The following weeks passed quietly.
The closer the competition approached, the busier Jade Haven City became.
Cultivators could be seen everywhere.
Spirit boats arrived daily.
Merchant caravans entered through the city gates in endless streams.
The inns became crowded.
The restaurants became crowded.
Even the arenas used for ordinary sparring were filled from morning until night.
Yet despite all of this activity, the members of Lin Sheng's group largely kept to themselves.
Everyone spent their time differently.
Lin Shou secluded himself frequently to stabilize his recent breakthrough.
Occasionally he would emerge to exchange pointers with Zhao Feng before disappearing once more.
Lou Han alternated between cultivation and eating.
Mostly eating.
Nobody bothered questioning it anymore.
Lin Xiaolu frequently left the Qian Family estate without explanation.
Sometimes she returned before sunset.
Sometimes after.
As for Lin Sheng—
The Qian Family Library had become his favorite place in the entire city.
...
The library occupied a large portion of one of the mountain peaks.
Several halls connected together through covered corridors.
Ancient trees surrounded the buildings while formations maintained a peaceful atmosphere.
During these weeks, Lin Sheng had practically scanned the entirety of the first three floors.
Thanks to Zhao Feng—
Or rather, Qian Feng—
He had unrestricted access.
Only the fourth floor remained forbidden.
That level housed the Qian Family's cultivation methods, martial inheritances, secret arts and core family records.
Even Zhao Feng couldn't casually grant access there.
Lin Sheng wasn't disappointed.
The first three floors already contained an astonishing amount of information.
Ancient manuscripts.
Incomplete cultivation notes.
Historical records.
Herbal encyclopedias.
Spiritual beast observations.
Formation sketches.
Mineral records.
Descriptions of celestial phenomena.
Records of ancient beast tides.
Accounts of strange natural disasters.
Some books had little practical value.
Others contained only fragmented information.
Yet Lin Sheng read them all.
The Chip continuously recorded everything.
Page after page.
Book after book.
The database expanded at an astonishing rate.
Many records even differed from those held within the Lin Training Centre, getting access to the Lin Family's Scripture Pavilion in Dragon Yuan Mountain wasn't possible.
Until he achieved Xuan Gang, all people without spiritual roots mean nothing.
Some information overlapped.
Others were entirely new.
Especially the observations regarding herbs and spiritual minerals.
Purple Palace families often accumulated knowledge over hundreds of years.
Even if they guarded their inheritances fiercely, miscellaneous records gradually piled up through generations.
To Lin Sheng, it felt like paradise.
Several times he discovered information that would have taken years to gather on his own.
Even incomplete information possessed value.
Sometimes one forgotten record could become the missing piece needed to solve a future problem.
The Chip certainly thought so.
...
Meanwhile.
One afternoon.
Lin Xiaolu walked through Jade Haven City's streets.
Lou Han followed behind while carrying a paper bag filled with roasted meat.
After several intersections, he finally noticed something.
"We're heading toward the Wu Family."
Lin Xiaolu nodded.
Lou Han blinked.
"The Wu Family?"
"Mm."
"Why?"
Lin Xiaolu remained silent briefly.
Then she suddenly asked:
"Do you know how many people inside the Lin Family Training Center actually belong to the Lin Family?"
Lou Han thought for a moment.
"Not many."
"Correct."
The Lin Family Training Center accepted talented youths from throughout their territory.
Most weren't Lin Family descendants.
They were outsiders.
Children who had failed spiritual root tests but possessed suitable physiques for martial cultivation.
The Lin Family raised them.
Trained them.
Provided resources.
Many eventually became powerful martial artists or at least .... became expendable.
Lin Xiaolu continued walking.
"When someone reaches Xuan Gang and isn't originally a member of the Lin Family, they're given two choices."
Lou Han listened quietly.
"First."
"They can marry into the Lin Family."
"Their descendants will carry the Lin surname."
"They gain access to the next realm of martial cultivation."
Lou Han nodded.
That was expected.
Martial inheritances weren't casually distributed.
Especially higher realms.
"The second option?"
"They remain independent."
"Then they accumulate contribution points through missions."
"Guarding mines."
"Guarding markets."
