~~~

“I am confused, Boss.”

“What a coincidence. I am confused as well. We can be confused together.”

Liu Jin and Su An have left the Xiao Sect’s compound, something that proved to be much more troublesome than anticipated. Several Outer and Inner Disciples lay in wait for Liu Jin, eager to know the results of the match. It is a good thing he had Su An accompanying him. Her loud and often brash ways are excellent at scaring others away.

The two are in a food booth located in the commercial district of Eastern Port City. It is not the first time the two have gone there. Su An introduced the place to Liu Jin almost a year ago. She discovered it when she was still an Outer Disciple and found the food to her liking, an opinion Liu Jin now shares. The soup, in particular, is quite excellent.

Liu Jin hums in thought as he looks at the steam rising from the thick, heavy broth, his finger tapping against the counter. The soup warms his body but does nothing to ease his mind, not with the armband reminding him of his new status. No longer is Liu Jin an Outer Disciple but an Inner Disciple instead.

He’ll get his official robes later, Xiao Nan told him. For now, the armband will do. Liu Jin feels his life would be easier if he hid the armband, yet such a thing would be dishonest.

A hot spoonful of soup goes down his throat.

“I was not expecting this.”

“Truly? This Su An can at least understand part of it.”

Liu Jin looks at Su An in surprise and motions her to keep talking.

“Boss winning against the Young Master is a huge achievement. With all due respect, it is not something that can be expected of an Outer Disciple, which, officially, Boss was until a few moments ago.”

Liu Jin frowns, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Another spoonful of soup goes into his mouth as his tapping picks up speed.

“It is not as if I defeated Xiao Fang.” Even as he says it, he knows the excuse is weak. “I merely lasted three moves against him.”

“Boss, do you think there is a single Outer Disciple capable of lasting three moves against the Young Master right now? Even some Inner Disciples wouldn’t be capable of something like that! The Young Master is someone who is already close to the late stages of the Nascent Realm even though he’s only thirteen! That Boss managed it is all that needs to be said.” Su An nods, completely sure of her words. “If there is any surprise, it is not that Boss was promoted. Rather, the surprise is how quickly it happened.”

She is right.

Liu Jin sighs. A piece of meat goes into his mouth.

He had been so busy preparing for the spar that he completely neglected to take into account what would happen if he won. Liu Jin cannot even object to this outcome by saying he does not have the qualifications to be an Inner Disciple because…

Well, that wouldn’t be true, would it?

He had been too busy trying to get his power under control at first. Then he had been nervous about his spar with Xiao Fang. However, now that Liu Jin thinks about it, he is no longer in the First Level of the Inner Realm. The level he was stuck at for three years is a thing of the past.

He is now in the Seventh Level of the Inner Realm, and even that is but a temporary state. Liu Jin knows his body will not be content to remain this way for long. He can feel it in his veins. He will reach the Eighth Level of the Inner Realm soon.

Regardless, whether it is the Seventh or Eighth Level of the Inner Realm, it makes no difference.

Either way that is not the level of an Outer Disciple, especially not one so young.

It is, without a doubt, the level of an Inner Disciple.

“Xiao Nan…” Liu Jin sighs before grabbing his bowl and bringing it to his lips. He has already eaten all the meat, noodles, and vegetables, so all that is left is the broth. “He probably foresaw this.”

Even if he had lost, his improved cultivation level would be more than enough to force the change. Xiao Nan probably thought of it like that. No, it wasn’t just him. This was probably his father-in-law’s idea. As strong as Xiao Nan is, he does not have the authority to promote someone to Inner Disciple.

“As I thought, Boss was lying about just being in the First Level of the Inner Realm all this time.”

A quick glance to his side shows Liu Jin that Su An is eating her meal with a big pout on her face.

“I did no such thing,” Liu Jin corrects even as he orders another bowl. He has not eaten anything in a month. Though his body now has less need for such things, the feeling of eating is pleasing all the same.

“If I told you I was in the First Level of the Inner Realm all the times you asked, it is because that was the truth back then. I was at the First Level of the Inner Realm for three years. Now I am not.”

“B-But that’s not possible!” Su An protests. Unlike his bowl, her plate is still half full. It is going to get cold if she doesn’t eat. “That would mean Boss went up six levels a single month.”

It was actually much less time than that. Half an hour at most. Controlling his improved Qi was what took most of his time.

“I may have received the benefits of a three-year-long training method.”

It is as simple as he can put it without delving too much into the fine details of it. Explaining the existence of something like Nine-Headed Snake God sounds like too much of a headache. Liu Jin wouldn’t even know where to start.

“Does that mean Senior Brother Nan already knew about it then?”

As expected, Su An puts the pieces together quickly. If the steps had already been taken to promote him to Inner Disciple, it means that Xiao Nan more than expected his sudden rise in power.

“He did.”

“Boss told Xiao Nan.”

“I did.”

“Boss never told this Su An about it.”

“If I told you about it, would you have been able to stop yourself from boasting in my name?” Liu Jin asks as a new bowl of soup is placed before him. He nods his thanks to the owner.

“... this Su An acknowledges the wisdom of Boss’ choice.” She says it with a pout on her face, grumbling under her breath because she clearly does not like how true Liu Jin’s words are. “Still, is Boss sure Senior Brother Nan mentioned the tournament?”

“He mentioned it while giving me the armband,” Liu Jin says with a serious look on his face. The effect is ruined by him slurping down some noodles a second later. “He implied I’d be chosen for it.”

The Eastern Port City Tournament.

It happens every two years, although the exact date varies depending on various factors. For example, if the Eastern Port City Tournament had been scheduled to take place close to his wedding, the Xiao Sect would have arranged for the tournament to be pushed back a few months. Things like that have happened quite a few times in the history of the tournament.

This year, it was the Yun Sect who asked for it to be held later than usual.

“Is not normal for one so young to participate.” Su An lets out a low hum. “However, Boss’ level is not bad. Seventh Level of the Inner Realm is nothing special in the tournament. Still, it is also not so low that it would be dangerous for Boss to participate. At the very least, it should be enough for Boss to make it through the preliminary rounds.”

“Be that as it may, it is not something I expected. I thought after I was done with Xiao Fang, I would be able to relax a little.”

“What is stopping Boss from relaxing now?”

Liu Jin turns his head only to find Su An is genuinely puzzled.

“A tournament should not be a cause for worry. Rather, Boss should look at it as an opportunity to have fun! It is not as if Senior Brother Xiao Nan expects Boss to win. There will be other people from the Xiao Sect competing who will have higher cultivation levels than Boss. Young Master Xiao Fang will certainly be chosen. Who knows? This Su An might be chosen too!”

She says it almost jokingly, but Liu Jin can detect a hint of yearning there. By his estimates, her chances are much better than she thinks they are. Su An is among the stronger Inner Disciples, having already reached the Nascent Realm. While Core Disciples are undeniably stronger, the vast majority of them are too old to participate in the tournament.

“There is no reason Boss should worry about this. Boss should just think of it as an opportunity to unwind.”

Unwind, huh?

“That… does sound pleasing.”

A smile slowly forms on Liu Jin’s face, one that remains there even as he is heading home later that day. It feels as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. It is not just the freedom of no longer having to hold Nine-Headed Snake God’s poison at bay. Certainly, that helps his mood quite a bit, but it isn’t everything.

He is no longer in the First Level of Inner Realm. He managed to win his spar against Xiao Fang… and he’s an Inner Disciple now.

Liu Jin was not sure how to feel about the last one at first, but now that he has had time to think about it, he allows himself to feel a little bit of pride in his accomplishment. He’s looking forward to arriving home and showing Father the armband.

When Liu Jin opens the door, he does so with a smile.

“Father, I…”

Liu Jin trails off. His smile slowly fades. His father waits for him with a grave look on his face. It is one Liu Jin has seldom seen on him, usually only when one of their patients is gravely ill. At that moment, fear surges within him. His mouth is already asking the question before his conscious mind has even finished processing the scene.

“Where is Master?”

