Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint

Chen Qing found a quiet corner, cast his line into the water, and felt his Heart and Spirit settle.

Fishing was a rare pastime for him, allowing him to temporarily forget the urgency of Cultivation and the turmoil Within the Sect. In the tranquility, he could sort through his thoughts and temper his mind.

Not long after he sat down, a sharp-eyed disciple recognized him.

"It’s Brother Chen!"

"Greetings, Brother Chen!"

Several Outer Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples stood up, respectfully bowing and greeting him. Even the few Stewards present nodded at him with smiles.

The status of a True Successor Candidate, within the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect, already represented immense potential and high standing. No one dared to slight him.

Chen Qing calmly returned their greetings one by one, focusing on the float before him.

After sitting quietly for about an hour, the float dipped slightly. With a flick of his wrist, Chen Qing’s bamboo rod bent into a graceful arc, and two silvery-white Silver Line Cod were pulled from the water.

Placing the fish into his bamboo basket, Chen Qing felt the frustration in his heart dissipate. He then packed up his fishing gear and slowly walked toward Xu Wang Mountain.

Just as his figure disappeared around a bend in the mountain path, low murmurs of discussion arose by the shore of Emerald Waves Pool.

"Did you see? That’s the newly promoted True Successor Candidate, Brother Chen!"

"I heard the Shen Family was interested in marrying the Ninth Miss, Shen Xinyue, to Brother Chen. Did that fall through?"

"Of course it fell through! Haven’t you seen how close Shen Xinyue has been with Brother Han Xiong of Profound Sun Peak lately? Just a few days ago, I saw them choosing a Cultivation Technique together on Ten Thousand Laws Peak."

"I heard that too. Initially, the Shen Family’s Third Elder was indeed keen on Brother Chen and wanted the Ninth Miss to spend more time with him."

"Hmph, what other reason could there be? It’s just that they see Brother Chen comes from the Wutai Sect, so his background can’t compare to Brother Han’s, who has Senior Brother Luo Chengxuan and the entire Mystic Sun Vein backing him. The Shen Family’s calculations, tsk tsk..."

"Yeah, Brother Han is a long-standing True Successor Candidate, after all, and he has that connection with Senior Brother Luo. It’s not surprising the Shen Family chose him."

"I also heard that the Shen Family’s Second Elder plans to fully support Brother Han in his fight for the position of True Disciple. Brother Han’s prestige and influence are growing by the day."

"If you ask me, the next True Disciple could very well be Brother Han."

Chen Qing, who had already left, naturally couldn’t hear these discussions.

Halfway there, two people walked toward him. It was Wu Anren and his personal handmaiden, Mei Niang.

"Junior Brother Chen!"

Wu Anren spotted the bamboo basket in Chen Qing’s hand and greeted him with a smile, "Been fishing?"

"Just a bit of fishing to relax my Heart and Spirit."

Chen Qing lifted the basket, inside which two Silver Line Cod were still flapping about.

Wu Anren chuckled softly and asked, seemingly casually, "The day before yesterday, Brother Han Xiong hosted a small banquet at the Four Seas Pavilion for all the True Successor Candidates. It seems only you, Junior Brother Chen, and Senior Sister Meng weren’t there. Were you busy with something?"

Chen Qing naturally knew who this "Brother Han" he mentioned was: Han Xiong, one of the eight True Successor Candidates of the Inner Sect.

"Oh?"

Hearing Wu Anren’s words, Chen Qing’s expression remained calm as he shook his head. "I wasn’t informed."

Upon hearing this, Wu Anren’s brow furrowed slightly, a hint of surprise on his face. "You weren’t informed? That’s odd."

’There are only a handful of True Successor Candidates in the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect. It’s impossible that someone was simply forgotten.’

’Chen Qing’s mind was as clear as a mirror. He’d been to one of these True Successor Candidate banquets before to get a feel for things, and that was enough. They were nothing more than a tangle of conflicting interests and mutual probing. It was better not to go.’

Wu Anren seemed to hesitate for a moment before lowering his voice. "Junior Brother Chen, could it be that the recent rumors Within the Sect... are true?"

