From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

The night was as dark as ink, shrouding the largest inn in Baiwei City, "Guests Come Like Clouds," in complete silence.

The daytime hustle and bustle has long since faded away.

Only the occasional long echo of the watchman's clapper remained.

And the faint chirping of insects, seemingly coming from nowhere.

"Those beggars at the city gate, and the owner of that steamed bun shop,"

Li Han's icy voice rang out in the silence, like the scraping of cold iron.

"They disguised themselves very well and left no evidence."

"But my gut feeling tells me there's something wrong with them."

"That kind of deliberately created naturalness is itself the biggest flaw."

Although he didn't possess Yao Mengkang's overwhelming, almost precognitive intuition, this kind of instinct, born from life-and-death experiences, was often more deadly.

Qin Feng's gaze swept over Yao Mengkang and Li Han, and he was not surprised that they could sense the abnormality.

It's normal that Yao Mengkang's forbidden realm is somewhat extraordinary, and he has also seen Li Han's talent.

Yao Mengkang nodded.

He described his feelings in detail, focusing on the disharmony that came on suddenly and the difficulty in pinpointing the source of the problem.

Li Han added his suspicions about the beggar and the steamed bun shop at the city gate, emphasizing that it was a judgment based on an assassin's intuition.

After listening, Qin Feng pondered for a moment.

"The fact that the source cannot be found precisely demonstrates the sophistication of the other party's methods."

"It's very likely that they don't see us all as targets that need to be eliminated."

"They are observing, or rather, waiting."

He did not linger in Yao Mengkang and Li Han's room. After obtaining the crucial information, he quietly left, just as silently as he had arrived.

The next moment, Qin Feng appeared outside Mu Qingqing and Xu Ziyi's room.

He didn't knock either; he simply moved his fingertips slightly, and a subtle fluctuation of spiritual energy entered the room.

Inside the room, Mu Qingqing also did not fall asleep.

Although she did not reach the forbidden realm like Yao Mengkang.

However, it also opened up the ancestral meridians, causing a qualitative change in the soul.

In addition, the innate talent of the Mu family, passed down through generations, makes her mental strength far greater than that of ordinary people.

She also sensed that vague disharmony, like a whirlpool hidden beneath a calm lake surface; she could feel the abnormality in the water flow, but couldn't see the center of the whirlpool.

As she was deep in thought, she sensed the fluctuations in Qin Feng's spiritual energy and immediately signaled to Xu Ziyi.

Then, he silently moved to the door, and after confirming that it was Elder Qin Feng, he gently opened the door.

Qin Feng flashed inside and also set up a soundproof barrier.

"Qingqing, tell me, did you sense anything during the day and just now?"

Qin Feng lowered his voice and looked at Mu Qingqing with anticipation.

Elder Qin,

Mu Qingqing lowered her voice, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"This inn... seems a bit off, but I can't quite put my finger on it, it's just a vague feeling."

Qin Feng nodded slightly, indicating his understanding. But he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Although the Mu family members are physically weak, their talent in terms of spirit and soul should not be underestimated. Unfortunately, their cultivation level is still low and they have not yet completed their awakening."

"However, if the Dragon Spine Meridian is opened before the Spirit Sea Realm awakens, it will probably become another old lady like Mu."

Although the information Qin Feng received from Mu Qingqing was limited and vague, the corroboration between her and Yao Mengkang's and Li Han's accounts made his suspicions more certain.

Back in his room, Qin Feng nodded slightly, seemingly deep in thought.

At this moment, the space inside the room rippled slightly.

A purple figure appeared; it was Shangguan Hong, who had returned from the city lord's mansion.

His expression remained calm, but his eyes held a sharper and more decisive look.

Qin Feng immediately gave Shangguan Hong a concise report on his conversation with Yao Mengkang, Li Han, and Mu Qingqing, as well as his own speculations.

秦锋

"It's normal that Yao Mengkang has reached the forbidden realm and can sense some of the mysteries that we are unaware of."

"Although Li Han and Mu Qingqing have good talent, their cultivation levels are still low."

"The person who was watching them must not be of a very high level to be able to be sensed by the two of them."

"I estimate they are someone in the Spirit Sea Realm who knows some special martial arts techniques."

After listening to Qin Feng's report, Shangguan Hong's eyes became deep.

His fingers tapped the table unconsciously, making a soft, rhythmic sound that was particularly clear in the quiet room.

"Indeed, Li Han cultivates the Way of Shadow and is skilled in assassination and stealth techniques, but he has no special talents."

"Although the Mu family's divine soul talent is extremely powerful."

"But true divine abilities can only be revealed after breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm and fully awakening."

