Chapter 148 | Under the Night Sky

Chapter 148: 148 | Under the Night Sky

Lin Tian’s next move was not to push Elder Liu, but to maintain the quiet pace they had established.

Within the sealed main hall of the Cloud-Sea Pavilion, he stood with Madam Shen, Aunt Lin, and Lady Yun. Elder Liu had already shown that she was willing to invest resources in his structural alignment method. There was no reason to interfere with her decision-making now.

"If I remain inside the sect and continue appearing in her path, she may begin to wonder why our encounters are becoming frequent," Lin Tian said calmly. "A short external mission keeps things natural. It also gives me a legitimate reason to leave the sect and continue building the image of an ordinary Foundation Establishment disciple."

Madam Shen considered his words. "And Elder Liu can investigate the method without feeling that you are waiting for her response."

"Exactly."

Aunt Lin nodded. "Then there is no need to touch the matter from our side."

Lin Tian turned toward Lady Yun. "Yun-er, accompany me from a distance. Observe the surroundings, not Elder Liu. Do not interfere unless a genuine threat appears."

"Understood, Master," Lady Yun replied. "I will remain concealed and report anything that requires attention."

"Good. The mission must look completely routine."

Two hours later, Lin Tian stood at the edge of Crimson Nimbus Sect territory, overlooking a sprawling rift known as Blood-Ash Canyon.

The canyon was a medium-difficulty corrupted land. Decades earlier, a toxic elemental vein had ruptured beneath the earth, filling the ravine with corrosive ash and mutating the local beasts. The Contribution Hall mission was straightforward: eliminate a nest of Blood-Ash Scorpions before they spread beyond the canyon’s perimeter.

It was a suitable task for a Foundation Establishment disciple seeking combat experience and a modest reward of spirit stones.

Lin Tian drew his standard sect-issued spiritual steel sword.

The Abyssal Shadow Veil concealed the true density of his Peak Early Stage Foundation Establishment Liquid Qi. He also restrained the Primordial Yang-Tyrant Body, allowing only enough energy into his limbs to match the level expected from a promising young disciple.

To any observer, nothing about him appeared unusual.

He stepped into the canyon.

Gray ash drifted through the air, carrying the harsh smell of rusted metal and scorched spiritual roots.

Skitter. Skitter.

Armored claws scraped against stone.

Five massive Blood-Ash Scorpions crawled from the surrounding crevices. Each was the size of a war-chariot, their dark-red exoskeletons carrying chaotic earth and poison attributes. Their barbed stingers dripped with venom dangerous enough to kill a Qi Gathering cultivator within moments.

The beasts lunged together.

Lin Tian shifted backward with the sect’s standard evasion footwork as the first stinger swept past his chest.

His gaze settled on the nearest scorpion.

Structural resonance was not limited to healing or artifact work. Every body had weaknesses, and every layer of armor had points where force could be applied more efficiently.

Rather than meeting the beast’s strength directly, Lin Tian stepped inside its guard and guided his sword toward the narrow seam between two armored plates.

Shnk!

The blade pierced the joint with minimal Qi expenditure, cutting through the vulnerable connection beneath the armor. The scorpion collapsed as its chaotic Qi dispersed into the ash.

Lin Tian moved to the next target.

He avoided displaying unusual speed or destructive power. Each parry redirected an incoming strike, while every thrust searched for an exposed joint or unstable point in the beast’s defenses.

He even allowed his breathing to grow slightly heavier, making the battle appear more demanding than it truly was.

Within ten minutes, all five Blood-Ash Scorpions lay motionless across the canyon floor.

High above, Lady Yun watched from an ash-covered cliff.

Her Dark Yin Body kept her aura heavily suppressed, making her presence difficult to detect. She remained still, scanning the surrounding cliffs and deeper shadows for anything beyond the mission’s expected danger.

Below, Lin Tian’s combat confirmed what she already suspected.

He was deliberately fighting beneath his true level.

His movements were efficient without being flashy, and every strike had a clear purpose. He was not relying on overwhelming power. He was using precise observation and structural understanding to end each battle with minimal expenditure.

Lady Yun’s eyes narrowed.

"He is even more restrained than I expected," she murmured.

