Once again, Li Yuan sat at the VIP section of his regular Auction House, watching the other cultivators bid for the items he'd brought from his hunt during the Tournament. Though he couldn't help but notice that the audience this time was of a much higher class.

  As it should be. After all, he was selling two of the three second grade Spirit cores he'd hunted in the Forbidden Forest in this auction.

  Yes, after saving Han Mei and killing that Shadow Leopard, he had killed two other 2nd grade beasts over the next few days and had extracted their cores as well.

  Technically, the chances of a 2nd grade beast producing a Spirit Beast Core were only 1 in 10. But thanks to his immense fortune, he had found a Spirit Beast Core within each one of those beasts he'd killed.

  And now, those two Second-grade beast cores were on full display behind a glass pedestal that flickered every so often with formations.

  "Early Stage Second-Grade Windfang Wolf core." The auctioneer announced at last. "Starting bid: Thirty thousand spirit stones."

  The price rose quickly.

  Thirty-five. Forty. Forty-four thousand spirit stones.

  Voices overlapped. Bidding tokens lit up along the hall. Eventually though, once the price reached over sixty, the number of people bidding for the core decreased sharply.

  Li Yuan rubbed his chin, watching the bidding unfold below.

  The hammer fell at sixty-eight thousand spirit stones. A bit on the expensive end, but it's not like he was going to complain.

  The second core somehow did even better. And combined with the other valuable items he'd sold, when the manager finally entered his room, he did so with a total of over 1,700 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. That's over 170,000 Low-grade Spirit stones.

  After taking their commission, he was left with 1,530 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

  "Wait. Shouldn't the auction house take 20% of the earnings? From my calculations, you've only taken 10% this time." He pointed out, as he'd been ready to lose over 340 mid-grade spirit stones and only lost 170.

  "Honoured guest. That was because you sold items at Foundation Establishment level." The manager explained with a polite smile. "Clients who sell items at this level only have to pay 10% auction fee. And once you reach Golden Core, you don't need to pay fee at all."

  He hummed, realising that selling valuable items helped the auction house in other ways. Namely by improving their reputation and clientele. Plus, they wanted to maintain good relationships with powerful cultivators. Hence this system.

  "Well then, I'll continue to rely on your auction house once I reach Golden Core," He said in jest and the manager beamed.

  "Young lord has excellent tastes."

  And they both laughed the laugh of a wealthy person who just made a large profit.

  Afterward, he walked out of the auction house with a large grin on his face that was hidden behind his plain bronze mask.

  He calculated that with the wealth he already possessed, his wealth now exceeded 230,000 low-grade spirit stones.

  And he needed a total of 330,000 spirit stones in order to upgrade his private Spirit Lake from Low-grade to Mid-grade. A matter that has become more urgent since he brought back even more spirit herbs during the tournament and later planted them near his spirit lake.

  The formations required to create the perfect environment to grow those spirit herbs were really putting a strain on the spirit lake, and it had even stopped producing any spirit stones lately due to all the Qi it produced being transferred toward maintaining those formations.

  Well… he wasn't truly worried. Now that he's gotten strong enough to hunt 2nd Grade Spirit Beasts and has taken his Veil of Borrowed Heaven to Complete Perfection, he could take a dip into the Outer Belt once again, and hunt a few of those before safely returning back to the sect.

  So, earning those 100,000 spirit stones shouldn't be a problem.

  Of course, he could also sell ten bottles of Heavy Spirit Water to cover that difference, but for now, he had no interest in doing that. After all, Heavy Spirit Water was a rare strategic resource, and selling it for short term monetary gain would be foolish.

  No. Better to simply take a dip in the Outer Belt when he has the free time.

  After leaving the auction house, he headed straight toward the formation district. Rows of shops lined the street, each displaying engraved plates, formation flags, inscription chisels, and crystal conductors behind reinforced glass.

  He spent spirit stones without hesitation, purchasing higher-grade formation flags, improved array cores, supplementary stabilisers to reduce Qi leakage, and Secondary energy buffers so that his herb formations would not overload the Spirit Lake further.

  If he was going to build, he would build properly.

  By the time he finished, another sizeable portion of his wealth had vanished. But what he carried now in his storage ring would allow him to set up a grand Formation for a proper spirit herb garden that he would allow him to expand his garden even further without strangling his Spirit Lake.

