“This is great training for you before you enter the inner sect,” Lin Yang once again tried to convince You Mo.

Speed writing was a convenient skill. And Lin Yang needed to disguise the poems in other people's scripts, lest he further expose himself.

Yu Tangming and Gou were helping as well. 

An hour later, and Yu Mo was wearing a veil and heading out to the outer sect. The day’s rumor was even shorter than usual.

‘...they are so big you'd think they bounce, but from my observations…before you try and deny it, there is a beauty mark under the left one. Yours truly, the lad that peeks. (I know the secrets of the great peaks of Luoyin hall.)’

Yu Mo returned after less than thirty minutes.

“You're getting faster,” Lin Yang commented.

Yu Mo shrugged. “No, I found some other suckers to dump the task on.”

“You consider doing me a favour a task?” Lin Yang couldn't help but give the boy a hurt look.

“Don't pretend to be innocent,” Tangming interrupted. “Aren't you going to trial today?”

It was now almost one and a half weeks since Lin Yang had returned from his first minor world. The realm travel function was on cool down. He was in a pinch of trouble and couldn't leave the matriarch's chambers for the past few days, so was unable to improve his power significantly.

He had earned fame by slandering Xue Yin and Ye Xian, but the points weren't coming as explosively as they had in the minor realm.

He had only collected about five in most of a week.

He needed to get his freedom of movement back if he was going to do anything. Especially if he intended to learn any martial arts soon. 

“Let's not talk about the trial,” he said with a deep sigh. “Let's talk about you guys. How has life in the Outer sect treated you three lately?”

Tangming shrugged. “It's different from before, that's for sure. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. Each of us has a fight every two days, according to sect rules. And we get to choose the opponent. I've improved a lot over these days. I'm closer to the fifth layer of the initiate realm than I was before.”

Lin Yang honed in on that. He narrowed his eyes in what he hoped was a clear request to continue.

“You need to be at least fourth layer to so much as stand a sniffing chance at the inner sect selections. We always knew it was a long shot before. Now we might actually stand more of a chance…”

“Hmm, what are the levels of those three outer sect bullies from that day?” Lin Yang asked.

“Oh, Yang Yi and the others? They are all at level four. Been stuck there over the last few years.”

Lin Yang frowned. At the fourth layer, shouldn't they be the top of the outer sect? Shouldn't they have special abodes and shouldn't they be preparing for advancement? Yu Tangming and the others didn't have any special recognition before, but that was because they were trying to hide their light in a bushel.

“The advancement to the inner sect also takes things like age into account, or time one has spent cultivating. How can someone who took ten years to reach the fourth layer of the initiate realm have any hope of breaking through the expert realm?”

“Oh? Then have you fought those guys yet?” he asked again.

Yu Mo, who was thus far only quietly listening to the conversation, snorted from the side. “As if those cowards would ever fight us.”

Tangming shrugged. “He is right. They are not confident at fighting anyone at their level. They always tiptoe around those kids in the special mansions.”

Lin Yang hadn't interacted with the high rankers in the outer sect, but he knew most of them were in elder Hao Feng's good graces. It was hard to advance in the outer sect without that one elder's approval. So probably all those special kids were Lin Yang's enemies.

“Have you fought against any of those mansion owners?”

“I fought one yesterday,” Tangming admitted after a few moments of hesitation.

And she had probably won, because she wouldn't be here otherwise. Hao Feng's lackeys were probably looking to kill Tangming and the others. To cripple them at the very least.

“What about Gou?” he asked.

“He always fights against the strongest. Overwhelms them with raw strength.”

Lin Yang nodded at that. As for Yu Mo, he probably chose his own enemies based on people he hated on some whim. Chances were he'd probably fought at least some of these special outer sect disciples. Tangming was very careful and calculating, which was probably why she'd only recently faced off against one such opponent.

But Lin Yang started to wonder something about Ru Gou. Was his strength simply a consequence of being a very big man, or was there more? And luckily for him, he had an ability to see the inner states of others.

He frowned when he saw Ru Gou's internal world. 

There were five extra major meridians in there. Two extra lung meridians, two extra arm meridians, and an extra heart meridian. These extra meridians looked different from the others, but Lin Yang couldn't understand why yet.

