A full year had passed since Xiao Lin perfected the Mid-Level Earth Tier Star Manual.
In that year, Xiao Lin's life had been reduced to a singular, rhythmic focus: cultivation. To an outsider, such a life might seem monotonous, even soul-crushing. But for Xiao Lin, every day brought the intoxicating sensation of boundless power coursing through his meridians. He watched his internal sea of stars expand, feeling himself grow stronger with every breath. He was content to let the world pass him by, his ears closed to the trivialities beyond his courtyard.
However, that peace was shattered today. A clansman arrived at his door, announcing a visitor.
Initially, Xiao Lin assumed it was Nalan Jie. Over the past six years, his boisterous best friend had been the only one frequent enough to knock. But as the clansman spoke the name, Xiao Lin's brow furrowed in genuine confusion.
"Mu Chen of the Mu Clan? What could he possibly want with me? Our paths have barely crossed."
In the era before Xiao Lin's Suhui (awakened wisdom), he, Nalan Jie, and Mu Chen were considered the "Three Prodigies" of the Jia Ma Empire's younger generation. All three had stepped into the Dou Ling realm around the same time six years ago, and all three had served as rising stars in the military.
Yet, while Nalan Jie was a brother-in-arms, Mu Chen was little more than a passing acquaintance. Their families—the Xiao and the Mu—shared no trade agreements, no alliances, and thankfully, no grudges. They existed in parallel, never touching.
Searching his memories of the original story, Xiao Lin recalled that Mu Chen would eventually become the head of one of the Three Great Families. Unlike the flamboyant Primer or the high-profile Nalan clans, the Mu Clan was famously low-key—almost to the point of being invisible.
However, Mu Chen's foresight was legendary. In the original timeline, despite having no prior ties to the Xiao family and no personal vendetta against the Yun Lan Sect, he was the only one with the sheer audacity to "bet the entire house" on Xiao Yan during the final confrontation.
That Mu Chen was a shark with the eyes of a hawk, Xiao Lin thought. But that's decades away. Right now, he isn't even the Clan Head yet.
The current political landscape of the capital was a shifting tide. The Xiao, Nalan, and Mu families were all on roughly equal footing—the "Second Tier" of power, each boasting at least two Dou Ling experts.
Above them sat the "First Tier": the Intel Clan and the Primer Clan, the only families with Dou Wang (Dou King) powerhouses.
Or rather, that was the case. Three years ago, Hai Po Dong of the Primer Clan had emerged from seclusion, successfully breaking through to become a Dou Huang (Dou Emperor). This single event catapulted the Primer Clan to a status second only to the Imperial Family and the Yun Lan Sect.
This left the Intel Clan in an awkward position—the "lone" Dou Wang family, caught between the titans above and the hungry rising clans below.
The Xiao Clan of this era was far stronger than the one Xiao Yan would eventually lead in Wu Tan City. If the "original" Xiao Clan had possessed even a single Dou Ling, they would have ruled Wu Tan City with an iron fist, leaving no room for rival families. Here in the capital, they were a respected power.
It was precisely because of this balance that Mu Chen's visit was so strange. Why would the young master of a rival-but-neutral clan come seeking a man who had been a hermit for years?
The Monster in the Courtyard
Xiao Lin wasn't afraid. Whether Mu Chen came with a grievance or a request, Xiao Lin had the ultimate insurance policy: his strength.
His current realm was not Dou Ling. It wasn't even Dou Wang.
Four-Star Dou Huang.
In just six years, Xiao Lin had bypassed two entire major realms. To the gargantuan sects of the Central Plains, going from a four-star Dou Ling to a four-star Dou Huang in six years might simply be "impressive." But in the Northwest Continent—in the backwater Jia Ma Empire—this was more than impressive. It was illegal. It was a feat that shattered every record in the empire's history.
Even Xiao Lin was slightly stunned by his own progress.
A year ago, when he finished the Star Manual, he was a Peak Nine-Star Dou Ling. He had estimated that the Earth Tier method would push him to a high-level Dou Wang within a year. But once he started practicing, the "logic" of cultivation seemed to break.
He hadn't just moved fast; he had moved without friction. During his ascent from Dou Ling to Dou Huang, he had encountered only one minor bottleneck at the transition between Dou Wang and Dou Huang. Every other minor star and sub-level had fallen before him like grass before a scythe.
This shouldn't be possible, he had mused. Even with an Earth Tier method, the lack of bottlenecks is... unnatural.
The only explanation he could find was his Suhui. Perhaps the fusion of two souls didn't just multiply his spiritual power, but also his "latent talent." He didn't know if he had been a genius in his past life on Earth—he hadn't exactly been trying to circulate energy in an office cubicle—but in this world, the combination was explosive.
Regardless of the "why," the "result" was that Xiao Lin was now one of the strongest individuals in the Jia Ma Empire, rivaling the likes of Jia Xing Tian and Yun Shan.
"Well," Xiao Lin sighed, standing up and dusting off his robes. "Since someone has gone through the trouble of knocking, I suppose I should see what the future 'Great General Mu' wants with a dead man walking."
He suppressed his terrifying aura, dropping his perceived level back down to a modest, undetectable range, and walked toward the reception hall.