Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

The tranquility of the medicinal herb garden on the northern slope, like the morning dew accumulating in the mountains, lasted for less than three days before being shattered by uninvited guests.

On this day, under the bright sunlight, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged in his simple stone house, his mind deeply immersed in studying the first level of the "Star Finger" technique, "Finger Rays." A wisp of barely perceptible silver starlight flickered at his fingertips, sometimes solidifying like a steel needle, sometimes dissipating like smoke.

He was trying to find the perfect balance that could compress all his strength and the spiritual power of the stars into a single point and burst forth instantly. Suddenly, his powerful divine sense, far surpassing that of his peers, was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, keenly sensing that the simple warning array covering the herb garden had been activated, with an undisguised brute force.

He frowned slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes, and slowly withdrew his power, the starlight disappearing silently. He stood up, pushed open the creaking wooden door, the afternoon sun somewhat dazzling.

At the entrance to the herb garden, which was surrounded by ordinary thorns, stood three cultivators dressed in the blue robes of outer sect disciples, blocking the light that streamed into the garden and casting three malevolent shadows.

The leader was slightly overweight, with an oily, round face and small, darting eyes. His cultivation was around the fifth level of Qi Refining, and he exuded a slick, worldly air. Behind him were two men, one tall and one short, like two generals. The taller one had a fierce look in his eyes, while the shorter one wore a mocking expression. Both were at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and they were brazenly surveying the thriving spiritual herbs in the garden, as well as the unfamiliar Lin Xuan who emerged from the stone house.

When the slightly overweight disciple saw that Lin Xuan was so young and that he sensed that Lin Xuan only had the cultivation level of the fourth level of Qi Refining, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Then, that surprise turned into undisguised contempt and greed. He put on a seemingly kind smile, but in reality, a condescending smile, like a hunter seeing prey that had fallen into a trap.

"Hey, junior brother, you look unfamiliar. Are you new to take over this North Foothills Herb Garden?" The slightly chubby disciple spoke, his voice carrying the slick tone of someone who had long mingled in the lower ranks. "I am Liu Neng, the duty disciple responsible for patrolling the various herb gardens of the outer sect. These two are Junior Brother Zhang Hu and Junior Brother Li Si." He casually pointed to the two behind him, his attitude perfunctory.

Lin Xuan's expression remained calm and undisturbed, like a deep pool. He nodded and said indifferently, "So it's Senior Brother Liu. May I ask what brings you here?" His gaze swept over the three of them, taking in their cultivation levels and demeanor, and he already knew in his heart that the visitors were not friendly.

Liu Neng chuckled, rubbing his hands together, but his gaze seemed glued to the plump leaves of the Blood-Coagulating Grass and Qi-Gathering Flowers, their leaves shimmering with a faint spiritual light. His greed deepened. "Nothing much, just a routine inspection, checking each herb garden for any abnormalities. Also..." He changed the subject, taking a half-step closer, lowering his voice, which carried a mixture of bad breath and threat. "Junior Brother seems to be a diligent person, managing this shabby garden quite well, much better than the previous ones. However, Junior Brother is new here, so I'm afraid you're not yet familiar with the 'rules' of our Northern Foothills Herb Garden."

He paused deliberately, observing Lin Xuan's reaction. Seeing that the other party remained expressionless, he continued, "This northern foothills region is sparsely populated with spiritual energy, a desolate place where even birds wouldn't bother. In previous years, the harvest has always been at the bottom. Why would the big shots above care about such trivial matters? As for the 'loss' amount in the year-end assessment, it's naturally up to us patrolling disciples to report it as appropriate..." He drew out his words meaningfully.

"As is customary, new junior brothers need to pay a 'management fee.' We brothers will help manage things and smooth things over to ensure that you won't be in trouble at the end of the year due to any 'unexpected losses.' The amount isn't much, just fifty low-grade spirit stones, or the equivalent in contribution points. It's better to spend money to avoid trouble; it's convenient for everyone. What do you think, junior brother?"

The true intentions were revealed when the true purpose of the inspection was revealed: to extort "management fees" by abusing their positions.

Lin Xuan sneered inwardly. Sure enough, a small temple breeds many demons, and a shallow pond attracts many turtles. He had only enjoyed a few days of peace and quiet when these lowly parasites from the sect came knocking. Judging from Liu Neng's practiced manner, this was probably not his first time doing this kind of thing, specifically bullying new disciples like him who had been assigned to remote positions and seemed to have no one to rely on.

