The morning mist clung to the mountain paths as Lin Feng made his way back to Azure Cloud Sect. His encounter with the Crimson Fang Sect disciples in the Mist Valley had left him deeply troubled. Mei, the inner disciple who had sensed Yue Lian's fox aura within him, would surely report her findings to her superiors. Time was running short.
"They'll come for us soon," Yue Lian's voice echoed in his mind, her tone unusually serious. "The Crimson Fang Sect won't give up easily, especially now that they've confirmed my presence."
Lin Feng nodded, his steps quickening. "What should we do? I can't keep hiding in the sect forever."
"We need to prepare," she replied. "Tonight, we'll train in that secluded cave I showed you last week. You need to master the Spirit Concealment technique completely if we're to have any chance of survival."
The cave was nestled deep within the western mountains, far from the usual patrol routes of Azure Cloud disciples. Lin Feng had discovered it during a herb-gathering mission, and Yue Lian had immediately recognized its value—the natural spirit veins running through the rock created a perfect environment for cultivation, while also masking spiritual fluctuations from outside detection.
As night fell, Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the stone floor, Yue Lian's spiritual form hovering before him, her single tail glowing with a soft blue light.
"Focus on drawing the ambient spiritual energy into your dantian," she instructed. "Then, instead of circulating it through the standard meridians, direct it through the secondary channels I showed you."
Lin Feng closed his eyes, feeling the familiar rush of spiritual energy flowing into his body. Under Yue Lian's guidance, he had progressed to the fourth level of Qi Condensation in just a few months—an achievement that would normally take years.
"Good," Yue Lian nodded approvingly. "Now, practice the concealment technique. Imagine your spiritual energy as still water, reflecting nothing, revealing nothing."
Hours passed as Lin Feng refined his control, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cave's cool air. Just as dawn approached, a sudden spike of alarm shot through their spiritual connection.
"Someone's coming," Yue Lian hissed, her form flickering. "Three cultivators, approaching from the south. Crimson Fang Sect—I recognize their spiritual signature."
Lin Feng's eyes snapped open. "How did they find us?"
"They must have been tracking us since the Mist Valley," Yue Lian replied grimly. "We need to leave—now."
But it was too late. As Lin Feng reached the cave entrance, three figures landed gracefully on the rocky outcrop before him. Two wore the standard red robes of Crimson Fang Sect outer disciples, while the third—a tall man with a scar running down his left cheek—wore the black-trimmed robes of an inner disciple.
"Well, well," the scarred man smiled coldly. "If it isn't the Azure Cloud disciple with the interesting spiritual energy. Mei was right about you."
Lin Feng's hand moved to the spirit sword at his waist. "I don't know what you're talking about. This is Azure Cloud territory—you have no right to be here."
The scarred man laughed. "I am Zhao Wei, inner disciple of Crimson Fang Sect. And we're not here for territory disputes." His eyes narrowed. "We're here for the fox spirit you're harboring."
Lin Feng's heart raced, but he kept his expression neutral. "There's no fox spirit here. Just me, gathering herbs for my sect."
"Don't play dumb," Zhao Wei snarled, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Mei sensed the fox aura within you. Our Elder Chihuo has been searching for that nine-tailed fox for months. Hand it over, and perhaps we'll let you live."
"I think you've made a mistake," Lin Feng replied, slowly drawing his sword. "But if you insist on trespassing, I'll have to defend myself."
Zhao Wei's face darkened. "Take him," he commanded the two outer disciples.
The two red-robed cultivators moved with practiced coordination, one launching a barrage of spirit darts while the other circled to Lin Feng's flank. Lin Feng deflected the darts with a sweep of his sword, channeling spiritual energy through the blade as Yue Lian had taught him.
"Use the environment," Yue Lian whispered in his mind. "Remember what I taught you about natural energy flows."
Lin Feng nodded imperceptibly, extending his spiritual sense into the surrounding rocks. He could feel the currents of energy flowing through the mountain—just as Yue Lian had shown him. With a swift movement, he drove his sword into a specific point in the ground, channeling his spiritual energy downward.
