The strength gap between the sixth and seventh stages is the largest in the Qi Condensation realm.
The sixth is like a young adult. The seventh is a fully grown adult.
Even if their total Qi reserves are similar, the multiplier the latter holds is far beyond anything a sixth-stage cultivator can reproduce.
Because at the seventh stage, a seed of the Dao forms.
The faint image of him splitting in half shocked Hong Qing, but the blade was already drawn and there was no turning back. Her heart skipped a beat.
Even with the Origin Ember Heart Law and her rage, the gulf to a true martial master could not be crossed simply by having more power.
Her Dao seed of the sword was the core of her talent.
A sword that could slice a mountain apart.
The easiest way to identify a genius is to see whether they have the potential to form a Dao seed. In her case, her body was struggling to keep up with her instinctive understanding of the sword, which caused her sudden surge in power.
But it came at a cost. Damage the seed, and you damage the Dao itself.
"Ack!"
Hong Qing spat blood as she withdrew her sword. She had betrayed her own intent and suffered the backlash. She felt her heart crumble from within, her conviction collapsing under the guilt and tearing at her cultivation.
"Why worry? That was a nice move."
A cool voice, sharp and clean like the first drop of frozen snow, snapped her mind clear.
Time resumed as the image in front of her shifted. It had only been a thick sheet of transparent ice, distorting the distance. The real Wu Han was unharmed and even smiling.
"Phew. That would have been bad news."
Wu Han ended his enhanced state and adjusted his collar.
If he died again and had to revive in public, it would draw far too much attention.
Being the disciple of the Miracle Doctor was already enough.
If word spread that he could return from the dead, far stronger figures would chase him down.
And he had no interest in being captured by some old monster before he was strong enough to escape.
"Agreed."
The voice descended from the sky. The speaker landed with effortless grace, her presence chilling the warm afternoon into a cold, serene breeze.
There was only one person in the Luo clan who could do that.
"Luo Lan?" As an inner disciple, Hong Qing knew their number one disciple.
Luo Lan gave her a small nod before grabbing Wu Han by the hand. "Come."
It was not a request. It was a warning as she pulled him along.
And just as he could not match the speed of a seventh-stage cultivator like Hong Qing, he could not even resist the strength of a ninth-stage cultivator like Luo Lan.
But seeing that she came to him meant only two things.
At the moment before parting, Hong Qing saw it. The smile.
The true smile of Wu Han that shook her to the core. It was like something from the most horrible nightmare she would ever witness.
She fell to her knees, weak, while Wu Han was dragged away by Luo Lan.
The sight of the girl and the man running across the sect would of course become the talk of the town, especially the rare appearance of Luo Lan in public, and the fact that beside her was the disciple of the famously known Divine Touch.
Luo Lan did not bring him anywhere new. It was the cultivation tower, to his room at the top.
"I got it."
Luo Lan's face showed excitement, guilt, and hope, fused and overlapping in every breath.
She pulled from her storage ring a drawing, or more precisely, an ancient hand-drawn map.
Wu Han burst out laughing. She had actually managed to get her part of the deal.
And the timing could not have been better. He was already planning to ascend to the seventh stage.
"No matter how hard I try, I can't break the illusion." Luo Lan said. Even with her gift of clear eyes that could see past Wu Han's illusions, she still could not pry into the secret script within the map.
"It's simple. Illusions are just lies placed by their creator. All we need is to know the truth."
Wu Han extended his hand and a magic circle appeared above the ancient map. The moment it detected his spell, four rings emerged from the map.
"Tsk. As expected." Wu Han frowned. There was always a failsafe for something valuable.
This map was none other than the Luo clan's greatest secret. The clan layout.
From the first day he set foot here, his goal had been to uncover their purpose in creating such a delicate balance within the sect. The cultivation tower, the illusion beast array, and what they were hiding beneath it all.
That was the deal between him and Luo Lan. She would get him a clue, and if it led to his growth in power, he would buy her a hundred years of freedom from pain.
