The Balance of Power in Kaiyang City Was About to Change!

Time slipped by.

The autumn leaves fell, and the first snow drifted down.

Before long, a thin layer of frost covered the bamboo branches. A few winter sparrows hopped among their tips, shaking loose soft flurries of snow.

And so, four months passed.

Inside the secret chamber, Lin Chen still sat cross-legged, motionless as a stone statue.

Only the faint green light that occasionally flowed around him showed that a profound change was taking place within his body.

One day, Lin Chen suddenly woke from his deep focus on breaking through.

Nothing outside had disturbed him.

Instead, he had felt a stirring of completion within his body.

He immediately looked inward at his dantian.

The vast spiritual energy that had once filled it was gone, replaced by a lake of True Essence, denser and more stable than before.

The water was clear, with a faint green sheen. Its surface lay still as a mirror.

Yet Lin Chen could feel that it held power on an entirely different level.

This was no longer spiritual energy, but True Essence formed through refinement and tempering by fire.

At the center of the lake, the Sword Intent Furnace slowly dissolved into pure Sword Intent and returned to his sea of consciousness.

At the same time, a powerful aura burst from Lin Chen.

Boom!

There had been no wind in the secret chamber, but now a gust swept through it. Fine cracks spread across the surrounding stone walls, unable to withstand the force.

Lin Chen opened his eyes.

A green sword shadow seemed to flash deep within them, sharp and intimidating, before vanishing.

He had reached the Profound Martial Realm!

In a single breakthrough, he had stepped into a new realm of martial arts.

The world looked utterly different to Lin Chen now.

His spiritual sense spread outward.

Deep in the soil, he detected several hibernating insects, their breaths faint and their hearts beating slowly.

Aboveground, he could clearly see the patterns on the bamboo leaves. Every vein seemed to hold a rhythm of nature.

Farther away, he caught the quiet conversations of servants in the Lin Residence and heard every word.

"Upon entering the Profound Martial Realm, a martial artist's soul grows stronger and their spiritual sense expands. They can also perceive changes in the world and comprehend Martial Dao True Intent..."

Lin Chen murmured the words, understanding them more deeply now.

His spiritual sense covered everything within a hundred meters. Not even the slightest change in that area escaped his notice.

Naturally, he could grasp the changes around him far more clearly.

"So this is the Profound Martial Realm!"

"How many people have been trapped before the barrier to a new realm, seeking a breakthrough they could never attain?"

Lin Chen sighed softly, satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He summoned his status panel.

A translucent screen unfolded before him:

[Character]: Lin Chen

[Age]: 29/458

[Life-Bound Divine Artifact]: Greenedge Sword (Tier 2, supreme grade)

[Realm]: Profound Martial Realm, first stage (0/5000) (Note: Without a cultivation art, you may spend twice the experience to force an increase.)

[Sword Dao]: Ten percent Sword Intent (579/10000)

[Martial Arts]: Evergreen Art (perfected), Thunderlight Sword Technique (perfected), Swimming Body Step (perfected), Shadow Silk Binding Art (advanced)

[Idle Training]: Miasma Forest (in progress)

(Note 1: The new map, Astral Wind Wasteland, has been unlocked. You may send a wisp of your consciousness to begin idle training...)

His lifespan had soared from just over two hundred years to more than four hundred. Such was the increase that came with breaking through to a new major realm.

In essence, his very level of existence had risen, gradually transforming toward the extraordinary.

His cultivation was now at the first stage of the Profound Martial Realm, but without an art for this realm, he theoretically could not advance further.

But...

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "I can force an increase by spending twice the experience, even without a cultivation art for this realm?"

That genuinely surprised him.

"Adding points really does override everything. But spending twice the experience would be a waste. I still need to find a cultivation art."

Finally, Lin Chen's gaze fell on the new idle-training map.

"Astral Wind Wasteland?"

Just from the name, Lin Chen knew it had to be more dangerous than Fierce Wolf Mountain or Miasma Forest.

Still...

"The more dangerous it is, the more experience I'll get. Start training!"

With a thought, Lin Chen confirmed the switch to the new map.

[Map: Astral Wind Wasteland]

[Recommended Level: 21–30]

[Idle-Training Rewards: Approximately 168–180 experience per month; a small chance to obtain Spirit Stones, Wind-Eroded Crystal Cores, various rare metal ores, and tough beast hides/bones...]

[Note: A wasteland swept by fierce heavenly winds and imbued with Wind Fiend power. Only savage beasts can survive here.]

"Not bad."

Lin Chen nodded slightly.

He had yet to obtain a cultivation art, but that did not stop him from training in the Astral Wind Wasteland, hunting monsters, and stockpiling experience.

"Time to come out of seclusion."

After reviewing the panel, Lin Chen stood and stretched a body that had not moved in months.

Then he pushed open the secret chamber's stone door and walked out.

In the study of the main courtyard, Lin Hai was leafing through an account book, occasionally making notes in the margins with his red brush.

Suddenly, he sensed something and looked up.

