I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Chen Lin's expression kept changing.

The message from the mysterious notification caught him completely off guard.

"who are you?"

He asked again.

But there was no response, and the sound stopped.

Chen Lin hesitated for a moment, then struck the two bamboo clappers together again, but the sound still didn't come out.

The bamboo planks were also perfectly normal.

He frowned deeply, unable to understand what was making this notification sound. Was the space of the Ascension Trial located within some treasure, and was the notification coming from the spirit of that treasure?

Or is it...?

Is it a surviving powerful member of the Linglong Sect, or... the Linglong Treasure Tree?
Also.

Is the notification sound audible to everyone who received the secret command, or only to the person with the "Mandarin Duck" (a specific character/group)?

One question after another,
Unfortunately, there was too little information to make any inferences, and he did not know anyone else who possessed the secret order, so he could not verify it.

Chen Lin stopped dwelling on it.

He put away the mandarin duck board, got up and went outside, and took out the communication jade talisman to contact Bai Lingyu.

It's still necessary to inform the other party about this matter and let them help make a decision. Moreover, he needs their help to obtain the resources he requires; keeping it a secret won't do any good.

Half a day later.

Bai Lingyu hurriedly returned to the courtyard, looking at Chen Lin with a puzzled expression.

"What's so urgent that you insist I come back to tell you?"

Chen Lin immediately said in a deep voice, "Reporting to the elder, I have received news that the Trial of Ascension to Heaven will begin in thirty-six years, which is why I am in a hurry to inform the elder."

Thirty-six years?

Bai Lingyu's expression changed slightly.

He stared intently at Chen Lin, "Where did you get this information, and how credible is it?"

"The reliability is very high, at least 80%, but the source cannot be disclosed."

Chen Lin carefully considered his answer.

The opening time can be revealed, but the Mandarin Duck Board is related to a secret order, and he cannot use it to test human nature. Moreover, the prompting voice has clearly told him to keep the Mandarin Duck Board safe and not to lose it, as this item must be of great use.

"Eighty percent?"

Bai Lingyu's expression turned serious.

She knew Chen Lin's personality well; he wasn't the type to exaggerate. If he said that, he must be absolutely certain.

"I see..."

She hesitated for a moment.

He spoke again, saying, "This information is extremely valuable, enough to support an auction and acquire countless treasures, but without revealing its specific source, it will be difficult to proceed."

Chen Lin was taken aback.

As expected of an elder of the Azure Peak Heavenly Palace, his thinking is different from ordinary people. Upon receiving the news, his first thought was not how to deal with it, but to hold an auction to sell it.

But upon closer reflection...

There is indeed room for maneuver in this matter.

He pondered for a moment.

He shook his head and said, "To be honest, Elder, this information came from a treasure, but the treasure disappeared after the information was displayed, so it cannot be demonstrated again, and I have no way to prove it."

"I see."

Bai Lingyu nodded slightly, seemingly believing what Chen Lin said.

He paused for a moment.

"Then let's do it this way. We'll still sell the information, but in the form of a bet, and we'll extend the timeframe. If the trial doesn't begin within sixty years, we'll return double the money we've received. That way, there should still be quite a few people willing to buy it."

Chen Lin's eyelids twitched.

"Elder, isn't this too risky? Although my information is reliable, I can't guarantee it's absolutely accurate. What if something goes wrong..."

If the name of Qingding Heavenly Palace were to be auctioned off, the profits would be terrifying, and if anything went wrong, the losses would be unbearable.

"hehe."

Bai Lingyu smiled faintly.

"That depends on how confident you are in the accuracy of this information. If you are, the two of us can take advantage of this opportunity and use the proceeds to prepare for the Ascension Trial."

"If even you don't have confidence, then there's no need to take it too seriously, and there's no need to hold the auction."

Chen Lin remained silent.

a long time.

He said solemnly, "I still have confidence. Let's do as the elder says. If the information is wrong, I'm willing to bear half of the compensation!"

A glint flashed in Bai Lingyu's eyes.

She made this suggestion mainly to test whether the news was reliable, and now it seems that its accuracy is probably more than 80%.

"it is good."

She nodded.

"I'll handle this. You just wait to collect the money. If there are any urgently needed resources, just give me a list. After the auction, we'll explore the secret realm to make full preparations for the trial!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Lin immediately took out a blank jade slip and entered the items he needed into it.

After handing it over to the other party.

He then seized the opportunity to ask, "Elder, do you know what this symbol represents?"

talking.

Chen Lin wrote down the symbols that appeared when his purple heart orifice was sealed on a piece of paper.

"Divine incantation."

Bai Lingyu glanced at it and uttered two words.

