Evil Disturbances

An invisible hand.

After hearing this, all four of them felt a chill rise in their hearts.

"What do you think that Ningyuan Perfected Person meant when he said the Cold Mountain Goddess had gone mad?"

"It's actually very simple." Lin Nan's expression remained calm.

"Before the Cold Mountain Goddess Temple was abandoned, disciples on duty began vanishing from within the temple. The missing disciples would return as Corpse Wraiths. Ningyuan Perfected Person, the Cold Mountain Goddess's chief disciple, discovered this matter..."

"...but he never found the true culprit. Or perhaps the culprit's identity was too difficult for him to accept. By now, you should understand."

"You mean?! The one who turned the temple disciples into Corpse Wraiths was... the Cold Mountain Goddess?!"

Jie Ling's pupils constricted as she instantly grasped the hidden meaning in Lin Nan's words.

"But why would she do that?"

"That's why she went mad."

The four of them froze for a moment, then felt a chill crawl down their spines.

Combining the words on the parchment and in the notebook, they immediately understood the chain of events.

"The Cold Mountain Goddess went mad in her later years! She began hunting her own disciples, until her chief disciple, Ningyuan Perfected Person, discovered it!"

But there was one thing Lin Nan did not say.

The ability to turn people into Corpse Wraiths... and a drastic change in temperament...

Why did it seem somewhat similar to the bronze cup he had obtained from Peng Huo?

Could the Cold Mountain Goddess be connected to Withered Locust Village?

"I'll arrange for the gang to continue investigating the matter of the Cold Mountain Goddess. For the time being, I advise you all not to go into the wilderness at night." Zhang Chengchang warned them solemnly.

"Because of the demonic disturbances?" Jie Ling asked.

"That's right. This is a period of demonic unrest. Demons and evil entities have appeared in many wilderness safe zones. Quite a few martial artists who went out on missions have suffered for it."

Zhang Chengchang sighed. "Some missions require spending the night in the wilderness. Because of this mess, we've already lost quite a few brothers."

Even the safe zones in the wilderness... had met with trouble...

The four of them all felt their hearts tighten at those words.

They all sensed the feeling of a storm about to break.

After hearing Zhang Chengchang's words, the five of them fell silent for a time.

After a long while, Zhou Gu was the first to speak.

"If you trust me, leave the spoils from the Cold Mountain Goddess Temple to me. I have connections in the inner city. Quite a few nobles and officials are especially fond of collecting ancient documents like these."

"...Don't worry. Although we didn't obtain any secret arts, this haul is still quite valuable and should fetch a good price. We'll split the money afterward. At the very least, we won't need to worry about Qi-Blood Pills for a while."

All four nodded. Having gone through the Cold Mountain Goddess Temple incident together, they had formed a basic level of trust in one another's character.

After exchanging a few pleasantries and agreeing on when to collect their mission rewards, the five bid each other farewell and dispersed.

On the way back, the clamor of the streets and alleys mingled with the cries of peddlers.

Lin Nan and Jie Ling walked side by side along the bluestone road. After a moment, Jie Ling spoke first.

"You brat, and here I was so worried about you before. Turns out you were hiding your true abilities."

"Everyone has secrets. Don't you too, Senior Sister?" Lin Nan replied with a smile.

"With your status, why would you risk taking missions like this? It's not as though you're as short on money as I am."

"But I need Limit-Breaking Pills." Jie Ling shook her head. "You should know... my father is already sixty-five. I don't know how many more years he can hold on. The martial hall needs a new Sinews-and-Bones Realm martial artist."

"...In times like these, without martial strength to hold the fort, you are nothing."

After that, both fell silent. Jie Ling did not press further, and Lin Nan said nothing either.

After returning to the martial hall, Jie Ling turned to Lin Nan.

"No matter what, thank you for this time. I'm looking forward to your performance in next month's new disciple tournament."

Suddenly, Jie Ling leaned close to Lin Nan's ear and whispered, "Be careful of Zhao Xun. I feel like something has been off with him lately..."

After saying that, Jie Ling offered no further explanation and turned to leave.

"Zhao Xun... something off?"

Lin Nan narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.

Western outskirts of the city, Withered Locust Village.

The entire village was shrouded in heavy fog. Only through the mist could one vaguely make out shattered tiles and rotting wood strewn across the ground.

Deep within the dense fog at the end of the village lay an ancient tomb, its broken stele planted crookedly among the wild grass.

"Hehe... Qianyuan's arrangements in the temple were ruined by a few little mice..."