  Once he was done here, he used Veil of Borrowed Heaven and took quite a few more detours before he finally started heading back toward the Sect Gate, when something on the side of the road caught his attention.

  An orphanage.

  It was smaller than the surrounding buildings, its paint faded, and its roof tiles chipped at the edges. A few children played in the courtyard, their clothes patched but otherwise clean. An elderly woman sat beneath the eaves, mending fabric under the afternoon sun.

  He slowed to a stop, and for a moment, he simply watched.

  A thought entered his mind and he quietly slipped into a store. A while later, he returned with a bag full of silver coins. Having exchanged it for a single Spirit Stone.

  The matron looked up in surprise as he approached. "Young lord?" She asked and then hurriedly bowed with the usual trepidation that mortals usually feel when being approached by a cultivator.

  He set the heavy pouch down quietly in front of her. "For the children," he said simply.

  Her hands trembled slightly as she opened one pouch and saw the silver within. Her eyes widened, then misted over almost immediately. "This… this is too much… young lord."

  "It is?" He asked, though he was well aware that this much wealth would be enough to keep the children well fed for an entire year. "Then use it well."

  She bowed deeply, far deeper than necessary, gratitude etched plainly across her worn features. "Thank you, young master. May we have your name?"

  He paused but then he lowered his bronze mask and showed her his face. "My name is Li Yuan. If your orphanage ever faces any trouble. Send for me in the Outer Sect of Nine Peak Sect."

  The matron's eyes widened even further as she realised the meaning of his words. The orphanage now has someone willing to protect it.

  She bowed even deeper this time, and he gave her a nod before he walked away, a peaceful smile on his face.

  A single spirit stone was much not worth much to him anymore. Heck, a single small opportunity could earn him hundreds of spirit stones. But that same spirit stone could keep an entire orphanage well fed for an entire year.

  That much wealth disparity was really… something. Though maybe he could use that to his advantage to help the mortals in the Nine Peak city.

  A plan started forming on his mind regarding donating to the other Orphanages in the vast city, and maybe even opening a few soup kitchens here and there for the poor.

  After all, if he wanted to be different from other cultivators, then instead of just taking and taking and taking, he might as well learn how to give out to the world.

  Imagining the smile on the faces of the little kids as they ate their fill this evening made him feel lighter as he skipped all the way back to his courtyard.

  —————

  A low hum escaped him as the carving blade moved.

  The formation plate lay flat before him on the wooden table, its surface polished smooth. Waiting for him to chisel formation array upon its surface.

  He held the chisel at a precise angle and drew the first line. He moved with the precision of someone who had done this kind of work for a lifetime despite never having done this kind of work before in his lifetime. His hands were steady with no wasted motion as he carved complex geometrical patterns upon the surface of the formation plate.

  A formation technically did only three things.

  1. It defined a boundary.

  2. It imposed a certain rule within that boundary.

  3. It supplied the energy necessary to enforce that rule.

  Everything else — illusions, killing arrays, concealment fields, defensive barriers — were merely variations of those three principles layered with complexity.

  He leaned forward slightly, guiding the blade along a sharp line that intersected the first line at exactly sixty degrees.

  The formation plate was the brain.

  The primary inscription array etched upon its surface dictated the rule. Through these geometrical pathways, raw Qi, whether drawn from ambient air or spirit stones, would be filtered, redirected, compressed, and converted into structured flow.

  Not much different than how he turned the Steller Energy from the stars into his own Qi during his nightly cultivation sessions.

  The rule was nothing magical. In fact, for those that truly understood formations, everything was based on hard logic.

  A stillness array dampened kinetic Qi. A concealment array scattered perception-linked Qi. And a killing array sharpened vibrational frequency and condensed it into cutting force.

  Change the inscription array, and you changed the rule.

  With that said, the plate was not merely the brain for the formation. It was also the digestive system.

  The plate absorbed energy from whatever source fed it — spirit stones placed in the designated sockets, or a linked energy conduit drawing from a spirit lake. It digested that energy, refined it for its use, and then distributed it across the network of nodes.

  He finished the central array and exhaled slowly, rotating the plate under the light to inspect the symmetry. No uneven depths. No micro fractures along the sharp turns.

  Good.

  He set it aside and reached for a formation flag.

