The Skies over Kaiyang City Were About to Change!

Time flew.

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

Before anyone knew it, a thin layer of white 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 an earth-shaking change was taking place within his body.

One day, Lin Chen suddenly woke from his breakthrough.

Nothing outside had disturbed him.

Instead, a stirring sense of completion had risen from within.

He immediately looked inward at his dantian.

The dense spiritual energy that had once filled it was gone. In its place lay a lake of True Essence, more condensed and stable than before.

Its waters were clear, gleaming faintly green, and still as a mirror.

Yet Lin Chen could sense that those waters held power on an entirely higher level.

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

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 erupted from Lin Chen.

Boom!

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

Lin Chen opened his eyes.

Deep within them, a green sword-shadow seemed to flash, sharp enough to cut, before vanishing.

The Profound Martial Realm—achieved!

In a single leap, he had entered a new level of the Martial Dao.

The world now looked entirely different to Lin Chen.

His spiritual sense spread outward.

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

Aboveground, the veins of the bamboo leaves stood out clearly. Every line seemed to hold nature's own rhythm.

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

"Upon entering the Profound Martial Realm, a martial artist's soul grows stronger and his spiritual sense surges. He can also sense changes in heaven and earth 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 the slightest change within that range escaped his notice.

He understood the changes in heaven and earth far more clearly.

"So this is the Profound Martial Realm!"

"How many people have been trapped before the barrier of a major realm, yearning to cross it but never succeeding?"

Lin Chen sighed softly, satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He called up 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 level (0/5000) (Note: Without a cultivation art, Attribute Allocation can be forced at twice the experience cost)

[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 (major mastery)

[Idle Training]: Miasma Forest (in progress)

(Note 1: The new map, Astral Wind Wasteland, has been unlocked. You may send a wisp of your divided consciousness there 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 a major Martial Dao realm.

At its heart, this was a rise in the level of his very life, a gradual transformation toward the extraordinary.

His realm had become the first level of the Profound Martial Realm, but without a cultivation art, he theoretically could not advance further.

But...

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "Even without a follow-up cultivation art, I can force Attribute Allocation at twice the experience cost?"

That genuinely surprised him.

"Attribute Allocation really does override everything. But double the experience is too wasteful. I still need to find a cultivation art."

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

"Astral Wind Wasteland?"

From the name alone, Lin Chen could tell it had to be more dangerous than Fierce Wolf Mountain or Miasma Forest.

Still...

"The greater the danger, the more experience there is. Begin idle 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; low chance of obtaining Spirit Stones, Wind-Eroded Crystal Cores, various rare metal ores, tough beast hides/bones...]

[Note: A wasteland shrouded in fierce astral winds and imbued with Wind Fiend power. Only savage beasts can survive there.]

"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, slaying beasts, and accumulating 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 outside, outlining the newcomer's tall frame and handsome face.

But compared with before, Lin Chen's aura felt far more restrained and profound to Lin Hai. Simply standing there, he gave the impression of a deep pool beneath a towering mountain, as though Lin Hai faced an unfathomable Martial Dao master.

"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. Then he exclaimed three times.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Those three words said it all.

There was no need to ask. The faint True Essence flowing around Lin Chen and the feeling that Lin Hai could only look up at him meant he could be nothing but a Profound Martial Realm martial artist!

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

Lin Chen smiled. His voice was calm, yet it carried a conviction that made others believe him.

"Hahaha! Good! My son truly is a genius blessed by heaven."

Laughing, Lin Hai stepped forward and clapped Lin Chen heavily on the shoulder. His feelings were tangled, countless thoughts surging through his mind.

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 all came together naturally."

Lin Hai let out a long breath and relaxed completely. 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 he grew, the more he understood his own insignificance. Beyond the Profound Martial Realm lay the Earth Martial Realm and the Heaven Martial Realm.

Still, Lin Chen did not dispute the claim that the Lin Family would have a true powerhouse.

In Lin Hai's eyes, Lin Chen might already count as a regional powerhouse. If he reached the Earth Martial Realm in the future, he might become an overlord famed throughout the region.

But in Lin Chen's eyes, he would only be an absolute powerhouse when he could sweep all before him and roam this world without equal!

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

In fact, Lin Chen had already decided that once he was strong enough, he would find treasures not only for his father, but for his mother as well, and help them both reach the Profound Martial Realm.

Their lifespans would then increase greatly.

But Lin Chen said none of this aloud. He kept it in his heart.

"What do you plan to do next?" Lin Hai asked. "Are you going to Yunlan City?"

"Yes, but not yet."

Lin Chen spoke slowly.

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

"What do you intend to do?" Lin Hai asked.

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

"Kaiyang City is too small for two voices."

There was no room for doubt in Lin Chen's tone.

"A Profound Martial Realm martial artist can protect an ordinary city. From now on, the several hundred li around here should all be Lin Family territory!"

"And the Black Iron Ore Vein should belong entirely to the Lin Family!"

Lin Chen paused, then continued,

"As for the Li Family, we've been on good terms with them for years and have no grudges. So I can give them two choices."

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

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

Lin Hai nodded slightly.

Might made right. In this world where the Martial Dao reigned supreme, that was an iron law.

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

"How do you intend 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 inviting the Li Family to visit us in the Lin Family's name."

"Visit?" Lin Hai froze.

"A visit, yes. And also... a chance to discuss the future balance of power in Kaiyang City."

Lin Chen lightly touched the wooden desk with a fingertip.

Hiss—

A wisp of green True Essence shot from his finger, carving a clear character for "Lin" into the hard tabletop.

The strokes sank deep into the grain, sharp with the cutting edge of Sword Intent.

Lin Hai looked at the character, then at Lin Chen's composed expression. A smile gradually appeared on his face.

He understood.

Courtesy first, force second.

The invitation gave the Li Family a way to save face.

If they knew which way the wind blew, they would know what to choose.

If they didn't...

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

Lin Hai slapped the desk, boldness rising within him.

"The Lin and Li Families have struggled against each other in Kaiyang City for over a hundred years. It's high time the skies changed!"

"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, Kaiyang City will have only one power: the Lin Family."