Instinct told Wei Zhao that Duanmu Yu must have had some deeper purpose in doing this, yet the afternoon wore on toward evening and she never said anything out of the ordinary; it seemed she truly had only meant to host him alone, nothing more.

Baffled and full of questions, Wei Zhao took his leave of Duanmu Yu and departed the Yeling Sect with Bing Wushuang.

"She looked like she had something to say," Bing Wushuang remarked suddenly.

"A pity she seemed to have decided against saying it." Wei Zhao shook his head helplessly. The matter had nagged at him all afternoon; he had kept wondering whether Duanmu Yu had some other difficulty weighing on her, but on reflection, she was now a peak expert of the early Jindan stage, and with allies as formidable as himself and Bing Wushuang at her back, even Ye Qingguo would have to think twice before moving against her. In theory, there ought to be no other difficulty left.

Perhaps he had simply been startled by her feminine charm today and was overthinking things.

Talking as they went, the two came to the lakeshore, when a huge flying spirit beast suddenly descended from the sky—a thorn eagle with feathers like daggers, and from its back dismounted none other than an old acquaintance: the young sect master of the Qianren Sect, Ling Tianyou.

"What a coincidence." Wei Zhao smiled at the sight. Their friendship was hardly what one would call close, but his impression of this top-tier prodigy was not at all bad; he counted as one of the few friends Wei Zhao had in the Taigu minor jianghu.

"Ha, this is no coincidence—I heard that Brother Lin had come to the Yeling Sect, so I made a point of rushing over to play host." Ling Tianyou laughed, then looked rather surprised to see Bing Wushuang beside him, though he quickly let it go. A prodigy like Bing Wushuang was someone any sensible person would try to draw under their banner, provided they had the ability—and Wei Zhao plainly did.

"Play host? Are the Qianren Sect also hereabouts?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Indeed. Our two sects' territories border one another, so I count as a half-host here myself." Ling Tianyou smiled, then went on: "There happens to be a pavilion just here. I've prepared some fine wine and good food, by way of welcoming Brother Lin and washing the dust from his travels—and to express my thanks as well."

He had no intention of inviting Wei Zhao straight to the Qianren Sect: for one thing, their friendship had not yet reached that point; for another, he feared that once Wei Zhao arrived, the guest would end up overshadowing the host. The Qianren Sect today was not what it had once been—it did not even have so much as a single Yuanying old monster to hold the fort, and truly had no confidence to speak of.

"Ha, then I shall not decline." Wei Zhao did not stand on ceremony, and at once sat down opposite Ling Tianyou with Bing Wushuang. He did not dislike this sort of measured, know-when-to-stop gesture of goodwill from Ling Tianyou.

Once the three were seated, Ling Tianyou first raised three cups in toast. He said little in the way of pleasantries, but the gratitude in it was plain for all to see. Unlike Xue Jianming, this top prodigy of the Qianren Sect was not the sort to repay kindness with malice.

"I heard about Brother Lin's doings at the Cangwu Sect on North Island—a grand stroke indeed. I expect the whole Taigu Alliance will be in an uproar before long," Ling Tianyou said.

The destruction of a Yuanying old monster like Chen Jiu and the turning of heaven and earth at the Cangwu Sect on North Island—this was no small matter for the whole of the Taigu minor jianghu. After all, it was one of the ten minor sects and clans; in the short term things might seem stable, but the aftershocks would soon arrive—only the affair had not yet fully fermented and spread.

"Will it?" Wei Zhao was somewhat surprised. He knew well enough that such a thing would stir up some waves, but he had little notion of just what external repercussions it would bring. In the end, his understanding of the Taigu Alliance was truly limited.

"Of course it will. The Cangwu Sect on North Island is, after all, one of the ten minor sects and clans, and a leading member of the North Island Alliance, which stands as one body. Across the whole Taigu Alliance it carries no small influence. Who knows how many eyes are fixed on Brother Lin after your sudden rise? And this year of all years is so special," Ling Tianyou said with a laugh.

"Special? In what way?" Wei Zhao asked, curious despite himself.

"Among the great powers of the Taigu minor jianghu, at the very top stand the four great family sects; next below them are the ten minor sects and clans. These fourteen powers command at least eighty percent of the experts and resources, and they sway the fate of the entire Taigu minor jianghu. To win a place among them, every Taigu sect and clan will stop at nothing—and this year is the once-in-a-millennium Grand Selection!" Ling Tianyou's eyes shone as he spoke.

"The year of the Grand Selection?" Wei Zhao's expression turned strange at the phrase. The words made him instinctively think of the various elections of the mundane world, but that was merely the institutional model of ordinary society; in a cultivation world where the strong were honored, it was simply unrealistic. Surely the Taigu minor jianghu had not adopted such a thing?

"Yes—the millennial Grand Selection. It is a rule laid down by the Taigu Alliance from the very day of its founding. From the four great family sects at the top down to the ten minor sects and clans, every seat must be contested anew: the strong hold it, the weak are cast out. It is one of the rare grand spectacles of the whole Taigu minor jianghu—has Brother Lin truly not heard of it?" Ling Tianyou glanced at Bing Wushuang as he spoke. The latter, though he had now openly submitted himself beneath Wei Zhao's banner, was by nature not one to meddle in others' affairs; even if he knew of such a thing as the millennial Grand Selection, he would hardly pay it mind, much less bring it up with Wei Zhao of his own accord.

"I really haven't heard of it," Wei Zhao said, shaking his head. Then, puzzled: "But if I remember rightly, both the four great family sects and the ten minor sects and clans are ranked by the number of Yuanying old monsters they possess, are they not? What need is there for a selection?"

The number of Yuanying old monsters a sect had was plain at a glance; in theory there was no need for any selection at all. Surely this so-called once-in-a-millennium Grand Selection could not be merely going through the motions, a bit of empty formality?

"That is so—but Yuanying old monsters differ in strength as well. Even if each side has a Yuanying old monster holding the fort, and both stand among the ten minor sects and clans, there is still a ranking among them. The stronger the old monster, the higher the standing of the sect or clan he belongs to, and the greater its say in all great matters. So it is no exaggeration to say that the millennial Grand Selection is in truth a reshuffling of the top experts of the entire Taigu minor jianghu—the strong and the weak must eventually be sorted out." Ling Tianyou explained. (The author has been writing *School Beauty* for over five years now and has recently hit some bottlenecks in the plot. Yuren plans to adjust his approach, so starting this month he will keep to one update per day for the time being. But today Yuren's new book, *The CEO School Beauty Clings to Me*, is out! Readers who can't get enough are welcome to check out the new book, and thank you all as always for your support!)

"So by what you say, the Yuanying old monsters of the various sects and clans will fight one another?" Wei Zhao's interest was roused at this.