~~~

“I apologize for scaring you,” his father says sometime later. The two are gathered around a small table in the first floor. It is where patients would first talk to his father to explain their ills.

“Father did not do anything wrong. It is this Liu Jin who overreacted.”

“You are twelve,” his father points out. The urgent seriousness of earlier has vanished. Yet, it has left behind a somber tint on his face, a heaviness that would not otherwise be there. “It is your prerogative to overreact. It would be the height of foolishness to expect you to remain in control of your emotions, no matter the situation. Men centuries older than you struggle with such things. Why would you handle it better?”

Neither of them speak, and in a way, that is a sign of how bad things are. Neither Liu Jianguo nor his son are talkers. Sometimes hours would go by before either said anything. However, the silence hanging over their heads is different than usual. It is not comfortable in the least.

It is a silence full of worry.

“Is… is Master going to be okay?”

His Master is alive. Liu Jin knows that for sure, because his father took him to his room just a few minutes ago. There, Liu Jin saw his Master’s prone form and pale face.

He saw that his Master is not well.

“He will recover eventually. For now, he needs to rest,” his father replies, not looking at him. His eyes instead dart towards the ceiling every now and then, as though trying to see through it.

Old Jiang has not died.

He merely collapsed.

Even the thought feels like a joke. His master is someone in the Emperor Realm. He does not trip. He does not fall. Instead, he always has a knowing smile on his face, confident in his superiority, always knowing all the answers even before Liu Jin asks the questions. That is his Master.

Of course, in the end, that image is a lie.

Liu Jin knew it from the moment he found Old Jiang collapsed outside the city so many years ago.

His Master is not well.

His Master is dying.

It is something he has known about for a long time, yet when watching Old Jiang every day, it is very easy to forget about it. His Master always seems full of vitality, more so than even him.

If… if Old Jiang hadn't had to wait a month in Poison Fang Canyon. If Liu Jin hadn’t removed the pendant in his presence, forcing Master to exert himself by removing the poison from his body. Had it been because of that? Had he—

“Cease your thoughts.”

Liu Jin looks up, startled and caught. His face flushes even as his eyes hold back tears. He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know what to say.

“This is not your fault,” his father continues, stern yet with gentleness in his voice. “Master was already beyond help before you met him. This is merely what the passing of time does. It could have happened yesterday. It could have happened tomorrow. However, it happened today, so we must bear with it now. That is all we can do.”

Because no matter how hard they try, Old Jiang’s condition is not something they can heal. Liu Jin has known this for a while yet...

“Do not allow this to become a burden upon your soul. Master will wake up soon. He will not be pleased to see you have been in turmoil over his condition.”

His father is right. Liu Jin knows his father is right because he is his father.

Even so, he does not feel better hearing those words.

The Eastern Port City Tournament.

His promotion to Inner Disciple.

His victory over Xiao Fang.

Suddenly, all those things don’t mean as much anymore.

~~~