The young people who had come with the cultivation forces, along with Lin Xiao, remained in the hall with confusion written across their faces.
Lin Xiao, on the other hand, was calmer. Not only because of his age, but also because he knew he was still not qualified to learn the secrets surrounding the city.
Simply being in this hall and accompanying his young lady was already more than enough.
The moment of confusion did not last long. The youths of each force were still very young.
Looking at their faces, one could tell they had heard of one another before, but had never had the opportunity to meet.
If there was anyone completely unfamiliar, it was the beautiful young woman in a pink robe. Her face carried an apparent shyness as she avoided eye contact.
Yin Lixue was sitting closer to her, as her grandfather had taken a seat near the master of the other party.
"Sister Jinyu, what do you think theyâre talking about that weâre not allowed to hear?" Yin Lixue asked, scooting closer, her eyes full of innocence and energy.
She had already heard of the discreet disciple of the famous Master of the Zheng Pavilion, but this was her first time seeing her.
"Hmm?" Jinyu was startled by the sudden question, but soon replied in a low voice. "Er⦠Sister Lixue, I wouldnât dare guess what Master and the elders are thinking."
"Hehe, you donât need to be afraid of those old menâ¦" Yin Lixue said with a smile on her beautiful face, leaning in even closer.
Upon hearing this, Jinyu glanced around in alarm, only to see the author of the words laughing at her reaction.
The young master of the Lin family, Lin Wei, was seated on a cushion. His greenish robe draped over it, and his muscular arms contrasted with his confident smileâso different from his grandfather and father.
"Brother Yong, you have no idea what theyâre talking about in secret either?" he asked, turning to a young man on the nearest cushion.
Jin Yong, dressed in a black robe with golden details, had his eyes closed as if cultivating.
Hearing the question, he opened his eyes.
With a helpless expression, he replied, "Thereâs no point in speculating. If it were something we should know, they wouldnât have left the room."
Hearing this answer, Lin Wei looked helpless. He knew that well enough, but that calmnessâ¦
To anyone who didnât know them, it might very well seem that the young masters of the Jin and Lin families had been switched at birth.
"I canât just sit here! Letâs have a spar, Brother Yongâ¦" he said, standing up when he saw that the young man beside him was already about to close his eyes again.
Jin Yong looked at him strangely. Weâre doing nothing, so letâs fight?
"I want to join too! I want to be part of this fight!"
Yin Lixue, who had been chatting with Jinyu, jumped up at the mention of a fight.
The young woman who had been speaking with her was startled to realize they were talking about fighting⦠just like that?
Lin Xiao watched the young members of the cityâs main forces and shook his head with a smile.
They were all young, and their hot-blooded nature drove them to constantly prove themselves.
But it was undeniable that they were the best of their generation.
At such a tender age, they had already reached the late stage of Qi Training. Only the disciple of the Zheng Pavilionâs master lagged slightly behind, but she seemed just a hairâs breadth away from reaching the late stage herself.
He closed his eyes and felt the abundant energy in the surroundings. Sitting on one of the cushions, he felt an even greater boost while cultivating.
Looking into his Dantian, he could see the great amount of energy gathered there, as if it were saturated and waiting for a breakthrough.
Unfortunately, taking that step was anything but easy.
It really is difficult to break through the âfinalâ realm⦠he thought with a sigh.
While his eyes were still closed, at some point one of the young men approached him with a smile.
"Mr. Lin Xiao, could you serve as the judge for our little dispute?" said Lin Wei, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. He really seemed to enjoy a good fight.
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Lin Xiao opened his eyes and looked at the others, who already seemed eager to fight. Even the previously shy Jinyu showed no timidity at this moment.
With a sigh, he nodded and stood up.
â¦
In another place, the conversation was much more heated. It was in the third-floor room where the Lady of the Crimson Flame was.
Everyone sat around the low table at the center of the room, and the atmosphere was far from pleasant.
"In short, there are not many cases where a Mortal-rank beast can use spells. If it is descended from a clan that once had a deity, that is possible⦠Otherwise, it might be divine blood⦠There are other possibilities, but theyâre less likely," said the Lady of the Crimson Flame to everyone, though it was as if she were speaking to herself, trying to unravel the origin of this anomaly.
It was at times like this that the air of mystery around her grew considerably, for even cultivation families that had existed for generations had very little knowledge about deities and divine blood.
It was common knowledge that, for beasts, bloodline truly mattered. Depending on its parents, a beast could stand out from the rest.
Just as with cultivatorsâif a powerful being had a child, what were the chances that the childâs talent would be poor?
Unfortunately, when it came to divine beings and divine blood, even the strongest family foundations showed their limits.
When she finished speaking, everyone felt the air grow heavier.
