Chapter 216 - 215: Requesting Bai Chen

The morning sun had barely begun to paint the sky above the provincial palace with streaks of pale gold when Lin Yuan stood upon the expansive balcony of the eastern royal pavilion.

The crisp, high-altitude winds of Sky Jade City pulled at the hem of his pristine black and white robes. He stood with his hands clasped casually behind his back, his deep purple eyes entirely focused on the distant surrounding.

Then, the heavy doors leading from the inner corridor to the balcony slid open with a soft, respectful hum.

"You called for me, Brother-in-law?" Bai Chen’s voice broke the serene silence. The young Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped out into the morning chill, his posture crisp and alert. Despite the celebrations of that night, his eyes were bright, completely free of fatigue.

Lin Yuan did not immediately turn around. "I did, Chen’er. The second preliminary round begins in exactly two days. So I would like you to help me gather some intelligence."

Bai Chen walked up to the intricately carved stone railing, standing a respectful half-step behind Lin Yuan. "Intelligence? Just give the word. Which province are we discussing? Are we looking into the Jiang Province? Or are we tracking down the Chu delegation to ensure they don’t try to sabotage us in the staging area?"

"Neither," Lin Yuan replied, finally turning his head to look at the young man. "I need you to investigate the Feng Province. By any means you can manage."

Bai Chen blinked, genuine surprise washing over his face. "The Feng Province? You mean the delegation with that teenager? The sixteen-year-old with those creepy, pupil-less eyes?"

"Feng Yao, yes," Lin Yuan confirmed, his tone steady and completely serious.

Bai Chen scratched the back of his head, visibly confused. "Brother-in-law, did the Feng Province dare to cross you in the Void Ascension Battlefield?"

"They have not crossed me," Lin Yuan explained, turning his body fully to face him. "However, I have reason to believe that the boy, despite possessing a phenomenon that terrifies many, is entirely a captive. I believe Feng Yao is being actively blackmailed by the Lord of the Feng Province. He is a weapon being wielded against his will, held in check by the lives of his family."

Bai Chen’s eyes widened. "Blackmailed? A kid with that kind of unfathomable power? How do you even hold a leash on something that can crush a Nascent Soul with a glance?"

"By targeting the mortal heart," Lin Yuan stated coldly. "The Lord of the Feng Province is a Mid-Stage Soul Transformation expert. If my suspicions are correct, he has imprisoned Feng Yao’s parents and younger sister within his dungeons. If we can confirm this truth—if we can verify the exact nature of his captivity and the whereabouts of his parents—it will serve as a monumental advantage for me in the coming days."

Bai Chen frowned, his mind rapidly shifting. "You want me to confirm the location of his parents. But Brother-in-law, investigating an Upper Division province’s internal affairs is like trying to pry open a dragon’s jaw with a wooden stick. You said I shouldn’t go out of my way to invite trouble, but how exactly do I look into the private dungeons of a Soul Transformation lord quietly?"

"That is exactly the question I am posing to you, Chen’er," Lin Yuan said, testing the boy. "If I command you to find this truth without alerting them, how will you go about it?"

Bai Chen leaned against the stone railing, crossing his arms as he stared down at the sprawling layers of Sky Jade City below. He chewed on his lower lip, a habit he only displayed when deep in thought.

"Well," Bai Chen began slowly, pacing his words as the strategy formed in his mind. "The Feng Province is situated in the north-central region, isn’t it? It is not all that far from the outer borders of the Zhao Province. In fact, their primary trade routes intersect with the mercantile pathways our clans use to export spiritual herbs."

"Continue," Lin Yuan prompted, a faint glimmer of approval in his eyes.

"I cannot just walk into the Feng pavilion here at the Celestial Summit and start asking the servants about hostages," Bai Chen reasoned aloud. "That would immediately flag us. But... I can ask my old comrades in the Bai clan for help."

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow. "The Bai clan? The same clan that abandoned your cousin to die in the slums? You believe they will assist you?"

Bai Chen’s expression hardened, a flash of old bitterness tightening his jaw. "The elders abandoned her, yes. The patriarchs cast her out because they were cowards who cared only for their ledger. But the Bai clan is massive, Brother-in-law. There are thousands of outer-branch disciples and mercantile guards who operate on the borders. There were many people—comrades I trained with, guards I drank with—who were entirely against the treatment of cousin."

Bai Chen looked directly at Lin Yuan, his voice firm. "They were not brave enough to speak out against the elders back then. They chose their own survival over righteousness. But they still carry that guilt. I know they do. And because they operate the trade caravans near the Feng borders, they hear the whispers of the mortal cities and the outer sects. They know the gossip of the Feng Lord’s palace better than anyone outside the province itself."

