The cave dwelling fell completely silent.
Nothing suggested anyone had ever been there.
Only the lingering spiritual qi continued to circulate quietly throughout the room.
Lizarius hovered motionlessly.
His golden eyes shifted toward the faint blue thread.
It had not disappeared.
Instead—
it now stretched from the black jade token...
To a storage ring resting where the cultivator had once sat.
"...Hm."
The tiny white-scaled lizard drifted forward.
With a subtle manipulation of gravity—
the storage ring slowly rose into the air.
It floated toward him.
With a flick of his tail—
both the storage ring and the jade token disappeared into his own storage ring, which remained secured around the black spike at the end of his tail.
The blue thread finally vanished.
The connection had been completely severed.
Lizarius remained expressionless.
His gaze slowly swept across the cave.
Shelves lined the surrounding walls.
Cultivation manuals.
Jade slips.
Spirit herbs carefully preserved within crystal boxes.
Bottles of medicinal pills.
Spirit ores.
Formation materials.
Several tightly sealed chests.
Nothing escaped his attention.
One after another—
the items quietly rose into the air.
No violent spiritual fluctuations appeared.
No sound disturbed the silence.
Every object simply vanished into his storage ring.
Within moments—
the shelves stood empty.
The cabinets had been completely cleared.
Even the sealed chests had disappeared.
Nothing of value remained within the cave.
Satisfied—
Lizarius' body gradually became transparent once more.
His concealment spread across his body until even his outline vanished.
The invisible white-scaled lizard silently departed the residence.
He crossed the quiet courtyard.
The silver-leaved tree swayed gently beneath the moonlight.
Nothing reacted to his passing.
—
Lizarius paused.
His golden eyes turned toward another residence farther along the peak.
Two spiritual fluctuations.
Late Spirit Refining.
They remained inside a modest side residence.
Most likely attendants...
Or personal disciples.
His expression did not change.
Without the slightest hesitation—
he drifted toward them.
Inside the residence—
the two cultivators remained completely unaware.
One sat quietly in meditation.
The other calmly organized jade slips upon a wooden table.
Neither sensed the invisible presence entering.
Neither even looked up.
Two nearly invisible blades of compressed wind silently condensed.
No sound.
No killing intent.
Only perfectly controlled wind.
The blades flashed.
**Shing.**
**Shing.**
The two cultivators froze.
For a brief instant—
nothing happened.
Then—
their bodies slowly separated with unnerving precision—
one cleanly severed at the waist...
The other across the shoulder.
There was almost no blood.
Their expressions still carried traces of confusion.
Neither had realized death had already arrived.
Their upper bodies silently slid away from their lower halves.
Before either corpse could strike the floor—
gravity gathered around them.
The remains gently floated upward.
Moments later—
they disappeared into Lizarius' storage ring.
Not even a single drop of blood remained within the residence.
The room looked almost untouched.
Lizarius turned away.
His objective had already been accomplished.
Remaining any longer served no purpose.
Without another glance—
the invisible white-scaled lizard retraced the exact route by which he had entered.
The barrier surrounding the peak offered no resistance.
Passing through the same weak point—
he slipped outside once more.
The formation remained perfectly intact.
No warning formations activated.
No alarms spread throughout the sect.
The lizard continued along the mountain paths.
Past the secluded peak.
Past the transparent barrier.
Through the silent mountain trails.
Across the hidden sect itself.
Every formation he had bypassed before—
he crossed again with the same flawless precision.
Not a single ripple lingered behind him.
Not a single cultivator noticed his departure.
Several minutes later—
the outer sect barrier accepted his passage through its weakest point just as silently as before.
The concealed fortress gradually disappeared behind him.
Soon—
only the moonlit forest remained.
Ancient trees swayed gently beneath the night sky.
The hidden demonic sect lay completely undisturbed.
Entirely unaware...
That one of its Peak Masters had vanished without leaving behind the slightest trace.
The moon continued its silent journey across the heavens.
The hidden sect remained as tranquil as ever.
No alarms rang.
No formations reacted.
No disciple realized that an entire peak had already become ownerless.
---
At the heart of the sect—
stood an ancient hall.
Its towering pillars had been carved from black stone veined with crimson.
Hundreds of tiny soul lamps floated silently upon countless shelves.
Each flame burned with a different intensity.
Above the entrance—
three ancient characters were engraved upon a weathered plaque.
**Hall of Eternal Souls.**
The chamber was deathly silent.
An elderly man sat cross-legged before the endless rows of soul lamps.
His gray robes were plain.
His aura was completely restrained.
He appeared immersed in cultivation.
Then—
one tiny flame flickered.
The elder's eyelids slowly lifted.
His calm gaze settled upon a single soul lamp.
The flame trembled once.
Then—
it quietly went out.
Silence.
The jade plaque beneath it bore only two characters.
**Ji Lu.**
The elder quietly observed the extinguished soul lamp.
No surprise appeared upon his weathered face.
Only quiet acknowledgment.
"...So."
"Ji Lu has finally met his end."
His voice carried neither grief nor anger.
Only indifference.
Peak Masters occasionally died.
Some perished while exploring ancient ruins.
Others fell to old enemies.
Such things were hardly uncommon in the cultivation world.
The elder slowly closed his eyes once more.
"...I'll report it to the Sect Master after the morning assembly."
Nothing more needed to be done.
Eventually—
another elder would inherit the now-vacant peak.
As for who had killed Ji Lu...
