Walking out of the Flying Cloud Hall and arriving at a deserted spot, the smile on Lin Xuan’s face gradually faded away, replaced by a dark expression. A flash of killing intent flickered through his eyes.

He stood silently for a moment without speaking, but Elder Ma had already left a deep impression in Lin Xuan’s heart. Of course, he wouldn’t make any moves now, but once he had power in the future…

The sound of footsteps entered his ears—someone was approaching. Lin Xuan’s heart stirred, and the gloomy expression quickly disappeared. When he raised his head, his expression had already returned to normal, showing no trace of abnormality.

“Haha, did you hear? That waste Lin Xuan received two bottles of defective pills.”

“What’s so strange about that? A mortal without spiritual roots—does he even deserve to take spiritual medicine refined from heavenly treasures? Waste gets waste pills, isn’t that just right?” The other person mocked without restraint, completely disregarding that the person they were discussing was right beside them.

…

Lin Xuan acted as if he hadn’t heard anything, his expression unchanged as he brushed past them. Those who accomplish great things cannot act on momentary impulse. Acting rashly isn’t bravery—it’s stupidity. A true man must endure what others cannot endure. He’d keep these insulting fellows on his tab for now…

What mattered most now was still diligent cultivation. Strength was the hard truth. His original plan had been to use the Marrow Cleansing Pill to break through the bottleneck to the second layer, but looking at the defective pills in his hand, Lin Xuan fell silent for a moment, then turned and walked toward the outskirts of Drifting Cloud Valley.

Without the assistance of pills, with his ordinary person’s aptitude, even with the hard work on the Heart-Refining Path, breaking through the bottleneck would be difficult. After careful consideration, Lin Xuan decided to try his luck.

Not far from the sect, there was a small valley. The entrance was hidden and rarely visited by people. Lin Xuan had only discovered it by chance. There, he could occasionally gather some precious medicinal herbs.

Though the probability was small, Lin Xuan had encountered them a few times before. Besides spirit pills, some thousand-year spiritual herbs cstolen contentould also help increase cultivation.

Lin Xuan thought it over carefully. This was his hope for advancing to the second layer of the Spirit Stirring realm as quickly as possible. And even if he couldn’t find any spiritual herbs, there would be no loss. After weighing all this in his heart, Lin Xuan left Drifting Cloud Valley.

After leaving the sect’s territory, Lin Xuan didn’t immediately head to that valley. Instead, he wandered aimlessly nearby for several circles. He did this to ensure no one was following him, because that hidden valley could occasionally yield precious herbs, so Lin Xuan didn’t want others to know about it.

After circling for an hour, Lin Xuan confirmed no one was paying attention to him. Only then did he quietly leave the main road and slip into a secluded path. After twisting and turning through many bends, he arrived at the hidden valley.

A riot of purple and red—the grassland was filled with wildflowers, and the air was permeated with a fragrant scent. What beautiful scenery! However, Lin Xuan hadn’t come for a leisurely outing. He began searching the area carefully to see if there were any herbs that could enhance cultivation.

Time quietly passed. Lin Xuan still hadn’t found anything, but he wasn’t discouraged. He’d only searched a very small area. He continued looking.

But just then, the faint sound of voices reached his ears. Lin Xuan froze, then without hesitation dove into the nearby bushes.

A red light approached from the distance, followed by a “thud” as feet hit the ground. Two people descended into the valley, landing not far from Lin Xuan.

“Master, is your injury serious?” A young woman’s voice, her tone filled with concern.

Through the gaps in the bushes, Lin Xuan saw they were wearing Drifting Cloud Valley attire—members of his own sect. However, Lin Xuan didn’t go out to meet them. Better to avoid trouble than seek it. He’d observe the situation.

“Cough, cough… I can still hold on. Yan’er, are we close to Drifting Cloud Valley?” A weak voice, but Lin Xuan found it somewhat familiar. Which senior from the sect was this?

“Master, rest assured. We’re only a few miles from the sect. The enemy won’t unauthorized copydare pursue us here.”

“That’s good.” The weak voice sighed with relief, seeming to be quite severely injured.

“Master, please rest for a moment!”

With the sound of robes rustling in the wind, the woman helped the injured person lean against a large tree to sit down. Due to the angle, Lin Xuan could clearly see their faces.

“No wonder the voice sounded familiar.”

The man sitting on the ground appeared to be around forty years old, with three strands of long whiskers. He should have looked immortal and transcendent, but at this moment his face was ashen gray, his chest covered in bloodstains. The sight made Lin Xuan silently draw a sharp breath.

Zhang Yu—he was the instructor who had taught them the spiritual energy shield technique half a month ago. It was said this person had already reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment and was one of the sect’s protectors.

Lin Xuan also recognized the woman—Zhou Yan, a senior sister who had entered the sect several years before him. Though they were of the same generation, she had already reached the Great Perfection of the Spirit Stirring realm. Among the junior disciples, she was a top three expert. If nothing unexpected happened, in a few years she might successfully establish her foundation.

Both of these people were important figures in the sect. How could they have fled back here in such a pathetic state?

Moreover, looking at their expressions, furtive and like frightened birds, logically they had already reached the sect’s sphere of influence and shouldn’t need to be so cautious. Could it be they had some secret they didn’t want others to know?

In just a few seconds, Lin Xuan had made the above analysis. With this thought, though his heart was curious, he concealed himself even more carefully.

If the other party really had a great secret, and he happened to stumble upon it, the two would definitely kill him to silence him. The Cultivation World followed the law of the jungle and was extremely cruel. Lin Xuan didnR[stolen content]17;t want to inexplicably encounter a calamity from nowhere.

Facing a Foundation Establishment middle stage martial uncle and a Spirit Stirring Great Perfection stage senior sister, even if both were injured, killing him would be like crushing an ant.

After correctly analyzing and understanding the strength of both sides, Lin Xuan held his breath even more carefully, not even daring to breathe heavily. In his heart, he only hoped the other party would rest briefly and then quickly leave.

“Eh, someone’s here!”

Zhou Yan’s low exclamation startled Lin Xuan. Had she discovered him? But before he could make any move, he heard another cry of anguish.

“You… you sneak attacked me?” That voice was both terrified and furious, with a hint of disbelief: “Why… why?”

“Hmph, Master, you need not waste your energy. This Golden Binding Cord was bestowed upon me by you. You should understand its power. With your current physical condition, you can at most use twenty percent of your magical power. You cannot break free.”