71: Amidst a winning streak, a hidden strategy emerges.

The victory in the first round of the preliminaries didn't cause much of a stir among the thousand-plus prodigies. After all, it was just the beginning, and the true powerhouses had yet to show their mettle. However, Lin Fan's clean and efficient methods, especially his way of countering heterodox arts, still left an impression on a few observant individuals.

Over the next two days, the preliminaries proceeded in full swing. Four major districts, eight arenas, nearly a hundred matches daily. Some became famous overnight, while others left the stage in disappointment. The losers' bracket saw even more brutal battles for revival, competing for the few second chances available.

Lin Fan's matches in the Jia Block went smoothly. His second opponent was the Young Lord of a medium-sized tribe from the Southern Border, who followed the path of brute force Body Refining. He was quite strong, but before the Eternal Indestructible Body, he was like a child swinging a hammer, and was blasted off the arena by Lin Fan in three punches.

His third opponent was a woman from the East Sea Loose Cultivator Alliance, skilled in water-escape illusions and sonic attacks, making her quite troublesome. However, under Lin Fan's Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils, the illusions were as good as non-existent. He also used the Star Domain to briefly solidify the surrounding space, interfering with the transmission of sound waves. Finally, with a restrained Star Finger strike to the opponent's shoulder-well point, he paralyzed half her body, forcing her to concede.

With three wins in three matches, Lin Fan easily advanced to the top sixty-four of the Jia Block. Although his performance wasn't the flashiest, his ease—as if he hadn't even exerted his full strength—made some observers secretly wary.

Lin Feng and Lin Xue each went through two battles, with one win and one loss. Lin Feng lost to a warrior monk from the Great Awakening Temple in the Western Regions. The opponent had just achieved the Arhat Golden Body, possessing incredible defense. Lin Feng couldn't break through after a long attack and was instead knocked off the arena by a Great Strength Vajra Palm, entering the losers' bracket. Lin Xue, relying on her exquisite control of plant-based Spiritual Qi and a defensive vine armor bestowed by the Family, narrowly defeated a Sword Cultivator from the Northern Region to successfully advance.

During these two days, besides his matches, Lin Fan spent most of his time meditating in his cubicle or observing the powerhouses on other stages through a water mirror. He saw Ye Lingyun's elegant single-sword victory, Yan Lie's violent fire spells that seemed to burn the sky, Bright Wisdom's peaceful Buddhist light of salvation, and Blue Tide's lingering Weak Water Three Thousand. He also saw the Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's consecutive victories; his methods were ruthless, almost every opponent left coughing blood and severely injured, showing immense hostility.

The Jade Pool Saintess, Meng Liuli, remained mysterious. Her opponents often fell into illusions and lost for no apparent reason; so far, no one had forced her to use a second move.

Additionally, some dark horses emerged. For instance, a Loose Cultivator youth named Shi Potian from a remote small domain. Despite being at the Late Stage of the Condensing Spirit Realm, he used a set of simple yet powerful fist techniques to break the bones and tendons of a Sect Prodigy at the Early Stage of the Divine Power Realm, advancing forcefully. There was also a girl named Luo Qingyi from a hidden ancient clan; her swordsmanship was ethereal and otherworldly, seemingly detached from the mortal world, yet every strike was lethal and unpredictable.

"Indeed, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers," Lin Fan understood. This was only the preliminaries; the truly top-tier prodigies had not yet fully exerted themselves.

By the evening of the third day, the first round of the preliminaries had completely ended, and the top two hundred and fifty-six were born. The revival matches in the losers' bracket also concluded. Lin Feng failed to seize the opportunity and was regretfully eliminated, but he wasn't too dejected; instead, his horizons had been broadened, and he had gained much.

The Imperial Court Master of Ceremonies announced that there would be a day of rest the following day, followed by the drawing of lots and preparations for the second round, the "Secret Realm Trial."

Lin Fan's group of three returned to Courtyard No. 7, Jia Block in the Qingyun District.

"God Seed, you are truly amazing! Three wins in three matches. I see those people are starting to be wary of you!" Although Lin Feng was eliminated, his spirits remained high.

"There is always someone better; do not be careless," Lin Fan cautioned. "Your defeat this time is also a good thing, as it reveals your shortcomings. After returning, you must Cultivate diligently, especially in combat adaptability and methods to break defenses."

"Yes!" Lin Feng nodded vigorously.

Lin Xue silently handed over a cup of spiritual tea for clearing the mind and condensing the spirit.

Lin Fan took it and was about to drink, but his movements paused slightly.

"Lin Xue, where did you get this tea?" He looked at the clear green tea in the cup, which seemed no different from usual.

"A maid in the courtyard just brought it, saying it's a benefit provided by the assembly to help recover spiritual power and the Divine Soul." Lin Xue replied. Seeing Lin Fan's strange expression, her heart tightened. "God Seed, is there something wrong with this tea?"

