Chapter 20: Tianyin Sect

“Kid, I’m talking to you, did you hear me…”
Before he could finish, Long Tao suddenly felt his eyelids grow heavy.

Then, his head grew dizzier and dizzier, and even his consciousness began to blur.

The next second, Long Tao suddenly grinned.

A mouthful of yellow teeth was completely exposed, and foul-smelling drool trickled continuously from the corner of his mouth,

“Heh… hehehe…”

This sudden turn of events left Long Tao’s underlings behind him completely dumbfounded, “Young Master Long, Young Master Long, what’s wrong with you? Young Master Long, don’t scare us…”

“I said…” Lin Fan tapped the table with some impatience, “If you don’t want to end up like him, then right now, this instant, get the hell out!”

“You… You just wait!”

A middle-aged man holding a long club spat out resentfully, then dragged Long Tao along with the others and scurried out of the tavern.

“Who is that person? Such terrifying strength, he made Long Tao lose his mind with just a single glance?!” a young woman sitting in a corner said, her face filled with shock.

“With such profound strength, we can’t rule out the possibility that he’s a disguised expert. In any case, let’s just mind our own business and not cause trouble!” a man beside her in the corner said in a low voice.

“You two keep it down, I think he’s looking over here…”

The crowd discussed in hushed tones, their eyes constantly glancing toward Lin Fan.

“Madam, I’d like to ask you something.” After finishing his meal, Lin Fan waved the proprietress over.

“I wonder what this Young Master would like to inquire about?” The proprietress walked over quickly and asked with a respectful expression.

At first, the proprietress had thought Lin Fan was just an ordinary out-of-town tourist.
That was why she had been so brazen when luring him into the shop.

But clearly, she was wrong.

Lin Fan’s identity was by no means as simple as an ordinary tourist.

“I’d like to ask…” Lin Fan leaned back in his chair, “In this Longyu City—are there any girls with exceptional talent?”

Lin Fan’s idea was simple.

Whether it was Bai Ling or Ye Qinghong, the cultivation talent they displayed was far beyond what ordinary people could possess.

Therefore, Lin Fan could boldly surmise that the talents of the other eight reincarnated fairies would be in no way weak.

“Girls with exceptional talent?” The proprietress lowered her head and pondered for a moment. “Yes… Yes!”

“Where are they?!” Lin Fan pressed impatiently.

“I remember they were originally adopted by Old Granny Zhang…” The proprietress scratched her head, recalling. “After Old Granny Zhang passed away, they participated in and passed the Heaven Sound Sect’s assessment. They should still be in the Heaven Sound Sect now.”

“They?” Lin Fan instantly caught the key point.

“Yes,” the proprietress nodded, “They are a pair of twin sisters. It’s said they wandered here. As for their background, I’m not too clear on that.”

“Their names… do you still remember them?” Lin Fan asked tentatively.

“Su Mubing, Su Muxue.”

“Not bad, not bad,” Lin Fan couldn’t help but praise, “Just hearing these names, you can tell they have a celestial air about them.”

[Tch, and you have the nerve to talk, Host~ With that common, trashy name of yours, wouldn’t any random name be better than yours?]

“Just shut your mouth!” Lin Fan retorted irritably.

“May I ask why the Young Master is looking for these two young ladies?” the proprietress asked, somewhat curious.

“It’s nothing,” Lin Fan took out a spirit stone from his robes, “This is for the meal, no need for change.”

“Alright, Young Master, take care—”

After Lin Fan left, the proprietress examined the spirit stone in her hand again and couldn’t help but sigh, “As expected of a young master from a great house, so generous!”

[I say, Host, did you forget something?]

The system suddenly popped up and asked.

“What is it?” Lin Fan was completely baffled.

[Do you even know the way to the Heaven Sound Sect? You’re just walking straight ahead?]

“Ah… huh?!” Lin Fan slapped his forehead, “Damn, I forgot!”

With that, Lin Fan turned right around, preparing to go back to the tavern to ask for directions.

[Forget it, forget it, don’t go back. I’ll just give you directions.]

“You know the way?” Lin Fan asked, half-doubting.

[Of course~]

The system replied in a casual tone.

“You knew and you didn’t say so earlier?!” Lin Fan retorted irritably, “Just spouting useless nonsense!”

[You didn’t ask me, so why should I say anything?]

“You…”

Lin Fan was choked with anger, but in the end, he couldn’t be bothered to argue.
Following the system’s directions, Lin Fan soon arrived at the entrance of the Heaven Sound Sect.

“Huh?” Lin Fan noticed a rather strange sight. “Why… are all the guards at the gate female?”

[What’s so strange about that? The Heaven Sound Sect has always only recruited female disciples. Isn’t it normal for the guards to be female?]

“I see…”

Slightly adjusting his collar, Lin Fan strode toward the sect gate.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?!”

When the female guards saw Lin Fan approaching, their hearts tightened, and they asked with wary expressions.

“Ladies, no need to be nervous, I’m not exactly a good person…” Lin Fan scratched his scalp and said to the guards with a smile.

“What?!”

Hearing Lin Fan’s words, the two guards were instantly astonished: Are all bad guys this blatant these days?

