Undercurrents Surging

Seven days had passed since his return from the Sword Testing Cliff, and the wounds on Lin Ye's shoulders had scabbed over, leaving behind three distinct scars.

"Senior Brother Lin, here is your medicine." Zhao Xiaosi carried a tray, placing it carefully on the table.

"Leave it there." Lin Ye did not look up, continuing to wipe down the Azure Edge Sword in his hands.

"Senior Brother, are you... really going to participate in this Outer Sect Competition?" Zhao Xiaosi asked, hesitating.

"Yes."

"But..." Zhao Xiaosi lowered his voice, "I heard that Senior Brother Zhao has declared he intends to cripple you during the competition."

Lin Ye's hand, wiping the blade, paused for a moment.

"Who spread that?"

"Everyone outside is talking about it." Zhao Xiaosi's voice trembled.

Lin Ye's eyes flickered slightly.

Ever since he returned from the Sword Testing Cliff, Chen Feng had vanished. Zhou Bapi claimed he had taken leave to visit his family back home.

It was "the person behind him" who had summoned him back.

"I understand." Lin Ye sheathed his sword, "Go back to your work."

"Yes..." Zhao Xiaosi retreated.

"Senior Brother, please be careful."

The door closed.

Lin Ye picked up the bowl of Blood Ginseng soup and drank it in one gulp.

He set the bowl down and looked out the window.

"Zhao Liang..." Lin Ye whispered the name.

At the peak of the eighth level of Body Tempering, he was already among the elite of the outer sect. Combined with the backing he had, he certainly possessed the capital to be arrogant.

Now, at the peak of the eighth level of Body Tempering himself, his strength was enough to crush an ordinary ninth-level Body Tempering practitioner. With the deduced and optimized Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind and Flowing Cloud Steps, as well as those "little gadgets" that couldn't see the light of day, he even had the power to fight an opponent who had just entered the True Qi Realm.

"The competition is still a month away..." Lin Ye calculated. He needed to prepare enough "trump cards" first.

As night fell, Lin Ye changed into night-walking gear and quietly left the Herb Repository.

He arrived at a dilapidated, abandoned courtyard on the west side of the outer sect.

He pushed open the creaking wooden door and stepped into the yard.

In the center of the yard, a dark figure was already waiting.

"Did you bring the goods?" The scarred man's voice was hoarse.

Lin Ye didn't speak; he took out three jade bottles and placed them on the stone table in the yard.

Inside the jade bottles were thirty top-grade Qi Gathering Pills, twenty packets of high-grade Hemostatic Powder, and ten Qi Explosion Pills.

"Where is the stuff I wanted?" Lin Ye asked.

The scarred man took a cloth bag from his chest and tossed it over.

Lin Ye opened the bag. Inside were fifty sets of ingredients for refining Golden Sore Ointment, thirty sets of raw materials for Soul-Bewildering Incense, and ten finished Explosive Flame Talismans. At the very bottom lay a thin, small booklet.

"The Breath Concealment Technique is an incomplete copy; it only has the first three levels."

Lin Ye put away the bag and nodded: "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." The scarred man grinned, "But little brother, let me give you a piece of advice—you've been too prominent lately, so be careful. Zhao Liang is investigating you, and the waters around Zhao Mingxuan are even deeper."

Having said that, he took the jade bottles and his figure flashed, disappearing into the night.

Lin Ye stood where he was, looking at the Breath Concealment Technique in his hand, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

He gripped the booklet tightly and turned to leave.

Back at the Herb Repository, Lin Ye pressed his palm against the Breath Concealment Technique and silently began the deduction in his mind.

[Deduce Breath Concealment Technique (Mortal-grade high-tier incomplete copy), requires 50 points]

[Proceed with deduction?]

A phantom image appeared, practicing the method of breath concealment.

His aura retracted, like a stone sinking into the sea; his vitality was contained within, like a withered tree meeting spring.

[Deduction complete]

[Breath Concealment Technique optimized and completed, total of four levels. After cultivation, it can deceive the detection of those at the same rank.]

Lin Ye immediately began to cultivate.

Ten days later, the third level reached perfection.

Three levels of the Breath Concealment Technique were enough for him to adjust his cultivation to a "reasonable" range.

At the same time, he began to refine the Golden Sore Ointment and Soul-Bewildering Incense.

Golden Sore Ointment, a mortal-grade mid-tier healing medicine, is several times more effective than Hemostatic Powder and can save a life at a critical moment.

Everything was being prepared in an orderly fashion.

Half a month later, late at night.

Lin Ye was refining Golden Sore Ointment in the cave when his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Without a second thought, he retreated violently.

"Boom!"

A fist aura slammed into the spot where he had just been standing; gravel flew everywhere, and a three-foot-deep crater was blasted into the ground.

"Not a slow reaction."

A cold, sinister voice rang out.

Three figures emerged from the shadows of the cave entrance.

The leader was none other than Zhao Liang!

Faint True Qi circulated around his body.

It was clear he had only just entered the True Qi Realm, and his aura was unstable.

The two men behind him were also at the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering, veteran disciples of the outer sect.

"Senior Brother Zhao, what is the meaning of this?" Lin Ye said calmly, secretly clutching the Soul-Bewildering Incense in his hand.

"Meaning?" Zhao Liang sneered. "Lin Ye, do you think that just because Zhao Mingxuan is shielding you, I can't touch you? Let me tell you, Zhao Mingxuan can barely protect himself! As for you... just die here tonight."

