The atmosphere within the Lin Family council hall remained solemn.
The news of a suspected Rank-3 Secret Realm had completely altered the direction of the meeting.
Moments earlier, discussions regarding demonic cultivators had dominated the hall.
Now—
Nobody cared about them anymore.
Compared to a secret realm, a few fleeing demonic cultivators were insignificant.
The elders exchanged glances.
Eventually, one of the senior elders spoke.
"The celestial phenomenon cannot remain visible."
Several others nodded immediately.
A phenomenon large enough to be detected from thousands of miles away would attract far too much attention.
If neighboring forces learned about it too quickly, the Lin Family would lose any advantage they currently possessed.
After several moments of discussion, a decision was reached.
A Rank-3 Formation Master would be dispatched immediately.
Not to seal the secret realm.
That was impossible.
Instead—
To conceal the celestial phenomenon temporarily.
At the very least, they would delay the spread of information while the family formulated a more comprehensive plan.
One elder quickly recorded the order.
The steward received the instructions.
Then left the hall without delay.
The atmosphere gradually relaxed.
At least somewhat.
The immediate problem had been addressed.
Now they only needed to determine their next course of action.
Naturally—
The question of consulting higher authorities arose.
One elder hesitated briefly before speaking.
"Should we ask Ancestor?"
The hall became quiet.
Another elder frowned.
"What about Grand Elder?"
Several people appeared thoughtful.
After all—
A secret realm was not a small matter.
Yet before the discussion could continue, another elder immediately shook his head.
"Absolutely not."
His tone carried unusual firmness.
"Disturbing either of them during seclusion would be foolish."
The others looked toward him.
The elder folded his arms.
"It's only a Rank-3 Secret Realm."
"We aren't dealing with a Rank-4 inheritance."
"We aren't dealing with a Purple Palace crisis."
"The family is capable of handling this ourselves."
Several elders nodded.
The argument was reasonable.
Both the Ancestor and Grand Elder were currently focused on cultivation.
Interrupting them unnecessarily would only create dissatisfaction.
Furthermore—
A Rank-3 Secret Realm wasn't enough to justify such a disturbance.
Not yet.
Eventually the matter was settled.
No messages would be sent.
No interruptions would occur.
At least officially.
With that decision reached, the meeting gradually concluded.
One elder after another departed.
The council hall slowly emptied.
Yet—
Not everyone left immediately.
A single elder remained seated quietly.
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
His gaze remained distant.
Thoughtful.
The secret realm.
The celestial phenomenon.
The unusual timing.
Something about the situation felt strange.
Perhaps it truly was a normal Rank-3 Secret Realm.
But perhaps—
It wasn't.
The cultivation world rarely rewarded carelessness.
Many disasters had begun with assumptions.
Eventually the elder sighed.
Then removed a communication talisman.
A brief message was transmitted.
Not to the Ancestor.
To the Grand Elder.
Just in case.
A precaution.
Nothing more.
After all—
If the situation proved harmless, nothing would happen.
If it wasn't harmless...
Then the Grand Elder would already possess advance notice.
The elder rose from his seat.
As he walked toward the exit, sunlight illuminated his aged features.
His gaze drifted toward the distant mountains.
Toward Dragon Yuan Mountain itself.
A faint smile appeared.
"I wonder how that kid is doing."
The words were spoken quietly.
Yet had Lin Sheng been present, he would have immediately recognized the speaker.
Old Liang.
His master.
The same old man who had introduced him to Martial Concepts.
The same old man who had quietly guided his growth.
Old Liang stared into the distance for several moments before eventually leaving.
The hall finally became empty.
Yet neither the elders nor Old Liang realized that events far beyond their expectations had already begun moving beneath the surface.
...
Meanwhile.
Jade Haven City.
One day had passed since the competition concluded.
The city remained lively.
Yet the atmosphere had changed considerably.
The competition was over.
The major powers had already begun repositioning themselves.
Rumors spread throughout the streets.
Most centered around two topics.
The mysterious black-robed woman.
And Lin Sheng.
Many people still couldn't understand how the final battle had ended so quickly.
Others were already attempting to investigate his origins.
Fortunately—
Most of those investigations led nowhere.
Fortunately, most investigations produced only limited results.
The easiest thing to uncover was Lin Sheng's identity.
He was a direct descendant of the Lin Family of Dragon Yuan Mountain.
Within Dragon Yuan Province, the Lin Family was far from unknown.
As the province's established Golden Core family, many forces possessed at least some information regarding them.
