The return of the "Integrated Squad" to the Azure Cloud Sect was not the silent affair Lin Qingyu had hoped for. Word had traveled faster than their tired feet; a group of juniors had not only survived a corrupted node but had dismantled a high-level ritual site.
As they crossed the main gates, the "Iron Law" atmosphere shifted for a brief moment. Disciples paused their grueling drills to stare. Some whispered about Shen Yuanxing's golden luck, others pointed at Xue Lianhua's stoic grace, and a few—mostly the ones who had failed the Ten Deaths—looked at Lin Qingyu with a mixture of pity and confusion, wondering how the "Snail" had managed to avoid being eaten by a Rot-Stalker.
"Go to your quarters," Xue Lianhua commanded the group once they reached the Outer Peak intersection. Her voice was weary, but it carried the authority of a True Disciple who had just looked into the mouth of the abyss. "The Council will summon us for a formal debriefing tomorrow. Until then... do not speak of the pillars or the Great Blight-Oak. Sleep. That is an order."
Lin Qingyu didn't need to be told twice. He gave a messy, "exhausted" salute and began to shamble toward his hut, his backpack dragging slightly in the dirt for dramatic effect.
[Emotional Stability System]
State: Post-Mission Sabbatical.
Mental Stability: 100%.
Sect Atmosphere: 85% Awe / 15% Suspicious Bureaucracy.
System Note: You have 24 hours before the 'Peak Masters' attempt to peel your life apart in the Hall of Judgment. I suggest you spend this time being as aggressively unremarkable as possible.
User Suggestion: Perhaps a nap? Or a very long, very boring walk?
A nap is a good start, Lin thought. But first, I need to erase the 'Smell of the Weald' from my soul.
Two hours later, the "Hero of the Southern Weald" was submerged in a wooden tub filled with steaming water. He had spent three copper pieces on a "Stress-Relief" herbal bath bomb from the sect's general store—a product most cultivators ignored because it had zero spiritual benefit.
To Lin, it was worth its weight in spirit-stones.
The steam rose, curling around the small, cramped space of his hut. He leaned his head back against the rim of the tub, closing his eyes. His Qi was circulating in its perfect, balanced 1:1:1:1 ratio, repairing the microscopic strain of the expedition. While Shen Yuanxing was likely meditating with a "Spirit-Gilding" focus to force a breakthrough, Lin was busy focusing on the exact temperature of the water.
"Peace," Lin whispered. "Is it too much to ask for another four hundred chapters of this?"
A sharp, rhythmic knocking at his door shattered the silence.
Lin sighed. He didn't move. "If you're here to ask about the 'Rot-Stalker,' I was blindfolded the whole time and I think I fainted twice."
"It's me, Qingyu. Open up."
It was Mu Ruxin. Her voice sounded lighter than it had in the forest, but there was a persistent tremor of excitement in it.
Lin climbed out of the tub, threw on a fresh set of grey robes, and opened the door. Mu Ruxin stood there, holding a steaming tray of food. Behind her, looking incredibly out of place in a dusty Outer Peak dormitory, was Shen Yuanxing.
"We brought dinner," Mu Ruxin said, pushing past him. "Shen felt bad about the honey buns you lost in the forest."
Shen Yuanxing walked in, ducking his head to avoid the low ceiling. He looked cleaner, his golden aura stabilized, but he looked uncomfortable. He handed Lin a small, silk-wrapped box.
"Spicy noodles," Shen muttered, looking at the floor. "From the Inner Peak Pavilion. I had to use a 'Merit Point' to get them delivered."
Lin opened the box. The scent of Sichuan peppercorns and roasted chili oil filled the room. It was enough to make a Level 4 cultivator weep.
"You used a Merit Point... for noodles?" Lin asked, genuinely surprised. "Shen, you could have bought a 'Mid-Grade Qi-Gathering Pill' with that."
"Pills I can get anywhere," Shen said, sitting cross-legged on Lin's only stool. "But apparently, I owe my life to a man who thinks Fire-Spore beetles are bees. I figured I should pay the debt in a currency you understand."
