Another three days passed.

[Ding! Cultivation Breakthrough!] [Cultivation: Qi Condensation Level 5 (85/100)] [Vitality: Bone Forging Level 1 (220/1900)] [Comprehension: 805]

The numbers on the panel shifted crisply. The experience required to ascend from Qi Condensation Level 5 had plummeted from 300 points to a mere 100. Naturally, Zhou Kai rode the momentum and broke through.

The cost for Bone Forging Level 2 had also dropped significantly—from 2,700 down to 1,900 points.

It seems the floor for a breakthrough is 100 points, Zhou Kai noted with delight. No matter how high my Comprehension soars, the system won’t discount it any further.

During this period, he had fully dissected the nature of Red Cliff Town. It was essentially a “kindergarten-level” Secret Realm, specifically designed to harvest the soul power of cultivators whose Divine Sense hadn’t yet reached the Foundation Establishment threshold.

Tonight, he would tear off the final mask.

“Qing Shuang,” Zhou Kai said, his voice thick with feigned apology. “Something has come up at A’Zhu’s place. I need to go.”

Shen Hanyi, wrapped tightly in her quilt, gave a faint, “Mm.”

Her voice was flat, betraying neither joy nor anger.

Late at night.

Zhou Kai and Lin Zhiwei waited in silence within their room, the darkness pressing in.

Dong— Dong— Dong—

The familiar, dull, rhythmic clang of the gong rang out. Punctual as death.

The hoarse chanting followed.

“He’s here!”

A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Kai’s eyes. He exchanged a look with Lin Zhiwei. Their figures blurred, bursting out the door and rushing straight toward the source of the sound.

On the street, the Town Head stood with his back to them. In one hand, he clutched the ancient bronze mirror; in the other, a short stick, striking the gong with a lazy, desultory rhythm.

Hearing the whistling wind of their approach, the Town Head jolted and whirled around.

When he saw Zhou Kai and Lin Zhiwei standing there, clear-eyed and awake, that eternally stern face cracked. It showed a trace of… astonishment?

No, it was panic. Like a thief caught red-handed in the vault.

“You… you two…” The Town Head stammered. He clearly hadn’t expected them to be conscious, let alone immune to the bronze mirror’s influence.

“Town Head, fancy meeting you here,” Zhou Kai smirked, crossing his arms. “Working the graveyard shift? Banging gongs and chanting spells… must be exhausting. Want this humble one to give you a back rub?”

The Town Head choked. His face flushed a deep crimson before he forcibly stiffened his expression, desperately trying to reclaim his authoritative air.

“Nephew Su! Madam Su! Venturing out past curfew violates the sacred laws of Red Cliff Town! What is the meaning of this! Return to your rooms immediately! Do not disturb the peace!”

He paused, seemingly sensing his words lacked their usual weight. He raised his voice, shaking the bronze mirror slightly as if trying to jumpstart a stalled engine. “Otherwise, do not blame this official for being impolite!”

Zhou Kai scoffed.

“Rules? Town Head, you’re being too formal. Aren’t the ‘rules’ of Red Cliff Town just whatever garbage spills out of your mouth?”

Zhou Kai took a step forward. “We’re all smart people here. Stop playing dumb. Speak. What exactly are you? Or rather, who sent you here to play these ghostly parlor tricks? What is this place for?”

“Impudence!” The Town Head shrieked, panic pitching his voice high. He frantically activated the bronze mirror, trying to suppress their minds.

However, the eerie light hit the invisible mental barrier surrounding the duo and dissolved instantly like smoke in a gale.

Now, the Town Head was truly terrified.

“Su Moran! Do not think that just because you passed the Xiucai exam, you can disrespect your elders! I am the Town Head, appointed by the Imperial Court, charged with educating the masses and maintaining order!”

“You eat the food of this town and enjoy its shelter, yet you show no gratitude! Questioning an official? This is treason! Obstinate fool!”

“Still acting?” Zhou Kai’s patience snapped. “Zhiwei, beat his ass. He’s been scaring us for days.”

Lin Zhiwei didn’t hesitate. With a wave of her slender hand, a violent sandstorm erupted, sweeping toward the Town Head.