The effect was immediate. A tremor ran through the rocky outcrop, destabilizing the footing of the two outer disciples. As they stumbled, Lin Feng seized the opportunity, launching a series of swift sword strikes that drove them back.
But Zhao Wei was a different matter entirely. The inner disciple moved with fluid grace, easily avoiding the trembling ground. His hands formed a complex seal, and a wave of scorching heat erupted toward Lin Feng.
"Crimson Flame Palm," Yue Lian identified urgently. "You can't block it directly!"
Lin Feng tried to dodge, but the flame technique was too wide, too fast. The searing heat engulfed him, burning through his defensive spiritual energy and scorching his robes. He fell to one knee, gasping in pain.
"Pathetic," Zhao Wei sneered, approaching slowly. "Is this all the famous Azure Cloud Sect teaches its disciples? No wonder you need to steal power from a spirit beast."
Lin Feng struggled to rise, his spiritual energy fluctuating wildly from the attack. The two outer disciples had regained their footing and were closing in from either side.
"Lin Feng," Yue Lian's voice was urgent in his mind. "I need to help you."
"No," he gasped. "If you reveal yourself—"
"We have no choice," she cut him off. "I won't fully materialize, but I need to lend you some of my power. It will be risky—they'll sense my aura more clearly, but it's our only chance."
Before Lin Feng could protest further, he felt a surge of foreign energy flowing into his meridians—cool, ancient power with a distinctly vulpine quality. His vision sharpened, his pain receded, and he felt an unfamiliar technique forming in his mind.
"Fox Fire Illusion," Yue Lian instructed. "Use it now!"
Lin Feng's hands moved of their own accord, forming seals he had never learned. Blue flames erupted from his fingertips, swirling around him in hypnotic patterns before expanding outward in a dazzling display.
Zhao Wei faltered, his eyes widening in recognition. "Fox fire! So it is true!"
The illusory flames engulfed the three Crimson Fang disciples, multiplying Lin Feng's image into a dozen identical copies, each moving independently. Confused and disoriented, the two outer disciples began striking at phantoms, their attacks passing harmlessly through the illusions.
Zhao Wei, however, was more experienced. "Dispel!" he shouted, forming a counter-seal that cleared the illusions around him. But by then, Lin Feng had already moved, channeling Yue Lian's borrowed power into his sword.
The blade glowed with ethereal blue light as he struck, slicing through Zhao Wei's hastily raised spiritual shield. The inner disciple cried out in pain and surprise as the sword cut across his chest—not deep enough to be fatal, but enough to draw blood and shatter his confidence.
"Impossible," Zhao Wei gasped, stumbling backward. "You're just a fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivator!"
Lin Feng didn't waste breath on a reply. With Yue Lian's power flowing through him, he pressed his advantage, driving Zhao Wei back with a flurry of supernaturally fast strikes. The two outer disciples, finally breaking free of the illusions, moved to assist their senior, but they were clearly outmatched by Lin Feng's enhanced abilities.
After a particularly vicious exchange that left all three Crimson Fang disciples bleeding from multiple wounds, Zhao Wei made a tactical decision.
"Retreat!" he commanded, throwing down a smoke talisman that billowed into thick, acrid clouds.
By the time the smoke cleared, the three intruders had vanished, leaving only bloodstains on the rocks as evidence of the confrontation.
Lin Feng collapsed to his knees, Yue Lian's borrowed power fading from his system. The backlash was immediate and severe—his meridians burned as if filled with molten iron, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"I'm sorry," Yue Lian materialized beside him, her spiritual form flickering weakly. "My power is still too unstable for your body to handle."
"It saved us," Lin Feng managed through gritted teeth. "But they know for certain now."
Yue Lian nodded grimly. "Yes. And they'll be back, with stronger cultivators next time." She paused, her expression troubled. "We need to return to the sect. You need to recover, and..."
