With the Inner and Outer Disciple Grand Competition looming, work at the Medicine Garden slowed down. Taking advantage of the lull, Zhong Yue gathered Sun Kang and Liu Lan, and together they rode a Plantain Leaf artifact to the Spirit Field Department to visit Han Yu.

As soon as they landed, Zhong Yue’s Spirit Dog, Xiao Bai, locked eyes with Han Yu. The beast was a blur of enthusiasm, panting happily with its tongue lolling out, its tail wagging so furiously it whipped up a small dust storm.

Zhong Yue nudged the dog with her boot. “Behave yourself!”

Xiao Bai dropped to the ground, rolled over playfully, and then sprang back up, shaking off the dirt as if nothing had happened.

It was a tough little creature.

Just as the dog prepared to launch itself at Han Yu for a greeting, a massive shadow descended. A five-foot-long raven with obsidian feathers and terrifying golden eyes landed heavily on Han Yu’s shoulder. It stared down at the dog, silent, motionless, and radiating predatory intent.

Xiao Bai’s fur instantly stood on end. With a pathetic whimper, the spirit dog scrambled behind Zhong Yue’s legs, shivering.

Zhong Yue clapped her hands, laughing. “You mangy cur! You act so tough until you meet Junior Brother Han’s bird, then you turn into a coward!”

Sun Kang, Liu Lan, and even Senior Sister Li and Hua Qi, who were standing nearby, chuckled at the scene.

That white dog certainly knew how to prioritize survival.

Still smiling, Zhong Yue unclipped a Storage Bag from her crimson sash and passed around a bag of roasted melon seeds flavored with Moon Gazing Herb. The group settled into the Steward’s office, cracking seeds and chatting.

Eventually, the topic turned to the prisoner formerly held at the Spirit Field Department.

“Zhu Laosan?” Hua Qi shook his head. “For colluding with rogue cultivators and conspiring to murder fellow disciples, the Sect has already executed him.”

Zhong Yue gasped, her expression faltering. She sighed, a complicated look in her eyes. “I always knew he was a bit shady—selling junk for Spirit Stones—but back then, at least he was honest about his prices. I never thought he’d sink so low as to betray the Sect during a crisis, let alone try to kill his own martial brothers.”

“He got what he deserved,” she murmured, more to herself than the room. As someone who had once hawked wares alongside him in the bamboo sheds, she felt a pang of melancholy, but she wouldn’t defend a traitor.

The conversation drifted until Sun Kang looked at Han Yu.

“Junior Brother Han, are you planning to enter the Outer Disciple Grand Competition?”

Liu Lan nodded enthusiastically. “You’re at the third layer of Qi Refining now, just like us. And your spellcasting is incredible. Surely you want to fight for a spot in the top ten?”

Han Yu offered a polite, noncommittal smile. “I think I’ll pass. The Outer Sect is full of disciples at the fourth and fifth layers.”

He shrugged. “It’s been a year. There are likely seniors who have broken through to the sixth layer but haven’t been promoted to the Inner Sect yet. How could a third-layer disciple like me compete with them?”

His refusal was calculated. Han Yu had no interest in fame. His primary concern was the scrutiny of the Golden Core masters—the Sect Leader and Elder Yan.

Although his Thousand Illusions Secret Art and Breath Concealment Technique were potent, standing directly in front of a Golden Core powerhouse was a gamble. His Blood Refining Art was unique—devoid of the usual demonic taint—but inviting a high-level inspection was simply asking for trouble.

Zhong Yue, Sun Kang, and Liu Lan looked disappointed.

“Junior Brother Han,” Hua Qi interjected, “your casting speed is phenomenal. I’m at the fifth layer, and honestly, I don’t think I could beat you. You really should give it a try.”

Senior Sister Li, who had been quietly shelling melon seeds, suddenly chuckled. She swept a pile of kernels into her hand.

“Why are you all so anxious?” she asked, her tone amused. “The Sect has only opened registration; they haven’t released the roster yet. But I have it on good authority that three disciples in the Outer Sect have no choice in the matter. They must participate.”

