The deeper Xuanyuan Zhen walked into the cave, the colder it became.
Not the simple cold of shade and stone—
But an ancient chill, heavy and oppressive, as though the sunlight of the outside world had never touched this place.
Frost traced pale veins along the cavern walls. Thin crystals formed over jagged rock, reflecting faint glimmers of light from the violet-gold aura circulating subtly around him.
His golden holy Qi radiated steady warmth from within, like a sun sealed beneath flesh, his heavenly purple Qi pulsed with tyrannical vitality.
Both physiques were fundamentally yang—dominating, blazing, overflowing with life force. The cold pressed against him but could not penetrate.
Each step echoed faintly.
The air grew thicker.
Older.
Then the tunnel widened.
He stepped into a vast subterranean chamber.
And stopped.
At the heart of the cavern lay a pool.
Milky white.
Not water.
Not ice.
A luminous liquid filled a natural stone basin carved by time. It shimmered faintly, releasing thin tendrils of spiritual mist that curled upward before fading into the darkness above.
The fragrance reached him first.
Pure.
Dense.
Refined.
His purple-golden Qi sea reacted instinctively, swirling faster in hunger.
This was spiritual milk.
Concentrated essence condensed through countless years of natural refinement. Comparable to high-quality medicinal pills. Perhaps superior.
For someone at Qi Condensation, this was nothing short of a heaven-sent transformation.
Temptation struck him sharply.
If he immersed himself in that pool…
If he devoured it—
Foundation Establishment might no longer be a distant horizon.
But Xuanyuan Zhen did not move yet.
His gaze lowered.
Along the edges of the cavern, partially concealed beneath frost and shadow, lay bones.
Human bones.
Some still wore fragments of cloth long rotted by time. A rusted blade lay snapped beside one skeleton. Another clutched what had once been a storage pouch.
They had found it too. And they had died here.
Xuanyuan Zhen's breathing slowed.
Treasures of this magnitude did not exist without cause.
Nor without guardians.
The surface of the pool was too still.
Too calm.
He stepped lightly along the cavern's perimeter, suppressing his aura further, eyes narrowing as he studied the white liquid.
Something about it felt…
Guarded.
He closed his eyes briefly and extended his perception downward.
And beneath the luminous surface—
Something faint shifted.
Not a ripple.
Not movement in the liquid—
But something vast, slumbering beneath it.
Xuanyuan Zhen's lips curved faintly.
So that was it.
He would not repeat his mistake from earlier.
Carelessness in a place like this—
Was death.
---
City Lord's Mansion
In the grand inner hall of the Lin clan estate, golden lanterns cast steady light upon polished floors.
Lin Dong stood with his hands clasped behind his back, robes flowing heavily around him.
A messenger knelt before him.
"City Lord," the man said carefully, "after thorough investigation and questioning witnesses within the Xuanyuan clan's territory… the individual who struck Young Master Lin Yun has been identified."
Lin Dong's gaze remained calm.
"Speak."
"Xuanyuan Zhen."
The name lingered in the hall.
"Xuanyuan Zhen?" he repeated, brows furrowing.
He remembered that name.
More importantly, he remembered that bloodline.
Xuanyuan Zhen's father had once been a figure whose presence alone altered the atmosphere of any gathering. Lin Teng himself had once stood before that man and felt an unspoken pressure.
When rumors spread years ago that Xuanyuan Zhen had been crippled, Lin Dong had quietly felt relief.
One less rising star.
One less threat to the city's balance.
But now—
"He injured Lin Yun?" Lin Dong murmured, half in disbelief.
"Yes," the messenger confirmed. "Multiple accounts verify it."
Lin Dong's expression did not shift.
"For injuring and humiliating my son," he said evenly, "he may as well lose his life."
Nascent Soul pressure flickered briefly across the hall. The air seemed to compress, making the messenger's breathing falter.
"But," Lin Dong continued, voice colder now, "where is he?"
The messenger lowered his head further.
"He has not been seen within the Xuanyuan clan for several weeks."
A faint silence settled in the hall.
Lin Dong's eyes darkened. But something in his gaze suggested calculation rather than certainty.
"Continue searching," he ordered. "Quietly."
The messenger bowed and withdrew.
He remained thoughtful.
Xuanyuan Zhen alive.
Missing.
Something about that combination unsettled him.
---
Xuanyuan Clan
Back within the Xuanyuan clan grounds, rumors drifted like wind through dry leaves.
"Three weeks."
"No sign of him."
"Perhaps the forest swallowed him."
"Or he's hiding."
"Or cultivating in secret."
Speculation fed speculation.
In the elder hall, Patriarch Xuanyuan Bei sat with several senior figures.
"He may have perished," one elder said thoughtfully. "The forest beyond the outer perimeter is no playground."
Another shook his head slowly. "His temperament suggests seclusion. That boy does not act recklessly without reason."
Xuanyuan Bei remained silent.
If Xuanyuan Zhen had died—
One potential storm would dissolve before forming.
If he returned stronger—
The storm would only intensify.
"Observe," the Patriarch said finally.
His tone revealed nothing.
---
In a quieter corner of the clan grounds, Yin Mei practiced beneath the shade of an ancient tree.
Her movements were steady, measured.
Fifth stage of Body Tempering Realm.
The frailty that once clung to her had vanished entirely. Her complexion was healthy now, her posture elegant, her presence cool and distant.
There was something refined about her.
Something untouchable.
The younger disciples had begun noticing.
Glances lingered longer.
Conversations shifted when she passed.
"She's only a servant," one muttered.
"A pity to waste such beauty," another said with a smirk.
Previously, Xuanyuan Zhen's quiet but overwhelming presence had kept them cautious. Even without words, his strength had drawn a boundary.
But he was gone.
Three weeks absent.
No sign.
No certainty.
Xuanyuan Han stood at a distance, gaze resting on Yin Mei thoughtfully.
If Xuanyuan Zhen failed to return—
There would be no one to stand in his way.
And his servant…
Had little protection.