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

Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Lin Xuan almost became one with the stone house in the Northern Foothills Herb Garden, devoting all his energy to cultivation and preparation. With his divine sense comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator and his subtle control over spiritual power, he naturally stepped into the seventh level of Qi Refining. The star vortex within his dantian became increasingly profound and refined, and his spiritual power surged like a river.

The first level of "Star Finger," "Finger Ray," has reached perfection. With the slightest thought, the finger ray can tear through the sky, its power surpassing even the past. Although the profound mystery of the second level, "Starfall," has not yet been fully comprehended, a trace of the true meaning of the annihilation of stars has been touched.

In addition, he spent his accumulated contribution points and some spirit stones to purchase a large amount of talisman-making materials and a low-level alchemy furnace at the sect's market. With his powerful divine sense, he made rapid progress in studying basic talisman and pill making. Although the success rate was not perfect, he accumulated a considerable number of "Swiftness Talismans," "Diamond Talismans," "Qi-restoring Pills," and "Antidote Pills," filling his storage bag quite full.

On this day, the atmosphere above the central drill ground was as heavy as iron.

Ten outer disciples who had qualified for the secret realm stood solemnly among themselves, maintaining a delicate distance from one another. Leng Feng clutched his ever-present longsword, his eyes lowered, yet an invisible sword aura swirled around him, slicing through the air. Liu Bai lightly waved his folding fan, his usual smile fading slightly, a cold glint appearing deep within his eyes. The others also exuded a composed aura, their eyes warily scanning for potential opponents.

Lin Xuan stood quietly at the edge, his green robe fluttering in the breeze. His aura was as restrained as that of an ordinary person, but deep within his eyes, which occasionally opened and closed, seemed to flow like a river of stars, revealing a hidden power.

High above, several elders stood gracefully, their robes billowing in the air. Mo Yuan, the leader, swept his gaze like lightning across the ten young yet resolute faces below. His deep, resonant voice reached each of them clearly: "The Blood Refining Realm is about to open. You should already know its rules. Opportunity lies ahead; each of you must seize it through your own means. However, fortune and misfortune are intertwined; life and death… are left to fate! I hope you will remember this and act accordingly!"

After speaking, he and several elders beside him simultaneously formed hand seals, causing a surge of spiritual light. The space in the center of the martial arts arena suddenly distorted and trembled, emitting a tearing sound that made one's teeth ache. A blood-red gate with irregular edges, exuding a strong bloody stench and an ancient, desolate aura, materialized out of thin air, like the slowly opening kiss of a giant beast. The interior of the gate was dark and deep, as if leading to an unknown purgatory.

"Enter the secret realm!"

As soon as the order was given, ten figures instantly transformed into streaks of light, carrying with them determination and longing, rushing into the blood-red light gate!

Lin Xuan felt a tightness all over his body, as if he had been pierced through a layer of thick, cold blood. After a brief feeling of suffocation, the scene before him suddenly changed dramatically.

He found himself in a boundless primeval forest. Towering ancient trees with gnarled branches blocked out the sun, and thick vines coiled and hung down like monstrous pythons.

The light was dim, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of rotting earth, the rich fragrance of some strange flowers and plants, and a faint, almost imperceptible, smell of blood that seemed to seep into one's very bones.

In the distance, the low roars of unknown demonic beasts rose and fell, and further away, the faint rumble of colliding spiritual energy and mournful screams could be heard, adding countless dangers to this primeval land. However, the concentration of spiritual energy here far exceeded that of the inner sect of the Qingyun Sect, so dense that it was almost impossible to breathe, and every breath was refreshing.

"What a place where danger and fortune coexist!" Lin Xuan thought to himself, his divine sense already spreading out like invisible mercury in an instant, covering an area of ​​one mile. The texture of the plants, the crawling of insects, the flow of spiritual energy in the earth's veins, and even a few spiritual herbs full of spiritual energy and a few minerals that faintly shimmered with precious light, were all clearly reflected in his mind.

Without hesitation, he moved slightly and used his Wind Control Technique to rush towards the nearest "Centennial Blood Spirit Mushroom" hidden under its gnarled roots. Its color was like congealed blood, radiating an alluring spiritual light.

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the warm, moist cap—

"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"

Three faint yet extremely sharp whooshing sounds, carrying a pungent, fishy stench, shot out from the shadows of the dense forest behind him! Their targets were aimed directly at his back, neck, and temples—three vital points!

A sneak attack! And the timing was extremely precise!

Lin Xuan's eyes suddenly turned cold. Without any visible movement, his steps flowed naturally, and his figure moved several feet horizontally like a ghost. The three thin needles, coated with a dark blue poison, grazed his clothes and deeply embedded themselves in the tree trunk behind him. The ends of the needles trembled incessantly, emitting a heart-palpitating buzzing sound.

