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

Having reached the Great Perfection of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining, Lin Xuan felt his spiritual energy surging like mercury throughout his body, and his divine sense could now cover a range of three miles. Recalling his arduous battle with the Lava Fire Python, it felt like a lifetime ago. If they were to meet again now, he was absolutely certain he could take its life within three moves.

He no longer concealed his presence; his green robe billowed as he moved like lightning, traversing the core area of ​​the secret realm. His powerful divine sense spread out, like an invisible king surveying his territory. Wherever he passed, whether it was a ninth-tier demon beast entrenched in a region or a cultivator with ulterior motives, all fled in terror.

Three days later, he stopped Leng Feng in front of a cliff called Broken Soul Cliff.

The top swordsman of the outer sect was filled with fighting spirit, and his sword energy soared into the sky, shattering the clouds and mist at the edge of the cliff. He used the "Splitting Light and Shadow Sword" to its fullest extent, with a hundred sword shadows intertwining reality and illusion, blocking all of Lin Xuan's escape routes.

Lin Xuan simply stood quietly at the edge of the cliff, and just as the sword shadow was about to reach him, he gently pointed with his right index finger. A condensed, almost tangible starlight shot through the air, shattering the sword shadows wherever it passed, and finally landing precisely three inches from the spine of the Cold Edge Sword.

"Zheng—"

The longsword groaned, and Leng Feng's tiger's mouth split open, forcing him to stagger back seven steps before regaining his footing. He stared at the tiny crack on the sword, remaining silent for a long time before finally clasping his hands in a salute: "I have learned much."

Two days later, he found Liu Bai in the Poisonous Valley.

This cultivator, known for his unpredictable nature, indeed employed a multitude of methods. First, he set up a triple illusion array, then concealed his figure with a seven-fold poison barrier, and finally unleashed thirty-six poison-soaked bone-piercing needles, attacking from an unbelievable angle.

Lin Xuan didn't even move a step. His divine sense swept over, and the illusion array shattered like a bubble; the star spiritual power circulated throughout the body, and the poison barrier was purified within three feet of him; as for the poison needles, he simply flicked his sleeve, and with a gust of wind, all thirty-six poison needles flew back and deeply embedded themselves in the rock in front of Liu Bai's feet.

Liu Bai's face turned deathly pale, and the folding fan in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud." He gave Lin Xuan a deep look, bowed, and said, "Liu Bai... admits defeat."

Having consecutively defeated the two strongest members of the outer sect, Lin Xuan's name was now like that of a god among the surviving core disciples. When disciples caught sight of him from afar, they hurriedly gave way, fearing it would cause a misunderstanding.

Lin Xuan did not kill Leng Feng and Liu Bai. At his level, he understood that a frog in a well cannot discuss the ocean, and a summer insect cannot discuss ice. His gaze had already been set on a much wider world.

Now, the only thing he cares about is the legendary "Earth Vein Spirit Milk".

Based on his divine sense and scattered ancient records, he finally located a dragon vein cave deep within the secret realm. The entrance to the cave was protected by a naturally formed nine-palace maze, and a black-scaled python on the verge of transforming into a dragon was coiled there.

If he had come here half a month ago, he might have had to go through some trouble. But now, with a few quick flicks of his fingertips, the core of the Nine Palaces Maze broke instantly; facing the ferocious and overwhelming Black Scale Python, he used a rudimentary "Starfall" technique, leaving a deep, bone-revealing blood hole on the python's forehead.

Deep within the cave, in a milky-white stone pool no more than ten feet square, three drops of "earth vein spiritual milk," slowly wriggling like living things and exuding boundless vitality and Taoist charm, lay quietly in the center of the pool.

Lin Xuan could feel that simply standing by the pool had slightly improved his already incredibly stable cultivation level. Without further hesitation, he immediately swallowed a drop.

The spiritual milk entered his stomach, transforming into a gentle yet boundless energy. It didn't directly enhance his spiritual power, but rather, like a master craftsman, it began to cleanse his meridians from the most fundamental level, tempering his spiritual power and solidifying his foundation. It felt as if his body and soul were being reborn in the womb of heaven and earth.