She held up a finger. “First is Lu Yun. He has Three Spirit Roots and a natural talent for recovery. Elder Wen took him in, but the boy is arrogant and unruly. Elder Wen is forcing him to compete to humble him—or prove his arrogance is justified.”

She held up a second finger. “Second is Bai Lingyun, Elder Bai’s descendant. The Elder says his Spirit Roots are mediocre and he needs a reality check to stop him from fantasizing about forbidden shortcuts like the Spirit Root Refining Art.”

She paused, looking directly at Han Yu, and raised a third finger.

“And the third is you, Junior Brother Han.”

Han Yu froze. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” Li smiled knowingly. “I told you the Sect values you. They suspect you are a prodigy in spellcraft.”

She ticked off the points on her fingers. “You’ve consumed four or five bottles of Qi Gathering Pills, pushing you to the brink of the fourth layer. The Sect encouraged this. They gave you the pills. They gave you the Thousand-Year Sunkwood Heart. They gave you Beast Spirit Pills for your crow. They even gave you a blood-bound Storage Bag.”

Her expression turned serious. “These aren’t gifts, Junior Brother. They are investments. The Sect doesn’t pour resources into a black hole. My Master, Elder Lu, said explicitly: ‘Han Yu must take the stage.’ He wants the Elders to see what their investment has bought.”

“If my Master doesn’t register you, Elder Yan or the Sect Leader will do it themselves.”

Han Yu sat in stunned silence.

He was trapped.

His rapid rise, his “lucky” contributions, his displays of talent—it had all worked too well. Wanchun Valley didn’t just see him as a diligent worker; they saw him as a rising star.

If he was forced to compete, he would be under the direct gaze of the Sect’s highest powers.

Panic flared in his chest, followed quickly by cold calculation.

What if they see through me?

But then, a strange thought occurred to him.

If this were the Spirit Sword Sect—zealots who viewed all unorthodox arts as evil—he would be dead. But Wanchun Valley was… pragmatic.

They hadn’t executed Zhu Laosan immediately, despite his heinous crimes. They hadn’t killed the Jiang Prince for practicing the Blood Refining Art; they merely crippled the cultivation and kept him as a guest. They even treated Li Tonghai, a suspected spy, with courtesy until proven otherwise.

If I am truly a spellcraft prodigy… and I happen to have mastered the Blood Refining Art without any demonic side effects…

Would they kill him? Cripple him? Or would they see a disciple who had tamed a forbidden art and value him even more?

It was a terrifying hypothesis.

It’s a path, Han Yu thought, his heart rate steadying. A dangerous one, but a path nonetheless. In an absolute emergency, I might be able to play that card.

He wouldn’t dare try it now, of course. He needed to subtly probe the Sect’s stance on such matters first. But knowing the option existed settled his nerves.

“That’s great, Junior Brother Han!”

Sun Kang and Hua Qi were beaming, oblivious to Han Yu’s internal crisis. “We’ll be there to cheer you on!”

Han Yu forced a grateful smile. He turned to Senior Sister Li. “Senior Sister, will you be entering the Inner Disciple Grand Competition?”

Li nodded. “Just to spar. I don’t care about the ranking, but the experience is valuable.”

She looked him over critically. “Han, if you’re going to fight, you need gear. You can’t rely solely on spells against armed opponents. You should buy some offensive and defensive Magical Artifacts.”

Han Yu nodded. She was right.

In a life-or-death brawl, he had his Blood Droplet, his Foundation Establishment talismans, and his army of crows. In a structured arena match, all of those were forbidden or too revealing.

He needed legitimate tools.

“I have plenty of spirit rice and stones saved up,” Han Yu said, standing up. “I suppose I should go shopping today.”

“We’ll come too!” Zhong Yue chirped. Sun Kang and Liu Lan were equally eager to visit the market.

Senior Sister Li waved them off; she had cultivation to attend to. Hua Qi had to man the station.

So, the four of them—Han Yu, Zhong Yue, Sun Kang, and Liu Lan—stepped onto two Plantain Leaves and drifted toward the Green Grain Market, bound for a shopping spree.