I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

She took a deep breath, cleared her mind of distractions, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate the "Azure Emperor's Longevity Technique" passed down by the Azure Wood Sect. The advantages of her innate wood spirit body were revealed, and the spiritual energy of the surrounding plants and trees joyfully surged towards her, forming a faint green halo around her.

However, she was unaware that a gaze was coldly watching her from the shadows not far from the small building.

It was Mu Xuan.

He was acting on his uncle's orders, "casually" stopping by to check on Lin Qing'er. Seeing her cultivating so diligently, he curled his lip and muttered to himself, "Keep practicing, keep practicing. So what if she has an innate wood spirit body? Without a background, without a backer, she's just a pawn in this sect. Qin Yuan? Hmph, entering the Taiyi Sect, does that mean everything will be smooth sailing? He might just disappear without a trace one day..."

He turned and left, pondering in his heart that perhaps he should find a way to teach this arrogant girl a lesson and make her face reality.

Two incidents, seemingly subsided, were actually brewing beneath the surface. Qin Yuan's career as captain of the Taiyi Immortal Sect had just begun, while within the Qingmu Sect, a hint of malice towards Lin Qing'er was quietly growing. An even larger vortex was slowly brewing.

Taiyi Immortal Sect - Side Hall of the Law Enforcement Department

The hall was brightly lit, with "fluorite" embedded in the walls for illumination, emitting a stable and soft glow. Qin Yuan presented the mission file and the monitoring array plate engraved by Li Zhen together. Su Wan stood half a step behind him, holding a jade slip that recorded the detailed exploration process.

The person in charge of receiving the documents was a stern-faced middle-aged deacon from the Enforcement Hall, whose cultivation was at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He took the dossier and array plate, scanned the jade slip with his divine sense, and his brows gradually furrowed.

"Black Wind Ravine... Yin Puppet? Suspected traces of an external force's infiltration?" The steward looked up at Qin Yuan, his gaze scrutinizing. "Captain Qin, this is no small matter. Are you sure that Yin Puppet was man-made and protected by a concealed array? Or is it a naturally formed malevolent being?"

"Confirmed." Qin Yuan's voice was steady as he took out the jade box containing the Yin Puppet Soul Core and placed it on the table. "This is the core of the Yin Puppet Soul Core. It contains the divine imprint of the refiner. Although it has been encrypted, the traces of human intervention are obvious. Also, the corpse of the cultivator by the Nether Pool has a suspicious death. His belongings were all looted, suggesting he was silenced. The monitoring array has been set up and can continuously record the fluctuations of the array at the bottom of the pool."

The deacon took the jade box and carefully examined it with his divine sense, his expression gradually becoming solemn. The chaotic and violent soul power within the soul core, as well as the extremely subtle yet exceptionally stubborn encrypted mark, were definitely not natural products. He then activated the array plate, and the array fluctuation pattern displayed on the light screen at the bottom of the pool was regular and complex, clearly meticulously arranged.

"This matter..." The deacon pondered for a moment, "involves potential infiltration by foreign enemies, exceeding the scope of ordinary patrol missions. Leave the files and evidence here; I will report to the hall master immediately. Captain Qin, your third squad's discovery was timely and handled properly; I will rate your mission 'Top Grade.' However, before further investigation orders are issued within the hall, your squad must keep this matter confidential, must not divulge it, and must not venture into Black Wind Ravine on your own, lest you alert the enemy or encounter unforeseen circumstances."

"Understood." Qin Yuan nodded.

"Furthermore," the deacon's tone softened, "Captain Qin has made such a contribution so soon after joining the sect; the hall master will surely reward him. You should return to your quarters to rest and await further instructions."

Leaving the Enforcement Hall, Su Wan couldn't help but whisper, "Captain, this matter... seems to be more serious than we thought."

"Hmm." Qin Yuan looked ahead. "For the Enforcement Hall to take this so seriously, there must be something significant going on behind the scenes. Let's return to the base first and urge Li Zhen to closely monitor the array plate's feedback. You should also back up the mission report and keep it safe."

