I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Chen Lin believed that in any cultivation system, the higher the cultivation level, the greater the difficulty of advancement.

It's not just about spiritual practice.

In all industries, the higher you climb, the harder it becomes. This theory holds true in any field, whether in the past or present life.

However, his experiences in recent years have shattered Chen Lin's perception.

Whether it was the embroidered shoe owner who made him instantly condense into a nine-aperture exquisite heart, or the divine light jade liquor that quickly condensed into a purple heart sword, it was completely illogical.

The same goes for Ganlinlu now.

He refined it almost instantly, and the rest of the time was spent getting used to the changes.

It's unbelievable that such a high-grade spiritual liquid could be absorbed so quickly. When he was in the Foundation Establishment stage, it would take him years to refine high-grade pills.

As a sovereign-level powerhouse, it is common for cultivation to go on for ten thousand years without any progress. A single supernatural power or technique often requires tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years to develop, let alone energy that surpasses the sovereign level.

of course.

While it's not impossible to quickly refine high-level treasures, these often come with extremely serious side effects.

They belong to evil and heretical sects.

His several improvements were all close to perfection.

Something's not right.

Something's definitely not right.

Chen Lin held the badge in his hand and twirled and rubbed it.

This situation gave him the feeling of being in the Nightmare Realm, where everything was governed by rules. As long as one conformed to the rules, one could instantly transform from a mortal into a ruler.

But reality shouldn't be like this; it violates the most basic rules governing the operation of all things.

Who is controlling this?

My strength has improved by leaps and bounds recently. Who is pushing this forward, and what is their purpose?
After pondering for a long time, Chen Lin looked solemn but had no clue what to do.

We can only deduce one thing.

Such a change must be related to the Heavenly Trial.

"never mind."

Chen Lin shook his head, not wanting to think about it anymore.

Over the years, he has never given up searching for the truth behind the scenes, but the more information he obtains, the more blurred things become. He still follows the previous plan: remain still to control all movements and improve his strength as much as possible.

a few days later.

With the power boosted by the nectar completely stabilized, Chen Lin tried to activate the badge again.

He immediately perked up.

After the Purple Heart Sword's energy is enhanced, the changes occur more quickly when it is activated; the lines can change direction in the blink of an eye.

Besides.

His connection with the badge also increased, even making the object faintly show some physical outline.

However, it cannot fully reveal the physical form as it did before.

Chen Lin pondered intently.

He felt that the reason this object could appear so suddenly last time was probably because the eldest prince attacked him with a strange treasure. It encountered the same type of energy, which is why it reacted so violently.

That's alright.

It doesn't matter if you can't see it; as long as you can touch it and activate it, it can be used normally.

What needs to be clarified now is the specific power of this item, and whether it is only effective against other rare treasures, or can it also be used as a normal treasure against enemies.

After a moment's thought.

Chen Lin got up and left the courtyard. He went to the market and bought several small exotic beasts, which he brought back to the training room for testing.

The strange beasts are all very fierce.

He first infused the badge with the energy of the Purple Heart Sword and controlled the force, then released the seal on one of the Void Realm level beasts.

The little beast let out a strange cry and shot a red beam at Chen Lin.

Chen Lin poured his last bit of energy into the badge, and the badge immediately changed. The red light seemed to be drawn in by an invisible force, and all of it entered the badge.

next moment.

The beast let out a miserable cry, and its body instantly burst into flames. It struggled for a while before the flames finally disappeared.

When they looked at the strange beast again, it was on the verge of death.

Chen Lin seemed to be deep in thought.

A second test was immediately conducted.

This time, a true-realm beast was used, and it was a void-type beast whose intelligence had not yet been fully developed.

The seal has been broken.

A ghostly light emanated from between the beast's brows, and a beam of light composed entirely of runes shot towards Chen Lin, carrying a dense, chilling aura.

However, Chen Lin ignored it.

He simply raised his arm, revealing the badge, and let the beam of light shine on him.

The badge is not responding.

The beam of light penetrated his body, causing his soul to vibrate. Chen Lin gently rotated his soul seed, and the vibration disappeared instantly.

Next.

He used up all the remaining beasts and gained a certain understanding of the badge's function.

The ability is quite obvious: it absorbs the attacker's energy and then retaliates, somewhat like using the attacker's own methods against them.

However, there are some differences.

The counterattack of this thing does not need to be manifested, but rather acts directly on the attacker.

The backlash is as severe as the attack itself, with no way to avoid it.

In other words, the enemy wasn't attacking him, but rather the enemy himself.

Chen Lin's eyes flickered.

