Fang Lin did not continue deeper immediately.
The First Trial Chamber had given him a partial map, three Demonic Blood Recovery Pills, and one important warning.
The Demon Sealing Ruins had changed.
Last time, the ruins had been a broken killing ground filled with traps, corpse beasts, and hidden legacy tests. This time, after the key awakened the hidden realm properly, the outer region had begun arranging itself into trial zones.
Not random danger.
Structured danger.
That was worse.
Random danger could be avoided with caution. A trial system had purpose. It observed, judged, rewarded, and killed according to rules that might not be written clearly.
Fang Lin stood in the dim passage and opened the black jade map slip again.
A faint image appeared in his perception.
Trial Region.
Broken Bone Corridor.
Ashen River Crossing.
Blackstone Trial Peak.
Silent Steps Hall.
Demon Echo Valley.
Black Lamp Hall.
Several other areas remained blurred, likely sealed or outside the map's range.
Fang Lin's gaze paused on Blackstone Trial Peak.
The others had only just entered. The major sect disciples would spread out quickly, and the Green Bamboo Sect Alliance would likely move as a group at first. If Fang Lin wanted to stay near them without appearing deliberate, he needed a suitable identity.
The herb gatherer face was useless now.
Too many people outside had seen that figure vanish through the key's activation. If anyone connected the disappeared herb gatherer with someone inside the ruins, trouble would follow.
Fang Lin raised his hand and touched his face.
Phantom Transformation shifted.
His bones moved slightly. His skin became a shade darker. His features turned ordinary but firmer, with sharp brows and calm eyes. His body became taller than Chen Yuan's, and his shoulders carried the restrained steadiness of a wandering cultivator used to fighting alone.
His robes changed into plain black-grey clothing.
Frost Wind disappeared into his storage treasure.
In its place, Fang Lin took out a dark iron short blade. It was not powerful. It was not beautiful. But it had one advantage.
No one would connect it to the cold sword cultivator from the Demon Sealing Ruins.
His surface aura rose.
Late Spirit Foundation Realm.
Not really.
A carefully woven shell formed through Phantom Transformation, Shadow Breath, and his Late Stage Solid Soul State.
His actual cultivation remained Early Spirit Foundation Realm, but the false aura was stable. Not too perfect. Too perfect would be suspicious. He made it feel like a rogue cultivator with a solid but slightly rough foundation.
Fang Lin looked at his reflection in the polished edge of the blade.
"Shen Mo."
The name left his mouth quietly.
He would not reveal more strength unless forced.
Fang Lin's eyes lowered slightly.
The difference between Early, Middle, Late, and Peak Spirit Foundation was vast. Even among ordinary cultivators, each step widened the gap. Among major sect geniuses, the difference became even more dangerous because techniques, treasures, experience, and foundation all stacked together.
A Late Spirit Foundation rogue cultivator was strong enough to move among sect groups without being dismissed.
But not so strong that everyone stared.
That was the correct balance.
Fang Lin left the chamber.
The passage beyond sloped upward. After half an hour, distant sounds reached him.
Shouts.
Qi collisions.
The low roar of corpse beasts.
Someone had already encountered trouble.
Fang Lin slowed his steps and moved toward the sound without releasing his full divine sense. In the ruins, perception traveled strangely. Some passages swallowed it. Others reflected it. A careless scan could touch a formation and announce his position.
He moved like a shadow beneath the stone arches.
Soon, he reached a broken courtyard.
The courtyard had once belonged to some outer hall of the ruins. Black pillars stood cracked on both sides, and dry vines covered the walls. At the center, eight corpse beasts surrounded a group of cultivators.
Green Bamboo Sect.
Fang Lin stopped in the shadow of an archway.
His gaze swept across them.
Feng Jiu'er stood near the front.
She wore red-white robes, their color bright against the grey ruin stone. Her aura had reached Peak Spirit Foundation Realm, steady and sharp. The pressure around her was no longer the proud, youthful flame he remembered from the outer sect days. It had become calmer now, controlled beneath responsibility.
A crimson sword light moved around her hand, cutting through one corpse beast's claws and forcing it back.
Beside her stood Su Wanqing.
Late Spirit Foundation Realm.
Her white-green robes moved lightly as she formed a palm seal, sending refined wind-wood Qi into the group's defensive formation. Her expression remained calm, but her eyes were focused. She was not panicking. She was measuring the battlefield.
Li Shan stood behind the front line, now Early Spirit Foundation Realm. His plain face looked serious as he watched the corpse beasts' movement patterns.
Luo Chen guarded the left side with a long spear, his Early Spirit Foundation aura stable.
Murong Yue moved near the rear, a faint smile still on her lips despite the danger. Her eyes, however, were sharp. Early Spirit Foundation had given her more confidence.
