Chapter 117 | After the Storm

Chapter 117: 117 | After the Storm

The soft morning sunlight passed through the translucent spirit-glass windows of the Cloud-Sea Pavilion, filling the inner chamber with a warm glow.

The intense cultivation session of the previous night had finally ended. The profound-ice silk sheets were left in disarray, while faint traces of Yin and Yang spiritual energy still lingered in the room.

Thin strands of golden and silver light slowly faded near the ceiling, showing the strength of the Primordial Yin-Yang Synergy they had used.

Lin Tian rested at the center of the large bed, his Primordial Yang-Tyrant Body finally relaxed after the long night. Madam Shen lay quietly on one side, while Aunt Lin rested on the other. Both women were deeply asleep, their breathing calm and steady.

Lin Tian slowly opened his eyes.

The exhaustion had faded from his expression, replaced by his usual calm focus. He glanced at the two sleeping women before turning his attention inward.

"System. Insight Eye."

The System responded immediately.

A faint crimson light appeared in his golden eyes as the Insight Eye activated. At the same time, several translucent blue panels appeared above the sleeping women, displaying the information he had requested.

Lin Tian focused his gaze on Aunt Lin first.

[System Scan Complete: Elite Target Detected]

[Name: Aunt Lin]

[Age: 42]

[Cultivation Level: Foundation Establishment Realm (Early Stage)]

[Hidden Weakness/Illness: Severe Qi Stagnation (Status: 100% Cured)]

[Obsession Level: 100%]

A faint smile appeared on Lin Tian’s face. Aunt Lin’s Qi Stagnation was completely gone, her meridians clear and her spiritual energy flowing smoothly. Her Dantian now held stable, silvery Liquid Qi, and her foundation had firmly settled at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment.

The tiredness that had once remained on her face was gone as well. Even in deep sleep, her complexion looked much healthier than before.

Lin Tian then turned his attention to Madam Shen. Her illness had already been cured, and her Foundation Establishment cultivation remained stable. Seeing nothing unusual, he shifted his attention inward.

The rewards from [Mutual Cultivation Feedback] were clear.

Lin Tian examined his own foundation carefully. The golden Liquid Qi within his Dantian had become far more concentrated, flowing with a heavy and steady force. His meridians had also expanded, allowing spiritual energy to move through them more smoothly and with greater strength.

The improvement was substantial. Lin Tian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he sensed the change within himself, his foundation now even more stable than before.

Lin Tian slowly closed his eyes again, allowing his newly condensed Liquid Qi to settle within his Dantian. His breathing remained steady as the golden Qi moved smoothly through his widened meridians.

A few moments later, there was a slight movement beside him. Madam Shen’s eyelashes fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes to the soft morning light. She remained still for a moment, sensing the stable spiritual energy flowing through her body.

"The cultivation really stabilized..." she murmured.

The exhaustion from the previous night was still present, but the weakness that had once troubled her was gone. Her Foundation Establishment cultivation felt steady, and the spiritual energy within her meridians flowed without resistance.

She turned toward Lin Tian and saw that his eyes were closed. Assuming he was still resting, Madam Shen carefully rose from the bed without disturbing him.

Her dark-crimson robe was lying nearby. She picked it up, straightened it, and then looked around the chamber. The profound-ice sheets were still in disarray, while faint traces of golden and silver spiritual energy lingered in the air.

Madam Shen prepared a basin of warm spiritual spring water and returned to the bedside. She used a clean spirit-cloth to wipe the remaining sweat and dust from Lin Tian’s face and hands before arranging his robe properly.

Once she finished, her gaze shifted toward Aunt Lin.

Aunt Lin was still asleep, her breathing calm and steady. The Qi Stagnation that had troubled her for years was completely gone, and her face looked much healthier than before.

Madam Shen’s expression softened.

Before this, they had been separated by the strict hierarchy between the Outer and Inner Sects. They respected one another, but they had never been close. After everything they had experienced together, that distance no longer felt as great.

Madam Shen dipped the cloth into the warm water again and gently cleaned the dust from Aunt Lin’s face and hands.

"You worked hard, Sister Lin," she whispered.