"Military deployments."
"Escort missions."
"Whatever the family requires."
"They continue exchanging contributions for the resources needed to advance."
Lou Han immediately understood.
Neither option was free.
The Lin Family had invested resources into raising them. Plus choosing the second option could lead to one getting sent to a dangerous mission at anytime and refusal isn't ideal.
Naturally there would be returns.
After several moments, Lou Han looked at her.
Then he looked away.
Then looked back again.
"...I see."
Lin Xiaolu didn't respond.
The two continued walking.
Neither spoke further on the topic.
Lou Han didn't ask.
Lin Xiaolu didn't explain.
Yet some things didn't require explanations.
...
A week later.
The competition finally arrived.
Jade Haven City's atmosphere changed overnight.
The massive arena at the center of the city had already become crowded before sunrise.
Countless spectators filled the surrounding seats.
Cultivators.
Merchants.
Rogue experts.
Representatives of various organizations.
Everyone had come.
For ordinary people, this was simply an exciting event.
For the major powers, however, the situation was more complicated.
A new Purple Palace cultivator could alter the balance maintained within Jade Haven City.
Some people welcomed such changes.
Others feared them.
The Dandao Alliance had sent representatives.
Several merchant alliances had also arrived.
Even experts from neighboring territories could be seen among the crowd.
No one wanted to miss what might become a historic event.
...
The arena itself was enormous.
Formation arrays covered every section.
Towering stone walls surrounded the battlefield.
Countless runes glowed faintly beneath the surface.
The platform was clearly capable of withstanding battles between Foundation Establishment and Xuan Gang experts.
Lin Sheng sat alongside the Qian Family delegation.
His gaze swept across the arena.
The Chip quietly recorded everything.
Soon—
The Wu Family arrived.
A large group entered the arena under the guidance of several elders.
At their center stood the Wu Family Patriarch.
Not far behind him was Wu Yuanhua.
The moment she appeared, many gazes shifted toward her.
After all—
Her reputation had spread throughout several provinces.
And so had her recent defeat.
Wu Yuanhua's expression remained calm.
Though those paying attention could easily notice the coldness hidden within her eyes.
Soon afterward—
The Qian Family formally took their seats.
Various members of both factions occupied different sections.
Even here, the division between the Patriarch's faction and the Grand Elder's faction remained visible.
Qian Ying sat among the Grand Elder's side.
His gaze occasionally drifted toward Lin Xiaolu.
Each time it did, Lou Han stared back.
Neither side spoke.
Yet the hostility was obvious.
Time passed.
The arena gradually filled.
Only one family remained absent.
The Zheng Family.
Many spectators exchanged looks.
The competition was nearly ready to begin.
Yet the Zheng Family had still not appeared.
Eventually—
A disturbance arose near the entrance.
The crowd shifted.
Then silence gradually spread.
The Zheng Family had arrived.
Not early.
Not on time.
Late.
Deliberately late.
Leading them was Zheng Ming.
Patriarch of the Zheng Family.
His expression remained calm as he led the delegation forward.
Behind him walked the elders.
Behind the elders came the younger generation.
And among them—
A single figure dressed entirely in black.
Black robes.
Black gloves.
Even the face remained hidden.
The moment the figure appeared, countless gazes converged upon him.
Nobody needed introductions.
Rumors regarding this person had already spread throughout Jade Haven City.
The mysterious representative.
The one who defeated Wu Yuanhua.
The unknown genius of the Zheng Family.
Even Lin Sheng finally looked up from his observations.
His gaze settled briefly upon the black-robed figure.
Nothing could be sensed.
No aura leaked outward.
No cultivation fluctuations.
The concealment method was impressive.
Around the arena, discussions immediately erupted.
Many spectators whispered among themselves.
Others stared openly.
The Zheng Family representatives, however, remained indifferent.
They took their seats calmly.
Not far away—
Wu Yuanhua's expression darkened.
Only slightly.
Yet it was enough.
The arena became even quieter.
Actions often revealed more than words.
The black-robed cultivator never once looked toward her. Almost mockingly in a way making Wu Yuanhua clench her fists.
The mysterious figure at the center of countless rumors had finally appeared.