When the spiritual milk was fully refined, although he remained at the Great Perfection of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining, he could clearly feel that his foundation had become more solid than ever before. His spiritual power was three-tenths purer, his meridians had doubled in size, and even his divine sense seemed to have been cleansed and made more transparent. This paved the perfect path for his future breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

"With this spiritual milk to solidify my foundation, my success rate in establishing my foundation will increase by at least 50%! And it will definitely be a perfect foundation!" Lin Xuan was thrilled and carefully put away the remaining two drops of spiritual milk.

Thus, his journey through the Blood Refining Secret Realm was complete.

Three days later, the exit of the secret realm reopened.

As the crimson gate of light appeared above the training ground, everyone who had been waiting held their breath. One after another, figures, some disheveled, some exhausted, and some carrying the joy of their achievements, staggered out from it. Of the ten who entered, only seven remained; the life-bound jade tablets of three had already shattered in the ancestral hall.

Lin Xuan was the last to emerge. His blue robe was spotless, and his aura was calm and composed, a stark contrast to the disheveled state of those around him. His appearance immediately made him the center of attention, drawing gazes of awe, jealousy, fear, envy… a mixture of emotions.

The gazes of Leng Feng and Liu Bai towards him now held only deep apprehension and a hint of admiration.

On the high platform, Elder Mo Yuan stroked his beard and smiled as he saw Lin Xuan return safely. The other elders, however, looked at Lin Xuan with even greater fervor—this young man was not only incredibly strong, but he had also managed to escape the secret realm unscathed; his gains must have been astonishing, and his potential immeasurable!

However, just as the disciple was about to announce the successful conclusion of the expedition to the secret realm—

A powerful, cold, and undisguised spiritual pressure descended upon the training ground like dark clouds covering the sky!

A middle-aged cultivator dressed in the black robes of an inner sect deacon, with a sinister face and eyes like a venomous snake, appeared out of thin air below the high platform, his gaze fixed on Lin Xuan! He released his mid-Foundation Establishment aura without reservation, making it difficult for all the Qi Refining disciples present to breathe.

"Lin Xuan!"

The chilling voice, like ice scraping across the ground, sent a shiver down the spines of all the disciples present.

"I am Zhao Song, an inner sect deacon!" The black-robed cultivator's voice was filled with suppressed rage. "Do you know your crime?!"

Zhao Song! Zhao Qian's cousin! That inner sect deacon in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!

Lin Xuan sneered inwardly, but his face remained calm. He cupped his hands and said, "I wonder what crime Deacon Zhao has committed? This disciple entered the secret realm under orders and followed the rules. What crime have I committed?"

"Hmph! Still dare to argue!" Zhao Song's eyes were as fierce as knives. "First, you harmed your fellow disciples; you are ruthless! My cousin Zhao Gan died at your hands!"

These words caused an uproar! Zhao Qian was dead? Or killed by Lin Xuan? Although private struggles within a sect inevitably result in death and injury, being questioned in public by a deacon completely changed the nature of the matter!

Lin Xuan had anticipated this question and calmly replied, "Steward Zhao, you are mistaken. Junior Brother Zhao Gan was murdered outside the sect, in a refugee settlement. At the time, I was still diligently cultivating within the sect, as evidenced by my entry record and the herb garden duty record. How can you claim to have harmed a fellow disciple? Does Steward Zhao perhaps believe that sect regulations apply to refugee settlements?"

He had already cleaned up the mess thoroughly; the time and place didn't match up, so he wasn't afraid of being investigated. His words were so impeccable that even the elders on the platform nodded slightly.

Zhao Song hesitated. He didn't have concrete evidence, only inferences based on Zhao Gan's grudge against Lin Xuan and Lin Xuan's subsequent display of strength. He suppressed his anger and said sternly, "Fine! Let's leave that aside for now! In that secret realm, you wantonly slaughtered and plundered your fellow disciples' resources, causing the deaths of several. That's not wrong, is it?! Wang Hu, Li Zhen, and the others—did you kill them?!"

The names he gave were those of the raiders who had been killed by Lin Xuan in the secret realm.

Lin Xuan's expression remained unchanged, but his tone took on a cold tinge: "The Blood Refining Secret Realm is a place where opportunities are seized by oneself, and life and death are left to fate! This is the sect's rule! They wanted to kill me and seize my treasures, so was I supposed to just sit here and wait to be slaughtered? Instead of investigating those who actively robbed and harmed their fellow disciples, Deacon Zhao comes to question me, who was forced to defend myself. What kind of logic is that? Are they allowed to kill, but I am not allowed to resist?"