Lin Fan didn't answer but brought the tea cup to his nose and sniffed lightly. The tea fragrance was elegant and nothing seemed amiss. However, his Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils quietly activated, a golden light flashing in his eyes as he looked at the tea.

Under the vision of the Divine Pupils, within the seemingly pure tea, there were actually dozens of microscopic, nearly transparent insect eggs floating! The eggs were extremely small and had no life or energy fluctuations. Had his perception not increased greatly after absorbing the time-space dao rhyme, and had he not specifically used his Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils to observe minutely, he wouldn't have discovered them at all!

"God-Devouring Gu Eggs." Lin Fan's gaze suddenly turned icy. This was an extremely sinister type of Gu egg, colorless and odorless, making it hard to detect. Once consumed, the eggs would lie dormant deep within a Cultivator's Divine Soul, showing no abnormalities. But once triggered by a specific melody or Divine Soul fluctuation, they would wake up and frantically gnaw at the host's Divine Soul, causing agonizing pain or even the collapse and death of the Divine Soul! This was a specialized assassination method targeting the Divine Soul, utterly malicious!

The one who delivered the tea was a courtyard maid? That maid had been serving their meals for the past two days without any issues. Either she was also deceived, or she had been temporarily swapped or controlled.

"There's a problem with the tea; it contains sinister Gu eggs," Lin Fan said deeply. A wisp of starlight emerged from his fingertip and fell into the teacup. The microscopic Gu eggs made a faint sizzling sound under the starlight and instantly vanished into nothingness.

Lin Feng and Lin Xue's expressions changed drastically.

"To dare to poison someone right at the foot of the Imperial City, in the residence of the prodigies!" Lin Feng was both shocked and furious.

"The opponent's methods are secretive; clearly, this isn't the first time they've done such a thing," Lin Fan said calmly. "Lin Xue, go check on the maid who just delivered the tea. Inquire indirectly; don't alert the enemy. Lin Feng, go patrol outside the courtyard secretly to see if there are any suspicious characters."

The two left to carry out their orders.

Lin Fan sat alone in the courtyard, his finger lightly tapping the stone table. The preliminaries had just ended, and an assassination attempt had already arrived. Moreover, the methods had shifted from open provocation on the arena to this kind of insidious poisoning, indicating that the opponent had realized it was difficult to deal with him openly and had begun to change strategies.

"Gu insects... the Mysterious Yin Sect is also skilled in this path. But Han Li is already crippled; others in the Mysterious Yin Sect might not have the courage or ability to sneak in here to plant poison. Shadow Hall? They are better at direct assassination." Lin Fan's thoughts turned rapidly. "Could it be the Great Elder's hidden agents in the Imperial Capital? Or some other power he's colluding with?"

He suddenly remembered that back in the Family, his father, the Clan Leader, had mentioned that the Great Elder had traveled outside for a hundred years in his youth and made complex connections. If he had hidden forces in the Imperial Capital, it wouldn't be surprising.

Before long, Lin Xue and Lin Feng returned one after another.

"The maid, Xiao Huan, behaved normally. I asked her where the tea came from, and she said it was collected uniformly from 'Qingyi Garden.' I went to Qingyi Garden to take a peek; it's one of the assembly's logistics centers. The personnel are diverse and the management seems strict, but if one is determined, it wouldn't be hard to sneak in or bribe a person or two," Lin Xue reported in a low voice.

"No obviously suspicious people were found outside the courtyard, but..." Lin Feng hesitated for a moment. "At the street corner, I seemed to catch a glimpse of a somewhat familiar back. It vanished into an alley in a flash. It looked a bit like a certain guard near that fellow Huangfu Jue from the Huangfu Family. But the distance was too far to be certain."

The Huangfu Family? A cold light flashed in Lin Fan's eyes. The Heir of the Duke of Zhenguo and his brother had a grudge against him, and the Huangfu Family was powerful, having operated in the Imperial Capital for many years; they had the capability to do such a thing. But using Gu didn't seem like the Huangfu Family's style. They preferred open suppression or using someone else's blade.

"Don't breathe a word of this," Lin Fan instructed. "Since the opponent failed once, they might have further plans. For the next few days, we must be careful with our food and drink. Everything from the outside must be checked by me. You two must also heighten your vigilance."

"Yes!"

That night, Lin Fan set up a warning Formation in his room. He didn't enter deep meditation but kept a wisp of his mind alert. At the same time, he took out the detailed map of Tianyang City, sinking his Divine Thought into it, focusing on the Qingyun District and its surrounding areas, especially the architectural layout and possible hidden passages near 'Qingyi Garden.'

Though the map was incomplete, the information was detailed enough. He soon discovered that behind Qingyi Garden, across two streets, there was an area marked as the 'Northern Region Chamber of Commerce Temporary Residence.' And the Mysterious Yin Sect happened to be from the Northern Region.

