Above Qingshan County, the night sky was strangely quiet.
The town below had long since lost its former appearance. Buildings had collapsed across several streets, portions of the city wall had been destroyed, and a faint ghastly-green radiance still lingered around the enormous tear that had split open beneath the inner city.
Countless formation nodes surrounded the tear.
Some had been erected by the Mingyuan Division.
Others had been added later by experts who had arrived to stabilize the region.
The formations continuously released faint spiritual light, forming layers of restrictions around the enormous crack in the earth.
Yet even with so many formations suppressing it, Yin Qi still seeped outward.
The surrounding air remained cold.
Occasionally, faint voices drifted through the darkness.
Some sounded like crying.
Others resembled furious roars.
There were even moments when the voices seemed to whisper directly beside one's ear, only to disappear when anyone turned around.
The entire region had become a place where ordinary people dared not approach.
At this moment, a figure quietly stood above the void.
She wore magnificent phoenix-patterned robes.
The flowing garments were predominantly crimson and gold, yet the colours appeared strangely subdued beneath the night sky. A delicate mask covered the upper portion of her face, concealing her identity completely.
Even so...
The figure beneath the mask possessed an extraordinary bearing.
Her posture was graceful.
Her figure was slender.
Every movement carried a natural elegance that made it difficult to associate her with the terrifying ghostly domain below.
The aura surrounding her was similarly strange with her most prominent feature being her silver long hair.
It wasn't oppressive.
It wasn't murderous.
Instead, it possessed an almost refined quality.
Elegant.
Calm.
Almost noble.
She quietly looked down at the enormous tear.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
"This is..."
"Quite different from what I expected."
Her voice was soft.
There was even a trace of disappointment within it.
She had originally expected the Yin Qi surrounding this place to be considerably denser.
After all, a Feng Shui node had been forcibly damaged, releasing countless ghostly beings into the surrounding region.
Such a place should have accumulated an enormous amount of Yin Qi.
It should have been an excellent location for her cultivation.
She had even deliberately arranged her journey around this opportunity.
Yet after arriving...
The Yin Qi was far weaker than expected.
"How troublesome."
She gently puffed out her cheeks.
The expression was completely inconsistent with the frightening scene beneath her.
"I specifically came all this way."
"And there's barely enough Yin Qi."
She looked down once more.
Perhaps the formations established by the Mingyuan Division had been more effective than anticipated.
Or perhaps...
Someone had already absorbed a portion of the Yin Qi before she arrived.
She couldn't determine which.
After pondering for several breaths, the woman simply stopped thinking about it.
Since the Yin Qi was already here...
She might as well use it.
She slowly sat cross-legged above the void.
The instant she entered a meditative posture, her entire presence seemed to disappear.
No...
It wasn't that she had vanished.
Rather, her body had become almost impossible to perceive.
Even the faint Spiritual Qi surrounding her gradually disappeared.
Only the Yin Qi remained.
It began moving.
At first, the movement was extremely subtle.
Then...
A faint vortex gradually formed around the woman.
The Yin Qi surrounding the entire region began flowing toward her.
Streams of cold energy rose from the ruined streets.
From the edges of the enormous tear.
From the dark forests surrounding the abandoned town.
Even the faint traces of Yin Qi that had seeped into the night sky slowly converged toward the same point.
The masked woman remained completely motionless.
Her breathing was steady.
As the Yin Qi entered her body, her aura gradually became even more refined.
Yet...
She still frowned slightly.
"This is barely enough."
Her voice disappeared into the night.
Below her...
The ghostly domain remained silent.
Neither the formations nor the remaining specters seemed capable of detecting the existence above them.
The woman continued cultivating.
She had no intention of revealing herself.
Nor did she care about the destruction of Qingshan County.
To her...
This place was merely a temporary cultivation ground.
Nothing more.
Several hundred li away...
Deep beneath Dongtai Prefecture City.
An entirely different conversation was taking place.
The underground chamber was dimly lit.
Several lamps burned along the walls, their flames flickering gently despite the absence of wind.
Two figures sat opposite one another.
Both wore disguises.
Neither revealed their true appearance.
One of them slowly placed a document upon the table.
"The pressure placed upon the Su Family has already lasted for some time."
The other figure remained silent.
The first man continued.
"Yet there hasn't been enough reaction."