He whirled around, his gaze sweeping like an icy blade towards the source of the attack. Three outer disciples, dressed in robes from different mountain peaks, emerged from the forest in a pincer-like formation, subtly surrounding him. The leader was a tall, thin youth with a sinister face, his cultivation at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining. He toyed with a gleaming dagger, his eyes greedily scanning between him and the Blood Spirit Mushroom.

"Kid, your movement skills are not bad, but unfortunately..." The tall, thin youth sneered, his voice hoarse, "If you know what's good for you, dig out the Blood Spirit Mushroom yourself and hand over your storage bag. If we're in a good mood, we might leave you with a whole corpse!"

Beside him were two men, one with a burly face and holding a spiked club, the other with gleaming eyes and several talismans between his fingers, both exuding the aura of the sixth level of Qi Refining. Their auras locked onto Lin Xuan, sealing off all his escape routes.

Lin Xuan recognized that these three were not among the top ten in this competition. They had obviously relied on some elder and obtained their spots through other means. Their actions clearly indicated that they were plotting murder and robbery, specifically targeting those who were alone and appeared to have low cultivation levels.

"The law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, is certainly on full display here." Lin Xuan sneered inwardly, but his face remained calm, even a faint hint of mockery playing at the corners of his lips. "You think you can take on just three chickens and dogs?"

"You're courting death!" The tall, thin youth was thoroughly enraged by his contempt. He roared, and the dagger in his hand suddenly glowed with spiritual light, transforming into a black light like a venomous snake, aimed straight at Lin Xuan's throat! At the same time, the burly man roared and swung his spiked club, creating a vicious gust of wind as he swept it across Lin Xuan's waist! Meanwhile, the talisman cultivator quickly activated the talismans in his hand, and several blazing fireballs and ice spikes roared as they blocked the space to Lin Xuan's left and right.

The three worked together seamlessly and launched a ruthless attack, clearly not the first time they had done this kind of thing.

However, under Lin Xuan's divine sense, which was comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, their movements, the flow of spiritual energy, and even the sound of the wind generated when the spiked club was swung were all as clear as the lines on the palm of one's hand.

Faced with this seemingly impenetrable siege, Lin Xuan did not even use the Star Finger technique.

With a subtle shift in his footwork, he unleashed the Star Step, his figure moving like a willow catkin in the wind, or a butterfly flitting among flowers, strolling leisurely through a deadly web woven from flashing blades, streaks of clubs, fireballs, and ice spikes. Each dodge was flawlessly precise, narrowly avoiding fatal attacks. Simultaneously, his ten fingers flicked rapidly, unleashing condensed, almost tangible, spiritual energy finger strikes that pierced the air with sharp whistling sounds, precisely aimed at the wrists and joints of the talisman cultivator and the burly man!

"Pfft! Pfft! Ah!" "My wrist! The magic weapon fell off!"

Caught off guard, Fu Xiu and the burly man felt a sharp pain in their wrists, their spiritual energy flow instantly stopped, the fireball and ice spikes were annihilated, and the spiked club flew out of their hands. The two screamed and staggered backward, instantly losing their fighting ability.

The tall, thin youth was shocked. His move was too old, and it was too late to change his strategy. In a flash, Lin Xuan had appeared before him like a ghost, inches away. A hand that looked fair and slender, yet covered with a faint starlight, pressed down on his chest with seemingly slow but actually swift movements.

"Bang!"

A dull thud, like the sound of leather being struck, was heard.

The tall, thin youth's eyes bulged out, his face filled with disbelief and horror. He felt an indescribable force pierce through his body, his ribs cracking under the immense pressure, his internal organs seemingly churned into a jumbled mess. He couldn't even let out a proper scream before he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, his back slamming hard against an ancient tree that would take several people to encircle. The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible, and he slumped to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth and nose; it was clear he wouldn't survive.

The other two disciples, whose wrists had been crippled, were terrified when they saw their leader killed instantly. They lost all will to fight and turned to try to escape into the dense forest.

"You want to leave now? Don't you think it's too late?"

Lin Xuan's icy voice was like a chilling wind from the depths of hell, instantly freezing their blood. He pointed his fingers like a sword, not even looking, and casually pointed twice in the direction the two had fled.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Two barely perceptible silver starlights arrived first, as if traversing space, and precisely pierced the vital points in the backs of the two men.

The two men froze abruptly, their forward momentum halted abruptly, and they collapsed to the ground, twitching twice before falling silent again.

From being ambushed to killing three people, the whole process happened in the blink of an eye, in just ten breaths!

Lin Xuan's expression remained unchanged, as if he had merely brushed away a few specks of dust. He skillfully took the three people's storage bags into his hands, scanned them with his divine sense, ignoring the miscellaneous items, and focusing on the spirit stones and potentially useful pills and talismans. Then, he carefully plucked the hundred-year-old Blood Spirit Mushroom by its roots and placed it in a specially made jade box for preservation.

