The peaceful morning routine on Tranquil Peak lasted exactly four days before the first visitors arrived.
Lin Feng was teaching Liu Mei proper herb fertilisation techniques when Xiao Hong suddenly began clucking frantically, her feathers ruffled.
"What's wrong, girl?" Lin Feng asked, looking up from the garden.
[Warning: Multiple cultivator groups detected approaching Tranquil Peak!]
[Count: 47 individuals from various sects]
[Threat Level: Negligible to Host, but may disturb peace]
[Recommendation: Activate enhanced concealment or prepare to receive guests]
"Forty-seven people?!" Lin Feng's face went pale. "Why are so many people coming here?"
Shen Yue, who was practising sword forms nearby, walked over calmly. "Master, after the tournament, many sects expressed interest in meeting you. This was inevitable."
"But I don't want to meet them!" Lin Feng said desperately. "I'm just Foundation Establishment! What could I possibly have to say to powerful sect masters?"
"Master," Wei Ling said gently, having joined them, "perhaps you could simply... politely decline to see them? Your formation can redirect visitors, can it not?"
Lin Feng's expression brightened. "That's right! The Nine Heavens Concealment Array should keep them from finding the peak. I just need to make sure it's working properly."
He hurried to check the formation flags around the perimeter, completely unaware that the formation was so powerful that even if the visitors had a map with his exact location, they still wouldn't be able to find the entrance.
At the base of the mountain, a delegation led by the Crimson Cloud Sect Master—Han Jie's father—was experiencing exactly that problem.
"According to the Azure Sky Sect's directions, Tranquil Peak should be right here," Elder Han said, staring at the forest before them. "But I see no path, no peak, nothing."
"Perhaps we took a wrong turn?" one of his companions suggested.
"Impossible. We've been following these directions precisely." Elder Han pulled out a special compass that could detect spiritual energy concentrations. The needle spun wildly, unable to settle on a direction. "There's definitely something here... a formation of incredible power."
Behind them, other sect delegations were arriving and experiencing similar confusion.
"Where's the peak?"
"The Azure Sky Sect said it was in this direction!"
"Is this some kind of test?"
The commotion grew as nearly fifty cultivators—including several Immortal Ascension realm experts—stood in the forest, completely unable to find what they were looking for.
Finally, the Azure Sky Sect Master himself arrived, drawn by reports of the gathering crowd.
"Sect Masters, Elders," he said with barely concealed exasperation, "I warned you all that Senior Lin Feng values his privacy. His formation is clearly active, which means he does not wish to receive visitors."
"But we've come so far!" one sect master protested. "Surely if we just called out respectfully—"
"Do you really want to risk offending a supreme expert by ignoring his clear desire for solitude?" the Azure Sky Sect Master asked coldly. "I suggest you all return to your sects and send written requests instead. If Senior Lin Feng wishes to respond, he will do so in his own time."
Grumbling but recognising the wisdom of this advice, the various delegations began to disperse.
On Tranquil Peak, Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief as the spiritual signatures below retreated.
"See? The formation works perfectly. As long as I stay up here and keep a low profile, everything will be fine."
His disciples exchanged knowing looks. Master still thought he was hiding successfully, not realizing that the very fact that his formation had effortlessly repelled dozens of powerful cultivators—including several who carried formation-breaking treasures—would only add to his legend.
"Master," Chen Bo spoke up quietly, "while you were at the tournament, we prepared something for you. A welcome home gift."
"A gift? You didn't need to—"
"Please, Master, allow us this small gesture," Liu Mei interrupted, her eyes shining with excitement.
The three disciples led Lin Feng to the eastern side of the peak, where they'd constructed a new building.
It was a beautiful pavilion overlooking the sunrise, with carved pillars and a tiled roof. Inside were comfortable cushions, a small library of cultivation texts, and a tea brewing station.
"We thought you might like a place for morning meditation," Wei Ling explained. "Somewhere quiet and peaceful."
Lin Feng was genuinely touched. "This is wonderful! Thank you, all of you. You built this yourselves?"
"Chen Bo did most of the construction," Liu Mei said. "Wei Ling and I helped with the decorations and formations."
What Lin Feng didn't realise was that the "simple pavilion" was built using techniques they'd learned by watching him build things around the peak. The wood was infused with Dao insights about growth and permanence. The formations carved into the pillars could withstand attacks from Tribulation Transcendence cultivators. And the "comfortable cushions" were woven from Cloud Phoenix down that Xiao Hong had donated—each one a priceless treasure.
"I'll use this every morning," Lin Feng promised. "It's perfect."
[Disciple Bond Strengthened!]
[Your disciples' loyalty and affection have deepened]
[Reward: 5,000 Seclusion Points]
[Note: Host continues to inspire genuine devotion through simple kindness]
The next few days passed peacefully. Lin Feng fell into his comfortable routine—morning cultivation in the new pavilion, teaching disciples, tending the gardens, and spending evenings with tea and conversation.
Then, on the seventh day after returning from the tournament, something unusual happened.
A single visitor managed to reach the formation barrier.
Lin Feng sensed the spiritual signature and frowned. "Someone's at the edge of the formation. But how? The concealment should have redirected them."
[Visitor Detected: Sect Master Tianlong of Heavenly Dao Sect]
[Method: Used the Supreme Karmic Tracking technique to follow his connection with your disciples]
[Threat Level: None. Visitor shows respectful intent.
