In the sky precepts sect, at the grand palace.

"Has there been any new updates, head elder Han?" The patriarch questioned.

The hall was nearly empty today, and only the patriarch and the head elder were present. There was an oppressive silence spread in the hall and even the people outside it were nervous.

~Sigh~

"We've been trying to fix the star catching formation for the past two years but it is still incomplete, patriarch. The crack in the world's barrier keeps on damaging it again." Head elder Han said.

"It's already been two years…" The patriarch muttered in a tired voice.

"How about the culprit, Lin Mu. Any news about him?" Patriarch questioned after thinking for a bit.

"No patriarch. Either he has found a really good place to hide in the northern tribes, or he is dead. We've searched the northern forest and even went till the northern mountains, but he is not there. The central, eastern, and western parts of the continent have been searched as well, but no progress. We wanted to go beyond the pear's belt as well, but that does not seem like an option considering our current condition. 

The other sects are also uncooperative and with the rise of the new alliances, the power structures are changing." Elder Han answered.

"What about that lead in the Fenlong kingdom, the Mu clan there?" The patriarch asked next.

"That was merely a disguise, as well patriarch. He was borrowing the influence of the clan there and used that as the identity. He even manipulated the second son of Mayor Wu Xun of Wu Lim City and made him back his identity." Elder Han said.

The patriarch shook his head as he fell deep in thought.

"Also patriarch… we think someone slipped into the world, perhaps through the crack in the barrier." Elder Han revealed.

"What?! Do you know where?" The Patriarch asked urgently.

"I'm afraid not. The lack of the star-catching formation has greatly reduced our sensing capabilities. Even with this we were only able to find out with great difficulty. Though it doesn't seem like whatever came to this world is that strong, or we would have seen more signs." Elder Han answered.

~Sigh~

"At least that's better than the alternative," Patriarch said with a sigh.

"Is there anything else?" He asked.

"The emperor is still sick and has shown no signs of improving. They are now likely to ask the Rainbow Pill sect for help. Also, the alliance ceremony for the Tri cauldron peony sect, the Autumn Valley sect, the Cloven Sea sect and the Zither Wind Sect will be held in the coming month.

"Should we… attend it?" Elder Han questioned.

"What other choice do we have? Even if these problems are here, we cannot give up on our reputation. We should be able to spare a few elders to go to the ceremony." Patriarch said.

"Alright patriarch, as you command." Elder hand said and left the grand palace.

Outside, tens of people were waiting anxiously and became even more nervous upon seeing Head Elder Han appear.

"What did the patriarch say, Head Elder Han?" Someone asked.

"Gather the elders, we shall be having a meeting in an hour. Also… call in the core disciples, I have a few tasks for them too." Head Elder Han said with a serious expression.

***

Back at the Northern Mountains, rumbling sounds could be heard coming from a cave.

The sounds were loud enough that the beasts living there were scared to come there. In fact, an area of about five kilometers around it had become a forbidden zone for the beasts and they were too scared to approach it.

Inside the cave, pitch black darkness was there. A faint dampness could also be felt in the air and one could hear drops of water dripping down from the ceilings. 

~Huu~Huu~Huu~

Rhythmic breaths could be heard coming from a particular place in the cave. These were the breaths that echoed in the cave and seemed like the troubling sounds coming from the cave. The source of the sound was a young man who was sleeping on the ground naked.

His body was covered in dust, while his hair was caked with mud and soil. His face couldn't be seen because of the long hair covering it either. Still, even now, the outlines of muscles could be seen on his body and one could even sense the potent vitality contained in it.

~groan~

Suddenly a groan escaped the mouth of the young man who was sleeping on the ground. His body twitched and his fingers moved.

Then his eyes opened. They were black like the night, and a hidden might could be felt from them. They were like the eyes of a predator, and anyone that started into them would feel their hearts shake.

This young man was none other than Lin Mu himself.

"Haaa!" Lin Mu let out a groan as he stretched his body.

~Crack~

~pop~

The joints and bones of his body made crackling and popping sounds as they finally gained a bit of flexibility again.

"Ah… I really need to find a way to control this ability myself… the effects after waking up are horrible…" Lin Mu said to himself.

"Huh? What happened to my voice?" Lin Mu muttered as he felt the change in it. 

His voice was now deeper than he remembered and was a bit similar to that of his father.

"Seems like you finally woke up." Xukong's voice suddenly appeared in Lin Mu's mind.

"Yes, senior. Though… how much time has it been?" Lin Mu asked.

"Actually, I can't tell it either. After the first few months, I think both our perceptions of time have been altered." Xukong replied.

"Didn't we estimate that it would be around a year by the time I wake up?" Lin Mu questioned.

"We did, but now it seems to be much different. I mean… look at yourself." Xukong replied.

Lin Mu looked at his body and saw how dirty he was. He was still naked as that's how he had gone to sleep back then, because he hadn't had the chance to put on his robes again after he assimilated the bloodline of the Great Slumber bear. 

The first difference he felt was in his hair, which was now reaching all the way to his waist. The next change he felt was that his point of view had become a bit higher.

"Huh? I became taller again?" Lin Mu muttered to himself.

He decided to use his spirit sense to check himself properly and found that he really had gotten taller. He was about 173 centimeters tall before and now he had reached 180 centimeters. He looked at his arms and saw the athletic and lean muscles that have been formed. His back had gotten broader and his shoulders wider.

He touched his face and ended up accidentally poking himself with his long nails.

"Bah! I'll need to cut the nails." Lin Mu muttered and snapped his nails one by one from the fingertips.

With a single pinch, the nails were broken off cleanly and thrown to the ground.

"This is much better." Lin Mu said as he looked at his hands now.

He touched his face and felt the hair that had grown on his face. There was a coarse beard growing on his face, which once used to be smooth. It was hidden beneath the dirt and thus was heard to perceive normally.

"I need to get clean first, this feels very uncomfortable…" Lin Mu said before taking out a barrel of water from his ring and placing it on the ground.

Then he took out a large metal cauldron and poured the water into it before igniting a flame in his hand and heating the water with it. The flame was vigorous and the strong heat could be felt from it. In less than a minute the water became hot and Lin Mu took a bath, scrubbing his body clean of the dirt and grime that had accumulated over the unknown number of days.

"Ahhh! This is much better." Lin Mu exclaimed as he jumped into the large pot himself.

The hot water relaxed his strained and tensed body and made him feel much better. After a few minutes of soak, he jumped out of the water and put on some clean robes. 

He took out a lamp and ignited it, along with a mirror to take a look at himself.

"I told you, didn't I? All you needed was a bit of time and your features would mature." Xukong said after seeing the appearance of Lin Mu in the mirror.

He now looked much more mature than before, and his feminine features had mostly faded away. The coarse beard along with the long hair all the way to his waist gave him a wild look.

"Looks like much more time passed than we had expected…" Lin Mu said.

"Indeed, we went beyond it," Xukong replied.

"What do you estimate, senior?" Lin Mu asked.

"I'm thinking two years at the very least, seeing your body's growth."

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