A Portable Uncle?

In the empty, silent forest, there was no clamor at all save for the occasional rustle of wind through leaves.

Yet just as Lin Yan was feeling pleasantly surprised over breaking through to the Earth Origin Realm, that sudden unfamiliar voice made his expression change.

This was Qingyang Town's Hunting Tournament. No matter how one looked at it, there were still more than a dozen experts at the Heavenly Origin Realm standing guard outside. How could an outsider have gotten in?

Lin Yan's face turned solemn. He spun around abruptly, his hawk-sharp gaze sweeping over the area behind him, yet he did not discover so much as half a human shadow...

At that moment, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest. It was precisely the spot where the young man had always kept the Mysterious Jade Pearl.

Thinking of the Mysterious Jade Pearl he carried with him, Lin Yan's expression suddenly stirred. Could it be...

"Heh heh, you finally noticed. Whether you had an eye for treasure or were blessed with great luck, you actually picked up the 'Refining Demon Pearl,' ranked thirteenth on the Ancient Divine Object Ranking. It seems the two of us do have some fate between us."

Just as Lin Yan took out the Mysterious Jade Pearl and examined it closely, those words suddenly emerged from within it again.

Hearing this, Lin Yan was instantly startled. As someone familiar with the original work, he naturally knew about the Ancient Divine Object Ranking, and many of the divine objects on it had been personally created by the Symbol Ancestor.

One had to know that the Ancestral Stone on Lin Dong was the second-ranked existence on the divine object ranking. Even the Darkness Saint Scythe that the little girl Qingtan would obtain in the future was ranked fifth among them, one of the nine great divine objects.

But Lin Yan had never imagined that a pearl he had randomly found in the Scorpion Tiger King's cave, one he had long since given up on, was actually also an ancient divine object.

Although it was only ranked thirteenth, one had to understand that this was a divine object. Which one of them did not possess tremendous power?

"Oh? Judging from your appearance, you seem to know quite a bit about these ancient divine objects. It looks like you're not simple, little fellow."

At this moment, that voice sounded again, though this time there was a little more surprise in it.

Hearing this, Lin Yan also knew that the most crucial matter right now was still the mysterious figure inside the pearl, so he hurriedly restrained his emotions and said respectfully, "Senior, you jest. This junior merely felt that the name of this divine object sounded grand and magnificent, so its power must be extraordinary. That was why I was a little surprised. As for anything else, I really do not know much.

"Only, may I ask who Senior is? And why are you inside this pearl?"

Hearing Lin Yan's words, the figure inside the pearl fell silent for a moment, then said, "No matter what, your temperament is indeed rather unusual, kid. Speaking like this is inconvenient. Let us meet and talk."

As soon as the words fell, before Lin Yan could understand what the other party meant, he felt a burst of mental disorientation. A wave of dizziness suddenly surged out from the depths of his mind. Immediately after, he discovered in terror that he had actually appeared inside a pitch-black space.

There was no light here at all. It was silent, and ice-cold.

The sudden change instantly startled Lin Yan, but he quickly forced himself to calm down, and he also realized where he had arrived.

"Haha, you really are a kid with an unusual mind. This is your first time entering the inner space of the pearl, yet you are actually this calm."

Hearing this, although Lin Yan was only forcing himself to remain composed, he still silently let out a breath of relief. As expected, this was the inner space of the pearl. He then turned his gaze toward the pitch-black place where the voice had come from.

Under Lin Yan's gaze, a faint sound suddenly rang out in the silent, pitch-black space. Immediately, a ball of light and shadow suddenly appeared before him. Looking carefully at that light and shadow, it was actually an extremely handsome middle-aged uncle. He was over eight feet tall, his face like fine jade, draped in a crane-feather cloak, carrying an ethereal bearing like that of an immortal. Only, the glow flowing from his entire body was clearly somewhat insubstantial and transparent.

Noticing Lin Yan's puzzled expression, that uncle said indifferently, "No need to look. Right now, I am merely a soul body."

As expected. Although Lin Yan had already anticipated this, his heart could not help relaxing a little at this moment. It was hard to say whether the newcomer was friend or foe. If he wanted to harm him, then a soul body would undoubtedly be much easier to deal with. Even so, Lin Yan still did not completely let down his guard.