The three of them sat on the floor—the Hero, the Researcher, and the Snail. They ate in a comfortable silence that would have been impossible a week ago.
"Xue is with her Master," Mu Ruxin said, slurping her noodles. "She's being prepared for the interrogation. The Peak Masters are... they're intense, Qingyu. They don't just ask questions; they use 'Divine Discernment' to see if your heart skips a beat when you lie."
"Good thing my heart is very lazy," Lin said, his mouth full of beef. "It barely skips for anything."
"I'm worried about you, Lin," Shen said, his voice turning serious. "The Sect Master isn't like Instructor Gane. He won't just see a 'Lucky Snail.' He'll see a Level 4 disciple who was at the center of three 'coincidental' array failures. If he thinks you're hiding something..."
"Then I'll tell him the truth," Lin said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "I'll tell him I was terrified, I threw things in a panic, and I'm very glad to be back where the trees don't try to eat my marrow. It's a very believable story because most of it is true."
Shen looked at him, his eyes narrowing. "You're either the best liar in the Tianyuan Continent, or you really are just the luckiest man alive. Either way... I'll stand by your testimony tomorrow. I told Xue the same thing. We saw what we saw."
After the "Hero Squad" left, Lin decided to take a walk. He needed to be seen. He needed the rumors of his "mediocrity" to be reinforced before the interrogation.
He wandered toward the Library. The building was partially covered in scaffolding, but the "Peaceful" section remained intact. He saw Elder Song sitting on the steps, staring at the moon.
"Back from the dead, I see," Song said, not looking at him.
"I brought you some leftover noodles, Elder," Lin said, handing him a small container. "Inner Peak quality."
Song took the container, sniffed it, and grunted. "Bribing an Elder? You're learning. How was the Weald? Did the 'Spirit-Severing' bridge look any closer?"
"It looked like a lot of mud and a very angry tree," Lin replied, sitting beside him. "I think I prefer the bridge that stays in books."
"The Council is meeting tonight," Song whispered, his voice suddenly sharp. "They're discussing the 'Anomalous Resonance' from the Southern Node. The Sect Master is bringing in the Six Peak Masters. Even the 'Hermit of the Alchemical Peak' is coming out of his cave. They know someone in that forest had more than 'luck' on their side."
Lin looked at the moon. He could feel the spiritual pressure rising in the distance—the collective aura of the sect's top brass preparing for tomorrow's judgment.
"It's going to be a long day tomorrow, isn't it?"
"Longer than a millennium of cultivation, boy," Song said, finally looking at him. "Make sure your 'Potato Soul' is ready. If a single thread of your true nature leaks out... not even I will be able to stop them from searching your Soul Ocean."
[Emotional Stability System]
Pre-Interrogation Status: Calm.
Strategy: Absolute Passivity.
Hidden Bonus: You have successfully fed the 'Original Male Lead' spicy noodles. His 'Brotherhood' meter has increased by 15%. This will provide a significant 'Social Shield' during the interrogation.
System Note: Enjoy the rest of your day off. Tomorrow, we meet the Peak Masters.
Advice: Practice your 'Dumbfounded Face' in the mirror. You'll need it when the Sect Master asks why you kicked a ten-ton pillar.
Lin spent the rest of his "day off" doing exactly what a Rank 88 disciple should do. He washed his socks. He fed a stray cat near the kitchens. He complained to the laundry-master about a missing button.
By the time the moon reached its zenith, the entire Outer Peak had seen Lin Qingyu doing "Average Things." To them, he wasn't a hero; he was just the lucky guy who had survived a mission and was now worried about his laundry.
He returned to his hut, blew out his candle, and lay down.
"Chapter 23," he whispered to the dark ceiling. "The last day of being a nobody."
He closed his eyes, his breathing falling into the rhythmic, balanced pattern that had served him through twenty-two chapters of chaos.
Tomorrow, the Hall of Judgment awaited. Tomorrow, he would stand before the six strongest beings in the sect.