"And how will you contact them without the message being intercepted?" Lin Yuan asked, pressing the logistical boundaries of the plan.

"I still have a batch of secure, blood-bound communication talismans that I smuggled out of the clan armory before I left," Bai Chen revealed, a sly, pragmatic grin briefly breaking through his serious expression. "They are still linked to several of my old contacts, so I can use them to send messages without drawing much attention. I’ll encode the information using the old mercantile cipher of the Southern Azure Region. To anyone who intercepts the messages, they will appear to be nothing more than mundane disputes over shipment prices and trade routes. But my contacts will understand the hidden meaning. I’ll have them quietly investigate Feng Province, starting with the Feng Lord’s family registry, his relatives, and any rumors surrounding the family’s recent activities. If something is being hidden, we should be able to uncover it without anyone realizing we’re looking."

"A sound strategy for external confirmation," Lin Yuan acknowledged. "But what of the immediate vicinity?"

"Personally, I will carefully observe the Feng Province delegation right here at the Celestial Summit," Bai Chen added. "I won’t interfere or approach them. I’ll simply watch how the elders treat the boy and pay close attention to their reactions whenever the Feng Lord gives an order. I’ll look for subtle signs of fear, resentment, hesitation, or discomfort. Body language rarely lies, especially when someone believes they aren’t being watched."

Bai Chen paused, letting out a heavy sigh. "But Brother-in-law, you have to understand the timeline here. Messages sent via blood-talismans across provincial borders take time to decipher, investigate, and return. And observing the delegation takes patience. Since the next round is only two days from now... I can guarantee that I will not have concrete, actionable intelligence before the tournament’s second phase officially begins."

Lin Yuan nodded slowly, turning his gaze back to the rising sun. "I understood that reality before I gave you the task, Chen’er."

"Then why assign it now?" Bai Chen asked, genuinely puzzled. "If the information arrives after the round begins, how does it give you an advantage?"

"Because," Lin Yuan said, his voice dropping, "I never intended to achieve anything less than the Top 3 in this next preliminary round anyway. Whether you come back with detailed reports of blackmail, or whether you return with nothing, my trajectory remains completely unchanged. I will shatter the rankings."

Lin Yuan turned back to his brother-in-law, his deep purple eyes locking onto the young man.

"The intelligence you gather is not for the tournament, Chen’er. It is for the aftermath," Lin Yuan explained, revealing a fraction of the grand design. "My main issue is that without considerable, verified information regarding the boy’s true status, I absolutely cannot accept Feng Yao’s proposal."

"His proposal?" Bai Chen gasped, taking a step forward. "He spoke to you? When?!"

"Yesterday," Lin Yuan replied evenly. "He believes there is a strong connection between me and this tournament. He told me that if I can prove my conviction by entering the Top Three, he will help raise my cultivation by giving me a portion of his Primordial Essence, provided I agree to help his parents."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Obviously, Feng Yao cannot make any direct moves against the Feng Province Lord. If he openly challenges him, his parents will likely die immediately. And Feng Yao himself does not possess the strength to confront a Mid-Stage Soul Transformation cultivator, especially one who commands an entire province. He believes, however, that I have the potential to reach that realm in a very short period of time."

Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Even so, I cannot simply accept his offer. What if his Primordial Essence is actually a hidden weapon meant to harm me? What if there is something else behind his proposal that I haven’t discovered yet? The least I can do is confirm whether his story is true before I make my decision."

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Once we know the truth, I will decide whether the risk is worth taking. After all, we cultivators must walk against the Heavens themselves. If one refuses to take risks, how can one ever obtain great fortune?"

Bai Chen’s breath hitched. "He wants you to fight a Mid-Stage Soul Transformation Lord? Brother-in-law, that is madness!"

"No," Lin Yuan corrected smoothly. "It is a dangerous opportunity that could bring me incredible fortune."

His expression became serious.

"Carry out your investigation, Chen’er. Do not take unnecessary risks, but leave no stone unturned. I want to know exactly what kind of cage that boy is trapped in before I decide whether I am willing to break the lock."

"I understand," Bai Chen said, his posture straightening into a rigid, military salute. "I will begin immediately. The Bai clan contacts will receive the cipher before the hour is out."

With a final, determined nod, Bai Chen turned and hurried back inside the pavilion, his mind already racing.

Lin Yuan stood alone on the balcony for a few moments longer, allowing the warmth of the morning sun to wash over his face. The Great Evolution had predicted no disaster within the Void Ascension Battlefield, leaving that particular fate entirely in his hands. He was now navigating a vast and intricate web of cause and effect, and he intended to do so with the flawless precision of a master calligrapher, carefully placing every stroke without allowing a single mistake.