It wasn’t because of Zhou Wenjie’s apology—he hadn’t taken that matter to heart at all.
Rather, it was because he had noticed something.
When he killed the jackals earlier, he had found something on the corpse of one of the Tier 1, Level 2 Gray-skinned Jackals that shouldn’t have been there.
A black rune stone, about the size of a fingernail, was hidden deep within the jackal’s fur, looking as if it had been deliberately implanted.
Lin Yuan held the rune stone between his fingertips and examined it closely.
The surface of the stone was carved with twisted lines that vaguely formed the pattern of an inverted eye, shimmering with an eerie, dark red luster under the sunlight.
He didn’t recognize the specific rune, but he recognized the style of the pattern.
In the two and a half years since he had transmigrated to this world, he had seen this mark countless times in his high school textbooks.
This was the mark of the Blood Eye Cult!
And the Blood Eye Cult was no ordinary cult.
An organization capable of implanting rune stones into Tier 1 monsters was clearly not simple.
Rune stones were typically used for tracking, controlling, or absorbing energy. Whichever it was, it meant these jackals weren’t wild monsters but were “eyes” being manipulated by someone.
Someone was using monsters to monitor the wilderness.
Or more accurately—someone was monitoring the people entering and leaving the wilderness.
Lin Yuan tucked the rune stone away, his brow furrowing slightly.
Normally, this would have nothing to do with him.
Whether it was a cult or some conspiracy, if the sky fell, the tall people would be there to prop it up.
Donghai City had the Ability User Association and powerful families like the Su family; it wasn’t the place of a Tier 1 small fry like him to worry.
However.
Su Qingyue was an S-rank ice ability user.
If the cult’s target was high-level ability users, then she was undoubtedly one of the most prominent targets in Donghai City.
Lin Yuan remained silent for a moment, then changed direction. Instead of returning to the city, he tracked the direction the jackal pack had come from.
Footprints, broken grass stems, lingering scents—these traces weren’t difficult to identify in the wilderness.
It took Lin Yuan about an hour to track them to an abandoned mining area deep in the wilderness.
The entrance to the mine was half-hidden by a massive boulder, with obvious signs of activity around it.
He didn’t approach recklessly. Instead, he found a high point to lie in wait and observe from a distance.
About half an hour later, two people walked out of the mine.
Both wore gray-black cloaks with hoods pulled low, obscuring their faces.
But judging by their gait and build, they were a man and a woman.
They stood at the mine entrance and exchanged a few words in low voices, their speech carried intermittently by the wind.
“...The higher-ups are pressing... S-rank ice type... must act before she fully matures...”
“...Donghai City... that Su family girl... she won't be easy to target...”
“...No rush... there are still five days... the arena match... when the crowd is in chaos...”
Lin Yuan’s pupils constricted slightly.
The arena match, five days from now.
That was the day of his ten-day challenge with Su Qingyue.
The cult members planned to strike on that day.
“Interesting.” Lin Yuan lowered his body and silently retreated from the high ground.
A cold smirk played on the corners of his mouth, though there was no hint of amusement in his eyes.
On the way back to the city, Lin Yuan’s pace was much faster than before.
Not out of fear, but because he needed time to prepare.
The fact that cultists could sneak into the city suggested that Donghai City’s defense system already had loopholes.
Their target was Su Qingyue, and the time of the attack would almost certainly be during the arena match in five days—a public duel that would draw the entire city’s attention and a massive crowd.
Striking during the chaos, while everyone’s attention was on the match, was indeed the perfect opportunity.
But it also meant the cultists would be at the arena.
And they would be very close to the stage.
By the time Lin Yuan reached the city gates, the sky had already darkened.
The guards at the gate were inspecting people entering and leaving more thoroughly than usual.
His heart stirred, and he walked over to ask casually, “Why is the inspection so strict today?”
The guard glanced at him and recognized the young monster hunter who had been frequently entering the wilderness lately. His tone was relatively polite.
“You didn’t know? Something happened in the city last night. The Ability User Association’s warehouse was broken into, and a batch of materials went missing. The higher-ups suspect an unknown force has slipped into the city.”
Lin Yuan nodded and didn’t ask further, quickly entering the city.
As he suspected.
The cultists were already active within the city.
He crossed several streets, but instead of heading straight home, he ducked into the trading market in the north of the city.
At this hour, the market was nearly empty, with only a few stallholders packing up.
Lin Yuan walked up to a stall selling runes. The stallholder was a middle-aged man with a small mustache who was putting paper charms into a wooden box one by one.
“Boss, do you have any runes that can sense energy fluctuations?”
The man looked up at him. “I do. F-rank detection runes, five hundred each. What do you need them for?”
“They’ll be useful.”
Lin Yuan pulled out five bills and placed them on the table. The man shrugged and fished out three pale yellow paper charms from the bottom of the wooden box.
“Only three left. Once activated and stuck to your body, they’ll grow hot if there’s any ability fluctuation within fifty meters. But they can only sense fluctuations below Tier 2; anything higher and they’re useless.”
“One is enough.”
Lin Yuan took the charm and then went to a nearby medicinal stall to buy some basic healing medicine.
It was late at night by the time he returned to his small house in the Old City District.
He sat on the edge of the bed and opened his system panel to take a look.
【Host: Lin Yuan】
【Realm: Lightning Tier 1, Level 3; Space-Time Tier 1, Level 1】
【Ability 1: Weak Spark (F-rank, Tier 1, Level 3)】
【Ability 2: Space-Time Ruler (S-rank, Tier 1, Level 1)】
【Ability Points: 278】
【Combat Technique: 《Thunder Walk Through Nine Heavens》 (Mastery: Practiced, 45/500 to upgrade)】
His lightning ability still needed over a hundred Ability Points to level up.
If he spent the next five days hunting monsters with everything he had, he should be able to break through to Tier 1, Level 4 before the duel.
Although he couldn't level up his space-time ability yet, Tier 1, Level 1 space-time power was enough for him to use “that move” once or twice at a critical moment.
Combined with his “Practiced” 《Thunder Walk Through Nine Heavens》, it would be enough.
Lin Yuan lay back on the bed, staring at the mottled water stains on the ceiling, repeatedly simulating the situation five days from now in his mind.
Su Qingyue was S-rank ice type, Tier 1, Level 3—she had surely been cultivating during these eight days as well. With the Su family’s resources, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had reached Tier 1, Level 3.
Combined with the oppressive power of an S-rank ability, normally, a Tier 1, Level 3 F-rank lightning user wouldn’t even be able to touch the corner of her clothes.
But combat was never just about paper stats.
He had 《Thunder Walk Through Nine Heavens》, he had his space-time ability, and he had the combat experience forged from eight days of killing in the wilderness.
And then there were those cultist rats hiding in the shadows.
Lin Yuan closed his eyes, a dangerous curve tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Five days from now, at the arena.
Some people were going to get their faces slapped, some accounts needed to be settled, and those things hiding in the gutters—
It was time for them to come out and see the sun.
Rate on N.U.