His gaze swept over the disciples who had emerged from the secret realm. "All of you senior brothers here can testify that I have never provoked anyone. All my killings were for self-defense!"

Leng Feng, Liu Bai, and the others remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. They had personally witnessed Lin Xuan's strength and how those people had taken the initiative to attack him.

Zhao Song's face turned ashen, his chest heaving violently, as Lin Xuan's words left him speechless. He hadn't expected this young man to be so sharp-tongued and shrewd!

He came today for two reasons: first, he harbored resentment over Zhao Gan's death; second, several of his trusted confidants (such as Wang Hu) he had placed in the secret realm were also killed by Lin Xuan, resulting in significant losses for him. With both old and new grudges combined, he couldn't help but personally step forward to exert pressure, hoping to take this opportunity to capture Lin Xuan, or at least make him suffer a great loss and deprive him of his secret realm gains.

Unexpectedly, Lin Xuan handled the situation flawlessly, leaving Lin Xuan in an awkward position.

"Fine! What a sharp-tongued junior!" Zhao Song laughed angrily, his mid-Foundation Establishment spiritual pressure crushing down on Lin Xuan like a mountain. "Even if you embellish your story, the fact remains that you slaughtered your fellow disciples! Today, this deacon will take you back to the Punishment Hall for a thorough interrogation!"

He actually disregarded all shame and directly took action to arrest people!

The terrifying spiritual pressure made the air around Lin Xuan freeze, but he still stood up straight, with a faint hint of mockery on his lips.

On the high platform, Elder Mo Yuan frowned, about to speak.

Just then, Lin Xuan suddenly laughed.

Facing the pressure of the Foundation Establishment stage, he slowly raised his head, his gaze calmly meeting Zhao Song's, his voice clearly resounding throughout the entire arena:

"Deacon Zhao, you keep citing sect regulations, yet you ignore the evidence and attempt to use your power to force me into submission. Do you think the rules of the Qingyun Sect are solely determined by you, Deacon Zhao?"

"Or is it that you're simply holding a grudge because of Zhao Gan's death and the elimination of those...shady subordinates you planted in the secret realm, and are using this official position to settle personal scores?!"

These words were like a thunderbolt from the blue!

Not only did they expose Zhao Song's selfish motives, but they also revealed that he had secretly planted people in the secret realm! This was a major taboo in the sect!

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Zhao Song's expression changed drastically, both shocked and furious! He hadn't expected Lin Xuan to be so bold as to directly expose this secret.

"Whether it's nonsense or not, the sect will make its own judgment." Lin Xuan stopped looking at him and instead bowed to Mo Yuan and the elders on the high platform. "Disciple Lin Xuan humbly requests that the elders uphold justice!"

Elder Mo Yuan slowly rose, his gaze calmly fixed on Zhao Song: "Steward Zhao, do you have any evidence to support Lin Xuan's claims?"

Zhao Song opened his mouth, his face turning pale and then red. Where could he possibly produce any evidence? It was all just his speculation and misplaced anger.

"Since there is no evidence, let this matter end here." Mo Yuan's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "What Lin Xuan obtained in the secret realm was his personal opportunity. As for the internal strife, since it took place within the secret realm, it should be handled according to the rules of the secret realm. You, step down."

Zhao Song clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, blood dripping from between his fingers. He glared fiercely at Lin Xuan, the resentment in his eyes almost tangible, but he dared not disobey the elder who imparted his skills, and could only squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "Yes... Elder Mo."

Having said that, he suddenly flicked his sleeves, transforming into a streak of black light, and left in a huff. His departing figure was filled with resentment and murderous intent.

The training ground was completely silent.

Everyone stared in awe at the young man in the green robe who stood alone, facing the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Deacon without flinching.

From this day forward, Lin Xuan's name will no longer be limited to the outer sect.

And his feud with Zhao Song, and even the forces behind him, was now completely sealed.

Lin Xuan stared in the direction Zhao Song had left, his eyes as cold as ice.

Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage? Inner Sect Deacon?

When I reach the foundation stage, I will settle all accounts with you!