In that split second, Wang Ba’s mind churned.

He lived a life of extreme seclusion within the Sect. The number of people who knew his name—and could match it to his face—could be counted on one hand.

Deacon Li, Old Hou, Niu Yong, Old Man Sun.

Even Shopkeeper Lu had always addressed him as “Brother Wang,” never using his full name. perhaps he knew it, but he had never spoken it aloud.

Yet here, a considerable distance from the West Garden Market and his own Farmstead Ding Eighty-Seven, a stranger’s voice had called him out with chilling precision.

What this implied… Wang Ba didn’t dare to dwell on it.

Instinct took over. His fingers twitched, itching to deploy the “Version 2.0” Tendon-Severing Nematode hidden in his sleeve.

He didn’t know if it would work against a cultivator. It was one of the few cards he held that could inflict actual damage.

But as the spirit insect slid down to his wrist, he forced himself to freeze.

First, attacking blindly without knowing the enemy’s depth was the height of stupidity.

Second, the figure behind him spoke again.

And those words sent a sledgehammer of shock through Wang Ba’s heart.

“Less than a year since entering the Sect, yet you have already reached the Perfection stage of the sixth layer of the Physique Strengthening Scripture. I did not expect a mere laborer to possess a Hidden Spirit Root.”

There was a genuine ripple of surprise in the stranger’s voice.

He saw through it.

Wang Ba’s heart trembled.

Wasn’t it said that the Physique Strengthening Scripture showed no external signs? Why could this man see his progress so clearly? And how did he know so much about him?

Who was this person?

As if sensing Wang Ba’s internal panic, the stranger’s voice returned to a cold, detached monotone.

“Every time a practitioner of the Physique Strengthening Scripture masters a layer, their body undergoes subtle, specific changes. The five senses of a Qi Refining cultivator far surpass those of mortals. Unless the body was seized through possession, one can tell at a glance.”

So that’s how it is.

Wang Ba mentally filed this crucial information away. He quickly turned around, keeping his gaze lowered.

He dared not look the man in the eye, nor did he dare show disrespect. He immediately bent his waist to bow deeply.

However, he found he couldn’t go down. It was as if an invisible cushion of air was buoying him up from below.

“If you possess a Hidden Spirit Root, there is no need for such servile formalities,” the man said indifferently.

“Yes… yes!”

Despite the permission, Wang Ba kept his posture humble and stooped as he cautiously peeked upward to size up the stranger.

The man was of average height, his features sharp and cold. He wore the pristine white Daoist robes of an Outer Sect disciple, and the hilt of a Dharma Sword peaked over his shoulder.

As Wang Ba observed him, the man was also scrutinizing Wang Ba.

His gaze was piercing, like a torch in the dark. The rolling waves of Spiritual Qi radiating from his body were so potent they almost felt suffocating to a mortal.

Wang Ba’s mind raced like lightning. He spoke carefully. “May I ask… what instructions the Immortal Master has for this lowly one?”

The man ignored the question, speaking as if to himself. “Just now, you went to the Lu family. You even gifted them a Spirit Poultry.”

Wang Ba’s heart skipped a beat.

This Outer Sect disciple is monitoring the Lu family?

How else could he know? Wang Ba had just stepped out of the courtyard.

Is he Lu Yuansheng’s enemy?

No wonder.

No wonder he had stopped him. Wang Ba realized with a jolt that he must have been marked the moment he entered the Lu compound.

Did he regret it? In that instant, yes. But he immediately crushed the feeling. Everyone has regrets; the only thing that matters is how you fix the mess.

He hurriedly tried to explain. “This lowly one previously received great kindness from Shopkeeper Lu, so—”

“No need to explain.”

The man’s sharp eyes seemed to bore right through him.

“You… are good.”

As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve. To Wang Ba’s utter shock, the man tossed a simple, ancient-looking jade ring-pendant through the air.

Wang Ba scrambled to catch it, confusion written all over his face.

“This… Immortal Master, what is this?”

The man had already turned his back, walking away into the distance.

His voice, however, condensed into a focused line of sound, ringing clearly in Wang Ba’s ear as if he were standing right next to him.

“There will be changes within the Sect.”

“This is a Protective Jade Pendant. Crush it, and I will come.”

“But remember. It can only be used once.”

He paused, then turned his head slightly, offering a final few words.

“My name is Zhao Feng… Senior Brother Lu Yuansheng once showed me great kindness.”

