six months while five years passed in the formation on Tranquil Peak in peaceful contentment.

  Shen Yue had advanced to Core Formation realm and was considered a genius even by Lin Feng's "modest" standards. She spent her days cultivating, helping with the garden, and occasionally venturing to the edge of the formation to practice combat techniques (which Lin Feng had "copied from some manuals" but were actually supreme celestial martial arts).

  Lin Feng himself had "reached" Foundation Establishment middle stage, though in reality, he was now at Immortal Ascension Realm and approaching the legendary Heavenly Sovereign level. The system continued to carefully manage his perception of his own strength.

  [Seclusion Day 20,075]

  [Your disciple Shen Yue's achievements have spread your legend!]

  [Title Earned: The Unfathomable Master of Tranquil Peak]

  [Reputation +5,000]

  Lin Feng blinked at the notification. "Legend? What legend? I haven't left the peak in fifty-five years."

  What he didn't know was that Shen Yue had needed to return to the sect briefly to inform them she was alive. She'd claimed she'd been "rescued by a wandering expert" but had been intentionally vague about the details to protect Lin Feng's privacy.

  However, her explosive cultivation growth—from Qi Refining to Core Formation in six months while five years passed in the formation had not gone unnoticed. Rumors had begun to spread about her mysterious benefactor.

  On this particular morning, as Lin Feng was harvesting spiritual rice (each grain of which could extend a mortal's life by a decade), he heard Xiao Hong making unusual noises.

  "Cluck! Cluck cluck!"

  That was her "someone's approaching" sound. Lin Feng had learned to interpret the chicken's various clucks over the years.

  "Shen Yue, someone's coming. Did you tell anyone about this place?"

  Shen Yue, who was practicing sword forms nearby, immediately shook her head. "Never, Master! I've kept your secret as I promised!"

  They both turned toward the formation barrier. A young man, no older than seventeen or eighteen, was stumbling through the woods. His robes marked him as an inner sect disciple of the Azure Sky Sect, but they were torn and bloody. He looked half-dead.

  "Help..." the young man gasped. "Please... anyone..."

  He collapsed at the edge of the formation.

  Lin Feng sighed. "Well, I can't just leave him there. Shen Yue, help me bring him inside."

  As they carried the unconscious young man into the courtyard, Lin Feng examined his injuries. "Severe qi deviation, meridians damaged, and what looks like poison. Poor kid. What happened to him?"

  "I recognize him," Shen Yue said quietly. "That's Zhou Yuan, a genius disciple who entered the sect the same year I did. He was always first in everything—martial competitions, academic tests, mission completions. Some people called him the 'Young Dragon of Azure Sky.'"

  "Hmm. Well, young dragon or not, he needs medical attention. Bring me some Clear Heart Grass from the garden and that purple mushroom near the spiritual spring."

  Shen Yue went to fetch the herbs, internally shaking her head. The "Clear Heart Grass" was actually Immortal Jade Heart Grass, a legendary medicine that could resurrect someone from the brink of death. The "purple mushroom" was a Nine Transformation Divine Mushroom, which appeared once every ten thousand years and could rebuild a cultivator's entire cultivation base.

  Her master was about to use priceless treasures to save a stranger, and he talked about them as if they were common medicinal herbs.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Lin Feng ground the herbs into a paste and fed it to the unconscious young man. Within minutes, Zhou Yuan's complexion improved. His breathing stabilized. An hour later, his eyes fluttered open.

  "Where... where am I?"

  "You're safe," Lin Feng said gently. "You collapsed near my home. What happened to you?"

  Zhou Yuan tried to sit up, then winced. His eyes widened as he looked around—at the courtyard filled with spiritual energy, at Shen Yue standing nearby, at the magnificent chicken roosting on a perch.

  "This place... Senior, did you save me?"

  Lin Feng helped him sit up properly. "Yes, but don't call me senior. I'm just a former outer sect disciple. My name is Lin Feng."

  Zhou Yuan's eyes flickered to Shen Yue, recognition dawning. "You're... Shen Yue? The one who disappeared six months ago? They said you were dead!"

  "I was nearly killed," Shen Yue admitted. "But Master saved me, just as he saved you."

