Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint

The fragrant aroma of tea filled Wan Shangyi's small courtyard.

He and Qian Baole sat facing each other. After hearing Qian Baole's question, Wan Shangyi lifted his teacup, took a sip, and then said slowly, "This time, I'm inviting Chen Qing, Meng Qianxue, and the newly promoted Luo Qianjue."

Waving the folding fan in his hand, Qian Baole paused for a moment. "Then what about Han Xiong?" he asked, testing the waters.

"Let him rest and recover in peace."

Wan Shangyi's tone was placid, betraying no emotion, as if he were discussing something utterly mundane.

"The last little gathering he organized had good intentions. It was for everyone to share information and get to know one another. But he let his personal feelings get in the way and actually excluded Chen Qing. That went against the very reason we started getting together in the first place."

He set down his teacup and continued, "We True Successor Candidates may be rivals, but we all share the same goal: to advance further on the path of Martial Arts, hoping to one day join the True Inheritance. Competition is inevitable, but before the dust settles, we should be helping each other, exchanging insights, and building goodwill."

"After all, within the Sect, it's better to have another friend than another enemy. What Han Xiong did last time was shortsighted. He was so focused on excluding a rival that he forgot our true opponents have never been one another, but rather the ten seats we're all vying for."

His words were earnest, pointing out the shortsightedness of Han Xiong's actions while also reinforcing the unwritten rule of their small circle: superficial unity and shared information.

Han Xiong had broken the rules by excluding Chen Qing on his own accord. Now, fresh off a defeat and with his reputation in tatters, he was naturally being pushed to the sidelines.

Qian Baole nodded in profound agreement. "Brother Wan is absolutely right. What Brother Han did last time was indeed inappropriate. And now... it would certainly be awkward for him to join us."

He understood the situation perfectly. On one side was Chen Qing, a rising star with astonishing potential. On the other was Han Xiong, his reputation tarnished and his body grievously wounded.

The choice required no hesitation.

Which of these True Successor Candidates wasn't shrewd and perceptive?

It's easy to lavish praise on the successful, but difficult to help someone in their time of need. Besides, in Han Xiong's case, the "help" he represented had already burned itself to ash.

"It's just that..."

Qian Baole thought for a moment and then added, "I just wonder if Chen Qing would still be willing to attend our little gathering?"

A knowing smile touched Wan Shangyi's lips. "Times have changed. Before, he wasn't well-known and was deliberately ostracized by Han Xiong, so it was perfectly normal for him not to be invited, or not to attend."

"My invitation gives him an opportunity to join our circle. If he insists on being a loner, he'll seem standoffish and could easily become a target for everyone."

Qian Baole cupped his hands and smiled. "Brother Wan, you've thought of everything. I'll go prepare the invitations right away."

"My thanks, Junior Brother Qian." Wan Shangyi gave a slight nod and picked up his teacup again, his gaze deep and inscrutable.

This gathering and its change in attendees signified that the power dynamics within their small circle of True Successor Candidates were about to be completely reshuffled.

And he, Wan Shangyi, intended to be the player, not the piece.

......

「Profound Sun Peak.」

Han Xiong slowly opened his eyes. The blurry scene before him gradually sharpened into focus.

He was lying on his own bed. Intense pain washed over his body in waves, especially in his chest, where even breathing brought a tearing agony.

"Brother Han! You're finally awake!"

A trusted disciple waiting by his side saw this and quickly came closer. "You've been unconscious for two whole days."

"Two days..." Han Xiong's throat was dry, his voice hoarse.

He struggled to turn his neck. The last scene frozen in his mind was the tip of Chen Qing's Diancang Spear piercing through everything, and the feeling of powerlessness as he was sent flying back like a broken doll.

'I lost!'

'He, Han Xiong! A veteran True Successor Candidate of the Mystic Sun Lineage, a master in the Perfect Astral Force Realm! To think he'd been defeated by Chen Qing in front of everyone!'

Subconsciously, Han Xiong tried to circulate the True Astral within his body to assess his injuries.

However, the moment the True Astral began to circulate, a sharp, needle-like pain shot from his Dantian, and his meridians felt as if they had been repeatedly torn apart by countless tiny bolts of Thunder Power. The slightest provocation caused his qi and blood to roil, and he nearly coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Ugh..."

Han Xiong let out a muffled groan, his face instantly turning as white as a sheet, and fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

'These injuries... they're far more severe than I imagined!'

Not only were his internal organs damaged, but even his martial foundation seemed to have been shaken.

Without several months, or even longer, of careful recuperation, he feared it would be impossible to make a full recovery.

Worst of all, an injury of this severity had completely extinguished any hope he had of reaching the True Essence Realm.

'It was a complete and utter loss!'

'Not only did I fail to get the Elixir, but I ended up like this—nothing more than a stepping stone for Chen Qing's rise to fame!'

Han Xiong closed his eyes for a moment and asked, "While I've been injured... who has come to see me?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed the trusted disciple's face, but he steeled himself and answered, "Reporting to you, Brother Han... the Shen Family... someone from the Second Elder's branch came by once. They sent... they sent some common Healing Elixirs."

'Hearing the name "Shen Family,"' Han Xiong's heart warmed slightly. 'Even if they were just common Elixirs, it was the thought that counted...'

However, the disciple's next words doused the spark of warmth in his heart like ice water. "But... the messenger also clearly relayed the Second Elder's message. He said... the family has decided to... immediately withdraw all of its resource support for you, Brother Han. And that from now on... they will have nothing more to do with you."

"'Nothing more to do with me...'"

Han Xiong muttered those words to himself. The smoldering resentment in his chest seemed to ignite, expanding wildly until he felt it would burst his chest open.

'So this is the Shen Family! So this is how Noble Families and Clans operate!'

When his fame and power were at their peak, they invested everything in him, promised a marriage alliance, and propped him up on a pedestal.

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