Then, looking intently at Chen Lin, he asked, "You tried to exorcise the soul a second time, but why didn't you feel any change in your soul? Didn't you suffer any backlash?"

Chen Lin's heart skipped a beat.

"Does the elder mean that failing to exorcise the soul will inevitably result in a backlash?"

What do you think?

Bai Lingyu's tone returned to calm.

"Soul release is about fighting against the will of heaven and earth. It would be abnormal if there were no backlash. You yourself are a soul releaser, so why are you asking me these questions?"

"However, one soul-slaying ritual is nothing; at most, you'll be struck by heavenly tribulation."

"But a second soul-extraction is an offense against the Heavenly Dao. The backlash is not as simple as an ordinary heavenly tribulation. Apart from the old dean of the Soul Inquiry Academy, almost no one has succeeded, and I have never heard of anyone surviving a failure."

"so."

Bai Lingyu glanced at Chen Lin.

"The second soul-deliverance technique is something that people fear, and no one dares to challenge it. You are really bold, but you do have some tricks up your sleeve."

Chen Lin did not speak.

He had already learned about this information, otherwise he wouldn't have hesitated to perform a second soul-searching. If he hadn't obtained the Hundred Saints Soul-Searching Technique, he wouldn't have planned to try it in the short term.

But now it seems that it was still reckless.

If the incantation is not recited and the soul is directly dispelled, it may very well lead to death.

"I heard you went to the Soul Academy's headquarters. Did you meet the old dean and receive his guidance?"

Bai Lingyu suddenly asked.

"I went to that garrison, but I didn't see the other party."

Chen Lin answered truthfully.

However, he did not reveal that he had obtained the secret to reciting the text.

Seeing that the other party did not press further, he immediately changed the subject, "What is the divine incantation? Elder, could you explain it in detail?"

"It is a kind of seal of the gods by the Heavenly Dao. All life forms that have evolved to a certain level are called gods, and this curse will appear to seal and suppress those who want to continue to evolve."

Bai Lingyu explained.

He then added, “The more symbols a divine incantation has, the stronger it is. Low-level divine incantations are nothing to worry about; some don’t even have any backlash. As long as you can break through them, you can advance in rank. But high-level divine incantations are extremely terrifying and are definitely not something that cultivators like you and me can resist. You must be careful when you encounter them.”

"Thank you for your explanation, Elder." Chen Lin said respectfully.

The other party's explanation weighed heavily on his mind. There were nearly ten symbols on the silver gate, indicating that the power of the divine incantation was extremely strong, which would increase the difficulty of exorcising the soul.

"I have one more request."

Chen Lin's expression was solemn.

"explain."

"I need some top-grade Soul-Searching Pearls and Sovereign-level spirit bodies. Please help me collect them, senior."

Bai Lingyu raised an eyebrow.

"You want to use the Hundred Sages Soul-Searching Technique?"

"Yes."

Chen Lin answered truthfully.

He wasn't surprised that the other party knew this technique.

This technique originated from the Soul Inquiry Academy. Since Yuan Zhimeng was able to share it, it means that it can be passed on to others, and naturally, the other party will also know about it.

"Then you'd better be careful."

Bai Lingyu said calmly, "Ever since this technique was created by the mysterious old dean of the Soul Inquiry Academy, apart from the user successfully performing the second soul-splitting ritual, all other users have failed."

"Many people suspect that this secret method may have some hidden secrets, and very few people use it anymore."

Chen Lin frowned.

He understood the hidden meaning in the other person's words.

They suspected that the old dean had ulterior motives and created this technique to harvest the souls of its users.

He was also a little unsure.

Before receiving the incantation, Chen Lin would never have believed this claim, because both the Soul Inquiry Pearl and the Sovereign-level spirit body were collected by him on his own, without any discernible pattern.

The magic array set up by living beings is only connected to themselves and has nothing to do with the rules of heaven and earth.

However, after experiencing the wonders of the recitation technique, his confidence vanished. The old dean's methods were beyond reason; he might even be able to harvest souls from afar.

"I understand, and I will definitely pay attention."

Despite his worries, Chen Lin decided to continue refining the Holy Spirit and also planned to continue trying to dispel the soul.

To reduce the dangers of the Ascension Trial, the only option is to take the risk now; there is no such thing as having it all.

In the past thirty-six years, there has been little else to do. This path is the best option. Once the second soul-unraveling is completed, the Soul Master's inheritance can also advance to the next level.

Their strength will definitely increase dramatically.

and also.

Chen Lin thought of the woman in the phoenix crown in the Linglong Sect's secret realm.

The other party had told him before that he should go to them after he had completed the inheritance of the Soul Master. He had always remembered this. The other party was suspected to be a surviving expert from the Linglong Kingdom, and must be familiar with the Trial of Ascension to Heaven.

