Stepping into the Inner Sect felt like entering another world.
The crisp air hummed with dense spiritual qi. Towering pavilions rose among mist-covered peaks. Sword auras sliced through the clouds in silent arcs, and beast roars echoed from distant mountain forests. Every stone path shimmered faintly with formations, and the disciples here—each one a peak expert in the outer sect—walked with pride, arrogance, or quiet, restrained confidence.
Lin Feng's robes were still those of an outer disciple. His presence, his aura—even the way he walked—drew attention.
Sneers.
Mockery.
But also, wary curiosity.
As Lin Feng passed under the Dragon-Spine Arch, a booming voice interrupted the stillness.
> "New inner disciple, halt."
He turned to see a tall man in pale-gold robes. His arms were folded behind his back, and a broad-bladed halberd floated behind him like a dragon's tail. His aura surged: Qi Condensation Stage 3.
"State your name and entry qualification," the man barked.
"Lin Feng," he replied calmly, "Vein-Cleaving Cliff trial. First to return. Brought back the Vein Crystal."
The man raised an eyebrow. A dozen watching inner disciples murmured.
Then the man laughed.
"Hah. So, you're the outer sect nobody the elders are talking about. Fine. Let me welcome you properly."
The halberd behind him gleamed—and lunged.
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. He stepped aside just as the halberd slammed into the ground beside him, splitting the stone into a spiderweb of cracks.
He drew his sword. "If this is a test, don't hold back."
The man smirked. "I am Yan Zixuan, top ten in the Inner Sect. I'm not in the habit of holding back."
---
Their duel was short but explosive.
Yan Zixuan's halberd carved wide arcs, creating wind-pressure barriers. Lin Feng, though still in Body Refinement Stage 6, twisted and struck using the Heaven-Devouring Manual to convert each glancing blow into absorbed qi. His movements were clean, lethal, and unpredictable.
By the tenth exchange, he had cut a line through Yan Zixuan's robes—and held his blade to the man's throat.
Silence fell.
Then Yan Zixuan burst into laughter. "Well, well. I like you already. But the Inner Sect's pond is deep, Lin Feng. You're no longer swimming with frogs."
He clapped Lin Feng on the shoulder and left without further word.
Lin Feng let out a slow breath.
Already, the inner sect demanded blood. Strength. Survival.
---
Later, in the Jade Lotus Pavilion, Lin Feng was assigned a peak residence. Not lavish—but quiet, elevated, and with its own spirit spring. He trained for three days in solitude, using the vein crystal to push toward Body Refinement Stage 7, and the fourth page of the Heaven-Devouring Manual revealed itself.
A new technique: Soul-Eating Gaze—a spiritual suppression skill that attacked the enemy's will.
It came with a warning: Use it too often, and your own soul may erode.
---
On the fifth night, trouble arrived again.
A group of three disciples blocked his path at the central training field. One, a beautiful woman in silver armor with twin sabers, smiled faintly.
"You're Lin Feng, the upstart? I'm Mu Yao. I've been challenged every week since you arrived. It's becoming tiresome. I'm here to break your aura."
Lin Feng's eyes flickered.
> Another test. Another predator.
"I don't spar without stakes," he said.
She raised an eyebrow. "Name it."
"If I win, you leave me alone. If I lose—"
"You become my errand boy for a month," she said, smirking.
"Deal."
The duel was swift.
Mu Yao's twin sabers danced like lightning, but Lin Feng's Heaven-Devouring Steps moved around her like flowing mist. He struck once—twice—then caught her saber mid-spin and flipped her to the ground.
She lay there for a second, stunned, then laughed.
"Alright, errand boy," she said, standing. "Maybe next time."
She left with a smile—but Lin Feng saw the glint in her eyes. He had made another mark.
---
That same night, an elder summoned him.
In the Moon-Breaking Hall, Elder Han, one of the sect's four core overseers, met him with a stern gaze.
"You've drawn too much attention, too fast. There are forces in the sect that won't tolerate your rise."
Lin Feng bowed slightly. "I won't stop cultivating just because it offends others."
Han snorted. "Good. You'll need that pride. The Secret Realm of Nine Tombs is opening in a month. You'll be entered."
Lin Feng's breath caught.
The Secret Realm was a legendary training ground hidden in a pocket dimension—only opened once every three years. Filled with ancient tombs, beasts, puzzles, and deadly traps—it was also a treasure trove of cultivation legacies.
Many never returned.
"I'm ready," Lin Feng said quietly.
Elder Han studied him for a long moment, then nodded.
"You'd better be."
---
In the moonlight outside, Lin Feng stood alone.
The sect was a furnace. And he was the spark. He would not dim. He would blaze.
And in the darkness, unseen, a figure in blood robes watched from a distant peak.
> "Lin Feng, Lin Feng… you've awakened the Heaven-Devouring Manual. The others don't know. But I do. And you will burn the heavens one day… or I will."