The month passed quietly after the events in Dongtai Prefecture, although the wounds left behind by the Incense Fire Cult had not disappeared nearly as quickly as the calendar suggested.
The city had begun to recover, the broken streets were being rebuilt, collapsed houses were being cleared away, and the yamen had gradually restored order, but the atmosphere was still different from before. The destruction had reminded everyone that beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of the Qian Dynasty, terrifying forces were already moving in the shadows.
Within the Su Family courtyard, Su Yang stood beneath the ancient tree with his hands clasped before him.
Across from him stood Lin Sheng.
Shen Bing was nearby, accompanied by the Empress Dowager, who had come personally to see them off.
Lin Sheng looked at his disciple for a long moment before speaking.
"You've reached a point where remaining in Dongtai Prefecture will only restrict you."
Su Yang's expression became serious.
"I understand, Master."
"The provincial capital has far more opportunities than this place, but opportunities also mean competition. Don't assume that because you've become stronger here, you can treat everyone there as you did the martial artists of Dongtai Prefecture."
Su Yang nodded.
Lin Sheng's expression softened slightly.
Then he said, "When you return, I want you to be among the top ten of the Human Ranking."
Su Yang's heart jumped.
"Top ten?"
"Yes."
Lin Sheng looked at him calmly.
"The people standing at the top of the Human Ranking are already extraordinary. Their combat power is close to the threshold of Rank 2. Against an ordinary martial artist, you can perhaps rely on your foundation and techniques to fight above your cultivation, but those people aren't ordinary."
Su Yang clenched his fists.
He knew exactly what his master was implying.
The Human Ranking wasn't something that could be climbed simply by defeating a few opponents.
Every person standing at the top had experienced countless battles and possessed powerful inheritances.
"The difficulty will be great," Lin Sheng continued, "but that's precisely why I want you to do it."
Su Yang's eyes gradually became determined.
"Disciple will."
Lin Sheng nodded.
"Good."
Shen Bing stood beside him, watching the exchange with a faint smile.
The Empress Dowager, however, had been staring at Lin Sheng.
She finally sighed.
"Are you truly unwilling to reconsider?"
Lin Sheng glanced at her.
"Reconsider what?"
"The matter I spoke to you about."
Lin Sheng immediately understood.
"The Solar Flame?"
The Empress Dowager's expression twitched.
She had been asking about it for an entire month.
Yet Lin Sheng had never changed his answer.
He shook his head.
"It's not something I can give you."
The Empress Dowager sighed helplessly.
"You're truly stingy."
Lin Sheng smiled but didn't answer.
She looked at him for several breaths before finally giving up.
"Forget it."
She turned towards Shen Bing and Su Yang.
"Let's go."
Behind her, the air suddenly trembled.
A magnificent flying carriage emerged from the void, its body carved with intricate patterns, several enormous flying beasts pulling it through the air, each beast possessing a powerful aura.
Shen Bing turned towards Lin Sheng.
"Master."
Lin Sheng nodded.
"Go."
Su Yang bowed deeply.
"Master, take care."
Lin Sheng looked at him.
"Remember what I told you."
Su Yang nodded.
"Top ten."
"Top ten."
The Empress Dowager stepped into the flying carriage, followed by Shen Bing and Su Yang.
A moment later, the flying beasts roared.
The carriage rose into the sky, its enormous shadow sweeping across the courtyard as it rapidly accelerated towards the distant horizon.
Su Yang stood beside Shen Bing and looked back.
Lin Sheng remained where he was.
He watched until the carriage disappeared into the clouds.
Only then did he turn around.
Beside him, Lou Feng had already been waiting.
Lin Sheng looked towards the western horizon.
"Let's go."
Lou Feng nodded.
The two figures rose from the ground.
Lin Sheng did not use a flying sword or flying treasure.
He simply stepped into the air.
The surrounding Spiritual Qi naturally gathered beneath his feet, allowing him to cross the sky as though he were walking upon invisible ground.
Lou Feng followed closely behind.
Their figures rapidly disappeared into the distance.
Lin Sheng had already decided what he would do next.
He was taking Lou Feng back to the Immortal Continent.
Lou Feng's cultivation had reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, but Lin Sheng could already sense the slowing of his progress.
His mid-grade Spiritual Root had begun to reveal its limitations.
If he continued cultivating in this environment, his growth would eventually become increasingly slow.
