Lin Ye's consciousness sank into the endless Blood Sea once again.
Within his body, the Nine Revolutions Asura Art circulated.
Each cycle pulled a thin thread of crimson power from the Blood Sea into his meridians—quiet, relentless, like a tide that never stopped.
"To refine this vast Blood Sea… to raise the Blood Peak and reveal what lies beneath…"
Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.
"I need to keep advancing."
Even at his previous peak—Return-to-Abyss Realm—his power had been nothing compared to what this Blood Sea contained.
Not even one ten-thousandth.
That realization sent a chill through him.
In his past life, he had thought he'd reached the summit.
Now he understood—
he'd only been standing at the foot of the mountain.
For now, Lin Ye buried his hatred for Lu Jue deep inside his heart.
That revenge would come someday.
But at this moment…
his curiosity toward the Blood Peak was far stronger.
He swallowed two Wind-Spirit Heart-Tempering Pills.
His Qi Sea surged violently.
The medicinal force spread like wildfire, roaring through his dantian.
His Qi Sea expanded instantly—
doubling in size.
Qi Sea Realm — Second Layer!
He had only broken through yesterday.
And now he advanced again.
At the same time, the Blood Peak in his consciousness stirred.
It rose slightly higher from the sea's surface—
only an inch…
but enough to make Lin Ye's eyes sharpen with excitement.
"Good."
"Keep cultivating."
He pushed harder.
He drew in Blood-Asura energy from the endless sea, forcing it into his Qi Sea again and again.
An entire night passed.
By dawn, his cultivation stabilized at the peak of Qi Sea Second Layer.
Lin Ye opened his eyes.
His expression was dissatisfied.
"Too slow."
"I need more pills."
He stepped out of the cave.
Liu Qingyu was still in the middle of breaking through.
The pill's effect was incredible.
Her aura had already reached Spirit Spring Realm Eighth Layer peak—she was pushing toward Ninth Layer.
Lin Ye glanced at her once.
Then turned and left without hesitation.
He was not her guardian.
If she got eaten by a beast while breaking through, he might feel a little regret—
but only a little.
His own path mattered more.
No distractions.
He headed straight for Mad Crocodile Pool.
Cold winds blew across the area.
Blood stains still marked the ground from yesterday.
The moment Lin Ye stopped…
two figures stepped out, blocking his way.
They had arrived before him.
One of them spoke coldly.
"Earthfire Sect business. Get lost."
He was a sharp-faced youth with a curved saber resting across his arms. When he saw Lin Ye's core disciple robe, a flicker of disdain crossed his eyes.
If he wasn't busy…
he might've tested how "strong" a Wind-Thunder core disciple really was.
Lin Ye recognized them from memory.
Earthfire Sect core-level disciples.
He judged their auras quickly.
Neither was the one who had ambushed him last night.
But telling him to get lost?
Lin Ye almost laughed.
He reached out—
and his cold-iron sword slid into his hand.
A chilling aura instantly spread outward, icy enough to bite skin.
The second Earthfire disciple was a hulking brute, built like a boulder.
The moment he saw Lin Ye draw his weapon, he ripped a heavy shield off his back and roared.
In his left hand, he held a mountain-splitting axe.
He charged.
Shield first.
A crushing pressure surged forward like an avalanche.
The sharp-faced youth moved behind him at the same time, staying close—
not reckless, not mindless.
They knew how to coordinate.
Core disciples really were different from yesterday's idiots.
Lin Ye slashed once.
CLANG!
His sword struck the heavy shield head-on.
Mystic qi erupted from the brute's body, reinforcing the shield's surface.
The material was high grade—
it actually held.
Qi Sea Realm — Seventh Layer.
The brute was strong.
But in the same moment of impact—
the sharp-faced youth stepped onto the brute's shoulder and launched himself into the air.
His curved saber came free with a hiss.
"Falling Goose Strike!"
His aura exploded, fierce and descending like a raptor.
Mystic qi erupted—
Qi Sea Realm — Eighth Layer!
He slammed down.
BOOM!
The ground ruptured.
A trench ten meters long split open.
But—
his eyes widened.
"What…? He dodged?!"
That was impossible.
With Lin Ye's cultivation, he shouldn't have been able to evade that strike.
Then—
a pulse of killing intent surged behind him.
