The dim skies above roiled with heavy dark clouds, the air laced with moisture from the steady drizzle of rain that had started to fall. Shen Yuan stood silently, having just appeared before the four figures in the secluded corner—Yi An, Rong Xiulan, Zhou Xiaosi, and Bai Chen. The atmosphere was heavy, the air tense like a thread pulled taut and ready to snap at any moment.
Yi An and Rong Xiulan were the first to move. They stepped forward and cupped their fists toward Shen Yuan with the grace befitting disciples of the Sword God Sect. Shen Yuan returned the gesture with composed elegance, his face as unreadable as ever.
Leaning casually against a stone pillar was Zhou Xiaosi, arms folded, the smirk on his lips bordering on condescending. And beside him stood Bai Chen, his dark brown robes immaculate, hair tied back in a flowing ponytail. Though his eyes remained closed, the stillness of his presence was suffocatingly profound.
Shen Yuan needed no introduction. The still aura, the calm, nearly emotionless pressure—there was no mistaking Bai Chen. This was the man who had once betrayed him three centuries ago. The one who, by all logic, should be dead by Shen Yuan's hand at this point.
Yi An was the first to break the silence.
"We didn't expect you to reach the Quasi-Elysian stage in such a short time," he said, his voice smooth. "Even with incomplete comprehension, it takes close to 20 years at least."
Shen Yuan's voice was low, almost disinterested. "I didn't expect it either. Guess I was fortunate enough to get lucky."
Yi An gave a faint smile. One that held no warmth and was not really a smile. "You, of all people, don't believe in luck or fortune. Let's not pretend otherwise."
Shen Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, just for an instant that didn't even last a second. Yi An's meaning was clear to him, a thinly veiled challenge. A probe. A threat. 'What is your secret really? We all will see how strong your so-called mere pseudo-domain is during the fight.'
But Shen Yuan simply responded with a smile—so convincing, so effortlessly natural, it unsettled Yi An. The confidence behind it wasn't bravado—it was detachment, the smile of someone who'd already seen through his word play.
Yi An started to sweat slightly, which he didn't notice and thought, 'how could Shen Yuan be this casual even after knowing what I meant… is it arrogance… no this is just complete confidence, but how?! How can he be so confident with a mere pseudo-domain, when his opponents including me have true domains!'
Unnerved and noticing his sweat, Yi An clicked his tongue and backed off. "We'll meet soon. Prepare yourself well." He turned to leave.
Rong Xiulan lingered for a moment longer, her pale features calm. "I'm curious," she said with a grin. "Let's see who freezes whom first." Then she vanished with a gust of icy wind.
Now only three of them remained.
Zhou Xiaosi finally pushed off the wall and chuckled. "I hope you don't disappoint, Shen Yuan. Killing a long-time enemy should be exciting. Not… mundane. Get it?"
Shen Yuan merely nodded in a very disinterested way.
Then Zhou Xiaosi turned to Bai Chen. "You're up. If you have got something to say to him, now's your chance."
Bai Chen stepped forward, opening his eyes at last. They were sharp and calm, carrying centuries of weight.
"I don't sense the same malice in you anymore," he said quietly. "Do you not hate me? Even after what happened three hundred years ago?"
Zhou Xiaosi smirked, amused at the question, though he knew it would come.
Shen Yuan looked at Bai Chen. He was silent for several seconds, then gave a slow, almost serene smile.
"Hate you? No… Why waste emotion on that?" His voice was soft, but firm. "You betrayed me. I nearly died. I was angry… once. But lately, I've gained some insight."
He closed his eyes, letting the cold breeze touch his face, and continued, "Greed is human nature. Even animals choose the stronger side. So I don't hate you anymore. You simply acted according to your nature."
Shen Yuan took one step forward—not threatening, but definitive. "But if that same nature drives you to come for my life again… don't expect forgiveness. Only consequences."
The wind stirred the rain as silence fell. Bai Chen was stunned, jaw slack, breath caught. Even Zhou Xiaosi was left in disbelief.
Shen Yuan turned away, staring into the rainy sky, the darkness of the clouds seemingly more comforting than a clear sky. His teammates, watching from afar, exchanged puzzled looks. They couldn't hear what was said, but the silence and expressions told them it wasn't any casual talk.
Zhou Xiaosi finally composed himself, his eyes narrowing and turned to leave. "We'll meet in the team battles," he said coldly. His voice echoed as he vanished.
"Let's go, Bai Chen," his voice rang from the distance.
Bai Chen hesitated, then shot one last narrow glance at Shen Yuan—part confusion, part frustration—and then vanished.
Shen Yuan stood still for another moment, then opened his eyes and smirked. He looked at his teammates from across the field, and the next instant, he appeared beside them.
All of them flinched.
"Why are you jumping like rabbits?" he asked flatly.
