However, behind his benevolent smile, Sect Leader Bai Yunfei was currently engaged in rapid, high-stakes political calculus.
His original, grand master plan had been flawless.
The winner of the tournament would be offered an engagement to his sequestered daughter, Princess Bai Liyue. He had fully anticipated that Lin Ji’an, the "Hero" his daughter was utterly obsessed with, would accidentally secure the top spot through his competence.
He could have forced the marriage, secured his unregistered, monstrous potential for his own bloodline, and cemented his legacy.
But because Ji’an had been elevated to Proctor status, she had formally removed herself from the ranking.
And the man sitting at Rank 1 was Shen Zechuan.
’A minor, irritating setback,’ Bai Yunfei’s internal monologue sighed gracefully.
He looked at his Senior Apprentice.
Shen Zechuan was currently trying to discreetly wipe a smear of sweet chili sauce off his chin.
He could not offer his daughter’s hand in marriage to Shen Zechuan. Not only was it politically incestuous; Zechuan was practically Liyue’s adoptive older brother, but the Sect Leader knew precisely how airheaded the boy truly was beneath the mandated tragic-prince mask.
The marriage would end up in a disaster.
’I must pivot,’ Bai Yunfei resolved, his dark eyes sliding back to Ji’an. ’The engagement prize must be quietly shelved for ’further consideration of the Heavens.’ But I will not let this culinary prodigy slip through my fingers. I simply need a new angle.’
But Bai Yunfei was not the only elder in the VIP box executing rapid political calculus.
The Sovereign of the Azure Lotus Pavilion, a stunningly beautiful, fiercely ambitious woman draped in water silks, stepped forward.
"Sect Leader Bai," the Azure Lotus Sovereign interjected, her voice amplified to reach the arena below. "The prowess of these sixteen survivors is truly awe-inspiring. It is a testament to the strength of the Northern Territories."
She paused, casting a calculated, incredibly greedy look down at Lin Ji’an.
"However, strength without worldly wisdom breeds arrogance," she continued, her tone dripping with honey. "To truly forge these youths into the future leaders of our continent, they must understand the broader world. The Azure Lotus Pavilion formally proposes an elite, continent-wide Student Exchange Protocol."
A murmur of surprise swept the VIP box.
"An exchange protocol?" Elder Tie of the Forge Peak grunted.
"Indeed," the Sovereign smiled. "A fully funded, structured diplomatic tour. These sixteen elite disciples shall spend the next six months traveling as a united vanguard. They shall visit the Crimson Blade Sect, the Azure Lotus Pavilion, and the major strongholds of the allied territories. They shall train in our arenas, study our archives, and foster an unbreakable bond of continental unity."
It was a beautiful, noble, flawlessly pitched diplomatic initiative.
It was also a blatant, shameless, completely transparent excuse to get Lin Ji’an off the Celestial Sword Sect’s mountain and onto their own turf so they could actively poach her.
"A brilliant proposal!" roared the Elder of the Crimson Blade Sect, catching onto the scheme. "Our sparring pits welcome them! But... a group of sixteen high-strung prodigies traveling the continent will require strict supervision. They cannot run wild. They require a leader of unparalleled strength and unyielding authority to look after them, don’t they?"
The Crimson Blade Elder leaned over the balcony, pointing a thick, scarred finger directly at the red-robed chef.
"And who is better than Martial Brother Lin Ji’an to lead them?" the Elder grinned, a shark-like glint in his eye, "than the very Proctor who subdued them? I formally nominate Martial Uncle Lin Ji’an as the Vanguard Leader!"
Ji’an, standing in the arena, felt her stomach drop.
’A tour?’ Ji’an panicked, staring up at the VIP box. ’A six-month field trip?! With these people?! I have to babysit sixteen walking, talking disaster zones across a continent while rival sects try to assassinate me?! I didn’t sign up to be a camp counselor!’
She opened her mouth to loudly decline the nomination.
But Sect Leader Bai Yunfei was faster.
He saw the trap the foreign elders had laid. They wanted Ji’an.
But Bai Yunfei was a man who trusted his own foundational infrastructure. And he trusted the grip that Master Jiu Zui had over his apprentice.
"The proposal is sound," Bai Yunfei announced, his voice cutting off Ji’an’s protest before it could even begin. "The Vanguard Tour is officially sanctioned. Martial Uncle Lin Ji’an shall lead the delegation. The Celestial Sword Sect embraces this era of unity!"
The foreign elders smirked, victorious in their political maneuvering.
But their smugness was instantly shattered.
From the deepest shadows of the VIP executive box, a figure slowly stood up.
Master Jiu Zui did not step into the light. He remained shrouded in darkness, the scent of fermented plum wine and ancient, dormant violence rolling out from his position.
He didn’t speak a word, but simply leaned forward, resting his forearms on the balcony railing, and looked at the foreign elders.
The Sovereign of the Drunken Peak unleashed one percent of his killing intent.
It wasn’t directed at the crowd. It was a focused death glare aimed exclusively at the visiting Sovereigns and Elders who had just plotted to steal his cook.
The message transmitted directly into their spiritual seas was not subtle. It did not use diplomatic language.
«If a single one of you hands my apprentice a recruitment flyer,» Jiu Zui’s voice echoed in their skulls, dripping with the promise of a man who had nothing left to lose, «If you attempt to bribe him, seduce him, or coerce him into leaving my kitchen... I will not just burn your sects to the ground. I will personally haunt your ancestral tombs, drink all your ceremonial wine, and turn your founding patriarchs into wind chimes. Do we have an understanding?»
The Sovereign of the Azure Lotus Pavilion went completely pale.
The Crimson Blade Elder swallowed hard, sweat beading on his scarred forehead. They rigidly, silently nodded, abandoning their poaching plans in the span of three seconds.
The prize ceremony proceeded immediately afterward, a blur of golden light and ceremonial fanfare.