As Sun Kang and Liu Lan chattered about the recent news, Han Yu noted the worry etched between their brows.

Wanchun Valley was their sanctuary. As long as the sect stood, Laborer Disciples like them could cultivate in relative peace.

Tending the spirit fields might be humble work, but it was a legitimate path to immortality. It was infinitely better than the lives of the Rogue Cultivators in the Green Grain Market, who lived hand-to-mouth, scraping by with incomplete techniques and no future.

But now, Wanchun Valley was being openly bullied by the other four sects of the Southern Region. The fact that the Immortal Destiny Grand Ceremony had failed was proof that the facade of civility had been torn away.

If Wanchun Valley fell, what would become of them?

If they were forced into the life of Rogue Cultivators, every scrap of resource and every fragment of a technique would have to be fought for with their lives. It was a rootless, desperate existence that no one wanted.

After Sun Kang and Liu Lan left, a sense of crisis surged in Han Yu’s heart.

Wanchun Valley faced threats from all sides: external bullying, hidden Demonic Cultivators, and, most critically, its own weakness in combat. The sect was essentially meat on the chopping block.

If the sky fell, how would Han Yu survive?

There was no time to hesitate. He had to increase his strength immediately.

He had to pick up the Blood Refining Technique again.

In a life-or-death situation, taboos didn’t matter. The Blood Droplet and Bloodlust Technique were tools for survival, and he would use them if he had to.

Tonight, he would condense the Blood Rune and secure his lifeline.

With his cultivation now at the third level of Qi Refining, the replication ability in his right hand had grown stronger.

He could now replicate three drops of Blood Essence or two sections of Spirit Blood Vine daily. The Mystic Heart Fruit was harder to copy; he could produce three every two days.

He had also tested other items. Ordinary Spirit Stones and Jade Slips could be replicated at a rate of two per day. Higher-grade items would likely be more difficult. As for Storage Bags, Han Yu estimated it would take seven or eight days to replicate just one. For now, a single bag was enough.

Han Yu sat cross-legged and began the familiar circulation. He guided the blood Qi through his meridians, converging it at the Danzhong acupoint to form the Blood Rune.

A single crimson pattern etched itself onto the rune.

Han Yu effortlessly returned to the first level of Blood Refining.

Without pausing, he replicated three drops of Blood Essence and refined them instantly. The first pattern solidified, and the faint trace of a second began to emerge.

For the next few days, Han Yu maintained his cover by practicing the Green Grain Qi Cultivation Method during the day. But all his replication attempts were dedicated to Blood Essence. He needed power, and he needed it fast, even if it meant risking exposure.

The atmosphere in Wanchun Valley grew heavier by the day.

Laborer Disciples worked the fields with grim faces. Senior Brothers Hong, Ji, and Hua patrolled with stern expressions, no longer stopping for casual chat. Senior Sister Li, the Inner Disciple, had stopped visiting entirely.

Han Yu’s resolve hardened.

He could rely on no one but himself. Only personal strength offered a sliver of hope in the coming storm.

One evening, after refining three more drops of Blood Essence, a second pattern solidified clearly on his Blood Rune. His blood Qi completed a full circulation cycle, signifying his breakthrough to the second level of Blood Refining.

He now possessed twenty-seven drops of Blood Essence. With one replication, he could unleash thirty Blood Droplet attacks in a single battle.

For a cultivator in the early stages of Qi Refining, this volume of firepower was terrifying. Coupled with his third-level Qi Refining cultivation, his spells, and his crow flock, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Han Yu felt a little safer, but it wasn’t enough. He immediately set his sights on the third level of Blood Refining.

Advancing from the third to the fourth level of Qi Refining would take time. But pushing from the second to the third level of Blood Refining? That would only take a month.

“Caw…”

Just as he finished his session, the large and small crows slipped into his stone hut under the cover of night.

Han Yu reached out to stroke them, but the large crow raised a wing, pointing out the window and letting out a low, urgent cry.

Trouble?

Han Yu moved to the window. The moonlight revealed nothing unusual outside.

He was about to ask the crow for clarification when a dark shadow flitted across the sky above, gliding silently toward the stewards’ quarters.

The stewards’ area remained dark and silent. It was as if the shadow had been a hallucination.

Someone sneaking out at night? To do what?

Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.

The weight in Han Yu’s chest grew heavier.

Wanchun Valley was teetering on the edge. Enemies surrounded them, and now, someone among the three Outer Disciple senior brothers was moving in the shadows.

If the sect’s own disciples were wavering, morale was already collapsing.

He had to secure his escape route.

The main hall of Wanchun Valley was solemn and majestic. Pillars of spirit wood were entwined with Spirit Cage Vines, whose fruits glowed with a soft, eternal light. The wood released a medicinal fragrance designed to calm the mind.

But tonight, the atmosphere in the hall was anything but calm. It was thick with tension.

In the center, upon the high seat, sat the Sect Leader of Wanchun Valley. He wore a golden crown and robes embroidered with gold thread, his expression grave behind his long beard.

Beside him, on a seat of equal stature, sat the Supreme Elder, dressed in white robes patterned with jade.

Flanking them were two rows of seats, occupied by the sect’s Elders—all late Foundation Establishment cultivators wearing jade-white robes. Elder Yan and Elder Wen were among them.

Behind the Elders stood over thirty purple-robed Deacons, including Deacon Lu and Deacon Fang, their faces grim.

Two blue-robed Inner Disciples stood guard at the entrance, motionless as statues.

Outside the hall, behind a massive bronze cauldron, a crowd of Inner Disciples stood in silence, barely daring to breathe.

Thud!

Elder Yan slammed his hand on the armrest and stood up, the sound echoing through the hall.

“Sect Leader! Are we really going to swallow this insult?”

“Last time, we gathered the entire sect, ready to fight to the death. But in the end, we only sent envoys to demand an explanation, to issue a warning.”

“And the result? Our envoys have returned, and we have been left with absolutely no face!”

“The Mystic One Sect and Spirit Sword Sect feigned ignorance, calling it a ‘coincidence.’ The Little Sky Net Sect refused to even meet us, barring our people from their gates. And the Spirit Beast Sect? They were the most brazen of all! They accused us of harboring Demonic Cultivators! They claimed we colluded with remnants of the Demon Blood Sect! They even had the audacity to say Wanchun Valley should reflect on why no new disciples joined us, citing it as proof of our unpopularity!”

“To invert truth and spew such venomous slander! They treat Wanchun Valley like—”

“Senior Brother Yan,” Elder Wen interrupted softly, seeing his agitation. “Perhaps we should hear what the Sect Leader and Supreme Elder have to say first.”

Elder Yan sighed heavily and slowly sat back down. “I just can’t stomach this.”

“Also… Senior Sister Wen, please call me Junior Brother Yan.”

Elder Wen turned her head away, pretending not to hear.

“Enough, Elder Yan. There is no need for haste.”

The Sect Leader cleared his throat and finally spoke.

“We are gathered here today for this very reason… A hundred years ago, the five sects of the Southern Region united to exterminate the Demon Blood Sect. Back then, we were allies. Now, the other four harbor ill intentions. We have suffered losses, we have asked questions, and we have received no answers.”

He looked out over the assembly.

“Elders, Deacons… let us deliberate. We need a strategy.”