I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Bai Lingyu waved her hand, and a beam of white light fell on the badge.

The light was perfectly pure, without any impurities or even energy fluctuations.

But as soon as this light appeared, Chen Lin felt his heart tighten and beat unusually heavily, and the Purple Heart Sword emitted bursts of sword sounds that only he could hear.

This secretly alarmed him.

The opponent's cultivation level was probably higher than he had imagined. Even if it was not as high as Bai Yujing's, it was definitely not an ordinary mid-level ruler.

a long time.

Bai Lingyu dispersed its light.

He frowned.

It opened its mouth and exhaled a wisp of air that appeared to be transparent, which floated gently down onto the badge.

But it's still the same.

It did not change the badge.

"It seems that you have already refined this thing to a preliminary degree. It should be because you have condensed the Nine Aperture Exquisite Heart. However, the Nine Aperture Exquisite Heart is a characteristic of the royal family of the Linglong Kingdom. Now that you have obtained this inheritance, you will probably have to inherit the karma of the Linglong Kingdom. It is hard to say whether it will be a blessing or a curse."

Speaking of this...

Chen Lin immediately took out the Emperor's Pill and recounted his experience in the capital of Yuguang Kingdom.

Then he asked, "From your perspective, is it dangerous for me to use the Jade Illumination Pill? Could I be possessed?"

"Possession is unlikely."

Bai Lingyu picked up the Emperor-Making Pill and said while observing it, "The Linglong Divine Kingdom is a powerful overlord. All those with royal blood are high-ranking gods, and the king is the strongest main god."

"To put it bluntly..."

"Don't even mention the King of Linglong, even the weakest prince wouldn't want your body."

Chen Lin grinned.

The other party was truly ruthless, hitting his sore spot directly, but it also made him feel relieved.

Regardless of physical condition, as long as you don't possess someone else's body, it's fine.

"but."

Bai Lingyu changed the subject.

"Since you were able to condense the Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart, it is highly likely that you are related to the Linglong Kingdom, or that the remaining powerful figures of the Linglong Kingdom have taken a liking to you and want to cultivate you into a new king candidate so that the Linglong Kingdom can regain its glory."

"That's unlikely, isn't it?"

Chen Lin immediately denied it.

A nation is not a sect; succession is based on bloodline. Passing the throne to an outsider is tantamount to destroying one's own nation.

He pondered for a moment and analyzed, "I am a soul smuggler with an unknown origin, and my cultivation is so weak that I would not be so valued. Could my ability to condense the Nine Aperture Exquisite Heart be related to my identity as the Punisher?"

"Unlikely."

Bai Lingyu shook her head slightly.

"Of course, we can't completely rule it out. It might be a form of assistance, designed to enhance your strength so you can undertake more challenging tasks in the Ascension Trial. In that case, you need to be even more careful."

"You can..."

Bai Lingyu seemed to want to ask something, but hesitated for a moment and didn't ask.

"never mind."

She returned the badge to Chen Lin.

"I can't see through the karma surrounding you, and I don't want to know too much. Just remember one thing: if you don't want to become someone else's pawn, you have to become strong enough."

"Thank you for the reminder, senior."

Chen Lin put the badge away and thanked him.

then.

The two then discussed some things about the secret realm.

"All right."

Bai Lingyu ended the conversation.

"Is there anything else? If not, go back to Xiangyang City. The wandering nodes there appear quite frequently, and there might be someone who can bring out rare items. If you find one, buy it at any cost. If you need funds, contact me anytime."

"Yes."

Chen Lingong responded respectfully.

The fact that the other party said this means that any items received in the future will belong to the Qingding Heavenly Palace, or you could say they belong to the other party, and he is just an agent.

"I won't let you work for nothing."

Bai Lingyu saw through Chen Lin's thoughts.

With a wave of his hand, he took Chen Lin's Azure Profound Token, then took out his own token, stuck the two tokens together, and returned them to Chen Lin.

"I'll give you 30,000 contribution points as compensation for your stationing in Xiangyang City. The badge you have will also be yours. If you have any other requests, you can make them."

Chen Lin's eyes lit up.

The 30,000 contribution points came at just the right time, allowing me to purchase a Sovereign-level spiritual item from the treasure vault, significantly reducing the preparation time for the second Soul Refining.

All the auxiliary materials for making talismans can be purchased at once.

"Thank you, Elder."

Chen Lin thanked him again respectfully.

I thought about it.

He stated Princess Yudie's request and asked, "Elder, do you think I should accept her invitation?"

"No need."

Bai Lingyu rejected it without hesitation.

He said in a deep voice, "That Song Yudie is not as simple as she appears. None of the people from those three great divine kingdoms are easy to deal with. Don't get too involved with them."

“If you want to explore the secret realm, I have a map here, and you don’t need to follow them.”

Bai Lingyu looked at Chen Lin.

"Actually, I don't want you to go to the secret realm and risk your life, but the fact that you were able to obtain the treasure so easily means that you have a connection with the secret realm. If you want to go in, I won't stop you."

