The ground of the outer city was still trembling.
The suppressed enforcers lay pinned to the stone pavement, faces pale.
They had finally realized—
This was not their battlefield.
"You… you're violating regulations!" one of them shouted hoarsely.
The reply came in the form of steady footsteps.
Unhurried.
Measured.
Xiao Xuanyin walked down the street toward them.
He did not descend from the sky.
He did not release imperial pressure.
Yet as he approached—
The crowd instinctively parted.
"Violation?" he repeated calmly, stopping in front of the fallen enforcers.
"You entered Mortal Sect territory."
"You suppressed my people."
"And now you accuse me of violating rules?"
For the first time—
The enforcers felt fear.
"You… you're just a mortal emperor!"
Xiao Xuanyin nodded once.
"Yes."
"I am."
"And I am also the Sect Master of this Mortal Sect."
The Sneak Attack
One of them snapped.
A spiritual blade shot forward—
Straight toward Xiao Xuanyin's chest.
Shen Yan's expression changed.
"Your Majesty!"
The blade stopped.
Three inches from his heart.
It didn't shatter.
It didn't deflect.
It simply—
Stopped.
This was not a shield.
Not a defensive spell.
It was suppression through alchemical intent.
A gentle, stabilizing force expanded outward.
Warm.
Inevitable.
Unyielding.
"That's—?!" the enforcer gasped.
"Alchemical Domain — Stabilizing Field," Su Wan explained casually from behind.
"Non-offensive type."
"Designed specifically for emotionally unstable attackers like you."
The civilians blinked.
"…We have that now?"
Xiao Xuanyin extended his hand.
A light push.
The attacker slid backward—
And sat down on the ground.
Not blasted away.
Not injured.
Simply… relocated.
"Remember this," Xiao Xuanyin said.
"Before you attempt to strike here…"
"…learn how to stand first."
The Sky Darkens
The air shifted.
A heavier presence descended from the clouds.
"Mortal Sect."
The voice boomed across the city.
"You have crossed the line."
This time—
Not enforcers.
An Immortal Realm proxy combat unit.
Shen Yan muttered under his breath.
"They're serious now."
Su Wan, however, looked thrilled.
"Perfect."
She raised her phone.
[Combat Mode — Phase Two Activated]
"All teams," she called clearly.
"Congratulations."
"This is your upgraded dungeon."
Structured Combat
The Mortal Sect cultivators moved instantly.
No chaotic swarm.
No reckless charge.
They broke into teams.
"You three — containment."
"You — observation."
"And you—"
Shen Yan pointed at a young cultivator.
"Go."
The boy froze.
"Me?!"
"Yes."
"Even if you lose."
"You go."
He swallowed hard.
Then rushed forward.
The Immortal proxy sneered.
"Suicidal."
The ground array flared.
The boy's speed surged.
"That's environmental amplification," Su Wan narrated calmly.
"Beginner protection buff."
The boy's fist slammed into the Immortal's defense barrier.
It didn't break.
But the system registered the impact.
[Combat Feedback: Pressure Resistance +3][Energy Allocation Efficiency +1]
The boy's eyes lit up.
"Wait— I level up mid-fight?!"
"Of course," Su Wan grinned.
"Why waste a perfectly good battle without gaining experience?"
System Advantage
The fight ended quickly.
Not through slaughter.
But through imbalance.
The Immortal proxies struggled.
Their spiritual output felt suppressed.
Their instincts lagged.
Meanwhile—
The Mortal Sect fighters grew smoother with every exchange.
Better positioning.
Better timing.
Better breathing.
One proxy finally dropped to one knee—
Pinned by the suppression array.
Xiao Xuanyin approached him.
"Go back," he said calmly.
"Tell them this."
"The Mortal Sect is not a battlefield."
"It is a classroom."
That Night
The data surged.
[Overall Combat Comprehension: Increased][Civilian Trust Index: Significant Rise][Cultivation Participation Rate: Breakthrough Achieved]
Su Wan nearly laughed.
"Your Majesty."
"They just helped us beta test."
Xiao Xuanyin sipped his tea.
Then said evenly—
"Record their contribution."
Far Above
In the Immortal Realm—
The hidden mastermind finally leaned forward.
Expression sharpening.
"…I see."
"They do not resist conflict."
"They convert it."
"Into growth."
For the first time—
The Mortal Sect was no longer reacting.
They were evolving—
Faster than the Immortal Realm could adapt.