However, beyond confirming his identity, very little else could be learned.
His years within the Lin Family Training Center were not widely publicized.
His rise had been too sudden.
By the time most people began paying attention to him, he had already become one of the most outstanding members of the younger generation.
Some speculated that he possessed a special physique.
Others believed he had inherited an ancient martial legacy.
A few even suspected that a hidden expert within the Lin Family was secretly guiding him.
Regardless of the truth, everyone agreed on one thing.
The young man called Lin Sheng was far more dangerous than his calm appearance suggested.
Within the Qian Family estate, however, things remained surprisingly peaceful.
Even Zhao Feng found it somewhat strange.
The Purple Jade Pearl had officially entered the possession of the Qian Family Patriarch.
The breakthrough opportunity now belonged to his faction.
Yet the Grand Elder's faction hadn't created any trouble.
No protests.
No sabotage.
No challenges.
Nothing.
Of course—
The expressions on their faces remained ugly.
Especially the Grand Elder himself.
Yet beyond that, they had remained silent.
The situation felt almost too peaceful.
Several elders secretly increased security regardless.
No one truly believed the matter had ended.
Not when a future Purple Palace cultivator was involved.
...
Deep within a secluded courtyard.
Lin Sheng sat cross-legged.
The doors remained shut.
Several formation flags had been arranged throughout the room.
Rank-2 Concealment Formation.
Rank-2 Isolation Formation.
Rank-2 Spiritual Gathering Formation.
Combined together, they created a secure cultivation environment.
No sound entered.
No spiritual fluctuations escaped.
Within the center of the room—
Lin Sheng remained completely motionless.
His breathing was almost imperceptible.
His consciousness had already descended deep within his mind.
There—
The Yellow Origin Diagram floated silently.
Ancient.
Mysterious.
Eternal.
Its presence seemed increasingly profound with every passing day.
Around it, countless strands of golden light slowly circulated.
At the same time—
Eight brilliant stars occupied fixed positions throughout his mental world.
The Eight Star Points.
Each one shone brilliantly.
Each one had reached its current limit.
After months of cultivation and refinement, their growth had finally stabilized.
No further progress could be made for now.
The sensation felt similar to reaching the peak of a realm.
A plateau.
A temporary limit.
The Chip immediately displayed the latest information.
---
[Mental Field Radius: 69 Li]
[Growth Stabilized]
[Eight Star Points: Peak State]
[Further Advancement Requires Breakthrough]
---
Lin Sheng observed the information quietly.
Sixty-nine li.
The increase compared to the past was enormous.
Yet—
Still insufficient.
Purple Palace Divine Sense remained vastly superior.
Even so, Lin Sheng felt satisfied.
At least for now.
His attention soon shifted elsewhere.
Toward the Yellow Origin Diagram itself.
The massive visualization continued rotating slowly.
Each rotation seemed to contain endless mysteries.
Each line contained profound meaning.
The Chip displayed another notification.
---
[Yellow Origin Diagram Progress: 70%]
---
Seventy percent.
Only thirty percent remained.
The realization caused Lin Sheng's eyes to narrow slightly.
Ever since beginning the visualization method, he had experienced numerous benefits.
Mental enhancement.
Spiritual perception.
Mental Field expansion.
Comprehension growth.
Yet despite all of that—
He still didn't fully understand what completion would bring.
According to the inheritance—
The next stage would be Spirit Platform.
Yet what exactly constituted a Spirit Platform remained unclear.
The inheritance described it only vaguely.
A foundation of spirit.
A platform supporting immortality.
The path beyond mortality.
None of the descriptions were sufficiently concrete.
Which meant one thing.
No one had successfully completed it before.
Or if they had—
The records had been lost.
Lin Sheng remained thoughtful.
The Visualization Method claimed something outrageous.
Immortality.
Not longevity.
Not extended lifespan.
Immortality.
The difference between those concepts was enormous.
Yet such claims were common within cultivation inheritances.
Most proved exaggerated.
Whether this one was different remained unknown.
Regardless—
He had no intention of stopping.
The benefits alone justified continuing.
Even if immortality proved impossible, the visualization method remained one of the greatest opportunities he had ever encountered.
Golden light continued circulating.
The Yellow Origin Diagram slowly rotated.
Time passed.
Then—
The Chip suddenly issued another notification.
---
[Warning]
[Spiritual Sensitivity Increased]
[Abnormal Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi Fluctuations Detected Within Dragon Yuan Province]
[Probability Of Large-Scale Opportunity Event: High].