A massive spirit boat soared across the skies.
Clouds drifted beneath it like an endless white sea.
Occasionally, mountain peaks emerged through the cloud layer before disappearing behind them moments later.
Lin Sheng stood quietly near the edge of the deck.
His gaze swept across the interior of the vessel.
The spirit boat wasn't particularly large from the outside.
At most several dozen meters in length.
Yet the space within was several times larger.
Lin Sheng walked through the interior of the spirit boat.
From the outside, the vessel appeared no larger than an ordinary flying ship.
Yet after entering, the available space had expanded several times over.
A spacious hall occupied the center.
Several cultivation rooms lined the sides.
Storage chambers and resting quarters extended deeper into the vessel.
Although far from large enough to be considered a mobile residence, it was still vastly larger than the exterior dimensions should have allowed.
"Space expansion formation..."
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly as the Chip began recording the surrounding fluctuations.
His Mental Field carefully observed the surrounding spiritual fluctuations.
The Chip immediately began recording.
[Unknown Spatial Formation Detected.]
[Recording Structure...]
[Analyzing Spatial Distortion...]
Unfortunately, most of the formation remained hidden within the vessel itself.
Without dismantling the spirit boat, obtaining complete information was impossible.
Even so, the partial data already interested him greatly.
Space-related formations were notoriously difficult.
Anything involving space, teleportation, storage equipment, or dimensional expansion belonged among the highest branches of formation arts.
His eyes lingered on the surrounding structure for several moments before withdrawing.
Not far away, Lou Han was leaning over the railing while stuffing food into his mouth.
Again.
Lin Sheng had long since stopped questioning where the food came from.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiaolu stood nearby observing the scenery.
Lin Shou occupied himself with cultivation.
As for Zhao Feng—
The man appeared completely relaxed while reclining against a chair.
The scene would have looked perfectly peaceful if not for the fact that everyone present knew why they were traveling.
The competition.
Only a month remained.
Eventually, Zhao Feng opened one eye.
"Enjoying the view?"
Lin Sheng glanced at him.
"I've seen clouds before."
"..."
Lou Han nearly choked on his food.
Lin Xiaolu rolled her eyes.
Zhao Feng sighed.
"You're impossible to impress."
Lin Sheng ignored him.
A few moments later, Zhao Feng sat upright.
His expression became slightly more serious.
"Since we're almost there, there are some things you should know."
The others gradually gathered.
Even Lou Han stopped eating temporarily.
Only temporarily.
"The age limit for the competition is thirty."
Everyone nodded.
They already knew this.
Yet Zhao Feng continued.
"That sounds generous."
"But it actually makes things worse."
Lin Sheng immediately understood.
Thirty years old.
For ordinary cultivators, that wasn't particularly young.
For talented cultivators?
It was.
Anyone capable of reaching Foundation Establishment before thirty already qualified as a genius.
Not a normal genius.
A genuine one.
Such individuals usually possessed inheritances.
Special physiques.
Powerful techniques.
Or powerful backers.
None were simple.
Seeing their expressions, Zhao Feng nodded.
"Exactly."
"Every Foundation Establishment participant will be dangerous."
"Especially the unknown representative."
The atmosphere became slightly quieter.
Everyone understood who he meant.
The Zheng Family representative. The individual who defeated Wu Yuanhua.
Zhao Feng continued.
"As far as we know, he's male."
"Under thirty."
"Beyond that, almost nothing is confirmed."
"What about his cultivation?" Lin Shou asked.
Zhao Feng shook his head.
"No one knows."
"The opinions are divided."
"Some believe he's Foundation Establishment."
"Others think he's Xuan Gang."
Lou Han frowned.
"How can nobody tell?"
"Because of how he fought."
Zhao Feng's expression became thoughtful.
"The only useful information available is that he used some kind of flame."
"Beyond that, there are too few witnesses."
"A fire cultivator?" Lin Xiaolu asked.
"Possibly."
"Possibly not."
"That's the problem."
"The information is incomplete."
Lin Sheng listened silently.
A mysterious flame.
A single exchange.
An unknown cultivation realm.
Not enough information.
Far from enough.
Several hours later—
The spirit boat finally began descending.
The cloud layer gradually parted.
A vast landscape appeared beneath them.
Countless rivers crossed fertile plains.
Several mortal cities could be seen in the distance.
Large roads connected settlements together like veins spreading across the land.
Lin Sheng's gaze soon shifted elsewhere.
Toward a mountain range.
A large one.
The spiritual qi there was noticeably denser.
Not reaching the level of Dragon Yuan Mountain.
But still impressive.
At the center stood an enormous mountain covered with countless buildings.
Pavilions.
Palaces.
Training grounds.
Formation towers.
The entire mountain radiated prosperity.
The Qian Family.
As the spirit boat approached, Lin Sheng extended his Mental Field slightly.
Immediately, he sensed the source of the spiritual qi.
Beneath the mountain.
A spiritual vein.
A powerful one.
[Peak Grade Rank-2 Spiritual Vein Detected.]
The Chip displayed the information almost immediately.
Lin Sheng nodded slightly.
Reasonable.
Although the Qian Family was technically a Purple Palace power, this wasn't their true headquarters.
