The banquet continued long into the evening as cultivators from various alliance halls and merchant organizations seized the opportunity to build connections with the newly appointed Guardian of Phoenix Ridge Market. Spiritual wine flowed freely while spirit beast delicacies were served continuously, laughter and conversations mixing together beneath the lantern-lit pavilion.
Only a few people noticed that Lin Yan's attention occasionally drifted toward a certain area of the banquet.
Most assumed she was merely observing the younger generation of Cloud Mist Market.
None thought much of it.
After all, someone of her status naturally attracted attention herself.
Meanwhile, amongst the Lin Family cultivators that had accompanied her, there was one particular individual whose appearance caused Lin Shou's expression to darken immediately.
The moment he saw the young man—
His fists clenched.
Veins bulged across the back of his hands.
A faint killing intent leaked from his body.
Seeing this, Lin Sheng immediately realized the reason.
The person standing amongst the Lin Family group was none other than the man who had stolen Lin Shou's fiancée years ago.
The one responsible for humiliating him.
The one who had nearly destroyed his confidence and cultivation path.
Lin Shou's chest rose and fell rapidly as old memories resurfaced.
Before he could do anything foolish—
Lin Sheng leaned closer.
"Calm down."
His voice was soft.
Yet carried enough force to wake Lin Shou from his emotions.
"There will be time for revenge."
"Just not today."
Hearing those words, Lin Shou slowly loosened his fists.
The killing intent gradually disappeared.
Although his gaze remained cold.
"You better be right."
Lin Sheng merely smiled.
"I usually am."
Lin Shou rolled his eyes.
Yet his mood improved slightly.
Fortunately—
The person in question hadn't noticed him.
Not because Lin Shou had become insignificant.
But because the Lin Family cultivators were currently busy surrounding Bai Ling, each trying to establish some sort of relationship before she departed for Phoenix Ridge Market.
After all, she was now a Xuan Gang expert.
A market guardian.
A future high-ranking martial artist.
Building goodwill now would only bring benefits later.
Amongst the Lin Family group, however, another individual attracted Lin Sheng's attention.
At first glance—
The young man appeared completely ordinary.
Average appearance.
Average aura.
Average cultivation.
Nothing about him stood out.
If thrown into a crowd, nobody would remember his face after a few minutes.
Even his displayed cultivation was merely Late Stage Qi Refining.
For someone accompanying Lin Yan, such strength was hardly impressive.
Yet the moment Lin Sheng's Mental Field swept across him—
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The Chip immediately began analyzing.
Lines of data flashed rapidly.
[Analyzing Target...]
[Analyzing Aura Composition...]
[Anomaly Detected.]
Lin Sheng remained seated while continuing to observe casually.
The aura hidden beneath the surface was strange.
Extremely strange.
It carried traces of both human and yao beast characteristics simultaneously.
Not a hybrid.
Not possession.
Something else.
The sensation was difficult to describe.
Almost as if two completely different existences had somehow merged together perfectly.
Even more shocking was his cultivation.
Late Stage Qi Refining?
Nonsense.
The man's true cultivation was Foundation Establishment.
A genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Yet his concealment technique was so profound that even most Foundation Establishment experts would likely fail to detect it.
The Chip continued its analysis.
[Concealment Method Detected.]
[Primary Principle: Breathing Suppression.]
[Similarity Index: 83%.]
[Comparable Biological Pattern: Turtle Species.]
Lin Sheng almost laughed.
A turtle?
The more he observed, the more familiar the situation became.
An ordinary appearance.
Average talent.
Deliberately concealed cultivation.
Absurdly powerful concealment method.
Ancient aura.
Extreme caution.
Suddenly—
A memory surfaced.
A character template he had encountered countless times in stories from his previous life.
Lin Sheng nearly choked on his wine.
No way.
Surely not.
A certain nickname immediately appeared in his mind.
Lin Turtle.
The archetype of a cultivator who would rather spend three hundred years hiding than risk fighting someone stronger.
The type who wouldn't leave seclusion unless victory was guaranteed.
The type who could suppress his cultivation for decades simply because advancing might attract attention.
The more Lin Sheng thought about it—
The more similar it became.
Yet after a few moments, he shook his head.
Whatever secrets the man possessed had nothing to do with him.
As long as they didn't become enemies.
Everything else was irrelevant.
The world was full of geniuses and monsters.
He wasn't interested in investigating everyone's secrets.
That would only bring trouble.
The banquet gradually approached its conclusion as many guests began departing.
One by one, the younger generation dispersed.
Lin Xiaolu left first.
The cold aura she unconsciously released throughout the banquet had already frightened away every potential suitor.
Several young masters who had gathered the courage to approach her ended up retreating before they could even speak.
Lin Shou also left shortly afterward.
The atmosphere of the banquet clearly made him uncomfortable.
