In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
Qin Changsheng's figure quietly appeared at the edge of the Misty Forest. Dressed in outer sect robes, his cultivation was steadily suppressed at the fourth level of Qi Refining, indistinguishable from ordinary low-level Qi Refining cultivators.
For the past month, Qin Changsheng had never slacked off. He diligently cultivated to solidify his cultivation, studied formation knowledge, and repeatedly deduced the route and methods to break the formations of the Qingfeng Ruins, making thorough preparations.
Soon, Qin Changsheng saw a large group of figures gathered not far ahead.
Qin Changsheng quietly approached, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. He discovered that most of those who had come to the Qingfeng Ruins to try their luck were outer sect disciples.
Their expressions varied; some were full of anticipation, some were anxious, and others chatted amongst themselves, plotting how to find opportunities once inside the ruins.
Qin Changsheng carefully observed them and found that the highest cultivation level among these cultivators was only a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator.
As Qin Changsheng silently observed his surroundings and awaited the opening of the ruins, he spotted several familiar figures.
They were Zhang Han, Zhao Lei, and others, his fellow townsmen from Beihai County.
Years ago, he had come from Beihai County with Zhang Han and Zhao Lei. Initially, they had looked out for each other, but later, as he focused on cultivation and deliberately kept a low profile, he gradually distanced himself from the others.
Zhang Han and Zhao Lei also looked down on Qin Changsheng.
However, Zhang Han and Zhao Lei had no idea that Qin Changsheng was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Qin Changsheng's gaze fell on Zhang Han, noticing that his left arm was gone.
Qin Changsheng was well aware of Zhang Han's missing left arm.
It had been torn off by the Golden Core demon beast, the Azure-Striped Toad, during their trip to Qingyun Lake last year.
Perhaps because Qin Changsheng's gaze lingered for a moment, Zhang Han, Zhao Lei, and the others also noticed his presence and turned to look.
When they saw Qin Changsheng in his outer sect robes, their faces lit up with disdain, their eyes filled with contempt, showing no joy whatsoever at their long-awaited reunion.
Zhao Lei scoffed and whispered to Zhang Han beside him, "Brother Zhang, isn't that Qin Changsheng? So long, still so useless. He doesn't even have a decent magic weapon, yet he dares to try his luck at the Qingfeng Ruins?"
Zhang Han's face darkened, and he coldly snorted, "A piece of trash, what spirit sand does he have to buy a magic weapon?"
His tone was full of contempt and disdain, as if Qin Changsheng were some utterly worthless piece of trash.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for Qin Changsheng to hear clearly, and it also caused several nearby cultivators to turn their heads, their gazes filled with mockery.
After speaking, Zhang Han withdrew his gaze, ignoring Qin Changsheng, and turned back to continue his hushed conversation with Zhao Lei and the others. His tone was urgent, his words filled with longing for the low-grade spiritual herbs and magic artifact fragments within the ruins, as if Qin Changsheng were merely an insignificant passerby, not even worthy of a greeting.
Zhao Lei and the others also withdrew their gazes, occasionally glancing at Qin Changsheng with mocking smiles, whispering sarcastic remarks filled with disdain.
In their eyes, Qin Changsheng's cultivation was weak, his nature timid, and he was destined to remain an unknown low-level cultivator for life, utterly unworthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with them, much less to have come with them in their search for opportunities.
Despite all this, Qin Changsheng remained calm, his face expressionless, as if he hadn't heard Zhang Han and the others' mockery, nor noticed the gazes of those around him.
He felt nothing, not even a ripple of concern.
To him, Zhang Han and the others' disdain and ridicule were nothing more than the self-amusement of clowns.
A quarter of an hour later, a commotion suddenly arose from the back of the crowd.
"Senior Brother is here! Senior Brother is here! Quickly rise and pay your respects!"
"I didn't expect Senior Brother to come here!"
The previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent. All the Qi Refining cultivators turned around respectfully, looking in the direction of the sound, their faces filled with awe, not daring to be the slightest bit negligent.
Zhang Han, Zhao Lei, and the others also instantly suppressed their mocking expressions, their disdain replaced by fear. They quickly straightened up, heads bowed, not daring to breathe.
Seeing these people's reactions, Qin Changsheng was somewhat puzzled.
Several years ago, Lin Hao was the undisputed senior disciple of the outer sect.