  The pole was carved from treated spirit wood, resilient and receptive to Qi conduction. He secured it between two clamps and began etching along its length, the carving blade moving almost lazily now.

  He was already at Moderate Accomplishment in Second-Tier Formation Crafting. Creating a basic First-Tier formation was as trivial to him as addition and subtraction would be for a high school student.

  He had finished the third flag when the Surveillance formation outside his courtyard pulsed faintly in his awareness. Warning him of a… visitor.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  He tilted his head in confusion at that bit of info. Shouldn't there be three? That's what his vision had shown at least. Did the others detect the formations he'd placed around his home and backed off in fear? Or maybe it's someone else, as unlikely as that seemed.

  He set the carving blade down and rose without hurry, wiping his hands clean on a cloth before stepping outside. An older girl looking to be in her late teenage years was waiting for him outside. And the moment he saw her, recognition struck.

  Wasn't this the girl he had saved from that Mo something guy. The one with the Something-something Moon Physique. What was her name again? Rou Lin?

  Yeah Rou Lin. She stood at the entrance to his courtyard. Looking quite different from the last time he'd seen her.

  Unlike before, she was now wearing the robes reserved for Inner Sect Disciples. Though that was not the only thing different about her.

  Her aura had changed too. It was much denser than before, though slightly chaotic from a recent breakthrough.

  Foundation Establishment.

  For a moment, he simply looked at her.

  Then he smiled warmly and stepped forward before giving her a slight bow. "Senior Sister."

  Her expression remained composed as she returned his bow. "Benefactor." She said, her tone polite, and distant.

  'Has she turned into the classic Ice-jade beauty after that near-rape incident?' He wondered. Well, he couldn't really blame her for giving up on men altogether after that experience.

  He gestured toward the house. "Please. Come in."

  The girl hesitated for a moment before she nodded and stepped inside his dilapidated house.

  Well… he had patched up all the holes in the roof, so it wasn't as bad as before, though he very much doubted that she would notice such a thing.

  He turned back to her. "Congratulations, Senior sister. For reaching Foundation Establishment so quickly."

  A faint flicker crossed her eyes, almost surprise.

  Why was that, he wondered. Was he not supposed to be able to sense her cultivation level?

  Maybe. But with his Spirit Residue Following Technique at Complete Perfection and his Formation Breaking and Crafting skills both at 2nd Grade, his Qi Sense was at a far higher level than that of other Qi Condensation realm cultivators.

  "Thank you." She said politely with no visible emotion on her face, then paused. "Also, you don't need to call me Senior Sister, benefactor. You can simply call me Sister Lin."

  "In that case, you don't need to call me benefactor either. Simply call me Brother Li Yuan." He said as he plopped down on his bed before pausing.

  Ah… wait. Wasn't there there some sort of rule that you should offer a seat to your guest first. How troublesome. He never had a guest in his house before so he had no experience in such things.

  "Please. Have a seat." He told her awkwardly, gesturing to the sit on the chair where he had been sitting not long ago himself, working on his Formation flags.

  Rou Lin took the seat, looking visibly interested at the formation flags he'd been working on.

  "Congratulations once again, Sister Lin, on joining the Inner sect." He said, bringing her attention back toward him.

  She gave a small nod. "I joined Snow Peak as the Peak Mistress' personal disciple."

  He paused at those words as they caught him totally off guard.

  Snow Peak. And a personal disciple of the Peak Mistress at that.

  From what Han Mei had told him, Snow Peak was the most selective of all the Nine peaks. And Elder Wu Yuechan rarely accepted any disciples at all.

  He studied Rou Lin more carefully now. And realised that she must've revealed her special physique to Elder Yuechan. Otherwise, there was just no way that a Nascent Soul Cultivator would take her in as her disciple.

  He also realised that with the backing of a powerful Nascent Soul Elder, Rou Lin's future trajectory would be steep. Reaching Golden Core would not be difficult for her. And there'll be hope of reaching Nascent Soul Realm within her lifetime.

  "I'm glad to hear that." He said. Then suddenly realised that an occasion like this calls for a gift. It would be the proper thing to do, no? "Please wait here for a moment Sister Lin."

  He stepped into the other room and closed the door behind him. It was his kitchen, though that word gave it more dignity than it deserved. For a moment, he stood still. Then he removed the Ancient Spatial Ring from his finger and willed himself inside.

