Qingyun Sect, Bamboo Courtyard.
As soon as Xiao Chen finished listening to his disciple's report, his fist clenched slightly beneath his blue robe. The expansion of the Xuantian Sect and Zhao Feng's rise were like a thorn in his heart. His feud with the Xuantian Sect had long been established, and now that they were so blatant, how could he stand idly by?
"Master, this disciple wishes to make a trip to the Northern Region." Xiao Chen looked at Lin Zhou, who was lying on a bamboo chair basking in the sun, his tone tinged with urgency. "Zhao Feng is ruthless; countless lives have been lost in the Northern Region, and..."
Moreover, he always felt that Zhao Feng's rise was too strange, and that aura seemed to be vaguely similar to that of the black-robed man who was spying on him in the secret realm.
Lin Zhou opened his eyes, toying with a spiritual fruit between his fingers, and said calmly, "What's the rush?"
"But……"
"There are no buts." Lin Zhou interrupted him, sat up, and looked towards the Central Region. "The Northern Region is just a corner. No matter how high Zhao Feng jumps, he can't cause too much trouble. Going there now will only increase the killing and will not make any difference."
He paused, looked at Xiao Chen, and his eyes became deep: "Do you think that only Zhao Feng, Zhao Wu, and a few others are the geniuses who came out of the secret realm?"
Xiao Chen was taken aback.
“The Central Region is more vast than you imagine,” Lin Zhou said slowly. “Ancient families hidden in seclusion, sects with a history of ten thousand years, rogue cultivators hiding in the deep mountains… how many geniuses have yet to emerge? Zhao Feng is just the first to show his face. If you are tripped up by him now, how will you compete with those truly top geniuses in the future?”
Xiao Chen fell silent. He knew his master was right. Although he had made some progress in the secret realm during this time, he had also witnessed the strength of Qian Duoduo, Zhao Wu, and others, and realized that there were always people more powerful than him.
"Cultivate diligently." Lin Zhou patted his shoulder. "The great struggle is not about speed at the moment, but about foundation, character, and whether you can stand firm in the tide. The more flamboyant Zhao Feng is now, the harder he will fall in the future."
Jiang Li, standing to the side, toyed with the rusty iron sword and pursed her lips: "That guy is indeed arrogant, but his strength has really increased... Next time I see him, I'll have to test his mettle."
Holding the book, Su She said softly, "The Northern Region is stained with blood; his path has probably gone astray."
Stone said in a deep voice, "Just fight! Let me practice some more, and I'll smash his gate with one punch!"
Lin Zhou looked at his disciples and smiled, "Don't let your guard down. The threshold for the Qingyun Sect isn't high, but those who leave must not embarrass me."
"Yes, Master!"
Days passed by.
After Xuantian Sect completely took control of the Northern Region, it temporarily halted its expansion and began to integrate the resources of the Northern Region. Under the black flag, the Northern Region was "unified" like never before, but it was also filled with a repressive and deathly silence.
The Central Region remained peaceful, yet news occasionally circulated—the eldest daughter of a reclusive family broke through to a higher realm, and the young master of an ancient sect descended the mountain for training. Each name carried the aura of a "prodigy," making cultivators from the four regions increasingly cautious.
The Southern and Western Regions remained peaceful, with all major powers cultivating in seclusion and accumulating strength, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to erupt.
The mountains of Qingyun Sect remain green, and the waters remain clear.
Xiao Chen practiced his spear every day in the back mountain. His spear intent became more and more refined, and his late-stage Fusion Realm gradually stabilized. He was faintly touching the threshold of the peak of Fusion Realm.
Jiang Li comprehends swordsmanship in Sword Valley, her red-clad figure intertwined with sword light, her sword skills becoming increasingly fierce; Su She studies in Bamboo Academy, occasionally discussing the Dao with Lin Zhou, his Confucian and Taoist spirit becoming increasingly pure; Shi Tou, on the other hand, is training his body in the martial arts arena, his body under the black iron armor becoming increasingly terrifying in strength.
On the surface, everything seemed calm and peaceful.
But Lin Zhou, Xiao Chen, and the others all knew that this calm was just a facade.
The temporary dormancy of the Xuantian Sect, the successive emergence of geniuses from the Central Region, the rumors of the descent of Buddhist disciples, and those ancient forces hidden in the shadows...
All the undercurrents are surging, and all the power is gathering.
All that's needed is the right opportunity.
An opportunity that could ignite the entire continent and usher in a new era of great strife.
The wind in the bamboo courtyard rustled through the old locust tree, making the leaves whisper as if they were talking.
Lin Zhou gazed at the sea of clouds in the distance, a faint smile playing on his lips.
It will be soon.
The era belonging to these young people is about to begin.
Rumors, once they spread in the cultivation world, travel faster than the strongest wind.
In just three days, the claim that "Xuantian Sect intends to unify the four domains, then besiege the central domain, and become the sole ruler of the continent" spread like wildfire throughout every corner of the four domains.
The storyteller in the teahouse embellished the story, describing Zhao Feng as a ruthless and ambitious villain with "rebellious eyes and boundless ambition"; spies from various families sent back messages, claiming with certainty that the Xuantian Sect had stockpiled 100,000 cultivators on the northern border, and the spiritual light from their weapons and armor could illuminate half the sky at night.
Inside the main hall of the Xuantian Sect, Zhao Lie slammed his hand on the table, and the hard rosewood table instantly cracked with spiderweb-like fissures.
"Nonsense!" he roared, his face turning ashen. "Our Xuantian Sect has only just stabilized the Northern Region. How could we possibly have the strength to unify the four regions? Who is spreading these rumors behind our backs, trying to put us in a difficult position?!"
The elders below all wore solemn expressions. One of them said in a trembling voice, "Sect Master, now is not the time to investigate the source of the rumors... The Rock Family of the Southern Region has already sent envoys to the Three Saints Sect of the Central Region, and the remaining reclusive families of the Northern Region are also secretly making contact. Even the Buddhist sect of the Western Region has sent word that they should be 'vigilant against any unusual activity in the Northern Region'..."
Zhao Feng stood to the side, his eyes sinister beneath his black robe. He knew better than anyone that this rumor was suspicious and its timing was too perfect—it came at the very moment when the Xuan Tian Sect was consolidating the Northern Region and its foundation was not yet stable. Clearly, they wanted to use the four regions to nip their emerging power in the bud.
“Father,” Zhao Feng said, his voice hoarse, “no matter who spread it, the rumor has already taken effect.”
He walked to the map and pointed his finger at the border between the Northern and Southern Regions: "The Southern Region is afraid that we will grow stronger, the Central Region wants to reap the benefits, and those Northern Region forces that we have defeated are hoping that someone will step up... Now, it's no use saying anything."
It's like mud falling into your crotch; even if it's not excrement, it becomes excrement.
Zhao Lie's chest heaved, and he finally slumped back into his chair, utterly exhausted. He knew his son was right; the cultivation world was a dog-eat-dog world, and once a chain of suspicion formed, any explanation would only be seen as a cover-up, making people think, "I'm just trying to hide something."
In the Qingyun Sect Bamboo Courtyard, sunlight filters through the leaves of the old locust tree, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Lin Zhou lay on the bamboo chair as usual, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. Freshly picked wild fruits were placed on the small table beside his feet. He looked as leisurely as a retired farmer.
Xiao Chen, Jiang Li, and Shi Tou walked side by side, their expressions all somewhat solemn.
"Master, the rumors outside..." Xiao Chen spoke first. He had just returned from the foot of the mountain, and the discussions he had heard along the way were enough to illustrate the seriousness of the situation.
Jiang Li curled her lips, her red dress swaying in the wind: "Even a fool would know that it was those old foxes from the Southern Region who released it. No matter how arrogant the Xuantian Sect is, they're not stupid enough to be shouting 'unifying the four regions' now."
"Fight! Let's go fight in the Northern Region!" Stone, carrying his black iron armor, replied in a deep voice, his eyes gleaming with excitement—he had been itching for a fight for a while now, having been engrossed in his cultivation.
Lin Zhou fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, lazily raising his eyes: "Oh? Do you think this rumor is stupid or not?"
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