Any of the options she had listed were not matters families at the foundation level could handle.
The master of the Zheng Pavilion, who possessed broader knowledgeâafter all, this was only one of many auction housesâstill felt a shock in his heart. Not only because of the Lady of the Crimson Flameâs wisdom, but because anything involving the word âDivineâ was already tied to the very center of this world.
Unlike the others, the Lady of the Crimson Flame was far calmer as she pondered the matter. As if recalling something, she raised her head.
"Changing the subject, the third-level vein has already begun to stabilizeâ¦" she said simply.
The others in the room, having just received one revelation after another, already felt numb.
Looking at the masked woman who shared such information as if it were nothing, they began to understand that, to her, all of this was indeed very simple.
The three eldest then turned their eyes to old Zheng, whose expression was even more deeply shaken.
The spiritual vein was one of their greatest secrets. Not even the master of the Pavilion knew about it, and she had just revealed it as though it were trivial.
Old Zheng noticed their gazes on him, but there was little he could do.
He had come thinking there might be some change in the city but never imagined he would be given an even more shocking revelation.
Then, everyoneâs attention returned to the beautiful figure sitting calmly.
Even under the mask, she gave the impression that each piece of information she revealed was nothing to her.
When they realized she had said nothing about his presence, everyone understood that she truly did not careâperhaps she had never cared if such information were to leak.
Sigh⦠Xu Zhenghao was the first to regain his composure. With a sigh, he said, "For now, let us set aside the matter of the Spiritual Vein. What should we do about the mysterious beast?"
"At the moment, thereâs not much to be done. After all, our information is still scarce. Has anyone wondered why the cub of this beast ended up in the outer houses?" Jin Guang said thoughtfully. He felt there was something important in that fact.
As soon as he raised the question, everyone turned their thoughts to it. It was unrealistic to think that a cub would travel to the outer areas on its own.
"A chaos maneuver?" old Zheng suddenly suggested. Thinking about it, at that moment it seemed the only reason someone would bring the cub of an almost-threat-rank beast.
Creating chaos was the only purpose he could imagine for someone taking such a risk.
Everyoneâs eyes then returned to the figure who had remained silent and calm after such impactful revelations.
She was just as serene as she had been minutes before.
"Stay on guard, and if thereâs an attack, strike backâ¦"
Her voice echoed among them in a simple, understated manner, as if it were already a certainty.
Hearing her calm tone, they all remembered that she had already sent her fellow Tong to stay near the forestâ¦
Since the matter of the beasts was going nowhere, they turned their focus back to the most important issueâthe third-level Spiritual Veinâ¦
â¦
Three thousand meters below, the unrest in the cluster of houses was beginning to calm.
Several supervisors had left the city to reassure everyone, making them feel they had not been forgotten.
The attack had happened in the early hours, and this time, the rising sun failed to completely dispel the chill felt by the inhabitants.
Though the sky was clear, many doors remained firmly shut, with no intention of opening.
The strange quiet was broken from time to time by cries and screams.
Destroyed houses, dried blood, dismembered bodies⦠all of it left the faint-hearted utterly drained.
In the eastern corner, a house kept its door closed like the others, showing no sign of life.
Although the destruction in the western and eastern corners had been smaller, that did not mean there had been no damage.
Near this house, others had been destroyed, and bodies could still be seen among the rubble.
When the sun began to rise, streaks of light mounted on flying swords shone over the housesâthe supervisors had arrived.
Upon seeing the destruction, many sighed, but that was all. After all, anyone who could become a supervisor would never let their family live here. In the end, weakness is a sin.
Inside the house, in one of the rooms, a young woman in a white robe lay on the bed.
Her closed eyes suggested she was asleep, but the furrow in her brow showed that her rest was far from peaceful.
From her forehead, sweat dripped as if she were burning with the worst fever. Suddenly, a hand appeared with a cloth to wipe it away.
Zhang Chen was beside the bed, looking bitterly at the young womanâs pained face, even though her eyes remained shut.
Shen Jie was in a deep sleep, with no sign of waking.
He then sat on the floor beside the bed, sighed, and tried to steady himself. Using his inner vision, he searched for that golden glow.
The day passed like this; each time Shen Jie felt pain and began to sweat, Zhang Chen would patiently wipe her face.
He heard the sounds outside but paid them no mind. He simply stayed by her side.
Night soon fell, and Zhang Chen began to feel fatigue. Still seated, his head drooped slightly forward.
With a start, he awoke, only to see Shen Jie still lying there.
The night went on, and the moon climbed high. Tonight, however, it didnât seem as bright; it looked faint, unable to send its rays of light through the gaps in the roof.
"How I wish I had some coffeeâ¦" he sighed, but it was only thenâ¦
"What is coffee?"
A second voice echoed through the room.