The old man seemed completely unprepared for physical violence. He stood there, dumbfounded, making no attempt to dodge.

Bam!

The sandstorm struck him squarely.

However, he wasn’t sent flying. His figure merely flickered, becoming slightly translucent like a bad projection, yet he remained standing. His mouth, however, kept running, his tone shifting from authoritative to flustered exasperation.

“Audacious! Audacious ruffians! How dare you strike an official! Are you rebelling?! This is a disgrace to civility! Where did you read your sage books?!”

Zhou Kai almost felt sorry for him. This Town Head was the ultimate “Keyboard Warrior”—all talk, zero hands.

“Husband, he has the soul power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet he doesn’t fight back?” Lin Zhiwei noted the anomaly.

“Then stop talking and disperse him!” Zhou Kai snorted, throwing a heavy punch.

“Preposterous! Preposterous!”

“You reckless fools… you will face divine retribution!”

“Stop… I… I will have you… arrested…”

The two stopped holding back. Mana and Vitality intertwined, bombarding the figure. The Town Head’s form grew fainter, his lectures becoming fragmented, filled with impotent rage.

Finally, with one last indignant, “You insolent… how dare…”, the Town Head’s phantom shattered, dissolving into the night sky.

Hum—

The bronze mirror emitted a soft wail. With a flash of light, it shot away on its own, heading straight for the Town Head’s residence.

“Trying to run?” Zhou Kai’s eyes narrowed. “Chase it!”

They tracked the mirror to the residence and watched it fly into a secret chamber.

Zhou Kai and Lin Zhiwei pushed open the stone doors and froze.

In the center of the chamber, the bronze mirror hovered, emitting a ghostly glow.

Directly beneath it lay a mountain of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

A rough estimate placed the count at several thousand! The density of the Spirit Qi was so high it was nearly liquid, being siphoned into the mirror in visible wisps.

“So many Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!” Zhou Kai inhaled sharply.

Mid-Grade stones were resources typically reserved for late Foundation Establishment or Golden Core cultivators. The master of Red Cliff Town was absurdly wealthy.

“Zhiwei, set up the array! Cut the connection!” Zhou Kai ordered.

Lin Zhiwei immediately deployed her Array Flags. An Isolation Grand Array rose, severing the mirror from its fuel source.

Deprived of Qi, the mirror’s light dimmed, trembling anxiously.

“Let’s see how tough you are without your battery!”

Zhou Kai lunged forward, raining punches on the artifact. Even without power, its defensive shell was tough.

Clang! Clang!

It took half an incense stick of time, but finally, under Zhou Kai’s brute force and Lin Zhiwei’s suppression, the mirror cracked.

Crack.

The light died. The artifact fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The moment the mirror broke, Red Cliff Town unraveled.

The “townsfolk”—constructs of soul power—dissolved into starlight. The lights shot into the sky, then, guided by the broken seal, rushed back toward the mirror before exploding outward.

A massive wave of Consciousness Sea Source Origin erupted.

Three distinct torrents of soul power surged out. Two rushed into Zhou Kai and Lin Zhiwei.

The third torrent punched through the roof and shot toward the Su Residence.

The feedback loop was instant.

At the Su Residence.

Shen Hanyi’s eyes snapped open.

They were crystal clear. The dull, domesticated gaze of “Qing Shuang” was gone.

Memories flooded back like a tsunami. Shame flushed her skin, followed immediately by a volcanic eruption of rage.

“ZHOU! KAI!”

Her scream carried a terrifying Sword Intent that nearly blew the roof off the house.

Swish!

She transformed into a streak of sword light, tearing through the night toward the Town Head’s residence.

Inside the secret chamber, Zhou Kai felt his Divine Sense expanding. His Consciousness Sea wasn’t just refilled; it was forcefully enlarged.

But before he could celebrate the upgrade, a lethal lock-on chilled his spine.

Shing!

A sword light materialized at the door, instantaneous and deadly.

“Hanyi!” Zhou Kai’s pupils shrank.

“Husband!” Lin Zhiwei cried out.

The tip of a longsword stopped half an inch from his throat. The leaking Sword Qi stung his skin like a razor.

