Episode 5

After Bai Yun left, Lin Feng sat among the wreckage of his destroyed room.

He was still thinking about her words. *Leave the academy. Leave this place that doesn't value or respect you. Find a better life somewhere else.*

*No,* Lin Feng thought, clenching his fists. *I won't leave the academy. Not ever.*

Now he had power. Power that grew with each passing day. And someday, everyone who'd mocked him, kicked him, spat on him — they would all know. The worthless servant they'd trampled underfoot all these years was a sleeping dragon.

That night, after the incident with Zhao Ming, Lin Feng didn't go to his secret cave to cultivate. Instead, he returned to the lower library. A question had been gnawing at him ever since he'd found the Chaos Dragon Scroll.

*Why was the scroll here? In the library of a small academy like this? Shouldn't a Chaos Scroll that had been lost for a thousand years be hidden somewhere far more secure?*

Or perhaps... this was no coincidence.

Lin Feng began reading through the academy's historical texts — old books that were rarely touched by anyone. Ancient volumes with yellowed pages and faded ink.

In one of them, a book titled "History of the Founding of Blue Cloud Sword Academy," he found something interesting.

The academy had been established 1,200 years ago by a cultivator named Lin Tian. A sword master who had reportedly reached the Nascent Soul Realm — an extraordinarily high level for his era.

What made Lin Feng's breath catch: Lin Tian also bore the surname Lin, the same as his.

Was that a coincidence?

Lin Feng read on. According to the records, Lin Tian had founded the academy with the mission of "giving cultivation opportunities to those unwanted by the great clans." He accepted disciples from all backgrounds, even those with weak spiritual roots.

But the most intriguing detail came next. One hundred years after founding the academy, Lin Tian vanished. No one knew where he went. Some sources claimed he had attempted a breakthrough to the Soul Transformation Realm but failed and perished in the tribulation. Others said he had gone searching for a legendary artifact.

No one knew the truth for certain.

And not long after Lin Tian's disappearance, the lower library was built.

*Did Lin Tian hide the Chaos Dragon Scroll there?* Lin Feng wondered. *Was he also a scroll bearer? Or was he protecting it for someone else?*

And the biggest question of all: *Is there a connection between Lin Tian and my family?*

Lin Feng didn't know. But he felt an invisible thread connecting everything. Too many coincidences.

He closed the book and stared toward the corner where the hidden door lay.

*Whoever you were, Lin Tian,* he thought, *thank you for leaving this legacy behind. I won't waste it.*

***

Fourth week since he began cultivating.

Lin Feng finally reached the Ninth Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm — the very peak of the initial stage.

One more step and he could break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, but that required something beyond ordinary cultivation. He needed a minor tribulation — a test from the heavens to prove whether he was worthy of ascending to the next realm.

But Lin Feng wasn't in a hurry. He'd learned from the scroll's knowledge that a strong foundation mattered more than speed. Cultivators who advanced too quickly often left cracks in their foundation, making progress at higher levels extremely difficult.

So Lin Feng spent his time reinforcing his dantian, refining his qi, and perfecting his control over all nine elements.

More importantly, he began training the combat techniques of the Nine Dragon Orchestration. The scroll contained a vast array of battle techniques, from the most basic to the legendary.

Lin Feng started with the fundamentals:

Five Element Fist Harmony — a bare-handed technique combining five elements in a chain of strikes.

Shadow Wind Steps — a movement technique using wind and shadow qi for incredible speed.

Earth-Light Shield — a defensive technique blending earth's stability with light's purity.

He drilled each technique over and over in his secret cave, until the movements became instinct. Until he could execute them without thinking.

Because Lin Feng understood that high cultivation meant nothing without the ability to use it.

In the world of cultivation, battle wasn't just about realm — it was about technique, experience, and strategy.

And Lin Feng had no experience. So he had to compensate with extraordinary skill.

One night, while Lin Feng was practicing Five Element Fist Harmony inside his cave, he heard footsteps.

He immediately halted his cultivation and suppressed his qi. Crawling to the mouth of the cave, he peered outside.

Five figures in dark robes walked along the mountainside, lanterns in hand illuminating their path. They were whispering to each other, but Lin Feng caught fragments of their conversation:

"...sure it's here?"

"...Elder Shen says there's been strange qi fluctuations in this area..."

"...could be a treasure or a hidden artifact..."

Lin Feng froze. *They sensed my qi?* But how? He was always careful to conceal his aura during cultivation.

Or perhaps... perhaps his nine-element qi was too unique, still detectable even when hidden.

The five figures drew closer. Lin Feng could make out the emblems on their robes — they were Outer Enforcement Disciples, students tasked with patrolling the academy's security and enforcing its rules.

If they found him here, questions would be asked. Why was a servant on the mountainside in the middle of the night? Why were there qi fluctuations in this area?

With a swift, silent movement, he used Shadow Wind Steps to slip out of the cave and descend the slope along a different route. The technique made him little more than a shadow — nearly invisible and completely silent.