Fifty years later...
Lin Feng stretched and looked out over his courtyard with satisfaction. Five decades of peaceful seclusion had passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.
"System, show me my progress."
[Seclusion Day 18,250]
[Host's Perceived Cultivation: Foundation Establishment (Early Stage)]
[Host's Actual Cultivation: Void Transformation Realm (Peak)]
[Total Seclusion Points: 87,430]
[Note: Host is now strong enough to destroy small worlds with a thought, but believes he is just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. Mental state remains excellently cautious!]
Lin Feng nodded, pleased. "Foundation Establishment already! Although... the system keeps warning me that I'm still weak. I should probably stay in seclusion for the full hundred years as planned."
His tranquil peak had transformed over the decades. The tea plants had become a small grove of trees that produced leaves with such potent spiritual energy that a single leaf could let someone comprehend the Dao. The vegetables in his garden could resurrect the dead. And Xiao Hong...
"Cluck!"
The chicken—now noticeably larger and with brilliant red-and-gold plumage—pecked at the ground nearby. What Lin Feng didn't know was that Xiao Hong had reached the Tribulation Transcendence realm and could transform into her true phoenix form at any time. She simply chose to remain as a chicken because that's what her master seemed to prefer.
Master's wisdom is profound, Xiao Hong thought daily. By maintaining simple appearances, we avoid attracting attention. I must follow his example!
On this particular day, as Lin Feng was practicing calligraphy (which had become so refined that each character he wrote contained fragments of supreme Dao insights), he heard something unusual.
A scream.
It came from just beyond the formation barrier around his peak.
"Help! Please, if anyone is there, help me!"
Lin Feng frowned. In fifty years, no one had come even close to Tranquil Peak. His formation should have redirected anyone who approached. For someone to get this close...
"Should I check it out, System?"
[Analyzing situation...]
[A young female cultivator is being pursued by demonic cultivators. She has accidentally breached the outer layer of Host's formation due to a spatial treasure. Danger level to Host: 0.00001%]
[However, be warned: Helping her may compromise your seclusion and attract attention!]
[Recommendation: Remain cautious. If you choose to help, do not reveal your true strength.]
Lin Feng hesitated. He'd been in seclusion for so long... but he couldn't just let someone die, could he?
"I'll take a quick look. Just to help them escape, then I'll come right back."
He walked to the edge of his formation and peered through. A young woman in torn azure robes was stumbling through the forest, blood trailing behind her. She looked no older than twenty, with delicate features now twisted in pain and fear.
Behind her, three men in black robes were laughing as they pursued her.
"Run faster, little rabbit! We do enjoy the chase!"
"A disciple of the Azure Sky Sect, all alone and far from help. What were you thinking, venturing into the Demon Suppressing Forest?"
The young woman—her name was Shen Yue—gritted her teeth. She'd been on a mission to collect herbs when these demonic cultivators ambushed her senior brothers. She'd only escaped by using her master's spatial teleportation talisman, but it had brought her to this strange place.
And now she was going to die.
Unless...
She could feel it. There was something ahead. A presence. A powerful formation. If she could just reach it...
With her last bit of strength, Shen Yue threw herself forward, crashing through an invisible barrier and tumbling into a courtyard that seemed to exist in a completely different world.
The spiritual energy here was so dense it was visible as a golden mist. Ancient tea trees swayed in a breeze that carried the scent of the Dao itself. A magnificent chicken with phoenix-like plumage watched her with eyes that seemed to contain eons of wisdom.
And standing in the center of it all was a young man in simple robes, holding a brush and looking at her with mild concern.
To Shen Yue's senses, the man appeared to have no cultivation at all—which could only mean one thing. His power was so far beyond hers that she couldn't even begin to measure it.
"Please..." she gasped, "save me, Senior!"
Lin Feng scratched his head. "I'm not really a senior, I'm just—"
"YOU! How did she get through?!"
The three demonic cultivators had arrived at the formation barrier, their faces twisted with rage. Then they saw the courtyard beyond, and their expressions changed to shock.
"This... what is this place?"
"Such spiritual energy! Is this a hidden inheritance ground?"
The leader, a scarred man at the peak of Core Formation, licked his lips greedily. "Forget the girl. This treasure land will be ours!"
They began to force their way through the formation.
Lin Feng frowned. "System, what's their cultivation level?"
[All three are Core Formation realm cultivators.]
"Core Formation?!" Lin Feng's eyes widened. That was two full major realms above his Foundation Establishment! "System, I can't fight them!"
[Reminder: Host has various treasures and tools available. Recommend: Use defensive measures to drive them away without revealing true capabilities.]
Lin Feng quickly ran through his options. Over fifty years, he'd accumulated quite a collection of items from the shop. Maybe...
"Xiao Hong! A little help?"
The chicken looked at the demonic cultivators and made a decision. Her master was testing her. He could obviously destroy these ants with a thought, but he wanted to see her capabilities.
She would not disappoint!
"Cluck!"
Xiao Hong hopped off her perch and walked toward the three cultivators. As she did, she allowed just a tiny fraction of her Phoenix aura to leak out.