But for tonight, the noodles were spicy, the bed was soft, anThe return of the "Integrated Squad" to the Azure Cloud Sect was not the silent affair Lin Qingyu had hoped for. Word had traveled faster than their tired feet; a group of juniors had not only survived a corrupted node but had dismantled a high-level ritual site.
As they crossed the main gates, the "Iron Law" atmosphere shifted for a brief moment. Disciples paused their grueling drills to stare. Some whispered about Shen Yuanxing's golden luck, others pointed at Xue Lianhua's stoic grace, and a few—mostly the ones who had failed the Ten Deaths—looked at Lin Qingyu with a mixture of pity and confusion, wondering how the "Snail" had managed to avoid being eaten by a Rot-Stalker.
"Go to your quarters," Xue Lianhua commanded the group once they reached the Outer Peak intersection. Her voice was weary, but it carried the authority of a True Disciple who had just looked into the mouth of the abyss. "The Council will summon us for a formal debriefing tomorrow. Until then... do not speak of the pillars or the Great Blight-Oak. Sleep. That is an order."
Lin Qingyu didn't need to be told twice. He gave a messy, "exhausted" salute and began to shamble toward his hut, his backpack dragging slightly in the dirt for dramatic effect.
[Emotional Stability System]
State: Post-Mission Sabbatical.
Mental Stability: 100%.
Sect Atmosphere: 85% Awe / 15% Suspicious Bureaucracy.
System Note: You have 24 hours before the 'Peak Masters' attempt to peel your life apart in the Hall of Judgment. I suggest you spend this time being as aggressively unremarkable as possible.
User Suggestion: Perhaps a nap? Or a very long, very boring walk?
A nap is a good start, Lin thought. But first, I need to erase the 'Smell of the Weald' from my soul.
Two hours later, the "Hero of the Southern Weald" was submerged in a wooden tub filled with steaming water. He had spent three copper pieces on a "Stress-Relief" herbal bath bomb from the sect's general store—a product most cultivators ignored because it had zero spiritual benefit.
To Lin, it was worth its weight in spirit-stones.
The steam rose, curling around the small, cramped space of his hut. He leaned his head back against the rim of the tub, closing his eyes. His Qi was circulating in its perfect, balanced 1:1:1:1 ratio, repairing the microscopic strain of the expedition. While Shen Yuanxing was likely meditating with a "Spirit-Gilding" focus to force a breakthrough, Lin was busy focusing on the exact temperature of the water.
"Peace," Lin whispered. "Is it too much to ask for another four hundred chapters of this?"
A sharp, rhythmic knocking at his door shattered the silence.
Lin sighed. He didn't move. "If you're here to ask about the 'Rot-Stalker,' I was blindfolded the whole time and I think I fainted twice."
"It's me, Qingyu. Open up."
It was Mu Ruxin. Her voice sounded lighter than it had in the forest, but there was a persistent tremor of excitement in it.
Lin climbed out of the tub, threw on a fresh set of grey robes, and opened the door. Mu Ruxin stood there, holding a steaming tray of food. Behind her, looking incredibly out of place in a dusty Outer Peak dormitory, was Shen Yuanxing.
"We brought dinner," Mu Ruxin said, pushing past him. "Shen felt bad about the honey buns you lost in the forest."
Shen Yuanxing walked in, ducking his head to avoid the low ceiling. He looked cleaner, his golden aura stabilized, but he looked uncomfortable. He handed Lin a small, silk-wrapped box.
"Spicy noodles," Shen muttered, looking at the floor. "From the Inner Peak Pavilion. I had to use a 'Merit Point' to get them delivered."
Lin opened the box. The scent of Sichuan peppercorns and roasted chili oil filled the room. It was enough to make a Level 4 cultivator weep.
"You used a Merit Point... for noodles?" Lin asked, genuinely surprised. "Shen, you could have bought a 'Mid-Grade Qi-Gathering Pill' with that."
"Pills I can get anywhere," Shen said, sitting cross-legged on Lin's only stool. "But apparently, I owe my life to a man who thinks Fire-Spore beetles are bees. I figured I should pay the debt in a currency you understand."