With that, he vanished like a ghost, disappearing into the scenery.

…

A long time passed.

Wang Ba stood there, clutching the jade. He secretly mobilized the power of his Yin Spirit to scan the surroundings, ensuring the man was truly gone. There was no drain on his energy—the coast was clear.

Only then did Wang Ba wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and exhale a heavy breath.

This was different from deceiving low-level disciples. This was his first direct confrontation with a genuine Outer Sect cultivator.

Even though Zhao Feng seemed to harbor no ill will, the psychological pressure was immense. The sheer density of the man’s Spiritual Qi had felt like a weight on Wang Ba’s chest.

Still, although he was shaken, he was in much better shape than his last close call. At least he hadn’t collapsed on the ground in a heap.

More important than the fear was the information Zhao Feng had revealed.

This Outer Sect disciple, Zhao Feng, clearly had a deep bond with the late Lu Yuansheng. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given me a life-saving talisman just because I gave the Lu family a chicken.

But why didn’t he step in to protect the Lu family directly? If an Outer Sect disciple had intervened, the Lu clan wouldn’t have fallen into such ruin.

Does this relate to the ‘impending changes’ both he and Shopkeeper Lu mentioned?

Wang Ba was puzzled.

But above all, he was alarmed.

If even a high-ranking Outer Sect disciple was being this secretive and cautious about the coming upheaval, then a lowly Laborer Disciple like Wang Ba would be ground into dust if he got caught in the middle. Not even a trace would remain.

For the first time, the desire to leave the Sect wasn’t just a vague plan—it was an urgent necessity.

The path ahead was foggy and uncertain.

Wang Ba tightened his grip on the jade pendant until his knuckles turned white.

…

Seven days later.

Wang Ba stood before a nest of newly hatched chicks, a look of fatherly delight spreading across his face.

This joy was primarily due to the events of two months ago, when Alpha-Five had finally… “graced” Alpha-Four with his presence.

Alpha-Four, having received the imperial favor of Alpha-Five, laid three eggs. Today, they had finally hatched.

These three eggs had taken nearly two full months to incubate!

During the process, the mother, Alpha-Four—who lacked strong maternal instincts—had tried to abandon the nest multiple times. It was only under the aggressive pecking of Alpha-Five that she was forced back onto the eggs.

Fortunately, all three hatched successfully.

And the results brought Wang Ba a massive surprise.

[Target Lifespan: 80.2 Years]

This was the reading for the chick with the highest potential. The other two were very close to this figure.

When tested with a Spirit Light Talisman, all three emitted a rising grayish-white glow.

This meant these three little ones were already bordering on Middle Grade Spirit Poultry.

The mating of a Middle Grade and a Low Grade resulted in offspring that straddle the line between the two tiers.

These three seem slightly stronger than their father, Alpha-Five, likely because they haven’t undergone a Lifespan Breakthrough yet.

If I help them break through their lifespan limits later, even if they don’t reach High Grade, they should be very close.

Wang Ba held a charcoal pencil, meticulously recording the data on a sheet of paper.

Alpha-One through Alpha-Four, and Alpha-Six, count as First Generation Spirit Poultry. Alpha-Five is Second Generation. These three… they are the Third Generation.

The higher the grade of the breeding stock, the higher the grade of the offspring. However, the rooster’s willingness to actively mate drops significantly, and the difficulty of breeding skyrockets.

But theoretically, with my ability to manipulate lifespan, I can use a cycle of ‘Lifespan Breakthrough + Rapid Breeding’ to continuously elevate the bloodline of my stock!

The only flaw in this grand plan is that the roosters have absolutely no desire to mate.

It was an old problem. Wang Ba had recognized this limitation early on.

But despite identifying the bottleneck, he was helpless to fix it.

He had tried drugging them. He had tried forced cohabitation. He had even shown the roosters “Spring Palace Pictures”—chicken-appropriate erotica—and tied up hens right in front of them.

Wang Ba had resorted to every lowly, underhanded method he could think of.

The result? The roosters’ hearts remained as hard as iron.

The occasional rooster that showed a bit of initiative was treated like a national treasure by Wang Ba.

For instance, Alpha-One, Alpha-Two, and Alpha-Six. They were all males, but compared to their ascetic peers, they showed a slightly higher preference for the opposite sex.

Wang Ba shook his head, dismissing the frustration. He shifted his focus to a more pressing matter: investigating the defenses along the Sect’s borders.

He had made up his mind.

He was leaving the Sect.