Inside the study of Chu Feng’s Villa in the True Inheritance Courtyard.

Song Xiang stood with his hands respectfully at his sides, a faint sheen of sweat on his brow. He had just cautiously reported the news of Fang Han’s rise to ninety-fifth on the overall ranking and didn’t dare to breathe too loudly.

A dead silence filled the study. The air seemed to have frozen, so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Chu Feng stood before the window with his hands clasped behind his back, his face turned away from Song Xiang. The setting sun cast his long shadow across the room.

He said nothing, but Song Xiang could clearly see the knuckles of Chu Feng’s clasped hands turning white from the force of his grip, the veins on their backs faintly bulging.

After a long moment, Chu Feng slowly turned around. His face was unreadable, but his deep eyes held a bone-chilling coldness, as if a storm was about to break.

He spoke, his voice unnervingly calm:

"Middle Stage of Seventh Grade... Ninety-fifth on the overall ranking... Good. How very good."

With every word he uttered, the temperature in the study seemed to drop a degree.

"He’s a cunning one. Lying low for half a month gave me no chance to strike. And now that he’s in the top one hundred, not only will he receive a large sum of Contribution Points each month and gain access to more Cultivation Resources, his reputation will also grow. It’ll be much more troublesome to make a move against him now."

Chu Feng’s tone remained even, but Song Xiang could clearly feel the cold fury beneath it.

He knew Senior Brother Chu Feng was truly enraged this time.

Fang Han’s growth rate had surpassed his expectations and now posed a substantial threat.

After a moment of silence, a cunning glint flashed in Song Xiang’s eyes. He took a step forward and lowered his voice. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Senior Brother, I recently heard some news by chance from an acquaintance in the Law Enforcement Hall. If we handle it correctly, we can use this opportunity to suppress Fang Han in a perfectly justifiable way."

A sharp light flashed in Chu Feng’s eyes, and he leaned forward slightly. "What news? Tell me everything!"

An hour later, Chu Feng waved his hand. Song Xiang understood and respectfully exited the study.

Inside the study, Chu Feng turned back to the window, his gaze deep and inscrutable as he stared into the darkening night.

’Fang Han... Top one hundred? Heh, I hope you can handle the trouble that comes with such an "honor."’

As the night grew deeper and a chill filled the air, a plan against Fang Han began to take shape in his mind.

...

On the first day of the second month, a bone-chilling mist lingered in the early morning air.

Fang Han, as usual, stepped into the main hall of the Inheritance Hall right on time.

Many disciples had already gathered inside, but unlike the usual slight clamor during the monthly distribution of Contribution Points, the atmosphere today felt strangely different.

The disciples were clustered in twos and threes, speaking in hushed tones. Most wore grave and uneasy expressions.

Fragments of phrases like "missing," "overdue," and "the odds are against them" drifted intermittently into Fang Han’s ears.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He scanned the hall and saw Xiao Chen already seated near the front, lost in thought. Fang Han walked over and took the empty seat beside him.

"Brother Xiao Chen, the atmosphere in the hall seems a bit different today. Did something happen?" Fang Han asked in a low voice, turning his head.

Xiao Chen looked up at the sound of his voice. Seeing it was Fang Han, a grave look appeared on his face. He leaned closer, his voice even lower.

"Fang Han, you’re here. Something happened, and it’s not a small matter."

He paused, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible gravity. "I heard that five disciples from our Sub-Branch took on a Sect mission together last month to investigate the destruction of a village."

"But they’re several days overdue now, and all five have yet to return. There’s been no word from them. The Law Enforcement Hall has already sent people to investigate the village. I’m afraid... the odds are against them."

Hearing this, Fang Han’s heart jolted slightly.

In the year since he had joined the Sect, he had heard news of disciples from other courtyards meeting with misfortune while on missions.

But those incidents had always happened in other courtyards. He’d had no contact with those disciples, so it never felt real.

This time, however, the ones in trouble were fellow disciples from his own Sub-Branch, people he saw every day. The feeling was completely different. A cold sense of reality quietly gripped him.

It was the first time the news of death had struck so close to home.

"Which five disciples were they?" Fang Han asked after a moment of silence.

Xiao Chen sighed softly and listed five names: "Sun Hai, Sun Li, Li Mo, Zhou Bin, and Wang Yuan."

The five names were rather unfamiliar to Fang Han.

Because of Chu Feng, he didn’t interact much with others in the Sub-Branch to begin with. Combined with his focus on Cultivation, he was only vaguely familiar with most disciples. He had never even spoken to these five, so there was certainly no friendship to speak of.

But hearing that five vibrant lives might have been extinguished still stirred something within him.

Just then, the sound of steady footsteps came from outside the hall.

Elder Chen Xuan, flanked by a group of Stewards, walked slowly into the main hall.

Today, Elder Chen Xuan’s expression was even more solemn than usual. A persistent gloom clouded his features, and his gaze carried a deep gravity as it swept over the disciples below.

The Stewards following him, including Wu Hao, also had grim faces, devoid of their usual calm demeanor.

The entire hall fell silent instantly. All the disciples’ eyes focused on the front, and an invisible pressure filled the air.

Steward Wu Hao stepped forward with a register in hand and began distributing this month’s benefits and rewards as per procedure.

"First place, Fang Han."

