As things calmed down for Alex. On MingYue's side, things started to progress.
At the Blue Lotus Sect, Situ CuiYing had just had a meeting with their sect leader, Qing Lian, which left her baffled.
Despite her higher cultivation, what CuiYing said made her feel powerless.
The rumor had spread out. Although the big sect didn't believe it, many rogue cultivators were now gathered at Daiying City.
CuiYing negotiated for information on the treasure the Hua family had, subtly pointing out that others would soon arrive and they would be less peaceful.
If they gave it to her, she didn't mind admitting that the treasure was not in her hands. Unlike the Blue Lotus Sect, which lived in peace, the Situ family was already accustomed to conflict.
They would see if the treasure was worth the value or not; if not, the Situ family would just send it to be auctioned. If it was of value, they would fight to keep it.
Treasures might bring problems, but without them, their family would not have a way to survive.
The other choice was living peacefully in the background, waiting for a lucky break, like getting a genius disciple.
But out of thousands of sects, how many succeed?
The number is so small it could be counted on one hand while the rest disappear into obscurity.
Even this luck doesn't necessarily ensure survival; there are many geniuses.
Every day, they make new enemies as they compete for cultivation techniques, resources, and artifacts. Some even turn to blood feuds.
It's nothing strange to find the sect become a target of revenge after their genius is killed. Some also attacked them directly because they could not fight back against the genius cultivator.
Qing Lian was now in a predicament; the only thing she knew Lin Hua had gotten was the weird cultivation method. They tried to use it, but there was no effect.
Qing Lian felt they were missing something, but since they could only decode the early part, they didn't know if they were still missing something.
However, the problem was that the method didn't come from the Xueqi Family. If this cultivation method is decrypted and later found not related to the Xueqi family, that would mean they would have another problem.
People don't care about the truth or the facts; they just need the possibility that there is treasure here. And then, when many rogue cultivators start attacking, others join the fun just to get the opportunity to pillage the sect.
She then called Lin Hua's master to bring her to have a talk. But her master declined.
"She's still in seclusion training. The last time I saw her, she was at a critical juncture to breakthrough. Let's wait until it's finished first."
"Breakthrough? Hasn't she done it recently? Do you mean she reached the golden core stage?"
"Yes," Lin Hua's master replied with pride on her face, but Qing Lian didn't feel the same.
If anything, it was worse. She knew Lin Hua's talent, and even with all the potential she had, this growth was still too fast. If anyone found out about this, it would make other cultivators even wilder in attacking her sect.
'If they really attack us, everything will have been for nothing,' Qing Lian thought to herself.
"Sect master, is something wrong?"
"Did you hear that Mingyue's late master was attacked yesterday? And she is now in critical condition?"
Qing Lian's question made her feel puzzled. She wondered how it was related to her that the sect leader needed to point this out. A cultivator getting hurt outside was not something weird.
'Did she suspect I am the one that attacked her?'
Seeing her expression, Qing Lian sighed, "That is not what I mean. The situation is not good now." She then proceeded to tell Lin Hua's master about the situation.
Meanwhile, Lin Hua's face was now pale, and blood seeped at her lips while her sword stabbed Jian Nu in the chest. But Jian Nu just smiled before her body fell to the ground.
Linhua took a few steps back, fell on her knee, then screamed in pain.
At the most crucial moment of her breakthrough, when the golden core was forming, Jian Nu suddenly hit her with a palm attack.
Looking at Jian Nu, who was dying, Lin Hua asked, "Why?"
She never treated her badly; if anything, she gave her many privileges. She even felt she owed her since Jian Nu helped keep her up to speed with what happened to her family.
She already planned to pay them a visit after her breakthrough.
"A traitor got betrayed. Don't you think that is what you deserve?"
Linhua turned silent. Her heart shook as Jian Nu's voice started turning into something familiar. Her body then started transforming, like a mirror being shattered. Jian Nu became a wooden mannequin.
The mannequin that she recognized, the one that cut her arm.
Despite her broken meridian and the pain in her body, Lin Hua tried to move, but as she moved back further with her palm, she hit something.
Her eyes looked up, and what she saw almost made her soul leave her body.
Ming Yue stood behind her, wearing the same smile as Jian Nu on her face. Beside her, Feng Xue's soul appeared, floating in the air.
"Wait," Ming Yue said.
Right now, Lin Hua was weak as her cultivation had fallen drastically, but even with that, she could tell that Lin Hua had now reached the realm that she wanted.
Ming Yue put her hand over her head. "You should thank your luck; I changed my mind. At the very least, you have a way to survive."
"What do you mean?" Lin Hua asked.
"What Jian Nu saw and heard, all of it is sent to me. You should know by now that everything that happened in the secret realm is a scam, including the cultivation method you are using."
Many thoughts came to her mind; she didn't know how Ming Yue could still be alive, and she could not even become this strong.