In a side room of the Tianlong Gate’s commandeered outpost in Black Cloud Town, only Fang Zhenyu and his brother Fang Zhenxing remained. The elder’s face was a storm cloud, silent for so long that Fang Zhenxing hesitated to break the tension.


    Crack! Suddenly, the wooden table under Fang Zhenyu’s hand shattered into dust—a wisp of his aura slipping out, too much for the wood to bear.


    “Big Brother!” Fang Zhenxing jolted, voice sharp with concern.


    “Cheng’s death—it’s got to be tied to those two brats from Taibai,” Fang Zhenyu snarled, fist clenched, venom dripping from every word.


    “Did you spot something, Big Brother?” Fang Zhenxing asked.


    “You saw Han’s strength—solid Bone Refining tier. Bai Ruoyue’s on par,” Fang Zhenyu said, eyes blazing with murder. “Cheng had Tianlong Transformation up his sleeve, but against two Bone-tier fighters? No chance. Of everyone in that cavern, only those Taibai punks had the juice to take him down.”


    Since Han had just flashed mid-Visceral Realm prowess, Fang Zhenyu assumed he’d been at that level back in the beast arena too. It tracked, in his mind—his logic felt bulletproof. He had faith in his son’s skills and Tianlong’s signature supreme art, but Han’s freakish talent and Bai Ruoyue’s proven Bone-tier grit were undeniable. They could’ve done it.


    No way Han was just entry-Visceral a few days ago, right?


    Fang Zhenxing paused, tempted to argue. It didn’t have to be Taibai—could’ve been cavern beasts, Shenhua Sect pulling tricks, or some hidden trap. Sure, Taibai’s duo were prime suspects, but rationally, Fang Zhenyu’s hunch leaned on shaky, hole-riddled guesses. By now, though, his brother’s grudge against Taibai wasn’t just about Fang Cheng’s death anymore—his disciple’s loss, the humiliation of being stonewalled, the beef with Bai Tian—all piling onto a broader vendetta. Even if Taibai wasn’t guilty, Fang Zhenyu wouldn’t let it slide. Reason was out the window.


    Fang Zhenxing saw it clear as day but kept his mouth shut—no point clashing with his brother now. Fang Cheng was family, Taibai’s shine screwed Tianlong’s interests, and Han’s Yunjiang Dragon Palace ties? A thorn in their side. “So, Big Brother, what’s the play?” he asked. “Bai Tian’s jumped to True Blood out of nowhere—we’re stuck against Taibai now.”


    True Blood ruled Black Cloud’s surface game—no one could touch that tier here without a posse of equals, and Tianlong couldn’t pull that off under everyone’s noses.


    Fang Zhenyu’s mood darkened further. “A nobody hall master hitting True Blood—there’s gotta be more to it.”


    Fang Zhenxing nodded hard—damn right there’s a catch. How else? He’d had Tianlong’s resources—way cushier than Bai Tian’s—and still languished at Manifestation, Yin God a distant dream. Bai Tian, some rural grunt, pulling this off? No way.


    “Big Brother, Bai Tian wandered off young—trail’s cold, no one knows what he got into,” Fang Zhenxing mused. “Maybe he scored a jackpot out there? Report it to the Gulong Peak Master—he’d bite at that.”


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    A True Blood breakthrough perk? That’d hook some big shots.


    “Whatever he got, it’s spent now,” Fang Zhenyu said, mulling it over before shaking his head, a sinister grin creeping up. “No—he didn’t snag anything out there. But we will report him to the sect. Picture this: a local Black Cloud nobody, no talent near Han’s level—what pushed him to True Blood here?”


    Fang Zhenxing’s eyes lit up. “The Mountain God!”


    “Exactly,” Fang Zhenyu nodded sharp. “Report it like this: even if Bai Tian got a windfall out there, say he didn’t. His True Blood jump? One reason—colluding with the Mountain God. Anyone eyeing that deity won’t let a Mountain God-groomed True Blood walk. Once the god’s toast, Bai Tian’s done too.”


