hao, had been nominated for inner sect candidacy. Their faces were gloomy; they had heard about Lin Hao’s situation. When Lin Hao was demoted to the chores hall, they rejoiced. But now, with this dramatic reversal and Lin Hao poised to participate in the inner sect examination, their prospects looked bleak.

There was no time for any further schemes against Lin Hao. They had witnessed his strength; he stood a great chance of passing tomorrow’s examination. If he did, their own hopes of entering the inner sect would be dashed.

Despair overwhelmed them; the three were on the verge of giving up. But Zhang Hongwei’s eyes blazed with unwillingness and madness.

With a loud slap, he struck the table.

Bang!

The table shattered.

The other three recoiled in fear, staring at Zhang Hongwei.

He muttered, “Impossible. It can’t be. All my careful planning, wasted? Damn it, how is Lin Hao so lucky? He was already cast to the bottom, yet now he’s soaring to the heavens. It’s a meteoric rise! Absolutely not! I must stop this!”

Zhang Hongwei’s expression was wild, his words unsettling the others. None dared approach him, for his sinister aura seemed to threaten to engulf anyone who drew near.

The three quietly distanced themselves from him.

Whether Zhang Hongwei had any means left to stop Lin Hao remained uncertain.

As for Lin Hao, with only a day to prepare, he felt pressed for time. At first, he was anxious, repeatedly asking the system what he should do. But the system ignored him. Gradually, seeing the system’s indifference, Lin Hao calmed himself, steadied his mood, closed his eyes, then opened them and exhaled deeply. “Never mind. Whatever happens, happens. I’ll face the examination with a calm heart. Surely, with my abilities, I can enter the inner sect.”

Having thought it through, Lin Hao let go of his anxiety and became indifferent. Setting aside his urgency, he grew steady, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began cultivating.

The next morning, at dawn, Lin Hao opened his eyes, which shone with radiant energy. He hadn’t slept all night, but constant cultivation had only heightened his spirit.

Full of fighting spirit and confidence, he strode out of his room, practiced a set of sword techniques in the courtyard, and made his way to the martial arena.

Upon arrival, he saw several figures standing on the arena platform. The only familiar face was Cao Yi, whom he had seen yesterday; the others were strangers. They appeared older, with beards, clearly people of status and remarkable strength.

Lin Hao’s expression immediately became respectful. He glanced at Cao Yi with gratitude.

He stepped forward and saluted them, “Disciple Lin Hao.”

Though Lin Hao didn’t know their names, humility was always wise.

Cao Yi, who had remained silent, now stepped forward. “Today, I’ll oversee your examination. These elders represent the various peaks of Qingcheng Sect and will jointly assess you. Are you ready?”

Lin Hao recognized the introduction and saluted the elders again, then looked confidently at Cao Yi. “I am ready.”

Their exchange seemed ordinary to Lin Hao and Cao Yi, nothing surprising. But to the elders, it was startling.

Lin Hao, new to Qingcheng Sect, didn’t know Cao Yi’s temperament. Cao Yi was as cold and indifferent as he appeared, rarely speaking proactively. The rumors about Lin Hao had already seemed incredible to the elders. Now, hearing that Lin Hao would be examined today astonished them.

But nothing compared to the shock of witnessing the scene with their own eyes.