4: Chapter 4: A Nighttime Probe, Xun'er's Suspicion

Moonlight like frost spilled into the quiet Xiao Family backyard.

Lin Yan sat cross-legged on the hard bed, not yet asleep. The ripples caused by his punch in the market today... he looked calm on the surface, but inside he didn't dare to relax at all. Exposing his strength (even if disguised) would inevitably attract attention, especially in this world with deep clan concepts. A side-branch disciple who suddenly "got enlightened" was enough to stir some people's nerves.

He had to get stronger faster, while making the "adventure" or "epiphany" disguise more solid.

His consciousness sank into his body. Dou Zhi Qi, under the continuous nourishment of Living Spirit Flame, became more vigorous and surging, steadily standing in the mid-stage of the Seventh Stage, advancing towards the peak. The emerald spark in his Dantian, like an inexhaustible spring, exuded a reassuring life aura.

But his goal tonight wasn't continued nourishment. His gaze turned to the system inventory, at that intangible, perceivable only by soul perception, "Fallen Heart Flame (Child Flame)".

Fallen Heart Flame, also known as the "Cultivation Cheat", can burn Dou Qi invisibly, refining its purity. Although it was just a Child Flame, its power was less than one in ten thousand, but it might be just right for refining energy at the Dou Zhi Qi stage.

"Try guiding a wisp, must be careful." Lin Yan focused, soul power slowly wrapped around that intangible flame, gently drawing an extremely weak wisp of energy, following the meridians, carefully moving towards the flowing Dou Zhi Qi.

Different from the gentle Living Spirit Flame, as soon as this intangible heart flame energy touched the Dou Zhi Qi, it produced a strange feeling of "calcination". It was not painful burning, but a subtle "purification" and "compression" originating from the energy itself. Tiny, imperceptible impurities in the Dou Zhi Qi, which even Lin Yan hadn't noticed, quietly dissipated as the heart flame passed. The remaining Dou Zhi Qi, although the total amount decreased imperceptibly, became more solid, pure, and ran more smoothly.

"It works!" Lin Yan was happy, but didn't dare to be careless. He strictly controlled the intensity and quantity of the heart flame energy, using it in wisps, like the most patient craftsman, repeatedly refining the Dou Zhi Qi running in his meridians. This process required high soul control; thanks to the transmigration fusion and the nourishment of Living Spirit Flame, his soul power could barely support this delicate operation.

Time passed silently. Outside the window, the moonlight shifted; the night was deep.

Just as Lin Yan was fully focused on refining Dou Zhi Qi, while distracted by pondering the "Eight Extremities Collapse" force technique in his mind, a very subtle, almost imperceptible sense of incongruity brushed past his perception like an underwater current.

It was not a sound, not a smell, but a feeling... of being watched. A cold, professional, scrutinizing gaze, as if piercing through the wall, landed on him.

Someone! Spying in the dark!

Lin Yan's heart shrank, his muscles tensed, then he forced himself to relax immediately. The Dou Zhi Qi running in his body and that wisp of Fallen Heart Flame energy immediately became extremely slow, obscure, almost stagnant. His face remained calm as if cultivating, not even frowning, as if completely unaware.

But his soul perception, like the most sensitive radar, quietly "spread" towards the direction the gaze came from. It was not active probing, but passive receiving and analysis.

Outside the window, in the shadows of the courtyard corner, it seemed a bit thicker than elsewhere. There, it seemed empty, but also as if something had perfectly merged into the night.

"Expert... at least far beyond a Dou Practitioner, perhaps even above a Great Dou Master! Is it the Xiao Family's dark guard? Or..." Lin Yan's thoughts raced. The Xiao Family had dark guards, but they usually wouldn't spy so closely and intently on a side-branch disciple's cultivation, unless... he had attracted special attention.

Xiao Xun Er!

Almost instantly, this name jumped into his mind. Only she could have such a level of bodyguard following her at any time. Was it because of the market conflict during the day? Or did his "abnormal" breakthrough speed this period finally attract the attention of this Ancient Clan young lady?

Cold sweat seeped from Lin Yan's spine. Being targeted by this heaven-backed heroine was definitely not a good thing. He was like a toddler dragon, carrying a treasure that would drive real dragons crazy, but had to pretend to be a harmless lizard.

He could not show weakness, and even more, could not expose the existence of Heavenly Flames and the system. But if he acted completely like an ordinary Fifth Stage Dou Zhi Qi youth, it wouldn't match his performance of "defeating" the Sixth Stage Jia Lie Ao.

In a flash, Lin Yan made a decision. He couldn't hide completely, but he could "show" a part to mislead the other's judgment.

He maintained the cultivation posture, but secretly moved the spark of Living Spirit Flame in his Dantian. It was not an attack, nor a major enhancement, but extremely obscurely, letting a wisp of pure and gentle life aura, along with his deliberately "heavy" breathing and the slightly "uncontrolled" overflow of Dou Zhi Qi, quietly permeate within a foot of his body.