Seeing Lin Xuan remain silent, the tall disciple Zhang Hu assumed the newcomer was intimidated. His face showed impatience as he gruffly urged, "Kid, Senior Brother Liu is talking to you! Are you deaf? Be smart and hand over the spirit stones. From now on, in this Northern Foothills region, Senior Brother Liu will protect you and keep you safe!" As he spoke, he clenched his fist defiantly, his knuckles cracking.

The short disciple, Li Si, chimed in sarcastically, his voice shrill: "That's right, don't push your luck. If you anger Senior Brother Liu, believe me, we can easily report you for 'mismanagement, large-scale withering of spiritual herbs.' At that point, losing all your contribution points will be the least of your worries; you might even be sent to the mines for hard labor!" His eyes were vicious, as if he could already see Lin Xuanqi's miserable end.

If it were an ordinary, newly initiated, and rootless fourth-level Qi Refining disciple, facing the joint coercion and extortion of three senior disciples whose cultivation was higher or equal to his own, he would probably be terrified and would have no choice but to swallow his anger and pay money to avoid disaster in order to protect his hard-won sect identity.

But Lin Xuan is no ordinary person.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze chillingly calm, landing directly on Liu Neng's greasy face. His voice, like a cold mountain spring, was devoid of any emotion: "What if I say... I won't pay?"

Liu Neng's fake smile froze instantly, like solidified lard, then quickly peeled away to reveal his sinister and ruthless true face. His small eyes narrowed into slits, flashing with cold light: "You won't hand it over? Hmph, you won't listen to reason, so don't blame your senior brother for not showing any sympathy! The 'losses' of this herb garden will all be on your shoulders! I want to see what a newcomer like you can use to compensate! In the end, forget about contribution points, you'll probably even have to be stripped of this newly donned green robe and kicked out of the Qingyun Sect!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Hu and Li Si behind him understood and stepped forward at the same time. Their spiritual power surged, forming a triangular encirclement that trapped Lin Xuan in the middle. They were clearly preparing to exert pressure and even take action to seize the item.

In their preconceived notions, Lin Xuan, a newcomer exiled to the Northern Foothills, was the easiest target. His Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation was utterly insignificant compared to the three of them!

However, just as Zhang Hu, a sinister smile on his face, reached out his rough hand, intending to grab Lin Xuan by the collar and teach him a lesson—

Lin Xuan made a move!

Still as a virgin, swift as a rabbit!

He didn't even use the vast stellar spiritual power within his dantian; with a slight shift in his mysterious star-step technique, his figure moved like a ghost, leaving a trail of afterimages. By the slightest margin, he caused Zhang Hu's seemingly inevitable claw strike to miss its mark. At the same time, his right hand moved with lightning speed, striking first, his five fingers like iron clamps, precisely gripping Zhang Hu's wrist!

"Snap!"

A sharp, chilling crack of bone breaking suddenly rang out in the silent herb garden!

"Ah—!! My hand!!" Zhang Hu let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered. His entire right arm twisted and drooped at a bizarre angle that defied physiological structure. The excruciating pain overwhelmed him like a tidal wave. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead instantly, and his face turned ashen white!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, faster than Liu Neng and Li Si could react! They didn't even see how Lin Xuan moved or how he made his move!

"You fucking court death!" Li Si was both shocked and furious. Seeing his companion crippled, he instinctively roared and summoned a gleaming, poisoned dagger. Infused with spiritual power, it carried a foul stench and stabbed straight at Lin Xuan's seemingly open ribs! The angle was tricky, and the ruthlessness was extraordinary!

Lin Xuan seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He suddenly exerted force with the five fingers that gripped Zhang Hu's wrist, and shoved him forward like a human shield!

"Pfft!"

The dull thud of a sharp weapon piercing flesh rang out!

"Agh—!" Zhang Hu's scream suddenly rose, filled with despair and pain—Li Si's poisoned dagger had pierced deep into his groin, and blood gushed out instantly, staining his green robe red!

Lin Xuan released his grip as easily as discarding a broken doll. Zhang Hu could no longer hold on, letting out a series of inhuman howls. Clutching his severed hand and bleeding thigh, he collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently, clearly having completely lost his fighting ability.

Li Si, gripping the dagger stained with his companion's blood, was completely stunned. Looking at Zhang Hu writhing in agony on the ground, and then at his own blood-stained hands, the color drained from his face, and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Liu Neng's expression had changed from its initial gloom to utter shock and fear! He stared intently at Lin Xuan, as if looking at a monster crawling out of hell! That ghostly movement, that ruthless and decisive method, that calmness without even blinking when crippling someone... this was definitely not the temperament and strength that an ordinary new disciple could possess!

"Who...who are you?!" Liu Neng's voice trembled uncontrollably as he instinctively backed away, nearly tripping over a rock. He felt like he had kicked not a steel plate, but an iceberg!