Such an ability is simply unbelievable. No wonder so many powerful individuals are so enthusiastic about the Nameless Secret Realm. It truly is something that can change one's destiny.

The only drawback.

This item needs to be used actively, rather than being passively activated; otherwise, even when facing a powerful ruler, he would remain undefeated.

of course.

There is no invincible method.

There may be other extraordinary treasures that can break this ability, so even if it is passively activated, we must not lose our vigilance.

Calm your mind.

Chen Lin continued his research on how the badges were activated.

What he needs to do now is to shorten the activation time of this substance as much as possible. Only by activating it instantly can it exert its true effect.

Otherwise, even if the time is extended by just one breath, the value will be greatly reduced.

It's not impossible for a mid-level or higher ruler to kill him in one blow. The previous prince almost killed him before he even left the city. The reason he was able to hold out until he could use the badge was entirely due to the resilience of his Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart.

Most of the day later.

After numerous trials and errors, Chen Lin finally found the trick.

But I couldn't feel happy.

He discovered.

The reason for the delay in activating the badge is not due to the treasure itself, but rather because his Purple Heart Sword's energy level is insufficient. To achieve instant activation, he would need to overdraw the essence of his Nine Aperture Exquisite Heart.

But this essence blood is the source of all his current energy, and the cost of overdrawing it is too great.

"As expected, every gain comes at a price."

Chen Lin shook his head.

In any case, this is a treasure that can contend with a powerful ruler, turn the tide at crucial moments, and may even have effects that he has not yet researched.

He drank the Panicillin Essence and recovered for a while.

He fastened the badge to the specially made bracelet on his wrist, and without wasting any more time, connected to the Heavenly Palace Treasury at the Azure Peak to purchase materials and continue refining the Holy Spirit.

Since the decision has been made to proceed as planned, the second attempt at soul extraction must be made.

It's a pity I didn't get to meet the old dean of the Soul Inquiry Academy, otherwise I could have learned something about the secondary soul exorcism and had some idea of ​​what to expect. Now I can only figure it out on my own.

suddenly.

Chen Lin's heart skipped a beat.

That visit wasn't entirely fruitless; I also obtained a magical technique. Thinking of this,

He took out paper and pen, wrote down the incantation from memory, and studied it word by word.

But no matter how you look at it, it's just a vague and unsound thing, lacking any systematic structure, and you can't really cultivate anything from it.

Having inherited the theories of the Shadow Scholar, his understanding of various techniques had long since reached its pinnacle. Moreover, the things of the Soul Inquiry Academy were definitely related to the soul, which was his forte.

"Am I overthinking it?"

Chen Lin muttered to himself.

I thought about it.

He picked up the paper with the incantation written on it and, imitating the voices reciting it at the Soul Inquiry Academy's residence, began to read it aloud.

He was immediately shocked to find that he could not finish reciting the incantation. He could only read two paragraphs before it was as if some force had choked him, and he could not make a sound.

Even the first two paragraphs were read haltingly and incoherently.

There's no need to study it now; this set of techniques must hold a profound secret.

Chen Lin tried twice more, but the result was the same as before; he could only read two paragraphs.

His eyes flashed.

Using the secret techniques of the Chinese zodiac, read it aloud again.

He used the incessant chatter of the Snake zodiac animal, a secret technique that allows one to make sounds continuously and unstoppable, which was perfect for this situation.

really.

With the help of the secret technique, the reading was no longer 'obstructed' and the entire text was read smoothly.

As the last word was read aloud, Chen Lin felt a tremor run through his body, and his soul instantly 'swelled,' as if he had broken free of some kind of shackles, and an indescribable sense of power welled up within him.

He was immediately captivated by the feeling.

The soul swelled and grew larger and larger, and in an instant it pierced through the sky, giving rise to a sense of exhilaration that broke through heaven and earth.

But at that moment...

A soft light fell on me, warm and comfortable.

Before Chen Lin could even process it, his soul dissipated like melting snow. His expression changed, and he immediately used a secret technique to block it, but no matter what method he used, it was to no avail. He could only watch helplessly as his soul faded away little by little.

Finally, he lost consciousness.

I don't know how much time passed.

Chen Lin's consciousness slowly returned, and he immediately opened his eyes, finding himself still in the cultivation room, with nothing around him changed.

There were no abnormalities in his body.

He took out his precious timekeeping device, glanced at it, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Just a few breaths have passed.

In other words, he was not actually attacked; the strange phenomenon in his soul was just an illusion.

Chen Lin then looked at the incantation on the paper.

