Zhou Kai’s pace remained measured, but his senses were on high alert. A subtle gaze swept over him, lingering for a heartbeat before vanishing into the noise of the crowd.

Someone is watching me.

Whose people are they? Spies from the Chen Family, or hidden agents from the Wang Family?

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Kai’s eyes, but it vanished instantly, replaced by his usual sickly pallor. He continued to drag his “unhealed” body toward home, playing the part of the wounded survivor to perfection.

“Husband, you’re back!”

Chen Ziyi, dressed in simple, plain robes, hurried from the inner room to meet him. Her face was a carefully maintained mask of joy and lingering worry.

“Did everything go smoothly today?” she asked softly, stepping under his arm to help support him into the house.

“Nothing happened,” Zhou Kai replied flatly, his brow furrowing slightly. “Did anyone come by?”

Chen Ziyi nodded. “Yes. A Deacon from the Chen Family’s inner courtyard. He said he was here to inquire about your injuries. As you instructed, I told him you were in a bad state and had gone to Baolu Pavilion to seek medicine.”

“Did he seem unusual?”

“Not particularly,” Ziyi said. “But he spent a long time scanning the courtyard before he left, as if he were hunting for something.”

Zhou Kai gave a slight, knowing nod. “Understood.”

For the next ten days, Zhou Kai maintained the facade of the “severely injured” Guest Elder. He visited Baolu Pavilion every other day to meet with Wang Qiaoqiao, discussing alchemy and pill formulas. They grew quite amicable, yet on every trip, he could feel that persistent gaze following him like a shadow.

Sometimes it was a patrolling Chen disciple “coincidentally” crossing his path to offer hypocritical greetings; sometimes it was an old man idly sitting at an alleyway entrance, his eyes far too sharp for a mere retiree. Even passing vendors lingered near his gate for far longer than necessary. Zhou Kai noted every single one of them, tucking the information away while pretending to be oblivious.

Every day, the Chen Family sent someone to his door with worthless tonics and empty platitudes. Their core purpose never changed: to verify the extent of his injuries. Zhou Kai obliged, coughing through his sentences and letting a flicker of “agony” cross his eyes whenever they looked at him.

In reality, he had been fully recovered for days.

【Zhou Kai】 【Cultivation: Qi Condensation Fourth Layer (6/400)】 【Vitality: Meridian Opening Second Layer (0/200)】 【Spirit Root: Metal (Low 12/100), Wood (Low 92/100), Water (Low 17/100), Fire (Low 23/100)】 【Cultivation Arts: Alchemy (Second Grade 155/300)】 【Beauty: Chen Ziyi (Mortal, Affection 90)】 【Available Omni-Points: 288**】**

Eating Spirit Gathering Pills like they’re candy—more extravagant than even late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators—and only a 6-point increase in ten days?

Is my aptitude really that abysmal, or is the Chen Family’s ‘Azure Spirit Qi Gathering Art’ just trash?

Whatever. It’s still better than the ‘Qi Concealment Art’ I was using ten years ago. All the techniques on the open market are roughly the same tier; I’ll eventually need to join a proper sect to get my hands on something decent.

Zhou Kai shifted his focus to the Alchemy section of his panel. The Foundation Establishment Pill was a second-grade pill, but its difficulty was immense. The higher his skill, the higher the success rate and quality.

Let’s add 45 points first. I haven’t even secured the materials for the pill yet.

【Ding! Consumed 45 Omni-Points. Alchemy (Second Grade 200/300)】

Now for my Spirit Root. System, add 8 points to Wood!

【Ding! Consumed 8 Omni-Points. Spirit Root: Wood (Low Grade 100/100) Ready for Breakthrough】

Breakthrough!

Suddenly, the world changed. The ambient Wood attribute Spirit Qi in the air, which had previously felt like a vague, hazy mist, suddenly sharpened into focus. He could see tiny, emerald-green streams flowing gently around his body.

So this is how the world looks to a Mid-Grade Spirit Root? What about High-Grade? Or the legendary Heavenly-Grade?

【Spirit Root: Metal (Low 12/100), Wood (Mid 0/300), Water (Low 17/100), Fire (Low 23/100)】 【Available Omni-Points: 235**】**

After a moment’s thought, Zhou Kai set aside 35 points for emergencies and dumped the rest into his Wood Spirit Root. The emerald streams grew even more vibrant, and he could see tiny, sparkling motes of light dancing within the flow.

【Spirit Root: Wood (Mid 200/300)】 【Available Omni-Points: 35**】**

That afternoon, a group of travel-worn and bloody cultivators limped back into the estate. Their numbers had been cut by more than half. Bandages were everywhere, and many had to be carried by their brothers.

Yet, at the head of the group, Chen Xingze was radiant. He carried an unmistakable air of triumph. The news ripped through the Chen Family like wildfire, and Zhou Kai immediately sought out Chen Muhui for the details.

“Brother Muhui!” Zhou Kai entered to find Muhui slumped on his bed, his face ashen. He looked like he had aged a decade in ten days.

“Brother Zhou…” Muhui rasped. “It was a massacre. A total slaughter.”

“I heard the losses were heavy.”

“Heavy? We lost at least half of our elite mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivators! Even the Fourth Elder… perished.”

Zhou Kai feigned a look of absolute shock. “That devastating? But Chen Xingze looked like he’d won the lottery.”

“He did,” Muhui said with a bitter laugh. “They secured at least three sets of the main materials for Foundation Establishment Pills—maybe even more. It’s all but guaranteed now; the Sixth Elder will get the first pill refined from them.”

Three sets of main materials. Zhou Kai’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained a mask of polite concern. “I see…”

Night fell, and the sky was dusted with stars. Zhou Kai sat in the courtyard, meditating, while Chen Ziyi prepared dinner inside. A soft, frantic knocking interrupted the silence.

Zhou Kai’s eyes snapped open. He held his breath, focusing on the aura at the gate. It’s not one of the Chen spies. The energy is chaotic… panicked.

“Who is it?” Ziyi called out from the kitchen.

Standing at the gate was a petite figure. In the moonlight, her face showed a seventy-percent resemblance to Chen Ziyi’s, though she was clearly younger. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

“Ziqing?!” Ziyi cried out, rushing forward. “Little sister? What are you doing here?”

Zhou Kai stood up and walked toward the entrance. Seeing her sister, Chen Ziqing collapsed into Ziyi’s arms, wailing. “Sister… Father… Father is dead!”

Ziyi’s expression went cold, then hollow. She quickly pulled her sister inside the house. Between sobs and gasps, Ziqing recounted the horror of the Desolate Herb Garden. She spoke of the ambushes, the blood, and the final moments of their father’s life. Zhou Kai watched from the shadows, listening intently to every detail of the Chen Family’s brutal “victory.”