The last few weeks were bizarre for Liu Guang Feng. Every day was a unique experience he would have never thought was possible.

The people around him were all weird and most of them had a warm personality, especially when compared to the other branch clan descendants. However, he could tell they were far more disciplined and well-trained as if they were ready to kill on command.

After the tournament was concluded, Guang Ren’s clan branch was moved to a different area outside the capital, while Rui, Jian, and Jane stayed in the castle.

Liu Guang Feng was currently staying with Rui and Jane since Rui had taken a liking to him. Feng was a smart kid who knew how to read a situation and also possessed incredible talent in cultivation.

He quickly absorbed knowledge like a sponge and was able to learn ten things when you taught him one.

Feng was currently sitting in an open garden, playing with Sunny, who was looking for a playmate while Rui was training with the Sword Immortal.

Sunny utilized his small crow form in most situations due to its convenience. Since his body and energy were too strong for the still unawakened Liu Guang Feng, he had also sealed his strength while playing with him.

Sunny’s intelligence had also grown along with his strength, now being smarter than a ten-year-old when it came to some aspects.

“Say, Sunny, do you think that I will awaken with great potential?”

Feng suddenly asked curiosity and hope evident in his voice. Ever since he was young he was criticized for his family background and standing, to the point where he had been completely isolated.

Sunny tilted his head at the question, not understanding where Feng’s issue was. However, since he couldn’t telepathically communicate with him like he did with Rui, he had to somehow relay his emotions in another way.

Approaching Feng, Sunny’s frame became progressively bigger, as did his presence.

Feng opened his eyes wide since he had never seen Sunny transform, nor did he know how strong Sunny was. He had only known the weak three-legged crow that played with him.

The Sunny in front of him looked nothing like the small crow. The only thing even resembling its previous appearance was its piercing golden eyes, which had also grown in size. Sunny’s black feathers shone in an iridescent hue, while a small sun could be seen floating behind his head.

Golden feathers adorned his head in the shape of a crown, while his beak became slightly crooked and resembled that of a hawk. Blinking slowly, Sunny lowered his entire body and splayed his wings, allowing easy access to his back for Feng to hop on.

Feng hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should climb onto Sunny's back. But seeing the gentle expression in Sunny's golden eyes, he felt a sense of reassurance.

With a small smile, Feng carefully climbed onto Sunny's back, feeling a rush of excitement mixed with a hint of nervousness. He held onto Sunny's feathers tightly as the majestic bird spread its wings and took off into the sky.

The wind rushed past them as they soared higher and higher, with Feng marveling at the breathtaking view below. He felt a sense of freedom he had never experienced before, as if he could leave all his worries and doubts behind.

As they flew, Sunny let out a melodic chirp, which Feng interpreted as a sign of encouragement. It was as if Sunny was telling him to believe in himself and his potential.

Feng clenched his hands which were still holding on Sunny’s wings with a tighter grip. He felt relief at that moment as if all of his issues would vanish as long as he believed in himself.

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“Crazy old man… that should be enough….”

Spoke Rui while sitting on the ground, completely battered and exhausted.

“Tch, you won an entire tournament while using cheats, of course your fundamentals are off.”

The Sword Immortal ignored his words and proceeded to hit him in the head with a wooden training sword, giving Rui no time to dodge.

Rui immediately fell flat on his back, passing out for a few seconds before getting abruptly.

“YOU INSANE GEEZER, WHAT DO YOU MEAN CHEATS? WHERE DID YOU EVEN LEARN THAT WORD?”

“From your memories, you idiot.”

Once again, the Sword Immortal ruthlessly battered him to the ground, where Rui sat for the next few minutes while the Sword Immortal spoke.

“Your foundation is great thanks to that ‘system’ thing, but your fundamentals are complete garbage, to the point of actually harming your growth. If you didn’t possess the skills from the heavenly demon mantra, you would have lost within the first rounds of the tournament with your lacking skills.”

The Sword Immortal spoke nonchalantly as if he was just stating the truth.

“Your goal isn’t to just increase your strength for the sake of power or greed but to protect those you hold dear. You already know about the invasion thanks to your little assistant, but if you don’t focus on actual training, the time might run out sooner than you think. Even I don’t think I can do anything about them… not even my father-in-law can probably…”

His words slowly trailed off, as a hint of discomfort appeared in his eyes.

“Anyway, even your younger brother has way better fundamentals than you. Your superior aptitude, ten times refined body as well as a ‘true’ core, has stunted your growth when it comes to honing your actual skills. You’ve focused too much on your cultivation to the point where you’ve blocked yourself.”

Rui listened to all of his words carefully and understood that his ancestor wasn’t speaking nonsense. He had already noticed a small bottleneck when it came to his advancement, and it was not just a requirement to advance.

