Within the quiet courtyard of the Jia Region, the shadow cultivator remained kneeling on one knee after delivering her report.
The spirit tree above swayed gently as morning light filtered through its leaves.
Lin Yan stood silently for a moment.
Her fingers lightly brushed across the sheath of her sword.
The shadow cultivator hesitated before speaking.
"Young Miss."
Lin Yan glanced toward her.
"What is it?"
The woman lowered her head slightly.
"The Qian Family young master appears quite close to him."
There was a brief pause.
Then she continued.
"Should I interfere?"
"Or perhaps investigate further?"
Lin Yan immediately understood what she meant.
After all, powerful families rarely viewed friendships simply as friendships.
Connections.
Relationships.
Benefits.
Most interactions were viewed through such lenses.
Especially when one of the parties possessed extraordinary talent.
Yet Lin Yan merely shook her head.
"No."
The answer came without hesitation.
The shadow cultivator seemed slightly surprised.
Lin Yan looked toward the distant Yi Region.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"I trust my brother."
"If he chooses someone as a friend, then there is usually a reason."
The shadow cultivator remained silent.
Lin Yan's voice became calm.
"Continue observing."
"But do not interfere."
"Yes."
The shadow cultivator immediately accepted the order.
Moments later—
Her figure dissolved into darkness.
The shadows beneath the spirit tree rippled briefly before returning to normal.
As though she had never existed at all.
Lin Yan remained standing alone.
Thinking about the report.
Thinking about Lin Sheng.
Thinking about how much he had changed since leaving Dragon Yuan Mountain.
A few years ago, he had still been the younger brother she occasionally needed to protect.
Now—
He had already stepped into the Xuan Gang Realm.
Even more importantly...
He had noticed a Foundation Establishment cultivator observing him.
That was not something ordinary Xuan Gang martial artists could accomplish.
At least not so easily.
"Looks like Master really did find a monster."
A rare smile appeared on her face.
Then she returned to cultivation.
There was still much work to do.
Especially if she wished to reach Purple Palace before the next generation competition.
---
Meanwhile—
Within the Yi Region.
Lin Sheng was finally enjoying something he had not experienced for a long time.
Peace.
Actual peace.
No breakthrough preparations.
No cultivation bottlenecks.
No urgent missions.
No life-and-death battles.
Just peace.
Ever since entering the Xuan Gang Realm, his body had undergone another qualitative transformation.
His physical body alone had reached the level of a Rank-2 Mid Stage Yao Beast.
Every movement contained explosive strength.
Every breath seemed capable of shaking ordinary mortals.
His senses had likewise evolved.
Many immortal cultivators believed Divine Sense was superior to everything.
Yet martial artists possessed advantages of their own.
Although Xuan Gang experts lacked true Divine Sense, they developed something different.
Something closer to instinct.
Or perhaps a sixth sense.
The opening of the Baihui Acupoint and the influx of Gang Qi through the brain caused tremendous changes to perception.
Danger.
Killing intent.
Hostility.
Spying.
Many things could be sensed instinctively.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
Combined with strengthened hearing, sight, smell and touch—
A Xuan Gang martial artist often resembled a human-shaped yao beast.
Perhaps that was why many ancient records described martial artists as possessing beast-like instincts.
At the same time, his mental power had also increased.
Though not dramatically.
The breakthrough through the Mysterious Pass had strengthened his spirit considerably.
The relationship between the three aspects became increasingly obvious.
Strong spirit.
Strong qi.
Strong body.
Then the strengthened body nourished the spirit in return.
A perfect cycle.
A balanced path.
Lin Sheng sat quietly within his cultivation room while reviewing the Chip's recent analysis.
The countless notifications generated during the breakthrough had finally been organized.
Large amounts of information regarding Gang Qi.
The Baihui Acupoint.
The Mysterious Pass.
And even traces of data concerning Martial Intent.
All of it would become useful in the future.
For now, however—
He could finally relax slightly.
At least until his next cultivation goal appeared.
---
Several days passed quietly.
Cloud Mist Market remained bustling as always.
The effects of Lin Sheng's breakthrough gradually faded from public discussion.
Meanwhile, another mission had appeared within the Training Center.
Medicine gathering.
The beast tide had destroyed countless herb gardens.
Many medicinal resources had become scarce.
As a result, trainees were being dispatched into the surrounding forests to gather specific herbs.
Naturally—
Most of Lin Sheng's group accepted the mission.
Everyone except Lin Sheng.
After all, he had only recently broken through.
The mentors themselves encouraged him to stabilize his cultivation first.
Thus—
The gathering mission became a team activity for Zhao Feng, Lin Shou, Lin Xiaolu and Lou Han.
