Grand Prosperity Auction House.
Xia Wei held a fresh intelligence report in her hands, her expression turning subtle as she read.
"Yu Baiji?"
Her brows lifted slightly.
"That man is a ruthless one… but didn't he vanish years ago?"
She flipped to the next page, eyes narrowing.
"And Lin Ye…"
"So he really is Lin Zhonghai's son."
A slow smile formed.
"No wonder his aura felt strangely familiar. It wasn't just my imagination."
Lin Zhonghai.
Even in Thunderwind River Domain, that name carried weight.
A hero who should've risen to legendary status—if fate hadn't cut him down early.
Xia Wei continued reading…
…and the calm amusement on her face vanished.
"Wait."
Her eyes widened.
"Lin Ye… killed Yu Baiji?!"
These weren't rumors from tavern drunks.
The auction house had sent experts to confirm the situation personally.
The information was solid.
Xia Wei leaned back, closing the report slowly.
A soft laugh escaped her lips.
"This Lin Ye…"
"He's far more interesting than I thought."
Even if it were only because of Lin Zhonghai's name, giving away the Five-Tiger Suppressing Cloud Cauldron had been worth it.
But now…
Xia Wei was convinced of something else entirely.
Befriending Lin Ye is a deal that will never lose.
The next morning.
No one had slept.
After last night's chaos, how could anyone?
But Lin Ye?
He treated it like nothing.
He entered deep cultivation sometime after midnight and didn't wake until dawn.
All the chaos of the night would be reported by Shen Miaoyu.
With Jiang Fusheng dead, Shen Miaoyu held the highest seniority among the core disciples present.
In Wind-Thunder Mystic Sect, rank was authority—and Shen Miaoyu was still the senior sister, no matter how monstrous Lin Ye's strength had become.
Eleven core disciples gathered in the courtyard.
Shen Miaoyu arranged everything quickly:
She.
Lin Ye.
Sun Yun.
And the injured Guo Liangyu.
The four of them would ride the last remaining Wind-Riding Bird back to the sect first, carrying Yu Baiji's corpse and filing the mission report.
Guo Liangyu had stabilized overnight, but the moment he saw Lin Ye, his face nearly turned green.
He looked like he was about to kneel and apologize on the spot.
You had THAT kind of strength… and you didn't show it earlier?!
Was this some kind of fishing tactic?!
Lin Ye, surprisingly, was generous.
He took ten thousand spirit stones from Guo Liangyu as "compensation" and let the matter drop.
Teenagers liked playing heroes.
It was normal.
As long as they learned their lesson.
Those who didn't…
were already cold corpses.
Everyone understood something clearly now:
They were alive because of Lin Ye.
If Lin Ye hadn't killed Yu Baiji…
none of them would've walked out of that night.
Still, the death of one core disciple and three inner stewards—
plus the loss of two Wind-Riding Birds—
was a massive blow to the sect.
Wind-Riding Birds were valuable assets.
They weren't easy to raise.
Aside from the four returning by air, the others would travel by horse through the wilderness.
Once Yu Baiji's body reached the sect…
the mission could be marked as complete.
Everyone would still receive rewards.
No one protested.
With Yu Baiji dead, the journey home would be far safer.
The Wind-Riding Bird beat its wings.
And soared into the clouds.
It was only because Shen Miaoyu had reacted fast last night that the final bird survived.
But she still couldn't understand one thing.
How had Jiang Fusheng poisoned the birds?
The poison wasn't even in his storage ring… was it?
But ultimately…
being alive was all that mattered.
And with survival came reward.
That alone was enough to excite the core disciples.
"Who did Steward Gu Qing usually associate with?"
Lin Ye suddenly spoke, calm and casual, as if asking about the weather.
"Who was he loyal to?"
Shen Miaoyu thought for a moment.
"Gu Qing belonged to the External Duty Hall. He carried out field missions. He should've answered to their manager—Mao Fengzhai."
Guo Liangyu, his arm wrapped in bandages, shook his head.
"No."
"You've all forgotten."
"Gu Qing was transferred just last month. Before that, he worked in the Affairs Hall for seven or eight years."
"If you're asking who he was closest to…"
"Then it was definitely Manager Xu Liang."
Guo Liangyu sounded certain.
"I used to see Gu Qing all the time when turning in mission slips."
Lin Ye's eyes turned cold.
"Xu Liang again."
He had wanted peace.
To cultivate in silence, grow stronger, then settle the score later.
But now?
It was obvious.
Xu Liang would never stop.
