At this moment, inside the Black Wind Cave behind Longshou Peak.
Qi Hao braved the piercing cold wind, his face tinged with a bluish hue, looking extremely unpleasant.
He had already been inside the Black Wind Cave of Longshou Peak’s rear mountain for half a month.
When he first entered, he thought the Black Wind Cave merely had some chilly drafts, unworthy of concern for a cultivator like him at the Eighth Level of Jade Purity Realm.
But once he truly stepped inside, he realized how naive he had been.
Yin energy permeated the entire cave, especially at night when the howling cold winds made it nearly impossible to sleep.
The bone-piercing chill relentlessly gnawed at his body. Unless he circulated his spiritual energy to resist it, the cold felt like it seeped straight into his marrow, so icy it was unbearable.
After enduring for a few days, Qi Hao had wanted to flee, unwilling to stay any longer.
His heart was full of resentment toward Cang Song and Shuiyue.
If it hadn’t been for Cang Song confining him to the Black Wind Cave to reflect for half a year, he wouldn’t be suffering like this.
If Shuiyue hadn’t gone to Cang Song to have him punished, he wouldn’t have been sent to the rear mountain either.
But toward Lu Xueqi, Qi Hao didn’t harbor much hatred.
As a homebody, he firmly believed that beauty equaled justice.
Lu Xueqi’s peerless face had conquered him the moment he saw her.
In Qi Hao’s heart, Lu Xueqi was not only his junior sister but also his future Dao companion.
After all, they would be one family in the future—why hold grudges?
During this time, Qi Hao often thought of sneaking away from the Black Wind Cave.
But every time he made a move, he sensed the aura of Master Cang Song.
This made him both furious and confused. Did Cang Song have so much free time to keep an eye on him every day?
And not far from the Black Wind Cave, a handsome young man sat cross-legged, silently cultivating.
If Qi Hao were here, he would certainly recognize this man as his junior disciple, Lin Jingyu.
While cultivating, Lin Jingyu would occasionally sweep his spiritual sense toward the Black Wind Cave. At any sign of movement inside, he would immediately descend the mountain to report to his master, Cang Song.
As for why Lin Jingyu was here, there was quite a story behind it.
The current Lin Jingyu was no longer the original Lin Jingyu.
The original Lin Jingyu had perished unexpectedly during the slaughter of the village by Puzhi, caught in the aftermath of Puzhi’s battle with Cang Song.
The present Lin Jingyu was a transmigrator.
After arriving in this world, he activated the Heaven Rewards Diligence System.
As long as he cultivated diligently, he could earn experience points, allowing his cultivation to improve at lightning speed.
According to the original Lin Jingyu’s growth trajectory, he should have been at the Fourth Level of Jade Purity Realm at this time.
But now, he had already reached the Sixth Level and was on the verge of breaking through to the Seventh.
When he first transmigrated, Lin Jingyu was full of ambition.
Since he had transmigrated into a novel, he didn’t want to remain a mere supporting character—he also wished to become the protagonist of this world.
But knowing his strength was insufficient, he chose to remain hidden, quietly cultivating and hoping to rapidly raise his cultivation.
He had even made a plan: once his strength was sufficient, he would find a way to eliminate Qi Hao.
Once Qi Hao was gone, he would naturally become the strongest on Longshou Peak and could replace him as the Top Disciple.
Then, once Cang Song betrayed the sect, he would become the new Head of Longshou Peak.
After that, he would think of ways to marry many beauties from the Zhu Xian world and ascend to the peak of life.
However, more than a month ago, his plans changed.
Lin Jingyu was shocked to discover that after Senior Brother Qi Hao came out of seclusion, his personality had drastically changed.
Not only did he often spout strange and inexplicable things, but he also kept running to Xiaozhu Peak, specifically asking to see Lu Xueqi.
After observing carefully, he was stunned to find that Qi Hao was also a transmigrator—and the time of his transmigration was likely just over a month ago.
Upon learning this, Lin Jingyu didn’t act rashly.
He knew very well that once Qi Hao found out he was also a transmigrator, he probably wouldn’t let him off.
In his view, when transmigrators met, it wouldn’t necessarily be a case of “old hometown folks seeing each other, eyes filled with tears.”
More likely, it would involve mutual scheming—and even attempts to eliminate one another.
At this thought, Lin Jingyu secretly resolved that he must find a chance to eliminate Qi Hao.
Lin Jingyu was extremely displeased with Qi Hao’s frequent visits to Xiaozhu Peak to pester Lu Xueqi.
In his heart, Lu Xueqi had long been regarded as a forbidden fruit—someone who would definitely become part of his future harem.
However, after some observation, he discovered that Qi Hao couldn’t even enter Xiaozhu Peak, and Lu Xueqi showed no intention of coming out to meet him.
Seeing this, Lin Jingyu’s anxious heart eased slightly.
From then on, he silently observed Qi Hao, waiting for a chance to deliver a fatal strike.
Through this period of observation, Lin Jingyu suspected that Qi Hao likely also possessed a system.
But he was certain that Qi Hao’s system was different from his own Heaven Rewards Diligence System—as for its specific functions, he dared not probe recklessly.
First, he knew his strength was still too weak and that he was no match for Qi Hao;
Second, he didn’t want to expose himself prematurely.
So, when Qi Hao was punished and sent to the Black Wind Cave, Lin Jingyu had a sudden thought.
He took the initiative to report to his master, Daoist Cang Song, requesting to be in charge of monitoring Qi Hao to prevent him from sneaking down the mountain.
In his mind, he calculated that even if Qi Hao had a system, within the restrictive environment of the Black Wind Cave, it would be hard for it to take effect.
Moreover, the Black Wind Cave was constantly eroded by dark winds. During this half-year period, Qi Hao’s cultivation would surely stagnate.
With him rising while Qi Hao fell, this would essentially buy him six months of uninterrupted cultivation time.
Because of this, Lin Jingyu was especially diligent in monitoring Qi Hao, giving him no chance to descend the mountain.
As long as Qi Hao made the slightest move, he would immediately report it to Cang Song and have his master come to stop him.
At this moment, Lin Jingyu slowly opened his eyes, gazing in the direction of Qi Hao’s location. He murmured to himself,
“Qi Hao, oh Qi Hao, just behave and stay here. Don’t even think about leaving the mountain during these six months.”