[Alright, that's settled. This system should now return to keeping an eye on my unfortunate host. You'd better watch yourself and not actually die in some ditch.]
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yu felt the faint connection quickly fade away.
That lousy system simply disappeared.
The cave returned to silence, leaving only the faint light of the flowing Spirit Vein and the eternally unchanging soft halo of the world barrier.
Lin Yu sat alone for a long time, digesting the information he had just received.
I am but a nobody, at the very bottom of this vast world, in an insignificant corner.
The Five Elements Treasures reside far away in the highest realm.
The road ahead is long and fraught with dangers.
With a clear goal in mind, Lin Yu's heart calmed down.
Urgent?
There's no use in rushing.
One must eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time. With his current cultivation level Great Grandmaster Perfection, he is probably already considered top-tier in this boundless small world.
But to go to the Three Thousand Upper Realm, or even to eventually step into the legendary Supreme Realm, is nothing short of a pipe dream.
"Let's start with what's in front of us." Lin Yu stood up and stretched his slightly stiff body.
The series of fierce battles and strategic deployments have taken a heavy toll, and the injuries also require recuperation.
He looked around the cave that had once brought tremendous opportunities and witnessed life-or-death battles.
The essence of the Spirit Vein was mostly consumed in the fierce battle just now and when Zhao Yan swallowed the spiritual stones.
Although the remaining crystals were still quite valuable, what mattered more to him was the seclusion of this place and the barrier connecting to the Upper Realm.
He collected the few pieces of the finest Spirit Jade scattered on the ground and carefully wiped away any traces that might reveal his presence.
Lin Yu took one last, deep look at the world barrier that was calm yet contained endless mysteries.
He turned around and leaped into the icy, dark river passage without hesitation.
Going upstream, passing through the icy pool, we returned to the valley we had just entered.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a dim, yellowish glow over this desolate place.
The previously set-up formation had long since dissipated due to the exhaustion of Spiritual Power, leaving only some scorched earth and broken trees as witnesses to the fierce battle that had just taken place.
Having determined his direction, Lin Yu did not sneak towards the desolate mountain range. Instead, he darted towards Jiangcheng.
It moved so fast that it left a blurry afterimage in the twilight.
He changed his mind.
Hidden cultivation is certainly safe, but it's too slow.
He needs resources, intelligence, and a relatively stable base to digest his gains, attempt to become a Martial Venerable, and prepare for his journey to the Upper Realm.
Right now, there's a ready-made, almost readily available option: the Golden Bull Martial Arts School.
Jin Potian is dead, Bai Xuantie Kuang has been dragged into the Upper Realm by Zhao Yan and his fate is unknown. The Golden Bull Martial Arts School has lost all its high-end combat power and is at its weakest and most chaotic.
Lin Yu is now the only remaining party involved in this world who knows the inside story and is the strongest.
Rather than letting the martial arts school be divided up by other forces or regained control by the envoys from the Upper Realm, it's better to seize the opportunity and make it our own.
As Nightscape fell and the Jiangcheng lights began to twinkle, the central area remained bustling and lively, seemingly unaffected by the brief but intense battle on the outskirts of the city.
Lin Yu swept across the city wall like a ghost, arriving at the imposing mansion of the Golden Bull Martial Arts School with practiced ease.
A sense of intuition quietly spread.
The martial arts school was still brightly lit, with patrolling disciples coming and going.
Even without Jin Potian and his group, the martial arts school continues to operate stably.
Find out the details.
Lin Yu's figure transformed into a wisp of green smoke, ignoring the surrounding guards, and floated directly into the top of the tallest pavilion in the center of the martial arts hall.
From this vantage point, the entire core area of the martial arts school is laid out before you.
He took a deep breath, adjusted himself to his best state, and then unleashed the Great Grandmaster Perfection without reservation.
At the same time, a spiritual force containing a trace of the heavy pressure of the "Primordial Unity Ki Technique" instantly enveloped the core area of the Golden Bull Martial Arts School like an invisible tide.
"All members of the Golden Bull Martial Arts School, listen to my command!"
The clear yet authoritative voice, like a morning bell and evening drum, resounded in the ears of every martial arts school disciple and leader.
