Elsewhere within the Outer Region of the secret realm...
The forest was deathly quiet.
A chilling wind swept between towering ancient trees, causing layers of frost to spread across the surrounding vegetation.
Unlike the warm forests elsewhere within the secret realm, this region had become unnaturally cold.
Crunch.
A layer of ice cracked beneath a boot.
Lin Shou remained standing in the middle of the clearing.
However, nearly half of his body had already been encased in thick crystalline ice.
His right arm.
His left leg.
Even parts of his waist.
All trapped beneath translucent blue frost.
The source stood only several dozen meters away.
Lin Jinyun.
He held several talismans between his fingers while laughing loudly.
"Hahaha!"
"I finally caught you!"
The laughter echoed across the frozen forest.
Lin Shou merely looked at him calmly.
His expression hadn't changed from beginning to end.
"You've laughed enough."
That indifferent tone instantly made Lin Jinyun's face twitch.
Even now.
Even after being trapped.
Lin Shou still looked down on him.
That expression...
He hated it.
Ever since the family competition.
Ever since that humiliating defeat.
Every single day had become torture.
Everyone compared them.
Every elder.
Every disciple.
Every servant.
Lin Shou.
Lin Shou.
Lin Shou.
As though no one else within the younger generation mattered.
His fists unconsciously clenched.
"You still dare act arrogant?"
"You should thank me."
"I specifically asked Father to obtain this Rank-2 High Grade Ice Sealing Talisman."
He raised another talisman proudly.
"Otherwise you'd already be dead."
The surrounding frost thickened.
The talisman's power continuously released freezing Spiritual Qi into Lin Shou's body.
The ice slowly crept upward.
Toward his chest.
Toward his neck.
Toward his head.
Lin Jinyun smiled viciously.
"This talisman was originally meant to trap a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator."
"You should feel honored."
He slowly walked forward.
Each step echoed across the frozen ground.
"I don't want you to die immediately."
"I want you to understand how it feels."
"To lose."
"To despair."
His smile became increasingly twisted.
"I've imagined this day for years."
Lin Shou remained silent.
His Gangqi quietly circulated beneath the ice.
Tiny cracks had already begun appearing.
Unfortunately—
The talisman truly deserved its Rank-2 High Grade status.
Every crack that appeared immediately froze once more.
The surrounding cold continued invading his meridians.
If this continued...
Breaking free would require time.
Lin Jinyun clearly understood this.
That was exactly why he remained so relaxed.
He finally stood directly before Lin Shou.
Only several steps separated them.
Looking into Lin Shou's eyes, he sneered.
"Still pretending?"
"Where's your Martial Intent now?"
"Where's your pride?"
"You can't even move."
Lin Shou finally spoke.
"I can."
Lin Jinyun laughed again.
"Really?"
"Move then."
Silence followed.
Lin Jinyun spread both arms dramatically.
"Come on."
"I'll wait."
Nothing happened.
The ice remained intact.
Seeing this, Lin Jinyun's confidence grew even further.
He slowly drew his sword.
The blade reflected the icy surroundings.
"You know..."
"I've imagined cutting you apart."
"Not killing you immediately."
"No."
"One arm first."
"Then a leg."
"Then the other."
"I wonder how long someone who comprehended Martial Intent can scream."
His sword slowly rose.
Lin Shou simply watched him.
There wasn't fear within his eyes.
Nor anger.
Only observation.
That calmness gradually irritated Lin Jinyun again.
"Stop looking at me like that!"
His voice became louder.
"You think you're stronger?"
"You think you're more talented?"
"Without your Martial Intent you're nothing!"
His emotions became increasingly unstable.
The years of accumulated resentment finally erupted.
"I reached Foundation Establishment!"
"I'm ahead of you now!"
"I've already surpassed you!"
Lin Shou shook his head slightly.
"No."
One word.
Only one.
Yet it completely ignited Lin Jinyun's rage.
"You!"
His sword immediately slashed downward.
However—
Before the blade reached Lin Shou—
Crack.
A tiny sound echoed.
Lin Jinyun frowned.
Crack.
Another.
This time louder.
His pupils shrank.
The thick ice surrounding Lin Shou's right shoulder suddenly developed several long fractures.
"No..."
Lin Jinyun immediately stepped backward.
Impossible.
The talisman still had spiritual power.
How could the ice break?
Within the frozen prison—
Crimson light gradually emerged.
Warm.
Sharp.
Explosive.
The surrounding frost immediately began melting.
Steam continuously rose into the air.
Lin Shou slowly exhaled.
