In Wuling City, inside the Martial Honor Restaurant on Nanming Street.

The Martial Honor Restaurant was a well-known establishment in Wuling City, backed by the War God Sect. The restaurant frequently hosted exchanges and sparring matches among martial artists, drawing large crowds. It was one of Lin Zheyu's favorite places when he had first arrived in Wuling City.

When he had just arrived, he often came to Martial Honor Restaurant, ordered a bottle of wine and a few dishes, and gathered information. In a place where martial artists congregated, it was easy to learn useful news related to martial cultivation. Later, after getting to know Li Mengqi and her brother and joining the Wuji Sect, he came less often.

At this moment, in a private room in the central section of the west wing on the second floor of Martial Honor Restaurant, six young men and women sat around a table. Their bearing, manner of speech, appearance, and attire all marked them as extraordinary, far beyond what ordinary scions of esteemed families could match.

The woman seated near the door looked at Qian Baiyan and said with a charming smile, "Fellow Daoist Qian, it has been a long time. How have you been lately?"

She possessed a stunningly beautiful face, her skin as fair and smooth as snow. Her eyes were misty yet clear, like stars shimmering in a deep pool, carrying an irresistible allure.

"Not well. Ever since parting from Fellow Daoist Hu last time, I have lost all appetite for food and drink. I have grown thin."

Qian Baiyan shot Hu Manqiong a flirtatious glance as he teased.

The woman beside Hu Manqiong, cool in demeanor and carrying herself with poised confidence, said lightly, "If you want to flirt, do it in private later. Do not do it in public and make a spectacle of yourselves."

She glanced at Qian Baiyan and continued, "Let's begin. The longer we delay, the more variables there will be."

"Alright, then let's begin." Qian Baiyan smiled faintly, unconcerned.

This gathering was not for him to flirt with Hu Manqiong. That woman had no shortage of admirers beneath her skirt, and his involvement with her was nothing more than amusement. Compared to that, the ruins were far more important.

"I will go first. Over the past month, I found an opportunity to..." Mu Feng smiled slightly and began speaking after receiving Qian Baiyan's signal.

Before he could finish, the young man seated opposite him frowned slightly and suddenly shouted, "Who's there?"

In an instant, all six people in the room gripped their dharma artifacts, their expressions turning grave. Six powerful streams of spiritual sense surged outward from the private room, sweeping the surroundings.

"Fellow Daoist Tu, have you noticed something?" Qian Baiyan asked with a frown.

His right hand held a green jade token, while his left gripped a black seal. His expression was extremely solemn. His divine sense swept outward from the room, yet he found nothing. At his words, the others all turned to look.

"Someone is watching us!" Tu Xihao said in a low voice.

His perception was extremely sharp. Just moments ago, he had sensed something off. Although he could not identify who was watching, he trusted his instincts completely. The others exchanged glances. None spoke, but their expressions grew heavy. Anyone capable of spying on them through the Minor Myriad Void Locking Formation must possess terrifying strength.

"Where?" Jing Xinyue's cold voice sounded. She did not speak aloud; instead, she transmitted her voice directly through divine sense.

***

The six people inside Martial Honor Restaurant were startled by Lin Zheyu's prying gaze. Meanwhile, Lin Zheyu himself, seated in Tranquil Waters Restaurant, broke out in a cold sweat at Tu Xihao's shout. Though his face remained expressionless, his mind was already stretched to its limit, and the true origin within his body stood ready to surge. If anything seemed off, he would leave immediately and disappear into the crowd.

Have I been discovered? Lin Zheyu murmured inwardly.

He maintained his Perception Domain instead of withdrawing it at once, carefully keeping it from producing any fluctuations. If he had withdrawn it the moment the shout sounded, that would have exposed him for real.

It seems the others haven't noticed... Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

Among the six in the private room, two of the auras felt familiar. They seemed to be the same two who had discussed the ruins before. Lin Zheyu often came here to wander and probe with his Perception Domain, hoping to overhear them again. Today, his luck was good. He had finally run into them. But his luck was also bad. Aside from those two, another expert was present who could detect his Perception Domain.

Lin Zheyu waited for a long while. Not a single sound came from the private room. The six sat silently, their eyes shifting among themselves, clearly communicating through spiritual sense transmission.

They're using spiritual sense to communicate. I won't be able to overhear anything useful, Lin Zheyu thought, shaking his head slightly as he slowly withdrew his Perception Domain.

He did not retract the Perception Domain completely, only pulling it away from the area of the Martial Honor Restaurant. The domain continued to cover the surroundings, leaving out only the restaurant itself. This way, he would not draw the attention of the six people while still keeping track of their movements in case anything unexpected happened.

What kind of strength does that person have to detect my Perception Domain? I can't act so recklessly in the future, Lin Zheyu thought, a note of caution rising in his mind.

Unfortunately, although the Perception Domain was remarkable, it could not gauge an opponent's strength as well as spiritual sense could. Its ability to assess strength only worked on ordinary people or martial artists. Immortal cultivators were cloaked in spirit power, and the Perception Domain could not penetrate it to determine their true level.

I've alerted them this time. It's best not to come here again.

