The air around them was unnervingly still. The ruins had sealed themselves, erasing any trace of the ancient trial that had just taken place. Yet, the sensation of being watched lingered.
Lin Xuan instinctively expanded his spiritual sense, scanning the surroundings.
Nothing.
No obvious threats. No lingering presences.
And yet…
Xiao Ling isn’t the type to be paranoid.
If she felt someone watching, then there was a high chance that someone was watching.
Lin Xuan’s fingers twitched slightly, ready to summon his Heavenly Origin Battle Scripture, but he forced himself to stay composed.
Acting rashly wouldn’t help.
Instead, he turned toward the others. "We need to move. The longer we stay, the more exposed we are."
Zhao Feng scoffed, cracking his knuckles. "You mean we should run? Sounds a lot like fear to me."
Xiao Ling shot him a glare. "No. It’s called strategy. Do you want to fight an unknown enemy while we’re already drained from the trial?"
Zhao Feng frowned but didn’t argue.
Lin Xuan nodded. "We leave—now."
Without another word, the three of them vanished into the forest, moving swiftly and silently.
----------------------------------------
AN UNSEEN THREAT
As they ran through the dense foliage, Lin Xuan maintained his vigilance. The energy in the area was strange—as if something was lurking beneath the surface.
A faint ripple in the air.
A distortion in space.
His instincts screamed at him.
Something is tracking us.
Lin Xuan abruptly stopped, raising a hand. Xiao Ling and Zhao Feng halted instantly.
"What is it?" Xiao Ling whispered.
Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes. "We’re being followed."
Zhao Feng tensed. "You sure?"
Lin Xuan didn’t answer. Instead, he reached into his robes and crushed a concealment talisman, suppressing their presence.
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Then, he waited.
And waited.
A shadow flickered in the distance.
A humanoid figure, shrouded in a dark mist, barely distinguishable against the trees. Lin Xuan’s heart pounded.
Who—or what—was that?
The shadow didn’t move closer. It simply stood there, watching.
Testing them.
They aren’t attacking… Why?
Xiao Ling leaned in slightly. "That thing… it doesn’t belong here."
Lin Xuan agreed. The energy radiating from it was different from anything in the ruins. Almost as if…
It wasn’t supposed to be here.
A foreign presence.
Before he could act, the shadow shifted—and disappeared.
The oppressive sensation lifted.
But the unease remained.
Xiao Ling exhaled. "We need to report this to the sect. This isn’t normal."
Lin Xuan clenched his fists. "Agreed."
Zhao Feng crossed his arms. "I don’t like this one bit. First, a trial, now mysterious stalkers? What’s next? A secret war?"
Lin Xuan didn’t respond.
But deep down, he had a feeling—
This was only the beginning.
----------------------------------------
RETURN TO THE HEAVENLY ORIGIN SECT
By the time they reached the outer sect gates, the sun was beginning to set. The towering spires of the Heavenly Origin Sect loomed over them, a familiar yet distant sight.
As they passed through the entrance, several disciples turned to stare.
Whispers spread quickly.
"Did you see that? Lin Xuan and his group are back!"
"They entered the Ruins of the Lost Monarch—and returned alive?"
"Impossible. No one has ever survived that place!"
Lin Xuan ignored the murmurs, though he could feel the growing intensity of the gazes around him.
His name had already started spreading through the sect before.
But this…
This was different.
Now, people weren’t just curious.
They were watching. Evaluating.
Even the higher-ranked disciples had taken notice.
One of them, a young man clad in deep-blue robes, stepped forward, his eyes sharp.
Yan Hao—an elite disciple of the Inner Sect.
He smirked. "Lin Xuan. You sure took your time coming back."
Lin Xuan met his gaze without flinching. "Didn’t realize I had a time limit."
Yan Hao chuckled. "No, but considering what you found in those ruins… don’t you think it’s only fair to share?"
A subtle pressure settled in the air.
The meaning behind his words was clear.
He wanted the inheritance.
Zhao Feng growled. "Tch. Here we go again. Another so-called senior trying to act all high and mighty."
Xiao Ling shot him a warning glance but said nothing.
Lin Xuan, on the other hand, remained calm.
He had expected this.
With the inheritance’s power, people would come for him.
This was only the first.
Lin Xuan tilted his head. "And if I say no?"
Yan Hao’s smile didn’t fade. Instead, his aura flared slightly, exerting a faint sense of suppression.
"You might find that some secrets are… dangerous to keep."
A direct threat.
The nearby disciples held their breath, watching closely.
But Lin Xuan?
He simply smiled.
A slow, knowing smile.
And then, he stepped forward—just slightly.
Enough for Yan Hao to feel the sheer stability of his presence.
Enough for him to understand.
Lin Xuan was not someone he could intimidate.
For a brief moment, their energies clashed.
Then, Yan Hao scoffed, stepping back. "Tch. You’re more stubborn than I thought."
Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving the gathered disciples whispering even louder.
Zhao Feng smirked. "That guy just backed off? Wow. Guess you really are becoming a big deal, huh?"
Lin Xuan ignored the comment.
His thoughts were already elsewhere.
The ruins, the mysterious figure in the forest, the growing attention in the sect—
Everything was building up.
And Lin Xuan knew—
This was only the beginning of something far greater.
A storm was coming.
And he had to be ready.