The Hidden Expert of Qinghe Valley

The night wind moved quietly through Qinghe Valley.

Inside the repaired wooden hut, Lin Jie sat beside the small stove while weak firelight flickered across the walls.

The cabin already looked far better compared to when he first arrived.

The roof no longer leaked.

The walls stood straight.

Even the old stove worked properly now.

Lin Jie poured boiled water into a wooden cup before letting out a tired sigh.

"This world is insane…"

Cultivators.

Immortals.

Spirit beasts.

The more he learned, the more unbelievable everything sounded.

Yet somehow… he had already accepted it.

Maybe dying once changed people.

Outside the hut, bamboo leaves rustled softly beneath moonlight.

The valley felt strangely peaceful tonight.

Lin Jie looked toward the mountains quietly.

Back on Earth, his life had been exhausting.

Wake up.

Work.

Overtime.

Sleep.

Repeat.

Every day blurred together until he barely felt alive anymore.

But here… despite the danger, the mountains felt calm.

Silent.

Almost healing.

Lin Jie laughed softly to himself.

"If I survive long enough, maybe this place won't be bad."

Meanwhile, dozens of kilometers away, panic was spreading rapidly.

Inside Black River Sect, several cultivators gathered within a stone hall illuminated by blue spiritual flames.

The rogue cultivator from earlier knelt on the floor trembling.

At the center of the hall stood an old man wearing dark robes.

Elder Han.

A Nascent Soul cultivator.

One of the strongest experts within the region.

"You're telling me…" Elder Han said slowly, "…that merely looking at this person injured your soul?"

The rogue cultivator lowered his head deeply.

"Yes, Elder."

The hall became silent.

Several sect disciples exchanged nervous looks.

Soul pressure capable of injuring a Golden Core cultivator without acting intentionally was terrifying.

Elder Han narrowed his eyes.

"And this hidden expert lives inside Qinghe Valley?"

"Yes."

One disciple hesitated before speaking.

"But Elder… Qinghe Valley is cursed land. Even Nascent Soul cultivators avoid it."

Elder Han's expression darkened.

"That is exactly why this matter is dangerous."

He slowly stood.

"If someone truly stabilized the valley…"

The old man's eyes sharpened immediately.

"…then their cultivation may exceed this entire region."

Cold silence filled the hall.

Finally, Elder Han turned toward the kneeling cultivator.

"Describe him."

The rogue cultivator swallowed nervously.

"He looked ordinary."

"…Ordinary?"

"Yes. No spiritual fluctuations. No visible cultivation."

Several disciples frowned immediately.

One young man sneered quietly.

"A mortal?"

The rogue cultivator's face instantly turned pale.

"No!"

His sudden outburst startled everyone.

"That thing is NOT mortal."

Fear filled his eyes again as he remembered the endless abyss-like pressure hidden within Lin Jie's soul.

Elder Han remained silent for several moments.

Then he finally spoke.

"Tomorrow, we visit Qinghe Valley."

Back within the valley itself, Lin Jie remained completely unaware that an entire cultivation sect had begun

investigating him.

At that moment, he was focused on a far more important problem.

Food.

"I seriously need better cooking ingredients," he muttered.

The rice from Stone Creek Village was rough and dry.

The vegetables were limited.

And the fish smelled strange.

Lin Jie rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"If I'm going to live here, I need proper supplies."

He looked toward the dark forest outside.

Honestly, the valley still felt dangerous.

Even during daytime.

Yet strangely enough, no animals ever approached the hut.

Not even insects.

At first Lin Jie thought it was coincidence.

Now it felt suspicious.

"Maybe there's a stronger predator nearby."

That explanation sounded reasonable enough.

Unknown to Lin Jie, hidden spirit beasts throughout the valley were currently suppressing their own auras in absolute

terror.

None dared approach the cabin.

Not after the ancient formation beneath the hut reactivated.

Not after the valley itself began stabilizing around his existence.

Deep underground, countless ancient runes glowed softly.

Inside the hidden system space, the Infinite Ascension System continued observing everything nervously.

[Host currently consuming low-grade mortal rice.]

[Environmental synchronization increasing.]

[Warning: nearby heavenly laws adapting to host presence.]

The system nearly collapsed again.

This should have been impossible.

No being should naturally influence heavenly laws simply by existing.

Yet Lin Jie continued breaking reality without realizing it.

Suddenly—

CRACK.

A loud noise echoed outside the hut.

Lin Jie immediately stood.

"What was that?"

He grabbed the rusty hatchet beside the wall cautiously.

The forest outside looked dark beneath the moonlight.

Another sound echoed.

Branches breaking.

Something large was moving through the bamboo forest.

Lin Jie's expression stiffened immediately.

"Please don't be a bear."

Slowly, he pushed open the cabin door.

Cold night air rushed into the room.

The bamboo forest swayed quietly beneath silver moonlight.

Then Lin Jie saw it.

A massive black wolf stood near the edge of the forest.

Its body was nearly the size of a tiger.

Silver eyes reflected beneath the moon.

Lin Jie froze instantly.

"Nope."

Every survival instinct inside him screamed danger.

But strangely enough… the wolf itself looked terrified.

The beast lowered its body completely against the ground.

Its entire body trembled violently.

Then it slowly backed away.

Lin Jie blinked in confusion.

"Huh?"

The wolf whimpered softly before fleeing deep into the mountains at full speed.

Silence returned instantly.

Lin Jie stood outside the cabin for several seconds.

"That was weird."

He looked down at the rusty hatchet in his hand.

"Maybe it was injured?"

Completely misunderstanding the situation, Lin Jie eventually returned inside the hut.

Far away within the mountains, the giant black wolf collapsed beside a river trembling uncontrollably.

Its instincts screamed only one message repeatedly:

Do not approach that existence.

Back at the cabin, Lin Jie placed more wood into the stove before lying down beside the wall.

The fire crackled softly.

Outside, moonlight covered Qinghe Valley silently.

Above the clouds, Elder Han and several Black River Sect cultivators traveled rapidly toward the valley.

None of them realized…

They were approaching something far beyond their understanding.

Meanwhile, Lin Jie closed his eyes peacefully.

Completely unaware that his quiet mountain life had already begun shaking the cultivation world.

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