The rain finally stopped.
Black Tortoise Mountain was wrapped in a pale gray mist as dawn approached. The wind carried the smell of wet earth and pine resin through the outer sect district.
In Zhao Hu's courtyard, the silence had long since returned.
Three corpses lay on the stone ground.
Blood mixed with rainwater had formed thin red streams flowing toward the drain at the edge of the courtyard.
Lin Yuan stood quietly beside them.
His body trembled slightly. His breathing was uneven.
This was not fear.
It was exhaustion.
The injuries left by Zhao Hu and the others were severe. If he had not ended the fight quickly, he would likely be the corpse lying on the ground.
He wiped the blood off the broken sword with a piece of torn cloth.
The blade looked as dull as ever.
If someone saw it now, they would never believe this crude scrap of metal had taken three lives in a single night.
Lin Yuan stared at it.
In his mind, the strange perception slowly faded.
The lines of weakness disappeared.
The world returned to normal.
"So it only activates during combat…"
He whispered the thought to himself.
This was the first true clue about the sword.
It did not give power.
It did not contain techniques.
Instead, it allowed him to see flaws.
Flaws in bodies.
Flaws in movement.
Perhaps… even flaws in cultivation techniques.
Lin Yuan's heart tightened.
In cultivation novels, the greatest obstacle was not enemies.
It was bottlenecks.
A cultivator could be trapped for decades in one realm.
If the sword could reveal flaws in techniques, then perhaps—
His thoughts stopped.
Now was not the time.
Dawn was coming.
And Zhao Hu's death would not stay hidden long.
Lin Yuan knelt down beside the corpse and searched his robes.
A few spirit stones.
A small bottle of healing pills.
And a jade slip.
The moment Lin Yuan touched the jade slip, information flooded his mind.
It was a simple cultivation manual.
Green Cloud Qi Method — Level One.
The same technique every outer sect disciple practiced.
Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.
This was useless to him now.
But the healing pills were valuable.
He swallowed one immediately.
Warm spiritual energy spread through his body.
The pain in his chest eased slightly.
Then he picked up the wooden token from the table again.
Herb Garden Storehouse.
Evidence meant to frame him.
Lin Yuan looked at the three corpses.
Then at the token.
A slow plan formed.
"In this world," he murmured, "truth belongs to the living."
He dragged Zhao Hu's corpse outside the courtyard.
Then placed the wooden token in the dead man's hand.
After that, he returned inside and overturned the wine table.
Broken bowls scattered across the ground.
The room quickly looked like the aftermath of a violent struggle.
Lin Yuan stood in the middle of the courtyard.
His expression was calm.
The story was simple.
Zhao Hu stole from the herb garden.
The other two disciples helped him.
Lin Yuan discovered it.
They fought.
Three died.
One survived.
In Green Cloud Sect, this explanation was not unusual.
After all—
Outer sect disciples were little more than wolves fighting over scraps.
Lin Yuan wiped the blood from his face and sat down against the wall.
Now he only needed to wait.
The first bell of dawn rang across the mountain.
Dong.
The sound echoed through the mist.
Soon, footsteps approached outside the courtyard.
Two disciples pushing a wooden cart froze when they saw the scene.
Then—
"DEAD—!"
The scream shattered the morning silence.
Half an hour later.
Dozens of disciples surrounded the courtyard.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"That's Zhao Hu…"
"He's dead?"
"Who did this?"
In the center of the courtyard sat Lin Yuan.
His robe was torn.
Blood covered his hands.
The broken sword rested across his knees.
Several disciples pointed at him nervously.
"He did it."
"Three people…"
A path suddenly opened through the crowd.
A middle-aged man wearing green robes walked inside.
His eyes were narrow and sharp.
Outer Sect Affairs Steward.
Xu Ming.
The moment Lin Yuan saw him, he knew this was the most dangerous person he had faced so far.
Xu Ming glanced at the corpses.
His expression did not change.
But his gaze lingered briefly on Zhao Hu's hand.
The wooden token.
A flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes.
Then he turned to Lin Yuan.
"You killed them?"
His voice was calm.
Lin Yuan slowly stood.
"Yes."
Gasps erupted around the courtyard.
Xu Ming's eyes narrowed.
"Explain."
Lin Yuan spoke without hesitation.
"I discovered Zhao Hu stealing from the herb garden storehouse."
Murmurs erupted again.
Xu Ming looked down at the token.
Then at the overturned wine table.
Then at the corpses.
His mind clearly worked very quickly.
"Continue."
Lin Yuan said calmly,
"He tried to silence me."
Xu Ming studied him for several seconds.
Then suddenly—
He laughed.
Not loudly.
But coldly.
"Interesting."
He walked toward Zhao Hu's body and crouched down.
"Zhao Hu… stealing sect resources…"
He looked at Lin Yuan again.
"Three people against one."
"And you survived."
Lin Yuan met his gaze.
Silence stretched.
For a moment, even the surrounding disciples stopped breathing.
Finally Xu Ming stood up.
"According to sect rules," he said slowly, "stealing resources and attacking fellow disciples is punishable by death."
He pointed at the corpses.
"These three deserved it."
Shock rippled through the crowd.
The steward turned to Lin Yuan.
"As for you…"
He paused.
Then spoke again.
"You will be investigated further."
Lin Yuan bowed slightly.
"Yes, Steward."
Xu Ming's gaze lingered on the broken sword in Lin Yuan's hand.
For a moment, something strange flickered in his eyes.
But he said nothing.
He simply turned and left.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
But whispers continued everywhere.
"Did you hear?"
"One against three…"
"He killed Zhao Hu…"
Lin Yuan stood quietly in the empty courtyard.
The danger had not passed.
Not even close.
Xu Ming was not a fool.
He had accepted the story for now because it made sense.
But if he ever discovered the truth—
Lin Yuan exhaled slowly.
The broken sword felt slightly heavier in his hand.
High above the outer sect, the inner sect mountains rose into the clouds.
The real cultivators lived there.
The powerful.
The untouchable.
Lin Yuan looked up at them.
His eyes slowly hardened.
"In this world," he whispered,
"strength decides everything."
And he had just taken the first step.