13: The storm is not over yet, hard work pays off

The door closed with a creak.

The crisp sound of the bolt falling into place completely isolated all the clamor and prying eyes from outside.

Lin Gou leaned his back against the cold door panel and let out a long breath of stale air.

In his mind, Fatty Zhang's fat face, full of flattery and awe, still echoed.

His initial arrogance followed by his current deference was truly a masterful skill.

But this, too, was precisely the most realistic Law of this world.

Strength was the only standard for defining right and wrong.

Lin Gou walked to the table, and under the dim oil lamp, he pulled out the thin booklet from his embrace—"Corpse Refinement Insights."

The lamplight flickered, and the distorted runic diagrams on the pages seemed to squirm.

"Refining Corpse Puppets, Materials are paramount..."

His fingertips traced the pages as he murmured to himself.

A powerful Physical Body, special abilities remaining from before death.

His mind subconsciously flashed with the names of a few Disciples who had been throwing their weight around in the Outer Sect.

What a pity.

Lin Gou's brows furrowed slightly, and then he put the booklet back into his embrace.

This thing was a great weapon, but using it now, the risk far outweighed the reward.

You have to eat your food one bite at a time.

Dying also had to be done step by step, with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness.

The most urgent task was to solidify his Foundation and hide his life well.

The trip to Blackwind Valley had caused his Cultivation to soar too quickly, like a tall building built on a beach—it looked impressive, but in reality, a single push would bring it down.

More importantly, there were those fellow Disciples who had glimpsed his "resurrection" from afar.

Those few suspicious glances always felt like invisible thorns, piercing his heart.

He had to become stronger, faster!

Strong enough to turn all prying eyes into awe!

In the following days, Lin Gou completely disappeared.

He refused all visitors, staying indoors all day, as if he had reverted to that inconspicuous, transparent person.

Every day, he sat cross-legged, circulating, compressing, and purifying the Spiritual Qi of the fifth Qi Refining layer repeatedly through his Meridians.

In his spare time, he repeatedly practiced the Aura Concealment Technique and Swift Wind Steps in his small room.

One for hiding.

One for running.

These two divine skills of the 'Gou Dao' practitioner, he wanted to Cultivate them into instinct.

Time passed unknowingly for seven days in the monotonous yet efficient Cultivation.

On this day, Lin Gou had just finished a grand cycle of breathing exercises and was about to get up.

[Ding!]

A crisp, pleasant notification sound suddenly exploded in his mind without warning.

Lin Gou's whole body trembled, his eyes suddenly opened, radiating brilliant light!

It's here!

[Detected that the host has maintained a low-key, secluded Cultivation for seven days, without actively initiating any conflicts, perfectly meeting the criteria for "Gou Dao Daily Life" judgment.]

The System's mechanical tone, at this moment, sounded like heavenly music!

[Congratulations to the host, you have triggered the "Gou Dao Daily Life Reward."]

[Reward obtained: One "Anchor Point Enhancement Talisman"!]

A line of dazzling golden characters shone brightly in his consciousness.

Anchor Point Enhancement Talisman?

Lin Gou's heart gave a sudden lurch!

[Anchor Point Enhancement Talisman: Can be used to enhance an already set resurrection anchor point once. After enhancement, the anchor point's concealment and stability will receive a qualitative improvement, effectively isolating the Divine Sense prying of Advanced Cultivators, greatly reducing the risk of the anchor point being exposed or destroyed.]

Good stuff!

This was a damn good thing!

Lin Gou's eyes instantly lit up, and his breathing became a little heavier.

That anchor point in the back mountain had always been his biggest worry!

What if some Elder, with nothing better to do, swept his Divine Sense over it one day... that would be a huge problem!

With this Talisman, his grand resurrection plan would finally have a true guarantee!

Now, he could be more at ease with his reckless behavior!

However, just as he was excitedly planning where to stir up some "high-stakes action" for this unexpected boon—

"Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!"

A rapid, ear-piercing sound of gongs suddenly shattered the tranquility of the Outer Sect!

Immediately following, the high-pitched shouts of the Deacon Disciples, amplified by Spiritual Qi, spread to every corner.

"Outer Sect Disciples, listen up!"

"The Sect Tournament will be held in ten days!"

"All Disciples who have been in the Sect for a full year and have reached the third layer of Qi Refining can sign up to participate! The top ten in the Competition will enter the Inner Sect, and there will be generous rewards!"

Sect Tournament!

These four words, like a meteor, heavily smashed into Lin Gou's recently agitated heart.

The entire Outer Sect instantly boiled over!

Lin Gou walked to the window, his fingertips gently prying open a tiny gap to look outside.

Countless Disciples poured out of their rooms, in groups of three or five, their faces filled with excitement, longing, and nervousness.

"It's finally here! The Inner Sect! I must get in!"

"Cultivation Technique, Medicinal Pills, Spiritual Qi density, everything will be vastly different!"

"I wonder which Senior Brothers will take the lead this time..."

Amidst the noisy discussions, one name was deliberately brought up.

"You guys, what about that Lin Gou... will he participate?"

"Fifth layer of Qi Refining! He's currently the strongest Cultivator in our Outer Sect!"

A voice full of sourness immediately retorted: "Hmph, just luck! A superficial Cultivation piled up with Medicinal Pills, it'll crumble with a poke once he's on the arena!"

"That's right, I'd like to see if he's a Dragon or a worm."

Lin Gou listened to the various discussions outside, his unremarkable face still calm as an ancient well.

But his heart had already churned up a storm!

Sect Tournament?

Arena combat?

In front of everyone... isn't this... a perfect stage for seeking death?!

His fingers lightly tapped on the window frame, his mind already rapidly calculating.

"'Accidentally' getting killed in plain sight, the sensational effect will definitely be good, and the rewards will absolutely be generous!"

"And I can use this opportunity to openly interact with the true powerhouses of the Outer Sect!"

"Will the quality of rewards be the same if I'm killed by the Outer Sect's top Cultivator versus an unknown nobody?"

More importantly... entering the Inner Sect!

That meant more Advanced Cultivation Techniques, more precious resources, and... a more dangerous, and more Advanced "death-seeking environment"!

The corners of Lin Gou's mouth slowly curved into an unnoticeable arc, full of fervent anticipation.

He had just received the "Anchor Point Enhancement Talisman" and was worried about not having a place to test his skills.

And now, the opportunity had arrived.

The prey, they had all walked into the hunting ground themselves.