Sea wind swept fine grains of sand against the scabbard of the Battling Wave Blade, raising a soft, rasping whisper.

"Cough..." A faint sweetness welled up in my throat, and I hastily circulated the Tide Saint Body Art to suppress it. The spiritual energy within my dantian was like a tidal flat after the waters had receded — though the foundation of the mid-eighth layer of Qi Cultivation had been preserved, it no longer held that surging, torrential force of the mid-ninth layer.

The after-effects of burning essence blood to fuse with the treasure artifact had finally manifested. Even with Elder Kai's Vein-Consolidating Pill and the system-rewarded Origin-Anchoring Pill working in tandem, the fact that my cultivation foundation remained unshattered was already a stroke of fortune. This was also the first time I had ever felt the sluggishness of spiritual power that came with a drop in realm.

"What's the rush?" Elder Kai's voice drifted over from behind me. He leaned on his dragon-headed walking staff and set a bowl of dark-brown medicinal liquid on the stone table. "Back in my day, I sustained grievous injuries and spent a full three years recuperating before returning to the Foundation Establishment stage. Your realm has only slipped — your cultivation base is at least stable. By any measure, you've got more luck than sense."

The liquid gave off a strange odour, something between seaweed and damp earth. I pinched my nose and downed it in one go. The bitter fluid slid down my throat, and a warm current surged instantly through my dantian. The system chime rang at precisely the right moment:

Ding! Consumed "Sea Spirit Meridian-Nourishing Decoction." Spiritual energy recovery speed increased by 30%. Cultivation base stability +5%.

"Word of Rex Zhao's death — has anything stirred on Baizhen Pavilion's end?" I wiped the medicinal residue from the corner of my mouth and turned my gaze toward the churning black clouds rolling beyond the window.

Elder Kai settled onto a stone stool, his staff tracing arcane runes across the ground. "That old devil Victor Jin has lost his mind. Word is he smashed Baizhen Pavilion's headquarters' pill-refining furnaces for three straight days. Now the whole cultivation world of Huaguo is spreading the tale — saying you, Ethan Lu, have inherited the legacy of some ancient great power and single-handedly cut down two of Baizhen Pavilion's top generals."

I could only smile bitterly and say nothing.

The resonance between the Battling Wave Blade and the Meteoric Iron Anvil Board had indeed erupted into devastating power when it drove back Scarlet — but it had been more like a flash of brilliance born of desperation, a flower that blooms and dies in a single day.

As for Rex Zhao's death, I had nothing whatsoever to do with it. If Elder Kai had not stepped in, I would likely have been dead beyond all recovery. Yet now, all the "credit" had been laid at my feet.

Although the Battling Wave Blade had been tempered and given form through ritual refinement, it still could not fully contain the Dao Ancestor sword intent of the Meteoric Iron Anvil Board. Every time I drove it, it was like trying to carry water in a bamboo basket — the spiritual energy drain far exceeded all expectation.

"Will Victor Jin come himself?" I tightened my grip around the hilt of the Battling Wave Blade. The water-pattern engravings on the scabbard flickered with a faint luminescence, reflecting the wariness in my eyes. Victor Jin was at the Core Formation stage. Add to that the full retaliatory force of Baizhen Pavilion descending upon us, and there was absolutely no way Elder Kai and I could hold them off on our own.

Elder Kai tapped his staff against the ground. The runes gathered on the floor into a water-mirror, and within it floated the face of Victor Jin — that face riddled with scale-like wrinkles. "If he doesn't come, Baizhen Pavilion will lose its cohesion entirely. But this old fox is cunning to the bone. After the Sea-Locking Formation failed last time, he drew closer to White Tiger Hall. My guess is he wants to use the Xuanmen Administration's hand to deal with you."