"Master Jin Potian colluded with demons, harmed his fellow practitioners, and abducted the innocent. He has now been executed."
"I, Lin Yu, today act on behalf of Heaven to eliminate the remaining evildoers and rebuild the martial arts school."
Those who obey me will prosper, those who defy me will perish!
Before he finished speaking, Lin Yu's figure had already disappeared from the rooftop. The next moment, he appeared like lightning in front of the few remaining leaders in the martial arts hall.
There were no fancy moves, just a few simple punches.
The three leaders, who were currently the most powerful—one Great Grandmaster and two Grandmaster —didn't even have time to react before being blasted away by the violent force, crashing into walls, breaking bones, vomiting blood, and falling unconscious, their fate unknown.
The remaining men were terrified and fell to their knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly. "Lord Lin, spare our lives! We surrender, we surrender!"
Lin Yu's gaze swept over the group like lightning. "From this moment forward, I will take over the martial arts school."
"Immediately issue an order: all disciples must lay down their weapons, assemble at the training ground, and await further instructions. Open all storerooms and secret chambers, inventory the supplies, and register them."
From now on, the Golden Bull Martial Arts School will belong to him, in order to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos.
Lin Yu suppressed them with overwhelming force, leaving those with ulterior motives completely caught off guard.
"Yes, yes, your subordinates obey!" Several leaders scrambled off to relay the order.
Lin Yu's ruthless methods and terrifying strength, coupled with the news of Jin Potian and the envoy from the Upper Realm being killed.
The chaotic Golden Bull Martial Arts School was suppressed at an astonishing speed.
Most of the disciples were already confused, and seeing that the higher-ups were either dead or had surrendered, they followed suit.
Sensing Lin Yu's terrifying aura, which far surpassed that of the sect leader, they dared not resist any longer and obediently put down their weapons, gathering in the training ground.
Lin Yu did not kill indiscriminately; he simply identified those who had committed numerous evil deeds and were die-hard loyalists of Jin Potian, and on the spot, crippled their cultivation and expelled them from the martial arts school.
The remaining disciples will remain to be observed for now.
He was then led by a surrendered leader to the depths of the martial arts school's underground area.
This place was completely hollowed out underground to build a huge underground palace.
There are hundreds of rooms, each holding several beautiful women of varying ages.
Although they were neatly dressed, their faces looked somewhat pale from being away from the sun for so long.
Upon seeing someone enter, especially the martial arts school leader who was leading the way, many women huddled together in fear, trembling.
Lin Yu frowned, a flash of anger in his eyes.
"You captured all of these?"
Lin Yu's icy gaze was fixed on the trembling leader beside him.
"My lord, I had no choice. It was all required by the demons of the Upper Realm, and Jin Potian ordered it to be done."
The leader was nearly scared to death, but still forced himself to explain.
"Isn't the government doing anything about it?" Lin Yu asked, voicing his inner doubts.
This world clearly still has laws, but Jin Potian and his gang openly raped and plundered, which was tantamount to killing people right under the emperor's nose.
"The authorities do it too." The leader glanced at Lin Yu with surprise, but still explained with an awkward smile.
Lin Yu remained silent for a moment after hearing this.
"Arrange for these girls to be sent back to a distant location. Ensure the compensation is paid in full. Warn those below that if they withhold anything, they'll lose their heads."
"Yes, sir! Don't worry, I'll take care of it." The leader, sweating profusely, nodded repeatedly and hurriedly ran off to make the arrangements.
As the women were helped out one by one, their faces gradually regained their vitality, and hope rekindled in their eyes.
But Lin Yu's frustration did not lessen at all.
The world is sick; ordinary people are barely surviving, with no human rights whatsoever.
Heavenly Dao is ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.
But at least, he did something he was supposed to do.
Standing atop the highest tower of the martial arts school, one can overlook the vast industrial complex that is gradually returning to order and is now brightly lit.
Outside the Golden Bull Martial Arts School, a scene of dazzling lights and revelry unfolds, where countless powerful and influential people indulge in a life of debauchery.
To the west, in those bungalows, even turning on the lights at night was a luxury for them.