Chapter Eighteen: Slaying the Notorious Flower Thief!

“Hahaha, Brother Hao, I heard you found the Celestial Mirror in a mountain cave. Truly impressive—my admiration knows no bounds!”
“Oh, the Celestial Mirror is nothing much. If Fairy Lin is willing, I would gladly gift it to her for her dressing table!”
“Brother Hao, as expected of the eldest disciple of the Hao Sect—so generous and magnanimous!”
“It's a pity Fairy Lin was sullied by that Jiang Lin. With the Sect Tournament upon us, I wonder if her Dao heart has been affected, if she’ll participate at all.”
“Hmph! Don't mention that flower thief! If he dares to show up, I, Zhao Hao, will make him taste the supreme art of the Hao Sect—my Hao Finger!”
...
“Excuse me, are you Ye Liangchen, the eldest disciple of the Feizhu Willow Sect?”
“Yes, that’s me!”
The man named Ye Liangchen snapped open his fan with a flourish, flicking a few strands of hair to the side.
“Elder Brother Ye, greetings! We’re from the Xuanwu City Daily. This is your first time participating in the Sect Tournament. Do you have confidence in passing the Maze Secret Realm test?”
“Hahaha, what a joke! Who have I, Ye Liangchen, ever feared? I am invincible—invincibility is me!”
“Indeed, you live up to your reputation—so domineering! However, rumor has it you were floored by a single punch from a woman. Is that true? Could you tell us more about what happened?”
“...”
...
“Fairy Luo, it’s said your Falling Flower Sect is composed entirely of female disciples. Just this morning, Fairy Lin of Dragon Gate Sect was insulted by the traitor Jiang Lin. Are you worried—”
“Not at all,” the woman, Luo Caiye, replied calmly. “If that flower thief Jiang Lin dares lay a hand on my junior sisters, we will make sure he comes in standing but leaves lying flat!”
...
“Where is that flower thief Jiang Lin? Hasn’t he arrived?”
“If that scoundrel dares to come, I’ll avenge Fairy Lin and defend the righteous path!”
“No, let me! If such a person remains in this world, he’ll only bring ruin to more maidens! I’ll scatter his ashes to the wind!”

“Brother, your resentment toward Jiang Lin seems profound.”
“Profound? That’s an understatement! I’ve never even spoken to Fairy Lin, and yet he... ah! Infuriating!”
“Down with Jiang the Flower Thief!”
“Yes! He deserves death at everyone’s hands!”
“Kill Jiang Lin!”
“Kill Jiang Lin!”
Among those above the Cave Mansion stage, first-time participants who reached Xuanwu City in time—numbering nearly ten thousand young cultivators—were divided among various testing grounds for qualification. Meanwhile, the grand plaza of Xuanwu City was thronged with nearly ten thousand cultivators.
The vast square buzzed with conversation—boasts of wealth, comparisons of cultivation stages, and tales of which fairy one had glimpsed.
Of course, the hottest topic was still Fairy Lin Qingwan of the Dragon Gate Sect being publicly insulted by Jiang Lin, and whether this so-called flower thief would sneak in among loose cultivators to join the Maze Secret Realm.
Unconsciously, led by some unknown instigator, the crowd’s mood turned murderous, everyone vowing to kill Jiang Lin. The chant swelled—first a few, then a surge, until nearly the entire plaza was shouting.
Some didn’t even know what had happened, but with everyone around them yelling, they joined in to fit the crowd, until the whole square was a thunderous chorus.
Several female cultivators, friends from different sects, whispered among themselves, startled by the uproar.
And then, just as the shouts reached their height, someone called out, “The Dragon Gate Sect has arrived!”
Instantly, silence fell across the plaza.
From the distant sky, Dragon Gate Sect disciples approached, riding their swords. They landed gracefully in the vast square, led by a slender woman in a gauzy gown who remained hovering in the air.
Suspended above the ground, her long hair cascaded to her waist, her skirt as light as mist trailing silk behind her. A golden belt accentuated her elegant figure, her bearing as gentle as an orchid’s fragrance.
Around her neck rested a delicate gold-threaded spirit jade, adding an air of understated grace. Silver butterfly earrings dangled from her ears, her lustrous hair pinned with a silver hairpin shaped like willow leaves, adorned with a magnolia bloom—fresh, beautiful, and supremely elegant.
“Oh… my eyes…”
Many cultivators tried to sneak a glance up her skirt, but saw nothing—only to have their eyes stung by sword energy instead.
“Everyone, I am Lin Qingwan of the Dragon Gate Sect. As for the rumors about me, they’ve spread throughout the city. I have nothing more to say. I appreciate everyone’s concern, but Jiang Lin is my… he is a disciple of the Dragon Gate Sect! Only I have the right to deal with him! I ask that you do not interfere in our sect’s affairs—please spread the word.”

The girl’s sweet voice, amplified by spiritual power, carried across the entire Xuanwu City plaza.
Having spoken, she descended lightly to the ground, accompanied by the sect’s supervising teacher.
“Fairy Lin, it’s said the traitor Jiang Lin defiled your purity. Is this true?”
Before Lin Qingwan’s feet had touched the ground, reporters from Xuanwu City News, Xuanwu City Penguin Highlights, Old Wave News, and other agencies swarmed around her.
Xuanwu City was renowned for its news and information; the daily papers and various rankings of Wutong Prefecture all originated here. It was fair to say Xuanwu City was the headquarters of all news sects in the region.
Hearing the reporter’s question, Lin Qingwan’s cheeks flushed. Just as she was about to reply, the supervising elder—already at the Nascent Soul stage—pulled her behind and cleared her throat, addressing the crowd sternly:
“Rumors! All baseless rumors! It’s true that the traitor Jiang Lin is alive and did appear in our sect’s inn, but our Qingwan is perfectly innocent! Who started these lies? I’ll smash their heads!”
“But is it really so, elder? I heard Jiang Lin disguised himself as a woman and shared a bed with Senior Sister Lin. Isn’t that—”
“Another lie! Last night, Qingwan stayed with me the entire time. How could that scoundrel have taken advantage?”
“Elder, our NC News Department values the truth above all. Witnesses at the inn saw Jiang Lin kiss Fairy Lin!”
“Absurd! When Qingwan was fighting that traitor, out of regard for their bond as sectmates, she was taken by surprise and his arm brushed her cheek—nothing more! The city’s tales of a wild embrace and passionate kisses are utter nonsense!”
“Elder…”
“Elder…”
The news outlets of Xuanwu City pressed in relentlessly, firing questions from every angle, determined to dig up a sensational scoop. But the young-looking, actually centuries-old supervising elder was watertight—her answers left not a drop of doubt. Each word was broadcast with spiritual power for the entire plaza to hear, so there was little room to embellish the story afterward—ten thousand people had heard every word for themselves.
At last, a Cave Mansion-stage cultivator from Penguin Highlights could restrain himself no longer and blurted out:
“Elder, rumor has it Fairy Lin, wounded by love, could not overcome the trial of the heart, her Dao shaken, and her cultivation fell by two realms! Is this true?”