  The world shifted. And the dim, cramped kitchen dissolved, replaced by open sky and still air.

  The interior of the ring had transformed significantly since the day he first claimed it. What had once been barren earth around a modest spirit lake was now layered with careful order. Rows of spirit herbs radiated outward from the water's edge, arranged according to their elemental affinities.

  Yin-aligned plants were positioned along the shaded eastern bank, their leaves pale and cool-toned. Yang-type herbs flourished along the sunward western ridge. Neutral growth herbs occupied the transitional zones between.

  Many of the clusters were enclosed within their own miniature formation. Stabilisation arrays. Moisture-regulation arrays. Nutrient cycling arrays. All planted by his own two hands.

  Looking at the garden made him smile as he felt rather proud at having created such a beautiful place. And to think that it'll only expand even more once he has upgraded the Spirit Lake to a Mid-grade lake. He walked slowly toward the eastern bank, wondering what gift he should give to Rou Lin.

  Heavy Spirit Water seemed like the obvious answer. A resource like that was useful to cultivator even at the Foundation Establishment realm. And two of them would be more than enough to help her break through to the 2nd stage of Foundation Establishment once she has stabilised her cultivation.

  The only problem was that Heavy Spirit Water was an incredibly valuable item. Giving two bottles of it to Rou Lin would make it seem like he was trying to curry favour, or that he was showing off his wealth, neither of which were his intention.

  Plus, the last man who had tried to get close to her with gifts had nearly raped her. So, she might be even more on guard against stuff like that and might even reject his gift.

  Hmm… how troublesome.

  He looked around the garden, wondering if there was a spirit herb that he could gift her that would do the job. Something not too valuable but might be of use to her.

  His gaze swept over the area where he'd been growing the Yin aligned herbs and he paused as his eyes fell upon a pale silver-blue herb growing under the cool shade of a large tree.

  Frostmoon Silverheart Grass. A rare Yin-aligned spirit herb.

  He hummed to himself and then nodded. Yes, it'll do.

  The Frostmoon Silverheart Grass was a rare Yin-aligned herb that had long and narrow leaves, and at the tips of those leaves clung delicate droplets that resembled dew beneath moonlight.

  These were not ordinary drops. They were condensed Yin Essence secreted by the plant during nightly absorption cycles. And even a single droplet could fetch several hundred spirit stones in the market.

  This Yin essence drop was of great help to those who practiced Yin-type Cultivation techniques. And its benefits were even further amplified for those that had Yin-aligned physiques.

  The amusing thing was, he had no use for this herb himself and had almost sold it in the auction house. The only reason he held back was due to the rarity of the herb. Because he had thought that he might use it to show off to someone else far in the future.

  He shook his head in amusement and stepped inside the formation, where the atmosphere went from warm summer to the frigid cold of Antarctica in an instant.

  He shivered at the sudden cold and then quickly covered himself with a layer of Qi to combat the cold. Then, he picked up a rock from the ground that had absorbed quite a bit of the cold Yin energy of the formation and had turned subtly yin aligned.

  He channeled his Sword aligned Qi through his fingertip and cut and sliced through the stone until the came to resemble a crudely made goblet.

  'Hmm… this'll do.' He thought as he went to the Frostmoon Silverheart Grass and placed the goblet beneath it. Then, gently, he tilted three of his leaves toward the goblet and gave the leaves a gentle shake till they dropped three Yin essence drops into the goblet.

  Then he retrieved a bottle of Heavy Spirit Water and poured a measured amount—roughly one-third of the cup's volume. The dense liquid sank heavily to the bottom before slowly mixing together with the Yin Essence droplets.

  Finally, he added water drawn directly from the Spirit Lake. And the mixture turned faintly luminous, glowing with a faint blue energy and eliciting a slight chill.

  He studied the cup for a moment longer, then nodded once and exited the spatial ring. The cramped kitchen returned around him. He slipped the ring back inside his robes and walked out.

  Rou Lin was still seated where he had left her, posture straight, gaze lowered toward the formation plates and flags spread across the wooden table.

  "This is wonderful work," she said quietly as he approached. "It seems Brother Li has some achievements in Formation Crafting."

  He shrugged lightly not feeling much pride in a skill that he hadn't really mastered with his own abilities. "I dabble a bit." He said.

  He then stepped forward and held out the jade cup. "Please accept this my little gift for your cultivation advancement."

