As Lin Xiao Tian heard her introduce herself, he clasped his hands and was about to return the courtesy, but Qing Yue cut him off with a soft laugh. "Who in this city does not know the Sect Master of the Celestial Origin Supreme Sect," she said lightly, her gaze sharp with curiosity, "though, unfortunately, that is the only thing known about you."

Lin Xiao Tian chuckled, completely unbothered as he met her gaze without retreating. "Lady Qing Yue truly lives up to her reputation, knowing just enough to stay interested," he replied smoothly, then added with a faint smile, "since we are already here, perhaps we should return to business."

Qing Yue’s expression shifted slightly as her playful tone faded, the air around her growing more serious without becoming oppressive. "Sect Master, I do not know much about you beyond your connection to Han Leu and little Yue," she said calmly, "but I have a proposal."

Lin Xiao Tian’s eyes narrowed just a fraction, interest surfacing as he spoke. "A deal, then what exactly do you mean to propose, Lady Qing Yue."

Qing Yue raised her hand and drew out a projection from her storage ring, revealing the image of a flower that radiated a faint, ethereal glow. "The information I possess was obtained through considerable risk and sacrifice," she said evenly, "and it is not something I intend to sell for spirit stones."

Lin Xiao Tian’s gaze settled on the image, his expression tightening slightly as he recognized its value immediately.

Grade six heavenly treasure... there might not even be a single one in the entire Yangzhou region.

Qing Yue’s eyes remained fixed on him as she continued, her tone steady yet carrying hidden weight. "In exchange, I want this flower from within the Xū Xuè Mìjìng, nothing more."

She paused for a brief moment, her gaze locking onto his before continuing. "I do not know if your disciples are capable of obtaining it or not, but I have no other choice, and I trust Han Leu’s judgment about your righteousness and capability."

Lin Xiao Tian remained silent for a moment, still looking at the flower, his expression unreadable as his thoughts began moving rapidly.

Then he spoke calmly, his tone steady as his eyes remained on the projection, "I can certainly get it, but first let me see whether the information is truly as valuable as you claim."

Hearing this, Qing Yue’s expression tightened slightly before she spoke, her tone firm yet controlled. "Without an oath, I cannot reveal everything, Sect Master, but I can give you a gist first, after that it is up to you whether you agree or not, though I will obtain that flower either way."

She paused briefly, her gaze sharpening just a little. "If you refuse, then I will simply have to take more drastic measures."

She then stood up and slowly spread out a map across the table, her movements deliberate as her presence grew more serious. Looking straight into Lin Xiao Tian’s eyes, she asked calmly, "How much do you know about the Xū Xuè Mìjìng, Sect Master."

Lin Xiao Tian did not hesitate in the slightest as he replied plainly, "Practically nothing."

Hearing this, Qing Yue paused for a moment, as if reassessing something, before she finally began to speak.

Qing Yue’s fingers rested on the map as she spoke, her tone steady yet carrying a quiet authority that made every word land clearly. "Sect Master, the Xū Xuè Mìjìng has been opening for hundreds of years now," she said, her gaze fixed on him without wavering as if testing whether he could follow what she was about to reveal.

She slowly moved her hand across the marked region, tracing the boundary with deliberate care as if the pattern itself held meaning. "Every single time it opens, the young geniuses of the lower regions enter in large numbers, and without exception, a portion of them dies inside, whether in direct conflict with each other or to the beasts and traps that fill the realm."

Her expression remained calm, but her voice carried a sharper edge now as she continued without pause. "And that so-called tournament that repeats every cycle, the one everyone believes is meant to select talents, is nothing more than a convenient excuse to gather people and send them inside."

Lin Xiao Tian’s eyes narrowed slightly, though his posture did not change as he listened.

So the tournament itself is just bait, a structured lie to keep the cycle running smoothly.

Qing Yue paused briefly before pressing her finger firmly against the center of the map, her gaze lowering for just a moment. "The truth is, the purpose of all of this was never just to select talents from the lower regions," she said calmly, her tone now more direct.

Her next words came without hesitation. "The real purpose is to saturate the realm."

A brief silence followed, heavier than before as the meaning settled.

"With every cycle, the blood spilled, the spiritual essence lost, and the resentment left behind does not disappear," she continued, her voice even and controlled. "It remains within the realm, layer after layer, accumulating over hundreds of years until the realm itself becomes something else."

Lin Xiao Tian’s gaze flickered faintly as he processed it, his thoughts already moving ahead.

So it is being fed deliberately, not as a consequence, but as a requirement.

Qing Yue lifted her eyes again, meeting his directly as her tone sharpened just slightly. "This is not natural, Sect Master, nor is it coincidence repeated so precisely over time," she said. "This entire process has been orchestrated by the middle region sects from the very beginning."

Her hand moved slightly across the map once more, marking a wider area this time. "They have been using the lower regions as fuel, allowing generation after generation to enter, fight, and die, so that the realm could accumulate enough power to awaken what lies within."

Lin Xiao Tian remained silent, though the faint curve at the corner of his lips showed he was far from unaffected. Using entire regions as resources, this scale is not small at all.

Qing Yue continued without slowing, her tone firm and clear. "The Xū Xuè Mìjìng is not just a dangerous trial ground, it is a legacy realm that belongs to at least a Dao Condensation stage expert, something far beyond what this region should ever have access to."

Her finger tapped the map once more, emphasizing the point. "And now, after all these years of accumulation, it has reached the stage where the true inheritance can begin to open," she said, her gaze steady as she watched his reaction closely. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

She straightened slightly, her expression returning to calm as she added the final piece. "That is why this time the situation is different, because the ones entering for the real treasure will not be limited to you or the other geniuses of this region."

Her eyes held his as she finished. "This time, talents from the middle regions will also descend, because what lies inside is no longer something meant only for the lower regions to fight over."