Yu Mo had extra meridians in his legs as well. Only two for him, but that was why perhaps he was faster than anyone at his level of strength.

As for Tangming, she was mostly normal. There was something strange in her head, like an extra meridian, but it looked very different from normal meridians, even compared to the extra meridians of Gou and Mo. Whatever it was wasn't a meridian.

He realised he needed to pay close attention to this ability of his. His own body seemed normal enough. Only twelve meridians for him. It was kind of dispiriting finding out he was the most ordinary of the group.

But the old Lin Yang was a genius who'd climbed to the ninth layer of initiate realm in a few years. Supposedly he too still had similar talent. Moreover, Lin Yang had the system now. He could get stronger while he slept, as long as he got ripple points.

He was called into the matriarch's private sanctum not too long after. As he healed her, he took a chance to study her body. She also seemed to be normal. No extra meridians at all.

“Matriarch, my ability allows me to see other people's meridians,” he admitted.

The matriarch half turned to look at him. “Oh?”

“Earlier today, I saw my friends. Ru Gou has five extra meridians, and Yu Mo gas two extra meridians. Tangming has something similar, though not quite. You and me seem to be totally normal people though.”

The matriarch didn't say anything in reply. He finished his healing session as usual and watched her organise herself.

“So they all have strange physiques?” she said, and Lin Yang realised she was referring to Ru Gou and Yu Mo. “As expected, you didn't find ordinary people. I've heard people keeping eyes on their recent fights. Apparently they are fairly impressive.”

Lin Yang nodded in acquiescence, remembering that time they'd helped him escape in the outer sect. They were all outstanding individuals in their own rights.

He sighed. “Man, I'm kind of jealous.”

“Hmm? Why is that?”

“Doesn't having special physiques mean they are naturally more talented than us? At some point, they will become much stronger than us.”

“Don't be discouraged. After all, how many among the outstanding younger generation of our empire have special physiques. And yet you without one was predicted to be the strongest of them. Too bad you were poisoned just before the tournament.”

Lin Yang frowned, hearing information he'd been ignoring since he first transmigrated. He'd shied away from thinking about the poisoning incindent and the people involved. He'd figured since he was leaving the Hehuan sect anyway, then he'd probably disappear from their minds soon. 

But it was all about the ongoing tournament. The tournament was supposed to crown the ten outstanding individuals of the younger generation of the empire. Before his poisoning, Lin Yang was unofficially ranked the strongest. 

But the main problem wasn't him being the strongest. The main problem was that the Hehuan sect had two potential candidates for the ten spots. This would cause imbalance in a way, between the seven demonic and seven righteous sects.

There was also the fact that the Hehuan sect had been getting weaker. Almost ranked at the sixth among the seven major demonic sects. Some whispers in the dark said the Wuqing sect was even a little stronger than them recently.

Having two contestants for the most outstanding young generation would win them prestige far above their station. 

It was quite the task, trying to find who was attempting to murder him and their exact reason. Likely it was a major conspiracy involving at least two of the major sects. Either righteous or demonic didn't matter.

Of course there were actors inside the Hehuan sect as well. The grand elder was a strong suspect. Her disciple who was now at the tournament was obviously involved. 

“I will keep more of an eye on your friends. Are you ready for the trial today?”

It was a farce of a trial. One thing Lin Yang needed was to get his freedom back so he could learn some martial arts. 

In the end, after three hours of back and forth, the matriarch ended up revealing Lin Yang had gotten his ability to cultivate back.

The grand elder had frozen at that, and she'd leaned back in her chair. She studied Lin Yang with a complicated expression.

“How did you get it back so fast? How fast can you get back to your former peak?”

Maybe he was a little frustrated, but Lin Yang felt like showing off a little. He shrugged and smiled at the grand elder. “I don't know. Actually, you're thinking in the right direction. As my meridians heal, it feels like my power is returning faster. Maybe I'll be back to my peak before the year is out.” It was already seven months into the year.

The grand elder fell back in her chair with a deep breath. She seemed almost…relieved. But then her expression changed.

“Well then, since Lin Yang the genius claims to be back, then there is no reason for this trial, is there? Let us do it the traditional way. Let us have a trial by combat.”

 A/N: Now that the holidays are over, I'm hoping to get back to it by next week. Enjoy this for now.