This aura was extremely faint, mixed with the floral scent of the night, almost unnoticeable. But the "life energy" characteristic it represented was distinct from ordinary Dou Zhi Qi.

For ordinary people or even low-level cultivators, they might just think Lin Yan's blood and energy were stronger. But for a knowledgeable, sharp-perceiving expert, this was a signal—this youth might have accidentally consumed some heavenly treasure containing pure life energy (like a First Stage wood-attribute magic core essence, special herbal spirit liquid, etc.), leading to improved physique, accelerated Dou Zhi Qi growth, and strength different from ordinary people.

This was the most reasonable and least suspicious explanation. After all, the Fighting Qi Continent was vast, and low-level cultivators occasionally obtaining opportunities, while rare, was not unheard of.

Outside the window in the shadows, that cold gaze seemed to pause slightly, as if carefully perceiving and analyzing this faint life aura. After staying for about ten breaths, the gaze, like when it came, silently retreated, as if it had never appeared.

The small courtyard returned to silence, with only the occasional chirping of summer insects.

After a long time, Lin Yan slowly "finished the work" and opened his eyes. There was a fine layer of sweat on his forehead, half from the consumption of refining Dou Zhi Qi and practicing Eight Extremities Collapse, and half from lingering fear and tension.

He walked to the window, pushed it open a crack, and his gaze swept over the corner of the courtyard. The moonlight was cold, and it was empty there. But he knew it was definitely not a hallucination.

"Targeted..." Lin Yan whispered to himself, his eyes heavy, "Fortunately, I handled it temporarily. The life aura of Living Spirit Flame should guide their speculation towards 'accidentally obtaining a spiritual medicine'."

He wasn't sure if the other party completely believed it, but at least this was a reasonable step. In the short term, as long as he didn't do anything more outrageous, it shouldn't lead to deeper investigation or direct intervention.

It was just that this feeling of being constantly observed in the dark was like having thorns on his back.

"Strength... still not enough strength. Must be faster!" Lin Yan clenched his fists. Xiao Xun Er's attention was like an alarm bell ringing in his heart. In this world, without strength, even "ordinariness" was a luxury.

He returned to the bed but didn't lie down immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes again, repeatedly deducing the force technique of "Eight Extremities Collapse" in his mind, while that wisp of Fallen Heart Flame energy was carefully but firmly introduced into the Dou Zhi Qi, continuing that slow and effective refining.

The night grew deeper.

Meanwhile, deep in the Xiao Family, in that exquisite and quiet separate courtyard.

A young girl in light green robes stood by the window, moonlight plating a layer of silver on her beautiful profile. Behind her, a shadow emerged silently, condensing into a blurred human outline.

"Miss." An old and low voice sounded, it was Ling Ying.

"How is it?" Xiao Xun Er's voice was clear, with no joy or anger.

"There are indeed some anomalies." Ling Ying replied respectfully, "When this child cultivates, there is an extremely faint but pure life energy overflowing from his body. It is suspected that he has swallowed or refined something containing the essence of life, hence his physique and Dou Zhi Qi growth are contrary to common sense. His Dou Qi fluctuation is indeed at the peak of the Fifth Stage, close to the Sixth Stage, but the degree of solidity and the vigor of his blood energy are far beyond the same stage. As for the one-punch defeat in the market, apart from his great strength, no special Dou Technique or external energy fluctuation was perceived, perhaps related to his physical strengthening."

After a pause, Ling Ying added: "No cold, devouring aura related to the Hun Clan was found, nor were any other suspicious energy traces seen. His soul fluctuation... is slightly stronger than his peers, but it is within the normal range."

Xiao Xun Er listened quietly, her jade-like fingertips gently stroking the window lattice. Life energy? Unique physique? This was an explanation. Compared to other more troublesome possibilities (such as being possessed by some old monster, carrying a strange treasure, etc.), this explanation was undoubtedly more reassuring.

"Keep watching, don't get too close, avoid alerting the enemy." Xiao Xun Er pondered for a moment and said, "As long as he doesn't do anything harmful to the Xiao Family or Brother Xiao Yan, there is no need to care. Just a side-branch disciple with some opportunities."

"Yes." Ling Ying responded, his figure merging into the shadows again and disappearing.

Xiao Xun Er looked at the bright moon outside the window, her eyes thoughtful. "Lin Yan... a side-branch disciple with some opportunities? I hope so."

She withdrew her gaze and thought no more. A side-branch disciple with at most some adventures couldn't catch the eyes of the Ancient Clan's eldest daughter; she only needed to ensure he wouldn't become a variable.

However, neither Lin Yan nor Xiao Xun Er realized that while Ling Ying was sensing the life aura around Lin Yan, in the deepest part of the system inventory, that pitch-black and profound "Void Swallowing Flame (Child Flame)", which seemed to devour even perception, had trembled extremely faintly, silently "digesting" the core trace of all external soul probing.