It was already night. The forest was quiet.
Not peaceful. Just quiet.
The kind of silence where predators were watching. Where the air felt like it was holding its breath. Qin Ye didn't slow down. His puppets had just returned a mental ping.
"Finally," he muttered. "Took him long enough."
Qin Ye shifted through the underbrush, breath slow and shallow. His aura hidden. His mask suppressing every trace of presence.
In a small clearing ahead, three people had gathered. Qin Da—the fat one—was crouched beside a boulder, panting from the walk despite being a body cultivator. Qin Ruo stood nearby, quiet as a ghost, her eyes scanning the trees. And in the center stood Qin Feng.
Looking confident. Clean robes, steady aura, and an expression that showed excitement.
Qin Ye didn't make a move. He simply observed from afar, hidden behind a soul-concealment formation.
Qin Feng pulled out something. It was a jade slip that was glowing faintly. It was obviously very precious .
He pressed it against his forehead and closed his eyes.
The jade slip vanished.
A moment later, he pointed forward. "This way."
Qin Ye on the trees in the distance narrowed his eyes and thought. "That's not just a map. That's a guidance type treasure. Something's leading him directly to the tomb."
He tapped a small command on his wrist scroll. The scout drones formed a loose perimeter around the trio.
He wouldn't confront them directly before learning more about their strength.
He followed from a distance carefully.
On the way, Qin Feng's group stopped at key resource points. Hidden caves with rare herbs. A hot spring where fire-attribute ores lay buried. A trap-filled valley that would've torn any normal cultivator apart but somehow, Qin Feng disabled it effortlessly with a few hand seals.
Each time, Qin Ye watched all this and memorized.
He wasn't jealous. With his understanding of the four arts, he can do it too.
He was just testing their accuracy.
By late afternoon next day, something changed.
A beast attacked.
Peak Foundation Realm—scaled, fanged, Scorpion with tail like a whip.
Qin Da roared, his body swelling. Golden light erupted as he smashed forward with both his hands. "I got this!"
He didn't.
The beast slammed him flying into a tree.
Qin Ruo didn't even flinch. She raised one hand, ice needles forming instantly, launching toward the creature's eyes.
It roared—but then—
Qin Feng moved.
He was fast. Much faster than any normal Qi Refiner should be. His strike was precise, aiming for the creature's weak point just under the throat. His sword gleamed with strange light. It was an ancient sword of the golden core level.
"A sword technique with fire qi?" Qin Ye narrowed his eyes. "That… wasn't from the Qin clan."
The beast died.
Too easily.
Too clean.
Almost like a senior cultivator took action. Most people would think that he was a peerless genius.
But, Qin Ye saw it! The faint soul fluctuations of at least a nascent soul expert.
Qin Da was fine with the use of treasure he carried.
The group relaxed. Qin Da started laughing. Qin Ruo returned to her cold silence.
Qin Feng didn't celebrate. He stood there, quietly looking up into the trees, expression distant.
Like he felt something watching him.
Qin Ye held his breath.
One second.
Two.
Qin Feng turned away.
The feeling passed.
"Tch," Qin Ye exhaled. "Guess the remnant soul's perception is still strong. We have to reassess his strength. He should be able to at least release god transformation level destruction if pushed into a desperate situation "
"But we can tire him out early"
The trio moved on.
And Qin Ye made a decision.
He wouldn't let them reach the tomb first.
"Time to test the Son of Destiny… ."
Later That Night,
Qin Ye crouched by a cliff ledge under moonlight. The scouts had mapped the next few kilometers.
There was a high-energy pulse ahead. Underground formation. Ancient type. Most likely a barrier or inheritance array.
He placed a soul-freezing talisman on a nearby branch.
Then a sound-based illusion array twenty meters forward.
Then a second-layer soul strike charm between the roots of a tree. His trap techniques were very sophisticated and more difficult to find.
None of it would kill.
But if Qin Feng walked into this test site...
"Let's see if his 'luck' can save him from soul dissonance, illusion confusion, and sound-loop mental chaos… all at once."
He didn't intend to sabotage too obviously. Just slow him down. Confuse him. Force his hidden helper to react.
If the grandpa cheat showed his face again…
Then Qin Ye would confirm its strength.
"I trained for ten years. Bled, learned, and prepared. No free golden finger. No plot armor. No guiding spirit. Just me."
He narrowed his eyes, watching the first trap light up.
Someone was coming.