Lin Xuan slowly turned around, his gaze like a blade forged from millennia-old ice, coldly landing on Liu Neng's panicked face. His gaze seemed to pierce through his flesh, directly striking his trembling soul: "Now, can you get out of here? Or do you also want to stay and keep him company?" His voice was not loud, but it carried a suffocating sense of oppression.

Liu Neng felt a chill run from his tailbone to the top of his head as he was swept by that gaze, and his limbs went cold. He had no doubt that if he dared to say another word of dissent, he would be the next one lying on the ground!

"Fine! Fine! You win! Let's go! Let's go right now!" Liu Neng shouted in a shrill voice, his voice filled with bravado but his heart was filled with fear. He no longer cared about saving face or the screaming Zhang Hu on the ground. He grabbed the terrified Li Si and, like a stray dog, scrambled and crawled out of the herb garden fence, disappearing into the end of the mountain road without daring to look back.

Lin Xuan didn't even glance at Zhang Hu, who was groaning in pain and bleeding profusely on the ground. He simply said in a cold, emotionless voice, "Take him and get out. Remember, if I see you again in the Northern Foothills Herb Garden, it won't just be your limbs that are broken."

Those murderous words pierced Zhang Hu's ears like ice picks. He endured the excruciating pain and dizziness from blood loss, using his only remaining left hand to support himself, dragging his injured leg, and crawling slowly and laboriously out of the garden, leaving a winding, glaring trail of blood on the ground.

The herb garden returned to silence, with only the faint smell of blood in the air proving that what had just happened was not an illusion.

Lin Xuan stood rooted to the spot, the mountain wind whipping the hem of his green robe. His eyes were deep as he gazed in the direction the three had fled, his heart unmoved. He knew that today's events would not end there. Liu Neng had suffered such a great loss; he would surely seek revenge or sow discord.

But he didn't care; in fact, he was happy to see it happen.

Forbearance is not weakness. Within this hierarchical, dog-eat-dog sect, excessive discretion only invites more covetousness and oppression. Today, he swiftly and decisively suppressed Liu Neng and his two companions to establish his authority! To make an example of them! To tell all potential troublemakers in the most direct and brutal way that this Northern Foothills Herb Garden is Lin Xuan's territory, and no one is allowed to encroach upon or provoke it!

He turned and walked calmly back to the stone house, gently closing the wooden door to shut out all the outside disturbances. Sitting cross-legged on the futon, he closed his eyes again, his mind sinking back into his comprehension of the "Star Finger," as if the brief conflict just now had merely brushed away an insignificant speck of dust.

However, the news spread like wildfire among the lower-level disciples of the outer sect.

"Have you heard? The new guard at the North Slope Medicinal Herb Garden gave Liu Neng and his gang a good beating!"

"Really? Liu Neng is at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and he even managed to lose with two henchmen, Zhang Hu and Li Si?"

"It's absolutely true! Zhang Hu's wrist was crushed to pieces, and Li Si accidentally stabbed him in the leg. It was a gruesome sight! Liu Neng didn't dare utter a sound and ran away!"

"My God! Who is that newcomer? He's so fierce!"

"His name seems to be Lin Xuan... That's right! He's the ruthless guy who punched the strength-testing monument to pieces during the entrance selection and was immediately accepted as a disciple by Elder Mo Yuan!"

When Lin Xuan's deliberately low-key background was unearthed by someone with ulterior motives, all the disciples who heard about it gasped in shock, revealing expressions of understanding and apprehension.

He's a disciple of Elder Mo Yuan, the master of skill transmission! No wonder he's so powerful and domineering!

Some of the older disciples who might have had ulterior motives about the Beilu Medicinal Garden, or who were planning to see Liu Neng make a fool of himself, immediately extinguished all such thoughts.

Liu Neng's connections and background were like a firefly compared to the bright moon in front of a powerful elder! Moreover, Lin Xuan himself was so powerful and ruthless, who would dare to provoke him?

After this incident, although Lin Xuan continued to live a secluded life, his "fearsome reputation" spread like wildfire throughout the Northern Foothills region and even among the lower-level disciples of the outer sect. No one dared to cause trouble in the herb garden anymore. Even those disciples who needed to pass through the Northern Foothills would subconsciously take a detour or walk quietly, for fear of disturbing the evil star in the garden.

The North Foothills Herb Garden has become a "forbidden zone" that no one in the outer sect dares to provoke.

And this was exactly the result Lin Xuan wanted. In the most direct way, he threw a boulder into this seemingly calm sect territory, marking his own domain. In this "peace" won through strength, he would continue to lie low, sharpen his claws, and wait for the moment when he truly needed to show his prowess.