At the base of Clear Cloud Peak, the shimmering barrier of the array rippled with violent energy.

Elder Qin of Verdant Peak stood at the forefront. His flying sword hovered beside him, humming with lethal intent.

Behind him, several other Inner Sect Elders had arrived. Their faces were etched with deep concern. Among them was Elder Zhang of Beast Taming Peak, looking absolutely frantic.

Through the translucent barrier, the Elders could see the front half of Su Bai’s courtyard. It was an apocalyptic wasteland of jagged black ice and swirling Demonic Yin Qi.

"The demonic aura is too thick," Elder Qin said grimly. "Martial Nephew Su is only in the Body Forging Realm. He cannot survive this! We must force the array open!"

The other Elders nodded in solemn agreement. They began circulating their Qi to prepare a joint strike.

"Elders? Please, wait!"

A familiar voice echoed down the mountain path.

The Elders froze, then lowered their hands.

Emerging from the swirling mist was Su Bai. His snow-white robes didn’t have a single speck of dust on them. His complexion was still pale as ever, yet he looked better than he had in years.

He casually deactivated the barrier with his Peak Master token, stepped forward, and clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.

"Greetings, Elders. What brings such a grand assembly to my humble peak?"

Elder Qin exhaled a massive breath of relief. "Martial Nephew! Are you unharmed? Meng’er was terrified. She heard a demonic beast roaring and sent me to rescue you."

Su Bai blinked. He looked at the worried faces of the sect’s middle management.

’They were actually going to break down a grand array just to save a ’crippled’ disciple?’ Su Bai was genuinely touched.

In his past life, if he had a heart attack at his desk, corporate HR would have just stepped over his body to get to the coffee machine. The Radiant Sky Sect was truly built different.

"I appreciate Junior Sister Liu’s concern and your swift arrival, Elder Qin," Su Bai said smoothly. He glanced back at the frozen crater that used to be his front yard. "Please do not worry. There was no demonic beast attack. I was simply... testing some life-saving treasures."

The Elders blinked as they stared at the terrifying black ice, and then a collective look of understanding washed over their faces.

’Ah! Of course!’ It made perfect sense. Su Bai’s Master was a legendary hero who scoured secret realms. He must have left his only disciple a high-tier, defensive Yin-attribute treasure to protect himself. The poor boy had probably just accidentally triggered it, causing the roaring sound and the frozen explosion!

"Treasures are dangerous, Martial Nephew. You must be careful," Elder Qin chided gently. Then, Elder Qin’s eyes narrowed as his spiritual sense swept over Su Bai. His jaw dropped. "Wait... Martial Nephew Su... your aura!"

The other Elders immediately tuned their senses to Su Bai.

"Heavens!" an Elder gasped. "You have broken through! You are back in the Qi Refining Realm!"

"Not just early stage," Elder Qin’s voice trembled with shock. "The Qi is dense and incredibly stable. This is the 5th Stage of Qi Refining!"

The Elders erupted into joyous murmurs. The crippled genius of Clear Cloud Peak was healing!

Su Bai felt a headache coming on. He didn’t want to be the center of attention. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. That’s another solid corporate rule.

"Respected Elders," Su Bai said softly. "Is it alright if we keep my breakthrough a secret for now? I prefer peace, and I do not wish for any unnecessary spotlight within the sect."

The Elders fell completely silent.

Then, Elder Qin threw his head back and let out a booming laugh. "GAHAHA! Good! Very good! Youths these days break through a minor realm and immediately want to scream it from the mountain tops to show off. But you? You prefer the quiet Dao. You endure hardship without complaint and hide your edge. No wonder Meng’er respects you so much!"

Su Bai helplessly rubbed the back of his head. ’No, I just don’t want people asking why my stomach glows blue.’

"You have my word," Elder Qin smiled warmly. "We shall keep this between us. Though, if the Sect Master directly asks, I cannot lie."

The other Elders quickly voiced their agreement.

Then, an elder with a long beard stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Martial Nephew, since you have recovered some of your cultivation, it is not good to stay cooped up on this mountain forever. You should visit the other peaks! Mingle with the other disciples. They miss your... unique insights."

The other Elders immediately leaned in. Their eyes gleamed like hungry wolves.

"Yes! Come to Verdant Peak!"

"No, visit the Heavenly Forge Peak! My disciples could use your guidance!"

In truth, the Elders were desperate. They had all heard how Su Bai could explain complex cultivation manuals with bizarre, easy-to-understand analogies. They secretly wanted to use him as a free guest lecturer to fix their own struggling disciples.

Su Bai, however, heard something entirely different.

His System had explicitly stated:

[Signing in at different locations yields different rewards.]

He needed to travel to other peaks to get more system items, but doing so without an invitation might look suspicious. Now, the Elders were practically begging him to trespass on their territory!

’They want free tutoring. I want sign-in rewards,’ Su Bai thought, suppressing a massive grin. ’It’s a perfect corporate synergy. A classic win-win.’

"Of course," Su Bai agreed politely. "I was thinking of going out anyway. Would it be alright if I visited one peak a day?"

"Of course! Of course!" The Elders laughed uproariously. They were thrilled that their "scheme" had worked perfectly. Coming to Clear Cloud Peak hadn’t been a waste at all!

Just as the atmosphere reached peak harmony, Elder Zhang of Beast Taming Peak hesitantly stepped forward, wringing his hands.

"Um... Martial Nephew," Elder Zhang asked nervously. "Have you possibly seen my pet Iron-Feathered Crane? It escaped earlier."

The other Elders looked at Zhang weirdly. How would a runaway crane fly to a sealed peak?

Su Bai, meanwhile, looked closely at Elder Zhang’s face. The man was sweating. His eyes were darting around with genuine anxiety.

’He really doesn’t know,’ Su Bai realized. ’Elder Zhang didn’t send the bird to attack me. Was it really just an accident?’

Deciding to be honest, Su Bai sighed. "Elder Zhang, I did see it. However... Senior Sister Ji Ruyue from Silent Orchid Peak captured it and took it away."

At the name Ji Ruyue, the entire assembly of Elders froze stiff. The joyous atmosphere instantly evaporated, replaced by a chilling silence.

Elder Qin slowly turned to Elder Zhang. With a look of profound, tragic pity, he placed a heavy hand on the Beast Taming Elder’s shoulder.

"Give it up, Old Zhang," Elder Qin whispered solemnly. "If the Heartless Sutra girl took it... your crane is probably already in a soup cauldron."

Elder Zhang’s eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated horror. His knees buckled, and he fell to the dirt, staring up at the sky as tears streamed down his weathered face.

"Nooo!" Elder Zhang wailed. He threw his hands up to the heavens. "Wilson! I’m sorry! I’m sorry, my Wilson!!!_"

Su Bai froze. His brain short-circuited momentarily.

’Wilson?’ Su Bai stared at the sobbing old man. ’Did this Xianxia Elder just name a demonic bird Wilson?!’

Su Bai stared at Elder Zhang’s devastated expression. For once, he completely understood the reaction.

A wave of genuine pity softened his gaze as his mind drifted back to his past life. He remembered his own pet... his only loyal companion through years of grueling corporate slavery. When it died, he had cried too.

Su Bai slowly closed his eyes and bowed his head.

’Lo siento, Wilson,’ he thought solemnly.

Soon, the other Elders quickly grabbed the heartbroken, sobbing man by the arms.

"There, there, Old Zhang. We’ll get you a new bird," they muttered as they dragged the weeping Elder down the mountain path and leaving Su Bai alone in his frozen courtyard.