The scene was kept intact, and the male cultivator was startled when he saw the deep pit.

    Judging from the deep pit and the surroundings, the power of the strike was extremely astonishing, even surpassing that of ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

    His figure flashed, and he arrived next to the deep pit. He lightly patted his storage bag, and a jade ruler appeared in his hand.

    He tapped the deep pit and its surroundings with the jade ruler, which elicited no response at all, causing his brows to furrow and a confused look to appear in his eyes.

    "Senior Brother Zhao, have you found anything?" the female cultivator asked from the side.

    "Strange, there''s not a trace of Spiritual Energy left behind by this strike!" the male cultivator looked at the jade ruler and replied uncertainly.

    Though the mundane world has powerful martial artists, unless they reach the Innate stage, they are generally considered trivial to cultivators.

    Even an Innate Martial Artist capable of threatening Qi Refining cultivators can only do so by launching a surprise attack, potentially severely wounding a Qi Refining cultivator unexpectedly.

    As long as a Qi Refining cultivator is prepared and maintains a certain distance from the opponent, an Innate Martial Artist cannot pose a threat.

    "Could it be the work of an Innate Martial Artist?" the female cultivator speculated.

    "No, look at the strike''s power. Although great, it''s scattered and lacks solidity, definitely not the attack of an Innate Martial Artist!" the male cultivator, with greater experience, replied confidently.

    The reason an Innate Martial Artist can threaten a Qi Refining Cultivator is that they can concentrate Innate Qi at a single point to pierce through defenses effectively.

    That demonstrates the control Innate Martial Artists have over their Innate Power. After all, martial artists are martial artists; they don''t have so much Innate Power to waste.

    If an Innate Martial Artist were to make such an attack, the amount of Innate Qi inside their body must be staggeringly vast, something unheard of at least to the male cultivator.

    The power of this strike exceeded that of the late-stage Qi Refinement. From its manifestation, it was more likely the act of a cultivator.

    However, whether it involved using a powerful talisman or a powerful spell, even after several days, his artifact should have detected traces of Spiritual Energy at the scene.

    The male cultivator recorded the details of the scene thoroughly, as they needed to be archived, and he was to submit these as part of his mission.

    Senior Brother Zhao took out an Array Plate resembling a compass; upon activating it with Spiritual Energy, the plate emitted a white light that spread and enveloped both courtyards.

    The two cultivators were not a Daoist couple practicing Dual Cultivation; under normal circumstances, they would not reside together.

    No matter how good the relationship between cultivators, a distance must be maintained for the sake of safety.

    Cultivators need to concentrate their minds when in practice, and during this time, they are almost undefended.

    No cultivator would expose themselves so openly to others, placing their safety in someone else''s hands.

    Of course, since Senior Brother Zhao was taking Zheng on a task, he brought greater strength and wealth, hence he exerted extra effort and set up a Defensive Array around both courtyards.

    Zheng entered her room, took a talisman out of her storage bag, and after activating it with Spiritual Energy, a red light fell upon the doors and windows.

    Should anyone touch the doors or windows from outside, the talisman''s effect would activate, alerting her.

    Zheng wasn''t as wealthy as Senior Brother Zhao and was under his protection, so she economized where she could.

    Of course, she economized on defense; in cultivation, she spared no expense.

    She spent much of her wealth on her cultivation; taking out a circular plate from her storage bag, she then placed four Spirit Stones inside it.

    She released a burst of Spiritual Power, activating the plate, and the Spiritual Energy from the four Spirit Stones surged forth, making complex patterns light up on the plate.

    Zheng sat on the plate, feeling the Spiritual Energy around her, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

    Unlike those cultivators who continually enhanced their attack capabilities, Zheng had saved up for many years to exchange for this Gathering Spirit Plate, just to speed up her cultivation and stand out from her peers.

    In another room, Senior Brother Zhao sensed the Spiritual Energy around and reluctantly took a Spirit Stone in his hand.

    "I''d better find some clues quickly and return; the cultivation environment here is too poor!" Senior Brother Zhao murmured.

    The next day Senior Brother Zhao and Zheng inspected various places in Nanling City but found no trace of any cultivator. They planned to stay one more day, and if they still found nothing, they would return.