A laugh like silver bells rang out from the ancient tomb.

"Qianyuan... you cannot restrain me for much longer..."

"In a little while... I will be able to leave this place..."

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

Winter had begun. Fine rain mixed with biting cold slanted down from the sky.

Lin Nan stood inside his room. Before him lay more than ten Qi-Blood Pills and ten taels of silver.

Zhou Gu had delivered them not long ago.

With the aid of Qi-Blood Pills and demon flesh, the circulation of Qi and blood within his body accelerated. The bones throughout his body flexed and pulsed as he immersed himself in stance training.

A short while later.

Lin Nan relaxed his hands. After completing a round of the Origin-Revering Stance, his proficiency increased by another point.

He opened the information on the furnace:

[Furnace Master: Lin Nan]

[Age: Twenty]

[Art: Origin-Revering Stance (Spirit Serpent Stance) (Level Six (110/1200)]

[Fist Art: White Snake Fist Transformation Force (Mastery)]

[Movement Art: Wave-Treading Step (Level One 20/500)]

[Hardening Art: Golden Astral Body (Beginner 3/200)]

[Palm Art: Blazing Fire Palm (Level One 20/500)]

[Fist Art: Earth Fiend Fist (Beginner 1/200)]

[Finger Art: Azure Wood Finger (Beginner 1/200)]

[Usable Yin Energy Points: 10 points]

Four of those Yin Energy Points had come from devouring Taisui Flesh this month, while the other six had been gained from killing the Corpse Ghost at the Cold Mountain Goddess Temple that day.

Over the past month, he had not rushed to allocate points. Instead, he had devoted himself to pure martial stance training and external techniques, tempering his resolve.

He still remembered what Hall Master Jie had said about the purpose of "martial will"—it allowed one to maintain one's resolve in the face of great terror.

"It's time to improve."

Lin Nan fell into thought. If he invested all ten Yin Energy Points into his stance art, he would soon reach the Sinews-and-Bones Realm.

But without the support of external techniques, his actual combat ability would undoubtedly lag far behind other martial artists of the same realm.

He might even be weaker than some more capable third-layer Skin-and-Flesh Realm martial artists.

If he invested the Yin Energy Points into external techniques instead, the progress of his stance art would be delayed.

"I'm still killing too few demons." Lin Nan sighed softly.

In the end, he decided to pursue both.

He would first grind the proficiency of his remaining three external techniques to Level One, then invest all remaining Yin Energy Points into his stance art to maximize his combat strength!

[Convert into proficiency?]

[Yes!]

Go, go, go!

Buzz!

The Yin Energy Points transformed into one thousand proficiency points, which were distributed among the three external techniques and his stance art.

In an instant, changes arose simultaneously in the three external techniques: Azure Wood Finger, Earth Fiend Fist, and Golden Astral Body.

The secrets of finger techniques—piercing, tapping, and slicing—the methods of exerting force that made each punch heavy as a mountain, and the insights from countless days and nights of tempering his skin and flesh all flooded into Lin Nan's mind like a tide.

The information on the furnace rapidly changed the next moment.

[Art: Origin-Revering Stance (Spirit Serpent Stance) (Level Six (510/1200)]

[Movement Art: Wave-Treading Step (Level One 20/500)]

[Hardening Art: Golden Astral Body (Level One 3/500)]

[Palm Art: Blazing Fire Palm (Level One 20/500)]

[Fist Art: Earth Fiend Fist (Level One 1/500)]

[Finger Art: Azure Wood Finger (Level One 1/500)]

Movement art, hardening art, palm art, fist art, finger art...

"I lack nothing now!"

Lin Nan closed his eyes and gradually adapted to the changes in his body. He could vaguely sense that when all five external techniques entered Level One—

Something had changed within his body. Not only had his skin and flesh become increasingly firm and tough, but even when he circulated his arts, a faint golden glow could be seen on the surface of his skin.

"I've heard that when the Origin-Revering One-Qi Art is cultivated to its highest realm, it reaches Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and Five Qi Returning to the Origin. That truly is something to yearn for..."

Lin Nan closed his eyes and felt the boiling Qi and blood within him. Only then did a faint sense of security rise in his heart.

Another month passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time for the Laba tournament.

Winter had fully arrived. Fine snowflakes drifted down over the outer city, covering its blue bricks and gray tiles with a soft layer of white.

Lin Nan was practicing his stance art in his room when a sudden impulse made him look out the window.