Shen Hanyi stood there, holding a spare blade. Her face was frosted over, her eyes burning with murderous intent.

“You… you’re awake?” Zhou Kai glanced at her panel. Her Affection was still maxed out, which gave him a shred of confidence to speak.

“Hanyi, listen! I just woke up too! I found this place was weird and was coming to get you—”

Shen Hanyi remained silent, the blade steady at his jugular.

Zhou Kai launched into a rapid-fire, heavily embellished story. He painted himself as a hero who figured out the trap, defeated the evil Town Head, and broke the mirror—all while frantically worrying about her safety.

“…I swear, before tonight, I didn’t know who I was! I didn’t know you were the Sword Fairy! In my false memories, you were just Qing Shuang, the woman I wanted to marry and protect…”

“…When I woke up, my first thought was you! I was terrified this place would damage your foundation. Please, check your body! Don’t let this affect your Great Dao!”

Shen Hanyi’s expression didn’t change, but her internal stats were going haywire.

[Shen Hanyi] [Divine Sense: 1785] [Comprehension: 1050 (Fluctuating)]

Her Comprehension spiked to 6000, then dropped to 1000.

She was in a state of internal war. Her Dao was one of severing ties, of solitude. But the memories of “Qing Shuang”—the warmth, the reliance, the love for Su Moran—were bleeding into her reality.

She looked at Zhou Kai. His desperation felt real.

The conflict between her “Ruthless Sword Heart” and this new “Emotional Truth” was tearing her apart, yet also forging something new. A strange light flickered in the chaos of her mind.

Finally, the killing intent faded. Her Comprehension stabilized at 3500.

“Zhou Kai,” she said, her voice cool but lacking the freezing bite of before. “I will not tally our debts today. Gratitude or grievance, I will let it be for now. But I will remember.”

She lowered the sword.

“My Sword Heart has been shaken, but I have also glimpsed a new path. My foundation is intact. I can attempt the break through to Spirit Shaping at any time.”

She paused, looking at him deeply. “I am returning to the Sect.”

Zhou Kai exhaled, the tension draining from his body. “Hanyi… once I’m done here, I will come to the Lone Goose Palace. I will find you.”

Shen Hanyi gave him a complex look—part inquiry, part reluctance.

“Good.”

She turned and vanished into the night, her movement as decisive as a sword stroke.

Zhou Kai slumped against the wall, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

Then, realizing something, he stomped his foot and began pounding his chest in exaggerated regret.

“Dammit! Why did I have to act so cool!?”

“She was waiting for me to stop her! If I had just said ‘Stay’ or ‘I’ll go with you,’ she might have agreed!”

“She hinted so obviously! I missed a golden chance to hug the thigh of a Spirit Shaping boss! I’m such a blockhead!”

In the distance, perched on a high tree branch, Shen Hanyi watched his theatrical remorse.

For the first time, a faint, genuine smile touched her lips. It was like a glacier melting under the spring sun.

“Zhou Kai…” she whispered, a trace of amusement in her eyes.

She turned and truly departed.

Zhou Kai cursed himself a few more times before snapping back to business.

He swept the room. The mountain of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, the broken bronze mirror, and the array flags—all went into his Storage Bag.

“Zhiwei,” he said seriously. “The owner of this place is loaded. We just robbed a tiger’s den. We need to leave. Now.”

Lin Zhiwei nodded grimly.

Meanwhile, deep in the Calamity Abyss Valley.

A young woman of breathtaking beauty lounged on a soft, luxurious couch.

She idly toyed with a bronze mirror—identical to Zhou Kai’s, but ancient and vastly more powerful.

Suddenly, her narrow, phoenix eyes sharpened.

“The sub-mirror collecting Divine Sense near Gazing River City… cracked?”

She sat up, her expression darkening into a terrifying, imperious glare.

“It has been years since anyone dared touch this Young Lady’s property. Let’s see which ignorant dog has tired of living.”

Li Youci stretched her body, accentuating her dangerous curves. With a wave of her hand, a pitch-black palanquin flew out from her dantian.

She flickered inside. The curtains fell.

Boom!

The black palanquin tore through the sky, transforming into a dark rainbow as it raced toward Gazing River City to hunt down the thief.