That could be investigated later.
If anyone cared enough to investigate.
The Hall of Eternal Souls soon returned to complete silence.
The countless remaining soul lamps continued burning steadily.
---
Morning arrived.
Golden sunlight spread across Lotus City.
The streets gradually filled with people beginning another day.
Within the Ling Clan estate—
servants had already begun sweeping the stone pathways.
Young disciples practiced sword forms throughout the courtyards.
The peaceful sounds of daily life echoed across the compound.
Ling Wei and Ling Yue walked side by side along one of the garden paths.
Neither wore the concealment disguises from the Night Market.
Everything appeared ordinary once again.
After a moment—
Ling Wei glanced toward his sister.
"...By the way."
"...Have you heard anything from Senior?"
Ling Yue answered without even looking up.
"Oh."
"He's here."
She casually pointed toward the top of her head.
"He suddenly appeared while I was cultivating this morning."
Ling Wei blinked.
"...Really?"
Ling Yue nodded matter-of-factly.
"One moment he wasn't there."
"The next..."
"He was."
She smiled helplessly.
"I've stopped asking how he does these things."
Ling Wei let out a quiet laugh.
"...Probably for the best."
Neither of them noticed—
resting silently atop Ling Yue's head—
the tiny invisible white-scaled lizard remained perfectly still.
His golden eyes were half-closed.
The gentle morning breeze stirred Ling Yue's hair.
The tiny lizard watched in silence.
The warm morning sun bathed the Ling Clan estate in golden light.
Stone pathways wound gracefully between carefully maintained courtyards.
Servants moved about quietly.
Young disciples hurried toward the training grounds.
Amid the morning bustle—
two familiar figures approached the largest building within the estate.
The Clan Grand Hall.
Standing outside the entrance—
were two youths already waiting.
Ling Yufei leaned casually against one of the pillars with his arms folded.
Beside him stood Ling Jianfei.
His posture remained perfectly straight.
His expression as indifferent as ever.
The moment the siblings approached—
Ling Yufei smirked.
"...You two sure took your time."
Ling Yue didn't even slow her steps.
"...Nice to see you too, brat."
Yufei's eyebrow twitched.
"...The feeling isn't mutual."
He folded his arms even tighter.
"...And who are you calling a brat?"
Ling Yue answered without the slightest hesitation.
"...You."
Yufei clicked his tongue.
"...You're impossible."
Before either of them could continue—
Ling Jianfei spoke.
"...Enough."
His cold gaze swept across all three of them.
"If you're finished..."
"...Come along."
He turned toward the entrance.
"To think you'd arrive late for something this important."
His voice remained as indifferent as ever.
"...What a waste."
"If you don't value this opportunity..."
"...Then the recommendation should be given to someone who does instead of being wasted on the two of you."
Without waiting for a reply—
he stepped into the hall.
The others followed behind.
A brief silence settled over the group.
Then—
Ling Wei spoke calmly.
"...One should not reply to what one considers insignificant."
He glanced toward Jianfei's back.
"...Doing so would only make oneself equally insignificant."
Ling Jianfei's footsteps paused for the briefest instant.
His eyes narrowed.
Ling Wei continued in the same composed tone.
"...Sometimes..."
"...Witnessing change is far more convincing than merely hearing about it."
He said nothing further.
The group continued walking.
Ahead—
Ling Jianfei's expression darkened almost imperceptibly.
*...Bastards.*
*Don't get ahead of yourselves...*
*Just because the Grand Elder granted you a recommendation...*
*Doesn't mean you've surpassed anyone.*
His hands slowly tightened behind his back.
---
The great doors of the Clan Grand Hall stood open.
Inside—
the clan's senior members had already assembled.
Several elders occupied their respective seats.
The atmosphere was solemn.
At the very front—
Ling Tianhe, the Clan Head, sat quietly upon the central seat.
The four youths entered together.
Without hesitation—
they bowed respectfully.
"This junior greets the Clan Head."
"This junior greets the honored elders."
Several elders nodded in acknowledgment.
Ling Tianhe's calm gaze slowly swept across each of them.
When his eyes settled upon Ling Wei and Ling Yue—
they lingered briefly.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...It seems..."
"...The two of you have advanced considerably."
His words immediately drew the attention of the surrounding elders.
Several of them examined the siblings more carefully.
Moments later—
one elder stroked his beard with visible approval.
"...Indeed."
"The girl's aura has become much steadier."
"...Fourth Stage of Spirit Refining."
Another elder nodded.
"And Ling Wei..."
His aged eyes shone with surprise.
"...Has already reached the Fifth Stage."
Soft murmurs immediately spread throughout the hall.
"...Fifth Stage?"
"...Wasn't he stuck at the Fourth Stage?"
"...Such progress in so little time..."
Even several of the elders exchanged surprised glances.
Standing nearby—
Ling Yufei's relaxed expression froze.
His eyes widened.
"...F-Fifth Stage?"
He immediately looked toward Ling Wei.
*When did that happen...?*
Then toward Ling Yue.
*She broke through too...?*
Beside him—
even Ling Jianfei's composure nearly cracked.
His pupils contracted.
*Impossible.*
*Both of them...?*
He had expected some improvement.
Perhaps one breakthrough at most.
But both siblings advancing...
And Ling Wei even reaching the Fifth Stage—
was completely beyond his expectations.
His gaze remained fixed upon them.
*How...?*
*They've only been gone for a few days...*
*What exactly happened during that trip?*