The effect was immediate.
The three demonic cultivators froze, their faces going pale. The pressure bearing down on them was incomprehensible. It was as if a primordial god had fixed its gaze upon them.
"D-Divine Phoenix?!" the leader stammered. "Impossible! And it's... it's protecting this place?"
They looked at Lin Feng again, reevaluating everything. A man who lived in such a paradise, with a Divine Phoenix as a pet, treating Core Formation cultivators like they were nothing...
"Tribulation Transcendence? No... higher? Immortal?"
"We've offended an immortal!"
"RUN!"
The three demonic cultivators fled with such speed that they left sonic booms in their wake, not even daring to look back.
Lin Feng blinked. "Huh. I guess Xiao Hong is scarier than I thought. Good job, girl!"
He tossed her a spirit grain as a reward. Xiao Hong caught it proudly, thinking: As expected, Master saw through my display of power and is rewarding my restraint. I only used a fraction of my aura, knowing that fully revealing my strength would have killed those insects instantly. Master's strategic thinking is unparalleled!
Lin Feng then turned to the injured girl still lying on his courtyard floor.
"Are you alright? Let me help you up."
He reached out a hand, and Shen Yue took it with trembling fingers. The moment their hands touched, she felt a surge of pure, overwhelming energy flow into her body. Her wounds healed instantly. Her depleted spiritual energy was restored to full capacity. Even her damaged meridians from years of poor cultivation methods were quietly corrected.
It was like being reborn.
"Senior... you saved my life," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.
Lin Feng waved his hand dismissively. "It was nothing. Are you from the Azure Sky Sect? I used to be an outer sect disciple there."
"Used to be?" Shen Yue's mind raced. This unfathomable expert was once part of their sect? And he said it so casually!
"Yes, but I've been in seclusion for a while. Training, you know. The cultivation world is dangerous, so I decided to take things slowly."
Taking things slowly? For fifty years in this paradise that even immortals would fight wars over?
Shen Yue realized she was in the presence of someone who operated on a completely different level of existence. Every word he spoke probably contained hidden meanings and profound truths.
"Here, have some tea," Lin Feng said, pouring her a cup from his spiritual spring. "It'll help you recover."
Shen Yue took the cup with both hands, as if receiving a sacred artifact. When she sipped the tea, enlightenment flooded her mind. She could see the principles of cultivation so clearly now! The path to Core Formation that had seemed impossible just moments ago now appeared obvious!
One cup of tea, and I've gained insights that would take ordinary cultivators centuries to achieve! she thought in amazement.
"Thank you, Senior. Your kindness... I can never repay it."
Lin Feng just smiled. "Don't worry about it. But listen, could you do me a favor and not tell anyone about this place? I'm trying to keep a low profile."
Keep a low profile? Someone of his power?
Shen Yue suddenly understood. This was a test. The master was testing her character. If she blabbed about this place, greedy cultivators would swarm here, and while they couldn't possibly threaten the master, dealing with them would be annoying.
She kowtowed immediately. "Senior, I swear on my cultivation that I will never reveal your existence to anyone! Your secret is safe with me!"
Lin Feng scratched his head, a bit embarrassed by her intensity. "That's... good. Thank you."
Shen Yue looked up at him, and an idea formed in her mind. An opportunity like this came once in a lifetime—or a thousand lifetimes. She had to seize it.
"Senior, please... allow me to stay and serve you as your disciple! I know I'm unworthy, but I'll work harder than anyone! I'll clean, cook, tend your garden, anything! Just let me remain by your side and learn from your wisdom!"
Lin Feng hesitated. A disciple? He'd never taught anyone before. And wouldn't having a disciple around compromise his peaceful seclusion?
But looking at her earnest face, he felt bad refusing.
[Mission Alert: Take in First Disciple!]
[Reward: Teaching increases Host's own comprehension. Taking disciples can accelerate Host's cultivation!]
[Additional Reward: 5,000 Seclusion Points]
"Well..." Lin Feng said slowly, "I suppose I could use some help around here. The garden has gotten quite large. But I'm not sure what I could teach you. I'm only at Foundation Establishment myself."
Shen Yue nearly choked. Foundation Establishment? Her? The master was still testing her!
"Your humility only proves your greatness, Master! Please accept me!"
She kowtowed three times, performing the traditional disciple ceremony.
Lin Feng sighed. "Alright, alright. Get up. You can stay. But I'm really not that impressive, so don't expect too much, okay?"
[Achievement Unlocked: First Disciple Accepted!]
[Shen Yue has become your disciple!]
[Current Disciple Count: 1]
[Note: As Host teaches and guides disciples, their achievements will feed back to enhance Host's own cultivation and reputation. This is excellent for maintaining seclusion while still growing stronger!]
And so, Lin Feng's quiet life became slightly less quiet.
He didn't know it yet, but this moment would change everything. Shen Yue would go on to become one of the most powerful cultivators in history, and she would always speak of her "unfathomable master on Tranquil Peak" with reverence.
The legend was beginning to spread.