Han Feng's Suspicious Moves, Shadows Beneath the Cauldron

The aftermath of the Fire Energy Hunting Competition had yet to fully subside, but another tension had already begun spreading quietly through the Inner Academy. As news of "infighting at the Black Wind Stronghold" and a "Mist Poison Mosquitoes uprising" circulated, many factions began reining in their sharp edges. Only a handful remained unable to restrain themselves, stirring restlessly in the shadows.

Xiao Yan was in no hurry to act. Instead, he used the respite to devote more attention to familiarizing himself with the Inner Academy. Every day, he traveled between the library and the training grounds, sometimes borrowing ancient texts, sometimes sparring with other newcomers. He appeared to be an ordinary student wholly devoted to learning, while his emperor realm soul remained as keen as the most sensitive radar, detecting every trace of unusual activity around him.

That afternoon, Xiao Yan had just left the library and was preparing to return to his lodgings when a cold, sinister presence suddenly intruded upon his soul perception. Like a lurking venomous snake, it kept a faint lock on him, carrying undisguised greed and malice.

So you've finally come? Xiao Yan briefly paused. His expression remained unchanged, but he already understood. The owner of that presence was none other than Han Feng, whom he had been watching for some time.

Han Feng was Yao Lao's traitorous disciple. His alchemy had surpassed his master's—the blue drawn from indigo had grown bluer than its source—but his heart was crooked, and he had long coveted Yao Lao's "Flame Mantra." In the original story, he had repeatedly plotted against Xiao Yan. Now, with the intervention of the [Absolute Concealment System], Xiao Yan naturally would not give him any opportunity. He simply had not expected Han Feng to be so impatient.

Pretending not to notice anything, Xiao Yan continued toward his lodgings at an unhurried pace, as though merely enjoying the afternoon's tranquility. He could clearly sense Han Feng's presence remaining more than a hundred zhang away, trailing him at a steady distance. Clearly, he was searching for an opportunity to strike.

After passing through a bamboo grove, Xiao Yan reached a fork in the path. The left branch led to the courtyards where the students lived, while the right led to a cluster of abandoned alchemy rooms—an old site the Inner Academy had retired. Untended for years, it had long since become overgrown with weeds, and few people ventured there.

Xiao Yan's feet turned "inadvertently" toward the right.

Hidden deep within the bamboo grove, Han Feng saw Xiao Yan heading toward the abandoned alchemy rooms, and a vicious gleam flashed in his eyes. This was precisely the opportunity he had been waiting for—a secluded place without witnesses, perfect for making his move. He had already confirmed that Xiao Yan borrowed ancient texts every afternoon and took no fixed route back to his lodgings. Having him head into this death trap today saved considerable trouble.

"Xiao Yan, oh, Xiao Yan. Don't blame me for being ruthless. Blame that 'Flame Mantra' tucked against your chest for making others green with envy." Han Feng licked his lips and moved, following like a ghost while releasing a faint thread of soul power to confirm that no one else was nearby.

The ruined walls of the abandoned alchemy rooms cast mottled shadows beneath the sunlight. The smell of decaying vegetation filled the air, mingled with a faint scent of medicinal dregs. Xiao Yan stood before a relatively intact stone room, seemingly hesitating over whether to enter. In truth, he had already locked firmly onto Han Feng's movements.

Han Feng silently circled around behind the stone room. At some point, a pitch-black poisoned needle had appeared in his hand, its tip gleaming with an eerie blue light, clearly coated in a deadly poison. His soul power cautiously probed into the room and sensed Xiao Yan standing with his back to the doorway, apparently examining markings on the wall. It was the perfect moment for a sneak attack.

Now!

A cold gleam flashed in Han Feng's eyes. He shot forward like an arrow, the poisoned needle whistling through the air toward Xiao Yan's back, straight at his heart. He was confident that even if Xiao Yan possessed a few tricks, this needle would leave him paralyzed by the poison. Then he could search him at leisure and seize the "Flame Mantra."

Yet just as the needle was about to touch Xiao Yan's robes, Xiao Yan seemed to lose his footing and pitched sharply forward, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike. The needle skimmed past his black robe and lodged in the stone wall behind him with a soft thunk. Its tip sank about an inch into the stone, and the surrounding rock instantly turned black.

"Who's there?!" Xiao Yan spun around in "panic." The instant he saw Han Feng, a perfectly measured look of "shock" appeared on his face. "Senior Han Feng? What are you doing here?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Han Feng's eyes when his strike missed, but he immediately sneered. "Stop playing dumb, Xiao Yan. Hand over the 'Flame Mantra' you obtained from Yao Lao, and I'll give you a quick death."

He no longer concealed his killing intent. Dou qi surged around him, and the oppressive might of a Dou Wang swept over Xiao Yan. Within the Inner Academy, Han Feng's strength was enough to rank him among the best. Against a newcomer who appeared to be merely a Peak Dou Master, he had absolute confidence.

Xiao Yan's "face turned deathly pale." He retreated repeatedly and collided with a stone platform behind him. An abandoned bronze Medicine Cauldron stood upon it, its body covered in rust, clearly unused for many years.

"Senior Han Feng, you... what are you talking about? I don't understand..." Xiao Yan waved his hands in "panic," while his gaze swept "inadvertently" over the Medicine Cauldron. "I was just passing through and wanted to see if there were any usable medicinal ingredients..."

"You refuse the offered wine only to drink the wine of punishment!" Seeing Xiao Yan play dumb only stoked Han Feng's anger. He lunged again, his palm driving a fierce gust straight toward Xiao Yan's face. He could no longer be bothered to waste words and intended to subdue Xiao Yan first.

