Chapter 190 | The Tournament Anticipation

Chapter 190: 190 | The Tournament Anticipation

Dawn had not yet fully broken over Alchemy Peak.

Inside the sealed furnace chamber, Elder Liu rested against the profound-ice slab with her breathing steady for the first time in days. The Verdant Flame within her body burned clean and bright, the hollow ache that had clawed at her meridians replaced by warm, living strength.

Lin Tian fastened his robes in silence.

Elder Liu watched him through half-lidded eyes. Her face still carried the softness of deep satisfaction, yet when he stepped toward the door, her fingers moved slightly across the sheet as if she wanted to stop him.

"Master," she said quietly.

Lin Tian paused.

Elder Liu lowered her gaze. "The tournament is close. If my flame begins to weaken before then..."

"You know how to call me," Lin Tian replied.

A faint flush touched her cheeks. She gave a small nod and said nothing more. Her devotion was already clear enough without further words.

Lin Tian’s presence faded into the dim chamber, and he slipped out of Alchemy Peak as silently as he had arrived. By the time the first light spread across the Inner Sect, he was already gone.

---

Cloud-Sea Pavilion was calm when he returned.

Madam Shen was waiting in the front hall, crimson robes neat, expression composed. The moment the gate array sealed behind him, the strictness in her posture eased like a robe being set aside.

"Welcome back, Master."

She stepped forward, took his outer robe, and set it aside with practiced care. Only after he sat did she speak.

"The Regional Tournament preparations are nearly complete. The sect’s flying spiritual ship will depart in three days. All participants are required to assemble at the southern landing platform before dawn on that day."

Lin Tian accepted the tea she placed in front of him.

"And the resources?"

"Already arranged," Madam Shen answered. "Your allocation as the fifth representative has been secured through official channels. No one can move it without leaving a clear record."

She hesitated for a brief moment, then added, "After the arena matches, many disciples have begun watching Cloud-Sea Pavilion more closely. I have increased the outer patrols. Lady Yun has also confirmed that no outside forces have made inquiries about your name."

Lin Tian gave a slight nod.

"Good."

Madam Shen’s shoulders relaxed slightly at the simple approval, and she withdrew a step, waiting in silence.

The quiet did not last long.

Near mid-morning, the protective array at the gate pulsed once. A firm, disciplined aura appeared outside, belonging to no ordinary disciple.

Madam Shen’s expression shifted at once. The softness vanished, replaced by the cold professionalism of the Resource Hall’s Deputy Hall Master. She moved to the side of the hall just as the visitor entered.

Instructor Qing stepped inside.

She wore her usual crimson martial uniform, hair tied high, posture straight and severe. In her hand she carried a small jade case. As Chief Martial Arts Master and Head Referee, her presence alone made the air in the hall feel sharper.

"Lin Tian," she said. Her voice was steady. "I am here on official duty."

Lin Tian rose and offered a polite nod.

"Instructor Qing."

She opened the jade case and took out a token carved from pale green jade. Complex restrictions glimmered faintly across its surface, each one anchoring the wearer’s identity to the tournament’s registration array.

"This is your participant jade token for the Regional Tournament. It confirms your identity as the fifth representative of Crimson Nimbus Sect. Without it, you will not be allowed to board the flying spiritual ship or enter the tournament grounds."

She placed the token on the table in front of him.

"Assembly is in three days, before dawn, at the southern platform. Private conflicts between participants are forbidden once boarding begins. All further rules will be announced by the host sect after arrival."

Lin Tian picked up the token and turned it once between his fingers. The jade was cool and smooth, the restrictions humming faintly against his skin.

"Understood."

Instructor Qing should have left after that.

She lingered.

Standing only a few steps away from him, she was close enough for the Irresistible Yang Scent that naturally surrounded Lin Tian to reach her fully. The moment it touched her senses, the Lethal Fire-Poison buried in her meridians flinched and shrank back.

Her voice broke on the next word. Just a fraction. A hairline crack in the syllable that only she would notice.

"Do not—" She stopped. Cleared her throat. Started over. "Do not be late for assembly."

The second attempt came out steady. But her free hand had moved to her belt, gripping the referee’s seal until the jade groaned faintly under the pressure. The ache behind her eyes was gone. It was always gone when he was close. And in its place was something warmer, something that made her want to stay in this room longer than duty required.

She turned sharply toward the door.

Crimson runes flickered briefly across Lin Tian’s pupils.

```

[Ding!]

[Target Profile Updated: Instructor Qing]

Hidden Illness: Lethal Fire-Poison (Suppressed by Host’s Yang aura)

Obsession Level: 22% → 25%

```

He dismissed the panel with a thought. Instructor Qing had no idea what he had seen. She only knew that the longer she stood there, the harder it became to protect the strict image she had maintained for years.

"That is all," she said. Her voice remained controlled, but a faint tightness clung to it.

"Safe journey, Instructor," Lin Tian replied.

The simple calm in his tone made her chest tighten. She turned at once and left the pavilion with steady steps that were just a little too quick. Only when the gate array sealed behind her did her shoulders loosen, and even then the warmth in her body refused to fade.

Silence returned to the hall.

Madam Shen waited a moment before speaking.

"She did not need to deliver the token personally," she said softly. "Any deacon could have brought it."

Lin Tian sat down and placed the jade token on the table.

"She knows that."

Madam Shen’s gaze lowered with quiet understanding. She let the silence speak.

Outside Cloud-Sea Pavilion, the Inner Sect continued its usual movement, yet beneath the surface everything had begun leaning toward the same point. The flying spiritual ship would rise in three days. Disciples were already preparing weapons, pills, and techniques. Elders were reviewing the representative list. Names were being weighed over and over.

Gao Chen had not been seen on the training grounds since their spar. Whether he was refining his Sword Intent or simply waiting for the tournament, Lin Tian had no confirmation either way. Either path, the man would be on that ship.

And somewhere on Alchemy Peak, Elder Liu was already preparing the final delivery of tournament pills, searching for a reason to see him one more time before departure.

Lin Tian picked up his tea and drank once.

The tournament was no longer a distant matter. It was approaching, and with it came a wider stage, unfamiliar sects, and eyes that knew nothing of the web he had already built inside Crimson Nimbus Sect.

Three days.

That was all the quiet he had left.

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