His Gangqi circulation reached another cycle.
Boom.
The Martial Intent hidden within his body finally erupted.
Unlike before—
This time it wasn't released through his saber.
It exploded directly from his body.
The ice surrounding his upper body instantly shattered.
Countless fragments flew everywhere.
Lin Jinyun's expression completely changed.
"Impossible!"
"That talisman—"
"It should still—"
Lin Shou calmly interrupted him.
"It was slowing me."
"Nothing more."
Lin Jinyun immediately activated another talisman.
Spiritual light flashed.
Several ice spears formed.
Before they could fire—
Lin Shou disappeared.
The distance between them instantly vanished.
Martial artists.
Once they entered close combat—
Everything changed.
Lin Jinyun only saw a blur.
Then—
Bang!
A fist slammed directly into his abdomen.
His entire body bent forward violently.
Air exploded from his lungs.
The defensive spiritual barrier surrounding him trembled violently.
Before he could react—
A second strike landed.
Boom!
His barrier cracked.
His feet left the ground.
He flew backward more than twenty meters before crashing through two ancient trees.
Splinters exploded everywhere.
"Cough!"
Fresh blood poured from his mouth.
Lin Jinyun looked up in disbelief.
How?
How could someone still trapped moments earlier appear before him so quickly?
He immediately activated another defensive artifact.
A blue shield materialized.
Lin Shou continued walking.
One step.
Then another.
Each step remained steady.
The remaining ice around his legs continued breaking apart naturally.
His hand slowly reached toward the saber at his waist.
Seeing that motion—
Lin Jinyun's heart nearly stopped.
He remembered.
That same motion.
The family competition.
The same calm expression.
The same terrifying pressure.
"No..."
He immediately threw three talismans simultaneously.
Explosions.
Ice spikes.
Wind blades.
All erupted together.
Lin Shou finally drew his saber.
The blade left its sheath silently.
Then—
One slash.
Nothing spectacular.
Yet the Martial Intent hidden within the strike caused the surrounding Spiritual Qi to split apart.
Boom!
Every incoming attack shattered instantly.
The remaining force continued forward.
Lin Jinyun desperately raised his shield.
Clang!
The artifact split into two.
The saber stopped only an inch from Lin Jinyun's neck.
Everything became quiet.
Only the sound of heavy breathing remained.
Lin Jinyun stared blankly at the blade.
Cold sweat continuously flowed down his forehead.
He...
Lost.
Again.
Even after Foundation Establishment.
Even after preparing for years.
Even after using a Rank-2 High Grade talisman.
The result remained identical.
Lin Shou slowly lowered his saber.
"I've never considered you my opponent."
Those words struck harder than any attack.
Lin Jinyun's face became deathly pale.
His pride completely shattered.
Lin Shou turned around.
He had no intention of killing him.
They belonged to the same family.
Personal grudges remained personal grudges.
Executing another direct family disciple inside the secret realm would create unnecessary complications.
However—
Just as he prepared to leave—
His expression suddenly changed.
The Martial Artist's sixth sense screamed.
Danger.
Without hesitation, Lin Shou immediately turned.
At that exact moment—
A black arrow silently pierced through the forest.
Its target...
Wasn't him.
It was the kneeling Lin Jinyun.
---
With the arrow piercing through Lin Jinyun's chest, Lin Shou made no attempt to stop it.
Why should he?
This bastard deserved to die.
The only thing that surprised him was that he hadn't been the one to finish the job.
His eyes instantly narrowed.
Without even glancing at the collapsing body, he turned toward the direction from which the arrow had come.
His Martial Intent erupted.
Boom!
Brilliant crimson Gangqi exploded around him as his entire figure transformed into a streak of light.
His movement technique had reached its limit.
His body tore through the forest, leaving shattered branches and scattered leaves in his wake.
Fast.
Too fast for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators to react.
His perception spread in every direction.
The martial artist's sixth sense continuously searched for danger while his hearing captured every minute disturbance within several hundred meters.
Nothing.
Only the rustling of leaves.
The distant cries of birds frightened into flight.
And the scent of fresh blood lingering in the air.
Lin Shou stopped atop a towering ancient tree.
His sharp gaze swept across the surroundings.
North.
South.
East.
West.
Every possible sniping position entered his vision.
No one.
Not a single trace remained.
Even the lingering killing intent had completely disappeared.
The attacker had retreated immediately after firing.
Professional.
Decisive.
Lin Shou frowned.
"Who..."
The single arrow hadn't been aimed at him.
It had targeted Lin Jinyun.
