The moon hung high above, casting silver shadows down onto the street. Lantern light flickered across the faces of passing cultivators as they walked through the pce.

  Meng Lin stepped out of the auction house, her face contemptive as she gazed up and saw that the moon was already out.

  She hadn’t realized how much time had passed. Between the sharp bidding and the small suspicious activities she was observing, before she knew it the afternoon had vanished.

  Her figure stood below the steps, arms folded, and the breeze brushed past her sleeves, the faint scent of medical scent and food lingering in the air.

  'As expected,' Meng Lin thought as she turned to hear a familiar voice sound beside her.

  “This way, Lady Meng Lin."

  Luo Yiran.

  The same silver robes. The same calm, respectful tone. Meng Lin’s gaze narrowed faintly, and she nodded her head in acknowledgment. Her spiritual consciousness reached out and brushed against the edges of his aura.

  'Mid Soul Wandering Realm, a stable foundation too; it seems he's not some fodder,' Meng Lin wondered.

  Luo Yiran gave a courteous bow, his voice respectful. “I shall lead you to the courtyard at the market square.”

  Meng Lin nodded lightly. “That’s thoughtful of you.”

  “Yes. He wishes to speak with you urgently,” Yiran added, not a flicker of change in his tone.

  So it’s urgent now, is it?

  Meng Lin didn’t ask more. “I shall go meet him then,” she said.

  Yiran remained perfectly composed and nodded. “This way.”

  They moved through the dim, ntern-filled streets, weaving between shops and quiet alleys. Not once did Luo Yiran gnce back—but Meng Lin could acutely sense that he was aware of her every step.

  The silence stretched on, but Meng Lin didn’t mind it. She let it settle, using the time to think.

  'They want something. But what? If it were about the jade box, they would’ve come differently. Plus, it's the Luo Kingdom, far from the bandits. Could it be about something else?'

  Her mind flicked back to the woman at the Immortal Pavilion counter—how her polite smile had faltered the moment she revealed her sect token.

  'I’ll need to look into the sect war’s progress after this,' she narrowed her eyes slightly as they turned another corner, the faint sound of water flowing nearby.

  Quickly, they reached the courtyard, the interior of which was half-concealed in spiritual mist.

  “A hidden isotion formation, a bit simir to the Soul Confusing Array” Meng Lin muttered as she scanned the pce.

  Luo Yiran stepped aside, motioning with one hand. “Elder Luo is waiting inside.”

  Meng Lin didn’t hesitate.

  Her legs touched the threshold, the spiritual veil parting before her like rippling water. Her eyes passed over Yiran one st time.

  Then she vanished into the courtyard.

  Upon appearing inside the courtyard, Meng Lin expected to be greeted by another person; however, she was met with nothing.

  Leisurely walking through the pce, Meng Lin saw a small tea pavilion at the far end of the courtyard, where a middle-aged man sat quietly.

  He didn’t rise, nor did he announce himself—just calmly sipping his tea, his gaze falling on her with mild interest.

  Meng Lin’s steps slowed.

  “You must be Meng Lin, the Fourth Ranked on the Hidden Prodigy Board,” the man said, his voice low and even. “Please, sit.”

  “I’ll stand,” Meng Lin replied, her tone polite but distant. As for the title he had just addressed her by, she had no idea what he was talking about.

  Possibly another ranking, different from the Rising Star Rankings, although she hasn't had a moment to accurately look though the ranking system out there.

  The man chuckled softly, setting his cup down. “I suppose that’s fair. We Luo do come off too forward at times.”

  He continued, “I requested this meeting because I wish to congratute you and the sect behind you.”

  Meng Lin raised an eyebrow. “Congratutions? And the sect behind me?”

  Luo Feng nodded slowly, setting his cup down with a soft clink. “Yes. The Soul Shattering Sect. Or should I say… the new Rank 5 sect.”

  Meng Lin’s expression finally shifted, if only a little. “Rank 5?”

