As the stone doors of the Gu Repository ground shut, that interlude of selecting rewards came to a close.
The clan leadership didn't assign the third squad—fresh from their great achievement—to any new missions.
Instead, with a generous wave of the hand, they approved a week of "recuperation leave."
Ostensibly to let the heroes recover from their wounds, but in truth, to give that pyrrhic victory sufficient time to "ferment."
In the Tranquil Heart Hall at the center of the stronghold—an environment of serene elegance where the essence-gathering formation hummed constantly—sandalwood incense curled through the air.
Captain Lin Feng reclined against a cushioned couch, his complexion still pale from blood loss, but his eyes blazing with startling intensity.
Several managers and branch-family elites with considerable influence had gathered around him like stars orbiting the moon, listening to him "reminisce about the old days."
"Young Master Feng, we owe it all to you commanding from the center, seeing through that Li Huang's 'besiege and ambush' strategy!"
"Otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
One manager beamed obsequiously, placing a box of century-old blood ginseng—an excellent blood-replenishing tonic—on the table while heaping on the flattery.
Lin Feng heard this, and the corner of his mouth curved into a weak but confident arc.
He waved his hand lightly, his modest tone carrying an undercurrent of composure:
"Ah, it was all for the clan."
"The situation was critical, and Li Huang is White Bone Stronghold's young master after all—ruthless and cunning. If I hadn't stepped forward, what would have become of my brothers behind me?"
Here he paused deliberately, letting a flicker of well-calibrated fear and resolve pass through his eyes. The onlookers sighed with emotion, their gazes filled with admiration.
"Brother Feng is truly heroic! To force Li Huang into retreat—among our generation at Black Blood Stronghold, none can compare!"
Lin Feng steered the conversation toward directions favorable to himself while maintaining an air of casual ease.
He didn't over-emphasize his own role. Instead, he lamented the battle's brutality and praised his teammates' coordination.
Even Zhao Yuze, who had fled mid-battle, somehow transformed in his telling into a heroic martyr who'd laid down his life.
This humble posture was far more powerful than self-aggrandizement.
Before long, tales of him "strategizing brilliantly and standing toe-to-toe against the White Bone young master" had quietly spread throughout the clan.
By contrast, Lin Mu's holiday was considerably more solitary.
He didn't follow the other survivors to the tavern to boast about their exploits in exchange for admiring gazes and free drinks.
After collecting his compensation and rewards, he went straight back to the Silent Stone district, sealed himself once more in that cold stone chamber, and hung a wooden sign on the door: "In Seclusion—No Visitors."
The clamor outside had nothing to do with him.
Yet though he sought no trouble, trouble came seeking him.
In just two or three days, the winds within Black Blood Stronghold had shifted.
Through the deliberate—or perhaps "inadvertent"—amplification by clan leadership, the story of that battle underwent an artful transformation.
In this version, Lin Feng was the commander whose calculations missed nothing. Lin Wan'er became the cool-headed female strategist who kept her wits in crisis.
And Lin Mu? He was elevated to the role of an exemplary loyal retainer—"faithful unto death, shielding his master with his own body."
"Did you hear? That branch-family Lin Mu—to save Young Master Lin Feng, he took up a broken blade and single-handedly held off a Rank 1 Middle Stage Demonic Cultivator!"
"Really? That fierce?"
"Absolutely true! I heard Young Master Feng's strength was exhausted, on the verge of death, and Lin Mu let out a roar and threw himself forward, using his body to knock the enemy away!"
"Tsk tsk, that kind of loyalty—you don't see it much these days."
The rumors spread like winged things to every corner.
The branch disciples, who had been panic-stricken by White Bone Stronghold's invasion, found their morale surging.
If the Third Squad—saddled with deadweight as they were—could repel a powerful enemy on the front lines, then White Bone Stronghold wasn't invincible after all.
Imperceptibly, more people appeared at the training grounds to practice their forms. Those accepting patrol missions became notably more enthusiastic.
This was exactly the outcome the elders had hoped for.
Though morale was high, the elder council that controlled the bigger picture remained absolutely rational and conservative.
Order after order issued from the council hall: fortify the blood-forest depths and the primeval stone mines—all core resource points—while decisively abandoning peripheral outposts of little consequence.
Everything was aimed at buying time.
As long as the Clan Leader Lin Cang, who had sealed himself away to attempt his breakthrough to Rank 4, emerged successfully, all losses could be recovered with interest.
If the Clan Leader failed... then spending everything now would be pointless anyway.
Lin Mu, caught at the center of this swirling discourse, soon felt the pressure of these changes.
When he occasionally went to the mess hall to collect his meals, the looks from those around him had completely transformed.
