At nightfall, in a secret chamber within the Wang Family compound, three Qi Gathering realm cultivators sat in a circle.

"Is it confirmed? Is their Family Head truly at the mine?" asked Wang Xiong, the Wang Family Head, who was draped in a tiger-fur cloak.

"Yes. We sent a merchant caravan to pretend they had lost their way, and they saw Yang Guanfeng personally guarding the mine," replied Wang Lie, the second strongest expert of the Wang Family, seated to his left.

He was thirty-eight, similar in age to Yang Guanfeng. The difference was that Yang Guanfeng had reached the mid-stage of the fifth layer of Qi Gathering, while Wang Lie remained stuck at the second.

"So that means inside the Yang Family stronghold, the only one left is a brat who just broke through to Qi Gathering?" asked the young cultivator on the right.

He was Wang Xiong's son, Wang Weiyang, the third Qi Gathering cultivator of the Wang Family. He was sixteen and had broken through to Qi Gathering half a year ago.

"Exactly," Wang Lie confirmed.

Both men looked toward Wang Xiong, waiting for his decision.

They had discussed that they could not allow the Yang Family to live so comfortably; they needed to deliver a harsh lesson. However, because the Yang Family's overall strength surpassed theirs, action had been difficult.

Now, knowing that both Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu were away, their ambitions stirred.

"Hmph! It is time to strike the mountain to frighten the tiger. Wang Lie, there is no time like the present. Go tonight. Infiltrate the Yang Family and scare the boy left behind. If we can force them to recall that old man from Baishi Town, those few shops of theirs will be of no consequence," Wang Xiong decided.

"Understood, Family Head!" Wang Lie was overjoyed.

It had been a long time since he had engaged in a duel, and his recent setbacks still rankled him. Facing a child who had just entered the Qi Gathering realm, he finally had the chance to play the strongman and humiliate the weak.

"Uncle, will it be safe to go alone? Should I accompany you?" Wang Weiyang asked.

Wang Lie waved his hand. "Weiyang, dealing with a mere first-layer Qi Gathering novice is trivial. Besides, moving in a pair creates too large a presence and increases the risk of being discovered."

Wang Xiong nodded, agreeing with Wang Lie's assessment.

"Family Head, leave it to me. I guarantee that after tonight, the Yang Family will be trembling at every wind and every tree!" Wang Lie boasted.

This poor fellow had no idea what awaited him.

That night, Wang Lie donned dark clothes and slipped out of Baishi Town under the cover of night. Channeling his spiritual power, he reached the Yang Family stronghold in two hours.

As a cultivator, he easily bypassed the mortal guards. He scaled the courtyard wall and headed straight for the deepest part of the compound.

Finding no signs of cultivators training in the back courtyard, he was briefly puzzled before looking up at the nearby cliff.

"Hehehe, interesting."

He leaped up, scaled the rock wall, and saw the outer wall of the Yang Family's Restricted Grounds.

Sneaking about and hiding up here—but your grandfather has found you regardless! Wang Lie rejoiced at his own perception.

He circled the high wall, thinking, "A formation. Good thing I came prepared."

He took a pitch-black magnetic stone from his waist-a tool provided by Wang Xiong-and infused it with spiritual power. The device disrupted the formation's operation, causing a temporary malfunction.

Wang Lie vaulted over the wall, certain he had infiltrated undetected.

Yang Lingqing, who was keeping watch, had not initially detected him, as the failure of the formation had prevented her sensing token from reacting. However, Wang Lie could never have imagined that within the Restricted Grounds resided another who was exceptionally sensitive to spiritual fluctuations.

Hmm? The formation cut out. Is the old man incompetent? Did he buy a faulty array? Chen Yang, who had been watching the stars, sensed the intrusion. It was a second-layer Qi Gathering cultivator.

Chen Yang became cautious and immediately created a pulse of spiritual energy to wake Yang Lingqing.

Yang Lingqing instantly pulled herself from her half-meditative state and looked at Chen Yang. Seeing the Qi-Gathering Stone fluctuate, she stood up and grabbed the sensing token. Her heart tightened; the formation was dead.

Intruders! She reacted instantly, waking Lingrui and Linghu and warning them of the breach.

Upon learning that someone had infiltrated the Restricted Grounds while the elders were away, the three children turned serious.

"Little Qing, what is the plan?" Linghu and Lingrui asked. As the sharpest among them, the decision fell to her.

Yang Lingqing's mind raced. Their true cultivation must remain a secret. "We do not know the intruder's full strength. Lingrui, you must take a risk. Go into the courtyard and pretend to meditate."

"Yes, Sister Qing."

"Remember: suppress your cultivation to the first layer!"

"Understood."

Yang Lingrui entered the courtyard and sat on a cushion, feigning meditation. Linghu and Lingqing concealed their auras and hid in the room.

Soon, a shadowy figure crept into the courtyard. Finding Yang Lingrui, Wang Lie smirked. "It's this kid! He looks barely ten—younger than Weiyang."

His goal had been to scare the boy, but seeing him, his resolve darkened. A cultivator this young, if allowed to grow, would make the Yang Family a massive threat to the Wang Family. He could not allow that.

"I won't kill him, that would cross the line... but I can certainly cripple him!"

He burst forward, aiming a palm strike at Yang Lingrui. In Wang Lie's mind, he was a superior cultivator executing a perfect surprise attack.

He was wrong on every count.

First, Yang Lingrui was also at the second layer. Second, the children had known he was there the moment he entered.

As Wang Lie struck, Yang Lingrui opened his eyes and blocked the blow, his aura instantly surging to the second layer.

"Second layer! How is this possible?" Wang Lie gasped, stunned by the boy's true strength.

He attempted to recover and press the attack, but the ground beneath him suddenly turned to viscous mud, snagging his feet. Before he could react, a figure lunged from the room and smashed a fist into his chest.

"Pfft!" Wang Lie vomited blood and collapsed.

He had been exceptionally unlucky; Linghu had only mastered this earth-binding technique yesterday, and he had chosen Wang Lie as his very first target. As he lay on the ground, Wang Lie felt dizzy, his body held fast by the enchanted earth.