The three of them sat on the floor—the Hero, the Researcher, and the Snail. They ate in a comfortable silence that would have been impossible a week ago.
"Xue is with her Master," Mu Ruxin said, slurping her noodles. "She's being prepared for the interrogation. The Peak Masters are... they're intense, Qingyu. They don't just ask questions; they use 'Divine Discernment' to see if your heart skips a beat when you lie."
"Good thing my heart is very lazy," Lin said, his mouth full of beef. "It barely skips for anything."
"I'm worried about you, Lin," Shen said, his voice turning serious. "The Sect Master isn't like Instructor Gane. He won't just see a 'Lucky Snail.' He'll see a Level 4 disciple who was at the center of three 'coincidental' array failures. If he thinks you're hiding something..."
"Then I'll tell him the truth," Lin said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "I'll tell him I was terrified, I threw things in a panic, and I'm very glad to be back where the trees don't try to eat my marrow. It's a very believable story because most of it is true."
Shen looked at him, his eyes narrowing. "You're either the best liar in the Tianyuan Continent, or you really are just the luckiest man alive. Either way... I'll stand by your testimony tomorrow. I told Xue the same thing. We saw what we saw."
After the "Hero Squad" left, Lin decided to take a walk. He needed to be seen. He needed the rumors of his "mediocrity" to be reinforced before the interrogation.
He wandered toward the Library. The building was partially covered in scaffolding, but the "Peaceful" section remained intact. He saw Elder Song sitting on the steps, staring at the moon.
"Back from the dead, I see," Song said, not looking at him.
"I brought you some leftover noodles, Elder," Lin said, handing him a small container. "Inner Peak quality."
Song took the container, sniffed it, and grunted. "Bribing an Elder? You're learning. How was the Weald? Did the 'Spirit-Severing' bridge look any closer?"
"It looked like a lot of mud and a very angry tree," Lin replied, sitting beside him. "I think I prefer the bridge that stays in books."
"The Council is meeting tonight," Song whispered, his voice suddenly sharp. "They're discussing the 'Anomalous Resonance' from the Southern Node. The Sect Master is bringing in the Six Peak Masters. Even the 'Hermit of the Alchemical Peak' is coming out of his cave. They know someone in that forest had more than 'luck' on their side."
Lin looked at the moon. He could feel the spiritual pressure rising in the distance—the collective aura of the sect's top brass preparing for tomorrow's judgment.
"It's going to be a long day tomorrow, isn't it?"
"Longer than a millennium of cultivation, boy," Song said, finally looking at him. "Make sure your 'Potato Soul' is ready. If a single thread of your true nature leaks out... not even I will be able to stop them from searching your Soul Ocean."
[Emotional Stability System]
Pre-Interrogation Status: Calm.
Strategy: Absolute Passivity.
Hidden Bonus: You have successfully fed the 'Original Male Lead' spicy noodles. His 'Brotherhood' meter has increased by 15%. This will provide a significant 'Social Shield' during the interrogation.
System Note: Enjoy the rest of your day off. Tomorrow, we meet the Peak Masters.
Advice: Practice your 'Dumbfounded Face' in the mirror. You'll need it when the Sect Master asks why you kicked a ten-ton pillar.
Lin spent the rest of his "day off" doing exactly what a Rank 88 disciple should do. He washed his socks. He fed a stray cat near the kitchens. He complained to the laundry-master about a missing button.
By the time the moon reached its zenith, the entire Outer Peak had seen Lin Qingyu doing "Average Things." To them, he wasn't a hero; he was just the lucky guy who had survived a mission and was now worried about his laundry.
He returned to his hut, blew out his candle, and lay down.
"Chapter 23," he whispered to the dark ceiling. "The last day of being a nobody."
He closed his eyes, his breathing falling into the rhythmic, balanced pattern that had served him through twenty-two chapters of chaos.
Tomorrow, the Hall of Judgment awaited. Tomorrow, he would stand before the six strongest beings in the sect.
But for tonight, the noodles were spicy, the bed was soft, and the world was—for a few more hours—perfectly stable.d the world was—for a few more hours—perfectly stable.