Back at the inn.

A loud crashing noise sounded as magnificent gorgeously glowing aeth essence poured out, bathing the room in an enchanting glow.

It was the reward Lin Xun had received from the Silver Pheasant Martial Arena today.

To break it down, winning the first thirty-nine consecutive matches had earned him 7072 low-grade aeth essences.

His victory over Cheng Lixue in the fortieth match awarded him with ten times the usual reward and an additional one hundred mid-grade aeth essences. Together, they added up to 179 pieces of mid-grade aeth essences and twenty low-grade aeth essences!

It was a sizable fortune, but Lin Xun didn’t feel happy when he converted them to mid-grade Spirit Accumulation Jades.

At most, he could purchase seventeen pieces of mid-grade Spirit Accumulation Jades.

Given the nine God Devourer Insects' appetite, Lin Xun suspected that it would only sustain them for a few days...

Crack. Crack.

Xia Xiaochong was at the table happily cracking sunflower seeds and eating them.

These white sunflower seeds glittered like gems and were the fruit of a certain strain of ‘spirit sunflower’ planted by a horticulturist. When paired with some seasonings and fried, they became crisp and delicious. The kernels gave off a rich fragrance and contained wisps of aeth power. It was a very popular snack among the Ancient Wasteland Domain cultivators.

"Big Brother Lin Xun, are you still going tomorrow?"

Xia Xiaochong crunched on her sunflower seeds as she looked at him with her large, clear eyes. She appeared very carefree and soon filled the table with piles of sunflower seed shells.

Lin Xun replied, "I’ll visit a different place tomorrow. We can no longer go to the Silver Pheasant Martial Arena."

The Flame Capital was a huge city, and there were more than a hundred martial arenas spread out among its different districts.

The largest of them all was undoubtedly the Flame Capital Martial Arena.

It was jointly owned by the four sects and three clans and was undoubtedly the number one martial arena in the Fire Spirit Province. In fact, it far surpassed all the other martial arenas in scale and influence.

Fang Linhan of the Eight Extreme Blade Temple, for example, had arrived at the Flame Capital Martial Arena a month ago to challenge the talented geniuses of the Fire Spirit Province.

He had achieved a dazzling battle record and had remained undefeated until now. As such, he became one of the most talked about individuals in the Flame Capital.

The commotion Lin Xun caused in the Silver Pheasant Martial Arena was almost nothing in comparison.

It wasn’t that Lin Xun was inferior to Fang Linhan. It was simply because the Flame Capital Martial Arena’s influence was too great. The duels that occurred within it would receive attention from the entire Fire Spirit Province.

The Silver Pheasant Martial Arena was clearly inferior in comparison. Although it was still a little famous, its fame was limited to the Flame Capital.

In fact, there were several dozen martial arenas in the Flame Capital comparable in scale to the Silver Pheasant Martial Arena!

Due to the reward incident, Lin Xun had formed a grudge with the Silver Pheasant Martial Arena and naturally couldn’t go there anymore.

Therefore, he had to turn to another martial arena to continue polishing his martial dao and earn aeth essence.

The simple-minded Xia Xiaochong naturally didn’t give any thought to the reason behind the change and cheered, “Great, I was getting tired of the Silver Pheasant Martial Arena because there was no one good there."

She was obviously still hoping for someone to beat Lin Xun and take him down a notch!

"Heh."

Lin Xun merely chuckled without getting triggered. He had already developed a certain level of resistance to Xia Xiaochong’s bluntness.

……

In the evening, Fang Linhan's silhouette emerged from the setting sun on the horizon as he returned to the inn and knocked on Lin Xun's door.

"Have you heard? A mysterious youngster appeared at the Silver Pheasant Martial Arena and won forty consecutive duels. Moreover, he made Cheng Lixue voluntarily admit defeat in the middle of a fight."

Fang Linhan crossed his arms as he leaned against the doorframe, giving off a lazy vibe. He didn’t enter the room, but chatted from his position as if they were neighbors.

“Hmm.” Lin Xun nodded.

Xia Xiaochong, on the other hand, had already completely forgotten about her sunflower seeds. She propped up her small face with her hands and stared at Fang Linhan, displaying an infatuated appearance.

Her expression was fully genuine as she fearlessly and directly looked at him without bothering to hide anything.

Lin Xun couldn’t be bothered with the silly girl. He was wondering why Fang Linhan had suddenly come to talk about this matter.

"I’ve recently had difficulty meeting satisfactory opponents. I plan to go to the Silver Pheasant Martial Arena tomorrow to have a look and see if the mysterious youngster is as formidable as rumored."

Fang Linhan asked, "Do you want to come along?"

"Yes!"

Xia Xiaochong suddenly blurted out, giving Lin Xun a jump scare. His face soon darkened. Did this blockhead already forget what he had told her earlier?

They were going to a different place tomorrow!

However, Xia Xiaochong had long forgotten Lin Xun’s existence. The only thing left on her face was a look of infatuation.

In her eyes, the sight of Fang Linhan leaning against the doorframe was simply unrivaled and was the very embodiment of carefree relaxation. His devilish and wild face was partially covered in shadow due to the light from the setting sun, creating a mix of brightness and obscurity that was so handsome that it would make anyone’s heart shatter...

