Behind the towering mountains outside Cloud City, a quiet valley y hidden from the eyes of ordinary cultivators. Spiritual mist drifted slowly between the ancient trees, and the air was filled with dense spiritual qi.

  At the center of the valley sat Su Qingyun.

  She was seated cross-legged on a ft stone, her eyes tightly closed as streams of spiritual energy spiraled around her body like invisible dragons. The wind began to stir, and the surrounding spiritual qi surged toward her.

  The air around Su Qingyun began to tremble, as if reality itself sensed the surge of spiritual energy rising within her.

  Her body glowed faintly, a golden light pulsing from her dantian, spiraling outward with each breath. The Abyssal Sin Devouring Art coursed through her veins, guiding her energy, pushing her limits.

  Su Qingyun’s eyes widened, her grip tightening. Every step of cultivation she had learned, every correction her master had drilled into her, all converged in this moment.

  After several grueling hours, Su Qingyun finally felt it—the sudden, explosive surge of energy within her dantian settling into a new bance. Her spiritual energy now flowed smoothly, her aura glowing with the brilliance of the Early Golden Core Stage Realm.

  Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she raised her arms, letting out a triumphant shout.

  “I… I did it! Master! I’ve broken through!”

  Lin Xuan, reclining casually under the ancient tree, he opened his one eye and shook his head slightly.

  “Don’t celebrate yet,” he said calmly, his voice carrying a weight that silenced her excitement. “You must stabilize your cultivation first. Do not let your Golden Core fluctuate—it is dangerous to rush joy.”

  Su Qingyun’s face flushed red at being scolded, but she immediately nodded.

  “Yes, Master!” she said obediently, lowering herself into a meditative stance and focusing on stabilizing her newfound Golden Core energy.

  Days passed in the training courtyard, the wind rustling the leaves as Su Qingyun honed her control over her Golden Core Realm power. She moved with precision, her sword slicing through the air, her spiritual energy a radiant golden aura that bent the sunlight around her.

  Finally, one morning, she opened her eyes and called out, determination clear in her voice.

  “Master… I am at Early Golden Core Stage Realm. What are your instructions next?”

  Lin Xuan, reading both her cultivation and her heart. A faint smile tugged at his lips.

  “Let’s take your revenge… against the Bck Society,” he said calmly.

  Su Qingyun’s eyes widened, a mix of eagerness and worry fshing across her face.

  “But… Master, I’ve only just broken through! They have countless powerful forces, and I—”

  Lin Xuan cut her off with a wave of his hand, his golden eye glinting with quiet assurance.

  “Don’t worry,” he said softly but firmly, “I am here. You will not face them alone.”

  Su Qingyun’s heart surged with both excitement and determination. The master who had guided her, taught her, and pushed her to her limits would now stand with her.

  “Let’s go back,” Lin Xuan said calmly.

  Su Qingyun smiled faintly and nodded. “Yes, Master.”

  The two began heading back toward Cloud City, walking along the quiet road that cut through the forest. The te afternoon sun filtered through the trees, casting long shadows on the ground.

  Along the way, Su Qingyun spoke with her master about her recent breakthrough and the control of her Golden Core. Lin Xuan occasionally corrected her understanding, his tone calm but instructive.

  However, while they walked, Lin Xuan’s expression subtly changed.

  His Divine Sense had already spread across the surroundings.

  Someone was following them.

  Several figures… hiding their auras carefully, moving from tree to tree in the distance.

  Hmm… an unknown force, Lin Xuan thought calmly.

  But he did not expose them.

  Instead, he continued walking as if nothing had happened, letting Su Qingyun talk while he silently observed the hidden pursuers.

  Let’s see what they intend to do, he thought.

  Moments ter—

  Lin Xuan lightly waved his hand.

  The space around him and Su Qingyun distorted slightly.

  The next instant, the two of them vanished completely, leaving no trace behind.

  A few breaths ter, several figures in bck cloaks rushed out from the forest.

  They looked around the empty road in confusion.

  “What…?” one of them muttered.

  “Where did they go?” the man said in disbelief.

  Another man wearing a simir cloak stepped forward and spoke nervously.

  “Captain… what should we do? We lost them.”

  The man referred to as captain clenched his fist slightly as he scanned the surroundings, his expression dark.

  There was no aura, no footprints, no spiritual fluctuation left behind.

  It was as if the two had simply disappeared from existence.

  After a moment of silence, the captain exhaled slowly.

  “…Let’s go back,” he said.

  “We’ll report this incident.”

  The cloaked men exchanged uneasy gnces before nodding.

  Without another word, the group quickly retreated into the forest, disappearing into the shadows.

  None of them realized that far away—

  Lin Xuan was already watching everything with calm amusement.

  ...

  Inside the Prosperity Cloud Chamber, servants were busy with their usual duties—cleaning the courtyard, carrying supplies, and tending to the incense halls.

  Suddenly—

  Two figures appeared out of thin air.

  Lin Xuan stood calmly as if nothing unusual had happened, a faint smile resting on his lips.

  Beside him, Su Qingyun staggered slightly, holding her head.

  “Ma—Master… I feel dizzy,” Su Qingyun said, holding her head as she tried to steady herself. “How did we suddenly appear here in my room?”

  She looked around in confusion. The familiar decorations of her chamber within the Prosperity Cloud Chamber surrounded them—the wooden shelves, the incense quietly burning, the soft light entering from the window.

  Just moments ago they had been walking toward Cloud City, yet now they were already here.

  Lin Xuan stood calmly beside the window, his expression rexed.

  “You should rest,” he said quietly.

  The moment his words fell, Su Qingyun suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness wash over her. Her eyelids grew heavy, and her body felt strangely rexed, as if an invisible force was gently urging her to sleep.

  “M-Master… I…”

  She tried to say something, but the words faded as the drowsiness took over.

  Lin Xuan looked at her for a moment, his gaze calm.

  “You’ve just stabilized your Golden Core. Your body needs rest.”

  Su Qingyun nodded weakly. Without resisting further, she walked toward her bed and y down.

  Within moments, her breathing became steady as she fell asleep.

  The room fell silent.

  Lin Xuan watched her sleeping figure briefly, the faintest smile appearing on his lips.

  The next moment—

  His figure slowly faded, like mist dispersing in the air.

  By the time the night wind entered the room through the open window, Lin Xuan had already vanished without a trace.