The Martial Continent might be an excellent place for martial artists, but for an immortal cultivator like Lou Feng, its resources and inheritances were simply too limited.
The Immortal Continent was different.
There were countless sects, ancient inheritances, spiritual medicines, cultivation resources and powerful cultivators there.
More importantly...
Lin Sheng wanted to see whether Lou Feng's strange luck would finally begin to show itself.
He also needed to return home.
It had been almost nine years.
Nine years since he had left.
The journey that once seemed impossibly long was now something he could cross in only a few hours.
The difference between then and now was enormous.
Back then, Lin Sheng had needed to be careful with every step.
Now, the vast distance between the eastern and western regions was nothing more than a short journey beneath his feet.
Several hours later, Lin Sheng's figure descended.
Lou Feng followed him down and looked around curiously.
They had landed upon the mountainside.
Dense trees surrounded the area, their branches swaying gently in the wind, and there was nothing particularly remarkable about the mountain at first glance.
Lin Sheng walked towards a seemingly ordinary rock wall.
He raised his hand.
A faint ripple spread outward.
The illusion formation covering the mountain immediately fluctuated.
Lines of light appeared across the seemingly ordinary stone surface before the illusion gradually faded.
Lou Feng's eyes widened.
Behind the illusion was a cave entrance.
"We're here," Lin Sheng said.
Lou Feng followed him inside.
The moment they entered, the surroundings changed.
The cave was far deeper than it appeared from outside.
Ancient runes were engraved along the walls, extending deeper into the darkness.
As Lin Sheng walked forward, those runes gradually illuminated one after another.
A faint golden radiance spread through the cave.
Lou Feng looked around in amazement.
He had never seen such a formation before.
The further they went, the more complicated the runes became.
Eventually, they arrived at the deepest part of the cave.
A massive altar stood there.
Lin Sheng walked towards the centre.
Lou Feng remained behind him, watching silently.
Lin Sheng sat before the altar and reached into his storage treasure.
Several pieces of strange material appeared in his hand.
Lou Feng's eyes immediately focused.
They were pieces of a purple-black rock.
The surface of the rock appeared almost dull, but deep within it was a strange internal glow, as though an enormous force had been sealed inside the material.
Lou Feng could feel it even from several metres away.
"What is that?"
Lin Sheng didn't answer.
He simply picked up one of the pieces and placed it into a specially shaped opening at the centre of the altar.
Click.
The purple-black fragment fitted perfectly.
The instant it entered the altar, the entire formation changed.
Buzz!
A deep vibration travelled through the cave.
Lin Sheng raised his hand.
Dozens of Spirit Jades flew from his storage treasure.
They shot through the air before landing in predetermined positions around the altar.
Then came another wave.
More Spirit Jades appeared.
One after another, they were embedded into the formation.
The runes surrounding the altar began glowing.
Lines of light spread outward like veins across the ground, connecting the Spirit Jades together.
The altar suddenly began to rotate.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
The surrounding formation leylines awakened one after another, and an enormous force began flowing through them.
Lou Feng's expression changed.
He could feel the Spiritual Qi in the cave being violently disturbed.
But that wasn't the strangest part.
The formation wasn't drawing its main power from the Spirit Jades.
The Spirit Jades were merely acting as a medium.
The true source of the energy was the purple-black rock embedded at the centre.
The strange light within the rock became increasingly intense.
Lin Sheng formed a hand seal.
"Open."
The altar trembled.
Boom!
Space above the altar suddenly warped.
Lou Feng's pupils contracted.
The air itself seemed to fold.
It was as though an invisible hand had grabbed the surrounding space and twisted it violently.
The next instant...
Rip!
A thin black line appeared above the altar.
Lou Feng instinctively stepped backwards.
His breathing stopped.
That black line slowly widened.
Space was being torn apart.
A spatial crack was forming directly above the altar.
The surrounding Spiritual Qi suddenly surged towards it.
Whoosh!
The Spiritual Qi within the entire cave rushed towards the spatial tear like a river being sucked into an enormous whirlpool.
Even the Spiritual Qi outside the mountain seemed to be affected.
The formation began operating at full power, countless runes flashing simultaneously as they desperately stabilised the unstable spatial passage.
Lou Feng stared at the scene in disbelief.
His voice escaped almost as a whisper.
"Master..."
Lin Sheng remained seated before the altar, his expression calm.
Lou Feng swallowed.
"This... is a spatial passage?"
Lin Sheng finally glanced at him.
"Yes."