“The Feng family is willing to offer one-sixth of a sixth-grade spirit stone,” Feng Lanyue stated calmly.
Yet her words struck the crowd like a thunderclap.
A sixth-grade spirit stone—a marvel of heaven and earth, formed over tens of thousands of years by condensing the world’s spiritual energy—was rarer than a sixth-grade elixir.
Once refined, it could drastically boost both vitality and strength.
Even a Martial Venerable refining a sixth-grade spirit stone had a chance to ascend to Martial Lord. It was a treasure even the Martial Venerables present coveted desperately.
At the mention of a sixth-grade spirit stone, Zhou Xiong’s eyes blazed with fervor.
Years ago, a fingernail-sized piece of sixth-grade spirit stone had appeared in the Lanlan Empire. Publicly, it was auctioned for millions of gold coins, but in truth, it was traded for fulfilling a monumental favor for the seller.
Since then, no further news of sixth-grade spirit stones had surfaced.
Over the years, Zhou Xiong and the aging Empress Dowager Meng Xi had scoured the land with vast resources, seeking one to break through to Martial Lord and extend their lifespans, but to no avail.
Now, the Feng family was offering a fingernail-sized piece to recruit Lin Xiao.
This implied the Fengs possessed at least several times that amount—otherwise, they wouldn’t part with such a precious fragment.
It underscored the astronomical cost the Feng family was willing to pay.
Unlike sixth-grade elixirs, which only Martial Venerables or Lords could refine, spirit stones had minimal refining requirements. Nearly any cultivator, regardless of realm, could refine a portion with negligible side effects.
Every Martial Venerable and high-tier spirit controller present was stunned.
Feng Ziyang’s brows twitched nearby. The sixth-grade spirit stone was a closely guarded family secret, a treasure even he lacked enough of to refine. Feng Lanyue had not only revealed it but was offering it to an outsider?
Even if it was to recruit a genius with limitless potential.
After all, an outsider, no matter how great their future achievements, might not bring proportional benefits to the Feng family.
And by the time Lin Xiao matured, who knew how long that would take… At this thought, Feng Ziyang’s frown deepened, though he refrained from objecting, knowing it was the family head’s private authorization to Feng Lanyue.
“Lanyue…” Chen Yan tugged at her urgently from the side.
“I know what I’m doing,” Feng Lanyue replied, pursing her lips, her gaze fixed on Lin Xiao, “So, Young Brother Heimu, are you interested in a sixth-grade spirit stone?”
“Sixth-grade spirit stone!” Lin Xiao’s heart surged with boundless killing intent. That stone—a full piece—was a keepsake from his mother, stolen from him a year ago by Feng Lanyue and Chen Yan’s scheme.
Now, Feng Lanyue dared offer him a mere fingernail-sized fragment to win him over…
“I won’t join the Feng family!” After a moment of stillness, suppressing his fury and murderous intent, Lin Xiao spoke softly but firmly.
Feng Lanyue’s brows furrowed. She hadn’t expected such a swift rejection despite her hefty offer.
“Please reconsider, young brother,” she pressed, unwilling to let it go.
“No need to reconsider. Today, I, Heimu, won’t join any faction,” Lin Xiao said decisively, glancing at the family heads on the platform, “I appreciate your kindness, but I must decline.”
Turning to Emperor Meng, he added, “Thank you, Uncle Meng. Shengyuan Academy’s fame across the continent is indeed enticing, but I have matters to attend to and can’t serve the royals for now.”
Then, facing Ye Fenghua, “Thank you for your generosity, Alliance Leader. However, I’ve already taken a master, so I won’t take another. Please forgive me.”
The crowd was dumbfounded. Lin Xiao had rejected every faction outright, spurning their lavish offers?
The family heads and Martial Venerables stared in disbelief, their eyes flickering with confusion and disappointment.
“Then where do you plan to go, young friend?” Ye Fenghua asked, equally surprised.
“I’m already part of the Spirit Controller Alliance in a way. If possible, I’d like to stay on as the guest vice leader of the Linshui City branch,” Lin Xiao replied.
Ye Fenghua blinked, and the arena fell silent.
Then he burst into laughter, “Of course, that’s fine! Not just the vice leader of the Linshui City branch, but also a guest elder of the main alliance, with the same privileges as other elders—and you can still receive my guidance.”
Ye Fenghua’s delighted voice echoed across the plaza. Though Lin Xiao wouldn’t take him as a master, his intent was clear: rejecting all other factions to align with the Spirit Controller Alliance, even as a guest. That was still a win for them.
If they nurtured Lin Xiao, both he and the alliance could reap immense rewards.
And Ye Fenghua longed to personally train someone even more formidable than himself, a boon for his own future.
“Then I’ll thank you, Alliance Leader,” Lin Xiao said, cupping his hands.
“Since Young Master Heimu wishes to remain with the Spirit Controller Alliance, we won’t press further. But I hope you’ll reconsider. If you ever change your mind, come to the Feng family. We’ll reserve that sixth-grade spirit stone fragment for you for a time,” Feng Lanyue spoke again, her tone tinged with reluctance yet courteous, “Also, a month from now, I’ll wed Brother Chen Yan. No matter what, I hope you’ll grace us with your presence.”
Lin Xiao’s killing intent surged again, but to avoid suspicion, he forced it down, replying stiffly, “I’ll definitely be there.”
He’d come to the imperial city to kill Feng Lanyue openly, and the wedding was his only chance to take both her and Chen Yan together. Otherwise, killing just one would make staying in the city impossible.
He’d been waiting for their wedding!
“Then I’ll look forward to your visit, Young Master Heimu,” Feng Lanyue said with another polite gesture.
The others followed suit, offering reluctant pleasantries, though some showed visible concern.
With such talent, certain factions might not want him to grow.
Next, the major factions offered terms to recruit other top-ranked talents with generous conditions, though they paled beside Lin Xiao’s offers.
Of the top fifty, half joined various factions, while the other half stayed with their original groups.
This year’s Refining Competition concluded amid fervent discussion. Everyone knew a genius named Heimu had refined a fourth-grade elixir, seizing the championship against all odds. His name would go down in history.
The name Heimu would soon resound across the empire.
As the crowd dispersed, still buzzing, the plaza quieted. The Spirit Controller Alliance grew calm too.
Yet the competition’s second-place finisher, Yunfeng, mysteriously vanished after the event, startling many factions.
Lin Xiao, meanwhile, was welcomed triumphantly into the Spirit Controller Alliance alongside Ye Fenghua and the others.
