I had already seen it coming. Elder Li Hao clearly wanted Li Xiaoman to become the champion of the Talent Trial Tournament.
Gu Qinghe fell silent, his gaze sharp as it locked onto the middle-aged man before him.
From the beginning, Gu Qinghe's goal had been simple: to become a core disciple of the sect.
Since he had advanced to the finals, it meant he was guaranteed either first or second place.
First place would be rewarded with a precious sect technique. Second and third place would only receive pills meant to help break through cultivation bottlenecks.
In Gu Qinghe's view, if he could form a private agreement with Li Hao, he might be able to obtain extra rewards beyond the official prizes.
Li Hao continued staring at him. "How?"
"You're making this offer because you know my strength can defeat hers."
"Unfortunately, that's true," Li Hao admitted. "If you were to fight Li Xiaoman seriously, the chances of her defeating you would be very slim."
"Then you must have prepared something for our deal."
"HAHA!" Li Hao laughed loudly. Gu Qinghe was the blunt, straightforward type of cultivator. "Of course. As long as it's within my authority, I'll provide it."
Gu Qinghe remained quiet. Something about Li Hao's expression felt suspicious.
He distrusted every elder in the sect— even the Sect Master himself.
That suspicion was not without reason. The Ice Meridian Curse afflicting Wang Yunxi was no ordinary curse.
Only a specific technique from the Yin-Yang Sect could destroy it and send the backlash directly to the caster who had placed the curse.
"What do you want, Junior Gu?"
If I reveal my true reason for coming here, the culprit will be alerted.
Gu Qinghe clasped his hands together and bowed slightly. "This junior wishes for five Earth-grade Yin-element techniques and five Earth-grade Yin-element pill formulas."
Li Hao narrowed his eyes. "That's all?"
"Junior Gu Qinghe would not dare to ask for more, Elder Li."
"HAHA!"
"Very well. Very well."
"Ya Fei will deliver them to you. However, you must keep your promise, Gu Qinghe," Elder Li said solemnly.
"Junior Gu Qinghe will fully comply with the elder's agreement."
Elder Li Hao instructed Gu Qinghe to return immediately, avoiding suspicion from other disciples aside from those in the pill refinement hall.
Gu Qinghe took his leave, summoned his flying sword, and departed for the winter region.
Elder Li Hao returned to his hall to prepare what Gu Qinghe had requested.
Along the way, nothing unexpected happened. Disciples from the spring region no longer dared to challenge him after realizing Gu Qinghe was a finalist in the sect's talent trial.
His flight was smooth. Upon arriving at the winter region, he saw Li Xiaoman cultivating, recovering the strength she had severely depleted.
She sensed Gu Qinghe's arrival and opened her eyes, staring at him intensely as a strong aura of hostility surfaced once more.
"Where did you go, Qinghe?" Li Xiaoman asked.
"I had important matters to deal with. It's none of your concern."
Li Xiaoman halted her cultivation, stood up, and walked toward him. "The final match will be our last battle. I won't hesitate to injure you, Qinghe."
Gu Qinghe smiled faintly, leaped onto a rock, and sat cross-legged. "You won't be able to defeat me if you don't recover your condition first."
For some reason, she listened to him. She resumed cultivating, allowing her meridians to absorb the surrounding qi.
There was no training, no sparring. Gu Qinghe had no intention of doing either, bound as he was by his agreement with Li Hao.
An hour passed. Gu Qinghe's qi senses detected the presence of an unfamiliar cultivator—yet the aura felt familiar.
He opened his eyes. Ya Fei had arrived, exactly as Li Hao had ordered.
Gu Qinghe sprang up and stood before her, keeping some distance from where Li Xiaoman was cultivating.
Ya Fei patted her storage pouch and produced five Yin-element technique scrolls and five Yin-element pill formulas, all at the Earth grade.
"With your cultivation level, you should already be able to learn all of these," Ya Fei said.
"I know."
"Elder Li expects you to keep your promise."
Gu Qinghe gave only a brief response, nodding lightly. Moments later, Ya Fei departed the snowy hill, leaving Gu Qinghe alone with the techniques and formulas.
He glanced behind him. Li Xiaoman was still cultivating intently. He suspected she hadn't noticed Ya Fei's arrival at all.
Gu Qinghe raised his right hand. A golden light appeared at his fingertips.
Slowly, his eyes glowed with a brilliant gold as he activated the Heavenly Insight Path.
[Heavenly Insight Path Technique]
[Detecting:]
[5x Earth-grade Yin-element technique scrolls]
[5x Earth-grade Yin-element pill formulas]
[Conclusion:]
[Both items are core inheritance techniques of the Yin-Yang Sect. Not available for trade.]