  She accepted it automatically, though a faint crease formed between her brows. "Brother Li, this is unnecessary—"

  "Drink it immediately," he interrupted gently. "Before it loses its properties."

  She hesitated. Then froze as she caught a whiff of the drink. She immediately closed her eyes and let out a soft moan that immediately gave him a hard on.

  'Oi, what the fuck are you doing woman.' He thought as he crossed her legs, hoping that she won't notice the sudden movement of his little brother.

  He needn't have bothered. Because when she opened her eyes next, her gaze was focused solely on the goblet in her hand. And for the first time since she'd come to visit him, he saw an actual emotion on her face. Excitement.

  It was subtle. But it was definitely there. Proof that she hadn't become a complete block of ice just yet. Without further protest, Rou Lin brought the cup to her lips and drank it in one motion.

  She rushed over to sit down on his cultivation mat and almost immediately afterward, crossed her legs and closed her eyes to cultivate. Qi began to stir faintly around her as she started to absorb the drink into her body.

  He moved aside, giving her space. He watched her quietly for a moment. Then, feeling awkward simply standing there, he returned to his table and resumed carving on another formation flags.

  The steady scrape of blade against metal filled the room. And eventually, an hour passed. When Rou Lin finally opened her eyes, the difference was obvious.

  The chaotic fluctuations in her aura had settled. The sharp edges of recently stabilised Qi had softened into something smoother, more cohesive. She rose from the cultivation mat and bowed deeply. This time, the emotion on her face was unmistakable. One of deep gratitude.

  "Brother Li," she said, and there was genuine warmth in her voice now, "this gift has stabilised my foundation completely. And the meridian damage from my breakthrough… it's gone." Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides. "Without this, it would have taken me months of slow adjustment to recover completely."

  He waved it off lightly. "It was nothing extraordinary."

  "It was," she insisted quietly with a helpless smile. "I came here intending to repay a debt. Instead, I seem to have become even more indebted to you."

  He opened his mouth to respond… but the the surveillance formation outside his courtyard pulsed sharply and he paused. Once, twice, three times. All Foundation Establishment cultivators. He stilled. His 'guests' were finally here.

  He masked his reaction and gave her a small smile. "It seems I have more visitors. Please wait here for a moment, Sister Lin," he said calmly. "I'll go out and greet my guests."

  With that, he stepped out into the courtyard and closed the door behind him.

  Three men stood just beyond his courtyard's entrance. Wearing the robes of Inner Sect disciples. Their arrogant posture alone made it obvious they did not consider this a visit between equals.

  The one in the lead looked familiar, even though they had never met before. But Li Yuan had already seen him in a vision before, and thus knew of his identity.

  Gu Hao.

  The man stepped forward slightly. He was tall, sharp-featured, and wore an expression of quiet disdain. "You are Li Yuan?" He asked in a deep voice.

  Li Yuan nodded once. "And Senior Brother is?"

  A faint, arrogant smirk appeared on his face. "Gu Hao." He said before his smirk vanished into a dark expression. "Older brother of Gu Lan, whom you crippled during the recent tournament."

  He nodded, not showing any expression on his face. "May I ask why Senior brother Gu Hao is here?"

  "Since you crippled my younger brother," Gu Hao said evenly, "it is only fair that I cripple you in turn."

  Li Yuan's expression did not change. He glanced briefly at the two standing behind Gu Hao. Both carried themselves with careless confidence. Their auras were stable at 3rd Stage Foundation Establishment each.

  Gu Hao himself was 5th Stage. Which explained their confidence despite them being aware of the fact that he had defeated and crippled Gu Lan, who himself had been at the 1st stage of Foundation Establishment.

  "Senior Brother," Li Yuan said lightly even as he quietly activated the formations he'd prepared in advance, "are you not afraid of action from Law Peak?"

  Gu Hao stared at him for a second. Then laughed.

  "Law Peak?" he said, almost amused. "Law Peak does not concern itself with Outer sect disciples. Not unless they come from a powerful family."

  His gaze flicked lazily over Li Yuan's patched house. "And you certainly do not."

  Gu Hao took another step forward. "So… how would you prefer it? I am quite merciful, you know. If you come with me without resistance, I will make it swift and painless. Well, as painless as such a thing could be."