After touching his chin and thinking for a while, he roughly understood some of it.

The soul change he just experienced was actually the process of the second soul liberation, or the situation that would occur after the second soul liberation. Although the old dean of the Soul Inquiry Academy did not see him, he gave him a reminder in this way.

But what is that soft white light?
Is it a calamity, or is there some powerful being that does not allow any cultivator in this cultivation world to have a second soul-splitting ability? How did the old dean succeed?
One question after another arose.

Without much thought, Chen Lin immediately packed his things, left his residence, and headed back to the Soul Inquiry Academy's headquarters.

But they came up empty-handed.

"The Soul Inquiry Academy has left. This place now belongs to the Wang family. If you want to find people from the Soul Inquiry Academy, you'll probably have to go to the Star Ruins."

The guard at the door said respectfully.

Chen Lin frowned, but said nothing. He turned and went back to his residence to continue experimenting with reciting the incantation.

Several more months have passed.

Chen Lin figured out the specific function of the magic formula.

This thing is a kind of 'simulation'.

The simulation process can test whether you meet the requirements for a second soul release!
and so.

That white light might not be a calamity, nor necessarily a suppression by a powerful being. Rather, it should be a certain obstacle in the Soul-Slaying process, which he is currently unable to overcome.

Whether it's the final level or just one of many, we'll only know after we've cleared this level.

I learned about this.

Chen Lin was even more certain that it was not a coincidence that he was able to obtain this technique, nor could it be that he had overheard it. Under the watchful eye of a powerful figure like the old dean of the Soul Inquiry Academy, all his petty tricks would be useless.

But why did the other person help him?
I was just thinking about it.

The voice of Bai Lingyu's maid rang out from outside.

"Lord Chen, a woman surnamed Wang is looking for you. She says she has a message for you."

Chen Lin looked puzzled.

"Bring it in."

His courtyard and Bai Lingyu's residence are separate, they don't share the same gate, so he won't disturb the other.

soon.

A woman with extraordinary bearing walked in, her aura subtle yet her cultivation having reached the level of a quasi-ruler.

“Wang Manqing of the Wang family of Yuling City in the Eastern Spirit Realm greets senior.”

The woman gave a slight bow.

Upon hearing the other party introduce themselves, Chen Lin's doubts deepened. The Eastern Spirit Realm was a large realm within the Northern Cold Realm, which he had never been to and had never had any contact with the other party's family.

suddenly.

His expression shifted.

He tentatively asked, "Could it be that the Wang family bought the territory of the Soul Inquiry Academy?"

Wang Manqing smiled.

"It wasn't a purchase. That place originally belonged to my Wang family; it was just borrowed by the Soul Inquiry Academy."

"I see."

Chen Lin nodded.

He gestured for them to come inside and said, "Fellow Daoist Wang, please come inside and talk."

The fact that the Soul Inquiry Academy can borrow the family's residence suggests there must be some connection, which is a good opportunity to learn more about the situation.

After entering the guest hall and taking their seats, Chen Lin had a maid serve spirit tea and asked, "I heard from the maid that you have a message to convey, is it from the Soul Academy?"

"Exactly."

Wang Manqing nodded gently.

"It was the former dean who asked me to pass this on to Senior Chen. He said you owe him a favor, and when he needs it, you should ask him to study it."

Chen Lin's lips twitched.

Should we conduct a study?
What a bizarre condition! And the other party doesn't even explicitly say they'll help; he has to figure it out himself. If he hadn't thought of that, he probably would have missed out.

wrong!

Chen Lin's eyes flashed as he looked at the other party and asked, "Since there was a message, why didn't Fellow Daoist Wang mention it when I went there before?"

Wang Manqing raised her eyebrows slightly.

He calmly replied, "I just received this message myself. When Senior Chen visited me earlier, the old dean was still there. He didn't want to see you."

Why don't you want to see me?

Chen Lin immediately pressed for more information.

"hehe."

Wang Manqing chuckled softly.

"He said that if he saw you, he would definitely want to study you immediately, and he was afraid of ruining you, such a fine test subject, so he left here."

Chen Lin was speechless.

He understood what the old dean meant.

The time when he is needed is probably after he has successfully completed the second soul-splitting process, when the other party is likely preparing for the third soul-splitting process!
As the rumors suggested, the other party was indeed a research fanatic, but he showed no interest in being studied.

I just thought of this.

Wang Manqing then spoke again.

"The old dean also said that his research on you is actually beneficial to you, so you don't need to worry. The process is very comfortable, and everyone who has used his techniques says they are excellent..." (End of this chapter)