Suspiciouns.

A sombre atmosphere hung over the entire dojo, the open area situated at the centre of the dojo filled with a small sea of people. A mass of branches and small logs had been stacked neatly at the very centre of this sea of people, the lifeless body of a bald old man lying on a silk mattress placed on top of the wood.

There wasn't a speck of flesh or muscle on the man's body, and his skin was so pale that one might mistake him for a skeleton. But even his wretched state couldn't hide his content expression, a stark contrast to the expressions of the disciples and instructors of the dojo that surrounded the body.

Yin Long was one of those who stood closest to the body, the small will that Meiyu had left behind revealed his status as Meiyu's inheritor. Jin Wang was also right next to him, but Yin Long had made him lie down on the ground so that he wouldn't block everyone else's view. He kept his attention focused mostly on the corpse, but he also stole a few glances at the man standing a few metres to his left.

The man had a rather thin frame and was missing his left arm, his crimson hair hanging down loosely all the way to his knees. But his emerald green eyes carried a stern and strong expression, his entire body radiating a pressure that had surpassed Yin Long's parents at their peak. He was the current leader of the Heron's Ascension Dojo, Park Man, someone who had reached the very peak of the Earthen Doors realm.

Park Man glanced sideways at a muscular female instructor that stood a bit away from him, giving a short nod of his head before returning his gaze back to what was going to become a funeral pyre. The woman didn't move, but a blazing fire spread across the body and the funeral pyre it was situated on, all of it immediately getting engulfed in violet flames.

This was the first time Yin Long had ever seen violet flames, but he could sense a strong heat even with the woman containing most of the heat to just the funeral pyre so he was confident that a good portion of the disciples present would turn to ash if she didn't restrain the heat.

But she did restrain them, so the only thing that turned to ash was the corpse and the wood, the ash dancing through the air as it rose into the sky. Yin Long bent his waist and bowed to the ashes while respectfully cupping his hands, just barely managing to pick up a soft mutter from Park Man.

"Farewell, Brother Meiyu, one day I will see you on the other side."

Park Man looked stern, but his voice was slightly choked up so it was clear that his bond with Meiyu was so tight that his passing pierced straight through his exterior. It was far easier for Yin Long to bear, the two hadn't known each other for long after all. But even so, Meiyu had done his best to teach Yin Long everything he knew, so it was only right that Yin Long showed him proper respect at his funeral.

With how hot the flames conjured by the instructor were, it didn't take long for even Meiyu's ashes to vanish, the only thing remaining of his funeral pyre being a black stain on the earth. Silence continued to reign over the area for half an hour before people started to split up, bringing the funeral to an end.

Yin Long planned on leaving as well, plans already swirling in his head. But Park Man stepped in front of him before he got the chance to leave, his stern gaze sweeping over Yin Long's body, studying him for a moment before he finally spoke up.

"Meiyu had high hopes for you, picking you as his inheritor to continue his name. Don't neglect your training and dishonour his name, but don't focus on the legacy so much that you lose sight of your own."

Park Man walked away as soon as he finished his words, clearly not having even the slightest intention to converse with him. But Yin Long still cupped his hands and gave a slight bow, thanking him for his advice. It was a proper piece of advice that he gave so that Yin Long wouldn't waste his potential. He would only become another Meiyu if he stuck to Meiyu's teachings, only by moving along his own path could he reach his own peak, only like that could he surpass Meiyu.

Lan Yun was also present at the funeral, most of the dojo had been present for it to pay their respects to the oldest instructor they had. So of course, the moment everyone started to split up, she joined up with Yin Long and Jin Wang.

"What are your plans now? Are you going to continue with the duels or do you want to take up some missions to get true combat experience?"

The sparring matches were a good way to test out some techniques or the like, but it was only in a true battle to the death that you could truly see how they worked in the heat of the moment. But contrary to her expectations, Yin Long gave a completely different answer after a minute of thought.

"...Neither, I'm gonna return to Four-Kings Valley, or at least the area around it. I've bid farewell to Teacher Meiyu, so it's time to try out this thing here."

Yin Long tapped his chest as he spoke, a gesture that few others than Lan Yun would understand the meaning of. The chest wasn't just where the heart was, the soulsea also started there, stretching all the way up to the head where the soul itself was located. Lan Yun could immediately guess at what he meant, but another voice cut in before she could speak up.

"Oh, you're heading out again? Would you mind if I join your pack on this trip?"

