Inside Wutong Inn, Lin Ye sealed the room with layers of mystic force.
Then he began arranging the herbs.
Outside the door, the Uugang Panther lay like a black statue, guarding the entrance.
Watching Lin Ye cultivate and refine every day—
Xia Wei couldn't help but feel shaken.
This wasn't just talent.
It was obsession.
Willpower.
Discipline.
She clenched her fists quietly.
"I… need to train harder too."
She had always cultivated.
But her technique was limited.
After a few hours, her absorption would saturate.
Without a high-grade cultivation method, continuing was pointless.
Which meant…
Lin Ye's technique was absolutely terrifying.
It allowed constant cultivation without slowing down.
Inside the Room
Lin Ye focused fully.
The Myriad-Armor Heavenly Profound Pill was a low Sixth-Grade pill.
But the one he was refining now—
Hundred-Forged Ironbone Pill—
was mid Sixth-Grade.
He placed one palm on the Red Lotus Tribulation Cauldron.
Mystic qi surged.
BOOM!
The entire cauldron glowed crimson.
Heat roared from within.
Lin Ye began feeding herbs into the cauldron.
Fifth-Grade and below were effortless.
True difficulty began at Sixth-Grade.
But Lin Ye was becoming more and more familiar with the cauldron.
Like a sword.
The more you used it—
the more it "understood" you.
Their synchronization increased.
And with it…
the quality of the pills.
Outside — The City Boils
Because of the beast egg, Thousand Spirit City had entered a frenzy.
Every faction tried to trace who posted it.
Some bribed Strange Medicine Pavilion managers.
Some tried to bypass bidding and negotiate directly.
Some even attempted to track down the seller by force.
Strange Medicine Pavilion — A Secret Meeting
The Yang Family's highest members gathered.
Even the Yang patriarch sat off to the side.
The seat of honor belonged to a white-haired elder with youthful skin.
His robe was embroidered with a four-leaf orchid.
A symbol of a Fourth-Grade alchemist.
He was a true elder of Hundred Spirit Medicine Sect.
Name: Tu Jinsong.
He spoke calmly.
"Hundred Beast Sect contacted me."
"They want to meet the seller directly."
"What do you think?"
The Yang patriarch spoke carefully.
"Hundred Beast Sect's strength is indeed rising."
"They may enter Midstream and establish their sect there as early as October."
Tu Jinsong turned slightly.
"Jiuchun."
"Who is selling the egg?"
Yang Jiuchun swallowed hard.
"Reporting… we suspect the seller is…"
"…from Tianming Sect."
The room instantly stiffened.
"Tianming Sect?!"
"Impossible—Tianming Sect is openly here?"
"What if they're targeting our convention?"
Tu Jinsong frowned.
"Are you sure?"
Yang Jiuchun answered quickly.
"They arrived at the dock riding Tianming Sect's Blood Stele Ship."
"Hundreds of people witnessed it."
Tu Jinsong's expression darkened.
"Strange."
"Do not act recklessly."
"Even if they're not Tianming Sect… their background is undoubtedly heavy."
"I will refuse Hundred Beast Sect for now."
Then he changed the topic.
"The convention preparations are complete."
"We will release…"
"Third-Grade pills: 1,500."
"Fourth-Grade pills: 300."
"Fifth-Grade pills: 20."
Everyone wrote quickly.
Then Tu Jinsong added quietly—
"Sixth-Grade pill…"
"One."
The room jolted.
Sixth-Grade?!
Only one person in Hundred Spirit Medicine Sect could refine Sixth-Grade pills.
Why bring one out now?
The Yang patriarch finally understood why so many Midstream forces had arrived.
It wasn't just for herbs.
It was for that Sixth-Grade pill.
Tu Jinsong's voice cooled.
"This year will be unprecedented."
"Make sure there are no incidents."
Wutong Inn — Ambush
Just as Lin Ye refined pills…
five figures dropped silently into the courtyard.
The Uugang Panther snapped awake instantly, low growl rumbling.
Xia Wei heard the sound and opened her door—
A sword hilt smashed down toward her head.
BANG!
Xia Wei collapsed instantly.
Blood flowed from her forehead.
But before losing consciousness—
she crushed a jade slip in her hand.
The jade slip Lin Ye gave her.
Once crushed, he would feel it.
A woman's cold voice sneered.
"Little tricks."
"Is Tianming Sect really this weak now?"
The one who struck Xia Wei was a woman in her thirties with a mole on her chin.
She didn't kill Xia Wei.
She wanted to interrogate them.
To torture them.
To squeeze out everything.
The five attackers formed a line around the Uugang Panther.
The panther ignored Xia Wei's fallen body—
its eyes were locked on the man in the center.
On him…
it felt deadly pressure.
A six-star sword-robed elder stepped forward.
His name was Ling Shuanghe.
He stared at Lin Ye's door cautiously.
"You don't have to hide."
"Come out now."
"Or we'll make sure you can't escape."
He hesitated.
Because even with his cultivation, he couldn't see through the defensive barrier on the door.
So he didn't charge in recklessly.
Inside the room—
Lin Ye opened his eyes.
Cold killing intent leaked out.
Right now, he was at the critical stage of refinement.
And someone dared disrupt him?
His aura turned murderous.
But instead of rushing out—
he accelerated the refinement.
If these herbs were ruined…
he didn't know when he'd obtain another full set.
Ling Shuanghe saw no response.
He waved.
"Take the beast down."
Four disciples moved—three men, one woman.
All in four-star sword robes.
Their cultivation wasn't high, only Earth Transformation Realm…
but their combined sword formation was deadly.
The Uugang Panther was forced into a disadvantage.
It had to fight…
and guard the door.
So it fought like a mad beast.
BANG!
One disciple was slapped away.
His mystic armor shattered.
Three bloody claw marks ripped across his chest.
He staggered back, screaming.
The panther lunged to finish—
But Ling Shuanghe finally struck.
A palm came down.
A storm of icy sword qi erupted.
The panther fired black light—
but Ling Shuanghe's Frost Armor blocked it easily.
BOOM!
His palm smashed into the panther.
The Uugang Panther crashed through the door with a deafening impact, rolling into Lin Ye's room—
its body covered in bloody wounds.
It was fast.
But in a head-on fight against a Star River Realm expert?
It had no chance.
Ling Shuanghe narrowed his eyes.
The room was sealed with mystic barriers.
He didn't rush.
"Go check."
A four-star disciple stepped forward carefully.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold—
THUD!
An arrow pierced his skull.
His head exploded.
Blood sprayed the walls.
His corpse flew backward like a broken doll.
Ling Shuanghe's expression changed instantly.
"Interesting."
He drew his sword.
His aura surged.
"Ice-Soul Sword Slash!"
A blade of ice, dozens of meters long, tore forward—
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The entire room shattered.
A figure and a cauldron were frozen in place—
encased in thick ice.
Ling Shuanghe's eyes sharpened.
"He's refining pills?"
But the next moment—
Lin Ye slammed the cauldron.
BOOM!
Two golden pills shot out into his hand.
He was frozen—
but he had activated Asura Blood Armor in advance, blocking the cold.
Lin Ye stared at them calmly.
Then lifted his eyes toward Ling Shuanghe.
"Good."
He held the pills.
And looked at the invaders.
His gaze was pure slaughter.