Chapter 1419 - 712: Rising Fame (Part 2)
As she spoke, she even squeezed out a few tears, putting on a pitiful look.
Hu Yi’s heart softened. She started to regret not persuading Lin Beichen to let the old woman join the sect back then. But now the initiation ceremony had already begun—recruiting more people would break the rules. Those who had already joined might feel the Daoist Temple was too easy to get into and their attitude would change. After all, without rules, nothing holds together.
"Fine, I’ll let you off this time. But if there’s a next time, I definitely won’t spare you." As soon as Hu Yi finished, the old woman heard footsteps and immediately hid behind the door.
"Girl, you know I sneaked in. You can’t let them find me. Not everyone is as kind-hearted as you, otherwise I’d be done for."
Hu Yi helped keep watch for the old woman. After the people left, she let her know and even personally escorted her out.
Hu Yi planned to bury this matter in her heart and tell no one.
When she came back to Lin Beichen, he felt her expression was unnatural, like she’d done something guilty.
Lin Beichen was extremely curious. She’d only gone out for a bit—what on earth had happened to make her like this?
By checking Hu Yi’s memories, Lin Beichen understood what had happened.
"Well now, no wonder you look like you’ve done something shady. So you saw that old woman stealing, and not only did you not stop her, you even helped her. When I turned her down, I already said her mind wasn’t right. Now she’s stealing again—that’s enough to prove her character is rotten. And you still chose to aid and abet!"
Hu Yi felt wronged, but could only stay alone in her room practicing. Li He couldn’t stand it and went to persuade Lin Beichen.
On this matter, Lin Beichen’s heart was as clear as a polished mirror; he understood Hu Yi’s thoughts at the time, so he fully grasped everything Li He said to him. "Everything you’ve said, I’m fully aware of, but my thinking is a bit different from yours." Lin Beichen raised his hand to stop Li He, who was about to speak again, and continued.
"You also know she’s soft-hearted. Before, it was whatever, but from now on our Daoist Temple will have more and more people, and there are bound to be some with bad intentions." Lin Beichen’s tone carried some concern. "I’m really anxious about her. I’ve told her so many times, but she just can’t change this temperament!"
After hearing Lin Beichen’s words, Li He also deeply agreed. Coming back to his senses, he felt he really hadn’t thought things through thoroughly enough.
"You’re right. As a girl, if she doesn’t have a bit of wariness, she really is easily taken advantage of." With both of them in agreement, they stopped arguing over this matter.
Days passed one by one. The Daoist Disciples who had passed the previous interview and were preparing to enter the Daoist Temple had all taken care of their family matters and, over the past few days, came one after another to report in.
In a few more days it would be the Martial Arts Tournament. During this period, Lin Beichen had been vigorously promoting his new Daoist Hall, quietly calculating whether his hall would receive an invitation to this year’s tournament.
"Sect Leader!" One day, a disciple came running in a hurry. "The organizer of this Martial Arts Tournament has sent our Daoist Temple an invitation card."
Lin Beichen was sitting cross-legged in the Daoist Temple in Cultivation. Hearing the disciple’s report, joy flashed in his heart, but his face stayed calm as he stood up and took the invitation card.
"Alright, I understand. You may go." Lin Beichen waved his hand, signaling the disciple to leave.
"Good thing I accepted disciples a few days ago, otherwise we wouldn’t even have enough people to take part in this Martial Arts Tournament." Lin Beichen secretly rejoiced at his own foresight.
"Someone come!" Lin Beichen shouted loudly. "Notify the newly initiated disciples to gather immediately!"
The disciples, after hearing Lin Beichen’s instructions, quickly passed the message on to the others. In no time, everyone had gathered together.
"What did the Sect Leader call us here for?"
"I guess he’s going to teach us a Cultivation Technique!"
"You’re dreaming. We’ve only been here a few days and you think the Observatory Master will already teach us a Cultivation Technique!"
Everyone stood in the courtyard, recalling the powerful Cultivation Techniques Lin Beichen had displayed before. Their hearts were all burning with excitement as they whispered to those around them, asking if anyone knew anything.
"Everyone be quiet and listen to me!"
In the midst of the noise, a loud voice suddenly rang out. Lin Beichen walked out from inside, stood on the platform, and swept his gaze over the crowd below.
"You’re very lucky!" Lin Beichen began. "In a few days, it’ll be the Martial Arts Tournament, and our Daoist Hall has also been invited to participate."