Xiang Xiaoli frowned. "If you were even slightly normal, you'd know."
Shen Yuan shrugged. "Anyway, I want to go to the marketplace. I'm in need of something."
Guo Bohai blinked. "Can't you just go there yourself?"
"I don't know the layout," Shen Yuan said lazily. "Closed-door cultivation, remember?"
Tang Jiyan pointed out, "You could just use your divine sense, you know."
"Too lazy."
All five of them exchanged exhausted looks.
Shi Meixiu sighed and said, "Sometimes you are so nonchalant and sometimes so cold, that's really scary."
"I know, anyways I only need Tang Jiyan and Dong Chen," Shen Yuan added. "The rest of you—go cultivate. Especially you, Guo Bohai."
Even though it stung a bit, it was true. They were the weaker links now. The three of them nodded and left without protest and the other three left for the marketplace.
The marketplace was vibrant, a maze of noise and colour. Cultivators haggled, vendors shouted, and the air buzzed with the scent of spiritual herbs and clinking of coins. Sharp-eyed merchants touted Earth-grade pills, spiritual beasts in cages, and shimmering treasure artifacts to anyone who looked remotely rich.
Shen Yuan walked leisurely, divine sense extended, scanning every shop and ignored most merchants who tried to call him even though they had low and mid grade earth rank thesaurus, those weren't what he was looking for at the moment.
Minutes passed. Most stalls were the same, while high in quality, didn't have what he needed.
Until—he paused. Ahead stood a cracked, decrepit building, its wooden sign hanging askew with cracks. A mere grade 5 defensive array protected it. It looked abandoned.
"This one," Shen Yuan said.
Tang Jiyan frowned. "This place looks abandoned."
"A treasure always lies in a ruin."
Shen Yuan easily dispelled the defensive array and stepped in.
Dust greeted them. The walls inside were cracked, shelves coated with cobwebs. Tang Jiyan and Dong Chen eyed the pill bottles and weapons—decent, but unimpressive.
Shen Yuan, however, made a beeline to a shelf behind the counter. A plain, dusty flute lay there. No power for combat. But it could manipulate spiritual energy, albeit temporarily and without defense and the gathered spiritual energy would disperse if one stopped playing the flute.
Although, it was exactly what he wanted.
Then a man appeared from behind the curtain. Middle-aged, with well kept robes but frayed at sleeves with eyes as sharp as a hawk, then his eyes lit up seeing the three's black-white robes, and realized they were from the Twin Soul Sect.
"Aha! A first-time visitor! Welcome, welcome. You must be new here," the man said, bowing shallowly with a too-wide smile. "You've come to the right place, sir. Our treasures are priced honestly, and our quality is unmatched among smaller shops."
Shen Yuan didn't respond. His gaze stayed on the flute.
The shopkeeper followed his gaze, and when he noticed the directions, his smile faltered for a moment, only to return even broader than before.
"Young master has sharp eyes! That piece… a mysterious treasure indeed. Found from a drifting ruin, it lacks a soul imprint but contains a unique structure, an artifact of ancient craftsmanship, perhaps."
"How much?" Shen Yuan asked plainly.
"For such a discerning customer like you, only 9,000 gold coins!"
Dong Chen leaned in. "He's trying to rip you off."
Tang Jiyan added, "It doesn't even have the power of peak Nirvana stage."
Shen Yuan waved them off.
Seeing this chance the shopkeeper pressed on. "Ah, don't be misled! It's not the grade, but the refinement. That flute holds energy paths more subtle than common Earth-rank items. For someone with talent—someone like yourself—it can act as a bridge to deeper comprehension."
"Three hundred," Shen Yuan said without blinking.
The shopkeeper blinked. "But that barely—"
"I said three hundred," Shen Yuan interrupted. "I'm in a good mood. But if you insist… I'll report the talismans hidden under the floorboards. The ones meant to erase trade records."
Cold sweat formed on the shopkeeper's brow.
"Also," Shen Yuan added lazily, "half the items on your upper shelves are expired."
The shopkeeper felt as if his heart would jump out of his chest and thought. 'How did this kid know what I have hidden underneath the floorboards and can even say the pills and herbs are expired with just a look… even I need to smell and these pills or herbs give no off smell. This kid… no this man is an old cultivation monster, even though he looks like a young adult, he is older…. Way older, even older than my dead grandfather, same for the other two beside him!'
The shopkeeper bowed, his smile trembling. "A sharp customer, indeed you are sir. Three hundred it is then."
He retrieved the flute, wrapped it in cloth, and placed it before Shen Yuan.
Just as Shen Yuan reached out—
An eerie cold wind swept through the shop.
The door creaked open.
Two figures stepped inside, cloaked in black-blue robes, their faces unreadable.
The shopkeeper fell silent as if he got afraid after seeing robes.