The tea gradually cooled.
Neither master nor disciple moved to refill it.
Moments like this were rare. Shen Cang rarely spoke unless there was something worth saying, and Lin Yuan had long learned not to rush silence. Silence was often more instructive than words.
After a while, Shen Cang broke it.
"The Inner Sect Ranking Battle will be announced today."
Lin Yuan didn't look surprised. "I felt the sect formations shift this morning."
"Hm." Shen Cang nodded. "The elders are restless. The sect master especially."
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Because of me?"
"Partially," Shen Cang said without hesitation. "Mostly because of everyone else."
He leaned back against the stone chair, eyes half-lidded. "Your existence puts pressure on them. Geniuses feel challenged. Mediocre disciples feel despair. Elders feel urgency."
Lin Yuan exhaled quietly. "I've tried to stay low-profile."
"You have," Shen Cang said. "By normal standards."
He glanced at Lin Yuan. "Unfortunately, your 'low-profile' is still someone else's lifetime achievement."
Lin Yuan didn't argue.
That was simply the truth.
"Are you planning to participate again?" Shen Cang asked.
Lin Yuan was silent for a moment.
This question wasn't new. It came every ten years like clockwork. Still, the answer was never completely effortless.
"If I don't," Lin Yuan said finally, "rumors will spread."
"They always do."
"But this time will be worse," Lin Yuan continued calmly. "I arrived two years ago. I've already taken first place once since entering the sect. If I suddenly stop participating, people will assume something changed."
Shen Cang nodded. "They'll think you're hiding a breakthrough."
"Or that I've hit a bottleneck," Lin Yuan added. "Either way, attention increases."
"And if you do participate?"
"I win again," Lin Yuan said. "And things stay predictable."
Shen Cang chuckled softly. "You're maintaining order, not seeking glory."
"I don't need glory."
"That much is obvious."
Shen Cang tapped the table lightly. "Then participate. But suppress yourself properly. Late Foundation Establishment only."
Lin Yuan inclined his head. "I won't cross the line."
"You never do," Shen Cang said. "Which is exactly why I trust you."
That sentence carried more weight than any praise.
Lin Yuan stood and bowed. "Then I'll prepare."
Shen Cang waved him off. "Go. And Lin Yuan—"
"Yes, Master?"
"Don't underestimate jealousy," Shen Cang said calmly. "In this world, admiration turns into resentment faster than cultivation advances."
Lin Yuan nodded. "I know."
That was why he kept distance.
Why he rejected advances gently but firmly.
Why he never lingered where conversations could deepen into expectations.
In this world, attraction wasn't wrong. Interest wasn't shameful. But misunderstandings were dangerous.
He left the courtyard and began descending the mountain path.
Below, the sect was growing louder.
More disciples had gathered. News traveled fast in cultivation sects—especially bad news, good news, or anything involving Lin Yuan.
As he walked, several gazes followed him openly now.
Male disciples looked at him with complicated expressions—envy, rivalry, unwilling respect. To them, Lin Yuan represented a wall they couldn't climb.
Female disciples were more direct.
One stepped forward, bowing politely. "Senior Brother Lin, are you participating in the ranking battle?"
"I am," Lin Yuan replied evenly.
Her eyes lit up. "Then I'll watch your match."
"Focus on your own," he said gently. "That matters more."
She froze for a moment, then smiled awkwardly. "You're right."
She stepped back, cheeks faintly red.
Lin Yuan continued on without looking back.
This world really is straightforward, he thought.
Interest was interest. Curiosity was curiosity.
There was no need to twist it into something heavier than it was.
As he reached the inner sect plaza, the great bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The sect announcement was about to be made.
Lin Yuan stopped at the edge of the crowd, standing among hundreds of disciples who looked far older than him—some by decades, some by centuries.
Yet many of them were watching him instead of the stage.
He ignored it.
The sect master stepped forward, his voice carrying across the plaza.
"The Inner Sect Ranking Battle will commence in seven days."
Murmurs erupted immediately.
Lin Yuan remained still.
Seven days.
Plenty of time.
He had no intention of standing out.
No intention of accelerating his path.
And no intention of letting this world realize just how far ahead he already was.
For now, staying quiet was the best cultivation.