### Chapter 31: Display of Power
Leaving Fan's General Store, Lin Yi headed straight for the Alliance Hall.
It didn't take long for him to enter, and even less time to exit. The only change was in his storage bag—his spirit stones had skyrocketed from over a thousand to more than three thousand low-grade stones.
Three thousand low-grade spirit stones. Once, it had been a fantasy. Now, it was real. Patting the bag at his waist, Lin Yi felt a surreal dizziness, as if he might wake up any moment to find it all a dream.
Standing outside the Alliance Hall, he sighed, then chided himself for his weak resolve. *Get a grip*, he thought. *Three thousand stones shouldn't shake you like this.*
With his errands done, he set off for Dianxuan Sect. At his current speed, he'd arrive soon. But he'd forgotten one thing: he was no longer wearing the disguise. Chu Tianhu, Mo Lao'er, and the cold-faced cultivator had been lying in wait between the marketplace and the sect—they'd recognize him instantly.
Sure enough, barely an hour after leaving the marketplace, Lin Yi ran into Mo Lao'er.
"You little thief! Stole my jade slip—die!" Mo Lao'er charged, not even checking Lin Yi's cultivation. He still thought of him as that weak Level 1.
Mo Lao'er was only Level 4. To Lin Yi now, he was negligible.
Watching Mo Lao'er frantically form seals, Lin Yi stood still, letting the spell hit him. It vanished into his body, absorbed without a trace.
Mo Lao'er's face paled, his eyes bulging in disbelief. He rubbed them hard, but Lin Yi remained unharmed, standing there as if nothing had happened.
"What the hell… are you even human?" Mo Lao'er muttered, dumbfounded.
"Is that all you've got? Pathetic," Lin Yi's voice turned cold. A month in Yunmeng Marsh, drenched in blood, had left a faint killing aura clinging to him. He remembered this short, ugly man—this was the one who'd knocked him unconscious with a spell, leaving him for dead.
Lin Yi never forgot a grudge.
He darted forward, slamming his palm into Mo Lao'er's chest with all his strength.
*Boom!*
The distance was short; Mo Lao'er hadn't recovered from his shock. The palm connected, sending a strange force surging through him, pulverizing his organs. His spiritual energy was crushed, powerless to resist.
*Pfft!*
Mo Lao'er spat blood, his eyes wide with terror and不甘, before collapsing backward, dead.
Lin Yi continued toward the sect, his pace steady. If Mo Lao'er was here, the others couldn't be far. He'd wait—let them come to him. He had no idea one of them was already dead, killed by Jade Fairy during her pursuit.
Unbeknownst to him, the cold-faced cultivator watched from afar, his eyes narrowing. He'd seen Lin Yi kill Mo Lao'er effortlessly—far easier than he himself could have managed.
*He's grown this strong?* he thought, shivering. Even knowing the jade slip was on Lin Yi, he hesitated. He never took risks without certainty.
Silently, he tailed Lin Yi, his steps muffled by some hidden technique—Lin Yi, for all his vigilance, didn't sense a thing.
Moments later, Lin Yi stopped, staring into the trees. "Come out. Die like a man."
"Hmph! Arrogant brat!" A voice, thick with suppressed rage, answered. A blue-robed man with a goatee stepped out, his eyes blazing—Chu Tianhu.
"Arrogant? Test me and see," Lin Yi said, hands behind his back, his tone icy.
"找死!" Chu Tianhu roared, slapping his storage bag. A flying sword appeared, humming as he poured spiritual energy into it, sending it streaking toward Lin Yi's chest.
Chu Tianhu was Level 6. He'd learned from the vine incident—no more spells. Swords were safer.
Lin Yi didn't hesitate. He summoned the Purple Demon Gourd, forming the seals. Black, inky qi billowed out.
Chu Tianhu frowned, uncertain, but urged the sword forward into the darkness.
His face paled. In an instant, he lost all connection to the sword. Seconds later, a clatter echoed—the sword, now rusted and cracked, lay on the ground, reduced to scrap metal.
Chu Tianhu gaped, eyes wide as saucers.
Lin Yi smirked, urging the gourd to spew more qi, engulfing Chu Tianhu.
"Aaaaah!"
Chu Tianhu screamed. He hadn't raised a shield, so the qi touched his skin directly, eating away at his flesh, rotting him from the outside in.
When Lin Yi reined in the gourd, nothing remained of Chu Tianhu—no bones, no robes. Only a puddle of black sludge, the grass around it withered and charred.
"Two left," Lin Yi murmured, continuing toward the sect, waiting for the cold-faced cultivator and the fourth man—unaware the latter was already dead.
The cold-faced cultivator, watching from the shadows, broke into a cold sweat. He'd seen it all—Lin Yi killing Chu Tianhu, a Level 6, like swatting a fly. Even with his own Level 7 cultivation, he'd struggle to kill Chu Tianhu that quickly.
Fear gripped him. Between the jade slip and his life, he chose life.
Silently, he retreated, his steps silent. Lin Yi never noticed.
By the time Lin Yi reached the sect gates, the cold-faced cultivator was long gone, vanishing into the distance—too terrified to ever cross Lin Yi again.
Lin Yi, unaware, strode through the gates, his head held high. The sect tournament loomed, and with three thousand spirit stones and a power few could match, he was ready.