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“For example, you are only able to utilize the third form of the [Beginning Sword] at the moment, while using the fourth form would completely paralyze you till you recover. In reality, with your current foundation, you should have been able to easily utilize the fourth form. Do you know what this means?”

Rui didn’t have enough time to answer the question, as the Sword Immortal continued.

“It means that your understanding of your own body and capabilities is completely wrong, to the point of actually harming your progress. Adding the fact that you are used to activating your skills through that ‘system’, has only strained your capabilities further.”

“That parasite is now a part of you, which means that activating all of the skills, from opening the so-called ‘status’ and even your inventory should be possible without any auditory commands. It’s just another part of you, that you can control freely. However, you have created a mental blockade that has split off the parasite as its entity. Even that assistant of yours is nothing but a tool that belongs to you.”

“Do you understand how lucky you are to even survive with how inadequately you have controlled that parasite? If it didn’t get overpowered by your reincarnated soul, the parasite would be the one controlling you and not the other way around and yet you haven’t even mastered anything about it. Combat, spiritual, and bodily control are all horrible.”

Rui rubbed his sore head, feeling a mix of frustration and realization wash over him. He had always relied on his innate talent and the assistance of the system, never fully understanding the depth of his abilities.

The Sword Immortal's words hit him hard, like a wake-up call he couldn't ignore. He had been skating by on luck and natural gifts.

He glanced up at the Sword Immortal, his eyes reflecting determination mixed with a hint of uncertainty.

“So what do I do now?"

The Sword Immortal sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"First, you need to let go of your reliance on the system. It's holding you back more than you realize. You need to learn to trust in your instincts and abilities. Start by eliminating the self-created barrier between you and the parasite. You should completely absorb it into yourself, make it truly yours like it was always supposed to be there."

Rui nodded slowly, absorbing the Sword Immortal's words. He knew that breaking free from his dependence on the system would be a daunting task, but he also understood that it was necessary for his growth.

Jian who was also training with them stood at the side all this time, confusion written all over his face. He couldn’t understand a single thing they were saying, as if they were in a world of their own.

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After the tournament was over Wen Bo knew things wouldn’t be great for him, especially since he knew his ancestor wouldn’t be happy with his results.

The results spoke for themselves. After returning, Guang Yuan chained and tortured Wen Bo for days, almost crippling him in the process.

Guang Yuan only stopped after recognizing the consequences of his actions without a proper plan laid out. When he had acted against his brother, he had already prepared everything, to the smallest details, just so his father wouldn’t see through his guise.

He still remembered the glee he felt after getting rid of him, however, the news of his late demise and the creation of a branch clan was a shocking factor to him.

He was sure that the potent poison he used was enough to quickly kill him, but Ren had lived quite a while before succumbing to his injuries, even having descendants.

Guang Yuan was stuck in quite a dilemma since his father had taken quite a liking to Ren’s descendants. The more he acted, the more suspicious his father would become. He was sure that if he even had a hint of suspicion towards him, he wouldn’t hesitate to find the truth in no time.

All the Sword Immortal had to do was read his youngest son’s memories and everything would be over, but that was a taboo matter that the Sword Immortal decided not to do to his sons. He felt it was disrespectful since they had become men of their worth and no longer needed babysitting.

Of course, as soon as he felt something was off, he wouldn’t hesitate.

Guang Yuan contacted many outside forces throughout the past few weeks, acquiring as much information about the situation outside as possible.

Although he was a rank 8 rune master, the entire county was sealed off by the Sword Immortal’s runic energy, which made spying and communicating directly with the outside world impossible.

He had to utilize many underhanded means to acquire his required information. However, after acquiring what he wanted, a smile couldn’t help but appear on his lips.

“Sending the annoyances off to war and creating a dispute at this junction is quite a lucky break.”

He couldn’t help but mutter, as a malicious plan was already brewing in his mind.

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“Shit, can’t you guys do something about this?”

A figure covered in black attire resembling that of a thief screamed to his comrades who were similarly dressed while running from a group of intimidating individuals.

“Shut up and just run!”

One of the figures shouted back at him, its pace only increasing, not wanting to mingle with the talkative one.

“Fuck!!!!”

The first figure screamed in distress, not wanting to get caught.

After running for half an hour, the figures were finally able to escape their pursuers by entering one of the abandoned houses near the area.

The figures were six in total, all belonging to different types of people. The figure who had stood in front of everyone throughout the whole process removed his mask at this moment, revealing himself to be Han Feng.

Seeing him remove his disguise, the others also followed suit, except for the one who was screaming the entire time while they were escaping.

“So, what do you think we should do, oh wise lord Han.”

