Several days passed after Lin Sheng returned from the depths of the Cloud Mist Forest.
News soon spread throughout Cloud Mist Market.
The battle for Phoenix Ridge Market had ended.
Victory belonged to the cultivators.
The beast tide remnants had been exterminated, the surviving yao beasts had fled deeper into the mountain range, and the market itself was once again under human control.
More importantly—
The Rank-2 Late Stage Beast Lord had fallen.
Killed personally by Lin Yan.
The news spread like wildfire through the market.
Countless cultivators discussed the battle endlessly.
According to the reports, the Beast Lord had unleashed a final desperate attack before its death. A suicidal strike fueled by its bloodline and remaining life force.
Yet even then—
Lin Yan emerged completely unharmed.
Not injured.
Not weakened.
Not even exhausted.
Such a result left many Foundation Establishment cultivators speechless.
After all, defeating an injured Rank-2 Late Stage Beast Lord was one thing.
Doing so without suffering injuries was something else entirely.
Many people had already begun speculating whether Lin Yan had truly reached the limits of Foundation Establishment.
Some even whispered that she possessed the qualifications to challenge the Purple Palace Realm in the future.
Naturally—
Lin Sheng heard all these rumors.
At this moment, however, he remained seated within his cultivation room.
The Yang Jade Script rested silently before him.
Ever since the incident a few days ago, he had become considerably more cautious when studying it.
The near loss of control within his Sea of Consciousness had served as a warning.
Some treasures possessed opportunities.
Others possessed dangers.
The truly powerful ones usually possessed both.
Fortunately, after the suppression by the White Dwarf Visualization, the jade script had entered a dormant state.
For now, it posed no threat.
Lin Sheng slowly opened his eyes.
A notification from the Chip appeared.
[Lightning Intent Understanding Increased]
[Estimated Time To Second Stage: Unknown]
[More Data Required]
His gaze lingered on the information briefly.
The Tribulation Lightning hidden within the jade script was clearly connected to his Lightning Intent.
Unfortunately—
Understanding and controlling were two completely different matters.
He still lacked enough data and information under this. The scripture pavilion unfortunately, doesn't have the information he needs. He needs guidance at the very least but unfortunately, newly Xuan Gang experts are given one full year to stabilize their cultivation before being given missions.
Just as Lin Sheng entered another round of contemplation—
Elsewhere within Cloud Mist Market.
Night had already descended.
The sky above the market glowed with countless spirit lamps while cultivators filled the streets.
For some, the night was the perfect time for cultivation.
For others—
The night had different attractions.
The Bing Region remained one of the liveliest districts within Cloud Mist Market.
Rows of spirit lanterns illuminated the streets.
Music drifted from various pavilions.
Laughter occasionally echoed from luxurious buildings.
Many hunting cultivators who spent their days risking their lives in the forest preferred spending their nights here.
Especially those without Dao Companions.
Within the most luxurious section of the Hundred Flowers Dao Pavilion, a middle-aged man quietly entered a private room.
The room itself was lavishly decorated.
Spirit incense burned slowly.
Rare spiritual wood furniture filled the chamber.
Formation arrays isolated the room from outside observation.
At the center sat a young man.
Calm.
Composed.
Elegant.
His appearance was completely different from the carefree and shameless Zhao Feng known by Lin Sheng and the others.
The lazy smile was gone.
The playful attitude had vanished.
In its place stood someone possessing natural authority.
The kind developed only by those born into positions of power.
The middle-aged man immediately bowed.
"This subordinate greets Young Master Qian."
The atmosphere instantly became cold.
The young man's eyes narrowed slightly.
A pressure invisible to ordinary people spread through the room.
"It's Zhao Feng."
His voice remained calm.
Yet the middle-aged man's face immediately turned pale.
"Don't forget that."
The middle-aged man hurriedly lowered his head.
"This subordinate misspoke."
"Please forgive me, Young Master."
Only after several breaths did the pressure disappear.
Zhao Feng leaned back in his chair.
"Report."
The middle-aged man secretly sighed in relief.
Then he quickly began speaking.
"News has arrived from the family."
"The Triennial Competition between the three families will begin in Six months."
Hearing this, Zhao Feng's expression became slightly serious.
The Triennial Competition.
A gathering that determined countless interests between families of similar strengths within an area.
Resources.
Territories.
Spirit mines.