More importantly—
The timing had been perfect.
It struck at the exact moment Lin Jinyun lost all ability to defend himself.
Whoever fired it had been observing the battle from beginning to end.
Yet they never interfered.
Not until the final moment.
That alone proved they possessed extraordinary patience.
Lin Shou slowly crouched beside a broken branch.
His fingers lightly brushed across its surface.
Still warm.
Someone had indeed stood here only moments ago.
Unfortunately...
No footprints.
No scent.
No aura.
The person had erased nearly every trace before leaving.
Lin Shou clicked his tongue.
"What a troublesome fellow."
Whether friend or enemy, someone capable of disappearing so completely wasn't someone he wished to encounter carelessly.
After another several minutes of searching without results, he finally gave up.
Continuing would simply waste time.
The secret realm had only recently opened.
Every moment spent here meant another opportunity lost elsewhere.
With a final glance toward the forest, Lin Shou turned around and returned to the battlefield.
...
By the time he arrived, Lin Jinyun's corpse had already grown completely cold.
Blood stained the surrounding ground.
The arrow remained embedded directly through his heart.
One shot.
One kill.
Lin Shou looked down silently.
He remembered the first time the two had fought.
He remembered the insults.
The constant provocations.
The jealousy.
The schemes.
Even today, Lin Jinyun had been willing to waste a precious Rank-2 High Grade Ice Talisman simply to torture him before killing him.
Some people simply never changed.
Lin Shou spat lightly onto the ground.
"Good riddance."
There wasn't the slightest pity within his heart.
The cultivation world wasn't a place where kindness was rewarded.
Had their positions been reversed, the corpse lying here would have been his own.
Without another thought, he crouched beside the body and began searching it.
His movements were practiced.
Within moments he found a storage pouch hidden beneath the robes.
His divine sense entered it.
Immediately, his eyebrows rose slightly.
"So few spirit stones?"
Inside rested neatly stacked piles of low-grade spirit stones.
After a quick estimate, there were roughly fifteen thousand.
For an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, this represented a considerable fortune.
It seemed Lin Jinyun had prepared thoroughly before entering the secret realm.
Unfortunately—
Everything now belonged to someone else.
Lin Shou continued searching.
Several bottles of medicinal pills.
A few communication talismans.
Recovery medicine.
Maps.
Nothing particularly valuable.
Then he frowned.
"No magical artifacts?"
He searched once more.
Still nothing.
That was strange.
Even a newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator should possess at least one offensive magical artifact.
Unless...
His father had intentionally withheld them.
Or perhaps Lin Jinyun simply hadn't had enough time to refine one after his breakthrough.
Either possibility was reasonable.
Lin Shou shrugged.
"It doesn't matter."
Fifteen thousand spirit stones already made this trip worthwhile.
He stored everything inside his own pouch before finally standing.
His gaze drifted toward the deeper parts of the secret realm.
The outer region had already served its purpose.
Rank-1 herbs.
Rank-1 beasts.
Small inheritances.
Those opportunities were valuable for ordinary cultivators.
But not for him.
His target had always been the inner region.
There...
The truly valuable resources began appearing.
Rank-2 spiritual medicines.
Foundation Establishment inheritances.
Ancient ruins.
And perhaps...
The opportunity capable of allowing him to comprehend the next stage of his Martial Intent.
Without hesitation, Lin Shou activated his movement once more.
Boom!
His figure disappeared into the distance.
The forest gradually returned to silence.
Only Lin Jinyun's corpse remained behind.
Not long after Lin Shou departed, several Rank-1 carrion beasts cautiously emerged from the undergrowth.
Their scarlet eyes stared hungrily at the corpse.
Within moments, the sounds of tearing flesh echoed quietly beneath the ancient trees.
Such scenes occurred countless times throughout the secret realm.
Those who died quickly became nourishment for beasts.
The secret realm had never been a place of mercy.
It was a place where opportunities and death walked hand in hand.
Meanwhile...
Across the entire outer region, countless cultivators had already reached the same conclusion as Lin Shou.
After nearly three days of exploration, most easily obtainable opportunities had already been claimed.
The remaining herbs were either fiercely contested or guarded by powerful yao beasts.
Continuing to linger in the outer region offered diminishing returns.
Thus, streams of cultivators gradually began moving toward the inner region.
Some traveled alone.
Some formed temporary alliances.
Others hunted one another along the way.
The deeper they ventured, the more dangerous the secret realm became.
Yet everyone understood one truth.
The greatest opportunities had never existed within the outer region.
They waited ahead.
In the inner region.