"So, starting today, I’ll begin teaching you Cultivation Techniques. I’ll pick out those among you who learn the best to go there together with me."
The people below hadn’t expected that they’d have a chance to take part in the Martial Arts Tournament just after entering the hall. Several hot-blooded youths instantly cheered excitedly.
"That’s awesome, Hall Master, we’ll definitely work hard!"
Seeing their reaction, Lin Beichen nodded in satisfaction, a kindly smile appearing on his face.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the Martial Arts Tournament arrived.
Early in the morning, Lin Beichen led his disciples to the tournament arena. The disciples were so excited their faces flushed and necks bulged as they loosened up their muscles, itching to jump into the ring immediately.
"Hey, look over there, never seen them before!" The other participants, seeing the new faces like Lin Beichen’s group, all asked around.
"Them?" Someone snorted. At the sound, Tang Clan turned to look in Lin Beichen’s direction, snorted coldly with a face full of disdain, and said nothing more.
"My god! Didn’t think they’d be so unlucky—first match and they’re already grouped against the Tang Clan!"
"Oh ho, there’s going to be a good show today!"
As the announcer on the stage declared, the first match was Lin Beichen’s Daoist Hall versus the Tang Clan.
Upon hearing this, the crowd all shook their heads. They didn’t know much about Lin Beichen, but they knew the Tang Clan all too well and were very clear about how formidable they were.
"Hey, newbie!" The Tang Clan looked at the opponents standing in front of them, their eyes full of provocation. "I’ll give you a chance. If you surrender right now, I’ll let you walk off the platform with your dignity intact."
The Tang Clan’s words were full of contempt and scorn. The burly man representing Lin Beichen’s side grew furious on the spot and, without caring about anything else, snapped back, "Hmph! One look at that face of yours and I know you’re some bastard with a mother but no upbringing. I advise you to roll off this platform early, or you’ll just make a fool of yourself here!"
Hearing this, the Tang Clan flew into a rage and waved to his disciples. "Beat him within an inch of his life for me!"
Watching his own disciples get pushed back step by step, the Tang Clan had never expected that this person he’d looked down on actually had some skill. Narrowing his eyes, he signaled to someone in the ring, who instantly understood.
Lin Beichen sensed something was off and wanted to step in and stop it, but he was still a step too late. Taking advantage of the burly man’s carelessness, the Tang Clan’s disciple launched a sneak attack and succeeded. The burly man took a heavy blow and fell off the platform.
This sudden scene made the audience break into an uproar, with discussions erupting everywhere.
"That Tang Clan sure hits hard," someone remarked, while another replied, "It’s a bout, of course you go all out."
Lin Beichen strode forward, helped the fallen burly man up, and without even glancing at the Tang Clan, carefully checked the man’s injuries.
"Sect Leader, I..." The burly man looked at Lin Beichen with shame all over his face, but just as he started speaking, Lin Beichen cut him off. Patting his shoulder, he comforted him, "You did great. Don’t overthink it."
The Tang Clan stood to the side, overflowing with arrogance, his gaze full of provocation as he stared at Lin Beichen and his group.
"Hmph, fools who don’t know their own limits. I kindly warned you earlier, but you didn’t take it seriously. This is just a small lesson for your Daoist Temple."
Lin Beichen narrowed his eyes slightly and didn’t bother responding to him.
Seeing this, the Tang Clan thought Lin Beichen was afraid and laughed smugly. In the matches that followed, whenever Lin Beichen’s disciples faced the Tang Clan, they were all defeated by the opponent’s despicable sneak attacks. Lin Beichen silently watched everything, already having his own plans in mind.
"Next up is the finals!" the announcer’s voice rang out. "This match is Lin Beichen versus the Tang Clan’s Sect Leader."
At this, everyone’s spirits lifted, and the noise surged to a peak.
"I already thought this kid was way too arrogant. The Tang Clan talked to him and he ignored them. Really an eyesore," someone muttered.
Another chimed in, "I’ve been waiting for this. Coward’s been sending his disciples out as cannon fodder this whole time."
The Tang Clan provoked Lin Beichen, saying, "I’m softhearted and really can’t bear to watch anymore, so now I have to give you a good lesson on behalf of your disciples."
Lin Beichen impatiently rolled his eyes and glared at him. "Cut the crap. With those flowery but useless moves of yours, you might as well go home and sweep the floor."