  “It seems you weren't informed,” Luo Feng observed, a flicker of green light over his eyes. “In a battle a few days ago, the Soul Shattering Sect revealed the existence of a third Ensoulment Realm cultivator within its ranks.”

  She didn’t answer immediately.

  Another Ensoulment Realm? Could it be…

  The elder went on, the light in his eyes fading “The war with the Scarlet Demon Sect has gone quiet. For now, all the Rank 5 sects are watching, waiting to see what your Soul Shattering Sect does next. It's caused a ripple across the continent.”

  Meng Lin’s mind raced, though her face remained composed.

  “I see,” she said at st, nodding her head. She herself didn’t know the criteria for reaching a Rank 5 sect; however, she remembered the man beside the Grand Elder in the Sect Hall. Could it be him?

  “What kind of cooperation do you wish to form?”

  Elder Luo nodded. “Only that the Luo family believes it is wise to befriend talents like you while the opportunity remains.”

  Meng Lin exhaled softly. “I’m not interested in alliances.”

  “I suspected as much,” he said, unbothered. “In truth, I asked you here for a different reason.”

  From within his sleeve, Luo Feng retrieved a small bck envelope—its material a silk-threaded paper with faint runic writing.

  “This was sent to me by someone from the main family; I was tasked to give it to you."

  After pausing for a second, he said, “She asked that it be delivered to the man now known as Emperor Shattering Palm.”

  Meng Lin’s expression didn’t shift, but the title caught her ear. Thinking back to what the man told her to address him as, she came to a realization.

  “Is he a member of the Yue family?" she asked.

  Luo Feng smiled. “Yes, he was once a member of the Yue family. Cast out."

  He offered the letter more firmly.

  Meng Lin took the envelope from him, her fingers brushing against the silk-threaded paper.

  So it’s true… but why use a Nascent Soul cultivator just to deliver a letter? If the Luo family holds so much influence, why not send a message through normal channels?

  Luo Feng didn’t wait for her to say anything further. “Make sure you deliver this message; my task is simply to pass it along.”

  With a flick of his sleeve, his figure dissolved into mist, vanishing as the spiritual formation surrounding the courtyard disappeared.

  'That's it,' Meng Lin questioned as she wondered what was going on. She had been ready to confront the man because of how weird everything was; however, he was only here to deliver a message.

  A faint breeze stirred her hair as she walked out of the courtyard, confusion in her gaze.

  ***

  “Phew.” Luo Feng breathed a sigh of relief as he reappeared in the Luo branch family mansion, his aura slowly calming down as he began to think.

  ‘Had I attacked her… I would’ve died.’

  The thought echoed, repeating itself in his head.

  But why? That didn’t make any sense.

  The information they had on the girl painted her as a solitary cultivator. No background of note. No master worth fearing. She was only able to escape from the Blood Lily and the Demonic boy of the Scarlet Demon Sect; she wouldn't have been able to resist him.

  Yet the moment he had confirmed the faint aura of the Immortal Lotus on her, his thought to strike had only surfaced when, at the same moment, the talisman on his chest, one he’d worn since childhood, began to vibrate violently.

  It had only ever done that five times in his life.

  And each time… his life had been in critical danger. Luckily, he used the excuse of the letter to change the subject.

  As for the letter itself, it had been one of his ancestors that had given it to every member of the Luo family, a message to be given at a certain time, when the man titled Emperor Shattering Palm appeared.

  Just then, the doors to the side hall opened, and a handsome man in blue robes entered, his eyes sharp and thoughtful.

  “Uncle,” he said, “how did it go?”

  Luo Feng didn’t answer at first. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his gaze drifted to the pond before him, where a pair of koi fish were dancing wildly.

  “Just leave it,” he finally replied, voice low.

  Luo Qing froze, confused. “Leave it? But Uncle—”

  “I said leave it.” Luo Feng’s voice was sharper now, the power behind his words directed at Luo Qing.