Shangguan Hong paused for a moment and then continued.

"I suspect the person keeping watch is a cultivator at the early or mid-stage of the Spirit Sea Realm who possesses special martial arts techniques or artifacts. What do you think?"

"The students boldly speculated that the people keeping watch were likely some at the early stage of the Spirit Sea realm, and were relatively weak in direct combat, but there were quite a few of them."

"In just two hours during the day, twenty-three students scattered throughout the city went missing."

"This is enough to show that they have considerable power and a large number of people."

"However, the fact that almost all the students in the team returned proves that they dared not or were not entirely confident in making several ninth-level Qi Opening cultivators disappear silently at the same time."

"But those who dare to even think about opening the ninth level of the Meridian Opening stage must be stronger than those who have already reached that stage."

"But it's unlikely that so many young talents who have opened up their hidden meridians could appear at the same time, so they should be a group of weaker Spirit Sea Realm Level 1 and 2 individuals."

Qin Feng then explained his guesses one by one.

After listening to Qin Feng's words, Shangguan Hong's eyes flashed with a sharp light, as if he had remembered something.

"They are probably all weaker Spirit Sea Realm Level 1 cultivators."

"I once heard the dean mention that the Heavenly Dao Academy has a secret method recorded in its records."

"It is possible to use some extremely bloody spiritual material as a medium to help cultivators who cannot break through to the Qi Opening Realm break through to the Spirit Sea Realm and gain certain special abilities."

"The price was that there would be no further progress."

"This secret technique was created by the Heavenly Dao Sect, originally intended to help cultivators who struggled to break through to the seventh realm to advance to the eighth realm."

"And Zhang Xinghan just said that this matter is vaguely related to someone with a background in the Heavenly Dao Sect."

At this moment, Qin Feng felt a chill run down his spine, a hint of fear flashing across his face: "The Crimson Flame Army?"

Perhaps sensing something amiss in Qin Feng's expression, Shangguan Hong immediately asked, "What do you think of Mu Qingqing and Zhou Tiancan?"

Qin Feng sensed that Shangguan Hong was abruptly changing the subject.

But this was exactly what Qin Feng was thinking, so he hurriedly said it.

"The Mu family and the Zhou family are old friends."

"The Mu family members are born with powerful spirits and keen senses, but their physical bodies are relatively weak."

"The Zhou family, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. Their members are physically strong, with blood and qi as powerful as dragons. Their strength and defense are among the best in their class, but they are only average in terms of spiritual talent and have relatively dull spiritual senses."

"Both families hope to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and give birth to offspring who are strong in both spirit and body."

"Zhou Tian's involvement in Mu Qingqing's engagement stemmed from this."

Qin Feng thought for a moment, then said again.

"Moreover, the two of them have known each other since childhood. One is meticulous and has exceptional perception; the other is incredibly strong and has keen intuition."

"Moreover, their skill levels are comparable, and their talents are among the best in their respective families. They complement each other perfectly."

After listening to what Qin Feng said, Shangguan Hong's eyes flickered slightly, and he seemed to be thinking.

"Indeed, the Mu family's 'Soul of the Moon Rhinoceros' and the Zhou family's 'Blazing Sun Body'."

"The combination of the two can indeed achieve the effect of yin and yang complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses."

"But more likely, yin and yang will clash, and both will perish."

"But judging from the past few days, the two of them get along well and have a deep affection for each other, so it seems unlikely that they will be able to separate."

"Good fortune may be a harbinger of misfortune, and misfortune may be a harbinger of good fortune. We do not know whether the future will bring harmony between yin and yang or the end of both."

"That's enough! Everyone has their own destiny. Let's wait and see what the future holds."

He clearly knew these two families quite well, and he pinpointed their backgrounds in a single sentence.

"What do you think we should do now regarding the disappearance of the twenty-three disciples?"

Shangguan Hong sighed and then spoke to Qin Feng.

Qin Feng pondered for a moment before speaking.

"The students are dull-witted and do not know what to do. They think that since the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, we should remain still and not make any moves. Only when the enemy reveals their weakness can we catch them by the tail."

"If we act rashly, we may alert the enemy."

Shangguan Hong said expressionlessly.

"Have you considered that if they don't move, we shouldn't either? There are still twenty-five days until the Heavenly Dao Academy's assessment, while our journey will take at least half a month. They can afford to wait, but we can't!"

"Why don't we ask our disciples for their thoughts? Young people are quick-witted, and they might gain something different."

As the night deepened, the air inside the inn seemed to grow heavy and viscous due to the silent undercurrent.

A storm seems to be brewing quietly under the silent night sky.