"However, if you leave Xiangyang City, you must make proper arrangements there so as not to delay my collection of rare items."

"Otherwise, punishment is inevitable."

"Yes!"

Chen Lin's expression turned solemn, and he responded respectfully.

He hadn't originally planned to agree to Song Yudie's request and bring up the matter, mainly because he was afraid she would misunderstand. Now, it seemed that she indeed didn't have a good impression of Song Yudie.

Not just Song Yudie.

The other party didn't seem very friendly towards the people from those three divine kingdoms, probably because of the matter between Bai Yujing and Yuan Wumeng, and it was right for them to bring this matter up.

"I'm still missing a few materials. Do you have any, Elder?"

With no other topics to discuss, Chen Lin proposed a deal.

The materials he needed were very rare, and some were not even available in the Heavenly Palace Treasury, so he had no choice but to shamelessly ask.

"what?"

Bai Lingyu was neither displeased nor particularly enthusiastic.

Chen Lin immediately made a list and handed it to the other party.

"These materials are not easy to find."

After glancing at them, Bai Lingyu took out several items from her storage treasure and pushed them in front of Chen Lin.

"I only have these few items, and they are quite valuable. However, I don't need you to exchange them for something of equal value right now. I can give them to you first. If you can collect rare items, consider it a reward for you."

"Understood, thank you, Elder."

Chen Lin didn't stand on ceremony, packed up all the things, and then got up to say goodbye.

Too many lice won't bite anymore. I already owe the other party enough, so these few materials won't make a difference. If I really can't complete the other party's task, then we'll talk about it. Improving my own strength is the priority.

Having finally come all this way, Chen Lin didn't rush back to Xiangyang City, but instead went to the city's market.

But I didn't explore much.

Various forces gather here, with Four Seasons Manor, Heavenly God Palace, and Five Elders City all having their own bases. If you encounter someone who has a grudge against you, trouble is inevitable.

It quickly went around in a circle.

He didn't collect much stuff, but he did manage to find out about a few acquaintances. After a slight hesitation, Chen Lin visited them one by one.

"Hahaha."

"Fellow Daoist Chen, it's been many years since we last met, your strength has improved by leaps and bounds!"

Dugu Batian saw Chen Lin and let out a hearty laugh.

"Senior Dugu has become even more imposing," Chen Lin replied with a smile.

He hadn't expected the other party to come here as well, which showed just how famous this nameless secret realm was. It was probably known throughout the entire Star Ruins and other realms, and the number of powerful figures there would only increase.

"No need to call me senior."

Dugu Batian waved his hand.

"I've heard that you've gained the approval of the torture instruments and already possess the methods of the Great Punishment Lord. Furthermore, you've condensed the Nine Aperture Exquisite Heart, so your strength is probably even greater than mine. You and I can simply address each other as brothers."

"How dare I compare myself to my elder brother?"

Chen Lin took the opportunity to change how he addressed him.

He secretly thought to himself that the other party knew him so well, it seemed they had paid a lot of attention to him, and he had unknowingly become a celebrity.

"Brother Dugu, how long have you been here?"

They started chatting about something casually.

Before we knew it, half an hour had passed.

Chen Lin learned from the other party that things had been relatively peaceful over the years at the Shattered Star Ring, and Su Wanyi had done a good job developing the Wang family. As for her son, Li Wuxiang, he had been staying at the Fallen Leaf Sect and had not caused any trouble.

This made him wonder if he was being overly sensitive.

In fact, Li Fuyao had no ulterior motives; she simply wanted to place her son there so that he could have a safe environment for cultivation.

"Brother Chen, do you have any plans to enter the secret realm?"

After finishing their conversation about trivial matters, Dugu Batian asked Chen Lin a probing question.

"There are no plans to do that at the moment."

Chen Lin did not hide anything.

"I am now an honorific in the Azure Peak Heavenly Palace, and I must obey Elder Bai Lingyu's orders. I have no freedom."

"That's such a pity."

Dugu Batian sighed.

“I obtained a map of a secret realm before, where there may be rare treasures, and there are also many ordinary oddities. I have been looking for suitable companions to explore it. If you are willing to join, the chances of success will be even greater.”

Chen Lin's lips twitched.

The other party's words are too unreliable. Things in the secret realm are only treasures if they can be taken out; they are nothing before they are brought out.

He shook his head inwardly.

Chen Lin cupped his hands and said, "The secret realm is too dangerous. If Brother Dugu wants to explore it, you must make full preparations. It's not a place where you can run rampant just because you have high cultivation. Don't let yourself be caught off guard."

Dugu Batian's expression froze.

He chuckled dryly, "Hehe, Brother Chen is right. I've learned my lesson from the last time with the Life Interface, which is why I haven't dared to act. It's just that I think you're steady and intelligent, Brother Chen, so I wanted to act together."

"I am truly not in control of my own destiny."

Chen Lin made a helpless expression.

Without further delay, I took my leave.

then.

He then visited Chunjiu.

