After a few long minutes of questions and jokes from the old man, he finally said his goodbyes to his disciple and left.
"What do you think? My grandfather is pretty strong, huh?" Xie Lang asked with a grin.
They all nodded immediately, still wary that the old man might somehow still be listening.
Once they left for Greenwood Hollow, however, the atmosphere changed.
On the road, the group began cursing Xie Lang for not telling them that his grandfather was a Rank 2 cultivator. Xu Jin, in particular, wouldn't let it go, insulting and swearing at Xie Lang for introducing him to his grandfather as just "a fat guy."
"But you are fat, aren't you?" Xie Lang said with a smirk.
Xu Jin clenched his fists but forced himself to ignore Xie Lang, knowing the other was just trying to get a reaction out of him. He refused to give him the satisfaction.
The twins remained silent, as did Lin Shu.
Their journey took two days, longer than necessary, because they made several stops along the way, hunting bloodbeasts to make the most of their remaining mission time. The institute had given them a deadline to return, but they weren't in a rush—especially since compensation awaited them upon their return.
They had also collected some robes and corpses from the cultivators they had fought, storing them in their pouches. Lin Shu, however, had not done so, as none of them knew about his storage space—and he had no intention of telling them. Instead, he simply claimed that he didn't own a storage pouch.
After entering Greenwood Hollow, the group headed straight for the institute's quest hall. They handed over their mission papers and tokens to the workers, though they barely needed to explain anything—the village leader had already contacted the institute with a full report.
One of the staff members looked up after verifying the documents.
"Please follow me. The vice dean would like to speak with you."
They were led to a room in the main building, where a man with short brown hair and sharp brown eyes sat behind a desk, reviewing paperwork. His expression remained calm, but there was an unmistakable air of authority about him.
"I am Lu Heng, the vice dean," he said, setting down his brush. "I've read the report, but I want to hear it directly from you to confirm the details."
The group recounted everything—from their arrival at Windgrove Village to the battle against the rogue cultivators. They explained the fights, the dangers they faced, and how they ultimately prevailed.
Lu Heng listened without interrupting. When they finished, he gave a small nod.
"I see. So that's how it happened. You brought their clothes and corpses as evidence, correct? Hand them over—we may be able to identify them."
The group complied, producing the robes and bodies they had stored.
"Good work. Rest assured, your efforts will not go unrewarded," Lu Heng continued. "Each of you will receive a token granting access to the institute's battle skill storage tower. Given the difficulty of this mission, you may each select a mid-tier battle skill."
That alone was a generous reward, but he wasn't finished.
"If this was your first mission of the month, you are exempt from taking a second one. Use that time to recover. I expect great things from all of you."
He handed each of them a small token marked with the battle skill tower's emblem and dismissed them.
The group left satisfied with their gains, though none went straight to claim their battle skills. They had other matters to attend to first.
Once the door closed behind them, Lu Heng leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly against the desk.
"Xie Lang is the disciple of the Iron Fist Master—no surprises there. Xu Jin… just the son of a cultivator. He must have gotten lucky in this mission; he isn't strong enough to achieve everything in that report on his own."
His brows furrowed slightly.
"The twins… too mysterious. No records, no background, yet highly capable. And then there's Lin Shu…"
Lu Heng's eyes darkened slightly.
"A Rank 1 talent, reportedly injured in a fight in the mission. But from what I've seen in the competition, his skills match what was reported. His origins, however, are unknown."
After a moment of thought, he shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. He likely came across some fortunate encounter—not uncommon for lone cultivators. There's no Lin Clan in this region, after all."
Still, the twins were too much of a mystery to ignore.
Lu Heng called for an instructor and gave a simple order.
"Keep an eye on them. Report back to me with anything unusual."
Lin Shu stepped into his house, greeted by the familiar emptiness and layers of dust coating the furniture. The institute provided servants for those who wanted them, and students could even bring their own, but Lin Shu trusted no one. He would rather live in filth than risk exposing his secrets.
After shutting the door behind him, he methodically checked every corner, ensuring there were no intruders or hidden surveillance techniques. Only after confirming that he was truly alone did he sit down, sealing the windows and plunging the house into darkness.
He directed his qi into his storage ring, carefully inspecting its contents. As expected, the tracking marks hadn't faded yet. He found them on the body refinement technique and the pendant, but the gold coins and pills remained untouched. Likely, the trader hadn't had the time to place marks on everything. What Lin Shu didn't know was that the man had dumped everything he had into the trade, desperate for the egg—most of the items had come from an inheritance he was meant to deliver to his clan, leaving him with no time for caution.
But Lin Shu was unaware of this and could only curse his situation.
"I can't take them out—it's too dangerous. Which means I traded for nothing, since I can't even use these things."
Frustration clawed at his chest. He loathed being in such a predicament, gaining power only to have it remain just out of reach.
Then, an idea struck him.
"The institute offers private lessons. I'll pay for those and learn more about tracking techniques. If I understand how they work, I can figure out a way around them."
His gaze darkened with thought.
"I also need to visit the battle skill tower. A cultivation technique is a must, but I should also look for something else—maybe a tracking skill, a healing skill, or a long-range attacking method. My fighting style is entirely physical. I have no way to strike from a distance, and I've won all my fights through ambushes and dirty tactics. Some call it shameless—I call it strategy."
His fingers tapped against his knee.
"But sooner or later, I'll get ambushed myself. And if I can't turn the tables, I'll be the one buried in the dirt. The only reason my ambushes have worked so far is that none of my opponents had a technique to detect danger or scan their surroundings. That luck won't last forever."
Lin Shu exhaled slowly, his thoughts sharpening into a plan. It was time to adapt.
Lin Shu first counted his gold, and when he saw the final number, a grin stretched across his face.
"Hahaha… 45,902 gold coins! Hahaha!"
Laughter burst from his lips, uncontrollable and wild. If anyone had been around, they might have thought he had lost his mind. But in the solitude of his house, he could revel in his fortune without restraint.
"With this, I can buy pills to speed up my cultivation… maybe even an artifact. Or better yet, a ranged weapon—that way, I'll finally have a way to attack from a distance."
His excitement settled as he turned his focus to the pills in his storage. There were two, each carefully placed in separate boxes. He didn't recognize them, but thankfully, their names were written on the lids.
What he read made his smile widen.
The first pill was a deep blue color, labeled "Venombane Pill." It is a high-tier Rank 1 pill, known to counteract most poisons of the same level. A valuable find that he will not sell.
The second pill, however, was different. It was red, marked by black stripes winding around its surface—but its identity was a mystery. The name on the box had been ruined beyond recognition.
"One is great for poison… the other? No idea. But I'll find out later. Maybe it'll turn out to be something useful."