Chapter Twenty-Two: The Flower of Chongming

Her purpose in coming this time was to establish a connection with the Hidden Sword Peak. With this backing, she would have the confidence to contend with her younger brother for the throne.

At first, she had no intention of vying for power, but her brother kept causing trouble—such as manipulating the new emperor of the Zhou Kingdom to propose marriage to her, or having the son of the Grand General of Chongming Nation pursue her. To take control of her own fate, she decided to fight for the throne.

Her brother had already pledged allegiance to the Taibai Sect, forging ties there. She, on the other hand, planned to join the Kunlun Sword Sect, which had recently gained great renown; this might give her an edge over her brother.

*Ding!* The sound of a bell brought everyone’s thoughts back. Mo Wentian stepped forward to announce the start of the assessment.

Because Kunlun Sword Sect’s reputation had soared, nearly twice as many participants showed up compared to before—over two hundred in total. As usual, there were talent tests and martial arts duels. In the end, more than sixty candidates remained, with Ming Yilian securing first place.

This large number was partly due to the relaxed criteria this time, as many disciples had perished in the recent great battle, necessitating fresh blood.

After the tests, the leaders of each peak introduced themselves. This time, Qin Tian was too lazy to speak and simply sat reading at his seat. Even so, nearly half the candidates aimed to join the Hidden Sword Peak, mostly drawn by An Miaoling.

At that moment, An Miaoling appeared. Knowing that outright rejection from Qin Tian would be unwise, she drew out the Ice Glass Sword and released its sword intent.

Then she said, “If you can endure the sword intent for three breaths, you pass.”

Confident, everyone took the test—but none succeeded, not even Ming Yilian. She bit her lip and complained with a hint of grievance, “This test is impossible to pass.”

Others realized that the Hidden Sword Peak had no intention of accepting new disciples and gave up. Only Ming Yilian persisted.

Seeing this, Mo Wentian advised, “This girl is extraordinary and a princess of Chongming Nation. You should take her.”

“Besides, Kunlun still operates within Chongming’s territory, and many of our disciples hail from Chongming,” he added.

Qin Tian tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, deep in thought. Nearby, An Miaoling inexplicably pouted. Could it be that Master had taken a liking to this girl? The thought vexed her.

Almost everyone’s eyes fixed on Qin Tian, sparking renewed discussion.

“This is a princess—beautiful and noble-born. They wouldn’t accept such a disciple?”

The heir of Chongming Nation participating in the trial spoke, “The new emperor of Zhou Kingdom had come to propose but was rejected.”

“But when he saw Ming Yilian’s beauty, he exchanged the dowry for eighteen cities.”

“Eighteen cities amount to a third of Zhou Kingdom’s territory.”

“Back then, the emperor and ministers were tempted, but Princess Ming Yilian refused outright, even threatening death, forcing them to abandon their plans for the time being.”

“Is that so? No wonder the princess has come to apprentice,” a white-robed trial participant remarked in surprise.

“Without a great power behind her, she would be doomed to marriage eventually.”

Hearing the chatter below, Qin Tian understood the situation and made a decision.

“I can accept you as a registered disciple. You may come to Hidden Sword Peak for half a month of cultivation each year.”

“But you must agree to one condition.”

“What condition?” Ming Yilian asked eagerly.

“I want the Chongming Flower!”

At Qin Tian’s words, her expression turned bitter.

“The Chongming Flower is our national flower. Each blossom requires vast resources, time, and manpower to cultivate. Usually, only a new emperor receives one to aid in breakthrough cultivation. I cannot agree to that.”

Qin Tian considered and said, “What if I help you become the rightful successor, and you give me the Chongming Flower?”

The rightful successor? Ming Yilian was stunned. Though she was indeed contesting the throne with her brother, she knew her chances were slim; the forces backing her brother were beyond her match.

She fell into thought, then looked at Mo Wentian, seeking the sect leader’s stance. If he agreed, the deal might be feasible.

Mo Wentian cast a long look, then Qin Tian and An Miaoling nodded in agreement.

Since An Miaoling’s influence in the sect was considerable, combined with the mysterious Qin Tian and Jiang Qingxue behind him, this power alone was enough to support Ming Yilian’s bid for the throne without relying solely on the sect.

So, Mo Wentian was simply doing a favor.

Seeing Mo Wentian’s support, Ming Yilian rejoiced, “I will do my utmost to help you obtain the Chongming Flower.”

“Very well, I accept you as a registered disciple. Come with me.”

With that, Qin Tian led the two women back to Hidden Sword Peak.

After arriving, Ming Yilian cleaned a room for herself and then sought out Qin Tian. On her way out, she saw Bai Xiaoru. Seeing such a beautiful little fox, she wanted to pet it.

But before she could approach, Bai Xiaoru glared at her, forcing her to retreat repeatedly.

Ming Yilian stared in shock. “This little fox’s aura is not weaker than her half-Saint grandfather, the emperor?”

The thought immediately made her cautious, and she dared not show any disrespect.

At that moment, Qin Tian came over, picking up Bai Xiaoru.

“This is my newly accepted registered disciple, Ming Yilian,” he said. “She will stay here for half a month.”

Habitually, he petted Bai Xiaoru’s back.

Beside them, Ming Yilian began doubting life—did half-Saints have no dignity? And she believed Qin Tian was at most at the Fate Realm.

Could this be a romance between a human and a demon? Ming Yilian’s imagination ran wild.

Bai Xiaoru shot Qin Tian a fierce glare. “How dare he use me to show off? How despicable.”

Qin Tian then asked, “What cultivation method do you practice?”

“The heavenly-grade supreme Brightness Scripture,” Ming Yilian replied.

“Heavenly-grade supreme? That’s garbage,” Qin Tian shook his head. “From now on, you’ll cultivate this.”

He tossed her a manual of Medium-grade Imperial Brightness Boundless Technique.

This was a technique he had picked up early on in his sign-in adventures. Because it wasn’t high-grade, he had stored it in a storage ring.

Ming Yilian wanted to argue that her royal Brightness Scripture was powerful, but when she saw the Boundless Technique, she froze.

She had seen this name in the Chongming Nation’s archives—it was a royal cultivation method of the Brightness Empire in Central Continent. Their great emperor had reached the imperial realm by cultivating it.

“Are you from the royal family of the Brightness Empire?”

Qin Tian shook his head. “I just found this technique; since you are cultivating a Brightness-type method, take it and practice.”

With that, Qin Tian turned and left.

Ming Yilian stuck out her tongue. How could this cultivation method be ‘found’ casually?

Her heart brimmed with excitement. This was an imperial-grade technique! The reason why the Eastern Continent lagged behind Central Continent was first the cultivation methods, then resources.

With this technique, breaking through to imperial strength was possible.

One day, Chongming Nation’s campaign into Central Continent and its rise as an empire wouldn’t be impossible.

After her excitement settled, she became composed.

She must cultivate quietly and not reveal the existence of this imperial technique, as Chongming Nation currently lacked the power to protect it.

At the same time, she felt immense gratitude toward Qin Tian for gifting such a treasure.