The woman still possessed charm and elegaruly captivating.

  But sidering the age gap between them, especially since she was Wang Jingzhan's mother, Lin Hao thought it best not to plicate matters.

  So he feigned ignorand said, "Elder Han is broad-minded and has raised her son well, a model mother indeed."

  Han Liyue, having experienced much more in life than Lin Hao, uood his meaning, and a trace of disappoi fshed in her eyes.

  She realized she was getting old, uo pete with those young female cultivators.

  Lin Hao's reje was something she could uand, but it still made her angry, so her attitude turned cold.

  "I uand," she said, flig her fio extinguish the burning inse.

  "Leave, a's pretend nothing happeoday."

  Leaving the woman's residence, Lin Hao couldn't help but smile wryly, thinking he might have offended Elder Han.

  He figured he should restrain himself from indulging in nightly revelries, lest he provoke a woman's jealousy a backstabbed.

  But it didn't matter; he was fident he would shine in the inner sepetition and leave this wretched pce soon.

  The day before the petition.

  The Xuan Yi was bustling with excitement.

  A huages made of bck gold were set up on Chaoyang Peak.

  Si was at the peak, the entire area was used for building the stages, so there were no stands, but that didn't stop the cultivators from watg.

  Those who came to watch the inner sepetition were all quite skilled, at least at the early Foundatioablishment stage, and watg a match while standing on a flying sword was a breeze!

  Cultivators below Foundatioablishment also had ways to watch; they could hitch a ride on a Foundatioablishment master's flying sword, though it required some spirit stones.

  For Qi Refining stage cultivators, watg higher-level cultivators could enhaheir uanding of cultivation, making the cost in spirit stones worthwhile.

  Especially for those shrewd cultivators looking to take this opportunity to befriend inner sect disciples.

  So that when they ehe inner sect themselves, they would have some bag.

  pared to the outer sect, the inner sect of Xuan Yi had far fewer disciples, less than 2,000, and a signifit portion of them were out o missions, so only over 1,000 participated in the petition.

  The night passed without i.

  In the m, Lin Hao went to see Han Liyue to report.

  "Elder Han, I'm going to participate in the inner sepetition, so I'll be troubling you for a while."

  The woman did not reply.

  Lin Hao thought she robably still angry, but he couldn't possibly coax her.

  He simply bowed deeply outside her cave dwelling and then stepped onto his flying sword, heading to Chaoyang Peak.

  With a goose-yellow sword sheath on his back, Lin Hao asded Chaoyang Peak and looked towards the sect master's pace, where he indeed saw Feng gyue.

  His master was still in a red long dress, standing out among the white robes like a white rose in a camellia bush.

  He made his way through the crowd and respectfully saluted Feng gyue.

  "Master."

  Feng gyue nodded slightly aended her jade-like finger, shooting out a stream of light.

  "This is for you. Perform well oage and don't disgrace the prestige of Great Bamboo Peak."

  "Yes, Master."

  Lin Hao khat what his master bestowed must be a rare treasure, but he restrained his curiosity and did not check it on the spot.

  "Go on."

  Lin Hao saluted again and prepared to return to the stage to await the start of the petition.

  Unlike when he came, on the way back, he heard a lot of chatter.

  It was because not many had reized him earlier; with nearly 30,000 people in the Xuan Yi, tless stras occurred every month.

  His "collusion" with the witch had long been fotten.

  But when people saw him salute Feng gyue, those dusty memories were awakened, and they began to point fingers at him.

  "That's him, the ruthless one who colluded with the witd released a thousand great demons."

  "Nearly a hundred of our sect's disciples died because of this."

  "The Discipline Elder wao punish him, but ped away by Master Feng."

  "Because of him, many were implicated."

  "What a sdrel, how does he still have the face to stay in the sect?"

  Ha, a bunch of hypocrites, only daring to point fingers behind his back?

  Lin Hao smirked, his eyes cold, ready to retort, but before he could speak, a clear voice like a mountain spring rang out.

  "You take hearsay as truth, is that worthy of a cultivator's identity?

  If you 't even dis basic right fr, has your cultivation goo the dogs?"

  Leng Feng, white, with a sword named Wenxin on her back, exuded a heroic aura that made many men feel ashamed.

  "Who are you to stand up for Lin Hao?" a cultivator with triangur eyes sneered, his eyes darting around.

  "Are you also his lover?"

  g!

  Wenxin was uhed.

  The cold tip of the sword pointed directly at the throat of the triangur-eyed man.

  "If you 't speak properly, I make sure you never speak again."

  Peerjun