"It still took longer than expected. I hope you didn't try something behind my back." Wu Han glanced at Luo Lan, who shivered slightly.
"My father… I…" It was her first time lying. Luo Lan had never lied to her father before.
She had taken so long because she feared her father and the elders would reject her request. So she lied and said it was urgent. As for the lie itself, she told him that their ancestor had appeared and ordered her to retrieve the secret.
"We'll handle that later." Wu Han sighed and returned his focus to the ancient map.
Four rings meant four chances to break through.
If he were at his prime, he would have shattered the whole thing. But he did not have that luxury now, so the best approach was to pry it open little by little, like a master rogue.
Crack.
The first ring broke. His first guess had failed.
"Huh. You're bolder than I thought." Wu Han was surprised.
So, the secret was not in sight.
What could be seen was exactly what the map intended to show.
"Luo Lan, did you hear any strange sound from it?" Wu Han asked.
She shook her head. "It's just a blur in my eyes."
Hmp… it distorted the image, but it was not a lie placed on sight, which could only mean…
Then it was the mind.
On his second attempt, he broke the lock on consciousness.
An image forms in two ways. One through light reflected from the outside world and focused through the lens of the eye. The other through the mind, recalled from memory and projected into awareness.
This time, he was right.
All four rings began to shatter as the contents of the map rearranged themselves.
This was why illusion was the worst form of magic. Once you reached the truth, it became useless.
You could lie about many things. You could even become a master liar. But no lie could withstand the truth.
The map unraveled its true contents and projected a three-dimensional blueprint of the entire sect, revealing the real secrets beneath the Luo clan.
"I was always confused how Luo Chen managed to dig that deep and build under there. Turns out there was always an underground facility."
Even Luo Lan was surprised. Though small, three hidden chambers were buried beneath the sect's most important landmarks.
Each served a different purpose.
One lay beneath the illusion beast array.
The Engine. A powerful soul stone acted as its conduit, making the enslavement of beast souls possible without end. It also functioned as a pump, converting the excess Qi released during disciple battles into motion that sustained the array.
One lay beneath the clan's main hall.
Control. The core of the entire network. From here, the flow of Qi throughout the sect was regulated, resources were distributed, and recovery and cultivation speed were quietly enhanced for everyone under its influence.
And one lay beneath the cultivation tower.
Power. The true focal point of the sect. Hidden below a massive cauldron, it refined the energy of the entire tower and stored it in a stable reservoir.
"No wonder your clan has stood as the strongest for thousands of years." Wu Han felt genuine admiration for what they had achieved. This level of magical engineering was almost on par with the great magic academies of his old world.
"It's said our clan was founded by a nascent soul cultivator from an imperial family, someone who cared for the poor. That's why they helped establish Azure Peak Town."
Luo Lan recited the clan history she remembered, the same one her father had always spoken of with pride.
The head of the Luo clan was not just a title.
From the very first day, it carried the burden of protecting the city.
Normally, with her talent, she would have been crowned the next generation's leader.
But…
"The elders… they said my lifespan is a problem. And with your cousin gone, I'm just… waiting. To marry someone..."
Luo Lan hated her destiny.
With every passing day, its weight grew heavier, pressing down on her until breathing itself felt difficult.
For her current state, the most beneficial path was clear.
Marry someone. Bear an heir. Receive compensation.
Then die.
"But I don't want to."
She refused to accept that fate.
She was Luo Lan. The strongest.
She may have hated that title, born from years of hardship she had been forced to endure, but she still took pride in every ounce of effort she had poured into earning it.
It was proof that she existed.
But even that was not enough.
And even if it meant betraying her entire clan, she would see this hundred-year deal through.
Because, in the end, being alive mattered more than any title.
"Haha, that's the spirit." Seeing the determination in Luo Lan's eyes reminded Wu Han of someone from the past.
Someone who had begun their path with a simple goal.
To not die. No matter what.
"Now then," Wu Han said, smiling as he extended his hand forward, "shall we go steal your clan's greatest treasure?"
Like a devil, welcoming a desperate girl with open arms.