Yin Long and Lan Yun turned their heads simultaneously, their gazes landing on the approaching Xue Qiuling. She wore a soft and calming smile and was dressed in a neat green robe, Yin Long cupping his fists in a polite greeting.

"Good afternoon, Senior Sister Qiuling, it seems like you have finished recuperating from your overexertion."

He hadn't seen her during his duel with Cui Mu Lan so this was the first time he saw her ever since she left them in Four-Kings Valley. Xue Qiuling stopped in front of the two, nodding in greeting to Jin Wang and Lan Yun before she continued to smile faintly at Yin Long.

"Indeed, my family provided a fair bit of good resources to accelerate the healing so it went painlessly. I saw your duel against the younger Cui sister, it was a rather magnificent beating you gave her. But really, keeping even the law of space and the law of blood hidden from me, makes me wonder what else this little pup has hidden from me."

She had been immensely shocked when she saw him use those two laws, especially the exalted law of space. If just his skills and the information she had bough was enough to make her raise her opinion of him by a step, then his worth shot through the roof when she saw the law of space. But she didn't make these thoughts clear, and Yin Long simply shrugged his shoulders before speaking somewhat apologetically.

"I didn't really have a chance of using it so I wouldn't say that I was hiding it. But to answer your question, I'm sorry, but no. I'll only be bringing Jin Wang with me, and Lan Yun if she says yes. You just overexerted yourself quite a bit, and while you may have recuperated, it would still be best for you to rest for a bit of time to make sure that there is no sequelae."

He gave a simple yet perfectly logical excuse to prevent her from following them, but the actual truth was that he didn't want her to see what he was going to do. Him not being able to find a cultivation manual that suited him wasn't public knowledge, and if he had to choose between hiding it or telling others that he was making his own cultivation manual, then he would choose the first option and keep another trump card hidden.

So now that he was going out to see if he could push his cultivation into the realm of the Immortal Doors, he wanted only those who knew the truth to join him. Xue Qiuling didn't push things further, respecting his choice but still puffing out her cheeks to put on a cute pouting appearance.

"Boo, you're no fun. But I'll respect your decision, I should cultivate a bit to make sure that you don't grow up into a fierce wolf while leaving me in the dust. But don't forget to bring me some souvenirs, otherwise, I'll make damn sure to drag you out again the moment you come back."

She waved her fist through the air as she spoke, her display of cuteness enough to dazzle some of the closer disciples that had yet to leave the area. But Yin Long maintained his usual smile while raising his hands in assurance.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to find something nice."

They split up after Xue Qiuling made sure he understood what would happen if he forgot, Xue Qiuling heading for Swan Queen Hall while Yin Long and his group headed for the dojo's exit. Lan Yun glanced back as they walked, her eyes faintly narrowing as she gazed upon Xue Qiuling's distant back.

"Do you think she knows something?"

Lan Yun could only describe Xue Qiuling's behaviour as strange. She had been polite and graceful in the past, but she had never put on such a cutesy display as she had just now. The way she spoke had also been a little bit strange, Yin Long nodding his head in agreement as they continued to walk.

"I can't fully reject the thought, the sudden change in analogies is a bit strange. The Heaven's Secrets Company probably has some information on us, at least the things I was accused of and how I should have died. But she should only know that we came from a rather large family in the Sunsong Province, that alone shouldn't be enough to narrow it down enough to find the information about us. Of course, she might have just bought everything about all the large families in the Sunsong Province. It shouldn't matter too much since we're so far away from the Lang clan and no one here should have a reason to, but we should periodically check with the Heaven's Secrets Company, make sure that she hasn't spread the news to the Sunsong Province. Other than that, we'll just have to keep an eye on her, it shouldn't matter too much whether she knows or not."

Xue Qiuling had never once used a wolf analogy towards him when they spoke in the past, so for her to suddenly inject three of them into a single conversation was exceedingly strange. It was as if she was trying to subtly inform him that she knew about his past as a member of the Lang clan.

But in the end, as long as she didn't spread the news to the Sunsong Province, or resulted in someone else spreading the news there, it didn't really matter if she knew. The only reason he kept that information hidden was to make sure that the risk of information about him reaching the Lang clan's area was kept to a minimum. Lan Yun was a bit more serious than usual as she nodded her head, she knew how important it was to Yin Long that the information didn't reach the Sunsong Province.

"Understood, we can check the information right now since we're leaving anyway. Will we be heading directly to the valley?"

She was constantly ready to leave should they need to so her interspatial ring was filled with everything she needed, and she was confident that Yin Long was the same. So unless he had any other plans, they could head out at a moment's notice. But Yin Long still shook his head.

