A month passed quietly.
The excitement surrounding the Dragon Lock Pill auction had gradually settled.
Yet beneath Cloud Mist Market's seemingly peaceful surface, undercurrents continued moving in secret.
The recent demonic cultivator incidents.
The Dragon Lock Pill.
The increasingly active yao beast tides.
The growing competition among the younger generation.
Everything seemed to be building toward something larger.
And hidden within these currents—
The Core Courtyard alliances were finally beginning to lose their patience.
---
Bing Region, Listening Dao Pavilion
The Listening Dao Pavilion was one of the most famous establishments within Cloud Mist Market.
Unlike ordinary brothels frequented by mortals, this place catered exclusively to cultivators.
The women here were all cultivators.
Most possessed ordinary spiritual roots and lacked sufficient talent to pursue higher cultivation realms.
Thus they cultivated arts of another kind.
Music.
Dance.
Wine service.
Conversation.
Charm.
Seduction.
Every smile.
Every glance.
Every movement.
Had been carefully trained.
Many wealthy cultivators came here not merely for pleasure but to exchange information and establish connections.
After all—
Pillow talk often revealed more secrets than torture.
At this moment, inside one of the secluded upper-floor rooms, a tense discussion was underway.
Beautiful music drifted softly from the adjacent hall.
Several female cultivators knelt gracefully beside the tables pouring spirit wine.
Yet none of the men present paid them any attention.
Their expressions were dark.
Because seated around the table were the five alliance leaders.
Bai Ling.
Lin Zheng.
Gu Fei.
Xu Tian.
And Meng Shan.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Finally—
Bang!
Lin Zheng slammed his wine cup onto the table.
The jade cup cracked immediately.
"Damn it!"
His face was full of anger.
"We've been played!"
The room fell silent.
Everyone knew exactly who he was referring to.
Lin Sheng's group.
For months they had attempted to pressure the five newly advanced Innate martial artists.
Yet every scheme had failed.
Contribution points?
The group ignored most missions entirely.
Mission interference?
They simply hunted yao beasts.
Resource suppression?
They already possessed enough wealth to support themselves.
Spies?
Lin Sheng somehow always noticed them.
Every single attempt had ended in failure.
Lin Zheng's expression darkened.
"We should just kill them."
His voice carried cold killing intent.
"Let's ambush them in the Cloud Mist Forest."
"People die there every day."
"No one would suspect anything."
Several alliance leaders exchanged glances.
Then Gu Fei immediately shook his head.
"No."
Lin Zheng frowned.
"No?"
Gu Fei's expression remained calm.
"Killing ordinary trainees is one thing."
"Killing all five members of the strongest batch simultaneously is another."
"They're already known throughout the Training Centre."
"If all five suddenly die together..."
"The investigation would be intense."
"And if anyone traces it back to us..."
He didn't continue.
He didn't need to.
Everyone understood.
The elders tolerated competition.
They tolerated conflicts.
They even tolerated deliberate suppression.
But outright murder of elite trainees was different.
Especially if evidence existed.
The room became silent again.
One of the alliance leaders sighed.
"The real problem is that they planned ahead."
"They only take yao beast hunting missions."
"There aren't many ways to interfere with those."
"Even if we manipulate information..."
"They still make profits."
"Even worse..."
His expression darkened.
"They've already become our enemies."
Everyone nodded.
That was the most troublesome point.
The conflict had already become public.
There was no possibility of reconciliation anymore.
Which meant—
Either side would eventually need to overwhelm the other.
Meng Shan slowly took a sip of wine.
"At their current growth rate..."
"They might actually catch up."
Lin Zheng snorted.
"Catching up?"
"They're only at Innate Inner Strength."
"We're all at Peak Outer Strength."
"They'll need years."
This time Xu Tian shook his head.
"Three years."
"Five at most."
The room grew quiet.
Nobody refuted him.
Because everyone knew he was correct.
The newest batch was absurdly talented.
Especially Lin Sheng.
The pressure he gave others had become increasingly obvious.
Several moments later—
Bai Ling finally spoke.
Unlike the others, she appeared completely calm.
Her fingers lightly tapped the table.
"Forget them for now."
Everyone turned toward her.
Bai Ling's beautiful face showed seriousness.
"Our biggest problem isn't Lin Sheng."
"It's contribution points."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Because she was right.
The true reason they formed alliances in the first place was not prestige.
It was resources.
Specifically—
The Gang Condensation Pill.
A treasured medicinal pill used during the breakthrough to Xuan Gang.
The room immediately became serious.
---
The path beyond Innate was difficult.
Far more difficult than becoming Innate itself.
Innate martial artists condensed True Qi.
But Xuan Gang martial artists condensed Gang Qi.
The process required transforming gaseous energy into a higher-quality existence.
A single mistake—
And the meridians could be permanently damaged.
In severe cases—
Cultivation might even be crippled.
The Gang Condensation Pill significantly increased success rates.
Not only did it stabilize the condensation process—
It also protected the meridians from backlash.
The increase in breakthrough probability approached forty percent.