The youth's body stiffened.
For a split second, it was as if invisible chains had locked him in place.
Lin Ye's voice was calm.
"Sky-Shattering Finger."
A single finger tapped the youth's back.
BANG!
His chest detonated.
Blood and fragments of organs burst out of his mouth.
The youth's eyes filled with unwillingness.
"…An… Mystic-rank martial technique…"
Then his legs gave out.
He collapsed to the ground.
Dead.
The brute saw it and froze for half a heartbeat.
Shock.
Then rage.
His roar shook the trees.
"YOU—!"
"Mountain-Crushing Charge!"
He raised the shield and slammed forward.
The massive shield was like a charging beast, ready to flatten everything in its path.
Lin Ye didn't meet it head-on.
He wasn't stupid.
He activated his footwork.
His body blurred, moving like a ghost.
The brute reacted fast, adjusting direction again and again, managing to keep up—
at first.
But then his movement slowed.
The shield was specially forged.
It was heavy enough to crush boulders—
and heavy enough to exhaust him.
All Lin Ye needed…
was a single gap.
He caught it.
One straight thrust.
No flashy technique.
Just a blade moving like judgment.
SHHK!
The sword pierced the brute's throat.
The man dropped to his knees.
His shield crashed to the ground with a thunderous slam.
He clutched at the hole in his neck—
then collapsed.
Dead.
Lin Ye collected both storage rings immediately.
Resources were crucial in the early stage.
And after checking the rings, he confirmed something—
these two were wealthy.
Which meant their status in Earthfire Sect was not low.
Then—
BOOM!
A violent splash erupted.
The smell of fresh blood attracted the Cold Pool Mad Crocodile again.
It surged from the water, excited, hungry.
Yesterday it had eaten well.
Now—
it had been served again.
Lin Ye didn't even spare it a glance.
Instead, he looked down at his cold-iron sword.
The blade trembled slightly.
A faint sword hum echoed through the air.
"Two groups came looking for trouble."
Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.
"Which means…"
"There's definitely something valuable here."
Lin Ye had mastered many martial arts in his previous life—
but few paired perfectly with Blood-Asura Mystic Qi.
Martial techniques were ranked:
Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Mortal.
Each level had upper, middle, and lower tiers.
Within Wind-Thunder Mystic Sect, there were only two Mystic-rank upper-tier techniques.
Above Heaven-rank…
was an even higher realm:
Star-Breaker Grade.
Lin Ye recalled a Star-Breaker technique he once learned.
His eyes sharpened.
"Blood Slaughter: Nine Strikes."
He grabbed the edge of his sword with his left hand.
And dragged his palm along the blade.
Blood flowed instantly.
His Blood-Asura Mystic Qi began circulating in a special pattern, linking acupoints and meridians.
Behind him…
a terrifying crimson wave formed—
as if a sea of blood was rising in the sky.
The Mad Crocodile lunged toward him, jaws opening wide enough to swallow a man whole.
Lin Ye raised his sword.
And unleashed the technique.
Nine sword energies burst out—
turning into blood-red waves that crashed forward again and again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The crocodile was swallowed by the barrage.
Its body exploded—
flesh and bone blasting outward in a storm of gore.
In a single strike…
the Mad Crocodile was torn into pieces.
Shredded.
Erased.
Clink.
Something fell.
A clear, crisp sound.
Lin Ye moved forward immediately.
Beneath the mess of shattered flesh—
an ancient-looking ring lay quietly in the mud.
Lin Ye stared at it, then laughed softly.
"So that's what it is."
"No wonder everyone wants me dead."
He picked it up.
The ring looked simple at first glance.
But when he focused…
he saw tiny engraved formation patterns along its surface.
"A… Spirit-Gathering Ring."
A formation ring.
When worn, it could increase cultivation speed by about three times, drawing ambient spiritual energy into the body faster than normal.
However, it could only remain active for about an hour per day—
and required energy to trigger the formation.
Lin Ye shook his head.
"All this… for something like this?"
"So many people died for a cheap trinket?"
Still—
he slipped it onto his finger.
"It'll do for now."
Mystic energy immediately began gathering around him.
His Blood-Asura Mystic Qi had been drained after the Star-Breaker strike.
The ring helped replenish him faster.
Lin Ye exhaled slowly.
And his eyes gleamed coldly.