Unexpectedly, after Lin Hao, Qin Changsheng, Jiang Lijuan, and others reached Foundation Establishment, a new senior disciple appeared in the outer sect.
Qin Changsheng slightly raised his eyes and saw a group of cultivators dressed in cyan martial arts attire surrounding a man in brocade robes, slowly walking towards the crowd.
The man in brocade robes had a handsome face and an arrogant expression. He held his chin high, his gaze sweeping condescendingly over the crowd, radiating an innate arrogance. It was as if all the Qi Refining cultivators present were merely ants in his eyes, unworthy of his attention.
The cultivators surrounding him were all at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining. Their expressions were respectful, following him closely without leaving his side, appearing utterly obedient.
"Greetings, Senior Brother!" As the man in brocade robes approached, all the Qi Refining cultivators bowed deeply, their tone extremely respectful.
Zhang Han, Zhao Lei, and the others bowed extremely low, their foreheads almost touching their chests, repeatedly muttering "Greetings, Senior Brother," their eyes filled with fear and obsequiousness.
Although they were impetuous and concerned with their image, they knew that the man in brocade robes before them was someone they could not afford to offend.
Qin Changsheng did not bow, but calmly observed the man in brocade robes.
"This is Senior Brother Zhang Hao, a disciple of Elder Lin Zhentian!"
"No wonder he's so domineering; he's Elder Lin's man, and at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, only one step away from Foundation Establishment!"
"I've heard that Senior Brother Zhang Hao is tyrannical, always running rampant within the sect. I didn't expect him to come to the Qingfeng Ruins today!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down, don't let Senior Brother hear you, or you'll be in trouble!"
Hearing the crowd's discussion, Qin Changsheng finally understood why Zhang Hao was so domineering.
So they were disciples trained by Lin Zhentian.
Zhang Hao raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to stand up.
The crowd quickly rose, heads bowed, avoiding Zhang Hao's gaze.
Zhang Hao's gaze slowly swept across the room, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips: "I've come today for nothing more than one thing—half of all the treasures, spiritual materials, and spirit stones you obtain after entering the Qingfeng Ruins belong to me!"
"What?!"
"Half of the treasures to be handed over?"
"Senior Brother, you can't do this!"
As soon as Zhang Hao finished speaking, the expressions of all the cultivators present changed drastically, their faces filled with disbelief, their eyes blazing with shock and anger.
Everyone was stunned. They never expected Zhang Hao to be so domineering, demanding half of their earnings with a single sentence.
They had come to the Qingfeng Ruins to try their luck, hoping to find some low-grade spiritual herbs and fragments of magical artifacts—something better than nothing. Now, Zhang Hao was taking half of their earnings with a single word; this was tantamount to robbery!
A cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining, his face pale, his lips trembling slightly, seemed about to retort. However, when he met Zhang Hao's cold, sharp gaze and felt the oppressive aura of a Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivator emanating from him, the words he was about to utter were swallowed back. The anger in his eyes gradually gave way to fear.
Zhang Han, Zhao Lei, and the others were also deathly pale, their hearts filled with resentment, yet they dared not show it.
Zhang Hao was Lin Zhentian's disciple, and a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. They were merely fourth-level Qi Refining cultivators. If they dared to contradict him, they would surely face Zhang Hao's retaliation. At that point, they would likely not only lose the treasures but also their lives.
All the cultivators present dared not speak out, their faces filled with helplessness and fear. No one dared to stand up and resist, not even daring to look Zhang Hao in the eye.
After all, the difference in strength was too great, and with Lin Zhentian backing Zhang Hao, resistance would only lead to their own destruction.
Looking at the terrified, unwilling, yet rebellious expressions of the crowd, Zhang Hao smiled smugly. "What? Nobody's speaking? Perhaps they disagree?"
As he finished speaking, he released a slight aura of perfected Qi Refining, a powerful force sweeping across the area. The cultivators trembled, quickly lowering their heads and stammering, "No, no! We'll obey Senior Brother's orders!"
"Yes! Senior Brother is right! We'll give half the proceeds to Senior Brother after we enter the ruins!"
The crowd echoed, their voices filled with obsequiousness and fear. Gone was their previous anticipation and trepidation; only helplessness and resentment remained.
Qin Changsheng observed all of this, yet remained calm and expressionless. When Zhang Hao demanded half the proceeds, he glanced at him briefly before immediately looking away, as if the farce before him had nothing to do with him.