His concealment technique had yet to be fully perfected, and his strength had not reached its limit. He did not want to enter the sight of immortal cultivators so soon. Besides, that unknown ruin held little value for him. With Origin Force at his disposal, what he lacked most now was knowledge of martial cultivation, knowledge of immortality cultivation, and a large amount of usable energy.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 2]

[Skills: Phantom Flash Soul-Chasing Steps (Third Stage: 89%), Thunder Roaring Purple Cloud Technique (Fourth Stage: 99%), Primordial Concealment Technique 3.0 (Advanced Mastery: 58%)]

Lin Zheyu looked at the data within his mind. After more than twenty days of cultivation, deduction, and refinement, he had improved the Primordial Concealment Technique to its third version. This third version was already extremely powerful, only a step away from perfection. He felt that once this version reached Perfection, the next iteration, built upon its foundation, would be the final flawless version.

Time passed slowly. Lin Zheyu appeared relaxed as he savored the delicacies of the Tranquil Waters Restaurant. He did not leave immediately, as doing so might arouse suspicion. As usual, he finished his meal, stayed a while longer, listened to storytelling for an hour, and only then departed. The six people had not left yet and did not appear within his Perception Domain.

***

Inside the Martial Honor Restaurant, the six young men and women wore grave expressions and remained silent. After a long while, a trace of hesitation appeared on Tu Xihao's face, and he gave a slight nod.

"Is it over?" Wan Wenge asked softly.

"It should be. Unless the other party's strength far exceeds ours," Tu Xihao replied.

"Phew. We really owe you this time, Fellow Daoist Tu. Your intuition is as sharp as ever. We parted in a hurry last time, and I never had the chance to get to know you better. Would you give me the opportunity later to share a drink with you?" Hu Manqiong said in a soft, coquettish voice, her expression shy yet inviting.

Jing Xinyue let out a cold laugh, her eyes filled with disdain. The others were long used to such scenes and showed no reaction.

"Then, regarding the matter of the ruins..." Mu Feng trailed off halfway through his sentence.

He looked around at the others, waiting for their response. Being watched by an unknown expert was extremely dangerous. It meant someone might be eyeing them from the shadows, planning to strike after they made their move.

"I'm out," Jing Xinyue said decisively, shaking her head.

"Me too."

"Same here."

Aside from Qian Baiyan, Mu Feng, and Tu Xihao, the rest all expressed that they did not wish to participate.

Qian Baiyan and Mu Feng exchanged a glance, both showing a trace of helplessness and unwillingness. They had prepared for so long, only to encounter this. Fortunately, Tu Xihao had not withdrawn. Compared to the others, they valued him more. As long as he remained, they still had some confidence.

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist Tu?" Qian Baiyan asked.

The others also turned to look at Tu Xihao, clearly placing great importance on his opinion.

"I do not intend to withdraw." Tu Xihao shook his head. His decision surprised the other three.

"Although I cannot sense that person's presence, the sense of danger they gave me is very weak. They are likely using some special technique or artifact to bypass the Minor Myriad Void Locking Formation and observe us. As long as we are careful, it should not be a major problem," Tu Xihao said slowly.

His eyes were full of confidence. He trusted his intuition completely. This extraordinary perception was an innate talent that allowed him to sense unseen gazes and malicious intent. With it, he had avoided countless life-and-death dangers.

"I trust Fellow Daoist Tu. Since you have agreed, I will join you as well. Hehe."

Hu Manqiong blinked, her seductive charm returning. Her graceful body swayed lightly, revealing a fleeting glimpse of her figure.

Hearing Tu Xihao's words, Jing Xinyue changed her stance and said, "If we wait for a breakthrough slot, who knows how long it will take. With troubled times approaching, if we do not take a chance, what awaits us will be an uncertain fate. I will join as well."

Only Wan Wenge still shook his head slightly, unwilling to get involved.

"I understand the rules. I will not leak this matter," Wan Wenge said with a smile as the others looked at him. He took out a talisman from his storage pouch.

He drew a cut across his index finger with a sharp blade, letting blood drip onto the talisman as he infused it with spirit power.

"I, Wan Wenge, swear upon the Great Dao that I will not reveal what happened today. If I break this oath, may I be struck down by heaven, my body destroyed, and my soul scattered!" As his words fell, the talisman suddenly ignited and turned to ash. An unseen force lingered around his soul.

"How is it?" Wan Wenge looked at the others and asked.

"Agreed." Qian Baiyan nodded.

"Then I will take my leave. I wish you all a smooth journey," Wan Wenge said with a smile. He cupped his fists to the group, then pushed the door open and left.

"Since we've been discovered, we shouldn't delay. We..." Qian Baiyan was cut off halfway through by Tu Xihao.

"No. We must first find the one who was watching us. If we do not deal with them, I will not be at ease," Tu Xihao said calmly.

"Oh? Fellow Daoist Tu, can you track that person down?" Mu Feng asked in surprise. He had not even realized they were being watched, let alone locate the intruder.

"I have some confidence. Within five days. If we cannot find them in five days, we depart immediately," Tu Xihao said with certainty.

"Then I will await your good news, Fellow Daoist Tu," Hu Manqiong said with a charming smile.