Having done all this, he didn't even glance at the three still-warm corpses on the ground or the stench of blood beginning to permeate the air. With a slight sway, he vanished like a wisp of smoke into the depths of the dense, dark jungle, leaving no trace.

He knew that in this lawless Blood Refining Secret Realm, this was merely an insignificant opening act; far more brutal carnage was yet to come.

In the days that followed, Lin Xuan transformed into the most efficient hunter and gatherer, navigating the perils and alluring opportunities of the secret realm. With his powerful divine sense, he was always able to avoid the territories of powerful demonic beasts exuding terrifying demonic energy, accurately finding rare spiritual herbs and precious ores. The joy of his harvest often welled up in his heart.

And as he predicted, killing is the eternal theme of this land.

The fierce battles between demonic beasts for territory and prey were commonplace, with severed limbs and roars filling the mountains and forests. But what was even more chilling was the treachery and brutal slaughter among cultivators.

In just a few days, Lin Xuan had been attacked no less than ten times. Some were professional robbery gangs like the original trio; others were fighting over a high-level spiritual herb they had discovered together, turning hostile one moment into a fight the next; and still others, simply because he was alone and his cultivation was "not high," were driven by malice and wanted to kill him and steal his treasure.

Lin Xuan's response to this has always been consistent—to stop killing with killing!

No matter who the visitor is, which faction they belong to, or what high-sounding reasons they have, as long as they dare to draw their weapons and unleash their killing intent, he will not hesitate to launch a thunderous counterattack and show no mercy!

His Star Finger technique, honed by the trials of blood and fire, shed its last trace of worldly impurity, becoming ever more pure, sharp, and decisive. The finger's beam swept across the void, bringing not the sound of wind, but the piercing scream of death. Magical artifacts shattered before it, protective auras vanished like paper, and lives withered like blades of grass.

He never provokes others, adhering strictly to the principle of "I will not offend others unless they offend me." But anyone who dares to cross that line will face his ruthless retaliation.

Gradually, a terrifying rumor about the "Azure-Clad Evil Star" began to circulate quietly among the disciples who entered the secret realm.

It is said that the man always wore an inconspicuous blue robe, and his cultivation level seemed to hover only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, but his finger techniques were already superb, ruthless and merciless to the extreme. Anyone who attacked him, whether alone or in groups, would ultimately meet a gruesome end, without exception!

At first, some people didn't believe in this superstition. A group of five disciples at the sixth and seventh levels of Qi Refining, confident in their strength, carefully laid a trap and released bait, attempting to lure Lin Xuan into a deadly situation and divide his rich spoils.

However, just as they were smugly setting up the trap, and various spells and magical artifacts flooded the area, Lin Xuan's figure, like an illusory bubble, calmly escaped from the deadly trap in a way that was beyond their comprehension.

The next moment, tiny, deadly starlight shone through the dark forest, like the cold eyes of death, watching them intently.

The fingertip flashed and darted about, each flash accompanied by a short, agonizing scream and the passing of a life.

In a short while, the meticulously set trap was reduced to a few still-warm corpses and blood-stained soil. Lin Xuan expressionlessly collected his spoils and then drifted away, as if he had simply completed a routine gathering.

After this battle, the fearsome reputation of "Azure-Clad Fiend" Lin Xuan spread like wildfire among the survivors of the secret realm! No one dared to easily regard him as prey anymore. Some disciples would even flee in panic as soon as they caught a glimpse of that azure figure, fearing that they would be killed.

Lin Xuan was happy to see this happen; his fearsome reputation would save him a lot of unnecessary trouble. He focused more on searching for resources, honing his spells, and... finding the "Earth Vein Spirit Milk" that was crucial to his Foundation Establishment opportunity.

On this day, following his divine sense, he arrived at a scorching valley with treacherous terrain and a thick, sulfurous odor permeating the air. The valley was filled with jagged rocks and cracked ground, with a pool of magma in the center constantly churning with dark red bubbles, radiating intense heat. At the edge of the scorching magma pool, nestled in the crevices of several heat-resistant black rocks, three strange little plants, their bodies fiery red and translucent like carved ruby, stubbornly grew. They moved without wind, emanating pure and scorching fire-attribute spiritual energy, incredibly alluring.

"Vermilion Fruit Grass! And it's at least three hundred years old!" Lin Xuan's gaze sharpened, a hint of joy rising in his heart. This item is an indispensable main ingredient in refining many high-grade fire-attribute pills, and even some Foundation Establishment stage pills; it's priceless!

However, just as his mind was drawn to the Vermilion Fruit Grass and he was about to carefully pick it, a sudden change occurred!

"Gurgle—" The center of the magma pool suddenly churned violently, and a violent and ferocious aura comparable to the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining erupted like a sleeping beast suddenly awakening!