"Yes."

Back at the Bingzi Courtyard in Yaoguang District, Zhao Zheng, Sun Ying, Wang Shan, and Li Zhen had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Qin Yuan and his companion return, they hurriedly went to greet them.

"Captain, what about the Enforcement Hall..." Zhao Zheng asked, his expression showing concern, no longer harboring any of his previous ulterior motives.

"The mission assessment is Grade A, and the details have been reported. The Enforcement Hall will take over the follow-up. We must maintain confidentiality and are not allowed to investigate further." Qin Yuan explained briefly, then looked at Li Zhen, "What's the feedback from the array plate?"

Li Zhen quickly took out a smaller auxiliary plate, activated his spiritual power, and a light screen appeared: "Captain, since we left, the fluctuations of spiritual energy and baleful energy in the Nether Pool area have been generally stable. However, around midnight, we detected three extremely weak and unnatural disturbances to the array, each lasting less than a breath. It's as if... someone is trying to slightly activate or test the array from a distance, but it hasn't actually been activated. The source of the disturbance points deeper into Black Wind Ravine, closer to 'Bone Ridge'."

"Kugu Ridge?" Qin Yuan looked at Zhao Zheng.

Zhao Zheng immediately replied, "That's another dangerous place within the Black Wind Ravine area. Legend has it that it was a battlefield in ancient times, with even stronger malevolent energy, many remaining bones, and ghosts lurking there. Few cultivators venture deep into it normally. Could it be...?"

"It seems the problem with Black Wind Ravine isn't just the Dark Pool." Qin Yuan's gaze turned slightly cold. "Li Zhen, continue monitoring, paying close attention to any unusual fluctuations in the direction of Dry Bone Ridge. Zhao Zheng, review the sect's past records and mission files regarding Dry Bone Ridge, the more detailed the better."

"yes!"

Everyone accepted the order and got to work. Through this incident, Qin Yuan had begun to integrate the third squad, significantly improving their efficiency.

Qin Yuan returned to his quiet room. Just as he closed the door, a message talisman flew in; it was from Elder Zhou Qingxuan.

"Qin Yuan, the Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall has informed me of the Black Wind Ravine incident. You did well, with a meticulous mind and decisive actions. The sect will follow up on this matter, so you don't need to be distracted for now. Three months from now, the sect will open the 'Small Universe Realm' trial. Only core disciples under 100 years old and above the Nascent Soul stage, as well as prospective Dao Sons, can enter. There are opportunities, but also competition. As a prospective Dao Son, you should prepare well. Also, ten days from now, the captains of each patrol team need to go to the 'Discussion Peak' to attend the quarterly meeting. There may be tasks assigned at that time, so please be there on time."

The Lesser Universe Realm? Quarterly meeting? Qin Yuan noted it down and replied to the message indicating that he was aware of it.

He sat down cross-legged, not immediately beginning his cultivation. Today's events made him realize that within the Taiyi Immortal Sect, simply improving his cultivation level wasn't enough; he needed to quickly establish his own information network and prestige. The third squad was a starting point, but far from sufficient.

"System, retrieve your current stored cultivation level and energy points."

[Current stored cultivation level: 4520 years (320 years are automatically acquired daily, some of which have already been consumed)]

Current Energy Points: 18500 (from mission rewards and resource absorption)

System completeness: 90%

What conditions are required to upgrade the "Undying Body of the Universe" to the second level, "Stellar Bones"?

[Requirements for cultivating the second level of "Undying Body of the Universe," 'Stellar Bones and Muscles':]

[1. First level complete (satisfied)]

2. Use "Star Essence" or a similar level body-tempering spiritual item to refine your entire body's muscles and bones (at least three types are required; currently, I have none)

[3. Consume 8000 energy points for a ten-day in-depth tempering simulation.]

[Note: Star Essence is a special rare and precious material that can be found within the 'Small Universe Realm' or exchanged using sect contribution points.]