Xiao Yan dodged "clumsily," stumbling as though he might be struck at any moment. Yet every evasion was perfectly timed, allowing him to escape Han Feng's attacks by a hair's breadth while steadily edging closer to the Medicine Cauldron on the stone platform.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The force of Han Feng's palm strikes struck the stone platform, sending fragments flying. The bronze Medicine Cauldron shook repeatedly, producing dull metallic sounds. Rust flaked off its body, revealing the dark bronze beneath.

The longer Han Feng fought, the more alarmed he became. Xiao Yan's movements appeared chaotic, yet he always managed to evade his attacks, as though he knew what Han Feng would do in advance. More unsettling still, as the Medicine Cauldron rocked, Han Feng faintly sensed a peculiar energy spreading around them, seemingly repelling his own dou qi.

Is there something wrong with this cauldron? The thought had barely formed when Xiao Yan abruptly ducked beneath his sweeping strike. At the same time, he reached out in "panic" and shoved the bronze Medicine Cauldron over toward him.

The Medicine Cauldron was immensely heavy. Propelled by Xiao Yan's shove, it hurtled toward Han Feng with the wind howling around it. Han Feng snorted coldly and sidestepped it, simultaneously striking its side with his palm to shatter it.

Bang!

His palm struck the cauldron, but it merely shook violently rather than breaking. At that moment, however, a cloud of black mist suddenly erupted from its mouth, foul and nauseating. It was the very poison that had coated the needle earlier—clearly, while dodging, Xiao Yan had already used his soul power to draw the poison from the needle into the Medicine Cauldron's cracks, then relied on Han Feng's palm strike to force it out.

Caught completely off guard, Han Feng inhaled a mouthful of the black mist. His throat immediately tightened, and the dou qi within his dantian stalled for an instant.

This is bad! Han Feng's expression changed drastically. He had never imagined his own deadly poison would turn against him.

Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Yan "staggered" into a nearby stone pillar. It cracked on impact, sending fragments spraying toward Han Feng. Han Feng instinctively raised his hands to block them, failing to notice the almost imperceptible strand of soul power that flicked from Xiao Yan's fingertip and wound like a thread around the Storage Ring at his waist.

That strand of soul power did not attack. It merely left a mark on the Storage Ring in secret—a tracking method Xiao Yan had discovered in an ancient text, capable of pinpointing someone's location without their noticing.

"Cough, cough..." Han Feng retreated with a hand over his throat, his eyes filled with shock, rage, and apprehension. "You dare scheme against me?!"

He could feel the poison spreading through his body. Although his Dou Wang strength allowed him to barely suppress it, he could no longer afford to linger. More importantly, he suddenly realized that the Xiao Yan before him might not be as simple as he appeared. If he continued this struggle, something unforeseen might happen.

"I'll spare your life today. The next time we meet, I'll take your miserable life!" Leaving that vicious threat behind, Han Feng turned and staggered out of the stone room, soon disappearing into the depths of the forest. Desperate to return and neutralize the poison, he never noticed anything unusual about his Storage Ring.

Inside the stone room, Xiao Yan watched the direction in which Han Feng had vanished. The "panic" gradually faded from his face, replaced by icy calm.

Throughout their exchange, he had used only the dou qi of a Peak Dou Master. Every counterattack had relied on the surroundings and Han Feng's own vulnerabilities. Though it had appeared perilous at every turn, everything had been under his control. Channeling the poison, leaving the tracking mark—every step had been executed with absolute precision.

"Han Feng... Yao Lao's traitor, the Soul Hall's lackey..." Xiao Yan lightly brushed his fingertips over the rust on the bronze Medicine Cauldron. "Your value goes far beyond a single 'Flame Mantra.'"

He could sense that Han Feng's connection to the Soul Hall ran far deeper than in the original story. That sinister presence earlier had contained a trace of fluctuations similar to those of the Soul Hall's venerable elders. Clearly, Han Feng had already pledged himself to the Soul Hall and might even be searching for heavenly flames and gifted alchemists on its behalf.

"Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, don't blame me for using you as bait to hook more fish."

Xiao Yan turned and left the abandoned alchemy rooms, the lingering sunset stretching his shadow long behind him. Rather than returning directly to his lodgings, he followed the guidance of the tracking mark and made a circuit in the direction Han Feng had fled.

His emperor realm soul extended along the mark, clearly "seeing" that Han Feng had not returned to his own courtyard. Instead, he had detoured to a valley in the northwestern corner of the Inner Academy—a forbidden area said to contain some ancient exotic beast under seal. Ordinary students would never dare approach it.

"So you're hiding at the edge of the forbidden area..." A glimmer of understanding crossed Xiao Yan's eyes. The chaotic energy fluctuations there could perfectly conceal the Soul Hall's presence. It seemed likely that Han Feng's contact point with the Soul Hall was located there.

He did not approach. He merely committed the valley's location to memory, then quietly departed.

Night deepened, and the lights of the Inner Academy shone like a field of stars. Xiao Yan sat before his window, rolling a pebble between his fingertips, his gaze resting on the darkness outside.

Han Feng's suspicious movements were only the beginning. The shadows beneath that bronze Medicine Cauldron concealed not only Han Feng's greed, but also a hidden piece the Soul Hall had planted on the chessboard of Jia Nan Academy.

His next task was to gently nudge that piece, exposing everything hidden in the shadows to the sunlight. And it was time for that meticulously planned "accident" to begin taking shape.