In the water-mirror, Victor Jin was deep in hushed conversation with a middle-aged man robed in white tiger-patterned brocade. From the man's sleeve, half a command token was faintly visible — precisely the emblem of White Tiger Hall of the Xuanmen Administration. The system chime suddenly turned sharp and urgent:

Warning! Detected contact between White Tiger Hall's Vice Hall Master Gordon Jin and Victor Jin. Spiritual energy fluctuations indicate they are discussing a "Elimination Plan," with the host designated as the target!

Gordon Jin... I recalled the grey-robed elder at Baizhen Pavilion — that Vice Hall Master of White Tiger Hall. Baizhen Pavilion's corrupt pill trade had most likely long since become a vital revenue stream for White Tiger Hall. My thoughts then drifted to the former subordinates of the Demon-Subduing Division I had located near Baizhen Pavilion that day. I had been promised news within three days — yet many days had now passed with not a single word. Could something have happened to them?

"Draw the floodwater eastward," a flash of inspiration struck me. "I'll take Everett Li's Azure Bamboo Token and head to Azure Dragon Hall's 'Tidal Sound Pavilion' outpost on the Eastern Sea. If Victor Jin wants to use White Tiger Hall's hand, I'll muddy the waters even further. And if Azure Dragon Hall wants to use a blade to kill from a distance, then I'll make myself into a double-edged sword — and as for who ends up getting cut, well, that remains to be seen."

---

Tidal Sound Pavilion was situated on the most prosperous commercial street in Eastern Sea City. On the surface, it was a thriving teahouse; in truth, it was one of Azure Dragon Hall's most important hubs along the eastern seaboard. I tucked the Azure Bamboo Token inside my robes and knocked on the wooden door at the rear courtyard of the teahouse — three short, two long — accompanied by the soft chime of spiritual energy flowing into the inscription token.

"Might you be Fellow Daoist Ethan Lu?" The one who opened the door was a young cultivator dressed in a blue robe, a Azure Dragon Hall token hanging at his waist, his gaze sharp as a hawk's. He swept a glance over the Azure Bamboo Token in my hand, and his manner turned deferential at once. "Vice Hall Master Li gave his instructions long in advance. Please, follow me."

We passed through a winding, nine-turn corridor, and the green bricks underfoot abruptly sank downward, revealing stone steps leading into the depths below. The interior of Tidal Sound Pavilion was a world unto itself — dozens of stone chambers arranged around a central Spirit-Gathering Formation, the air thick with dense, wood-element spiritual energy, entirely unlike the fishy reek of Baizhen Pavilion.

"Fellow Daoist Ethan," said the young cultivator, guiding me to a stone chamber carved with the characters for "Guest Reception," "the Vice Hall Master is attending to pressing matters and asks that you rest here first. Should you need anything, simply pull the azure bamboo chime on the table."

The stone chamber was sparsely furnished. The only thing that drew the eye was a map of the Eastern Sea's spirit veins hanging on the wall. I stepped closer to examine it. Several red dots marked in vermilion cinnabar dotted the map — one of them sat precisely at the location of Listening-to-the-Waves Retreat, while another red dot was marked just below Baizhen Pavilion. There, a web of ink lines spread out like a spider's silk, and beside it, in small script, were the words: "Corrupt Pill Workshop?"

The system chime rang out again:

Ding! Key clue discovered: An illegal spirit-object processing site exists on the third underground level of Baizhen Pavilion, with a confirmed connection to Baizhen Pavilion's production of Scarlet Powder. Marked by Azure Dragon Hall intelligence cultivator "Ink Bamboo."

Ink Bamboo... That name seemed to have appeared somewhere in Old Zhang's roster of former subordinates. I was just about to examine it more closely when a heated dispute erupted outside the door.

"A mere mid-eighth layer of Qi Cultivation — and you presume to wield the Azure Bamboo Token? Looks to me like something you pilfered from somewhere!" A raspy voice rang out, accompanied by the dull thud of clashing spiritual energy.

End of Chapter 49: The Tide Turns