For martial artists—
Such a pill was priceless.
Unfortunately—
It was also incredibly expensive.
Each pill required an enormous amount of contribution points.
Bai Ling's gaze swept across everyone.
"Our current accumulation isn't enough."
"We can't squeeze more from ordinary trainees."
"The elders are already watching."
Everyone frowned.
This was true.
Their methods were tolerated only because they remained within acceptable limits.
Push too hard—
And even the elders might intervene.
After all, the Training Centre existed to cultivate martial artists.
Not exploit them to death.
Bai Ling continued.
"Therefore..."
"We hunt."
The others immediately understood.
"Hunt?"
Bai Ling nodded.
"Yao beasts."
"Lots of them."
"The five of us will operate together."
"The profits will be divided equally."
"The contribution points will accumulate faster."
Lin Zheng slowly smiled.
Now that was something he liked.
Yao beast hunting was dangerous.
But profitable.
Especially for martial artists of their level.
Soon everyone nodded.
Agreement was reached quickly.
Then—
Lin Zheng suddenly asked:
"What if we encounter Lin Sheng's group?"
The room became quiet.
Several people looked toward Bai Ling.
A strange smile slowly appeared on her face.
It wasn't warm.
Nor friendly.
Instead—
It carried a faint chill.
The others immediately understood.
One by one—
They began smiling as well.
---
Yi Region, Core Courtyard
At the same time.
Inside his cultivation room.
Lin Sheng sat cross-legged upon a meditation platform.
His eyes were tightly closed.
Sweat continuously rolled down his face.
His expression remained calm.
Yet inside his body—
A dramatic transformation was occurring.
Countless streams of True Qi surged through his meridians.
Roaring like rivers.
Rushing like dragons.
The seventh acupoint trembled continuously.
Large amounts of gaseous True Qi gathered together.
Compressing.
Condensing.
Refining.
The process repeated endlessly.
For ordinary martial artists—
This stage often required months.
Sometimes years.
The transition from Innate Inner Strength to Innate Outer Strength was not simple.
The fourth through sixth acupoints expanded one's True Qi reserves.
The seventh through ninth acupoints focused on quality.
Compression.
Transformation.
Evolution.
The difference between the two stages was enormous.
And now—
Lin Sheng was completing that transformation.
Deep inside his dantian—
The gaseous True Qi began shrinking.
Condensing.
Compressing.
Then finally—
A tiny droplet appeared.
Liquid.
Pure.
Brilliant.
True Essence.
The moment the droplet formed—
Boom!
A powerful pressure erupted from his body.
The seventh acupoint opened instantly.
Whoosh!
The surrounding spiritual energy swirled violently.
His aura rose sharply.
Innate Outer Strength.
Equivalent to Qi Refining Late Stage.
Lin Sheng slowly exhaled.
A stream of white air shot from his mouth like an arrow.
Then his eyes opened.
A faint golden light flashed briefly within them.
Success.
---
He carefully sensed the changes.
The difference was enormous.
The amount of energy hadn't increased dramatically.
Instead—
The quality had undergone a transformation.
One drop of True Essence exceeded several mouthfuls of ordinary True Qi.
Even more importantly—
A new ability appeared.
Lin Sheng closed his eyes again.
Then released his power outward.
Whoosh!
An invisible field spread around him.
Five meters.
Six meters.
Seven meters.
Eight meters.
Nine meters.
Almost ten meters.
Only then did it stop.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
True Qi Field.
The signature ability of Innate Outer Strength.
Ordinary martial artists could project a field approximately five meters around themselves.
Within this area—
Reaction speed increased dramatically.
Attacks became easier to predict.
Projectiles became easier to intercept.
Even spells could be sensed before impact.
Some martial artists could even briefly step through the air using the field.
Others used it defensively.
Creating invisible barriers against physical attacks.
Lin Sheng's field, however—
Was nearly twice as large.
Almost ten meters.
His Mental Field and True Qi Field overlapped perfectly.
The combination was terrifying.
Within ten meters—
Almost nothing could escape his perception.
---
Slowly standing up.
Lin Sheng clenched his fist.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
His bones released explosive sounds.
The physical strength from his Body Refining cultivation combined with his newly condensed True Essence.
His combat power had increased significantly once again.
Yet despite entering Innate Outer Strength—
His expression remained calm.
Because nobody could know.
At least not yet.
The speed of his cultivation was already absurd.
If people learned he had reached Outer Strength only months after becoming Innate—
Questions would follow.
Too many questions.
Questions he couldn't answer.
His safest choice remained obvious.
Publicly—
He would reveal only Peak Inner Strength.
The Sixth Acupoint.
Nothing more.
Until he possessed enough strength to protect his secrets.
That was the wisest path.
Lin Sheng looked toward the distant Cloud Mist Forest visible through the window.
The mist drifted endlessly.
Danger lurked within.
But opportunities also existed.
And somewhere within that vast forest—
Two groups were preparing for future hunts.
One seeking resources.
One seeking power.
Neither side yet realizing—
Their paths would soon intersect once again.