Fine beads of sweat broke out on the back of his neck.

Perceived through the Linn Character Technique, these subtle clues faintly sketched out a web he could not yet fully see.

’It’s time I properly sorted out the connections around me.’

Xu Yunfan lowered his gaze. The Linn Character Technique was his greatest trump card. Upon entering the Linn Character State, he was no longer swayed by external joy or personal sorrow. His mind became lucid as all emotions and desires receded like the tide, leaving behind only a state of pristine clarity. Everything in existence imprinted itself upon his mind, allowing him to naturally distinguish right from wrong and grasp the truth of all matters.

In this profound state, the trajectories of all things resolved into calculable lines.

The arc of a distant, spiraling leaf; the twitch of an opponent’s muscle fibers; even the flow of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi—all became as clear as the lines on his palm.

All the distracting thoughts that once plagued his mind dissipated. His thinking speed increased more than tenfold, and every decision became as precise as if it had been run through a thousand simulations.

Even more incredibly, in the Linn Character State, his very perception of time seemed to stretch.

An instant in the outside world felt like an eternity within the confines of Xu Yunfan’s Spirit Platform.

This state, Beyond the Material World, was the key to how he had repeatedly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Before the all-seeing perception of his Linn Character State, a thousand schemes and ten thousand tricks were like snow under the morning sun—every detail was laid bare.

’I’ll start in a little while.’

Just as Xu Yunfan was about to turn and leave, Bi Sheng quickly called out.

"Hold on."

Xu Yunfan turned. "Is there something else, Martial Uncle? I’m busy!"

"Busy with what? Rushing out to court disaster?"

Bi Sheng glared, puffing out his mustache in exasperation. ’I have to keep an eye on this kid. The moment he came down the mountain, he stirred up a huge mess. If two Ninth Realm experts were to suddenly appear, even I’d be shaking in my boots.’

"The hour is at hand. Come with me to the Gui Water Position of the Imperial City’s Earth Vein."

Xu Yunfan stopped in his tracks and had no choice but to push his own plans aside.

’He knew that acquiring the Profound Celestial Treasure Talisman was one of the three tasks his master, Bi Yuan, had given him—one he was supposed to accomplish secretly on his own.’

’He never expected that today’s storm would force his secretive martial uncle to reveal his hand so soon. That Reverse Inference - Star Shifting swordsmanship from before was so profound that even Su Wanqing had to admit she was no match for it.’

’And she’s the Tianshu Sword Master, no less...’

’Well, that saves me some trouble.’

A flash of understanding crossed Xu Yunfan’s face.

’Bi Sheng’s appearance today was surely no coincidence. From the moment he secretly observed me at the Taoist Sect’s Martial Arts Arena, this path was set. And now, he’s taking the initiative to act...’

’All of this was likely part of the calculations of my master, who resides high up in Qingwei Hall.’

Xu Yunfan could almost see Bi Yuan again, stroking his chessboard and gently pushing a chariot piece across the river.

He wasn’t angry, though. ’As the ’chariot,’ I’ve been well-fed. Naturally, I have to do my part.’

’There are some things I can only do without restraint once I step into the Ninth Realm.’

-----------------

Having agreed, Xu Yunfan followed Bi Sheng through the labyrinthine alleys of Jade Capital City, finally arriving at a secluded hollow in the southwest corner of the Imperial City.

This was the legendary Gui Water Position, one of the nine major nodes of the Imperial City’s Earth Vein.

The surrounding terrain sloped downward like a funnel. In the center stood an octagonal altar built of obsidian, its surface carved with ancient water-suppressing runes. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Under the moonlight, the dark-red runes looked like dried blood, tracing eerie patterns across the stone.

The area was utterly desolate; in fact, the Gui Water Position was located within a derelict estate. According to Bi Sheng, the place had long been rumored to be haunted, and not a soul would venture near, even in broad daylight.

After all, with the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit being stirred up from the Earth Veins, tales of ghosts and spirits had begun to spread. Even Martial Artists generally kept their distance, not wanting to foolishly court death.

Xu Yunfan scanned the area and saw that the altar was encircled by nine man-made channels.