Bai Qing and Han Zhi held the right flank. Both had entered Early Spirit Foundation. Bai Qing looked tense but steady, while Han Zhi's serious expression made him seem older than before.
Zhao Feng stood beside them, jaw tight, blade raised. He had also broken through to Early Spirit Foundation, and his aura carried the rough edge of someone still adjusting to the new realm.
Around them were other Green Bamboo Alliance cultivators, most at Spirit Foundation Realm.
The Alliance was not collapsing.
But they were being delayed.
The corpse beasts were stronger than ordinary ones. Their bodies were covered in black bone plates, and faint trial marks glowed on their foreheads. Each had power close to Early Spirit Foundation, and two of them were near Middle Spirit Foundation.
Feng Jiu'er could destroy them if she used full force.
But she was holding back.
Fang Lin understood why after one glance.
Behind the corpse beasts stood a stone gate.
Above it were carved words.
First Group Trial: Pass Without Breaking Formation.
If the group scattered and fought separately, the trial might fail.
Fang Lin's eyes moved faintly.
So the ruins had begun testing group stability.
Feng Jiu'er's voice rang out.
"Do not chase. Maintain formation."
Zhao Feng gritted his teeth. "These things keep coming back after being pushed away."
Li Shan said calmly, "They are not trying to kill us quickly. They are trying to break our formation."
Murong Yue glanced at him. "You sound very calm for someone being surrounded."
Li Shan did not look at her. "I am calm because panicking has no known benefit."
Murong Yue smiled. "I missed your terrible wisdom."
Even in danger, Bai Qing almost laughed.
Han Zhi said flatly, "Focus."
A corpse beast suddenly lunged toward Bai Qing's side.
The formation line there shook.
Fang Lin's eyes narrowed.
If the creature struck, the formation would open for a breath. The group would not die, but the trial might judge them as failed.
He did not want to reveal himself too strongly.
So he moved.
Fast enough.
Fast enough for a Late Spirit Foundation rogue cultivator.
"Black Mountain Lock."
A heavy pressure strand spread from the shadow of the archway and landed on the lunging corpse beast.
Its movement slowed sharply.
The delay lasted only a breath, but Feng Jiu'er reacted instantly.
Her eyes flashed.
"Crimson Leaf Sword."
A red sword light swept across the beast's neck and sent its head flying.
The corpse beast collapsed.
Everyone turned toward the archway.
Fang Lin stepped out slowly, dark iron short blade in hand.
His black-grey robes were plain. His face was unfamiliar. His aura sat at Late Spirit Foundation Realm, controlled and quiet.
Feng Jiu'er's gaze locked onto him first.
Her eyes sharpened.
Not hostile.
Alert.
"Who are you?"
Fang Lin cupped his hands slightly.
"Shen Mo. Rogue cultivator."
Murong Yue looked him up and down.
"A rogue cultivator who appears exactly when our formation is about to break?"
Fang Lin's expression remained calm. "I was passing by."
Murong Yue's smile became brighter. "Inside the Demon Sealing Ruins, during a trial, while corpse beasts attacked us?"
"Yes."
"That is a terrible lie."
"It is also short."
For a breath, Murong Yue stared at him.
Then she laughed.
Bai Qing blinked. Zhao Feng nearly lost focus. Even Su Wanqing's eyes moved slightly.
Feng Jiu'er did not laugh.
She continued looking at Fang Lin.
For some reason, this Shen Mo's voice made her heart feel strange. Not familiar in sound. The tone was different. The face was different. The aura was different.
But the calmness.
That irritating calmness.
It reminded her of someone.
A corpse beast roared, breaking the moment.
Feng Jiu'er turned back immediately.
"Talk later. If you wish to help, do not break the formation."
Fang Lin nodded.
"Understood."
He entered the outer edge of the group but did not move too close to Feng Jiu'er. He positioned himself near the weaker right side, beside Bai Qing and Han Zhi.
Bai Qing glanced at him quickly. "Senior Shen, can you suppress another one?"
"One at a time."
That was not true.
But it was the answer Shen Mo should give.
Han Zhi gave him a measured look. "Then time it with our strikes."
Fang Lin nodded.
Another corpse beast attacked.
"Black Mountain Lock."
The pressure strand landed.
The beast slowed.
Han Zhi struck with a clean palm, while Bai Qing followed with a blade of green Qi. The two attacks landed together, shattering the corpse beast's front legs.
Zhao Feng rushed forward instinctively.
Li Shan immediately said, "Do not chase."
Zhao Feng stopped halfway, face stiff.
Murong Yue smiled. "Idiot."
Zhao Feng snapped, "Shut up."
The formation held.
Fang Lin watched them quietly while continuing to act within the limits of a normal Late Spirit Foundation cultivator.
His chest felt strange.
These people had grown.
They joked under pressure now. They listened. They reacted. They were no longer the outer sect disciples who would panic before stronger enemies.
Fang Lin felt a faint warmth beneath his calm.
