Zhao Wenlin lay on the ground for the duration of a full incense stick.
Throughout that time, he kept his head turned, watching Li Qiu, who had passed out not far away.
Zhao Wenlin did not know what had happened.
By all normal accounts, he had courted death this time.
Yet, he hadn’t died.
He was still alive, while his opponent had been sent flying, becoming the very "trash" he had once called Zhao.
He didn't understand.
He couldn't fathom it at all.
During that time, Zhao Wenlin also watched the other disciples.
They stood rooted to the spot, completely devoid of any independent thought.
They were dazed, stunned, staring in slack-jawed silence.
Not a single person moved to help Li Qiu.
And certainly not Zhao Wenlin.
Only after the incense stick had burned away did Zhao Wenlin manage to regain some control over his body.
He pushed himself up from the ground, retrieved his sword, and walked step by step toward the thatched hut.
He dragged Li Qiu out of the hut and settled him securely under a different tree.
He then took a healing Pill from his sleeve and placed it into the other man’s mouth.
Afterward, he limped away, out of everyone’s sight.
No one said a word.
Shortly after, the crowd scattered like birds and beasts, none daring to linger, each hurrying back to their own quarters.
...
It took some time for Zhao Wenlin to reach the lakeside.
The sword in his hand was chipped, and he found it hard to calm his mind.
He didn't disturb Shen Han, who was fishing in silence.
He simply sat by the river for an hour.
During this time, the weather on the Isolated Island took a turn for the worse, and it began to rain.
Late autumn on the Isolated Island was biting cold.
Zhao Wenlin sat silently in the cold rain, staring at the even colder lake.
The lake was so beautiful.
He couldn't help but think of the days when his sister was still alive, the little girl chasing after him to play by the water.
Life was good.
Without realizing it, his eyes grew red, and tears began to stream down his face.
When the sky turned dark, he left in silence, all alone.
Shen Han did not initiate any conversation, his hands steady on his fishing rod.
Was the lake before him beautiful?
Perhaps it was.
The cold, dreary lake surface was veiled in mist—looking, perhaps, like ten thousand corpses floating beneath.
...
The next day.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the legacy of the Cliff Pool!]
[You have received the Pill "Red Meteor Pill * 10"!]
Upon feeling the notification in his mind, Shen Han was quite satisfied.
The Red Meteor Pill was said to originate from certain wild, desolate regions, crafted from magma created by the melting of meteoritic iron.
The rarity of such a pill was beyond question.
Furthermore, it had specific, targeted effects for those at the Innate Great Perfection stage.
Taking this pill could repair one's internal state and was extremely effective at bolstering the progress of an Innate Great Perfection practitioner!
Shen Han swallowed all ten Red Meteor Pills without hesitation, as if they were nothing more than sugar candies.
If anyone else had seen this, they would have been flabbergasted.
Swallowing such a precious pill whole? It was far too extravagant.
But the vast medicinal efficacy was absorbed by the giant sword of the Ten Thousand Swords Return to One, and then refined into his body.
Although he did not break through in the following three hours, his Innate Great Perfection was now, perhaps, truly complete.
"I can even feel my lifespan increasing."
Why do cultivators seek to cultivate?
It is not only to prevent others from bullying them, but also because, upon reaching a certain realm, one can extend their lifespan.
For the people of this world, living to the age of sixty is already a cause for celebration.
Reaching the Innate First Tier, the Blood Refining Realm, grants an additional ten years of life.
Suddenly gaining ten years of life is a joyful thing.
Reaching the Innate Second Tier, the Qi Condensation Realm, adds another ten years.
That is equivalent to living to eighty.
But truthfully, can one really reach eighty? Not necessarily.
The primary reason is that cultivators suffer too many injuries.
Theoretically, one can live to eighty, but suffering a severe injury that shaves off ten years of life is all too common.
Estimates are conservative.
At the level of Innate Great Perfection, a practitioner should be able to live to be one hundred and fifty.
Compared to ordinary mortals, that is more than double!
How could one not be ecstatic? How could one possibly keep a calm heart?
And with his Innate Great Perfection, Shen Han could directly perceive the vitality within his own body.
A conservative estimate: at least 270 years.
How many storms could one weather in 270 years? How many lifetimes of other men would pass by?
Shen Han pondered this.
In his past life, he had barely reached his thirties; many things went unseen, and many things passed by in a blink.
Life was too short.
But now, with 270 years of life ahead, he could witness the lives of so many others.
"Is this what cultivation is? Is this immortality?"
Shen Han held the fishing rod, reflecting on the nature of lifespan.
The sky gradually darkened.
...
In a courtyard of the Martial Arts Alliance, a crisp shattering sound could be heard clearly.
A Great Elder smashed a porcelain cup against the stone floor.
Shards were scattered everywhere across the bluestone.
His eyes were filled with malice as he stared at Li Qiu, who was kneeling before him.
"Bah!"
"You truly are a useless piece of trash. How could you possibly lose to someone like Zhao Wenlin?"
"What face do you have to appear before me? You have utterly shamed me."
"You are truly a cur, a cur that brings nothing but contempt!"
The Great Elder roared.
Li Qiu’s eyes were filled with venom and a deep hatred for Zhao Wenlin.
Yet, he could only bow his head repeatedly to the Great Elder, begging, "Master, I was wrong."
The Great Elder, in a fit of rage, stepped forward and kicked him twice.
Only when Li Qiu was left kneeling on the ground, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, did the Elder demand to know what had actually happened.
He knew his own disciple.
Li Qiu was cold-blooded and widely despised.
But such a man was also exceptionally strong.
At only twenty years old, he had already reached the Innate Fourth Tier Peak!
Placed within the entire Martial Arts Alliance, his strength was top-tier for his age!
Zhao Wenlin might be the head senior brother of Tiance Manor, but compared to the Martial Arts Alliance—a place that scoured the world for treasures—how could Tiance Manor compare?
Theoretically, Li Qiu should never have lost!
After Li Qiu recounted the entire sequence of events, the Great Elder fell silent.
Then, he asked, "Have you embellished anything?"
Li Qiu immediately kowtowed. "If this disciple has added even a single word of falsehood, may I be cut into a thousand pieces."
The Great Elder nodded slowly. "In that case, it seems someone intervened in secret to help Zhao Wenlin during your fight!"
Li Qiu dared not speak.
The Great Elder pinched the tuft of hair on his chin, his triangular eyes darting around.
"Could there be other experts hiding on the Isolated Island?"
"Could it be that another sect has managed to sneak a master onto my island?"
This matter was of grave importance.
The Great Elder immediately left the hall to consult with the other elders.
After discussing the situation, the elders of the Martial Arts Alliance concluded that such a thing was nearly impossible!
Every disciple sent in this batch had been vetted, their backgrounds known.
Zhao Wenlin of Tiance Manor was at the Innate Third Tier Great Perfection.
Ouyang Han of Muyun Manor was at the Innate Third Tier Intermediate Stage!
These were the stronger ones.
As for the rest, like Li Yunyun of the Ningshan Sect, she was only at the Innate First Tier.
And then there was Shen Han of Cangjian Villa, a piece of trash with no talent for martial arts, sent only as a filler.
They carefully reviewed the list of over a hundred people.
After a thorough audit, they found nothing unusual.
After the group finished their deliberations, a Great Elder walked in from outside the council chamber.
"It is only a hundred people or so. Tomorrow, I will review every single one of them again!"
"I want to see exactly who is hiding in the shadows."
"Heh!"