Early the next morning, news of Lin Huang passing the Battle Eight Directions and entering the Inner Sect spread throughout the entire Piaoxue Palace. Almost every corner of the Sect was abuzz with discussions about the previous night’s fierce battles.
He had overwhelmingly defeated the Outer Sect leader, Luo Hefeng.
He had fought three Earth Element experts single-handedly.
He had furiously slain Jiang Huaiyin!
Lin Huang’s name was on the lips of everyone in the Outer Sect. His successful entry into the Inner Sect via the Battle Eight Directions caused his fame to spread like wildfire. After all, in the history of Piaoxue Palace, less than ten percent of challengers had ever successfully passed the Battle Eight Directions. Furthermore, his opponents were no ordinary figures. They included Luo Hefeng, three Earth Element experts, and Jiang Huaiyin, whose strength had reached the Earth Element Sixth Heaven.
In contrast, Lin Huang was merely an Earth Element Third Heaven Martial Artist. Yet, he had jumped three Realms to sever a head with a single strike.
This particular feat was spoken of with great enthusiasm by the Outer Disciples. The disciples of the Earth Institute were especially vocal and quite smug about it. Even though Lin Huang had stayed exclusively at Celestial Waterfall Cliff since joining Piaoxue Palace, he was nominally a disciple of the Earth Institute.
It wasn’t until he passed the Battle Eight Directions that everyone finally took true notice of his identity. He was Lin Cangxue’s biological younger brother! He was the younger brother of the former East Spirit Legend.
Thinking of this, the disciples could not help but sigh. Three years ago, Lin Cangxue possessed unmatched grace and talent, standing at the absolute pinnacle of geniuses in the East Spirit Realm. Then, she fell from grace and plummeted into the dust. No one knew exactly how many scornful looks, insults, and slanders she had endured, or how it felt to watch those she had once guided surpass her one by one. The sheer torment and humiliation of such a fate were unimaginable.
When Lin Huang first entered Piaoxue Palace, everyone assumed he was just basking in the remnants of Lin Cangxue’s former glory. They thought he was an arrogant, ignorant fool who acted recklessly and would never amount to anything.
However, the Battle Eight Directions last night left all of them flushed with embarrassment!
The younger brother of the former East Spirit Legend had conquered the Battle Eight Directions in a single night. Relying solely on the Demon-Suppressing Blade in his hand, he had forcefully carved his way into the Inner Sect. The Martial Techniques he used were neither Lin Cangxue’s Ten Thousand Swords Return to One nor Piaoxue Palace’s Snow Falling on Earth!
This heavily criticized sibling duo had once again been pushed to the forefront of attention. Only this time, the spotlight completely vindicated Lin Huang and Lin Cangxue.
The Battle Eight Directions! Just how many people in both the Inner and Outer Sects could actually accomplish such a feat?
When Lin Cangxue appeared in Piaoxue Palace early that morning, she found that the surrounding disciples were treating her with a newfound degree of respect. It felt exactly like the days before her fall from grace!
Watching the disciples walk past, a sudden wave of sorrow washed over her heart. With her perceptive mind, she knew perfectly well that this restored respect had been bought with Lin Huang’s life the previous night.
The eight opponents Lin Huang faced in the Battle Eight Directions were all people who had previously insulted and abused her.
Lin Cangxue understood this, and the disciples of Piaoxue Palace understood it too. Lin Huang’s actions last night were not merely to enter the Inner Sect. They were an act of venting his fury and making a bold declaration. Those who had relentlessly humiliated Lin Cangxue would ultimately perish beneath the Demon-Suppressing Blade. As long as Lin Huang was here, no one would be allowed to harm a single hair on her head!
The younger brother of the East Spirit Legend had come for revenge from the very beginning.
Later, at the base of Celestial Waterfall Cliff.
When Lin Huang saw Lin Cangxue, he noticed that her mood had noticeably improved.
"Cangxue!" Lin Huang smiled warmly as he emerged from the waterfall.
"It’s time to eat, Young Master Lin," Lin Cangxue smiled faintly. From a delicate basket, she took out several plates of strange-looking dishes.
Lin Huang was slightly taken aback. "Cangxue... did you make these?" he asked doubtfully.
"Is that a problem? Are you teasing me for not knowing how to cook?" she retorted.
Lin Huang offered an awkward smile and sheepishly scratched his head. Staring at the side dishes before him, his smile grew even more strained.
"Hurry up and eat!" Lin Cangxue watched him quietly, her eyes sparkling like starlight.
"Uh... okay!" Lin Huang picked up his chopsticks. The simple action seemed as arduous as lifting a three-thousand-pound giant blade. His face bore the resolute expression of a warrior marching to his death.
"Is it good?" Lin Cangxue asked.
"Mhm! It’s delicious!" Lin Huang nodded heavily. It was so "delicious" that tears were practically welling up in his eyes. His hands, still gripping the chopsticks, trembled violently as if overcome with emotion.
"Then finish it all!" she said with satisfaction.
Lin Huang felt his vision go dark, nearly passing out on the spot. He turned to look at Lin Cangxue’s sly smile and hurriedly wailed, "Cangxue... I was wrong! I’ll change!"
"You aren’t wrong!" She shook her head with a smile.
"I was wrong..." Lin Huang rushed to insist.
"You aren’t wrong. My younger brother could never be wrong!" she stated with absolute certainty.
"I really am wrong!" he cried out.
Lin Cangxue had lived a sheltered life and had never even set foot in a kitchen since childhood. How could she possibly know how to cook? Eating this concoction caused a chaotic explosion of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors in his mouth. It felt like a bomb had just gone off. Lin Huang genuinely felt like he was about to depart from this world. He would not believe it even if he were beaten to death that Lin Cangxue had made this meal purely out of the goodness of her heart.