The mission proceeded smoothly.
At least initially.
The group successfully gathered several batches of herbs and had already begun returning toward Cloud Mist Market.
Then—
Trouble appeared.
Several figures emerged from a nearby forest path.
The moment Zhao Feng saw them, his smile vanished.
Lin Xiaolu's expression turned cold.
Lou Han stopped talking.
Even Lin Shou froze.
Because among those figures stood someone very familiar.
Lin Jinyun.
The person who had stolen Lin Shou's fiancée.
The person responsible for one of the deepest grudges within their group.
For a brief moment—
Silence descended.
Then Lin Shou's eyes turned blood-red.
Pure killing intent erupted.
Seeing that expression, Zhao Feng immediately moved slightly.
Not to attack.
To prepare.
Years of friendship allowed him to instantly recognize what was about to happen.
The same was true for Lin Xiaolu and Lou Han.
Meanwhile—
Lin Jinyun's expression changed drastically.
He had never expected to encounter Lin Shou here.
Much less under such circumstances.
For years, Lin Shou had remained someone beneath his notice.
A side branch martial artist.
A discarded obstacle.
Nothing more.
Yet now—
The aura emanating from Lin Shou made his scalp go numb.
Peak Innate.
Just like him.
No.
Perhaps even stronger.
A dangerous thought suddenly appeared within Lin Jinyun's mind.
What if this man reached Xuan Gang?
The answer immediately terrified him.
His father was only Foundation Establishment.
If Lin Shou eventually entered Xuan Gang and continued growing...
The consequences could become disastrous.
Lin Jinyun might be arrogant.
But he was not stupid.
The moment he noticed the killing intent in Lin Shou's eyes, he understood one thing.
The grudge between them could no longer be reconciled.
Since that was the case—
There was only one option.
Destroy Lin Shou completely.
At least socially.
Immediately, Lin Jinyun's expression changed.
He adopted a look of anger.
A look of righteousness.
A look of disgust.
Then he spoke first.
"Lin Shou!"
His voice echoed through the forest.
The cultivators accompanying him immediately looked over.
"You still dare show your face?"
The accusation stunned everyone.
Lin Shou's eyes narrowed.
Lin Jinyun pointed directly at him.
"This man abused his fiancée!"
"She escaped from him and sought refuge with me!"
"I originally wished to spare him some dignity."
"But it seems he still refuses to let go."
The three cultivators beside him immediately frowned.
They had only heard fragments of the story before.
Now hearing Lin Jinyun's version—
Their gazes toward Lin Shou became hostile.
One of them even spoke.
"So that's what happened."
"Disgusting."
Another shook his head.
"No wonder she left."
The killing intent in Lin Shou's eyes intensified.
His fists trembled.
Not from fear.
From rage.
Pure rage.
Years.
Years of humiliation.
Years of hatred.
Years of enduring this grudge.
And now the bastard was still lying.
Still twisting reality.
Still acting like the victim.
Something snapped.
Without warning—
Lin Shou moved.
Boom!
The ground beneath his feet exploded.
A terrifying palm strike erupted forward.
No warnings.
No hesitation.
No holding back.
This was a killing strike.
A strike meant to end everything.
Lin Jinyun's face instantly turned pale.
Fortunately—
He had prepared.
A golden talisman attached to his body activated automatically.
Golden Cover Talisman.
A defensive talisman capable of resisting Late Stage Qi Refining attacks.
Boom!
The palm collided against the barrier.
Golden light exploded outward.
Cracks appeared instantly across the shield.
Yet it held.
For one brief moment—
It held.
"Attack!"
One of Lin Jinyun's companions reacted immediately.
The three cultivators moved simultaneously.
Spells erupted.
Sword light flashed.
Talismans activated.
All aimed directly at Lin Shou.
Unfortunately for them—
Lin Shou wasn't alone.
Cold mist suddenly appeared.
Lin Xiaolu stepped forward.
Her Ice Sword Momentum erupted.
The surrounding temperature plummeted.
Several incoming attacks froze midair before exploding apart.
At the same time—
Lou Han charged forward.
A blazing radiance erupted around his fists.
The air distorted from heat.
Bang!
A spell was smashed apart directly.
Meanwhile—
Zhao Feng appeared beside Lin Shou.
The usual lazy smile had completely disappeared.
His eyes became cold.
Dangerously cold.
"You picked the wrong people."
The next moment—
The forest exploded into chaos.
Spells.
Palm strikes.
Sword light.
Momentum.
True Essence.
Multiple Peak experts collided simultaneously.
An all-out brawl had begun.