Chapter 12: What a Waste of a Fortuitous Encounter on Him

"Wow!! Look at that handsome guy — that's Shen Gao, the number one man of our Outer Sect!"

"I heard Shen Gao broke through to the Spirit Gathering Realm just a few days ago."

"Of course he did. Senior Brother Shen has exceptional talent. He missed the last Outer Sect Trial because something came up, so he lost his chance to enter the Inner Sect."

"The top rankers of this generation's Outer Sect are all incredibly strong."

The plaza buzzed with noise and chatter.

The crowd's attention was fixed on a handful of figures — the top-ranked Outer Sect Disciples.

Everyone was eager to see how they would perform in this Outer Sect Trial.

Once most people had arrived, a calm voice cut through the noise.

"Quiet!"

The single word reached every ear.

All the Outer Sect Disciples fell silent and looked toward the figure standing on the high platform.

Lin Xiao and the other Tomb Guardians beside him raised their eyes as well.

At the sight of that figure, the expressions of the others shifted.

It was Elder Chen.

Several months ago, nearly ten thousand of them had been rounded up and brought here, and it was Elder Chen who had assigned them to Pyre Heaven Sword Tomb.

Seeing him again stirred many feelings in everyone's hearts.

Lin Xiao was no different.

He had truly settled into this world of fantasy and cultivation by now.

As for Elder Chen — from a certain perspective, Lin Xiao even owed him some gratitude for sending him into Pyre Heaven Sword Tomb.

"This year's Outer Sect Trial follows the same rules as before. Only those who have reached the Qi Refinement Realm or above may participate."

"The top ten in the final trial will each receive a mid-grade Spirit Stone and one selection token for the first floor of the Technique Depository. The top three will receive a bottle of high-grade Origin Restoration Pills…"

Elder Chen laid out the rules.

Most of the Outer Sect Disciples had participated before and were already familiar with them.

Only a portion of the newly admitted Outer Sect Disciples and Servant Disciples were surprised to hear the conditions.

"What! You have to be at the Qi Refinement Realm just to enter?"

"Well, that's no fun. I'm only at the fourth stage of the Qi Refinement Realm — I'll have to wait until next year."

"Same here. I'm just barely short of qualifying."

"Even though I'm at the Qi Refinement Realm, I'm not going to bother entering. No point in embarrassing myself."

The other Tomb Guardians standing near Lin Xiao shook their heads helplessly.

The highest cultivation among them had only reached the third stage of the Qi Refinement Realm.

They were still far from meeting the Outer Sect Trial's requirements.

Well — no, that wasn't quite right.

There was one exception.

At that thought, the other Tomb Guardians quietly glanced over at Lin Xiao.

This lone wolf barely spoke to any of them.

Every day he was busy with his own affairs, and his aptitude was remarkably strong on top of that.

Every month he was the first to complete his assignments and apply for leave to go out.

None of them could see through his cultivation level at all.

It was possible that he had already met the requirements for the Outer Sect Trial.

Truth be told, after spending several months together, the bond among this group of Tomb Guardians was actually fairly solid.

Even if they weren't fond of Lin Xiao, they still hoped that someone from among the Tomb Guardians could participate in the Outer Sect Trial.

Whether or not he passed, just showing up would at least earn them some face.

"Brother Lin Xiao, are you entering the Outer Sect Trial?"

An easygoing Tomb Guardian walked up beside Lin Xiao and asked.

After spending so much time together, they at least knew each other's names.

The other Tomb Guardians pricked up their ears to listen.

"Yes," Lin Xiao answered simply.

The other Tomb Guardians nodded.

So this lone wolf's cultivation really had reached the Qi Refinement Realm.

What incredible talent.

With talent like that, how had he ended up assigned to Pyre Heaven Sword Tomb in the first place?

Lin Xiao noticed their looks.

But he offered no explanation.

After all this time spent comprehending and wielding Sword Intent, if he chose to conceal his cultivation level, even a Wheel Sea Realm expert standing right in front of him wouldn't be able to see through it.

Before long, registration for the Outer Sect Trial began.

Lin Xiao stepped forward and joined the queue.

But his Servant Disciple attire made him stand out immediately.

Everyone else in line was an Outer Sect Disciple.

They looked at Lin Xiao and one by one let their disdain show.

A Servant Disciple actually daring to enter the Outer Sect Trial — the nerve of it.

Did he really think that just reaching the Qi Refinement Realm was enough to claim a reward?!

"Name, age, cultivation level?" the registration disciple asked each person in turn, recording the basic details.

"Chen Quan, 26, seventh stage of the Qi Refinement Realm."

"Wang Pinda, 32, seventh stage of the Qi Refinement Realm."

The higher the realm, the harder cultivation became, and the gap between each stage grew ever wider.

When it was finally Lin Xiao's turn —

"Hm?! A Servant Disciple?? Which main peak are you a Servant Disciple under?" the registrar asked in surprise.

He had already registered two Servant Disciples today.

But both of them were older.

They had cultivated for seven or eight years before barely reaching the threshold for the Outer Sect Trial.

The young man in front of him looked nowhere near that age.

If this person had also reached the qualifying threshold, that would mean his aptitude was nothing to scoff at.

But if his aptitude was decent, why had he been sent to work as a Servant Disciple?

How strange.

"I'm a Tomb Guardian at Pyre Heaven Sword Tomb," Lin Xiao replied.

"Ah?? A Tomb Guardian?? You're a Tomb Guardian???" the registrar exclaimed.

Weren't Tomb Guardians usually a frail and haggard bunch?

He couldn't see through the cultivation level of the person before him, but the powerful surge of vital blood energy radiating from the young man was unmistakable.

This was nothing like the Tomb Guardians of previous years.

"Uh — alright then. Name, age, cultivation level," the registrar said.

Providing false information at the Outer Sect Trial registration was a serious offence if discovered — the penalties were severe.

There was absolutely no reason to lie.

"Lin Xiao, 20, Spirit Gathering Realm… first stage." Lin Xiao paused for a moment before answering, choosing not to say the fourth stage.

Old Geng had told him that exceptional talent need not be hidden within Sword Demon Sect.

But Lin Xiao still felt that his particular kind of talent was probably far more complicated than Old Geng imagined.

Better to keep things under wraps whenever possible.

However —

When the registrar heard Lin Xiao's words, his eyes went wide.

"???"

"What did you say? You've already broken through to the Spirit Gathering Realm??"

He simply couldn't believe it.

A Servant Disciple claiming to have broken through to the Spirit Gathering Realm — and only twenty years old at that?

That was complete nonsense.

The Outer Sect Disciples nearby wore the same expression.

Before anyone could voice their doubts, Lin Xiao had already released a trace of his aura.

He kept its intensity controlled to the first stage of the Spirit Gathering Realm.

Hiss…

In an instant, everyone around him was stunned.

Among the Outer Sect, reaching the Spirit Gathering Realm was already considered quite good aptitude.

And yet this Servant Disciple had actually reached the Spirit Gathering Realm.

In that moment, two words surfaced in every person's mind.

Fortuitous Encounter!!

This Servant Disciple must have stumbled upon a Fortuitous Encounter somewhere, and that was how he had soared all the way to the Spirit Gathering Realm.

Once they reasoned it out, the doubt in their eyes faded — replaced by envy and jealousy.

Ah, a Fortuitous Encounter of all things!

Why did it have to fall to a Servant Disciple?

If it had gone to any of them instead, they would have made far better use of it.

"Alright, the Outer Sect Trial — begins now!"