[Yin-element techniques: suited for dominance in battle, lowering enemy vigilance, increasing offensive power, with potential to freeze meridians]
[Yin-element pills: maintain Yin-Yang balance, suppress fire or lightning effects, freshen the body, strengthen the soul, and heal internal injuries]
[None of the techniques or pills are related to the Ice Meridian Curse]
Strengthen the soul? Maybe I can refine pills to slowly restore my primordial soul, even if only a little.
Even so, Gu Qinghe felt disappointed. He still hadn't found any clues related to the Ice Meridian Curse.
His attention remained fixed on the third floor of the sect library.
Perhaps, once his status changed to that of a core disciple, he would find something there.
Gu Qinghe stored both items away, not wanting Li Xiaoman to see them.
The rest period ended. Gu Qinghe flew off first, leaving Li Xiaoman behind. She soon ended her cultivation as well and departed for the final match.
Upon arrival, Gu Qinghe stood in the arena beside Yun Shangxing.
Han Xiao was nowhere to be seen—most likely, he would not participate in the third-place match.
Li Xiaoman arrived last, entering the arena with her head lowered in a respectful bow.
Although no spring region disciples were competing in the finals, the enthusiasm remained high.
Everyone wanted to know who was stronger—Gu Qinghe or Li Xiaoman.
The three looked forward as elders from various halls gathered. Li Hao was among them, his gaze never leaving Gu Qinghe.
One elder stepped into the arena and made an announcement.
"Since participant Han Xiao is unable to continue, Yun Shangxing is officially awarded third place and granted core disciple status!"
Applause erupted. People congratulated Yun Shangxing, who bowed in thanks before flying out of the arena.
"The final match of the Talent Trial Tournament will be held today—Gu Qinghe versus Li Xiaoman!"
"The rules remain the same. Any violation will result in disqualification."
Gu Qinghe and Li Xiaoman leaped apart, maintaining a significant distance between them. Seeing their readiness, the elder gave the signal.
The final match began.
Gu Qinghe formed hand seals, activating golden runes behind his back. Thousands of swords shot forward, targeting Li Xiaoman.
Li Hao jolted in shock, his eyes widening as his fists clenched tightly.
"What is he doing?!" Li Hao muttered.
Gu Qinghe occasionally glanced toward the platform, feeling Li Hao's sharp gaze pressing down on him.
Elsewhere, Li Xiaoman held firm, relying on her qi reserves.
Her training in the Qi Efficiency Technique had made her far stronger than before.
Her defense was solid, her movements precise, her attacks powerful and lethal.
"Gu Qinghe! You won't defeat me with techniques like this!" Li Xiaoman declared.
The young man remained silent, focusing solely on pressuring her with his sword techniques.
Soon, Gu Qinghe halted his assault, realizing her qi defense was far stronger than expected.
Li Xiaoman grinned widely. His attacks hadn't affected her at all.
"Now," Li Xiaoman said firmly as she formed new hand seals, "can you withstand my attack, Qinghe?!"
Red runes appeared behind her. She raised her hand and pointed forward.
A fire-element lion manifested and charged ahead. Gu Qinghe smiled.
Instead of using his golden bell for defense, he chose to strike the fire lion directly with his flying swords.
BLAST!
An explosion erupted near Gu Qinghe. Li Xiaoman spat out blood—the backlash from her Fire Lion Fury Technique shattering.
"He blocked my attack?" Li Xiaoman exclaimed in shock.
Smoke billowed, covering part of the arena. She waved it away, her face filled with disbelief.
Gu Qinghe was kneeling outside the arena, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
She assumed the fire lion's attack had injured him internally. In truth, Gu Qinghe had merely bitten his lip to make himself look wounded.
The elder turned to see Gu Qinghe's condition, then immediately announced the result.
"The final match of the Yin-Yang Sect Talent Trial Tournament is won by Li Xiaoman!"
Li Xiaoman was still stunned. That technique hadn't even been her ultimate—she had only used it to test Gu Qinghe's physical endurance.
She never expected it to hand her the championship instead.
Applause thundered across the arena. Even the spring region disciples joined in. Compared to Gu Qinghe, they were more willing to accept Li Xiaoman as the victor.
Li Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief and glanced sideways at Gu Qinghe.
Gu Qinghe stood up and wiped the blood from his lips. His gaze clearly told Li Hao that he had kept his promise.
"The Talent Trial Tournament has concluded. Yun Shangxing, Gu Qinghe, and Li Xiaoman are officially promoted to core disciples of the sect!"
Li Xiaoman was naturally delighted with her championship title.
Yet deep down, something about the match felt off.
She felt it clearly—
Gu Qinghe had lost to her on purpose.