Just as you finished sighing and prepared to depart from the Danxia Sect, Hu Zhongxuan happened to arrive.

Hu Zhongxuan landed in your courtyard and visibly relaxed upon seeing you. Having received no news from you for several months, he had clearly been worried.

His main concern was that if you died, there would be no one to refine the Reviving Yang Pills. Though of course, as your elder, he also felt some genuine concern.

"Where have you been running off to these past months?" Hu Zhongxuan asked with concern in his voice.

You smiled. "The world is vast - I just went out for a walk."

Hu Zhongxuan studied you. "As long as you're unharmed."

"Uncle, you've come looking for me several times. There must be something important?"

"Indeed, there are two matters I wish to discuss."

Your expression brightened. "Let me guess - news about the Earth Source?"

Hu Zhongxuan hesitated before responding. "There are indeed new developments, but I'm still considering. How is your pill refining progressing?"

"Still haven't mastered eighth-grade, but I can feel the breakthrough isn't far off."

Hu Zhongxuan's face lit up. "Good! As long as there's hope!"

"Uncle, you mentioned two matters. What's the other one?"

"It's like this..."

Hu Zhongxuan then explained the origins of the recent martial world turmoil.

Originally, this conflict had been deliberately instigated by Li Anlong working behind the scenes. He sent agents disguised as members of various sects to attack others, deliberately leaving evidence to frame them and sow discord between factions.

Naturally unaware of the deception, each sect believed they were merely retaliating, attacking their supposed enemies with lethal force. The violence escalated rapidly.

As more sects became involved, the situation erupted into full-scale conflict. By the later stages, none cared anymore about who had struck first - their sole desire was the complete annihilation of their enemies.

When the chaos reached unprecedented levels, many began suspecting something unnatural about these events. Major sects launched investigations into the conflict's origins.

The sects gathered and interrogated those involved in the initial clashes, discovering neither side had actually instigated the attacks as claimed. After examining more cases, they finally realized a third party had been manipulating events from the start!

If this large-scale bloodshed continued unchecked, every sect would suffer devastating losses, with irreparable rifts forming between them. Eventually, they might fragment into isolated factions constantly at war.

The question was obvious: who stood to benefit most from such division? All evidence pointed to Li Anlong.

The truth was that during both the Earth Source distribution at Yajiangkou and the imperial throne defense, Li Anlong had paid several Grandmasters from major sects for assistance. This made him realize these sects' combined power threatened his rule.

While the Li imperial clan boasted the most Grandmasters of any single faction, the martial world's total number of Grandmasters was two to three times greater. Li Anlong feared that if the sects ever united under something like a Martial Alliance Leader, he might end up calling someone else "Your Majesty."

Thus began Li Anlong's campaign to divide and weaken the sects through manufactured conflicts. His plan was to let grievances fester before crushing each faction individually, consolidating his own power.

But this time, Li Anlong had acted too blatantly and hastily. The major sects caught on, and their Grandmaster representatives converged on the capital.

The message was clear: as long as Li Anlong ruled peacefully, the martial world would respect his authority. But with his scheming exposed, the "brothers of the road" needed to have words with His Majesty. Being rough martial artists, their words might be blunt and their actions forceful - for which they could only offer a casual "sorry."

When Wan Qingluan previously mentioned Yan Zhixue and numerous Grandmasters arriving in the capital, this was the event she referred to. Before entering the capital, these leaders had restrained their own sects and affiliates, allowing tensions to gradually ease this year.

After hearing Hu Zhongxuan's account, you asked, "Did they kill Li Anlong?"

Hu Zhongxuan gave you a weary look. "Only about twenty Grandmaster representatives came. They negotiated terms with His Majesty before departing."

"Li Anlong must have paid dearly this time."

"Let's just say his face remained ashen for months."

You understood Li Anlong had suffered major losses - not just in compensation, but in alienating the major sects. Future requests for assistance would likely be refused.

Most ironically, Li Anlong's scheming had given the previously fragmented martial world a common enemy in Emperor Xuanwu himself. Rather than dividing the sects, he'd unintentionally united them. Should the martial brothers take inspiration and actually form a Martial Alliance, Li Anlong wouldn't dare close his eyes to sleep.

You had no particular thoughts about the scheming emperor, only that he might one day engineer his own downfall.

After your conversation, Hu Zhongxuan wanted you to return to the capital with him. But you remained at Danxia Sect to test an idea.

Hu Zhongxuan departed alone, no longer concerned for your safety after learning from Ruan Bai about your ability to kill Grandmaster-level experts. Though shocked, he strictly ordered Ruan Bai to keep this secret.

A mid-stage Essence Refining cultivator killing a late-stage Grandmaster was unheard of - your ability to defeat higher-level opponents surpassed even the recently famous Heavenly Dao Alliance leader Lin Mo. Hu Zhongxuan knew you must possess special methods, but asked no questions. In their world, everyone had secrets.

After Hu Zhongxuan left, you continued training diligently at Danxia Sect. You reflected on your rigorous cultivation - practicing through summer's heat and winter's cold, thirty-nine days here, twenty-seven there...

You shook your head to clear it.

Within days, you completed your seventh True Qi condensation. Against that same late-stage Grandmaster now, you wouldn't suffer such severe injuries.

You set out to find Lin Mo, needing his help with a small matter. Your comprehension of Earth Source sword qi progressed frustratingly slow. You planned to demonstrate some Earth Source sword qi techniques for Lin Mo, hoping he might offer insights to accelerate your understanding.

Soon you arrived at Lin Mo's Heavenly Dao Alliance, now thriving with talent and impressive displays of power. Using Lin Mo's exclusive VIP alliance leader token, you gained entry.

Finding Lin Mo, you led him to your usual secluded training valley where you stood by a large lake.

"Lin Mo, watch closely - Uncle's going to show you some real sword qi!"