Lin Xun could see a glistening strand of saliva dripping from Xia Xiaochong’s pink lips...

"This is?” Fang Linhan was taken aback.

"A sick, love-struck idiot. It’s getting late, let’s talk again next time,” Lin Xun replied irately as he slammed the door shut, leaving Fang Linhan outside.

He then glared at Xia Xiaochong and said, “Are you not shameless enough already? How can a young lady like you drool as you stare at a man? Don’t you feel even the slightest iota of shame?"

"Huh?” I was only looking and didn't have any other intentions. Is there something wrong with that?” Xia Xiaochong wiped away the saliva and displayed an unconcerned look.

Lin Xun’s expression turned stormy. This girl...is hopeless!

"Friend, will you be coming tomorrow?” Fang Linhan's voice sounded behind the door.

"No, I'm busy!” Lin Xun rejected without any hesitation.

Fang Linhan said from outside, "To be honest, if you’re willing to have a duel with me, I don’t really care about going to the Silver Pheasant Martial Arena,"

"I’m really not free.” Lin Xun had a headache. Xia Xiaochong was already bad enough as it is, why couldn’t Fang Linhan just leave him alone?

Why do you have to keep pestering me for a mere fight?

Fang Linhan’s cheerful laughter sounded from outside, "Then I’ll wait till you’re free."

Lin Xun was speechless. Was there no end to this?

Xia Xiaowei foolishly smiled to herself as she muttered, "I can imagine how charming his smile is from just the sound of his laughter..."

The corners of Lin Xun's lips ultimately couldn't help but twitch again.

……

The Flame Capital grew increasingly lively as night fell. Lanterns illuminated the city streets, bathing them in a beautiful dream-like atmosphere filled with an endless stream of activity and laughter.

Xia Xiaochong had already fallen asleep. She was unattractively sprawled on the bed like an octopus, a rare peacefulness on her innocent and pretty face.

Lin Xun was greeted by this scene when he awoke from his meditation. He could not help but inwardly remark that it would be great if she could always be this quiet...

He got up and helped tuck Xia Xiaochong in before he silently sat in front of the table like a meditating old monk.

Outside the window, the busy streets were buzzing with the sounds of activity under the dark night sky.

In contrast, the room was silent and dim. The only light was from a single lamp which cast a dusky flickering shadow of Lin Xun’s silently seated figure.

Time flowed unnoticed, and it soon reached the wee hours of the morning.

There was no longer any noise from outside the window. The streets had become cold and empty and lanterns had been extinguished, leaving only the crescent moon hanging in the sky, sprinkling its soft silver light onto the land.

Dark clouds soon arrived and obscured the crescent moon, causing the Flame Capital to be enveloped in darkness.

At this moment, Lin Xun opened his eyes. A strand of icy light surged out from his pupils like a flash of lightning tearing through the darkness.

Swoosh!

In the next instant, he disappeared from the room.

……

Outside the inn, the darkness of the night covered the sky like a curtain. Thick, dark clouds hung in the sky, a sign that it was probably about to rain.

Two shadows stood under the eaves nearby. They had concealed their auras, making it almost impossible to detect them without close inspection.

They were communicating via mind transmission.

"When will we act?"

"Let’s wait a little longer."

"It's just a Heaven Ascension kid, is there a need to be so cautious? He wouldn’t be able to stop us even if he was a Cyclic Derivation expert!"

"He’s not the only one in the inn. Fang Linhan from the Eight Extremes Blade Temple is also staying there. There will likely be an unnecessary misunderstanding if he’s alerted."

"Fang Linhan? Hmph, he’s a young man from the Mystery Water Province who has recently been making waves in the Flame Capital. He looks down on the younger-generation experts of the Fire Spirit Province and is too arrogant. We should use this opportunity to assassinate him as well."

"We’re here to kill that youngster, not Fang Linhan. Do not do anything unnecessary. Although Fang Linhan is arrogant, he is currently too famous. If he dies out of the blue, then it’ll only attract unneeded attention. As for the mysterious youngster...he’s merely an outsider with no faction or backing. No one will care if he dies."

They were concealed in their cloaks and communicated via mind transmission as if they were ghosts from the underworld. It was a hair-raising sight to behold amidst the oozing darkness of the night.

However, they were unaware of an even stranger figure soundlessly approaching them from the opposite street.

"I've kept you two waiting."

Lin Xun's voice suddenly rang out amidst the silence, causing the two black-clothed individuals to tense up and nearly jump in fear.

Only then did they realize that the target was somehow standing three feet from them without them noticing!

It was as if he had appeared out of thin air. The two individuals’ scalps turned numb from alarm and fear. They were nearly unable to believe their eyes.

One of the black-clothed individuals asked, "When did you...arrive?"

It was simply terrifying that the target had appeared without them realizing it.

"Hmm, I just got here."

Lin Xun offhandedly answered. His black, abyss-like eyes seemed to glow as he observed them with some interest. "By the way, do you guys have any aeth essence?"

The bizarre question left the two individuals stunned and uncomfortable, feeling as if a predator was sizing them up.

Crap!

The two black-clothed individuals’ hearts shivered in fear. The Heaven Ascension youngster's sudden appearance freaked them out and made them smell danger.