The final two corpse beasts lunged together.
One from the front.
One from the left.
Feng Jiu'er raised her sword. Su Wanqing formed a seal.
Fang Lin's eyes moved.
The left beast was a feint.
The real danger was the front beast. Its corpse core had begun glowing brighter, preparing to explode against the formation.
Feng Jiu'er noticed almost at the same time.
Her expression changed slightly.
But Fang Lin moved first, still within his disguised limit.
"Black Mountain Descent."
A heavy pressure dropped over the exploding corpse beast.
Its forward charge sank.
The glowing corpse core slowed for half a breath.
Feng Jiu'er's sword arrived.
"Crimson Leaf Sword."
The red sword light pierced through the corpse beast's forehead and destroyed the corpse core before it could burst.
At the left side, Su Wanqing's wind-wood seal wrapped around the other beast's legs, and Luo Chen's spear struck through its chest.
The final corpse beast fell.
The stone gate trembled.
The words above it glowed faintly.
Trial Passed.
A soft black light descended over the group.
Several jade slips appeared on the stone platform before the gate, along with small bottles of pills and a handful of black crystal fragments.
The Alliance cultivators exhaled in relief.
Zhao Feng wiped sweat from his brow. "That was uglier than expected."
Murong Yue said, "You only say that because you almost chased and ruined everything."
"I stopped."
"After Li Shan saved you from yourself."
Li Shan looked at the rewards. "Argue after we collect them."
Feng Jiu'er turned toward Fang Lin.
Her expression was composed, but her eyes remained searching.
"Mr. Shen, thank you for helping."
Fang Lin shook his head. "I also benefited from the trial."
That was practical enough to sound true.
Su Wanqing walked over. Her gaze rested on Fang Lin for a moment longer than others.
"Your suppression skill is unusual."
Fang Lin replied evenly, "A pressure-control method. Nothing rare."
Murong Yue appeared beside Su Wanqing with a smile. "People who say 'nothing rare' usually mean 'do not ask me anything.'"
Fang Lin looked at her.
"You are perceptive."
"I prefer charming."
"That is a different subject."
Bai Qing lowered her head, trying not to laugh.
Feng Jiu'er's eyes moved again.
That style of answer.
Brief.
Flat.
Annoying.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her sword hilt.
Impossible.
Fang Lin was not here.
He could not be.
This was someone of the Late Spirit Foundation.
Even Fang Lin if had broken through now, would be at early or Middle Stage of Spirit Foundation.
And yet…
She looked away.
"Senior Shen, are you alone?"
"Yes."
"Then travel with us for now," Feng Jiu'er said. "The ruins are changing. A lone cultivator will be targeted by sect groups."
Several Alliance cultivators looked surprised.
Murong Yue's smile became more interested.
Li Shan watched Fang Lin quietly.
Han Zhi said nothing, but his posture showed agreement. Shen Mo's suppression skill had filled a weakness in their group formation.
Fang Lin did not answer immediately.
He wanted to stay near them.
That was the purpose.
But accepting too quickly would seem deliberate.
So he looked toward the rewards first, then toward the gate behind them.
After a moment, he nodded.
"Temporarily."
Murong Yue smiled. "Good."
Li Shan turned to her.
Murong Yue whispered. "Fine. We had several. But none this mysterious."
Fang Lin's expression did not change.
Inside, a faint helplessness passed through him.
Murong Yue had not changed enough.
The group divided the trial rewards. Since Fang Lin had contributed at the critical moment, Feng Jiu'er gave him one jade slip and one bottle of pills.
The jade slip contained a basic group-formation support technique called Guard Dragon Breath. It allowed cultivators within a formation to synchronize defensive aura more smoothly.
Fang Lin accepted it.
Fang Lin did not need the technique much, but Shen Mo did.
And accepting rewards made him look normal.
After the group rested briefly, they passed through the stone gate together.
Beyond it, the ruins opened into a wider passage lit by dim blue flames.
Fang Lin walked near the back of the group.
Feng Jiu'er was ahead.
Murong Yue occasionally glanced back.
Li Shan watched without seeming to watch.
Su Wanqing remained quiet, but Fang Lin could feel that she had not dismissed him as ordinary.
Good.
Suspicion was expected.
Recognition was not.
As they moved deeper, Fang Lin noticed a black-burned mural on the passage wall.
A mountain seal.
Chains.
And beneath them, a small black flame carved into the stone.
The grey seed inside his spiritual sea pulsed once.
Softly.
Fang Lin's steps did not pause.
His expression did not change.
But his heart became colder.
And he was now walking beside the people he most wanted to protect, while carrying a secret that could bring every major power in the ruins down on them.
He lowered his eyes.
For now, he was Shen Mo.
A rogue cultivator.
A temporary companion.
The path ahead darkened.
The first trial had ended.
The real danger had barely begun.
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