If we can get help from the other party, then it won't just be about saving our lives.

Perhaps we can enter the so-called second stage.

"It's up to you to make the decision."

Seeing Chen Lin's expression, Bai Lingyu didn't try to persuade him any further. After giving him a few instructions, she got up and left.

Before long, news spread that the Azure Peak Heavenly Palace was going to hold an auction, which was related to a major change in the Ascension Trial. This news shocked all forces and made the Northern Cold City lively.

Chen Lin wasn't idle either.

He took the opportunity to amass resources in the city and, by leveraging his status as a retainer of the Qingding Heavenly Palace, subtly revealed some of the auction's 'secrets,' thus saving a considerable amount of money.

But it's still a drop in the ocean.

The shortfall in refining one hundred Holy Spirits was too great for him to manage on his own, so he could only hope that Bai Lingyu would help.

The auction went smoothly.

Bai Lingyu acted swiftly and skillfully, not just selling information, but also buying and selling, organizing a super-large trading event, collecting a lot of treasures, and even obtaining several ordinary rare items.

of course.

Chen Lin has no share of the proceeds from the normal auction; he can only receive a portion of the profits from selling the information.

But they also reaped considerable rewards.

All the top-grade Soul-Questioning Pearls have been collected, and there are even some extras. Although this item is also a treasure, it is not particularly rare because it has a wide range of uses and is artificially crafted. Now that North Cold City has gathered powerful figures from all the heavens and myriad realms, it is not too difficult to collect them as long as one is willing to spend the money.

But a sovereign-level spirit is different.

Although he only required that the spirit be at the level of a ruler, not a true ruler, such a top-level spirit is still extremely rare.

With the Ascension Trial imminent, no one was willing to sell such items. By the end of the trade fair, only about twenty had been collected, and most of them were obtained through Bai Lingyu's intervention.

He used almost all of his allocated auction share on this.

"If you can't gather them all, don't bother. Just use these for self-defense. It's better to collect more divine treasures."

Bai Lingyu sat upright in a high chair and spoke to Chen Lin.

Then he glanced at the people around him, and his tone became firm.

"This time we're going to a dangerous place in a secret realm. I've learned from various sources that there must be extraordinary treasures here, and more than one. If you can bring them out, I only want one, no matter how many, and the rest are yours!"

"We will obey the elder's orders!" everyone responded in unison.

Chen Lin echoed this sentiment.

Everyone present was a retainer of the Qingding Heavenly Palace, but there were no other elders present, and no one dared to voice any objections.

He was even less likely to do so.

Having taken so many benefits from them, if he were to go back on his word now, Bai Lingyu would probably kill him with a single blow.

"very good."

Bai Lingyu revealed a satisfied expression.

With a wave of his hand.

A dozen or so jade slips flew out and floated in front of each person.

"The jade slip contains a simplified map of that dangerous place. I didn't want to be in such a hurry, but there was no other way. The trial to ascend to heaven started earlier than the divination had predicted. We had to obtain the rare treasure in order to have a better chance of survival in the trial."

She glanced at everyone.

With another wave of his hand, several treasures of different shapes flew out and landed in the hands of the crowd.

One item per person.

In front of Chen Lin was a dagger, dark green in color, radiating a subtle aura.

His expression shifted.

He grabbed the dagger in his hand, sensed it briefly, and then poured his soul power into it.

The dagger suddenly gleamed and melted rapidly, transforming into countless dark green threads, much thinner than a human hair, which then disappeared into the void.

Chen Lin focused his mind, seemingly lost in thought.

"This is the Soul-Devouring Dagger, a Sovereign-level Soul Treasure. Its power is extremely strong; even a fourth-tier Sovereign would be restrained by its power."

Bai Lingyu's voice echoed.

Then he added, "Don't you have the Refining Treasure Technique? After refining it, you will naturally be able to use it."

"Thank you for the treasure, Elder!"

Chen Lin was secretly delighted upon hearing this and immediately sent his thanks via telepathy.

A treasure capable of harming a fourth-tier ruler, especially a soul treasure, is of immeasurable value and is priceless; it's simply unavailable and impossible to buy. He had long wanted to acquire one, but had never been able to.

"It wasn't given to you for free."

Bai Lingyu's voice rang out again.

"You must help me obtain a rare treasure, otherwise you'll have to return it to me when you come back."

Chen Lin's expression froze.

As expected, benefits are not so easy to obtain; one has to work hard to earn them.

Bai Lingyu ignored Chen Lin and used telepathy to explain the treasure to the others, who all showed surprise and delight.

"All right."

"Time is of the essence. There are so many people eager to explore the secret realm right now. If we wait any longer, there will probably be long queues at the entrance. Let's hurry and get there." (End of Chapter)