Lin Feng's newfound status within the clan was a double-edged sword. Whispers followed him – a mix of awe, envy, and a simmering resentment that grew bolder with each passing day. The punishment duty at the ancestral mine had been rescinded, replaced with begrudging access to training grounds and resources once reserved for the clan's elite. His meteoric rise was a disruption to the established order, and the cracks in his newfound superiority were beginning to show.Training sessions, once solitary, became crowded with 'sparring partners' eager to test the limits of his power. There was a cruelty masked as camaraderie in their eyes. It seemed they sought to expose a fluke, to cut him down to size and restore the natural balance of the clan. The elders observed with feigned disinterest, their subtle smiles signaling tacit approval.Yuexin watched from the shadows, her fury barely contained. "They seek to break you, brother," she hissed, fingers digging into the weathered stone of the balcony where they'd plotted their initial alliance. "To shame you into submission.""Let them try," Lin Feng countered, a wicked glint in his eyes. His system hummed with restless energy. Each challenge, each thinly veiled act of aggression from once insignificant rivals, was tallied and transformed into raw potential within the favorability system.Yet, he wasn't naive. Bruised muscles healed, but relentless humiliation could poison even the strongest spirit. He needed more than just power, more than Yuexin's whispered strategies in secluded alcoves. He needed leverage, a demonstration of his influence that extended beyond the training grounds.His opportunity came disguised as a tedious chore. Each year, a delegation from the Azure Dragon Clan traveled to a bustling trade city at the base of the Phoenix Feather Mountains. Their purpose was twofold: to secure supplies and to renew bonds of fealty with other clans residing within the loosely defined territory of a reclusive sect, a sect the Azure Dragons had fallen far from grace with. It was a task fit for errand boys, and as a newcomer – despite his startling display of power – Lin Feng was the prime candidate.Yuexin had warned him, her voice laced with concern. "The other clans won't be as gullible as our own elders. You will be an outsider, a curiosity. They will test you in far more subtle ways.""Then it's fortunate I enjoy playing games," he'd replied with a smirk.The journey itself was a whirlwind of new experiences. Leaving the sheltered confines of the ancestral lands, Lin Feng found himself navigating crowded markets, bargaining with shrewd merchants, and witnessing a world far more complex than the petty squabbles of his clan. His system buzzed relentlessly, registering not just individual favorability scores but the ebb and flow of shifting power dynamics, a thrilling symphony of ambition, greed, and hidden vulnerabilities.The trade city, nestled like a jewel amidst the mountains, was a place where alliances were forged over exotic wine and whispers carried on the wind. Lin Feng reveled in it. Armed with resources granted by begrudging elders and Yuexin's meticulous instructions, he secured the required supplies with surprising efficiency, leaving ample time for his own brand of strategizing.Word of his arrival and his audacious rise within the Azure Dragon Clan had spread like wildfire. Envoys from smaller clans, eager to assess this potential disruption, extended veiled invitations. Lin Feng accepted them all, playing the role of the curious newcomer with a hidden edge.Amidst the swirling silks and honeyed words, he identified targets. Clans teetering on the verge of crisis, their leaders torn between desperation and pride. A young heir with ambition far exceeding his talent. A merchant house facing imminent ruin due to a foolish gamble. Each held a potential opportunity, a piece to move in his ever-expanding game.Yet, it was the women who truly caught his attention. Yuexin, while beguiling, was a singular obsession. Here, amidst the swirling silks and veiled glances, he discovered a wider net to cast. There was the warrior maiden, her fiery gaze meeting his with a hint of a challenge he found unbearably enticing. A seductive merchant's daughter, all sly smiles and promises whispered with deliberate intimacy.They were drawn to him – the novelty, the raw power, the rumors of his rapid ascent that followed him like a shadow. Their favorability scores flickered promisingly. And beneath the decorous smiles and fluttering fans, he sensed a reflection of his own ambition… and perhaps a hunger to match even Yuexin's possessive fervor.His first foray outside the clan grounds proved far more fruitful than anticipated. He returned to the Azure Dragon territory not merely with overflowing wagons of supplies, but with a burgeoning network of favors owed, whispers of his name echoing in the trade halls, and the tantalizing promise of a harem that extended beyond the sister he could not – or perhaps would not – resist.