In the days that followed, silence descended upon the doubters in the Battle Hall. Not a single voice remained raised in challenge against Han Yu.

His routine became clockwork. Every day, he arrived at the hall and selected five disciples for sparring. Most of the time, he simply let the other disciples observe, occasionally offering a few words of guidance. It was effortless.

More than ten days passed, yet the result remained unchanged: total domination.

The disciples of the Battle Hall began to understand the true terrifying depth of Han Yu’s strength. Against a Qi Refining mid-stage opponent, the match was usually over the moment the three crows took flight. The coordinated assault of seven Wind Blades and a Flame Technique raining down from above was simply too much firepower to withstand.

But it wasn’t just the beasts.

Han Yu’s mastery over his own arsenal—the Phantom Body, Vision Confusing, and Sharp Gold techniques—was exquisite. His swordplay was sharp, his movements elusive. Whenever a rare attack managed to slip past his offensive pressure, his defensive Magical Artifacts and protective spells flared to life instantly.

He was, for all intents and purposes, invincible within the hall.

Outside of his duties at the Battle Hall, Han Yu returned to his solitary grind.

While his cultivation base in the Green Grain Qi Cultivation Method and the Blood Refining Technique had hit a bottleneck, his daily practice still yielded steady refinements. He dialed back the time spent on the Thousand Illusions Secret Art and the Beast Heart Psychic Pact, as actual combat in the Battle Hall served as sufficient practice for his combat spells.

His nights belonged to the stars.

Under the starlight, Han Yu cultivated the Star Luo Traction Technique, tempering the first strand of Star Luo Thread he had formed. Alongside this, he began studying the two new secret arts he had acquired: the Spirit Eye Technique and the Object Explosion Technique.

The Object Explosion Technique—a desperate art of detonating one’s own artifacts for massive damage—remained unpracticed. He simply hadn’t found a disposable artifact or a suitable testing ground.

The Spirit Eye Technique, however, he mastered quickly.

Activating the technique, Han Yu’s eyes shimmered with a subtle light. The world shifted, revealing the faint glows of spiritual energy clinging to objects.

Honestly, he was a little disappointed.

He had hoped the technique would function like a gauge, allowing him to instantly read an enemy’s cultivation level—a vital tool for deciding whether to fight or flee. Instead, it merely highlighted the quantity and intensity of spiritual items on a person’s body.

It was less of a “Power Level Scanner” and more of a “Loot Radar.”

Though, Han Yu mused, it explains a lot.

It explained why the rogue cultivator in the wild had targeted his puppet, Li Ya. The rogue hadn’t seen a dangerous puppet; through his own spirit technique, he had just seen a humanoid figure glowing with valuable spiritual energy. He had mistaken Li Ya for a “fat sheep”—a naive, wealthy cultivator ripe for slaughter.

If I could see cultivation levels directly, the world would be a much safer place.

One evening, Han Yu returned from the Battle Hall to find his old servant, Shang Lu, waiting by the door.

“Immortal Master,” Shang Lu said, bowing low. “Master Lu is currently entertaining a guest.”

Han Yu nodded and stepped inside. The atmosphere in the room was electric with joy. Elder Lu was beaming, his face flushed with excitement, while Elder Bai sat across from him, shaking his head in disbelief, a cup of spiritual wine in hand.

“Unimaginable,” Elder Bai muttered, chuckling. “Truly unimaginable!”

Han Yu approached and bowed. “Master. Elder Bai.”

“Ah, my disciple is here!” Elder Lu waved him over enthusiastically. “Sit! Sit and drink with us. We have reason to celebrate!”

Han Yu sat down, eyeing the spread of spiritual delicacies. “Master, what is the occasion?”

“We are celebrating our salvation!” Elder Lu slammed his hand on the table, laughing. “The crisis hanging over Wanchun Valley has been lifted by half!”

“You wouldn’t know yet,” Elder Lu continued, “but the Mystic One Sect and the Little Sky Net Sect have made their stance clear. They are willing to ally with the Spirit Sword Sect and Wanchun Valley. We are forming a coalition to exterminate the Spirit Beast Sect!”

Han Yu paused. This was indeed massive news.