"The sect forbids the slaughter of fellow disciples," Lin Ye said.

Zhao Liang laughed. "This is the back mountain, where savage beasts run rampant. If you are 'accidentally' killed by a beast, what does that have to do with me?"

Before his voice had even faded, the two men behind him lunged forward.

One used a saber, the blade light as cold as snow.

The other used his fists, the wind whistling with each strike.

Both were at the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering, possessing formidable combat power.

Lin Ye's eyes turned cold. He executed the Flowing Cloud Steps, narrowly dodging the saber light while simultaneously throwing a punch at the man using his fists.

"Bang!"

The fists collided, and shockwaves rolled outward.

"Attack together!" Zhao Liang said, joining the fray.

The True Qi Realm against the Body Tempering Realm was a total suppression.

Zhao Liang threw a punch, his fist aura solidified, carrying the faint sound of wind and thunder.

Lin Ye dared not take it head-on. He retreated again, simultaneously throwing out three black spheres.

"Explode!"

The spheres burst open, thick smoke filled the air, and a pungent odor permeated the cave.

This was an enhanced version of a "smoke bomb," mixed with chili powder, lime powder, and a trace of poisonous herb juice.

"Child's play!" Zhao Liang released his True Qi, dispersing the smoke.

But in that brief delay, Lin Ye had already rushed to the cave entrance.

"Trying to run?" Zhao Liang sneered, his figure moving like lightning; he arrived before Lin Ye could, blocking the exit.

"Who said I was running?" Lin Ye suddenly stopped and flicked his finger.

A spark flew toward a spot on the cave wall.

As the spark touched it, the powder instantly ignited, and a colorless smoke began to spread.

"Not good! Hold your breath!" Zhao Liang reacted extremely quickly, immediately stopping his breathing.

But the other two were half a beat slower; they inhaled the smoke, and their movements instantly stalled.

Now!

A cold light flashed in Lin Ye's eyes, and he drew his Azure Edge Sword.

Wind and Thunder Move!

He had been building momentum for this strike for a long time, and launching it while they were under the influence of the Soul-Bewildering Incense made it as fast as lightning.

"Ssh!"

With one strike, he pierced the throat of the man with the saber.

The other man snapped out of it and lunged forward with a roar.

But Lin Ye's sword momentum had already begun, continuous and unending.

"Pfft!"

The second man's heart was pierced through.

In just three breaths, both men were dead.

"You... damn you!" Zhao Liang was completely enraged, unleashing his full True Qi as he threw a punch.

This punch was fueled by fury; the fist aura was as solid as substance, causing the air to crackle with explosive sounds.

Lin Ye dared not take it head-on, stepping into his Flowing Cloud Steps to dodge like a phantom.

He flicked out three Explosive Flame Talismans.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three loud explosions erupted with flames; though the power was insufficient, the momentum was startling.

Lin Ye took the opportunity to pull a blood-colored pill from his robes and shove it into his mouth.

Qi Explosion Pill!

His aura surged violently, instantly breaking through the eighth level of Body Tempering to reach the ninth, even nearing the peak of the ninth level!

"Hm?"

Lin Ye gave him no time to think, drawing his Azure Edge Sword once more.

This time, the sword light was like a waterfall, accompanied by wind and thunder.

"Clang!"

Sword and fist collided, sending sparks flying.

Lin Ye retreated seven steps, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Liang also retreated three steps, a bloody gash appearing on his fist.

"You can hurt me?"

"True Qi Realm, nothing more than this." Lin Ye wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes cold.

The effect of the Qi Explosion Pill lasted only thirty breaths.

He had to end the fight within thirty breaths.

"You're courting death!" Zhao Liang went completely mad, his fist shadows raining down like a storm.

Sword light and fist shadows collided with a roar, air waves rolling as the cave trembled slightly.

Ten breaths passed in a flash, and Lin Ye had gained five wounds of varying depths on his body.

By twenty breaths, he had taken a punch from Zhao Liang squarely on his left shoulder.

At twenty-five breaths, Zhao Liang threw another punch.

A strange glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, taking the punch directly into his chest.

"Bang!"

His sternum shattered, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He used this to close the distance.

His right hand drove the sword toward Zhao Liang's throat.

His left hand quietly flicked out a silver needle.

Zhao Liang sneered, dodging the sword while shielding his body with True Qi, intending to deflect the needle.

The silver needle in his left hand, hidden by the sword light, pierced three inches under his ribs.

"Pfft."

As the needle entered his body, the poison spread instantly.

Zhao Liang's movements stalled, his True Qi circulation faltering.

This was it!

Lin Ye used his final ounce of strength to thrust his sword.

Wind and Thunder Move, erupting to its limit.

"Shing!"

The Azure Edge Sword pierced through Zhao Liang's chest.

"You..." Zhao Liang looked down at the sword in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He, a dignified True Qi Realm expert, had actually died at the hands of a Body Tempering eighth-level servant.

"In your next life, don't provoke people you shouldn't." Lin Ye pulled out his sword.

Zhao Liang's corpse hit the ground, his eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

Lin Ye stumbled back a few steps, using his sword to prop himself up so he wouldn't collapse.

The effect of the Qi Explosion Pill had worn off, and a wave of weakness washed over him; combined with his severe injuries, he could pass out at any moment.

He forced himself to stay conscious, quickly cleaning up the scene.

Then, he collapsed the cave entrance to cover everything up.

After finishing all this, he could no longer hold on and slumped to the ground.

Before his consciousness faded, he saw a figure at the cave entrance.

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