"We expected the Su Family to reveal more."
The second figure frowned.
"But they should have."
"With the Wei Family and Jade Sword Palace appearing together, the pressure should have been sufficient to force the Su Family to expose one or two hidden cards."
The first man shook his head.
"Something doesn't add up."
"What did you discover?"
"The Su Patriarch."
He paused.
"His condition has changed."
The other figure's eyes narrowed.
"Changed?"
"He has become considerably more tense."
"More importantly..."
The first man's voice lowered.
"It seems his cultivation is approaching completion."
Silence.
The second figure leaned back slightly.
"He's about to perfect his Xuan Gang?"
"That's what it looks like."
The chamber fell silent once more.
Neither man spoke immediately.
The Su Family had stood within Dongtai Prefecture for generations.
Their strength wasn't insignificant.
Yet the greatest reason other forces remained cautious around them wasn't merely their current Patriarch.
It was the existence of their Ancestor.
An Astral Gang expert.
As long as that existence remained alive...
No one could casually determine the true strength of the Su Family.
The second figure slowly tapped his finger against the table.
"Could the pressure have forced the Patriarch to prepare for a breakthrough?"
"Possibly."
"Then..."
His eyes gradually became colder.
"We need another method."
The first man looked toward him.
"What should we do?"
The second figure didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he reached into his sleeve.
A letter appeared between his fingers.
He tossed it across the table.
The first man caught it.
He glanced at the sealed surface.
There was no name.
Only a simple mark.
His expression changed slightly.
"The martial hall?"
The second man nodded.
"Send it to them."
"They'll know what to do."
The first man didn't ask any further questions.
He carefully stored the letter.
"I understand."
He stood.
After cupping his fists, he turned and walked toward the exit.
The underground chamber soon returned to silence.
The second figure remained seated alone.
His gaze remained fixed upon the flickering flame.
"The Su Family..."
"What exactly are you hiding?"
He slowly closed his eyes.
"If this still isn't enough..."
"Then we'll simply increase the pressure."
One week later...
Dongtai Prefecture City suddenly became much more lively.
The three major martial halls simultaneously announced large-scale recruitment.
The news spread through the outer city like wildfire.
Thunderbolt Martial Hall.
Mountain River Martial Hall.
Heavenly Saber Martial Hall.
All three began recruiting disciples in unusually large numbers.
The announcement alone shocked countless people.
Normally, entering one of the three martial halls wasn't particularly easy.
Although they weren't the most powerful forces within Dongtai Prefecture, they possessed deep foundations and had accumulated countless martial techniques over generations.
Their requirements had always been strict.
Root bone.
Age.
Physique.
Comprehension.
Each aspect was tested.
Yet this time...
The requirements suddenly changed.
The most shocking alteration was the reduction in the root-bone threshold.
The ordinary recruitment requirement had previously demanded ten taels of silver merely for the initial testing and admission process.
Now...
It had been reduced to five.
For countless common families, that difference was enormous.
Five taels of silver was still money.
But it was no longer an amount that completely shut the door.
The news immediately caused countless young people throughout Dongtai Prefecture to become excited.
Parents dragged their children toward the martial halls.
Youngsters who had never dared dream of becoming martial artists suddenly began discussing their chances.
Some believed this was simply because the three martial halls intended to expand.
Others suspected that something larger was happening.
Inside a crowded teahouse...
"Have you heard?"
"All three martial halls are recruiting."
"Of course I've heard. Everyone has."
"I heard their requirements have been reduced."
"Five taels now."
"Five?"
"That's right."
A middle-aged man lowered his voice.
"Something feels wrong."
The person beside him laughed.
"What's wrong with it?"
"The martial halls probably want more disciples."
"With so many people dying in the recent disturbances, naturally they need to replenish their numbers."
The middle-aged man remained silent.
That explanation sounded reasonable.
Too reasonable.
Across the teahouse...
Lin Sheng quietly placed his teacup down.
His expression remained calm.
Yet his Mental Perception had already spread across the surrounding streets.
The sudden recruitment of all three martial halls at the same time...
Wasn't normal.
Especially after the recent chaos surrounding Qingshan County.
Especially after the Wei Family and Jade Sword Palace had suddenly pressured the Su Family.
And especially after he had already sensed that several forces were quietly investigating the Su Family.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly.