Mortal Cultivator: Lin Tianzun

Chapter 58: Thousand Illusions of Invisibility

Lin Fan hurried back to Yellow Maple Valley, exhausted and dusty, his inner anxiety surging like a raging tide, uncontrollable. He didn't return directly to his cave abode. Instead, he tapped the ground with his foot, and spiritual energy surged through him like a nimble snake, instantly transforming into a dazzling stream of light as he streaked towards Yuelu Palace. In Yellow Maple Valley, Yuelu Palace was a dazzling pearl, captivating the hearts of many disciples, and Lin Fan was no exception. His main purpose for this visit was to copy the recipes for the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Calming Face Pill. If the palace happened to contain any intermediate-level spell manuals, Lin Fan would also spare no expense in making copies.

Not long after, Lin Fan landed steadily on a stone platform on the mountainside of Wujun Mountain. The platform, paved with smooth rock, stretched dozens of feet. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting Lin Fan's slightly excited, flushed face. At the end of the platform, a vast cave dwelling lay hidden within, concealed by a mysterious formation. This was the renowned "Yuelu Palace."

Yuelu Hall holds a revered and vital position within Huangfeng Valley. It houses not only the valley's treasure trove of magical instruments, elixir-refining formulas, and various secret manuals, but also a collection of numerous mystical and secret tomes. The hall houses a comprehensive selection of tools necessary for alchemy and refining, from exquisitely crafted furnaces and refining cauldrons to a dazzling array of commonly used raw materials. As such, Yuelu Hall maintains extremely tight security. Rumor has it that a master master of unfathomable Jindan stage status resides year-round, guarding the hall's treasures.

Lin Fan stood on a broad stone platform on the slopes of Wujun Mountain, his gaze fixed on Yuelu Hall, shrouded in a formation. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his excitement. Then he quickly pulled a sound transmission talisman from his storage bag. This sound transmission talisman was made of a special animal hide, its surface engraved with intricate and exquisite runes. The runes were slender and dynamic, shimmering as if alive, emitting a subtle glow.

Lin Fan gently tossed out the sound transmission talisman, and it instantly transformed into a brilliant flame, swathed in rich spiritual energy. Like a streaking meteor, it streaked towards the mysterious formation. The moment the flame touched the formation, it was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, stirring up layers of brilliant ripples. Circles of light spread across the formation's surface.

Not long after, the formation seemed to be slowly unwound by a pair of invisible hands, emitting a gentle humming sound. Then, two young men in the Foundation Establishment stage emerged steadily from the hall. The man in front wore a cyan robe, crafted from fine fabric and embroidered with delicate cloud patterns. The robe shimmered faintly in the sunlight. He had a fair complexion, regular features, and a gentle, refined demeanor. Though in his twenties, his eyes held the calm and vigilance characteristic of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The young man following behind him wore a dark robe, his sleeves fluttering gently in the breeze. He wore a simple jade pendant at his waist, adding to his austere demeanor. He also appeared to be in his twenties, with a thin face and eagle-like eyes. He studied Lin Fan intently, as if carefully assessing his intentions. Spiritual energy flowed faintly through both of them, subtly demonstrating the immense strength of those in the Foundation Establishment stage.

The young man in the green robe walking in front looked Lin Fan up and down, frowning slightly. He asked with a hint of doubt in his tone, "This junior brother looks unfamiliar to me. I wonder what brings you here?" Lin Fan looked calm and responded with a neither humble nor arrogant attitude, "I'm here to look up some magical books and some elixir recipes." The young man nodded slightly and said, "Okay, according to the rules, I have to verify your identity. Please show me your identity token."

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan reached into his bosom and, after some searching, pulled out a softly glowing, milky-white jade token. The token had a smooth texture, yet felt cool to the touch. The front was engraved with the ancient characters "Huang Feng Gu" in bold, powerful strokes. On the back was Lin Fan's unique serial number, each inscription imbued with a unique mark of spiritual power. With a flick of his wrist, the token flew steadily towards the young man in the green robe, like a nimble bird.

The young man in green robes reached up and grasped the jade token, catching it firmly. He exchanged a glance with the young man in black robes beside him, and they both quietly channeled their spiritual energy into it. Instantly, the jade token glowed brightly, its runes flickering and dancing, as if silently revealing Lin Fan's identity. After a careful inspection, the young man in green robes confirmed it was correct. He tossed the token back to Lin Fan, stepped aside, and said, "Your identity is correct. Junior brother, please enter. I hope you will abide by the rules of Yuelu Temple and refrain from transgressing the rules."

At the entrance of Yuelu Hall, after the two Foundation Establishment brothers checked Lin Fan's identity, the man in green robes raised his hand and pointed to the depths of the hall, saying, "Go straight along this corridor and you will see a small teleportation array. It will take you to the main hall where books and elixirs are stored." Lin Fan nodded in thanks and walked quickly along the dim and deep corridor. His footsteps echoed clearly in the quiet space.

Soon, he arrived in front of the teleportation array. It was crafted from exquisite jade, its intricate patterns shimmering with a faint blue light, emanating a mysterious and powerful aura. Lin Fan took a deep breath and calmly stood in the center of the array. Seeing this, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators quickly formed hand seals, muttering to themselves, and uttering obscure incantations. In an instant, the array shone brightly, and runes swirled around Lin Fan like nimble fish. The intense fluctuations of spiritual energy made his clothes rustle, as if he were caught in a gust of wind.

With a resounding "hum," the light suddenly faded, revealing Lin Fan in a spacious, brightly lit hall. Beneath his feet was the very same teleportation array he had just encountered. Looking around, the hall was immense. A softly glowing night-shining pearl hung high in the dome, illuminating the entire space as bright as day. On the walls hung yellowed ancient paintings, meticulously depicting the focused concentration of the Yellow Maple Valley's ancestors as they refined elixirs and weapons. It felt as if one could travel back in time and experience the spirit of their ancestors.

At the other end of the hall, three wide passages stretched out, each bearing a plaque reading "Fa," "Dan," and "Qi." Without hesitation, Lin Fan stepped into the passage marked "Dan."

This Dan-shaped passage wasn't long, only a dozen steps, and it was there in a flash. After turning a corner, a slightly more spacious house suddenly appeared at the end of the passage.

Inside the room, a long table sat across the center. The solid wood surface shone with an antique sheen. A scattered collection of books and worn brushes, inkstones, and inkstones lay upon it, as if bearing witness to the passage of time. An elderly man in a gray robe stood beside the table, his figure hunched over. He was now fast asleep, his gently rising and falling back and his steady snoring distinctly perceptible in the stillness of the room.

Lin Fan knew that the second floor was where the precious medicinal formulas and tomes were stored, but a magic circle was set up there, making it impossible to enter without permission. After a moment's thought, he bent slightly, reached out his hand, and gently tapped the table with his knuckles. "Knock, knock, knock," the gentle tapping echoed through the room, shattering the previously quiet stillness. The gray-robed old man, like a disturbed, weary bird, shuddered violently. He slowly raised his head and looked at Lin Fan blearily, his cloudy eyes filled with confusion.

Lin Fan bowed slightly, clasped his hands in greeting, and said respectfully, "Greetings, Senior Brother. I'm here looking for some elixir recipes and some intermediate spell books. I heard they're all stored on the second floor." The gray-robed old man stretched, yawned, and rubbed his sleepy eyes. His tone was flat, revealing a hint of laziness, as he casually pointed in the direction of the stairs, "The second floor does have what you're looking for. Go ahead. However, let me be frank. If you use the second floor, you'll receive one low-level spirit stone per hour. If you plan to copy the content above, you'll receive ten low-level spirit stones for each copy. Don't even think about trying to sneak in there; the magic array is very clever. If you make a mistake, you'll be in trouble. The fee will be settled later. Go!"

Lin Fan saluted again, replied "Yes", then turned and walked quickly towards the stairs.

Lin Fan ascended the stairs, each step tinged with anticipation and nervousness. The soles of his shoes clashed with the wooden steps, making a slight, muffled sound. He pushed open the slightly worn door to the second floor, revealing a small room. Inside, rows of bookshelves lined the walls like well-trained soldiers, filled with a wide variety of books. Some had pristine covers, reeking of freshly bound ink, while others were yellowed and worn, their edges curled, a testament to the wear and tear of time.

In the center of the room, a large table took up a good deal of space, its books piled haphazardly on top, like a shaky mountain. Lin Fan took a deep breath, calming his excitement. He quickly walked over to the bookshelf, examining each one with a sharp gaze.

He first stopped in front of a bookshelf filled with immortal cultivation techniques, carefully flipping through each volume. The more he read, the more his frown deepened. "'Immortal Golden Body' is merely a method for ordinary warriors to strengthen their physiques. It's completely useless for immortal cultivators." He casually put the book back in its place and picked up another one nearby. "'Blood Shadow Demonic Art' is a sinister and unorthodox martial art. Practicing it requires the harm of living beings and is tainted with countless karma. It's not advisable."

Lin Fan continued to search, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes. Most of the books he found were familiar to ordinary people, with few truly useful to cultivators. Finally, he picked up a copy of "Searching for Plum Blossoms in the Snow" and opened it with great anticipation, only to discover it contained only a set of light-weight body techniques. While ingenious in some ways, it was a far cry from the high-level spells and precious elixir recipes he desired.

Lin Fan was not discouraged. He gritted his teeth and continued to explore in this sea of ​​books, silently thinking to himself that he would be able to find those secret books in this vast pile of books that could change his path of cultivation.

Lin Fan had been searching for hours on the book-filled second floor. From his initial anticipation, he now felt a furrowed brow and a sense of disappointment. Every fruitless search was like a bucket of cold water poured down his spine. The mountains of books gradually became an annoying obstacle in his eyes.

"I've searched for so long, and I can't even find one that suits me. What a waste of effort!" Lin Fan muttered, feeling frustrated. But at least he had gained something. He had already pocketed the recipes for the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Beauty-Fixing Pill, and felt his journey had been worthwhile. So, he turned and prepared to leave, his steps heavy.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a yellowed piece of paper peeked out from under the desk in the corner. It seemed to have been tucked there haphazardly, serving as a footstool for the table leg. Lin Fan paused, and as if possessed, he turned back, squatted down, and reached out to pull the object out from under the table.

The heavy object in his hand was a pristine secret book. The cover was made of an unknown animal hide, and three ancient, powerful characters were engraved upon it: "Thousand Illusions of Invisibility." Lin Fan's heartbeat suddenly quickened, and his breathing became rapid. He carefully opened the book, only to find the text inside, written in special runes, emitting faint spiritual energy fluctuations. Between the lines, all were instructions for practicing a miraculous invisibility technique.

Lin Fan quickly skimmed through the "Thousand Illusions Invisibility Technique" and discovered that the content was indeed short, consisting of only a few thousand words. Considering that it wasn't advisable to stay here for long, and the secret manual was too valuable to be taken out, he made a quick decision and decided to rely on his photographic memory to memorize it and put it back where it belonged. For cultivators, whose memories far surpassed those of ordinary people, this wasn't a difficult task.

Lin Fan's gaze was intense, his eyes like lightning, rapidly scanning the manual. In just a dozen breaths, he had memorized the thousand-word manual. To ensure there were no errors, Lin Fan silently reviewed each word in his mind. Only after confirming everything was correct did he carefully return the manual to its original place under the desk in the corner.

Then, he walked downstairs with steady steps. Arriving in front of the gray-robed old man, Lin Fan said, "Brother, help me copy these two pill recipes."

The old man in gray raised his eyelids slightly, stretched out two fingers, and said slowly: "Twenty spirit stones, junior brother."

(End of this chapter)