The mist-shrouded mountains of the Broken Sky Sect loomed in the distance, their jagged peaks piercing the sky. Lin Yuan walked along the winding forest path, his figure calm and composed. Yet beneath his calm exterior, the unstable golden core within him pulsed with raw power, sending faint, warm ripples through his body. Each step he took left faint scorch marks on the ground, quickly fading as he restrained the power of the heavenly lightning surging within him.
But Lin Yuan's heart remained steady. Suppressing his true strength was second nature now. His golden core, still cloudy and unstable, hid beneath a facade of a mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator. His aura was perfectly concealed, his pace unhurried.
As he neared the sect's main gate, he noticed a commotion. A group of disciples had gathered, whispering anxiously, their expressions filled with fear. Lin Yuan's gaze sharpened slightly. Something was wrong.
Pushing through the crowd, he overheard fragments of their conversation.
"Another patrol was attacked…"
"This is the third time in a month."
"Was it a rogue cultivator again?"
"No… this time, even their corpses were gone."
Lin Yuan's expression remained calm, but his thoughts raced. He had only been away for a short while, yet the sect's surroundings seemed far from peaceful. Rogue cultivators attacking disciples, and now entire patrols vanishing? A flicker of cold light appeared in his eyes. Was someone deliberately testing the sect's defenses?
But he did not stop to inquire further. Drawing his outer disciple token, he calmly approached the gate.
The sect's towering gate loomed ahead, flanked by two outer disciples standing watch. One of them, a young man with a bored expression, barely glanced at Lin Yuan. "Name?"
"Lin Yuan, returning from an assigned mission."
The disciple glanced at the entry records, a flicker of recognition passing through his eyes. "Ah, you were sent on a mission, right? I see. You may enter."
Lin Yuan walked through the gate, his gaze casually scanning the surroundings. Despite the commotion, most of the sect's disciples seemed unaware of the recent danger. Only the senior disciples appeared vigilant, quietly directing patrols and setting up defensive formations.
But Lin Yuan's thoughts were elsewhere. As he walked toward his courtyard, a familiar but unwelcome presence appeared.
"Lin Yuan!" A voice called out.
Turning, he saw Li Qing, a fellow outer disciple with a friendly but slightly manipulative nature. Li Qing was the sort who liked to associate with promising disciples while pretending to be their friend.
"Senior Brother Li," Lin Yuan greeted calmly.
"Back so soon? I heard you were sent on a mission," Li Qing said, a bright smile on his face, but his eyes scanned Lin Yuan's expression closely.
"Just a simple task," Lin Yuan replied, keeping his tone neutral.
"I see. Well, you've missed quite a bit of excitement." Li Qing leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Disciples have been vanishing. Some say a rogue cultivator is targeting us. Others…"
"Others?" Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.
Li Qing's smile faded slightly. "Some think it's an inside job. Maybe even a demonic cultivator hiding among us."
Lin Yuan's gaze remained steady. "Interesting."
"Well, I won't keep you. Just be careful. Things are getting dangerous." Li Qing gave a friendly wave before walking off, his expression turning thoughtful.
Lin Yuan watched him leave, his calm expression unchanging. "Always scheming, always watching," he murmured to himself. But Li Qing was of no concern. If he tried to pry too far, he would only find himself in trouble.
Reaching his quiet courtyard, Lin Yuan activated a simple concealment formation—a modified version of the basic array he had learned from his formation book. Immediately, the spiritual fluctuations of his golden core vanished, replaced by the faint, stable aura of a mid-stage Qi Condensation disciple.
[Orb Interface Activated]
Cultivation: Golden Core Realm (Early Stage, Unstable)
Physical Body: Celestial Stone Body (Intermediate)
Spiritual Energy: Unstable Golden Core (Cloudy)
Special Abilities: Absorption, Spiritual Perception, Formation Insight, Heavenly Lightning (Raw)
Lin Yuan's fingers brushed against the formation book lying on his table. Though many of its contents were still sealed, his understanding had grown. He could now modify existing formations or create simple ones from scratch.
"Spiritual Gathering Formation… Concealment Array… and a Defensive Barrier." He murmured, his thoughts racing. With the recent danger outside the sect, these formations would prove useful.
But even as he studied, he did not neglect his cultivation. Sitting cross-legged, he activated the Spiritual Gathering Formation around his courtyard. A faint mist of spiritual energy began to gather, feeding into his dantian, nourishing his golden core.
Thunderous energy surged through his meridians, the remnants of his heavenly lightning tempering his body further. His muscles became denser, his bones more resilient. Each pulse of energy was a silent reminder of his hidden strength.
Yet even as he cultivated in peace, the Broken Sky Sect was anything but calm.
On the peak of the inner sect, a figure stood beneath the silver moonlight. Xia Zhi's silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, her eyes closed in silent meditation. Her aura was steady, pure, and filled with a faint frost-like chill. The moonlight seemed to cling to her, making her seem almost ethereal.
But her tranquil appearance hid a restless heart.
"Three patrols vanished… And no one knows the truth?" she whispered, her voice as cold as the winter wind.
She had personally questioned some of the elders, but they were evasive. Something was being hidden, something that went beyond rogue cultivators. But as an inner disciple, her influence was still limited.
Her thoughts drifted to Lin Yuan. She hadn't seen him for some time. Though she had tried to dismiss the strange feeling, she couldn't deny that she was… curious. Was he just a mediocre disciple struggling at the bottom? Or was there something more to him?
The silver light around her grew brighter, her golden core pulsing with a steady, crystalline glow. She had advanced rapidly, but she knew that in the sect, strength alone was not enough.
Back in his courtyard, Lin Yuan's eyes slowly opened, a faint silver light fading from his pupils. His cultivation had stabilized, his spiritual energy pure and dense. The heavenly lightning within him remained raw and powerful, yet obedient to his will.
But even as he seemed to rest, his thoughts were cold and calculating. The sect was hiding something—something dangerous. And he would have to stay even more cautious.
But one thing was clear—he was far stronger than before. And if danger came to his door, he would not hesitate to crush it.