"A coincidence?" Lin Fan noted this information.

He then remembered the back of the suspected Huangfu Family guard mentioned by Lin Feng. On the map, the Huangfu Family's villa in the Imperial Capital was located in the Vermilion Bird District in the west of the city. It wasn't close to the Qingyun District, but for a Cultivator's pace, it wasn't far either.

"It seems there's more than one kind of fish in this pool." Lin Fan withdrew his Divine Thought, his gaze deep.

The next day was a day of rest, yet Tianyang City was even more bustling. The advancing prodigies either seized the last moments to Cultivate, gathered with friends to exchange information, or went to Ten Thousand Treasures Street to hunt for treasures. The Imperial City Division clearly increased its patrols, especially in the areas where the prodigies resided.

Lin Fan stayed in the courtyard all day, consolidating his cultivation while trying to combine the newly comprehended time-space dao rhyme with the Indestructible Divine King Fist. He found that if he could integrate a trace of the Concepts of 'Space Solidification' or 'Trajectory Deviation' into his fist force, even if it only affected the opponent for an instant, it would be enough to change the course of a battle. However, this required more exquisite control over the power of time and space, which wasn't the work of a single day.

At dusk, the courtyard gate's Restriction was triggered again.

This time, two Cultivators dressed in Imperial City Division uniforms with cold auras arrived.

"Young Master Lin Fan, we are here by order of the Division Chief to inquire about a matter." A serious-looking middle-aged Cultivator at the head showed a medallion, his tone professional. "Last night, a servant responsible for tea at Qingyi Garden died suddenly under suspicious circumstances, likely due to poisoning. Upon investigation, some of the tea and snacks they last handled were delivered to Courtyard No. 7, Jia Block. Thus, we have come to ask if anyone in your courtyard drank tea from Qingyi Garden yesterday? Are there any abnormalities in your bodies?"

The news had leaked after all, or rather, the Imperial City Division's nose was sharper than expected.

Lin Fan's expression was calm. "A maid did deliver tea yesterday, but we did not drink it. Is there a problem with the tea?"

"Residues of 'Soul-Losing Powder' were detected in the tea. Although not a lethal poison, consuming it in large quantities can cause brief unconsciousness." The Imperial City Division Cultivator stared intently at Lin Fan. "That servant died from the toxic reaction after coming into contact with uncleansed medicine dregs. This matter concerns the order of the assembly and the safety of the prodigies. We ask Young Master Lin to cooperate with the investigation. Have you had any grudges with anyone recently? Or noticed any abnormalities?"

Soul-Losing Powder? Not God-Devouring Gu Eggs? Thoughts spun in Lin Fan's mind. Did the opponent use a dual method, with a camouflaging poison on top of the Gu eggs? Or did the Imperial City Division fail to find the Gu eggs, or had someone tampered with the evidence?

"Thank you for informing me. I have just arrived in the Imperial Capital, and besides the normal matches on the arena, I haven't formed any life-and-death grudges," Lin Fan said frankly. "As for abnormalities... that maid who delivered the tea yesterday, Xiao Huan—perhaps you two can ask her about the specific process of collecting the tea."

The two Imperial City Division Cultivators glanced at each other, noted down the maid's name, asked a few more questions, and seeing they could get nothing more, took their leave, stating they would continue the investigation.

After seeing them off, Lin Fan returned to the courtyard, his finger unconsciously drawing circles on the stone table.

The Imperial City Division's involvement was both a good and bad thing. The good part was that it could deter petty criminals; the bad part was that it might alert the enemy, causing the rats in the dark to hide even deeper.

"God-Devouring Gu Eggs, Soul-Losing Powder, the servant who died suddenly..." Lin Fan connected these clues. "The opponent acts meticulously, with scapegoats and cover-up methods. Moreover, their ability to influence the initial direction of the Imperial City Division's investigation suggests significant power."

He looked up at the darkening sky. The lights across the Imperial City were lighting up one by one. Behind the prosperity, shadows were also spreading.

"No matter who you are, if you want my life..." Lin Fan whispered to himself, pressing his finger lightly on the stone table, leaving a clear fingerprint. "You'd better be prepared to have your teeth shattered."

The night deepened, and Courtyard No. 7, Jia Block was silent.

Meanwhile, in a hidden attic somewhere in the city, a figure listened to a subordinate's report and let out a low laugh.

"Those useless fools at the Imperial City Division indeed only found the Soul-Losing Powder. How could they possibly discover the God-Devouring Gu?"

"Master is wise. However, that Lin Fan doesn't seem to have fallen for it; instead, he has become more vigilant."

"No matter. The Secret Realm Trial is the true hunting ground. There, the hand of the Imperial City Division cannot reach that far. Prepare our people, and send word to 'them' that the prey has entered the field."

"Yes!" In the darkness, the web of conspiracy was quietly tightening.