Walking on the road, although Lin Tian's face was pale, he wasn't idle.
He secretly mobilized the keen perception unique to sword cultivators, silently sweeping it over Mo Fan walking ahead of him.
"Not the slightest fluctuation of spiritual Qi. He really is a waste Spirit Root. But..."
Lin Tian's pupils constricted slightly.
Within his probing perception, Mo Fan's physical body hidden under the coarse cloth clothes—although it didn't look exaggerated—contained Qi and blood that resembled a dormant prehistoric beast.
It was heavy, condensed, and radiated a heart-palpitating wildness.
"What terrifying physical vitality!"
Lin Tian was secretly astonished.
"This level of Qi and blood intensity absolutely means he has pushed a body cultivation method to its extreme limit."
"No wonder he could exchange so many blows with Shen Qiu in the quarterfinals and even forcefully tank her long whip."
"This kid can actually be considered a tough nut to crack."
Thinking of this, Lin Tian silently withdrew a few fractions of the extreme contempt he originally held for Mo Fan. The cultivation world, after all, respected the strong.
Before long, the group arrived at the spirit dining hall.
Mo Fan was quite generous. He found a quiet table by the window, sat down, and casually ordered a few exquisite side dishes and a pot of spirit tea.
The atmosphere at the dining table was extremely solemn, even feeling like swords were drawn and bows were bent.
Lin Tian picked up his teacup, gently blowing on the floating tea leaves.
He was preparing to adopt the high-and-mighty posture of the newly crowned Grand Champion to begin his interrogation and intimidation of the culprit before him.
However, before he could even send the tea into his mouth...
Mo Fan looked at this youth sitting opposite him—dressed in white, face pale but still trying hard to put on airs—and kept muttering in his heart.
Previously, to sandbag and throw the match, he had put all his energy into studying the intelligence on Shen Qiu and Zhao Long. He paid absolutely no attention to the matches on the other arena stages.
He truly, genuinely did not know who this person in front of him was.
Nor did he know why the other party had glared at him at the main gate like he wanted to eat him alive.
And so.
Mo Fan put down his chopsticks, cupped his hands together, and with extremely sincere eyes—even carrying a trace of "unadulterated, innocent cluelessness"—asked nervously:
"Ahem... Um, this Daoist Friend."
"I saw your imposing aura at the gate just now. May I dare ask... what is your esteemed name?"
Mo Fan paused, then carefully added another sentence:
"Also... what exactly is your esteemed business with me?"
PFFT—!!!
The mouthful of scalding hot spirit tea Lin Tian had just taken into his mouth turned into a sky full of water mist the instant he heard these words, spraying directly all over the front of Mo Fan opposite him!
He abruptly widened his bloodshot eyes, staring dead at Mo Fan as if looking at an alien. His entire being froze.
"You... You don't know me?!"
At this moment, ten thousand mythical alpacas were frantically stampeding, trampling, and roaring in Lin Tian's heart!
"Damn it! I fought with you for front-page headlines for half a month!"
"Because of you, I was written about by the media as a drug-abusing fraud! Because of you, I vomited three feet of blood from anger on the Grand Finals stage yesterday!!"
"And the result is, you fucking... don't even know who I am up until now?!!"
This kind of ultimate ignorance was even more defense-breaking than being slapped in the face ten times in public!
Lin Tian was trembling all over. He gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead popping out one by one.
Almost pausing after every syllable, gnashing his teeth, he forcefully tried to salvage his flex:
"I! Lin Tian!"
"Pre-selected True Legacy Disciple of the Sword Return Main Peak! This Outer Court Grand Tournament's—GRAND! CHAM! PION!!!"
"Ohhhh—"
While using his sleeve to wipe the sprayed tea off his body, Mo Fan put on a look of sudden realization, dragging out his voice.
"So it's Champion Lin. Forgive my disrespect, disrespect!"
Then.