[Recommendation: Consider meeting him. He comes bearing genuine respect, not demands.
"The Sect Master of Heavenly Dao Sect?" Lin Feng felt his anxiety spike. "That's an Immortal Ascension realm expert! Why would he come here personally?"
Shen Yue, sensing the visitor as well, approached. "Master, I competed in his tournament. Perhaps he wishes to express gratitude? He seemed honorable."
Lin Feng hesitated. On one hand, he wanted to avoid all contact with powerful cultivators. On the other hand, refusing to even acknowledge the Sect Master who had hosted the tournament seemed rude.
"System, what do you think?"
[Analysis: Sect Master Tianlong is sincere in his respect]
[Meeting him could establish useful relations]
[However, meeting may also encourage more visitors]
[Recommendation: Meet briefly, but make clear you prefer solitude]
"Alright," Lin Feng decided nervously. "I'll meet him. But just him, no one else, and only for a short time."
He walked to the formation barrier and carefully opened a small gap. Standing respectfully outside was indeed Sect Master Tianlong, alone, with no retinue.
The ancient cultivator immediately bowed deeply—the formal bow of a junior to a supreme expert.
"Senior Lin Feng, this junior thanks you for agreeing to see me. I apologize for disturbing your seclusion."
"Please, rise," Lin Feng said awkwardly. "I'm not really... I mean, there's no need for such formality. Please, come in."
Tianlong entered the formation and immediately felt the overwhelming spiritual energy. His eyes widened slightly, but he controlled his expression.
The rumors don't do this place justice, he thought. This is a cultivation paradise that surpasses even the legendary immortal realms!
Lin Feng led him to the courtyard and poured tea. "What brings the esteemed Sect Master to my humble peak?"
"Humble?" Tianlong nearly choked on his first sip of tea, which had instantly granted him insights into the Dao of Water that he'd been seeking for three centuries. "Senior, your... humility is remarkable."
"I truly am quite ordinary," Lin Feng insisted. "Foundation Establishment, living quietly. Nothing special."
Tianlong carefully did not point out that the "tea" he was drinking could resurrect the dead, or that the "humble peak" radiated more spiritual energy than his sect's entire mountain range.
"Senior, I came to personally thank you. Your disciples' performance at the tournament was extraordinary—it inspired every young cultivator who witnessed it. Their demonstration of perfect technique, profound understanding, and honourable conduct embodied everything the tournament represents."
"They worked hard," Lin Feng said with genuine pride. "I'm proud of them both."
"Your teaching methods must be exceptional. Which raises a presumptuous question..." Tianlong paused. "Would you ever consider taking disciples from other sects? Not as permanent students, perhaps, but as visiting pupils? My sect would offer any compensation you deem appropriate."
Lin Feng shook his head firmly. "I'm sorry, Sect Master, but I already have five disciples, and that's almost more than I can handle. I'm not really qualified to teach large numbers of students."
Five disciples who are all advancing at rates that defy heavenly principles, Tianlong thought. What would happen if he taught more?
"I understand, Senior. I apologise for the presumption." Tianlong set down his teacup. "I have one more request, even more presumptuous than the last."
"What is it?"
"Would you be willing to allow periodic visits? Not teaching sessions, but simply... observing your cultivation paradise? My sect would gain immeasurable benefits just from witnessing how you've transformed this peak."
Lin Feng considered this. Periodic visits wouldn't be too disruptive, and Tianlong seemed genuinely respectful.
"Once per season," Lin Feng finally said. "You may bring up to five people. They must be respectful and quiet. No disrupting my disciples' training."
Tianlong's face lit up. "Thank you, Senior! Your generosity is—"
"And," Lin Feng interrupted, "they must understand that I'm not going to give lectures or demonstrate techniques. They can observe, that's all."
"Of course! We would ask nothing more!"
[Agreement Reached: Quarterly Visits Established]
[Reward: 10,000 Seclusion Points]
[Note: Host has unwittingly established what will become the most coveted visiting privilege in the cultivation world]
After Tianlong left—walking on air both literally and metaphorically—Lin Feng returned to his disciples.
"That wasn't so bad," he said. "He was very polite. And if I limit visitors to just four times per year, my privacy should remain mostly intact."
Xiao Hong clucked in what sounded suspiciously like laughter.
Zhou Yuan smiled. "Master, I suspect that once other sects hear that the Heavenly Dao Sect has secured visiting privileges, they'll all want the same."
"Then I'll just tell them no," Lin Feng said confidently. "I already made an exception for Sect Master Tianlong because he hosted the tournament. There's no reason to do it for anyone else."
What Lin Feng didn't know was that "visiting privileges to Tranquil Peak" would become the single most valuable diplomatic commodity in the cultivation world, with sects offering incredible treasures just for the chance to observe his paradise for a few hours.
But that was a problem for future Lin Feng.
Present Lin Feng just wanted to get back to teaching Liu Mei about herb fertilisation.
"Now, where were we? Ah yes, the proper spiritual energy infusion ratio for Moonlight Grass..."
As the Master and disciple returned to their gardening lesson, the cultivation world continued to buzz with stories of the Unfathomable Master.
But on Tranquil Peak, life remained for now peacefully routine.