  Li Yuan tilted his head slightly, as though genuinely considering the offer. Then he looked past Gu Hao to the other two. "And you?" he asked calmly. "Are you with Senior brother Gu Hao?"

  The two men scoffed.

  One folded his arms. "You think this is your place to speak nonsense?"

  "This is not your fight," Li Yuan continued evenly, ignoring the tone. "You still have time to leave."

  Their laughter carried across the courtyard.

  In their eyes, he was merely a Qi Condensation disciple who had gotten lucky in a chaotic tournament. Perhaps he had ambushed Gu Lan. Perhaps he had used tricks. Perhaps Gu Lan had been careless. Regardless of what they thought, there was no fear in them.

  Li Yuan nodded once. Very well. He was just about to move when a thread of Qi brushed against his ear.

  "Brother Li." Rou Lin said, her voice traveled along a fine filament of Qi. "I heard everything," she said quietly. "Do you require assistance?"

  He didn't turn his head.

  "There's no need," he replied aloud, as though answering a normal question. "I will handle them on my own."

  Gu Hao frowned. "You have helpers?" he asked sharply. His gaze flicked toward the house. "Unless they are Inner Sect disciples—" Gu Hao never got to finish that sentence as he took that moment to activate the formations.

  In a single moment, the courtyard shifted. The sky dimmed slightly, as though a thin veil had been drawn across reality. The air thickened. And shadows stretched along the ground as the Illusory Realm Formation came to life. Now capable of trapping even Foundation Establishment cultivators after he upgraded and refined it.

  At the same time, another formation activated beneath their feet, and Qi flow around the three men destabilised immediately. The same suppression formation Mo Ling had once used against Rou Lin activated, now modified and perfected by him to work on three cultivators at once.

  Gu Hao's expression shifted instantly as realisation dawned on his face. But by then it was already too late. The three of them had carelessly entered the formation of a formation master. A formation master who knew of their arrival and had prepared in advance. There was only one way this fight could've ended.

  Li Yuan moved, and sickening sound of bones being broken sounded throughout the courtyard as the three of them collapsed.

  Gu Hao lay on his side, one arm and leg twisted at an unnatural angle, his breath wheezing through clenched teeth. The other two were sprawled several paces away, half-conscious, their bodies beaten badly enough that even standing would be a challenge.

  Li Yuan watched them for a moment in silence. Then, with a subtle shift of will, he adjusted the Illusory Realm Formation, and separated Gu Hao from the others.

  To Gu Hao's senses, the world warped and folded inward. His two companions vanished as though swallowed by mist. And then only the two of them remained.

  Gu Hao's eyes widened in fear as he stepped forward.

  "You and I will speak first," he said calmly.

  Gu Hao's jaw tightened. Sweat beaded along his temple despite the cool air. "W…what do y…you want to tal…talk about?" He said, gritting his teeth from the pain.

  Li Yuan crouched down so they were eye level. "Unlike you," he continued evenly, "I am actually merciful."

  Gu Hao blinked, confusion crossing over his pained expression.

  "I will allow you to leave," Li Yuan said. "On one condition."

  Hope flickered across Gu Hao's face. "W…what condition?"

  "You will swear not to pursue revenge. Not for this matter and certainly not regarding Gu Lan. You will let it end here. Promise to do that and I'll let you leave."

  For a moment, Gu Hao looked like he might hesitate. Then survival won and he gritted his teeth.

  "I swear," he rasped. "I swear I will not seek revenge. I will drop the matter entirely. My brother… he acted foolishly. Let it end here and let there be peace between us."

  His voice was desperate now. The arrogance had drained out of him completely.

  Li Yuan held his gaze. Then, he nodded once. "Very well." Li Yuan stood and stepped aside, gesturing faintly toward where the courtyard entrance seemed to be. "You may leave."

  Relief flooded Gu Hao's expression. He did not hesitate and quickly started dragging his body toward his courtyard's entrance. His fingers clawing against dirt and his breath laboured and painful as he moved, not daring to look back even once.

  Li Yuan watched him go. And then… his gaze lifted slightly. Above his own head, the white halo flickered, and then darkened into light grey.

  He focused on it, and gained a vision of Gu Hao returning to this courtyard a few months later. Having prepared well in advance to deal with his formations, and with a larger number of inner sect disciples by his side.

