I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.

"The sect grand competition in three months?"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. Was the reason for sending these treasures to motivate him? Every sect held a grand competition. For instance, the Spirit Path trial he had experienced back at the Wind Sword Sect was designed to invite a group of prodigies to become inner sect disciples, only to then cast them into the Spirit Path to compete against one another. Those who ranked high would receive numerous rewards and, more importantly, gain the attention of the sect.

The grand competition of the Lihuo Sect, however, required the participation of all newly admitted inner and outer sect disciples. The competition was significantly fiercer than what he had experienced at the Wind Sword Sect. Anyone capable of reaching the top three could truly be considered a formidable prodigy.

"What benefit does it bring her if I reach the top three?" Lin Chen frowned. Regardless, he intended to compete in the grand competition; he would have done so even without these treasures.

"Tell me, are you truly oblivious, or just pretending to be?" Xu Kun stared at Lin Chen for a long moment with a strange expression.

"Elder Xu, please don't look at me like that. I really am not clear about the ins and outs of this," Lin Chen said, spreading his hands with a bitter smile.

"During the day, several inner sect elders visited your courtyard, wanting to take you as their disciple. Do you remember?" Xu Kun asked. "Later, the young lady stepped in, drove them all away, and declared that you would not be taking on any masters."

"I remember. So what?" Lin Chen was frank; that had indeed happened. He just didn't understand why Su Yuwei had told them he wouldn't take a master. Did this count as her making yet another decision for him?

"By now, everyone inside and outside the sect knows you are 'her person.' Naturally, no one else will dare to come and try to take you as a disciple. If you can place in the top three in the grand competition, it will bring great honor to the young lady. You... do you understand now?" Xu Kun said, enunciating every word. He suspected Lin Chen was intentionally waiting for him to explain. How could he not see something so obvious?

"???" Lin Chen was utterly confused. What was going on? How had he become "her person"? He and she had simply traveled back together. If one had to talk about a relationship, there wasn't one to speak of! His grandfather had once taught her spirit patterns, making him her master, but that had nothing to do with him!

"Forget it, let me explain it clearly. After the bell rang five times during the day, the sect immediately held an emergency meeting. The Sect Master criticized the young lady, saying that the bell should not have been rung so rashly just for you. But the young lady insisted on standing by you, and she nearly got into a fight with the Sect Master over it." Xu Kun sat in the courtyard pavilion, explaining the details to Lin Chen.

"Does the five-ring bell chime hold such great significance?" Lin Chen asked after a long silence.

"It is heavy indeed!" Xu Kun sighed, a flicker of emotion and reminiscence in his eyes. "This matter involves another secret, one that is a source of pain for the Sect Master, so I cannot tell you for now. You only need to know that from the moment the young lady had the bell rung five times for you, no one else in the sect will ever take you as a disciple. Everyone knows you are her person!"

"What kind of situation is this?" Lin Chen wanted to smile bitterly, but he couldn't.

"It's not a bad thing. Just enjoy all these cultivation resources while you can!" Xu Kun patted Lin Chen on the shoulder. "Kid, I find you quite agreeable. I hope you can shoulder this responsibility! You must charge into the top three in the grand competition. If possible, take first place—let the young lady have something to be proud of!"

"Judging by your tone, Su Yuwei's relationship with her father isn't very good?" Lin Chen keenly picked up on this.

"How should I put it? They both have their own hardships," Xu Kun shook his head. "As outsiders, there is nothing for us to say."

"I see." Lin Chen was only half-understanding, but he nodded anyway. Since Su Yuwei had given him so many cultivation resources, he certainly should train with all his might! He had to strive for the top in the grand competition three months from now. That was how the world worked. Rules were meant to constrain the weak; the strong were not constrained by them! The more you fought and seized, the more belonged to you.

"You are different from the other outer sect disciples. You don't have to attend classes or study, but you cannot slack off for a single moment in your cultivation! Because many outer and even inner sect disciples will frequently come to challenge you—the five-ring chime carries too much weight. Remember, you... must not lose!" Xu Kun's usually soft voice became serious and resolute at this moment.

"Regardless of who challenges me, I cannot lose?" Lin Chen suddenly realized the weight of this responsibility was far greater than he had imagined.

"You cannot lose!" Xu Kun said firmly. "If you cannot beat them, do not accept the challenge until you are strong enough to do so!"

"Doesn't that just make us cowards?" Tun Tun started yelling with dissatisfaction. "Your Brother Tree never bluffs! If anyone dares to provoke us, I'll stab them to death!"

"Forget it," Lin Chen said with disdain. "You're the first to cower when danger arrives, and you only know how to bully those at home!"

Tun Tun gritted his teeth. "That's because the spirit jade you give me to eat is too scarce! If you fed me spirit jade every day, once my strength recovers, I wouldn't fear anyone!"

"Elder Xu, this fellow is just like this; please forgive his behavior." Lin Chen sighed. "I have remembered your words. Don't worry, if I can win, I will fight; if I can't, I will stay behind closed doors until I am strong enough to defeat them!"

"Good, that is how you keep yourself in an invincible position!" Xu Kun nodded, then smiled. "Lin Chen, good luck."

After seeing Xu Kun off, Lin Chen found he had no sleepiness left at all.

"Cultivation!"

"No, I'm so sleepy!" Tun Tun protested.

"Sleep my foot, get up and cultivate!" Lin Chen grabbed him and headed toward the cultivation room. "I'll give you spirit jade!"

"Ah, really? Great!" Tun Tun nodded like a chick pecking at rice, showing no principles whatsoever. As the saying went, people needed face, and trees needed bark. For the sake of food, he could even do without his bark!

Once inside the cultivation room, Lin Chen took out a few pieces of two-pattern spirit jade for him.

"Not enough, not enough!" Tun Tun rubbed his hands together. "More, give me more! I feel like my grade is about to break through soon!"

"So you're finally not just a first-grade?" Lin Chen remarked with contempt.

"Hey, what kind of attitude is that? Your Brother Tree is the Primordial Primordial Tree! Does grade even matter to me? You just need to know that I am strong—incredibly strong, incomparably strong! That is enough!" Tun Tun stood with his hands on his hips. "Because my strength was sealed, this isn't an upgrade for me, but an unsealing! With every grade I unseal, my bloodline and strength will increase significantly!"

"Oh, good for you." Lin Chen looked away. Please, even if he upgraded from first-grade to second-grade, he was still weak! Prodigies of his age had phantom beasts that started at the fifth grade at the very least. Some even used treasures to boost their phantom beasts to the sixth grade.