“To openly provoke the Heaven Sound Sect, you’re courting death!” one of the guards said, then immediately charged forward, raising her blade.

“Huh? What’s going on?!” Staring at the aggressive guard, Lin Fan couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed. “Didn’t I just say I’m not… Oh, crap!”

Only then did Lin Fan realize that he seemed to have misspoken just now?

“A misunderstanding! Miss, it’s all a misunderstanding!” Lin Fan waved his hands repeatedly at the charging guard.

But the guard, already worked up, wouldn’t listen. She lunged forward in a single step, swinging the blade in her hand and slashing toward Lin Fan.

“Clang!”

After a crisp sound, the guard stared blankly at Lin Fan before her, somewhat lost in a daze.

“How can this be?!”

Staring at the blade that had snapped in two, the guard’s eyes were filled with shock.

“I said—” Lin Fan slowly walked forward,

“Listen to me…”

“Don’t come over here!”

Knowing she couldn’t win, the guard simply grabbed the broken blade and held it against her own neck. “Even if I die, I won’t let scum like you have your way!”

“What the f**k…”

Seeing this, for the first time, Lin Fan felt his character had suffered an unprecedented insult.

‘What kind of person does this girl take me for?!’

“No—” Lin Fan scratched his hair in frustration, “I’m just asking about someone, do you two have to be so agitated?!”

“Asking about someone?”

Seeing that Lin Fan hadn’t made any untoward moves, the guard’s tone gradually softened. “Who are you asking about?”

“Su Mubing, Su Muxue,” Lin Fan said quickly.

For some reason, when Lin Fan said these two names, a strange look flashed in the guard’s eyes.

“Why are you asking about them?”

“It’s nothing,” Lin Fan spread his hands, “They are my friends. I came this time hoping to see them.”

To dispel the guard’s suspicions, Lin Fan casually fabricated a reason.

“So that’s how it is…”

Hearing Lin Fan’s explanation, the guard’s vigilance finally subsided. “It was my misunderstanding just now, I apologize.”

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Lin Fan waved his hand magnanimously, “I wonder if you could help me pass on a message?”

“Not right now,” the guard shook her head, “They’ve gone out for training and won’t be back for a week.”

“Training?” Hearing the guard’s words, Lin Fan found it a bit incredible. “What kind of training takes so long?”

“Apologies,” the guard shook her head helplessly, “This involves the secrets of the Heaven Sound Sect, so I’m afraid I can’t tell you.”

“Alright then,” Lin Fan cupped his fists toward the guard, “My apologies for the disturbance.”

[Looks like it was a wasted trip…]

The system said with some regret.

“What can I do?” Lin Fan dejectedly found a shady spot under a tree and sat down. “I can only wait.”

[While that’s true, my advice is—you’d better go look for them.]

“Why?” Lin Fan faintly sensed that something was wrong.

[As far as I know, the Heaven Sound Sect only has one type of off-site training.]

“Which kind?” Lin Fan asked with a tense expression.

[The Soul Hunt War.]

“Soul Hunt War?” Lin Fan was completely bewildered. “What’s that for?”

[To put it simply, they select one hundred outstanding disciples and send them to the Ghost Domain to hunt evil spirits.]

“Doesn’t sound like there’s a problem,” Lin Fan shrugged nonchalantly.

[If it were only that, then naturally there would be no problem.]

The system paused slightly, then continued to add.

[But—what if I told you that only ten people can come back alive?]

!!!

Hearing the system’s words, Lin Fan instantly lost his composure, scrambling up from the ground with a swish.

“What did you say?!”

Meanwhile—

North of the Heaven Sound Sect, Myriad Ghost City.

“Esteemed students, congratulations on reaching the final stage of the core disciple selection—the Soul Hunt War!”

Under the crimson moonlight, a woman in a long red dress stood on a stone platform, delivering a passionate speech.

“The Soul Hunt War, as the name implies, is a competition to see who can hunt the most evil spirits. The ten individuals with the highest count will directly become core disciples of the Heaven Sound Sect and enjoy the same treatment as the Supreme Elders!”

“Woah!”

The moment the red-robed woman’s voice fell, an uproar erupted from below the stage.

“Have we finally reached this step?” The disciples below were visibly excited, each one rubbing their palms together, eager to start.

“Elder Zhou, I have a question,” Su Muxue suddenly raised her hand and stood up, “What is the highest-level evil spirit here? If an accident occurs, can the sect guarantee our safety?”

“That’s right, that’s right,” the other students chimed in, “If the evil spirits are too high-level and something happens, wouldn’t it be fatal?”

“Regarding this, you need not worry,” Elder Zhou explained unhurriedly, “Although this place may seem perilous, the most you will encounter are Yellow-Horned Evil Spirits. Furthermore—”

“During your competition, the sect will dispatch people to watch over you in secret, and we can absolutely guarantee your safety.”

“Yellow-Horned Evil Spirits? Then I’m relieved!”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get started!”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s start! I can’t wait any longer!”

“Good—” Gazing at the high-spirited sect disciples, Elder Zhou nodded in satisfaction. “I now announce that the forty-ninth Sect Soul Hunt War now begins!”