"And?" Lin Feng prompted when she fell silent.
"And I sense someone else approaching," she whispered. "Someone powerful. From your sect."
Iron Sword Elder Tie Jian stood at the entrance to the Elders' Hall, his weathered face impassive as Lin Feng knelt before him. The morning sun cast long shadows across the polished stone floor, highlighting the young disciple's disheveled appearance and the scorch marks on his robes.
"Explain yourself, disciple Lin," the elder commanded, his voice carrying the weight of decades of cultivation. "Why were Crimson Fang Sect disciples found injured and fleeing from our territory? And why do you bear the marks of battle?"
Lin Feng kept his head bowed respectfully. "Elder, I was gathering herbs in the western mountains when I was ambushed by three Crimson Fang disciples. They accused me of... harboring a spirit beast and demanded I surrender it to them."
Tie Jian's eyes narrowed. "And are you?"
Lin Feng hesitated, feeling Yue Lian's anxiety through their spiritual connection. "No, Elder. I have no spirit beast."
"Then how did you, a mere fourth-level Qi Condensation disciple, defeat an inner disciple of Crimson Fang Sect?" Tie Jian's gaze was penetrating. "Zhao Wei is known to be at the peak of Qi Condensation, nearly ready to break through to Foundation Establishment."
"I..." Lin Feng struggled to find a plausible explanation. "I used the environment to my advantage, as you taught us. The mountain's natural energy flows—"
"Show me," Tie Jian interrupted, his tone brooking no argument. "Show me this technique you used."
Lin Feng rose unsteadily to his feet, acutely aware of Yue Lian's presence hidden within his spiritual sea. He drew his sword and began demonstrating the basic forms of Azure Cloud 's sword techniques, subtly incorporating the energy manipulation methods Yue Lian had taught him.
Tie Jian watched in silence, his expression unreadable. When Lin Feng finished, the elder approached, placing a gnarled hand on the young disciple's shoulder.
"Your spiritual energy flows differently than when I last observed you," he stated flatly. "More fluid, more... natural. This is not Azure Cloud's method."
Lin Feng felt cold sweat forming on his brow. "I've been experimenting with my cultivation, Elder. Trying to find a path that suits me better."
"Hmm." Tie Jian's eyes bored into Lin Feng's. "And this experimentation allowed you to defeat three Crimson Fang disciples?"
"I was fortunate," Lin Feng replied, lowering his gaze. "And desperate."
A long silence followed, during which Lin Feng could feel Yue Lian's presence shrinking further within him, trying to conceal every trace of her aura from the elder's spiritual sense.
Finally, Tie Jian spoke. "You will demonstrate these... experiments... to me personally. Every day, at the Eastern Training Ground, before dawn."
Lin Feng looked up in surprise. "Elder?"
"If you've found a more effective cultivation method, the sect should evaluate it," Tie Jian explained, though his tone suggested he had other motives. "And if there's more to this story than you're telling me..." He left the threat unspoken.
"Yes, Elder," Lin Feng bowed deeply. "Thank you for this opportunity."
As he was dismissed and made his way back to his quarters, Yue Lian's voice whispered in his mind.
"He suspects," she said quietly. "But he's giving us a chance to prove ourselves rather than exposing us immediately."
"Is that good or bad?" Lin Feng asked, keeping his lips still to avoid being seen talking to himself.
"Both," Yue Lian replied. "It means he's interested in what I've been teaching you. But it also means we'll be under constant scrutiny."
Lin Feng nodded imperceptibly. "Then we'll have to be more careful than ever."
"Yes," Yue Lian agreed. "And you'll need to master more advanced techniques quickly. The Crimson Fang Sect won't wait long to make their next move."
As Lin Feng reached his small cottage at the outer ring of the sect, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was standing at a crossroads. The peaceful days of quiet cultivation were over. From now on, he would be caught between two powerful sects, with Yue Lian's fate—and his own—hanging in the balance.
The first confrontation had been won, but the war was just beginning.