Water flowed through the channels, and a significant amount of Spiritual Qi had gathered within them. The energy swirled slowly in the water like a living thing. Occasionally, a splash would fly into the air and coalesce into a translucent, dragon-like shape before instantly vanishing.

Su Wanqing, the Tianshu Sword Master, stood alone at the center of the altar.

Today, she was not wearing her usual Frost White Sword Robe, but had changed into a suit of Profound-Colored Martial Attire. At her waist hung not the Celestial Pivot Sword, but a long, narrow wooden box wrapped in ice-silkworm thread.

As the night wind blew, a streak of white hair at her temple was particularly striking, glinting silver in the moonlight.

"You’re right on time."

Seeing the Tianshu Sword Master’s attire and the Sword Box at her waist, a glint flashed in Bi Sheng’s eyes. His fingers moved slightly within his sleeves, and twelve streams of Golden Jade True Qi flickered faintly around him.

The Earth Vein Spiritual Qi at the altar had formed a small vortex. A faint glow seeped continuously from cracks in the stone, only to be silently devoured by patterns of frost spreading from beneath Su Wanqing’s feet.

What surprised Xu Yunfan even more was that, with the altar as the epicenter, every building within a thirty-zhang radius was tilted at a strange, unnatural angle.

Their flying eaves and ornate brackets looked as if they were being pulled by an invisible force, all bending in unison toward the Gui Water Position.

A golden light swirled in Xu Yunfan’s eyes. He activated the Seeking Dragon and Distinguishing Veins technique—an ability gained from achieving Perfection in mining—pushing it to its absolute limit.

He saw the Earth Vein as if an invisible hand were peeling it back layer by layer. Streams of pale golden Earth Qi were converging toward the depths of the Imperial City along an eerie trajectory.

This essence of the Earth Vein, which should have nourished all of creation, was now being siphoned away like blood, forming distorted patterns deep underground.

’That old witch...’

The corner of Xu Yunfan’s eye twitched.

’The Empress dares to use a Secret Technique to forcibly seize the national destiny of the Great Zhou! For such a heaven-defying act, she’ll probably face a fatal backlash from the heavens themselves.’

"So, where’s the Profound Celestial Treasure Talisman?"

Bi Sheng suddenly drew closer, rubbing his hands together. His face was plastered with a mercenary smile, making him look exactly like a haggling pawnbroker.

The Jade Lock at his waist jingled, and twelve streams of Golden Jade True Qi flickered at his cuffs. It all gave him the transcendent air of an immortal, yet he deliberately adopted such a vulgar posture.

An icy glint flashed in Su Wanqing’s frosty eyes as her pale hand came to rest on the Sword Box.

"How did you know the Celestial Pivot Start Sect possessed the Great Zhou Dragon Vein Map?"

Bi Sheng let out a dry chuckle and suddenly straightened his stooped back.

His roguish, smiling demeanor vanished like a receding tide, replaced by the profound stillness and imposing presence befitting a Taoist Sect Elder.

"At first, it was just a guess. But your Celestial Pivot Start Sect has always been one to hedge its bets, constantly shifting your stance..."

Bi Sheng was all smiles. "I didn’t know for certain in the beginning, but knowing your sect’s tendency to play both sides, I was sure you had a contingency. My Taoist Sect also participated in planning the Great Zhou Dragon Vein Map, so of course I know a few things. I was the one who personally set up the core of the Kan Li Dragon Transformation Array back in the day."

’Back then, the array was useless without the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. But now that the Earth Veins are surging with Spiritual Qi, the trap has sprung. In a way, I’ve been hoist by my own petard.’

Bi Sheng sighed internally. ’Times change. Ultimately, the ways of the world are impossible to predict.’

Su Wanqing’s face went deathly pale. Her Frost Sword buzzed, sliding three inches from its scabbard of its own accord.

"You old bastard! You tricked me!"

Xu Yunfan could barely keep a straight face as he watched the scene unfold.

’The young are just too naive. Compared to these old-timers, she’s still far too green.’

He had looked up Su Wanqing’s file in his spare time. Her talent was extraordinary; she had achieved Nine Realms Qi Cultivation at the age of sixty, stepping into the Realm of a Supreme Grandmaster. Her name had shaken the Mortal World for a time, but she had gradually faded into obscurity over the last decade or two, lying dormant and biding her time.