"No, I'm gonna head to the Jyushi clan first, I want to spar with Bai Mu once more."

It had been a while since he had his last duel with Bai Mu, especially if he didn't count the strange encounter he had with Bai Mu in the middle of the night. Lan Yun and Jin Wang had no reason to speak up against this plan so they just followed him, the group quickly making their way through the city until they reached the centre of the crater that the city was built in.

A somewhat strange mansion that was several kilometres tall and wide stood at the centre of the city, it was built in a way that made it resemble an irregularly-shaped bee-hive, with openings and windows dotting the entire building. The material was also rather strange, coupling together with the strange appearance and making Yin Long guess that the building might actually have been built using the meteor that created this crater.

The area around the mansion was fenced off, a plain covered in faint orange grass spreading out between the fence and the mansion. Small motes of light would occasionally light up on the ground, making it seem as if the meteor was still causing the earth to pulse with energy. The guards in front of the entrance along the fence stopped Yin Long's group when they approached, vigilantly questioning them.

"You are?"

The guards didn't draw the weapons sheathed at their waists, but they made sure to keep one hand free and ready so that they could draw them at a moment's notice. Their actions were only reasonable, Yin Long cupping his hands and stating his business without beating around the bush.

"Yin Long from Heron's Ascension Dojo, could you please inform Bai Mu that I wish to spar with him again?"

The guard's eyes narrowed warily when Yin Long stated his affiliation, but they didn't make things difficult for him and sent his message to the appropriate people. As a result, 15 minutes after he arrived, Bai Mu and the green-haired and brown-eyed Jyushi Mok arrived by the gate, Bai Mu cheerfully greeting Yin Long.

"Brother Long, I didn't actually expect you to come to find me again after we split up in the forest."

Bai Mu's head was currently covered in golden hair and his left eye was a lifeless white, his right a brilliant gold. This was how he looked when they first met, and Yin Long didn't know if he was acting or not, but he didn't seem to remember their meeting during the time where Bai Mu had black hair and it was his right eye that was a lifeless white. But Yin Long didn't bring it up, shrugging his shoulders in a casual manner after politely greeting Jyushi Mok.

"You've got a law as strong as the law of light, there's no way I wouldn't come to spar with you again. I've just been rather pressed for time lately so I haven't had the time. But I'll be leaving for a bit now so I decided to take the chance to come here first, so I hope that you won't reject me."

The law of light was on the same level as the law of space, at worst it would be half a grade below it. Gaining insight into it was hard, and using it was even harder if you didn't know how to control it properly. But if you knew how to use it, you would become an incredibly deadly force.

Jyushi Mok returned the greeting, his face showing a trace of pleasant surprise that Yin Long didn't share the attitude of Xue Qiuling, who Jyushi Mok guessed that he spent a bit of time with. Bai Mu glanced at him, but he waved his hand to show that it was up to Bai Mu, his face lighting up with a smile as he ushered Yin Long and his group past the fence.

"Of course not, please follow me to the martial field, we can start right away!"

Bai Mu excitedly guided them through the plain, which Yin Long now felt didn't just look like it was pulsating with power, it was actually pulsating with a very faint power. The group quickly reached the martial field of the Juyshi clan, a section of land covered in stages made from the same faintly grey material as the mansion itself.

Bai Mu picked a stage at random and hopped onto it, making his way over to the centre before beckoning for Yin Long to join him. Yin Long also stepped onto the stage, glancing at the small crowd that was starting to gather around them, most of them being other people who had been on the martial field. Lan Yun received a few stares and some people who tried to introduce themselves, but most of the people paid attention to him and Bai Mu, leading to Bai Mu quickly apologizing.

"Please ignore them, they probably want to both check both my strength and the strength of a possible rival."

No matter what he said or what his thoughts were, Yin Long was currently a member of an organization that was a direct rival to the Jyushi clan, it was only natural that they would be wary of him and want to learn whatever they could.

Yin Long glanced at Jin Wang when he noticed a few more people gathering around and bothering Lan Yun, using his eyebrows to gesture towards her. Jin Wang let out a low growl and then sauntered over to her, plopping down at her side and glaring faintly at the surrounding men, allowing Lan Yun to let out a breath now that they were no longer annoying her.

Bai My and Yin Long didn't waste any more time with words after they stepped onto the stage, both preparing themselves as they stared down each other. And the one who ended up making the first move was Bai Mu, his feet lightly kicking off the stage and turning his body into a blur as he shot forward.