He originally didn't want to see her or have anything to do with the Celestial Palace, but he was concerned about Goddess Grey's situation, so he decided to visit her anyway.

But then I received bad news.

Chunjiu was unable to restore the goddess on her own, so she handed her over to the sect and returned her to that evil god.

Whether she can be resurrected, and whether she will still be the same Grey after being resurrected, no one knows.

Chen Lin was somewhat disappointed.

Grey knows a lot about the gods and is willing to risk her life in critical moments, making her a good partner. He would be very willing to explore the secret realm with her.

"Now that you have mastered divinity, you are considered an ordinary deity. Are you interested in joining the Heavenly Palace? We have quite a few methods for cultivating deities here, which will definitely be useful to you."

Spring wine extended an invitation.

This greatly appealed to Chen Lin.

Aside from the Purple Heart Sword, his current application of divinity is quite rudimentary, completely lacking any systematic approach, thus wasting such a high-level energy.

But after a moment's consideration, he decisively gave up.

"I'd rather not. I've had my share of clashes with people from your Heavenly Palace in the past. If I join, I'll have to be wary of retaliation. It's better to stay in the Azure Peak Heavenly Palace as a worshipper."

"of course."

"If Elder Chunjiu needs anything, I will do my best to help."

I left Chunjiu's residence.

Following the location he had discovered, Chen Lin arrived at the Soul Inquiry Academy's headquarters.

"My name is Chen Lin. I wish to see the Dean. Is that possible?"

The Soul Inquiry Academy's headquarters were very large, and there were guards at the entrance. Chen Lin bowed respectfully.

"Come in."

The gatekeeper was a young man dressed in unusual clothes. After Chen Lin introduced himself, he immediately opened the gate and respectfully invited Chen Lin into the courtyard.

Chen Lin was taken aback.

In fact, he didn't know whether the old dean was there or not, nor did Bai Lingyu and Chunjiu. He came just to ask and to experience the renowned Soul Inquiry Academy and see how it differed from other forces.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know me?"

With doubts in his mind, Chen Lin asked directly.

“I don’t know you, but the dean instructed that if someone named Chen Lin comes looking for him, he should be taken directly there.”

The young man answered with a smile.

Chen Lin nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions.

The Soul Inquiry Academy is a top-tier powerhouse in the Star Ruins, one that even the Heavenly God Palace dares not provoke. No one knows what level of cultivation they have reached, so it is not surprising that they could know in advance that he was coming.

Follow the youth on their journey.

As he walked along a forest path, he heard the sound of people reading aloud. There were men and women, young and old, and their voices were all different, but they seemed to contain a certain rhythm and sounded uniform.

Chen Lin became interested.

He strained his ears to listen carefully, but to his astonishment, he found that the harder he tried, the less he could hear. Instead, his soul trembled, his very essence began to boil, and his whole being became uncertain and volatile.

This startled him.

They hurriedly used their zodiac supernatural powers to block out the sound.

The sounds in his ears vanished instantly, and the strange sensation in his soul returned to normal.

I walked a few more steps.

Chen Lin's eyes flashed as he activated the 'eavesdropping' ability of the Rat zodiac sign, listening to the sound of reading aloud once more. This reading was done without anyone being around, so his listening to it couldn't be considered a violation of the rules.

And he was genuinely curious.

The mere sound of reading aloud nearly caused his soul, as the inheritor of the Soul Master, to collapse. What level of cultivation must the reader possess, and what mysteries lie in the content being read?

The Zodiac Supernatural Power worked as well as ever; after the eavesdropping was activated, the sound of reading immediately became clear.

But after listening for a while, Chen Lin couldn't figure out anything profound. It was just a seemingly plausible incantation that was repeated over and over, and he didn't find it particularly mysterious.

They had already walked out of the tree-lined path when the reading aloud abruptly stopped, as if cut off by some force.

So Chen Lin composed himself and followed the young man quickly.

The courtyard has a spatial effect; it looks much larger inside than from the outside. It took a full incense stick's time to walk before we arrived at a simple house.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, please wait a moment while I go and report."

The young man gave some instructions and then went inside the house.

We'll be back soon.

He gave Chen Lin a strange bow and said, "I'm sorry, the dean said he's tired and doesn't want to see you anymore. He wants you to leave first and we can talk when he wants to see you again."

Chen Lin's lips twitched violently.

Is this some kind of joke?
He invited him in when he didn't want to see him, and then kicked him out after he came in. Even a low-level cultivator would be furious, let alone a sovereign-level expert like him.

But Chen Lin found that he wasn't that angry.

It wasn't that the other party had a high level of cultivation, but rather it was due to the old dean's personality. Everyone had told him that this person had an eccentric personality, so eccentric that it was incomprehensible.

Even if you were to detain him and dissect him, it would still be within the 'normal' range, let alone go back on your word.

I felt relieved.

Chen Lin nodded, said nothing, and turned to walk back.

This time, there was no more sound of reading; the forest path was very quiet, and the young man remained silent, seeing Chen Lin all the way to the door before slamming the gate shut behind him. (End of Chapter)