The study door opened, and a figure in green stepped inside.

Sunlight streamed in from behind Lin Chen, outlining his tall frame and handsome face.

But to Lin Hai, Lin Chen felt different now. His aura was more restrained and profound. Merely standing there, he gave the impression of an immovable mountain rising from a deep abyss, like a martial arts master whose depths could not be fathomed.

"You... broke through?"

The red brush slipped from Lin Hai's hand and landed on the desk. He slowly rose, staring at Lin Chen and looking him up and down. At last, he burst out with three exclamations.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Those three words said everything.

There was no need to ask. The faint fluctuations of True Essence around Lin Chen and the sense that Lin Hai could only look up to him meant he had reached the Profound Martial Realm!

"Father, I've reached the Profound Martial Realm."

Lin Chen smiled. His voice was calm, yet it carried a force that made his words unquestionable.

"Hahaha! Good! My son truly is a prodigy."

Laughing, Lin Hai stepped forward and clapped Lin Chen hard on the shoulder. Emotions and thoughts surged through him all at once.

Only after a long while did Lin Hai collect himself and ask with concern,

"Did the breakthrough go smoothly?"

"Everything went smoothly." Lin Chen nodded. "With Sword Intent protecting me, it happened naturally."

Lin Hai let out a long breath. At last fully at ease, he said with relief,

"You've entered the Profound Martial Realm before turning thirty. It seems the Lin Family will finally have a true powerhouse!"

Lin Chen shook his head. "You flatter me, Father. The path of cultivation is long. The Profound Martial Realm is only a new beginning."

He was not being modest.

The stronger one became, the more one understood one's own insignificance. Above the Profound Martial Realm, there were still the Earth Martial Realm and the Heaven Martial Realm.

But Lin Chen did not dispute that the Lin Family would have a true powerhouse.

In Lin Hai's eyes, Lin Chen might already be a powerhouse. If he reached the Earth Martial Realm in the future, he could become a regional overlord renowned far and wide.

To Lin Chen, though, he would only be an absolute powerhouse when he could sweep aside everyone under heaven and stand unmatched in this world!

Lin Chen then sat down with his father and told him about every hurdle and detail of his breakthrough, hoping it would help when Lin Hai attempted to reach the Profound Martial Realm.

In fact, Lin Chen had already decided that once he was strong enough, he would find treasures not only for his father but also for his mother, helping her reach the Profound Martial Realm too.

That would greatly extend both their lives.

He did not say any of this aloud, keeping the plan to himself.

"What do you intend to do next?" Lin Hai asked. "Will you go to Yunlan City?"

"Yes, but there's no rush."

Lin Chen spoke slowly.

"Before I leave, there are some things I need to do. Consider it my way of repaying the family."

"What do you have in mind?" Lin Hai asked.

Lin Chen looked out the window. His gaze seemed to pass through the courtyard wall toward the Li Family's estate on the other side of Kaiyang City.

"Kaiyang City is too small for two voices."

Lin Chen's tone left no room for argument.

"A Profound Martial Realm cultivator can protect an ordinary city. From now on, everything within hundreds of miles should belong to the Lin Family!"

"And the entire Black Iron Ore Vein should belong to us as well!"

Lin Chen paused, then continued,

"As for the Li Family, we've had a good relationship with them over the years and have no grudges. So I can give them two choices."

"First, submit to the Lin Family and become a subordinate family."

"Second, leave Kaiyang City and find somewhere else to settle. I'll give them time to pack."

Lin Hai nodded slightly.

In a world where martial strength reigned supreme, the strong held power. That was its iron law.

Now that a Profound Martial Realm cultivator had appeared in Kaiyang City, everyone else had to either leave or accept reality.

"How do you plan to approach the Li Family?"

Lin Hai asked, "Go straight to their door?"

Lin Chen smiled faintly. "There's no need to be so heavy-handed."

"Father, I'd like to write a letter in the Lin Family's name, inviting the Li Family to visit."

"Visit?" Lin Hai paused.

"They'll be guests, yes. But we'll also... discuss Kaiyang City's future."

Lin Chen lightly tapped the wooden desk with a fingertip.

Hiss—

A wisp of green True Essence shot from his finger and carved a clear character for "Lin" into the hard desktop.

The character bit deep into the wood grain. Its strokes were sharp with the edge of Sword Intent.

Lin Hai looked at the character, then at Lin Chen's composed expression. A smile slowly spread across his face.

He understood.

Lin Chen would offer courtesy first and force only if necessary.

The invitation would give the Li Family a chance to save face.

If they knew what was good for them, they would know which choice to make.

If they did not...

"Good! We'll do it your way."

Lin Hai slapped the desk, his spirits rising.

"The Lin Family and the Li Family have struggled against each other in Kaiyang City for over a century. It truly is time for things to change!"

"I wonder how that fellow Li Yuan will react when the time comes."

Lin Chen smiled faintly.

"How he reacts doesn't matter."

"What matters is what I intend to do."

"From now on, only one power will rule Kaiyang City: the Lin Family."