  "Master?" Zhou Yuan looked back at Lin Feng with new eyes. This unassuming young man was the master of Shen Yue, who had become famous throughout the sect for her meteoric rise?

  He tried to probe Lin Feng's cultivation level and found... nothing. Completely unreadable. Which meant...

  Zhou Yuan immediately tried to kowtow from his sitting position. "This junior greets the senior! Thank you for saving my life!"

  "Please, don't," Lin Feng said, looking uncomfortable. "Just tell me what happened. How did you end up in such bad shape?"

  Zhou Yuan's expression darkened. "I... I was betrayed. I discovered that one of the sect's elders was secretly selling sect resources to demonic cultivators. When I reported this to my master, I didn't know that he and that elder were accomplices. They tried to kill me to silence me. I barely escaped."

  He laughed bitterly. "I used a random teleportation talisman, hoping to get far enough away to survive. I never expected to end up somewhere like this. A paradise hidden from the world..."

  "So there's corruption in the sect," Shen Yue muttered angrily. "How dare they!"

  Lin Feng stroked his chin thoughtfully. "This is a problem. Zhou Yuan, you can't go back to the sect—they'll kill you. And we can't let corrupt elders continue hurting innocent disciples."

  He turned to Zhou Yuan. "Do you have any evidence about these corrupt elders? Any names?"

  "The one who tried to kill me was Elder Mo Tian," Zhou Yuan said. "He's a Nascent Soul cultivator and has significant influence in the sect. The elder he was working with is Elder Wan, who controls the resource distribution."

  "Nascent Soul..." Lin Feng frowned. That was still several realms above what he believed his own cultivation to be. "That's going to be difficult."

  [New Mission Available: Cleanse Corruption from Azure Sky Sect]

  [Reward: 20,000 Seclusion Points, Sect Protection Formation Blueprint]

  [Optional: Accept Zhou Yuan as second disciple for bonus rewards]

  Lin Feng looked at the exhausted young man. He had a good, honest face. And he'd been brave enough to stand up against corruption even when it put his life at risk.

  "Zhou Yuan, how would you like to stay here and recover? I can't promise to teach you much—I'm not that strong myself—but you'll be safe, and maybe we can figure out a way to deal with those corrupt elders."

  Zhou Yuan's eyes widened. "You... you'd take me in? But I'm a stranger, and I've brought trouble to your doorstep..."

  "You tried to do the right thing and nearly died for it," Lin Feng said simply. "That takes courage. Besides, Shen Yue could probably use someone else to talk to. I'm not the most exciting company."

  Shen Yue smiled. She'd actually been hoping her master would take another disciple. It would be nice to have a junior brother to train with.

  Zhou Yuan kowtowed properly this time, tears streaming down his face. "This disciple greets Master! I swear on my cultivation that I will never forget this kindness!"

  Lin Feng scratched his head awkwardly. "Alright, alright. Get up. First, let's focus on healing your injuries properly. Then we'll start your training."

  [Achievement Unlocked: Second Disciple Accepted!]

  [Zhou Yuan has become your disciple!]

  [Reward: 5,000 Seclusion Points, Medical Immortal's Legacy]

  As Lin Feng helped Zhou Yuan to the guest room, the young man looked around in wonder. Every object here radiated spiritual energy. The tea leaves drying on a rack were more precious than anything in the sect's treasury. The chicken watching them was clearly a legendary spirit beast. And this master who claimed to be "not that strong" had casually used medicines that could resurrect the dead to heal him.

  Zhou Yuan made a silent vow. Whatever it took, he would prove himself worthy of this master's teachings.

  In the Azure Sky Sect, Elder Mo Tian was in his cultivation chamber when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

  Something was wrong. The boy should have died in the forest. But this feeling... as if some great power had taken an interest in the sect's affairs...

  "No matter," he muttered to himself. "Even if Zhou Yuan survived and told someone, who would dare challenge me? I'm a Nascent Soul elder of a major sect. That boy was nobody."

  He had no idea that the "nobody" he'd tried to kill had just become the second disciple of a being so powerful that Nascent Soul cultivators were like ants before him.

  The countdown to Elder Mo Tian's reckoning had begun.