  The koi swam in rapid circles, stirring the otherwise pcid pond into disarray. Luo Feng stared at them, his mind churning ever so slowly.

  He slowly turned to face his nephew. “You know of my ability to sense danger, right?"

  "Of course," Luo Qing nodded, eyes narrowed slightly. “Did it react when you interacted with that girl?"

  Luo Feng nodded slowly, his fingers curling slightly at his side.

  “It did,” he said, his voice low. “And not just a slight tremor.”

  “But even then…” Luo Feng muttered again, mostly to himself, 'Why did the Heavenwatching Talisman react so strongly? It hasn't even reacted that way to the three ancestors…'

  He exhaled slowly. “I’ll submit this information to the Emperor." His eyes snapped to Luo Qing, the earlier calm now repced by a cold precision.

  “Do not approach her again. No contact. No subtle probing. No games.”

  Luo Qing clenched his fist, nodding his head slowly, “…Yes, Uncle.”

  ***

  The next day.

  The fragrance of a pill hung in the air as Meng Lin stepped through the doors of the Spirit Essence Hall once more.

  Her steps were silent, yet the energy she carried caused the cultivators nearby to instinctively part—not because of her beauty, though it was undeniable, but because of the aura she carried.

  Meng Lin didn’t bother to look around as she moved straight toward the main counter.

  The same attendant from before spotted her immediately, his eyes widening slightly as he quickly stepped forward with a deep bow.

  “Senior, I will inform the Store Manager.”

  Meng Lin gave a faint nod, her expression unchanged.

  Without further dey, she was ushered through the familiar long corridor, once again entering the secluded area of the hall’s interior.

  The hallway was quieter than before, the faint scent of some incense lingering faintly in the air, calming the mind.

  Soon, the old man greeted her again, seated calmly with his eyes closed in meditation.

  He opened them the moment she entered.

  “So, you’ve returned,” he said with a slight smile, his gaze filled with both curiosity and cautious interest.

  Meng Lin didn’t respond verbally.

  Instead, she reached into her sleeve and retrieved a white porcein bottle, pcing it gently on the low stone table between them.

  The bottle was unassuming, but the moment it touched the table, a subtle spiritual vibration spread out.

  The old man’s expression shifted slightly.

  When he uncorked it and inspected the contents, his eyes widened.

  He went silent for a few breaths.

  “Its really a Soul Wandering Pill… and of such purity…”

  His voice trembled slightly, revealing the significance of the item in his hand.

  The purity of the pill surpassed expectation—it was not just well-crafted; it was near-perfect.

  This was not something an ordinary alchemist could refine.

  He stood up slowly with excitement.

  Without a word, he moved behind a jade shelf and pressed a hidden formation.

  A section of the wall shifted with a soft click, revealing a concealed compartment.

  From within, he retrieved an ancient scroll bound in jade silk.

  As he handed it to her, his tone grew respectful.

  “This is the second half of the Jade Spirit Codex,” he said. “With this, the Six Lotus Rebirth Path is now complete.”

  Meng Lin accepted the scroll and didn’t speak.

  Her spiritual sense swept through the contents instantly, scanning the ancient calligraphy glowing with a faint golden sheen.

  The technique was genuine.

  Six cycles of rebirth—each one cleansing the meridians and tempering the body anew.

  Upon completing all six, one’s physique would be reforged, transcending even the limits of the Soul Wandering Realm.

  A peak body cultivation method.

  Its value was immeasurable.

  The old man paused, watching her reaction.

  “Senior… if there’s anything I can help with in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask,” he said carefully.

  Meng Lin was quiet for a few seconds.

  Then, she offered a light reply.

  “I’ll remember.”

  She didn’t say more than that.

  The old man gave a wry smile, unable to tell if her words were a promise or merely formality.

  After a brief nod, Meng Lin turned and left the room.

  The scent of incense still lingered behind her as her figure disappeared down the hallway like a passing breeze.

  The old man looked down at the Soul Wandering Pill one st time.

  “To think… I would still have a chance in this life.”