“With the four great sects of the Southern Region united,” Elder Lu said, eyes gleaming, “the destruction of those demonic cultivators is inevitable. Our greatest threat will soon be dust!”

Han Yu nodded slowly. “That is good news.”

He hesitated for a moment before letting his pragmatism show. “Master… the Spirit Beast Sect targets us for our earth veins. Their hostility is natural. But the Mystic One Sect and Little Sky Net Sect were previously aligned with them. Why the sudden change of heart? Has their motive been investigated?”

The smiles on the two Elders’ faces stiffened slightly.

“That… cannot be investigated for now,” Elder Lu admitted, his voice lowering. “Pulling them to our side was difficult enough. As long as they are willing to bleed to destroy the Spirit Beast Sect, we will accept their help.”

Elder Bai nodded in agreement. “We can settle scores or investigate grievances after the demonic sect is gone. Even if they still covet our earth veins, once the immediate threat is removed, Wanchun Valley will not fear them.”

It was a marriage of convenience. The Spirit Beast Sect had crossed a line—harvesting mortals and practicing blood arts—that made them a threat to the stability of the entire region. They were the rabid dog that had to be put down; the other wolves would deal with each other later.

Han Yu accepted this logic. The enemy of my enemy is my friend—at least for today.

The next day, after his shift at the Battle Hall, Han Yu pressed his master for details on the upcoming campaign.

“Master, since the four sects have allied, when do we strike?”

“In a few days,” Elder Lu replied, sipping his tea. “We are waiting for Ye Guxing to return from the Eastern Sea Kingdom. Once he arrives, the coalition forces will march into the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.”

“Ye Guxing?”

“Yes. The Spirit Sword Sect’s prodigy. He had personal grievances with Daoist Lingyin of the Mystic One Sect and Qin Ting of the Little Sky Net Sect, but he has agreed to bury the hatchet. For the sake of eradicating the demonic cultivators, he will not pursue past vendettas.”

Elder Lu sighed, shaking his head. “The Spirit Beast Sect was too impatient. To practice the Blood Refining Technique so openly in the Southern Region… they were courting death.”

He turned to Han Yu, his expression turning solemn.

“Disciple, listen to me. The Sect will be deploying a significant force to lay siege to the Spirit Beast Sect. I will be going. You will not.”

Han Yu blinked. “Master, you’re going?”

“Yes. Sect Leader Qi, Elder Mou, and I will lead the charge. Elder Yan and Elder Bai will remain behind to guard the valley. We are taking a contingent of Deacons, Inner Disciples, and Outer Disciples with us.”

Elder Lu placed a hand on Han Yu’s shoulder, his eyes heavy with unsaid emotion.

“If things go smoothly, we will return with few losses. But if they do not… well, the future is hard to predict.”

“You must stay here and cultivate. You are the seed of our sect. If the worst happens, you must survive, reach the Golden Core stage, and become a figure like Ye Guxing—someone who can suppress the entire Southern Region.”

Han Yu felt a tightness in his chest. This sounded too much like a farewell.

“Master,” Han Yu said firmly, “You and the Sect Leader will return victorious. Not a single person will be lost.”

“Hah! That would be a miracle.” Elder Lu smiled warmly, shaking his head. “Just focus on your training. You are too young to intervene in this storm.”

“One day,” the old man said softly, “when your branches reach the sky, you will be the great tree that shelters Wanchun Valley.”

Han Yu met his master’s gaze. “If that day comes, I will protect this sect with my life.”

Three days later, the official announcement shook Wanchun Valley.

The Southern Region Coalition was formed. The Crusade against the Spirit Beast Sect was beginning.

Cheers erupted across the mountain peaks. The disciples, young and blood-thirsty, saw only glory and vengeance. They did not see the grim faces of the Elders.

The following morning, the expedition force assembled.

Sect Leader Qi, Elder Lu, and Elder Mou stood at the helm. Behind them were twenty Inner Disciples and fifty Outer Disciples. They departed the sect in a stream of flying lights, heading toward the Great Zhou Dynasty to rendezvous with their allies from the Spirit Sword, Mystic One, and Little Sky Net sects.

Their destination: The Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.

War had begun.