  It would still not be enough to kill him, and he'll even be able to counter-kill a lot of them in turn before escaping. But it would still cause him some trouble. The vision snapped shut and Li Yuan exhaled slowly in disappointment.

  Here he was, trying to be the bigger man in order to not bring any future trouble to himself. And here was this chump, completely taking advantage of his mercy.

  The illusion dissolved. And Gu Hao blinked, having dragged himself into a circle before finally returning right back to him. As if he would've let the guy leave without checking firsthand whether it was safe to do so or not.

  Gu Hao blinked as he found himself exactly where he had started. On the ground. Right in front of Li Yuan's boots.

  Realization dawned too late.

  "You—" Gu Hao's voice cracked. "You said— you promised—"

  Li Yuan raised his sword and said without any emotions. "I changed my mind." The blade fell and Gu Hao's head separated from his shoulders.

  Li Yuan then turned instead toward the other two. The Illusory Realm Formation shifted again, isolating one from the other. Then, he gave them the same offer.

  The first one promised to not take revenge, and seeing that his halo did not change colour, he let the guy leave.

  It was what happened with the second guy that surprised him.

  When the guy started leaving, his halo changed once again. But instead of turning grey, it instead turned Green. He blinked in surprise at that change, and then focused on his halo till he gained a vision.

  The vision showed the Inner Sect disciple speaking quietly to his acquaintances about an Outer Sect Disciple that they really should not provoke. Slowly, word would spread about an Outer Sect disciple proficient in formations.

  Eventually the Formation Peak Elders would end up hearing the rumour. Curiosity and boredom would lead to one of the elders visiting his courtyard and studying his refined and upgraded formations. Surprised, and then interested, the Elder would end up offering him a place as his personal disciple.

  The vision ended and Li Yuan's lips curved faintly.

  "It seems like good deeds aren't always punished. They sometimes bring benefit as well. How rare."

  Then, he dropped the illusion collapsed and watched as the man slowly dragged himself out of his courtyard, after which he regained control over his cultivation. At which point, he took out a flying sword and quickly departed.

  He watched the man flee in the sky and then chuckled to himself before deactivating the formations.

  The courtyard returned to its ordinary, quiet state. And Li Yuan stood alone with a headless corpse. He stepped forward, wiped his blade clean on Gu Hao's robes, and crouched to lift the body before throwing it within his spatial ring for later feeding to his Stele.

  Then he turned and walked back into the house.

  Rou Lin was still seated where he had left her but she was no longer studying the formation plates. She was instead staring at him, her eyes wide as if she was looking at some mythical creature.

  "What?" he asked lightly.

  She swallowed. "Those were three Foundation Establishment cultivators…" Her voice trailed off and he shrugged.

  "They were careless." He shrugged. And really, there was all there was to it.

  He himself had been careless when he first entered Shu Dong's house in an attempt to assassinate him and had met a similar end. That didn't mean he had been weak. It just showed how dangerous a well prepared formation could be. That was all.

  But despite his words, she kept staring at him, as if seeing him for the first time.

  Well, he supposed that watching a Qi Condensation Disciple defeat three Foundation Establishment cultivators would definitely shock him as well. Though, there was more to it.

  When Rou Lin had first stepped into his courtyard, there had been a subtle arrogance about her. The way she had kept a blank expression in front of him.

  She had not looked down on him, per say, but she definitely saw him as someone of a much lower status than her, who had managed to become the personal disciple of a Nascent Soul Elder.

  After he had given her the drink, that perception had shifted and she begin to see him more as an equal. But now… now, there was no condescension left in her gaze. Only respect and something close to awe.

  Rou Lin rose slowly to her feet. "I… have matters to attend to in Snow Peak, brother Lin." she said, voice steadier than before. "I should return."

  He nodded. "Of course, Sister Lin."

  She hesitated a fraction of a second longer, then she bowed. Not the polite incline of earlier. A deeper, more respectful one. When she straightened, her expression had settled back into composure but it was no longer as distant as before.

  She turned and left the courtyard swiftly.

  He watched her go for a moment before he wondered what her visit had been about. Hadn't she come here to 'repay the favour'. What happened to that?

  He could only guess that whatever gift she had prepared in order to repay his favour now no longer seemed sufficient to her. Or maybe it was something else. Who could ever know what goes in a woman's mind?

  He closed the door and returned to the table. Then, he picked up his carving blade and the steady scratch of metal resumed.