Before, it had been indifference or contempt. Now there was curiosity, envy—even awe.
Many branch-family members who wanted to attach themselves to Lin Feng but lacked an avenue now tried to curry favor with Lin Mu as a way to make that connection.
"Brother Lin Mu, I just made this meat stew—would you like to try some?"
"Brother Lin Mu, if there's ever any errand-running to be done, just say the word."
Faced with this sudden surge of goodwill, Lin Mu felt not the slightest flutter of pride. Instead, a chill of wariness rose within him.
He saw through it clearly.
This wasn't just people enjoying gossip. Lin Feng was fanning the flames.
Lin Feng had molded him into the archetype of "loyal courage" to show that loyalty pays rich dividends.
He was telling everyone: Follow me, Lin Feng, and even a background-less branch-family nobody can rise—as long as you're loyal. You too can enter the Gu Repository and choose treasures.
But for Lin Mu, this was a silken shackle. An invisible form of moral coercion.
Now the entire stronghold knew him as Lin Feng's devoted follower.
If he ever wanted to switch allegiances—or, in some conflict of interest, stick a knife in Lin Feng's back—Lin Feng wouldn't even need to lift a finger.
Public opinion alone would drown him. The label of "master-betraying slave" would follow him for life.
"Clever calculation. Using empty fame as chains, trying to bind me permanently to your chariot?"
Lin Mu sat in the shadows of his stone chamber, a cold smile on his lips.
But he didn't refute the rumors. Didn't clarify anything.
At present, his wings were still growing. He needed this "loyal servant" skin as a shield.
Lin Feng wanted to use his reputation to win hearts? He was equally happy to use Lin Feng's influence to buy time for his own quiet development.
"Mutual exploitation, nothing more. As long as our interests align, I'll keep wearing this skin. But if they conflict..."
Lin Mu's hand touched the short blade hidden in his robe, his eyes deep and unreadable.
"As long as the blade is fast enough, even chains can be severed."
Setting aside these distractions, Lin Mu poured all his energy during the seven-day holiday into the basement.
That was his true training ground.
In the dim underground chamber, Lin Mu sat cross-legged, cradling the dusty gray Dust Escape Gu he'd brought from the repository.
Though the archive elder had dismissed it as "garbage," this Gu worm's refinement difficulty was anything but trivial.
It was like a stubborn stone, highly resistant to accepting Primeval Essence.
Even with the high-grade refined essence produced by the Liquor Worm to assist him, Lin Mu spent three full days and nights, consuming dozens of Primeval Stones to replenish his essence, before he finally branded his spiritual mark onto that dust-covered carapace.
"Finally done."
Lin Mu exhaled deeply. Ignoring his exhaustion, his eyes gleamed with eagerness.
"Let me see what mysteries this dust-veiled pearl truly holds."
He rose and walked to the center of the basement. With a thought—
The sea of Primeval Essence in his aperture dropped sharply. This Gu's consumption was indeed enormous, just as the elder had warned.
But in the next instant, everything changed.
Poof!
A soft sound, like a flour sack bursting open.
The Dust Escape Gu in Lin Mu's hand exploded, transforming into a dense cloud of grayish-brown dust that instantly enveloped his body.
Then Lin Mu felt himself grow lighter, as though he'd merged into those microscopic particles of dust.
He tried taking a step forward.
Whoosh!
No footsteps. No sound of wind.
His entire form became a blurred gray shadow, gliding five or six meters in an instant—and slamming directly into the basement's hard stone wall.
"Cough cough cough..."
Lin Mu slid down from the wall. Thanks to the Red Mud Gu's protection, he wasn't injured, but the rising dust cloud left him hacking and coughing.
"So fast! This speed—the initial burst doesn't match the Wind-Treading Gu, but for short-distance direction changes and gliding, it's eerily effective!"
More importantly: concealment.
In that instant when the dust cloud erupted, his form, his aura, even his heartbeat—all were perfectly masked by the dust.
But soon, Lin Mu discovered the fatal flaw the elder had criticized.
"Too much dust."
He stood in the swirling cloud, extending his hand. He could barely see his five fingers.
When the Dust Escape Gu activated, it created a "dust force field" with a three-meter radius.
Within this field, enemies couldn't see him—but equally, he couldn't see the enemy.
This was awkward.
For escaping, it was fine—just barrel forward blindly.
But in combat, this "friend-or-foe indiscriminate" blinding effect could easily turn him into a headless fly, or—like just now—leave him slamming face-first into a wall.
"No wonder no one uses it. Can't see where you're going, and the faster you move, the faster you die."
Lin Mu frowned, waving away the dust before his eyes.
"I must solve the visibility problem. Otherwise this Gu really is only useful for running away. What a waste."