Chapter 55 Research Meeting 8 A Friendship Between Three People—In the End, I Win
Earlier today, after Xin Xiuying finished her alchemy course, she wanted to return to her residence to rest as usual, but was stopped by her older brother.
"Xin Xiuying, don't rush off." Xin Rong's voice was loud and clear. "Don't walk so fast, wait for me."
Xin Xiuying and Xin Rong had a so-so relationship. Xin Xiuying always felt that her brother was idle and didn't get along with her.
Her father was the patriarch of the Xin clan, and they had shouldered the responsibility of the family since childhood, so they should naturally take it seriously.
Xin Xiuying stopped in her tracks: "What is it? Tell me quickly, I need to go back and cultivate."
Xin Rong didn't care about her sister's cold face and smiled brightly: "Don't be in such a hurry. Help me call all the disciples of this year. Do you know Commander Guo? Go to the Sword Cultivation Academy. Commander Guo has something to announce."
"What is it?"
Xin Rong said mysteriously, "You'll find out soon enough."
Before long, Xin Xiuying and most of her classmates gathered at the Sword Cultivation Academy, their young faces all looking at Master Guo in front of them.
Commander Guo didn't speak. Instead, he waited until everyone quieted down before leading his men out to the cliff where the sword cultivators usually practiced their swordsmanship. There, a female cultivator was standing.
"This is my younger sister, also surnamed Guo. You can call her Commander Guo."
The disciples greeted in unison, "Greetings, Master Guo."
Commander Guo raised her hand in response. She made a hand seal, and in an instant, a cliff face about ten meters high and two meters long appeared out of thin air on the mountain. The top section was engraved with six characters on the edge of a sword.
The Shirao Cup Research Conference.
Everyone's attention was drawn to those six words.
What does this mean? The "Shourao Cup"? An academic conference?
Xin Rong secretly shared a question with the disciples around her: "In the past, the clan school would hold a research conference every year, allowing new disciples to use their imagination to combine various Taoist methods to create spells, magical artifacts, pills, formations, anything is allowed, there are no restrictions."
"The research conference used to offer a lot of rewards," he sighed. "It's just that in recent years, I don't know why, it suddenly stopped."
He vaguely guessed that the clan school was no longer as wealthy and had to sacrifice some things. Although it was regrettable, there was no better way.
Xin Xiuying asked, "Why is it called the 'Xi Rao Cup'?"
"I don't understand either. Commander Guo should be able to explain it in a bit."
Commander Xiao Guo used the exact same gesture as Commander Guo to signal everyone to be quiet, and then began to explain.
"This research conference is funded by the Xie family's eldest branch, hence the name 'Sui Rao Cup.' Apart from the first-place prize of a secret realm entry, all other prizes are provided by the Xie family's eldest branch."
After she finished speaking, she displayed a generous reward provided by the Xie family's eldest branch.
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
The Xie family's eldest branch is the richest family in Jinling City, a fact acknowledged by everyone in the city. But even with wealth, every cultivator can never have too many spirit stones. Just think about Foundation Establishment Pills, crafting natal magic treasures, and all sorts of other things—no amount of spirit stones can be enough.
Look at those rewards! How could anyone spend so many spirit stones to host an academic conference for the clan academy?!
Even though the clan school was jointly run by multiple families, there was no way for only the Xie family members to benefit from it.
No, what they need to do now is not to question, but to be grateful.
According to Senior Brother Xin Rong, without the funding from the Xie family's main branch, they would never have had the opportunity to receive these rewards. Apart from Xie Jiaoyue herself, everyone else was a beneficiary.
Only Chu Xingjin didn't think much of it.
He came from a humble background and never hesitated to judge others with the darkest of thoughts. He felt that Xie Jiaoyue was just trying to attract attention or using her family's assets to promote herself, embellish her image, and add honor to herself.
He didn't speak loudly, but he still raised his own questions.
Xin Xiuying scolded, "She's your fiancée, how can you doubt her like that?"
"Isn't it suspicious? Otherwise, you can ask Commander Guo whether Xie Jiaoyue herself participated in this research conference. Think about it, she already has the qualification for the secret realm, and she doesn't lack anything else, so why would she participate?"
Xin Xiuying wasn't as eloquent as Chu Xingjin, so she could only glare at him angrily: "Whether she participated or not, the fact remains that she provided so much for everyone."
Chu Xingjin scoffed. It was only because he wasn't that rich. If he were as rich as Xie Jiaoyue, he could also spend some money to make himself happy.
After Commander Guo finished explaining the rules to everyone, two lines of text appeared on the cliff face.
"These are the teams that have already confirmed their participation. Once you confirm your participation, your names will appear on top of these teams. Each team will appear in the same row, with a maximum of three members per team. There is no time limit for forming teams. The research conference is divided into a first assessment and a final assessment. For the first assessment, you will need to provide a basic idea. You can register at any time before that."
The first line prominently features Xie Jiaoyue's name; she is alone and has no teammates yet.
The second line contains Chu Xingjin's name, followed by the names of two others: Feng Qianqian and Wang Min, the most talented magic cultivator among this year's disciples.
There are four names in total, each seemingly highlighting its own special status and implying that it enjoys certain privileges and knows the news before others.
