The remaining two weeks passed the way the first two had. It was quite faster than Lin Feng expected.He did not waste a single day. With the dual core formation behind him, his cultivation had shifted in ways he could feel with every breath he took. The battle qi that had once moved through his meridians in thin and uncertain streams now flowed faster, making his meridians enlarge.He spent the first three days after the breakthrough simply learning the new state of his body, mapping where things had changed, testing the limits of what he could and couldn't do without pushing himself into another collapse.The indigo core was different to work with than the golden one. It didn't respond to conventional Dao energy in the same way. It was slower to activate and harder to direct, but when it finally released, the output was something else entirely. Lin Feng practiced drawing from both cores at once and nearly put himself flat on the floor the first time he attempted it at full concent

Gu Feng received the news before noon.One of his personal informants had slipped a message through the usual channel, a folded square of paper carried by the same small gray bird he used for correspondence he did not want anyone else reading under any circumstances. He stood alone in his private quarters with the door bolted and read it three times, his eyes darkening in fury each time he did. Then he burned it over the candle on his desk, gritting his teeth in anger.He had spent several days reassuring himself that the masked boy was a temporary inconvenience. A nuisance that would be handled by Mo Jian and the Purple Hearts Clan the moment the competition ended and the formal protections of Xialan City's rules no longer applied to him.So he had been patient. He had played each card with care. He had swallowed the humiliation of Jian Feng steering him toward an apology in front of a watching crowd without letting a single flicker of his true feelings cross his face while it happe

Being aware of the fact that other people besides Mo Jian knew about the ring made him more cautious. The fact that the other side only sent two disciples at core manifestation state meant they were trying to test how strong he is. The next time, he might not be so lucky. They might send more disciples with higher realms and he knew that would be a problem.Lin Feng wore a grim look on his face, paying attention to his environment. So far he hasn't sensed anyone else on his tail. He could not tell if it was a good or bad thing. Not wasting anymore time, Lin Feng found a secluded area within the forest with the help of Xian. With his little knowledge on barriers, he put up a 3 Star barrier, using Dao cores and some other materials he could never have been able to get his hands on if he didn't have the spatial ring. The 3 star barrier not only hid his presence but stopped any noise that happened within this space from getting out. After ensuring that the barrier was strong enough and

The two men were hiding in a small cave twenty miles west of the clearing, totally tired and drained of energy. "We should have left the city the moment we saw the contract involved that masked guy," one of them muttered. He was the one Lin Feng had elbowed. His ribs still ached."The pay was too good," the other replied. He hadn't spoken much since the clearing. His contracted beasts were gone. Xian had destroyed them in seconds without breaking a sweat."The pay doesn't matter if we're dead." They both fell silent, regret gnawing at their hearts. The entrance of the cave suddenly darkened.Both men looked up, frightened.Mo Jian stood at the opening, his silhouette blocking the light. Behind him, five disciples fanned out, cutting off any chance of escape.The two men visibly paled after seeing the emblem on their robes."Gentlemen," Mo Jian said, his voice soft and dangerous. "I believe you've met a man I'm looking for. Tell me all you know and I might be merciful enough to spare

With the help of Xian, Lin Feng found the mountain from the map. Merely looking at it, no only could tell there was anything special about it, besides Xian. Lin Feng immediately settled down to use his cores to observe his surroundings. Although he was merely at Dao Core realm, having dual cores helped him to be able sense his environment, an ability cultivators at his realm can't do. Lin Feng's eyes finally flew open. "I think I've found the entrance but there's a barrier blocking me out from going any further.""Here, let me help out," Xian offered, connecting with Lin Feng's consciousness. Xian was smoothly able to get past the barrier since whoever owned this mountain was from the same primordial era as Xian."There," Xian said. He pointed with his tail toward a sheer rock face.Lin Feng stared at the wall. "There's nothing there.""Look harder."He extended his senses. Pushed his Dao energy outward. The rock face was solid and unremarkable. But beneath the surface, buried deep