The only female among the group spoke at this moment, her coquettish figure leaning slightly to the side in annoyance.

“Tang Beiling, I know you don’t like me being the leader, but you know this situation was out of my control. Who would have expected Sha Hu to fart while were eavesdropping?”

Han Feng spoke lightly, his head turning towards the still masked figure, Sha Hu, prompting all the others to also look at him and attempt to hold in their laughter.

Sha Hu remained silent throughout the whole conversation, however one could tell he was out of it. He had complained the entire time while they were escaping, but he was the sole reason they were in that situation, to begin with.

He had eaten a very potent detoxification pill before they set out for the mission and he was still experiencing the effects even a few days later, which resulted in him passing some gas while not expecting it.

Sadly, their opponents weren’t just some normal civilians, but rather rune masters of at least the third rank, numbering in the dozens. It was a force that would scare anyone if it wasn’t for their unique movement techniques.

“Enough teasing Sha Hu. Thankfully we acquired more than enough information about the upcoming war. I’m sure the sect master will be pleased with it.”

One of the figures spoke at this moment, a young man with short black hair and cloudy white eyes. The young man’s name was Li Meng.

“We still need to investigate more sources. They have likely set up many fakes throughout Xieye, acting as pillars to manipulate any outside force seeking out information. And I’m not saying this without any evidence.”

Han Feng interjected at this moment, pulling out a small projection stone that he had stolen from the area while everyone was panicking.

Activating the stone with a hint of runic energy, a visual began emerging, depicting a general of Xieye explaining the plan to the soldiers. The plan was different from the plan they had heard, to the point where the six of them doubted if the projection could even be trusted.

“Well, look at these insane fuckers. They are lying to their soldiers just for the sake of creating a mess in their enemies' plans.”

Li Meng muttered, not believing what he had just seen.

One of the figures, a burly man with a scar running across his cheek, spoke up next. He went by the name Wu Jian and was known for his brute strength and no-nonsense attitude.

"Looks like we're dealing with some real sneaky bastards, but we ain'tgonna let 'em get away with it. Not on our watch.""

Wu Jian growled, his fists clenched in frustration.

Beside Wu Jian stood another figure, a wiry man with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He was known as Zhang Wei, a master of stealth and deception.

"Agreed."

Zhang Wei chimed in, his voice barely above a whisper.

The last member of the group, a little boy with long black hair and deadpan black eyes was a silent but deadly presence. Known only as Yu Lin, he was a master of weaponry and combat.

Yu Lin nodded in agreement with the others, his eyes scanning the projection with a keen intensity. Though he rarely spoke, his actions spoke volumes.

Han Feng clicked his tongue in annoyance. His plans were awfully disrupted by the situation. He was currently in the process of refining his runic energy to form his core, which required a lot of resources and time. However, he couldn’t continue with his cultivation if the current issue wasn’t resolved.

“Alright, listen up. Utilize Peasant Sect hidden arts, I give you all permissions.”

Han Feng ordered, which shocked the rest greatly.

“Wait, you’re telling us we can use them? For real?”

Sha Hu couldn’t help but ask, worried that he might have heard wrong.

“I think he really did say we can use the hidden arts…”

Wu Jian muttered in shock, while even the silent Yu Lin opened his eyes wide in disbelief.

The reason behind their reactions was understandable once one gained knowledge of the Peasant Sect’s hidden arts. The hidden arts weren’t simple techniques, but rather the highest grade martial arts taught to all sect members, along with a mental seal that restricted their use until a higher echelon member allowed them to use it.

Of course, it could also be used when one was in an extremely dangerous situation, as the mental seal could detect emotional or physical distress and unseal or reseal itself accordingly.

This would normally create a problematic hierarchy, but the Peasant’s sect didn’t run on money or greed, but rather on information and survival. Anyone who monopolized their power in the sect was quickly uprooted.

Since Han Feng had become the Sect master’s disciple, he had also gained the power to permit others when it came to hidden arts.

Han Feng ignored their obvious questions and raised two fingers. Closing his eyes, he began chanting, as a string of runic energy manifested in front of him, heading towards the others at a rapid pace.

Soon, a powerful restraint was released from them and they felt incomparably powerful. Their runic energy had increased by more than twofold while their abilities increased accordingly.

“Keep in mind the effect will last for just a day and you will be unable to use it for the next few weeks, even if you get into a dangerous situation. Sadly, the after-effects can’t be negated if you use it so often.”

Han Feng explained, shattering their hopes in a single sentence.

“Just focus on gathering as much intel as possible without getting caught, that’s the only important thing. Regather here at the end of high noon.”

With one final order, Han Feng’s figure disappeared from the spot, already beginning his search.