She continued her watch for another moment. Nothing unusual appeared, and she did not interfere. For now, the mission remained exactly what it was supposed to be: a routine external task completed by a capable Foundation Establishment disciple.

Below, Lin Tian cleaned the blood from his sword and looked deeper into the canyon.

The Shadow Web would remain still, Elder Liu would have time to make her own judgment, and Lin Tian could continue moving forward without exposing anything unnecessarily.

For now, that was enough.

***

Down below, Lin Tian harvested the venom glands and tough exoskeletons of the fallen scorpions, storing them in his spatial ring. The materials would earn a decent reward at the Contribution Hall and were useful enough to justify the extra work. Leaving valuable spoils behind would serve no purpose, especially when the mission already required him to clear the area for the sect.

He continued deeper into Blood-Ash Canyon, encountering several more groups of mutated beasts along the way. He dealt with them using the same precise methods, turning the principles of structural resonance into natural combat reactions. Each encounter refined his timing, control, and judgment, allowing him to grow more efficient without revealing more than a promising Foundation Establishment disciple should possess.

By nightfall, Lin Tian reached the canyon’s deepest sector. The ash had grown much thicker here, obscuring the distant cliffs, while corrupted crystals littered the ground like fragments of dark glass.

At the center of a small toxic marsh, a dark-red flower pulsed with faint light. Lin Tian recognized it as a Blood-Ash Lotus, a rare mid-grade medicinal herb that thrived in highly toxic environments. Its use in orthodox alchemy was limited, but it could serve as a catalyst for neutralizing certain acidic poisons.

He carefully extracted the lotus without damaging its roots and sealed it inside a jade box.

"A small, acceptable gain," Lin Tian murmured.

He soon found a relatively clean outcropping beneath a heavy overhang, which shielded him from the falling ash. With a flick of his finger, he lit a small campfire and settled beside it, letting the faint warmth drive away the night’s chill.

The flames crackled softly against the surrounding silence.

"You may step out, Yun-er."

The shadows behind him shifted.

Lady Yun emerged from the darkness in her dark outer robe and settled beside the fire. Her Dark Yin Body kept her spiritual aura heavily suppressed, making her presence difficult to detect even in the corrupted surroundings.

"My Master."

Lin Tian looked at her calmly. "Your concealment held throughout the day. You stayed outside the mission’s range of notice and did not need to interfere."

Lady Yun nodded. "Your instructions were clear. I only watched the surroundings and remained ready to act if something unexpected appeared."

"Good."

Lin Tian glanced at the sword resting beside him.

"Today’s combat was useful. Structural resonance cannot remain only a theory. By limiting my cultivation to what a Foundation Establishment disciple should reasonably display, I can refine my control, timing, and efficiency through actual combat."

Lady Yun looked toward the canyon floor.

"You targeted the weak points of every beast instead of overpowering them. Your movements were restrained, but every strike had a purpose."

Lin Tian gave a faint smile. "That was exactly what I wanted."

He looked toward the narrow strip of night sky between the canyon walls.

"At some point tonight, Elder Liu’s Phantom Burns will likely return. She already knows my method can provide temporary relief, so she has something real to consider."

Lady Yun remained thoughtful. "Then she may have more reason to investigate it."

"Perhaps," Lin Tian replied. "But what she decides is hers."

He did not need to guess her next move. She had taken the first step herself, and pressing the matter would only make the situation less natural.

A warm thread of golden Liquid Qi flowed from Lin Tian’s palm into Lady Yun’s hair, activating a gentle pulse of Mutual Cultivation Feedback.

Lady Yun closed her eyes as the familiar warmth spread through her meridians. Her breathing eased, and the strain accumulated from a day of concealed movement gradually faded.

Neither spoke for a while.

The mission had provided useful materials, valuable combat experience, and a legitimate reason for Lin Tian to spend several days outside the sect. Nothing about the journey required the Shadow Web to reveal itself, and no unusual action had been taken on his behalf.

Lin Tian watched the flames for a moment.

That was enough for tonight.

Tomorrow, he would continue the mission and return when the task was complete. Until then, Elder Liu could study his method at her own pace, while he remained exactly where a diligent disciple should be—far from unnecessary attention.