So Lin Ye couldn't afford to delay.
If he did—
this harassment would continue forever.
The ride was smooth.
No ambush.
No pursuit.
That alone relieved Shen Miaoyu slightly.
But even if last night seemed over…
Yu Baiji's allies were still out there.
Three masked black-clad figures had appeared, and their identities were still unknown.
One hour later.
The Wind-Riding Bird descended steadily onto the back mountain of Thunder-Ridge Peak.
The mission handoff was handled entirely by Shen Miaoyu.
She explained every detail clearly.
When the Affairs Hall steward finished listening, his face went pale with shock.
Sun Yun and the others signed as witnesses, confirming her words were true.
"You did well."
The steward nodded stiffly.
"Once the remaining disciples return and our hall completes verification, rewards will be distributed."
"Your merit will be officially recorded."
"Thank you, Steward Tian."
Shen Miaoyu bowed respectfully.
The group left.
And the moment they were gone…
Steward Tian Feng moved quickly.
Report in hand, he climbed to the upper floor of the Affairs Hall and entered Xu Liang's study.
"Manager Xu—something major has happened!"
Xu Liang raised his eyes.
"What is it?"
Tian Feng shut the door and placed Shen Miaoyu's written record in front of him.
Xu Liang read it.
Halfway through, his breathing stopped.
Then—
he slammed the paper down.
"This is impossible!"
His eyes flashed with disbelief and rage.
"Lin Ye…?"
"How could Lin Ye be Qi Sea Eighth Layer?!"
Qi Sea Eighth Layer!
That level was enough to challenge for the Core Seat Leader position.
The current leader, Chu Mengxi, had been Qi Sea Ninth Layer, preparing to break into Earth Transformation—
but she failed and nearly lost control.
Her cultivation had likely fallen.
And now, everyone beneath her was watching for weakness.
From second place onward…
the top core disciples were all Qi Sea Eighth Layer.
If Lin Ye had this kind of ability—
how could he hide it so perfectly?
And Xu Liang had personally investigated Lin Ye before.
Nothing had ever hinted at this.
Tian Feng hesitated.
"…I believe it's true."
"Too many people saw it."
"But Gu Qing is dead."
"Dead is dead!"
Xu Liang roared, his voice cracking with fury.
"That useless trash!"
"And Yu Baiji is trash too!"
"A dignified Earth Transformation cultivator… unable to kill a mere Qi Sea cultivator?!"
He slammed his palm down.
The entire desk exploded into splinters.
In that moment, Xu Liang's suspicions solidified.
His son Xu Ming's death…
had to be connected to Lin Ye.
Without question.
Tian Feng swallowed.
"What should we do?"
Xu Liang's eyes darkened.
"Don't archive this report."
"Say the matter is still under investigation."
"Go back to Thunder River City."
"Find out exactly what happened."
"Yes!"
Tian Feng hurried out.
Xu Liang stood alone in the shattered study, his fists trembling.
Blood vengeance.
There was no compromise.
No peace.
Lin Ye's head had to be taken.
Even if Xu Liang had to do it himself.
Reporting this to Sixth Elder Geng Shiqiu?
There was no point.
He had already failed once.
So now, Xu Liang would return only with Lin Ye's corpse.
Killing inside the sect was hard…
but not impossible.
After all—
some disciples often went too deep into cultivation…
and died from qi deviation.
Accidents happened.
Lin Ye returned to his courtyard.
Using the Five-Tiger Suppressing Cloud Cauldron, he refined a batch of third-grade pills—
Instant Qi Pills.
These pills restored mystic energy during combat.
Even though Frenzied Blood Curse had no backlash…
it drained his energy pool almost completely.
If his mystic energy were deeper, the secret art could last longer.
But for now?
Instant Qi Pills would be perfect.
The reason Instant Qi Pills were rated third-grade was simple:
In three breaths, they could restore seventy percent of an Earth Transformation expert's strength.
For anyone below Earth Transformation?
It was a full refill—instant.
In battle, that was a weapon of its own.
Night fell.
Lin Ye was about to resume cultivation…
when the Nine Revolutions Asura Art suddenly reacted.
A presence.
Someone had entered the courtyard.
Lin Ye's lips curled into a faint, cold smile.
So…
someone had finally come to deliver themselves.
He stepped out.
Not because he feared anything—
but because he didn't want to break his furniture.
In the courtyard stood a figure with their back turned.
Lin Ye's voice was calm, almost casual.
"You're Xu Liang, aren't you?"