    At the magistrate’s office, Zuo Tianzheng stared at the deathmatch pact, fixating on Han’s bold, sprawling signature. “Bai Tian, True Blood… Han, supreme prodigy…” he muttered, fingers tightening—crumpling the hide into a wad.


    Marrow-tier Li Shi’s eyes still flickered with awe. “Taibai Martial Hall’s got some wild luck—spawning talents like these.”


    “Yeah, wild luck,” Zuo Tianzheng echoed, stashing the pact, his gaze icy. “But for us? Bad news. Forget the rivalry they’ll spark—just Qian Shi’s botched hit on Han isn’t wrapping up clean. We’re top of Lu Qingmo’s suspect list. With Han’s momentum, if he digs into it later…”


    Some roads, once taken, had no U-turns—just a straight shot to the end. No wall’s airtight in this world—hit a certain tier, and most secrets cracked open with enough digging, even if only traces surfaced. Zuo didn’t regret siccing killers on Han—利益 stakes, his path’s lifeline. Wipe out all of Taibai for a better shot? He’d do it. Regret? Only that Han slipped the noose.


    Manifestation-tier Chu Shi frowned, puzzled. “What’d Bai Tian snag on his travels to hit this peak?”


    “And Han, Bai Ruoyue—today’s strength probably ties to him too,” Li Shi added. “But our intel says no ‘Bai Tian’ popped off out there in decades.”


    Zuo shook his head. “He got something back then, sure—but the Mountain God’s in it too. Before we rolled in, he and that Meng clan dud hit Black Mountain with Elder Mu tagging along. They likely met the god—Bai Tian’s jump’s tied to that.”


    “Elder Mu…” Chu Shi and Li Shi tensed—name alone carried heft. A titan shielding Zixiao Heavenly Monarch’s untrainable youngest, crossing him meant facing the monarch’s wrath.


    “Doesn’t matter—Bai Tian’s True Blood now,” Zuo said, decisive. “We’re out of moves. Tell Yujing—it’s time. Black Mountain’s the emperor’s. The Sky-Mending Vine, if it’s there—I’m claiming it. A True Blood dares block His Majesty’s plan? Call in the enshrines—wipe him out.”


    Bai Tian’s breakthrough and Han’s deathmatch brewed a storm that swept Black Cloud Town. Some factions fired the news back to their sects—recruitment offers for Han spiked, matched by kill plots. Can’t snag ‘em? Smash ‘em. Classic logic. A supreme prodigy was a sect’s goldmine—a future powerhouse, rarer than ore veins or herb fields.


    Bai Tian’s True Blood clout, though, quashed the darker schemes. Not invincible, sure, but in today’s Black Cloud? Big stick. Beyond-True-Blood tiers wouldn’t show yet—not ‘til the Mountain God’s endgame. So, malice simmered down—goodwill took over. Factions clocked it: Taibai’s just a hall—its disciples would scatter eventually. Opportunity knocks!


    Big shots schemed deep, but for Black Cloud’s rank-and-file cultivators, today boiled down to two words: Badass. No fuss—just pure awe. Taibai, from master to disciples, put Black Cloud on the map—three strikes felling a Tianlong disciple, staring down an elder, unbending. Legendary stuff. Pride swelled town-wide—most revering Taibai like a ceaseless river. Best martial spot in Black Cloud? East Town’s Taibai Hall!


    Outside noise didn’t faze Taibai’s crew. Han slicing a Tianlong disciple? No biggie—why fuss over that? Outsiders with their fancy legacies flipped out more than they did. Little Brother’s this good—duh, that’s just how it is. Taibai’s shining star. They’d forgotten their own jaw-dropped shock from Han’s early days—now they smirked at the outsiders’ disbelief.


    “Master, congrats on breaking through,” Han said.


    Bai Tian smiled faintly. “Been True Blood a few days already.”


    “…” Han blinked. Wait—you timed the rescue on purpose?