"Then tell me, where exactly did you go wrong?" Lin Cangxue asked faintly.
Lin Huang froze, his face a picture of utter confusion. He wondered, "Where did I go wrong? How am I supposed to know where I went wrong!"
"You’d better just finish eating," Lin Cangxue sighed, shaking her head at his bewildered expression.
"Cangxue..." Tears of profound regret streamed down Lin Huang’s face.
"If you ever dare to act like you did last night again, I will not let you off lightly. Even though I’ve lost my Martial Soul, I still have plenty of ways to deal with you," Lin Cangxue’s expression turned cold. She grabbed him by the ear and scolded him angrily.
"I know, I know!" Lin Huang nodded furiously like a chicken pecking at rice.
"Cangxue, how did you even manage to make something this terrible?" Lin Huang asked quietly, seeing her anger gradually fade. Truth be told, it took a special kind of talent to create something this unpalatable; an ordinary person simply couldn’t achieve it. It was honestly harder than preparing a peerless delicacy.
Lin Cangxue rested her chin on her snowy-white hand. "Qing’er made it. She heard I wanted to teach you a lesson, so the little girl spent the entire night slaving away over it. She put so much effort into this. Aren’t you going to finish it?"
Lin Huang chuckled awkwardly, not daring to utter another word.
After they joked around a bit more, Lin Cangxue suddenly asked, "I heard from Elder Nan Yunlie that you joined Qilin Peak?"
"What?" Lin Huang looked completely stunned.
"The entire Inner Sect knows about this. Didn’t you?" She frowned.
"He only invited me for a visit. I never agreed to join Qilin Peak... That old rogue," Lin Huang waved his hand dismissively. He hadn’t expected Nan Yunlie to pull a fast one on him so abruptly.
Lin Cangxue sighed at his reaction. "You really don’t understand the status of Qilin Peak within Piaoxue Palace, do you? Countless disciples fight tooth and nail just for a chance to enter that peak, yet they can’t even get a nod of approval from Elder Nan. You’re probably the only one who would react to his recruitment with a face full of disdain!"
"I just wanted to join Piaomiao Peak, didn’t I?" Lin Huang rolled his eyes before asking, "Is Elder Nan Yunlie really that powerful?"
Lin Cangxue shook her head, feeling that her brother was being a bit dense. She explained softly, "In Piaoxue Palace, there are a total of eighteen Inner Sect Elders. Nine of them are known as Cabinet Elders. They are ranked in order, starting with the Grand Elder, Second Elder, Third Elder, and so on.
"These nine elders are mostly in charge of managing the internal affairs of Piaoxue Palace and making decisions regarding the Sect’s development.
"Beyond them, one elder resides on each of the Seven Peaks of Piaoxue Palace, making a total of Seven Peaks Elders. These seven are responsible for cultivating the disciples under their tutelage, managing relations with other Sect Races, and supervising their disciples as they complete Sect missions.
"Apart from those sixteen, there are two other elders.
"One is Elder Tie of the Law Enforcement Hall, who is responsible for enforcing the rules in both the Inner and Outer Sects.
"The other is the Fate-Predicting Elder, whose primary role is to study Life Charts, Star Constellations, and Feng Shui..."
Standing at the base of Celestial Waterfall Cliff, Lin Cangxue detailed the structure of the Inner Sect Elders for Lin Huang.
"And Elder Nan Yunlie..." Lin Huang asked in confusion. Judging from her explanation, there didn’t seem to be anything particularly special about Nan Yunlie. He was just an ordinary Seven Peaks Elder.
Lin Cangxue shook her head. "If my guess is correct, Elder Nan Yunlie should be the strongest among all the elders. Even Palace Master Yann Nangui might not necessarily be his match, provided the Palace Master doesn’t use Snow Falling on Earth!"
"He’s that strong?!" Lin Huang exclaimed. Based on their brief interaction yesterday, he hadn’t sensed overwhelming power from Nan Yunlie. The elder seemed to be at the Celestial Element Seventh Heaven at most. But if he was truly capable of standing toe-to-toe with Yann Nangui, he probably already had half a foot firmly planted in the Martial Marquis Realm.
"That is only secondary," Lin Cangxue continued. "The real reason disciples from both the Inner and Outer Sects are so eager to join Qilin Peak isn’t just because of Elder Nan’s strength. It’s mostly because of his status. It’s because he is the elder of Qilin Peak!"
"What do you mean?" Lin Huang was puzzled.
Lin Cangxue curled her finger and flicked his forehead before answering, "Because the Supreme Ancestor of Piaoxue Palace, Yann Cangfeng, came from Qilin Peak!"
Lin Huang was momentarily stunned, but he quickly caught her meaning. "Are you saying that the Supreme Ancestor of Piaoxue Palace, Yann Cangfeng, lives on Qilin Peak?"
Lin Cangxue nodded. "Not only that, but all the past Palace Masters of Piaoxue Palace and the Supreme Elders likely reside on Qilin Peak as well! In fact, any instructions or decrees from the Supreme Elders are passed down through Elder Nan Yunlie!"
Lin Huang’s jaw dropped. He inhaled sharply and muttered, "Good heavens..."
He finally understood why all the disciples of Piaoxue Palace were so desperate to enter Qilin Peak. It was prime real estate for networking. To borrow Fatty Bai’s phrasing, it was a golden opportunity to latch onto powerful backers. One could easily borrow someone’s prestige to throw their weight around, allowing them to strut around Piaoxue Palace completely unchecked.
"Well, I haven’t officially refused yet, right? And didn’t Elder Nan already declare that I’m a disciple of Qilin Peak?" Lin Huang laughed, though he still looked somewhat awkward. Meanwhile, he wondered, "Should I just go with the flow and join Qilin Peak?"