Chapter 129: I Offer Triple

There is a saying that what one cannot obtain is what stirs the heart the most. The colder and more aloof Chu Xin'er acted, the more it piqued the interest of Jiang Chaofan and his two companions.

Under their expectant gazes, Chu Xin'er gently placed her right hand upon the stone stele.

As a surge of spiritual energy was injected, the stele suddenly erupted with a brilliant, crystal-clear aquamarine light that reached five feet high. This was an Earth-grade Water Spirit Root, approaching the caliber of a Heaven-grade. There was no doubt; based on this qualification alone, Chu Xin'er had passed the selection process without question.

"Junior Sister Xin'er, please come this way for the bone age assessment."

Jiang Chaofan, intending to curry favor with her, smiled and beckoned the moment she passed the test.

Lu Yin, standing nearby, waved her small hand as well. She had felt an immediate affinity with Chu Xin'er, and it would be ideal if they could both join the Lingtian Sect and cultivate together as sisters.

When Chu Xin'er first met Xiao Wenzi, she was only fifteen or sixteen. In the intervening years, after a few periods of seclusion and finally breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, only a year or two had passed. In truth, she was only eighteen years old.

As she withdrew her fair wrist and the number "eighteen" appeared on the jade platform, a ripple of whispers broke out among the crowd.

"A Great Perfection of the Qi Refining stage at eighteen—she will certainly succeed in Foundation Establishment after entering the Lingtian Sect. Reaching the Golden Core stage is not out of the question either. This young woman's future is truly boundless..."

"Indeed, and the key is that she is also beautiful. I suspect even the elite disciples will be vying to court her..."

Though Chu Xin'er's spiritual root qualification was not as high as Lu Yin's, her youth and current status as a "Great Perfection of Qi Refining," combined with her beauty and charm, naturally drew the attention and commentary of the male cultivators.

She, however, was indifferent. Her only goal in choosing to join the Lingtian Sect was to find a place where she could cultivate in peace.

"Junior Sister Xin'er, take this jade token. Remember to gather here in five days for the second round of entrance trials. If there is anything you do not understand, feel free to come here and find me."

With the Lingtian Sect opening its doors wide, there were simply too many cultivators trying their luck, and even the initial selection would span several days. Jiang Chaofan handed her the identity token personally and spoke with a smile.

"Mm."

Chu Xin'er nodded, tucked away the token, and turned to leave, her demeanor as cold as ever.

"Sister Chu, wait for us!" Not long after she had walked away, a crisp call came from behind. It was Lu Yin and her brother, Lu Fang, hurrying to catch up.

Since the girl had been so pleasant to converse with earlier and might become a fellow disciple in the future, Chu Xin'er had no reason to refuse. She stopped and smiled, asking, "Is there something you need, Sister Lu Yin?"

"Sister Chu, you must have only just arrived in Lingtian City today, right?"

Given that Chu Xin'er had approached from the direction of the teleportation array and had been asking about the recruitment process, it was easy for Lu Yin to deduce her situation.

"Yes, that’s right. I only arrived in the city a short while ago. Is there a problem?"

"Sister Chu, you may not know, but with millions of outside cultivators gathering in Lingtian City, every single inn and lodging house is completely booked. If you intend to go find a place to stay now, I fear you will end up disappointed."

Hearing Chu Xin'er's question, Lu Yin giggled and gave her brother a secret wink.

"Um, Fellow Daoist Chu, my sister and I arrived early and booked two rooms at the Yuntian Inn in the east of the city. If you don't mind, you could squeeze in with my little sister."

Lu Fang, who felt an inexplicable fondness for Chu Xin'er, scratched his head and spoke as if gathering his courage.

"Oh, thank you for the kind offer, Brother Lu and Sister Yin'er. However, I have some private matters to attend to for now. I shall trouble you at the Yuntian Inn later this evening."

The dark-complexioned young man before her was not very articulate, but he seemed honest and shy. Unfortunately, he was not her type, and as she was focused entirely on cultivation, she had no thoughts for romantic entanglements.

Lu Fang’s gesture was clearly wasted on her. Moreover, before entering the Lingtian Sect, Chu Xin'er needed to sell off some unneeded magical artifacts and materials, hence her polite refusal.

Since Chu Xin'er claimed to have private business, and perhaps did not fully believe that finding a room was impossible, Lu Yin and Lu Fang did not press the matter further, and the three parted ways.

Lu Yin had not been lying; Lingtian City was indeed overflowing. After Chu Xin'er went to the marketplace to sell her unwanted materials and artifacts in batches, she visited over a dozen inns, only to be told by the staff that there were no rooms available.

*Could it be that I really have to go to the Yuntian Inn?*

Seeing that it was growing late, Chu Xin'er thought to herself with some resignation as she stepped out of another inn. In truth, she had another option: to rent a cave dwelling in the northern district.

Lingtian City was the largest city within the million-mile territory governed by the Lingtian Sect, with a permanent population of tens of millions. The city contained mountains and waters, and the northern district had been developed with tens of thousands of cave dwellings for public lease.

As long as one had enough spirit stones, a cave dwelling protected by a grand formation was the best place to rest and live.

However, the shortest lease for a cave dwelling was one year. Setting aside the exorbitant cost, Chu Xin'er was due to participate in the Lingtian Sect's entrance trials in just a few days.

Having sold the spiritual herbs and materials obtained from the Cheng family, along with the artifacts from the straw-hatted youth and the old man from the Extreme Demon Sect, she had acquired one or two thousand spirit stones. Still, she was reluctant to waste them in such a manner.

In the end, Chu Xin'er decided to seek out Lu Yin. Since it was only for five days, she could endure it.

Yuntian Inn was a mid-sized establishment within Lingtian City, and with the specific directions she had, she found it easily. However, before she could even step onto the blue stone stairs of the inn, she heard the clamor of an argument coming from inside.

"You are being completely unreasonable! This room is clearly occupied by my brother and me, and we have never been late on our payments. Why should we give it up for him?"

In the lobby of the inn, Lu Yin was arguing with a visibly distressed young attendant.

Sitting on a chair opposite them, a young man dressed in rich, embroidered silks sat with his legs crossed, looking on with an expression of disdain.

Two old men stood guard beside the youth. One of them, who was thin and sported a goatee, looking much like a worldly steward, did not wait for the attendant to explain further and spoke coldly:

"Little girl, my young master has already offered double the spirit stones as compensation. If you continue to be so stubborn, don't blame this old man for being impolite."

Being threatened in a public place made Lu Fang’s blood boil, but when he looked at the other old man beside the silk-clad youth, his tightly clenched fists involuntarily relaxed.

Although that old man was also a bodyguard for the youth, he was a master at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Even though he and his sister had passed the initial selection, they were not yet true disciples of the Lingtian Sect. The opponent also possessed a temporary identity token and clearly did not care about such things.

Seeing that the situation was escalating, the attendant smacked his lips, intending to persuade Lu Yin and Lu Fang again, when a faint, melodious voice drifted in from the doorway:

"Is double the spirit stones really that much? I’ll offer triple."