Lou Han disappeared even earlier.
His reason was simple.
His little sister.
Now that things had settled down after the beast tide, he preferred spending his free time with Lou Qing whenever possible.
As for Zhao Feng—
Lin Sheng watched him leave with disbelief.
The shameless bastard was walking away with a beautiful female cultivator from the Talisman Alliance hanging from one arm while another attractive woman from a merchant family clung to the other.
His grin nearly stretched from ear to ear.
Seeing this scene, Lin Sheng's eye twitched.
"That son of a..."
He stopped himself halfway.
Some people truly lived different lives.
Shaking his head, he returned toward his immortal abode.
Throughout the banquet, Lin Yan had never approached him.
Which only confirmed his suspicion.
She was intentionally avoiding revealing their relationship.
A wise decision.
Very few people knew about his true background.
Officially—
He was merely a branch family member.
One amongst countless others.
Keeping it that way reduced attention.
Especially now that he was approaching the Xuan Gang Realm.
The less people knew, the better.
Returning to his residence, Lin Sheng sat quietly while waiting.
He didn't need to wait long.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
A smile appeared on his face.
His Mental Field had already identified the visitor long before she reached the door.
Standing up, he opened it.
The moment the door swung open—
A familiar figure stood outside.
Neither spoke.
The next moment—
They embraced.
Several years had passed since Lin Sheng left Dragon Yuan Mountain.
Several years since they had last seen each other face to face.
For cultivators, such a period wasn't particularly long.
Yet it was enough to miss family.
After a few moments, they finally separated.
Immediately—
Lin Yan's Divine Sense swept across his body.
She checked his meridians.
His bones.
His organs.
His injuries.
Her inspection was so thorough that Lin Sheng almost laughed.
Only after finding no hidden injuries did she finally relax.
A small sigh escaped her lips.
Unknown to her—
Lin Sheng had done exactly the same thing.
His Mental Field quietly swept over her body.
Her aura was stable.
Her foundation was solid.
Her cultivation had advanced considerably.
Clearly, her master had treated her extremely well.
Seeing this, Lin Sheng felt relieved.
"Not bad."
"You've become quite powerful."
Lin Yan immediately raised her chin proudly.
"Of course."
"I'm my master's successor."
Her expression practically screamed for praise.
Lin Sheng stared at her for a moment.
Then slowly began clapping.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The most sarcastic applause imaginable.
Lin Yan's smile instantly froze.
"You little brat."
Lin Sheng laughed.
For a brief moment, neither appeared like cultivators.
Just siblings reunited after years apart.
Eventually they sat down and began talking.
The conversation lasted for hours.
Lin Sheng spoke about his experiences within Cloud Mist Market.
The Training Center.
The core trainees.
The competitions.
The beast tide.
The battles.
The dangers.
The moment the topic reached the beast tide, Lin Yan's expression changed slightly.
Although she remained composed—
Lin Sheng could still detect traces of concern.
Yet strangely—
She didn't seem overly worried.
Almost as though she had been certain he would survive.
The thought amused him.
Eventually, he changed the topic.
"Tell me about Master."
Lin Yan paused.
Then slowly nodded.
"Actually..."
"I was the one who asked him for a favor."
Lin Sheng blinked.
"A favor?"
She nodded.
"I originally wanted him to watch over you a little."
"That's all."
Her expression became slightly strange.
"How was I supposed to know your martial talent would be good enough for him to directly accept you as a disciple?"
Hearing that, Lin Sheng couldn't help laughing.
The explanation actually made sense.
Old Liang rarely talked about his past.
Even now, many things remained a mystery.
As their conversation continued, Lin Yan accidentally revealed another piece of information.
One that immediately caught Lin Sheng's attention.
Astral Gang.
The words flashed through his mind.
According to what she had let slip—
Old Liang was actually an Astral Gang expert.
Equivalent to the Purple Palace Realm in immortal cultivation.
Lin Sheng's heart shook slightly.
Although he had suspected his master's strength was extraordinary—
This exceeded his expectations.
Purple Palace.
A realm capable of dominating countless regions.
A realm that could establish sects and families.
A realm standing above Foundation Establishment and Xuan Gang.
No wonder Old Liang seemed unconcerned by so many things.
No wonder Guardian Zhao treated him with respect.
Thinking about it carefully—
Many previous mysteries suddenly became easier to understand.
Meanwhile, seeing his reaction, Lin Yan realized she had accidentally revealed something.
Her eyes widened.
Then she immediately covered her mouth.
Lin Sheng looked at her.
She looked back.
Several seconds passed.
Finally—
Both siblings burst into laughter.
The moon continued rising outside while the lights within the immortal abode remained lit throughout the night.
For the first time in years—
Brother and sister simply talked.
Not as cultivators.
Not as disciples.
Not as geniuses.
But as family.