“May I ask, Grand Elder, what is the reason for this?” Han Lie asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

Was the city really that important? Although Qingzhou City sat at the volatile intersection of three major powers—the Heavenly Void Sect, the Sun Moon Sect, and the Myriad Sword Pavilion—it wasn’t a strategic prize in itself. Its primary function was to serve as a neutral buffer zone between the three warring giants.

“There is no need to ask so many questions now; you will understand when the time comes,” Grand Elder Chi Lian said, her voice trailing off mysteriously.

“Understood.”

Han Lie couldn’t shake the feeling that Chi Lian was keeping an ace up her sleeve, but he couldn’t grasp her true agenda. What hidden motive did a Grand Elder have for a backwater martial arts tournament?

With six months remaining until the competition, Han Lie calculated that he could attempt a breakthrough to the mid Golden Core Stage. If he could reach that level, his confidence in securing the championship would be absolute. After all, a local tournament hosted by a City Lord shouldn’t attract any Nascent Soul old monsters, right?

Upon returning to his hut, Han Lie automated the maintenance for his “guest.” He set a technique on his storage ring to dispense a hundred Spirit Stones daily and two Profound Yellow Pills every seven days. With the cat taken care of, he sat cross-legged on his bed and began his assault on the mid Golden Core Stage.

In the blink of an eye, five months slipped quietly through his fingers.

“Meow!”

The Hell Nine-Tailed Cat, perched on the tea table, suddenly exhaled a puff of spiritual mist toward Han Lie. At that exact moment, Han Lie’s aura, which had been dormant for months, surged violently!

A scorching, crimson spiritual power erupted from his body, and his presence climbed to a brand-new peak.

Mid Golden Core Stage!

As the crimson light retracted into his pores, Han Lie opened his eyes. His gaze was sharper, his aura more robust yet more restrained than before.

Had he focused solely on the breakthrough, he could have finished in two months. The extra time was spent on consolidation—deliberately accumulating strength until it reached a breaking point, allowing him to shatter the bottleneck with overwhelming force. His current realm was exceptionally stable, his foundation as solid as a mountain.

Cultivation was like building a pagoda; one could not simply stack floors recklessly. Without a firm foundation, the structure would eventually collapse under its own weight.

“From the second layer of Qi Refining to the Golden Core took only one year… but from the early to mid Golden Core, it also took a year,” Han Lie murmured to himself. “The intervals between breakthroughs are only going to get longer.”

He recalled Ye Qingxuan’s skepticism regarding his ability to reach the Soul Formation Stage within a century. He finally understood her reasoning. However, with the “cheats” of the Pure Yang Sacred Body and the Yin Yang Demonic Art, Han Lie remained confident he could defy those conventional limits.

“Meow~”

The black cat leaped onto the bed, rubbing its head against his knee incessantly. Han Lie patted its head and glanced at the floor. Unlike last time, there were no Spirit Stones scattered about. It seemed the varied diet of pills and stones was keeping the little creature satisfied.

“Calling you ‘little runt’ all day feels wrong. How about a name?”

“Meow~” The cat looked up expectantly, its eyes bright.

“Heh. Since you’re as black as coal, I’ll call you Charcoal.”

The cat immediately hissed, baring its teeth and arching its back in a miniature fury. It clearly loathed the name. Han Lie grinned; he was only teasing. If Ye Qingxuan found out he’d named her precious demon beast “Charcoal,” she’d likely have his head.

“How about Xiao Zi?” Han Lie suggested after a moment of thought.

Though it belonged to Ye Qingxuan, he was the one raising it. He took a character from both his own name and the Sect Leader’s to form the name. While not particularly grand, it was a far cry better than “Charcoal.” The cat seemed to accept it, purring as it settled into his lap.

Over the next half-month, Han Lie entered a final meditative state to polish his new realm. When only ten days remained until the tournament, he finally emerged.

“Oh?” He sensed Xiao Zi’s aura and raised an eyebrow. “It looks like you’re about to break through as well.”

Nourished by a year of premium Spirit Stones and pills, Xiao Zi’s third tail had grown out more than halfway. Once the tail fully formed, it would signal her entry into the Golden Core Stage. Considering the fortune he had poured into her, it would have been stranger if she hadn’t progressed.

“This Senior is heading out for a while. Stay home and behave; don’t go running off.”

Han Lie decided not to take Xiao Zi to Qingzhou City. She was at a critical juncture in her breakthrough and needed stability. After securing the hut, he set off.

Qingzhou City

Located two thousand li from the Heavenly Void Sect, the city was a melting pot of rogue cultivators and various factions. Because it sat at the junction of three powers, it was a lawless land where control shifted every few decades. These frequent changes in leadership were almost always orchestrated by the major sects behind the scenes.

None of the three powers wanted a City Lord who was actually strong enough to hold the territory independently.

Han Lie rode his black blade leisurely through the sky, reaching the outskirts of the city in just two hours. The gates were crowded with a constant stream of travelers, and a heavy contingent of guards inspected everyone entering.

“Ah! A Daoist from the Heavenly Void Sect! Please, come right in!”

Han Lie merely flashed a token symbolizing his Inner Disciple status, and the guards immediately transitioned from suspicion to fawning servility. No matter who held the title of City Lord, no one in Qingzhou City dared to offend a disciple of the three surrounding sects—especially an Inner Disciple.

Stepping into the streets of his birthplace after over a hundred years, Han Lie felt a sudden wave of nostalgia.

“I wonder who the current City Lord is? I should go and find out.”