The sun hung low in the western sky.
Canglan City's streets glowed in warm afternoon light.
Shouts of merchants. Rattling carts. The smell of grilled skewers and wet stone.
Everything seemed normal.
But beneath the ordinary, energy threads shimmered faintly.
Veins formed, grew, and whispered to those who could sense them.
Lin Xuanye moved quietly across rooftops.
Silk pouch at his side.
Eyes scanning every alley, every rooftop, every abandoned warehouse.
Every stray vibration beneath the ground.
Every flicker of unstable energy.
Every subtle pulse hidden beneath stones and cracked pavement.
Spiritual Density seventy-seven.
Every hidden vein mattered.
Every minor rival neutralized stacked him higher.
A faint tremor beneath a ruined marketplace drew his attention.
Low-grade crystals forming along the cracked stones.
Perfect for hiding.
He descended silently.
Palms pressed lightly to the floor.
Energy spiraled outward.
Crystals shimmered and lifted.
Hidden, stored, compressed.
Spiritual Density seventy-eight.
Movement behind him.
Three novice cultivators creeping through rubble, unaware.
Greedy, careless, unaware of how subtly energy could betray them.
Lin Xuanye allowed a subtle thread of energy to drift toward them.
Fear spread instantly.
They froze.
Then ran silently.
Another minor threat neutralized.
Another hidden advantage secured.
Above, wind shifted faintly across rooftops.
Han Tianyu.
Always observing.
Always testing.
Lin Xuanye allowed a faint smile.
"You never stop."
He continued moving across the western district.
Every abandoned warehouse checked.
Every alley scanned.
Every rooftop measured.
Every small pulse of spiritual energy accounted for.
Then he saw him.
A mid-tier cultivator, confident and loud, standing in the central plaza.
Aura strong. Mid-stage peak Qi Gathering.
A crowd gathered. Students, merchants, curious cultivators.
Lin Xuanye's senses flared.
He had known this rival in his previous life.
Arrogant. Careless. Reckless. Always underestimating him.
Lin Xuanye descended silently from a nearby rooftop.
Wind brushing the edges of his coat. Silk pouch swinging lightly.
Step after precise step.
The rival noticed him.
Eyes widened slightly.
The crowd murmured in excitement.
"Lin Xuanye," the man said sharply.
"You always appear where trouble brews."
Lin Xuanye's gaze remained calm.
"Opportunity," he replied softly.
"Nothing more."
The rival's fingers twitched.
Energy spiraled outward in small threads.
Crystals hidden beneath the plaza responded faintly.
Lin Xuanye allowed them to lift subtly into his control.
The rival's eyes flickered, realizing something was off.
A subtle panic.
The two men faced each other.
Wind currents spiraled faintly along rooftops and alleyways.
Han Tianyu, distant, testing, watching, invisible to the public eye.
"Thought you could control everything secretly?" the rival asked.
"You underestimate this city."
The rival surged forward.
A blade of energy spiraled outward.
Lin Xuanye moved lightly.
Step to the side.
Energy threads spiraled into his palms.
Crystals beneath the plaza lifted subtly.
Faint vibrations spread.
Hidden, stored, stabilized.
Spiritual Density seventy-nine.
Another minor advantage stacked.
The crowd gasped.
A duel. Flashy, public. But every movement controlled.
Subtle. Precision matters more than power.
Every thread of energy in the plaza aligned with Lin Xuanye's control.
Every hidden vein, every minor pulse, every micro-crystal added to his advantage.
The rival attacked again.
Step, dodge, thread of energy spiraled subtly, absorbed into Lin Xuanye's control.
Hidden beneath, the plaza's energy flowed into him.
Crystals shimmered faintly. Stored. Refined. Compressed.
Spiritual Density eighty.
The rival grew frustrated.
Sweat on his brow.
Attacks grew reckless.
Lin Xuanye allowed a minor leak of energy, a small misdirection.
The rival staggered, blinded by a minor miscue, thinking he had control.
Han Tianyu's wind currents brushed subtly above.
Testing, observing, always present.
Lin Xuanye allowed a faint smirk.
"You are always close."
Another faint pulse beneath a collapsed warehouse caught his attention.
Mid-grade crystals forming early.
Perfect for hiding.
He descended carefully.
Energy spiraled into the veins.
Crystals lifted, shimmered.
Stored, compressed, refined.
Spiritual Density eighty-one.
A rustle behind him.
Two novice cultivators creeping through debris, greedy, careless.
Lin Xuanye allowed a subtle thread of energy to drift toward them.
Fear spread.
They froze.
Then ran silently.
Another minor threat neutralized. Another hidden advantage stacked.
He moved along rooftops.
Scanning alleys, broken windows, abandoned shops.
Another faint vibration beneath a ruined dock.
Low-grade crystals forming.
He leapt down silently.
Energy flowed outward.
Crystals shimmered.
Hidden, stored, refined.
Spiritual Density eighty-two.
Sunlight reflected off shattered tiles.
People moved obliviously below.
The city seemed ordinary.
Beneath it, currents had shifted.
Every street, alley, and rooftop contained subtle advantages only Lin Xuanye could detect.
Another tremor beneath the market alley.
Early-stage crystals forming along broken stone.
He descended silently.
Energy spiraled outward.
Crystals shimmered faintly.
Stored, refined, compressed.
Spiritual Density eighty-three.
Above, Han Tianyu lingered, invisible, distant, testing.
Every pulse of energy, every hidden advantage, every minor rival movement under observation.
The rival realized he was being subtly controlled.
Eyes widened.
Step backward.
Lin Xuanye's gaze cold and steady.
"Preparation matters. Control matters. Timing matters."
The rival stepped back, defeated quietly.
Crowd murmuring, oblivious to hidden war under their feet.
Lin Xuanye turned away silently.
Wind brushing his coat. Silk pouch swinging lightly.
Crystals hidden. Minor rivals neutralized. Advantage stacked.
The sun dipped below the horizon.
Shadows stretched across rooftops and alleyways.
Lin Xuanye paused on a rooftop overlooking the western district.
Eyes scanning every alley, every rooftop, every ruin.
Every hidden vein accounted for.
Every rival observed.
Spiritual Tide had not yet arrived.
But the city was already a battlefield.
Lin Xuanye exhaled slowly.
Every small victory counted.
Every minor gain stacked him closer to supremacy.
He smiled faintly.
"The first move is mine.
And I will win."