For a long time after the three elders left, neither Lin Shuan nor Protector Yi spoke.
The garden had returned to silence.
The enormous Treasury Realm gate stood quietly behind them.
The golden radiance that had shaken the heavens earlier had already disappeared.
A gentle breeze passed through the trees.
Fallen leaves drifted across the stone path.
Protector Yi stood with her hands behind her back.
Lin Shuan stood several meters away.
Both seemed lost in thought.
One had waited an entire year for answers.
The other had carried secrets for even longer.
Eventually—
Protector Yi broke the silence.
"You said you wanted to talk about something."
Her voice was calm.
Lin Shuan slowly lifted his head.
His expression had become unusually serious.
Much more serious than before.
Even Protector Yi immediately noticed the change.
For a few moments, Lin Shuan remained silent.
As though organizing countless thoughts.
Then finally—
he spoke.
"When I connected everything together..."
His voice became lower.
"I realized something."
Protector Yi quietly listened.
Lin Shuan's eyes narrowed.
"When my clan was destroyed..."
"It wasn't only Yu Long Sect."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Protector Yi's expression changed.
"What?"
Her eyes widened.
"There were others?"
Lin Shuan slowly nodded.
"Yes."
The wind suddenly felt colder.
His gaze drifted toward the distant horizon.
Toward memories he wished he could forget.
But couldn't.
Never could.
"When I left Luo Academy and returned home..."
"I was ambushed."
Protector Yi's eyes sharpened.
Lin Shuan continued.
"At the time, I thought it happened by coincidence."
"But now I know better."
"They had been following me long before that."
His fists slowly tightened.
"Someone had noticed."
"A strange old man."
"He somehow sensed danger."
Protector Yi frowned.
"The old man who escorted you to Luo Academy?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"Yes."
"He insisted on traveling with us."
"He personally brought me and Lin Sheng to the academy."
For a brief moment—
warm memories surfaced.
Lin Sheng.
The academy.
The old man.
The days when life had still been normal.
Then his expression darkened again.
"After Lin Sheng's admission was completed..."
"And after his granddaughter's enrollment..."
"The old man left."
"And I started returning home alone."
His voice became colder.
"That was the opportunity they were waiting for."
Protector Yi's brows furrowed.
"They attacked?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"Yes."
"They tried to kill me."
A faint smile appeared.
Though it carried no joy.
"Fortunately..."
"The seal on my forehead saved my life."
His fingers subconsciously touched the Dao Seal.
For a few moments—
silence filled the garden.
Then Lin Shuan continued.
"When I finally reached home..."
His voice trembled slightly.
"...everything was gone."
The words were simple.
Yet they carried unimaginable pain.
Protector Yi's breathing became heavier.
She said nothing.
She didn't interrupt.
She simply listened.
Lin Shuan's eyes gradually reddened.
"I saw ashes."
"Smoke."
"Ruins."
"My clan..."
His voice cracked.
"...had already been burned to the ground."
For a moment—
he couldn't continue.
The memories were still too vivid.
Too painful.
His clenched fists trembled.
The veins on his arms became visible.
"No survivors."
"No voices."
"No laughter."
"Nothing."
The anger in his eyes deepened.
Protector Yi quietly lowered her gaze.
Even after all this time—
he still carried that pain.
Perhaps he always would.
After taking a deep breath—
Lin Shuan continued.
"And while walking through the ruins..."
"I found something strange."
Protector Yi looked up.
"What?"
"A black liquid."
Her pupils contracted.
Lin Shuan nodded.
"It was lying among the destroyed buildings."
"At the time I didn't understand what it was."
"Then Third Elder told me something."
His gaze hardened.
"He survived."
"Barely."
"He escaped."
"He said Yu Long Sect carried out the attack."
Protector Yi nodded.
That much they already knew.
But then—
Lin Shuan's next words changed everything.
"When I entered the Treasury Realm..."
"I discovered I wasn't alone."
Protector Yi froze.
"What?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"There were Yu Long Sect cultivators inside."
"And Yue Sha Empire cultivators too."
For a moment—
Protector Yi thought she had misheard.
"Impossible."
"The Treasury Realm shouldn't allow outsiders."
Lin Shuan shrugged slightly.
"I thought so too."
"But they were there."
Then his eyes became cold.
"And one of them..."
"...used the exact same black liquid."
Silence.
Protector Yi stared at him.
Lin Shuan continued.
"An Immortal Seed expert."
"A peak expert."
