"At his own request? He was looking for me?" Qian Renxue was stunned.

She could understand Tianlin seeking her out, but why ask to be framed?

"I don't know. Unlike you, I'm his enemy, not a lover. I really wanted to kill him for barging in on me. Framing him doesn't hurt me—he's my enemy." Hu Liena deliberately distanced herself from Tianlin.

"Did he leave any other message?" Qian Renxue asked, knowing Tianlin would leave some clue.

"Just something about water and the sea—I didn't understand." Hu Liena repeated Tianlin's message.

Qian Renxue returned to her room and thought deeply. When she was Xue Qinghe, she and Tianlin once discussed: how to make a cup of water disappear without evaporating it? Pour it into the sea.

Connecting the dots, she quickly reviewed all recent rumors. Only one was true: the story about Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji.

"Tianlin promised never to reveal this. Why did he do it now?" Qian Renxue wondered, then realized: he wasn't trying to hurt her mother, but help her.

Someone else must have known the secret and planned to expose it. Tianlin, not knowing who, couldn't stop it directly—so he hid the truth among countless fake rumors, making the real one seem false.

"Clever, and ruthless—he involved even himself and Ning Fengzhi. With both sides spreading rumors, everything seems fake." Qian Renxue smiled.

She also realized only a few people knew the truth; the mastermind must be close to her mother.

…

At this time, Tianlin returned to Seven Treasure Mountain for his punishment—which was really just secluded training.

He ruled out Qian Xunji as the mastermind, but with new intel from Golden Crocodile Douluo, he had another idea. If he was right, he needed to train hard to prepare.

He entered the secret training chamber, only a handful knew of its existence.

Chen Xin also went into seclusion to perfect his swordsmanship, aiming to defeat Qian Daoliu.

For now, Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong held the fort. Gu Rong had reached level 97, and with Ning Fengzhi's support, could even fight Golden Crocodile Douluo. Given their current reputation, no one dared cause trouble.

Tianlin sat in the dark chamber and sent a message to the two spirits in his mind. "Brother Skydream, Little White, we'll spend the next three years here. Until I reach level 90, I won't leave!"

"No problem. Being sealed for 12 years was harder than this. Nothing's more important than your cultivation. We'll help you," skydream Ice Silkworm said.

"Yes, Uncle Tianlin! My mother told me to assist you before she left," said Little White.

Three years was nothing to such ancient soul beasts.

Tianlin smiled, sat down, and began meditating with the Holy Spirit Domain.

…

Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun and Qin Ming had arrived at the Extreme North, ahead of Ning Rongrong and the others.

Following Tianlin's map, they went straight to the former territory of the Ice Jade Scorpion. No other beasts dared claim this land yet, making it the safest place in the Extreme North.

Both were high-level fire soul masters—though they couldn't survive long in these conditions, they could endure brief exposure.

Qin Ming said, "Hongjun, unleash your firepower. When your flames reach a certain intensity, the Fire God's legacy will sense it and open the portal."

Ma Hongjun nodded, spread his flaming wings, and unleashed his abilities, setting the freezing valley ablaze—his ultimate fire unaffected by the cold.