Well, since it's organized by them, it's normal for me and my fiancé to know a few days in advance, as long as the selection process is fair.
It should be fair... right?
Chu Xingjin's words still left a thorn in the hearts of the disciples.
Commander Guo emphasized, "Don't worry, they only knew about this a day or two in advance. Although the Xie family provided a lot of spirit stones for this academic conference, the final selection will definitely be fair, and the selection will be personally overseen by the headmaster of the clan school."
Sure enough, after the title of headmaster of the clan school appeared, the doubts about the research association still existed, but they decreased significantly.
That's the headmaster, the highest-ranking member of the clan school, and also the most skilled in cultivation. Such a person has absolutely no reason to bow down for a few spirit stones.
Moreover, Xie Jiaoyue would definitely have known in advance. It's perfectly normal for her to tell her fiancé since she already knew. The only question is why Xie Jiaoyue wasn't on the same team as Chu Xingjin.
Xin Xiuying asked, "Feng Qianqian is on your team, but what about Jiaoyue?"
In her memory, Feng Qianqian and Xie Jiaoyue had been inseparable lately, always together, and the two of them should be a team.
Moreover, the complicated relationship between the three of them makes sense.
Could it be because of this complicated relationship that Chu Xingjin didn't bring Xie Jiaoyue along?
Both of them wanted to be on Chu Xingjin's team, but Chu Xingjin chose Xie Jiaoyue?
Chu Xingjin gave a reason that Feng Qianqian had never expected.
"Both Jiaoyue and I wanted to be on the same team as Qianqian, but Feng Qianqian ultimately chose me."
Hsin Hsiu-ying said she did not hear clearly.
Chu Xingjin repeated, "Xie Jiaoyue and I are both vying for Feng Qianqian's affections. We weren't even on the same team to begin with. Did you understand?"
Xin Xiuying began to doubt her ears. What was going on? Shouldn't it be Xie Jiaoyue and Feng Qianqian vying for Chu Xingjin? How did it become Xie Jiaoyue and Chu Xingjin vying for Feng Qianqian?
That's so strange.
She not only found it strange, but she also felt very uncomfortable.
"Since she couldn't win over Feng Qianqian, didn't she try to find other teammates?"
Chu Xingjin gave Xin Xiuying a strange look: "How would I know? Do you want to be on her team? Go ask her that question. Why are you asking me? Instead of asking that, you should think about your own team now."
Xin Xiuying jumped up to refute, but only addressed the first question: "When did I say I wanted to be on her team? We're not that close, don't talk nonsense."
She just felt it was a bit of a pity; Xie Jiaoyue should have used this opportunity to find some suitable teammates for herself.
Although she said she didn't want to be teammates with Xie Jiaoyue, Xin Xiuying declined when someone invited her.
Her reasoning was perfectly valid: "I think we should be cautious and think about our own plans first before choosing suitable teammates. So what are your plans? Do you need alchemists to join you?"
She is a pure-blooded alchemist.
Xin Xiuying spoke quite loudly, and her words calmed the disciples who had been hot-headed.
Yes, a team can only have three people. If they form a team early on, they won't be able to make good use of each person's skills, and they won't be able to get good results.
We should still be cautious.
Therefore, the cautious Xin Xiuying did not join any team until the early hours of that day.
She was also thinking about what she was thinking, and as she thought about it, she felt restless and irritable, so she simply went outside and used the moonlight to calm her mind.
As they walked, they encountered Xie Jiaoyue, who looked exhausted.
"Hey, where did you come from? Feng Qianqian? I advise you not to bother trying there anymore. I asked Commander Guo, and once your name is carved on the cliff, there's no chance to change it. Feng Qianqian is already in Chu Xingjin's team, so no matter how hard you try, it's useless. You might as well find the next target sooner."
Xin Xiuying herself was completely unaware that her words were sarcastic and carried a hint of resentment.
Does she really not want to be on Xie Jiaoyue's team? Does she really not want Xie Jiaoyue to invite her first?
Anyway, that's how she felt, and she was very certain of it.
She had just thought of Xin Xiuying when this person came knocking on her door—it was truly a stroke of good luck.
Xie Jiaoyue's fatigue vanished, her eyes brightened again, and she grabbed Xin Xiuying's hands: "Have you heard of the Research Society? Do you want to be on my team? I happen to have an idea for a pill that combines swordsmanship, we would definitely be the most suitable teammates."
Xin Xiuying tried to pull her hand away but failed. Awkwardly, she asked, "We're the most suitable? What about Feng Qianqian? Didn't you say you weren't planning to invite me, only her?"
Xin Xiuying felt her question was reasonable and without any personal bias. After all, if she was just a backup option, it meant they weren't the most suitable teammates, and their chances of winning would be greatly reduced, so she wouldn't agree.
Even if we take a step back and say that no one likes being a backup option.
Xie Jiaoyue replied naturally, "At that time, I hadn't designed a plan yet; I just didn't want her to be on the same team as Chu Xingjin. Now that I have a plan, I'm very sure that you are the most suitable teammate."
Xin Xiuying's previously depressed and restless heart suddenly felt relieved.
Author's Note: The proud Xiuying: In this friendship of three, can I finally have a name?
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