"Someone who will likely become a Divine Cycle Emperor in the future."
"He used black liquid techniques identical to what I saw in my clan."
Protector Yi's expression completely changed.
Everything suddenly connected.
The black liquid.
The attack.
The Treasury Realm.
The hidden infiltrators.
The year-long disappearance.
Now it all made sense.
"And that's why it took you an entire year to come out..."
she murmured.
Lin Shuan nodded.
"Most likely."
"Perhaps they entered through another route."
Protector Yi became silent.
Very silent.
Her eyes slowly narrowed.
Dangerous thoughts appeared inside her mind.
Finally—
she spoke.
"As I suspected..."
Her voice had become cold.
"Yu Long Sect is conspiring with Yue Sha Empire."
The air around her became noticeably heavier.
"Yu Long Wei..."
A dangerous light appeared in her eyes.
"...is truly a traitor."
For several moments—
neither spoke.
The implications were enormous.
Unfortunately—
there was another problem.
Even if Protector Yi believed Lin Shuan completely—
how could she convince others?
Most people would never believe such a story.
There was no evidence.
Only Lin Shuan's testimony.
And testimony alone was rarely enough.
Protector Yi sighed.
"This won't be easy."
Lin Shuan nodded.
"I know."
The two remained silent.
Then suddenly—
Protector Yi looked directly at him.
"Lin Shuan."
Her tone became serious.
"You need to accelerate your training."
Lin Shuan blinked.
Protector Yi continued.
"A major war is coming."
The words carried certainty.
Not speculation.
Not possibility.
Certainty.
"A very big war."
Lin Shuan's expression also became serious.
Protector Yi looked toward the distant imperial capital.
"And if things continue this way..."
She paused.
Then smiled faintly.
"You may become the Empire Protector much sooner than expected."
Lin Shuan could only smile bitterly.
He still wasn't used to hearing that title.
"Empire Protector..."
It sounded strange.
Ridiculous.
A year ago he had been struggling just to survive.
Now people were discussing the future of an empire.
Life truly was unpredictable.
He nodded.
"I understand."
Then suddenly—
his expression brightened.
"Oh right."
Protector Yi blinked.
"Hm?"
Lin Shuan immediately began digging through his sleeve storage.
One item after another appeared.
Ancient herbs.
Rare vines.
Strange fruits.
Medicinal roots.
Golden flowers.
Purple leaves.
Silver-colored mushrooms.
Soon—
an entire pile had formed.
Protector Yi stared.
Then stared some more.
Then stared even harder.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Lin Shuan proudly crossed his arms.
"How about that?"
Protector Yi remained silent.
Because she was shocked.
Not a single poisonous herb.
Not a single useless plant.
Every item here possessed value.
Every single one.
That was absurd.
Completely absurd.
Normally cultivators collected everything they saw.
Then later discovered that half of it was worthless.
Yet Lin Shuan somehow selected only the useful ones.
Protector Yi picked up a herb.
Then another.
Then another.
Her expression became increasingly strange.
"Where did you find this?"
Lin Shuan pointed vaguely.
"Over there."
Protector Yi picked up another.
"And this?"
"Somewhere else."
"And this one?"
"I forgot."
Protector Yi nearly rolled her eyes.
Several herbs were so rare that even she had never encountered them before.
Despite having entered the Treasury Realm in the past.
This made absolutely no sense.
Meanwhile—
inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen quietly looked away.
Pretending innocence.
Lin Shuan naturally couldn't reveal that an ancient monster had personally guided him.
After a while—
Protector Yi finally sighed.
"You truly have ridiculous luck."
Lin Shuan immediately grinned.
"I know."
Protector Yi instantly regretted complimenting him.
Then—
something even more shocking happened.
Lin Shuan casually said,
"I'll probably sell some of these."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Protector Yi slowly turned toward him.
Very slowly.
Dangerously slowly.
"...what?"
Lin Shuan blinked.
"Sell them."
Protector Yi stared.
"You want to sell ancient medicinal treasures?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"I need money."
Protector Yi almost laughed from anger.
"Money?!"
"Do you realize how valuable these are?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"Exactly."
Protector Yi felt a headache coming.
A very strong headache.
She pinched the bridge of her nose.
Then took a deep breath.
"Lin Shuan."
"Yes?"
"If you sell everything..."
"One day you'll cry."
Lin Shuan thought seriously.
Then replied,
"That's future Lin Shuan's problem."
Protector Yi nearly lost composure.
For the first time in years—
she genuinely wanted to hit someone.
Inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
Even Longshe looked away.
Apparently embarrassed.
Eventually—
Protector Yi calmed down.
Barely.
Then she suddenly said,
"If you want..."
"I can personally train you."
Lin Shuan paused.
That was tempting.
Very tempting.
After all—
this was Protector Yi.
One of the strongest experts in the empire.
But after thinking for a moment—
he shook his head.
"I've already found a special training location."
Protector Yi raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"I can train very well there."
Protector Yi stared.
Then sighed.
"So you've already made arrangements."
Lin Shuan smiled sheepishly.
Protector Yi shook her head.
"Fine."
Then she turned around.
"But what a shame."
Lin Shuan blinked.
"What?"
Protector Yi casually waved her hand.
"I originally planned to tell you something about the Lin Clan."
The moment those words appeared—
Lin Shuan froze.
Then his eyes widened.
Then widened even more.
"What?"
Protector Yi began walking away.
"Nothing important."
Lin Shuan immediately followed.
"Wait."
Protector Yi ignored him.
"Protector Yi!"
Still ignored.
"What about the Lin Clan?"
No response.
The woman continued walking.
Lin Shuan chased after her all the way to her residence.
Finally—
Protector Yi reached her door.
She turned around.
A mischievous smile appeared.
A very dangerous smile.
Then—
SLAM!
The door closed.
Directly in Lin Shuan's face.
Silence.
Lin Shuan stood there.
Motionless.
"..."
A passing servant almost laughed.
Inside the room—
Protector Yi's laughter could faintly be heard.
Lin Shuan scratched his head helplessly.
"Women are terrifying..."
Inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen instantly replied,
"Correct."
For once—
master and disciple completely agreed.
After a while—
Lin Shuan finally turned around.
The evening sun illuminated the city.
His destination was already decided.
The Eastern Ancient Forest.
He would return there once more.
The next time he emerged—
he would be far stronger.
Strong enough to challenge Yu Long Sect openly.
Strong enough to begin repaying blood debts.
But the future was unpredictable.
No one knew what awaited him.
Soon—
he arrived at the city's transportation station.
The area was crowded with travelers.
Merchants.
Cultivators.
Families.
Adventurers.
All moving between cities.
Nearby destinations used ordinary carriages.
Long-distance travel used special flying vessels powered by Luo Essence.
Even larger luxury vessels existed for wealthy families and powerful experts.
Unfortunately—
Lin Shuan belonged to neither category.
So he bought the cheapest ticket.
A crowded carriage.
Very crowded.
Painfully crowded.
The driver looked at the packed carriage.
Then looked at Lin Shuan.
Then somehow squeezed him inside anyway.
Lin Shuan almost questioned reality.
How many people could possibly fit into one carriage?
Apparently—
more.
A lot more.
The journey began.
And immediately—
everyone started bragging.
"I am a Form Shaper disciple!"
"My uncle knows a sect elder!"
"Our family owns three mines!"
"My cultivation advanced two stages!"
Lin Shuan's soul almost left his body.
Hours passed.
The boasting never stopped.
Not once.
Not even for a moment.
At one point he genuinely considered jumping out.
Then he remembered the ticket wasn't refundable.
So he endured.
With a bitter smile.
If he revealed he was a future Empire Protector—
the entire carriage might faint.
So he wisely remained silent.
By evening—
they finally reached Starlight City.
The familiar bustling city stood before him.
Countless people were still staring at the sky in amazement.
Just like before.
Only now—
Lin Shuan barely paid attention.
He quietly separated from the crowds.
Passed through merchants.
Passed through travelers.
Passed through cultivators.
Eventually—
he arrived at the northern gate.
The soldiers immediately noticed him.
Then froze.
One soldier rubbed his eyes.
Another nearly dropped his spear.
A third looked as though he had seen a ghost.
Because they remembered him.
Last year—
he had entered the Ancient Forest as a Luo Initiate.
Then returned as a One-Star Energy Core cultivator.
And now—
he had become a Meridian Tracer expert.
The soldiers' minds nearly collapsed.
One soldier stared blankly.
"Why..."
Another nodded.
"Why is he like this?"
A third looked toward the heavens.
"What kind of monster cultivates this fast?"
The first soldier looked ready to cry.
Lin Shuan simply smiled awkwardly.
Fortunately—
this time he didn't need to show the green card.
The guards knew him too well.
And finally—
after an entire year—
Lin Shuan stepped once more into the Ancient Forest.