Chen Qing looked at him, his tone still level. "Rumors? What rumors?"

"You don’t know yet, Junior Brother Chen?"

Wu Anren feigned surprise and said in a low voice, "Gossip is spreading that the Shen Family once intended to strengthen its ties with the Wutai Sect faction. Specifically, they wanted to arrange a marriage between the Ninth Miss of the Shen Family’s direct line, Shen Xinyue, and you, Junior Brother. But for some unknown reason, the matter seems to have been dropped."

At this point, he watched Chen Qing’s expression carefully before continuing, "And recently, I’ve heard that the Shen Family’s Ninth Miss has been getting quite close with Brother Han Xiong."

For a genius from a regional faction like Chen Qing, especially a True Successor Candidate, marrying into a Noble Family was a great opportunity. It would provide him with all sorts of help from the Noble Families and Clans.

Chen Qing’s brow furrowed imperceptibly, but his face remained impassive as he said, "Is that so? I know nothing about it."

He did have some impression of Shen Xinyue.

He had seen her once when he first delivered a letter to the Shen Family. She was beautiful, but her attitude was quite distant and cold.

Later, after he broke through the twenty-ninth floor of the Celestial Treasure Tower and his fame began to grow, Shen Xinyue had apparently sent someone with an invitation for tea.

But at that time, too many people were inviting him. Chen Qing was solely focused on Cultivation, so he politely declined.

They had had no interaction since then.

’I never would have thought there was talk of a marriage alliance behind the scenes.’

’Chen Qing’s mind raced. He carefully recalled Sect Leader He Yuzhou’s attitude when he’d asked him to deliver the letter, as well as Shen Qianshan’s enthusiasm and generous gift upon their first meeting. Thinking back now, it seemed likely they truly had intended to vet him for a marriage alliance.’

’The Shen Family held considerable power in Celestial Treasure City. They were a top-tier Clan, second only to the thousand-year Noble Families. However, this generation’s women outshone its men. To maintain or even elevate their family’s status, marrying a promising genius was indeed a shortcut.’

Wu Anren said meaningfully, "Junior Brother Chen, there are some things that I, as your senior brother, don’t need to spell out completely."

"Thank you for telling me, Brother Wu," Chen Qing said, nodding and cupping his fists.

’Did the Shen Family’s own people leak the news that they ultimately chose not to form a marriage alliance with the Wutai Sect? Or was someone fanning the flames from behind the scenes?’

’He had originally thought that Han Xiong had deliberately left him out of the banquet simply because he had chosen the weaker True Martial Lineage and was facing some subtle ostracism Within the Sect.’

’Now, it seemed the reason might be more complicated.’

’In the eyes of others, he might have originally had a close relationship with the Shen Family, perhaps even gaining their support in the competition for a True Inheritance position. But now, Han Xiong had "stolen his love." The implications of this were worth pondering.’

Chen Qing cupped his hands toward Wu Anren once more, said nothing further, and turned to leave.

Watching Chen Qing’s departing figure, a faint curve appeared on Wu Anren’s lips.

His handmaiden, Mei Niang, asked softly, "Young Master, why did you make a point of telling him about this?"

Wu Anren chuckled. "I’m just doing him a small favor. Besides, now that Han Xiong has connected with the Shen Family, they will surely pour all their resources into helping him compete for the True Inheritance position. And behind him, he still has the seventh-ranked True Disciple, Luo Chengxuan, who is both his senior brother and brother-in-law... Han Xiong has had it too easy lately!"

He didn’t say it outright, but Mei Niang already understood the key point—her young master didn’t want to see Han Xiong’s power grow, and he was happy to cause some trouble for him.

"But... will Chen Qing be a match for Han Xiong?" Mei Niang asked, somewhat doubtfully.

"He might not confront Han Xiong immediately, but with this thorn planted in his heart, resentment is bound to fester in the future. As long as there’s a rift between them, that’s enough for me."

Wu Anren’s tone was calm, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

In this race for the seats of True Inheritance, it was always advantageous to have a potential rival tied down.

.....