Aunt Lin remained asleep, her breathing steady.

Madam Shen gave a faint smile and placed the cloth aside.

"Rest well. You’ve earned it."

"Your care is as careful as the records you manage, Shen-er."

Lin Tian’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

Madam Shen froze and looked back at him. She quickly placed the cloth beside the basin and lowered her head.

"Forgive me, Master. I only wanted to make sure you were comfortable after the cultivation session."

Lin Tian sat up and gave her a calm look. "You don’t need to apologize."

His gaze then shifted toward Aunt Lin.

The sound of their voices stirred her from sleep. Aunt Lin slowly opened her eyes and, almost immediately, checked her condition. She carefully circulated her Qi through her meridians, expecting the familiar discomfort that had followed her for years.

Nothing happened.

Her eyes widened.

Aunt Lin sent her Divine Sense into her Dantian and felt the stable Liquid Qi within it. Her meridians were clear, her spiritual energy flowed smoothly, and the pain that had accompanied her for so long was completely gone.

"Master..."

Her voice trembled.

Tears gathered in her eyes as the reality finally sank in. She had lived with Qi Stagnation for years, always believing that the pain would remain with her. Now she was an Early Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and her greatest weakness had disappeared.

"The pain... it’s really gone."

Lin Tian nodded. "Your Qi Stagnation has been completely cured."

Aunt Lin lowered her head, trying to steady her emotions. "Thank you."

Lin Tian looked at both women. Their cultivation had advanced, but their foundations still needed time to settle.

"Listen carefully. Neither of you will return to your peaks today. The [Mutual Cultivation Feedback] has greatly strengthened your cultivation, and you need time to stabilize it."

Both women straightened and listened.

"Stay here and circulate your Qi slowly. Don’t force your cultivation forward. If you notice anything unusual in your meridians or Dantian, tell me immediately."

Madam Shen nodded. "Understood."

Aunt Lin wiped the tears from her eyes and gave a firm nod. "Yes, Master."

Lin Tian’s expression softened slightly.

"Good. Take the day to stabilize your foundations. Everything else can wait."

After making sure both women had settled into meditation, Lin Tian left the bed and changed into a fresh set of dark obsidian robes. He tied the sash around his waist before moving to the center of the chamber.

Madam Shen and Aunt Lin sat on the bed, slowly circulating their newly strengthened Qi. Lin Tian sat down on a woven spirit-grass mat and closed his eyes, guiding his golden Liquid Qi through his widened meridians.

His cultivation had improved greatly, but his thoughts were already moving toward the next step.

The Shadow Web was beginning to take shape. Madam Shen controlled an important part of the sect’s resource flow, while Aunt Lin could influence the formations under the cover of her work as a Master Forger.

Neither woman needed to make a large move. Small changes were harder to notice, and that was exactly what Lin Tian wanted. The Shadow Web would grow through many such changes until its influence reached every important part of the sect.

His attention turned to Elder Liu.

A direct confrontation with a Core Formation Matriarch was still out of the question. Lin Tian instead focused on the weakness revealed by his Insight Eye: her Pill Toxicity.

Madam Shen was quietly delaying the Yang-attribute herbs Elder Liu depended on, while Aunt Lin had placed a concealed flaw within the outer Earth-Fire formation node. Neither change would attract attention on its own, but together they would make Elder Liu’s attempts to control her condition increasingly difficult.

The changes would not take effect all at once. Lin Tian wanted Elder Liu to believe that her problems were caused by her own condition, poor materials, or mistakes within Alchemy Peak. As long as she could not find a clear cause, she would continue following the same path.

Lin Tian’s lips curved into a faint smile.

Once her resources became harder to obtain and her Earth-Fire became less stable during heavy use, her Pill Toxicity would become much harder to suppress. Eventually, she would have to search for another solution.

That was when Lin Tian would step forward.

He had no intention of destroying Elder Liu or the Alchemy Peak. A powerful Matriarch was far more valuable under his control than removed from the sect.

For now, he only needed patience.

The Shadow Web had taken another step forward, and Elder Liu had yet to realize that it was already closing around her.