Chapter 103: The Sect of Heart Refinement

Time passed swiftly, and four days had already gone by. Now having reached the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment stage, Lin Yanghao dared not continue cultivating for fear of an unexpected breakthrough to the Core Formation stage, which would spell great trouble.

Though he had spent three full days pondering, he still found no way to escape, causing him great distress.

Most importantly, Lin Yanghao's situation now resembled house arrest; whenever he stepped outside, someone was always following him. He couldn’t run, and his every move was monitored.

Thus, escape was impossible, and it seemed the only chance was to find a way during the sect’s grand competition.

Calculating the timing, today was the day of departure.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Le Hao arrived.

"Young Lin, I have a protective armor here for you. Take it—this time at the sect competition, you must win!" Le Hao, pained but resolute, handed over the treasured armor he had kept for many years, even sparing his own son from it.

Not for anything else, but because he wanted Lin Yanghao to claim first place in the competition.

Even though Lin Yanghao’s strength was formidable, Le Hao was not entirely confident he would secure first place.

However, Le Hao was at peace with this, knowing it was merely a loan for a few days; soon enough, the armor would return to him.

"Then I sincerely thank Sect Leader Le for your kindness; it is better to accept than to refuse." Only a fool would turn down a gift, especially one as exceptional as this armor, and from Le Hao no less.

Lin Yanghao couldn’t help but smile. This was a genuine high-grade protective armor, far more valuable than a high-grade weapon—its worth was many times over.

"Good. Young Lin, then let us depart immediately!" Le Hao said, and with that, he led Lin Yanghao and several elders of the sect to fly swiftly on their swords.

...

Though not the fastest, the speed at the Spiritual Transformation stage could rival that of a mid-grade flying spiritual beast. Moreover, the Heavenly Martial Sect was not far from the Refining Heart Sect, so in just half a day, they arrived at the foot of Refining Heart Sect.

The scale of the Refining Heart Sect was comparable to the Seven Luminaries Sect in the Southern Domain. It was clear that the Northern Domain was several times stronger than the Southern Domain; even a medium-sized sect here could rival the top sects of the South.

The Pill Sect, Talisman Sect, and Artifact Sect must be extraordinarily powerful.

Suddenly, Lin Yanghao was filled with anticipation for these three great sects.

He was somewhat indifferent to this competition; as the unrivaled powerhouse below the Core Formation stage, who could possibly be a match for him?

His primary concern remained on how to escape.

Inside the Refining Heart Sect, though there was still a day before the competition began, only a few sects had yet to arrive.

All major sects had been assigned their guest rooms.

"What kind of shabby place is this? How dare you treat the Heavenly Martial Sect like this! We may be weak, but we are not to be bullied!" Upon being led to the guest room by the reception disciple, Le Hao became furious. Just days ago, he had barely calmed down from the anger over the Star Emperor’s Purple Iron incident; now, this latest indignity poured out all his pent-up fury.

The guest room was barely better than the thatched huts used by outer disciples of the Seven Luminaries Sect—the roof was nearly leaking.

"Sect Leader Le, please calm down. Because you arrived late, the other rooms have already been assigned to other sects. We apologize, but this is the only room left. If it is unsuitable, you may find an inn in the city below the mountain," the reception disciple said calmly, despite Le Hao’s anger.

In truth, the disciple thought: Hmph! A small sect like yours dares to expect better rooms? Dream on.

"Don’t push us too far! I saw plenty of empty rooms just moments ago," Le Hao’s anger simmered. Were it not for his restraint, considering this was the Heavenly Martial Sect, he might have torn the disciple apart.

"Oh? Is that so? Then how come we have no empty rooms at all?" the disciple feigned ignorance.

"Father, let’s just go inside. Don’t waste energy arguing. Tomorrow, when we claim first place, they’ll regret their actions today," Le Dong wisely advised. He understood the need to bow under the roof one was under; if his father made a scene, it might be twisted into malicious troublemaking.

That was exactly what the other sects wanted—swallowing the Heavenly Martial Sect without even needing to compete.

"Hmph. Let’s go," Le Hao snorted and led Lin Yanghao and the others into the thatched hut.

"Very well, I’ll be looking forward to the day Sect Leader Le claims first place," the reception disciple sneered when he heard Le Dong’s bold words.

Glancing at the dilapidated hut, unfit even for outer disciples, he thought the Heavenly Martial Sect must really be a small-time sect to tolerate such conditions.

It seemed forcing them to submit was futile.

Of course, all this was surely under the direction of the Refining Heart Sect; otherwise, this mere reception disciple would never dare behave so brazenly.

"Everyone, let’s just make do here for now. A true man can endure hardship and overlook trifles," Le Hao said helplessly, looking at the crude room.

He resolved to use Lin Yanghao to make the Heavenly Martial Sect shine at this grand competition.

So that no one would dare underestimate them again.

Suddenly—

“Squeak, squeak~”

A strange sound shattered the silence inside the hut, startling everyone present.

"What’s that sound?" Le Hao was the first to ask, wary as always when under another’s roof.

Everyone shook their heads.

"It’s just a mouse," Lin Yanghao thought silently. Were they foolish or simply too easily scared? A mere mouse could cause such fright.

Among those present, including Le Dong, few had ever encountered mice, let alone recognized their calls.

Relieved, everyone relaxed slightly.

The night passed without incident, and before they knew it, the day the grand sect competition was to begin had arrived.

Nearly thirty sects were participating, all located within the jurisdiction of the Refining Heart Sect.

Throughout the night, Lin Yanghao’s mind nearly exploded from trying to devise an escape plan.

Surrounded daily by these old, stubborn elders, escape was clearly impossible.

Now, with the competition about to begin and no escape plan in sight, was he not headed for a dead end?