Their ancestor remained within Jade Haven City alongside the other Purple Palace cultivators.
The same was true for the Zheng Family and Wu Family.
After all—
The Mid Grade Rank-3 Spiritual Vein beneath Jade Haven City was far more important.
No Purple Palace cultivator would willingly abandon such a place for long.
The spirit boat landed smoothly upon a spacious platform.
Several cultivators were already waiting.
Servants.
Guards.
Stewards.
The moment Zhao Feng stepped down, many immediately lowered their heads respectfully.
Clearly, despite his long absence, his status remained significant.
Zhao Feng stretched lazily.
Then grinned.
"You should prepare yourselves."
Lin Xiaolu raised an eyebrow.
"For what?"
"Uninvited nuisances."
Before anyone could ask further—
A voice echoed across the platform.
"Oh?"
"Young Master finally decided to return from his self-imposed exile?"
The tone carried obvious mockery.
Everyone turned.
Several figures approached from the distance.
Leading them was a young man wearing luxurious robes.
His cultivation fluctuations revealed Foundation Establishment.
Probably Early Foundation Establishment.
His appearance wasn't ugly.
However—
A scar stretched from his right eye toward his cheek.
The expression on his face carried unconcealed arrogance.
The moment he arrived, his gaze swept across the group.
When it landed on Lin Xiaolu, something unpleasant flashed within his eyes.
Possessiveness.
Greed.
The change was brief.
Yet nobody missed it.
Lin Xiaolu's expression immediately cooled.
A hint of disgust appeared in her eyes.
She turned toward Zhao Feng.
"Won't you introduce us to this nuisance?"
The young man's smile twitched.
Several nearby servants immediately lowered their heads.
Clearly, not many people spoke to him this way.
Zhao Feng sighed.
"As expected."
Then he gestured lazily.
"Qian Ying."
"The son of the Grand Elder."
"The person most likely to cause headaches."
Qian Ying's expression darkened slightly.
Meanwhile Zhao Feng continued.
"I'm the son of the Patriarch."
"Our fathers disagree on many things."
"Which naturally led to factions."
The explanation was brief.
Yet everyone immediately understood.
Internal conflict.
The most common disease among large organizations.
Qian Ying ignored Zhao Feng's words.
Instead, his gaze continued sweeping across the group.
Lin Shou.
Lou Han.
Lin Xiaolu.
Then—
Lin Sheng.
For some reason, the indifferent expression on Lin Sheng's face irritated him the most.
No surprise.
No respect.
No curiosity.
Nothing.
As though he wasn't worth paying attention to.
The feeling was unpleasant.
Very unpleasant.
Unfortunately for him, Lin Sheng genuinely wasn't interested.
Compared to the competition.
Compared to the unknown genius.
Compared to the Purple Jade Pearl.
This young master wasn't particularly important.
Qian Ying eventually shifted his attention away.
His gaze returned to Lin Xiaolu.
A smile appeared.
"Miss, if you encounter any difficulties while staying within the Qian Family, feel free to seek me out."
"I'd be happy to assist."
The smile widened.
"Personally."
The disgust in Lin Xiaolu's eyes deepened.
Before she could speak—
A figure stepped forward.
Lou Han.
The usually carefree young man was still chewing food.
Yet his expression had become surprisingly cold.
"Fuck off."
The entire platform fell silent.
Even the servants froze.
Qian Ying's smile disappeared.
Lou Han swallowed his food.
Then calmly added:
"You're blocking the path."
Several breaths passed.
The atmosphere became tense.
Eventually, Qian Ying laughed.
Not a pleasant laugh.
He looked at Lou Han for several moments before turning away.
"Interesting."
His gaze swept across everyone one final time.
Then he left.
The group behind him quickly followed.
Only after he disappeared did the atmosphere relax slightly.
Lin Xiaolu snorted.
"What an eyesore."
Lou Han nodded seriously.
"Exactly."
Then he resumed eating.
As though nothing had happened.
Zhao Feng rubbed his forehead.
"I told you there would be nuisances."
Lin Shou folded his arms.
"And that was only the first day."
"Unfortunately."
Zhao Feng nodded.
Then his expression became somewhat more serious.
"You should understand something."
"The competition isn't only between the three families."
Everyone looked toward him.
"The competition inside the Qian Family already started long ago."
Lin Sheng immediately understood.
The Patriarch's faction.
The Grand Elder's faction.
Two sides.
One opportunity.
One future Purple Palace cultivator.
Whoever obtained the Purple Jade Pearl would gain a tremendous advantage.
Naturally, neither side intended to yield.
Zhao Feng continued.
"If my representatives win, my father's faction receives the breakthrough opportunity."
"If Qian Ying's side wins..."
He shrugged.
"The Grand Elder's faction gets it instead."
The implications were obvious.
The struggle wasn't merely external. It was internal as well.
After all—
The cultivation world rarely allowed anything valuable to remain simple.
Especially opportunities capable of creating another Purple Palace cultivator.
Lin Sheng's gaze remained calm.
For him, however, the situation wasn't necessarily bad.
The more complicated things became—
The easier it was for hidden variables to emerge.
And hidden variables often created opportunities.
The only question was whether one possessed the strength to seize them when they appeared.