Commercial routes.
Every major family took it seriously.
"Continue."
"The Family Head has confirmed that one of the Zheng Family representatives has already entered Foundation Establishment."
Zhao Feng remained calm.
That alone wasn't enough to surprise him.
The middle-aged man continued.
"He broke through several years ago."
"His foundation is extremely stable."
"More importantly..."
The man hesitated.
"He recently defeated one of the Wu Family representatives."
This finally attracted Zhao Feng's attention.
"Who?"
"Wu Yuanhua."
The room suddenly became silent.
Even Zhao Feng's expression changed slightly.
"Wu Yuanhua?"
"Yes."
For the first time since the conversation began, genuine surprise appeared in Zhao Feng's eyes.
He knew exactly who Wu Yuanhua was.
A talented Foundation Establishment cultivator.
More importantly—
An inner disciple of the Qingmu Sword Sect.
A Golden Core-level power.
Such a background alone guaranteed extraordinary strength.
Yet she had lost.
And according to the report—
She had lost badly.
"How?"
The middle-aged man swallowed.
"One exchange."
"..."
The room became silent once more.
Even Zhao Feng couldn't immediately respond.
One exchange.
Not ten.
Not twenty.
A single exchange.
For someone capable of defeating Wu Yuanhua so thoroughly, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators simply wouldn't qualify.
This meant one thing.
The Zheng Family possessed a hidden genius.
A genuine monster.
Someone powerful enough to alter the balance of the competition.
After a long pause, Zhao Feng finally asked:
"Identity?"
The middle-aged man's expression immediately became awkward.
"Unknown."
Zhao Feng frowned.
"Unknown?"
"Yes."
"The individual concealed their appearance completely."
"We attempted several investigations."
"All failed."
"The concealment technique is extremely advanced."
Hearing this, Zhao Feng slowly tapped the table.
His thoughts immediately began moving.
The Zheng Family wasn't weak.
In fact, among the three families, they were arguably the most mysterious.
For them to hide someone for years wasn't impossible.
But why reveal them now?
The answer was obvious.
The upcoming competition.
They intended to win.
Decisively.
The middle-aged man remained silent while waiting for instructions.
After a while, Zhao Feng waved his hand.
"You may leave."
"Yes, Young Master."
The man immediately departed.
Once the door closed, silence returned.
The smile commonly seen on Zhao Feng's face was nowhere to be found.
Instead, his expression carried rare seriousness.
"Wu Yuanhua..."
He muttered softly.
Among the younger generation, she wasn't weak.
Far from it.
If someone could defeat her in a single move, then that person's combat power likely exceeded ordinary Early Foundation Establishment.
Possibly Mid Foundation Establishment.
Perhaps even higher.
The problem wasn't simply strength.
The problem was uncertainty.
An unknown enemy was always more dangerous than a known one.
Zhao Feng slowly stood and walked toward the window.
The bustling streets of the Bing Region appeared below.
Cultivators laughed.
Music echoed.
The night seemed peaceful.
Yet beneath that peace, currents were already beginning to move.
His original plan required participating in the competition.
More specifically—
It required obtaining something hidden within the rewards.
Something extremely important.
Important enough that he had spent years preparing for it.
Yet now, an unknown variable had appeared.
A hidden genius from the Zheng Family.
Someone capable of defeating Wu Yuanhua effortlessly.
His fingers tapped against the windowsill.
Should he continue?
Or should he wait?
The safest option would be waiting another three years.
But waiting wasn't always possible.
Some opportunities only appeared once. Missing them meant losing them forever.
For a moment, Zhao Feng thought of several people. Many people through his connections came to mind, then he stopped at someone-
Lin Sheng.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"If that fellow comes..."
The pressure in his heart eased slightly.
Though he would never admit it openly, Lin Sheng had become the most reliable person among his generation that he had ever met.
Reliable enough that even Zhao Feng occasionally forgot how terrifying Lin Sheng truly was.
A martial artist.
A newly advanced Xuan Gang expert.
Yet somehow—
Whenever Zhao Feng stood beside him, he felt more secure than when standing beside many Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The feeling was absurd.
But it existed.
Looking toward the distant Jia Region, Zhao Feng shook his head.
"No."
"Not yet."
The time hadn't come. He still needed to continue the preparations, though with only 3 months left....
All of it would remain hidden for now.
At least until the competition approached.