His voice was as resonant as ever, but today it lacked some of its formulaic flatness, replaced by an indescribable complexity.

In an instant, countless gazes simultaneously converged on Fang Han.

Surprise, envy, awe, curiosity... a mixture of emotions swirled in their stares, more intense than ever before.

Ninety-fifth on the overall ranking!

This rank completely set Fang Han apart from the ordinary Sub-Branch disciples, signifying that he had truly entered the elite ranks of the Qingxuan Sect’s younger generation.

Fang Han’s expression was calm as he rose from his seat and walked steadily to the front of the hall.

"Congratulations on breaking into the top one hundred of the overall ranking."

Steward Wu Hao looked at the young man before him, a fleeting hint of amazement in his eyes that was quickly replaced by a deeper solemnity.

He took Fang Han’s Identity Jade Token and swiped it over an inkstone-like device.

After a faint glow flickered, he handed the Jade Token back to Fang Han and added in a heavy tone,

"Don’t get complacent. The road ahead is long. Look out for yourself."

"Thank you for the guidance, Steward. I understand."

Fang Han accepted the Jade Token with both hands, bowed, and returned to his seat.

The moment he sat down, he eagerly channeled a wisp of Inner Qi into his Identity Jade Token.

The number on the Jade Token clearly appeared—1540!

The number made Fang Han’s heart involuntarily skip a beat.

After receiving last month’s rewards, his Contribution Point balance was 490.

He spent 30 points on the Peiyuan Pills needed for his Cultivation, leaving him with 460.

This month, the basic benefit and reward for first place in the Sub-Branch was 330 points.

In other words, the additional reward for ranking ninety-fifth on the overall list was a staggering 750 points!

Contribution Points was equivalent to 15,000 silver taels!

Although he had long suspected that the rewards for being in the top one hundred would be extremely generous, Fang Han was still shocked to see the actual number.

The Sect was truly unstinting in its allocation of resources to its top-level disciples!

After the initial excitement, he quickly calmed down.

With 1540 Contribution Points, he had more than enough to exchange for an ordinary Top Grade Sword Technique, with plenty left over for buying Elixirs.

As his Cultivation reached the Middle Stage of Seventh Grade, his monthly consumption of Peiyuan Pills had increased again. He now had to buy three bottles of Peiyuan Pills each month to keep up, increasing his expenditure of Contribution Points.

And when he eventually broke through to the Middle Three Grades, the effects of Peiyuan Pills would no longer be enough to satisfy his extremely pure Inner Qi, making them unsuitable for aiding his Cultivation.

Only the potent effects of a True Spirit Pill, which cost 10 Contribution Points per pill, would be able to meet his Cultivation needs then.

At that point, his monthly expenditure of Contribution Points on Cultivation would skyrocket.

Fang Han reined in his thoughts, carefully put away the Jade Token, and continued to listen.

The distribution of rewards continued for about half an hour. Once all the disciples had received theirs, Elder Chen Xuan slowly stepped forward.

His gaze was heavy as he slowly swept it across every young face below. The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"I have gathered you all here today not only to distribute the monthly rewards, but also to inform you of another matter."

Elder Chen Xuan’s voice was low, yet it carried clearly to every disciple’s ears, imbued with a heavy power.

"It has been confirmed by disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall that Sun Hai, Sun Li, Li Mo, Zhou Bin, and Wang Yuan... have unfortunately perished during their mission."

Although they had anticipated it, a wave of stifled gasps and sharp intakes of breath still swept through the hall when the tragic news was confirmed by the Elder himself.

Many disciples turned pale, their eyes filled with shock and terror.

Five disciples. All five of them were dead!

For these Sub-Branch disciples, who had only been in the sect for a year and had yet to experience many hardships or witness much death, the impact was simply too great.

"According to the Law Enforcement Hall’s report, the five of them encountered the culprits who destroyed the village during their investigation and were killed after being overpowered..."

Elder Chen Xuan didn’t go into specifics, but the brutality implied by his words was enough for them to imagine the scene.

He paused for a moment, giving the disciples time to digest the heavy news before continuing in a grave tone that carried an undeniable warning.

"The path of the Martial Dao is fraught with unpredictable dangers. Sect missions are no child’s play."

"Let this incident be a stern warning to you all! You only have one life. Once you fall, everything is over!"

"From now on, when you choose and carry out Sect missions, I expect you to be extremely cautious, act within your capabilities, and make thorough preparations. You must not overreach in pursuit of glory and needlessly throw away your lives!"

His words struck each disciple’s heart like a heavy hammer.

The lively atmosphere that had been generated by the distribution of Contribution Points was now completely gone, replaced by a heavy solemnity and a new awareness of the dangers that lay ahead.

All the disciples fell into silent contemplation. Many couldn’t help but clench their fists; some showed lingering fear, while others had a new firmness in their eyes.

...

Fang Han sat silently in his seat, his fingertips unconsciously brushing against the cool hilt of his sword.

The loss of five lives was a stark reminder of the cruelty of this world.

The path of cultivation was not just about glory; it was also filled with omnipresent crises and death.

His feud with Chu Feng, though full of open and hidden attacks, was at least still within the rules, shielded by the Sect’s laws.

But outside the Sect, in the wilderness, the dangers of those missions were the true tests of life and death, where reason held no sway.