He blinked those eyes full of unadulterated, innocent cluelessness, looked at Lin Tian who was trembling with rage, and extremely naturally asked a follow-up question:
"So?"
"What do you want with me?"
Gah.
Lin Tian's hand, which had just been about to slam the table and erupt, suddenly froze in mid-air.
His brain, which had originally been clouded by anger, suddenly felt like a machine that had its power plug pulled when it heard the words "What do you want with me." It suffered an instant blue-screen crash.
Right!
What DO I want with him?!
Sitting in his chair, Lin Tian's brain began to conduct frantic logical deductions, trying to find a reason to flip out.
[ Reason A ]: You stole my clout! You made me lose the front-page headline!
Deduction Result: This is fucking absurd nonsense! I, the grand newly crowned outer court king, a sword cultivation genius, actually arguing with a servant over "page space" like a jealous concubine fighting for favor? If I say this out loud, my badass prestige will be thoroughly shattered into dust! (PASS!)
[ Reason B ]: I'm just using my status to bully you today! I'm going to beat you up to vent my anger!
Deduction Result: We are now both fellow disciples who just entered the inner sect. In broad daylight, bullying a fellow disciple with a waste Spirit Root for no reason relying on cultivation—and he's even a family member currently "covered" by the Sect Master's personal disciple. If this reaches the ears of the Discipline Hall, do I still want my reputation? (PASS!)
[ Reason C ]: Do you actually like Shen Qiu or not?! You are not worthy of her
Deduction Result: Holy shit! If I ask this kind of question, don't I become a jealous, tragic second male lead (a simp)?! I, Lin Tian, have my heart set solely on the Great Dao; I don't even like that violent woman who swings a whip all day! (ABSOLUTE PASS!!!)
Despair.
Deep despair.
Lin Tian thought back and forth and sadly discovered that in a place like the cultivation world, which placed extreme importance on having a casus belli (justified cause) and a "clear Dao Heart," he actually didn't have a single presentable, high-sounding reason to cause trouble for Mo Fan.
Because things like "traffic," "hype," and "gossip" were too fucking ethereal and meta! They couldn't be brought to the table as formal grievances!
Looking at Mo Fan's extremely innocent, even somewhat baffled eyes.
Lin Tian felt his internal injuries acting up again. The back of his throat was faintly tasting sweet with blood.
Subsequently, he abruptly stood up. Because he rose too fiercely, he even knocked over the chair behind him.
He took a deep breath, forcefully squeezing out a "heroic" smile on his face that was a hundred times uglier than crying.
He reached out his hand and patted Mo Fan's shoulder extremely forcefully, his hand visibly trembling.
"N... Nothing!"
Lin Tian's voice sounded like it was squeezed out from the gaps in his teeth.
"Since we are all going to be fellow inner sect brothers from now on, as the Champion of this tournament, I came in advance to... to say hello!"
"In the inner sect from now on... I'll cover you!"
After saying this sentence that went against his heart to the absolute limit, Lin Tian felt as if he couldn't stay for a single second longer.
He fished out an ingot of broken silver used for mortal transactions from his robes and slapped it onto the table with a Smack, considering the bill paid.
Then.
This newly crowned outer court Grand Champion, looking as if he were dodging a plague god, fled the dining hall with rapid, stumbling steps without ever looking back.
That retreating back figure was indescribably desolate, aggrieved, and wretched.
Inside the dining hall.
Holding his rice bowl, Mo Fan looked in the direction Lin Tian had practically fled in panic, his entire being messy in the wind.
"Is this guy a psycho?"
Mo Fan couldn't help but complain. "Aggressively blocks me at the main gate, runs over to forcefully treat me to a meal, sprays me with tea, and finally pats my shoulder and says he'll cover me in the future?"
Mo Fan shook his head, stuffed a piece of Spirit Beast meat into his mouth, and issued a soul-searching question from the deepest depths of his heart:
"These inner sect disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect..."
"Are they all a bunch of fucking riddlers?"