He still moved so fast that Yin Long's eyes couldn't follow him, but with his senses encompassing the surrounding area, he could still somewhat tell where Bai Mu was and where he was going to head. As such, he was able to raise his left arm and slash upwards with his sword, catching the small dagger that Bai Mu had aimed at his side.

He flipped his sword so that it touched the side of the dagger, flicking his wrist so rapidly that the dagger was launched out of Bai Mu's hand. This gave him an opening to stab forward, but Bai Mu counterattacked by twisting his body along with the sword and stabbing out with the dagger he held in his other hand.

But Yin Long only had to use his law of blood to halt Bai Mu's hand. Bai Mu's cultivation was a bit lower than Yin Long's so it was a bit easier for Yin Long to stop his hand than it was for him to stop the hands of the other enemies he had faced recently. But once again, Bai Mu showed himself to be somewhat quick-witted.

He let go of his dagger just as his hand was stopped, transferring the momentum of his hand into the dagger so that it was launched forward. As a result, the dagger got so close that Yin Long couldn't use his other hand to catch it, forcing him to use his law of space on the dagger. He used the principle of Ravenous Beast on it, the blade of the dagger vanishing and appearing behind him.

The handle of the dagger still hit his chest, but it was unable to create any damage. While dealing with the dagger, he swung his sword sideways to cath Bai Mu before he could recover, using his law of blood on Bai Mu's torso to keep him in place. But to his surprise, Bai Mu kicked out just as the blade was going to touch him, his foot smashing into Yin Long's shin and sending a jolt of pain up through his body.

He seemed to have hoped that this would force Yin Long away, but the pain Yin Long had experienced in his previous battles was far greater than something a kick like this could produce. So while he grit his teeth, his sword didn't change course and reached Bai Mu's chest, stopping just as it touched him.

This hit served as the end of the duel, it was enough to show who the winner was. Yin Long pulled back his sword and put it into his interspatial ring, his eyes sweeping Bai Mu up and down as he nodded his head.

"You've gotten better by quite a bit, your training clearly shows in your moves."

The way he moved and acted in this duel was far better than their first duel, he had shed a little of that naivety he showed back then. But he hadn't shed all of it, otherwise, he would have chosen to dodge by jumping back rather than hoping to force Yin Long to retreat with a kick. Bai Mu only let out a sigh in the face of the praise, looking at the blade-less dagger that had fallen onto the stage.

"You say that, yet I was only able to land a single hit. But hey, I at least managed to force you to use your laws."

His hilt had hit Yin Long, but that couldn't really be considered a hit, only his kick could be considered a hit. But comparing the two, a kick against a blade attack that ended the duel, the difference was like night and day. Yin Long shrugged his shoulders his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Bai Mu.

"I've had a fair share of training, probably more than you, so if I let you beat me up after only this short while, it would really hurt my pride. Then again, it's not entirely impossible for... you."

There was a way for the current Bai Mu to fight evenly, or even best Yin Long. He would have to fight using both his law of light and his law of darkness, and he would have to use the same sharpness in his movements as he had shown when Yin Long met him while he had black hair. But since Bai Mu didn't seem to know about that side of him, that course of action didn't seem to be reasonable. Bai Mu didn't quite understand what Yin Long meant, so all he could do was sigh and shake his head, glancing at Jyushi Mok.

"Ha~ah, I'll have to intensify my training even further, otherwise you'll crush me in the upcoming competition, and we can't really have that, I've got a debt to repay."

Yin Long knew which competition he was talking about, the tournament to decide the fighters for the Three-fold Territory clash was coming up, every organization was preparing for it. There was no telling how many strong fighters there would be there so Yin Long knew that he had to join it, there was a lot he could learn from something like that. But for now he had to focus on one task at a time, nodding at Bai Mu with a smile.

"I'm looking forward to seeing your improvements."

Jyushi Mok and Bai Mu led Yin Long's group back to the entrance of the estate, the other Jyushi clan members in the area wearing serious expressions. Yin Long's law of space was no joke, it alone was enough to force every single one of them to take him seriously and to think properly about how to treat or handle him in the future.

But Yin Long didn't care, they would get the news extremely soon anyway, the upper echelons of the clan had probably already gotten the news about his laws. He bade Jyushi Mok and Bai Mu farewell, his time inside the Jyushi clan not exceeding more than a quarter of an hour. His group walked away from the estate, Yin Long turning to Lan Yun with a smile.

"Alright, shall we go? I'm quite curious to see if my planned path will work."