Noticing the wariness deep in Lin Yan's eyes, the middle-aged uncle smiled faintly and said, "What a cautious kid. But rest assured. Although your strength would have been nothing worth mentioning to me at my peak, in my current soul state, I can't do anything to you either.

"Moreover..."

At this point, the middle-aged uncle, who had originally looked indifferent, could not help turning grave. "Moreover, that flame inside your body, as well as that incomparably scorching space deep within your soul, even make me deeply wary.

"Even at my peak, I rarely saw such a terrifying and violent flame. You, kid, are the first youth even I cannot fully understand."

Hearing this, Lin Yan did not feel happy because of the praise. Instead, his expression tightened. He had not expected the space containing the twenty-one Different Fire Seeds hidden deep within his soul, as well as the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire, to be discovered by this man. This person's strength was definitely not simple. It was even very likely above the Nirvana Realm!

Fortunately, the other party did not know about the Different Fire Seeds. They were an important foundation for his future rise, and Lin Yan absolutely would not allow any mishap in that regard.

However, seeing that the middle-aged man before him did not seem to bear much malice, Lin Yan slowly relaxed his guard. At the same time, a thought suddenly arose in his heart. Perhaps this was his opportunity!

"Senior, although I do not know why you are trapped inside this pearl, if you need this junior's assistance, perhaps we can cooperate."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes, and a trace of cold, terrifying aura instantly erupted from his body. Although it lasted only an instant, it made Lin Yan realize that even if he was a soul body, the fellow before him was absolutely not simple.

"Do you know what kind of people are qualified to cooperate with me? They are either lords of a major faction or top mighty figures with profound cultivation. Yet you, a mere Earth Origin Realm junior, dare to speak of cooperating with me? Ridiculous!"

Hearing the other party's words, Lin Yan did not reveal any trace of guilt or inferiority. Instead, he took a step forward, looked straight at the man before him, and said with bold confidence, "I think Senior should be the previous master of the Refining Demon Pearl. Since you could possess such a divine object, Senior must surely be extraordinary.

"But Senior should understand that no matter how glorious you were, all of that is in the past. Right now, Senior is nothing more than a soul body, a pitiful man who cannot even leave the Refining Demon Pearl.

"And although I am weak, I possess a terrifying flame that even Senior fears deeply, and I also have the Divine Astral Body. With such talent, given some time, I will surely create limitless possibilities!

"In that case, may I ask whether I have the qualifications to cooperate with Senior?"

Although he did not know what the Divine Astral Body was, since it was something that could even astonish the other party, Lin Yan could only use it as a banner for now.

At this moment, hearing himself being called a pitiful man by the youth before him, a trace of anger could not help flashing through the middle-aged man's eyes. Proud as he was, he was now trapped inside the Refining Demon Pearl. Perhaps this was even harder to bear than death.

"Good kid. Ever since my cultivation reached success, this is the first time someone has called me pitiful. You provoked me. Are you not afraid of death?!"

Hearing this, Lin Yan's expression did not change, and he said without the slightest timidity, "Of course I am afraid of death. But I believe in my own strength, and I also believe that Senior will not let this chance to cooperate slip by."

Hearing Lin Yan's confident words, the middle-aged man suddenly burst into laughter, but he did not say anything. After giving the youth a meaningful look, before Lin Yan could react, his consciousness returned to his body.

Seeing the quiet, dense forest around him, Lin Yan guessed what had happened, and a wave of disappointment immediately rose in his heart.

He had been driven out. It seemed that his words just now had still angered the other party. Perhaps if he had pleaded a little more humbly, things might have turned out differently.

However, Lin Yan did not regret it. With his personality, he was not the sort to grovel and beg others. So what if he did not have this mysterious figure's help? He still had the confidence to stand at the peak of the continent.

Quickly putting his feelings in order, Lin Yan placed the pearl back inside his body and began his unfinished journey.

Yet just as Lin Yan took two steps, that familiar middle-aged male voice suddenly rang beside his ear. "Good kid. Your personality suits my taste. As for cooperation, I'll trust you this once. Let me see just how capable you really are.

"I see you still have important matters to attend to, so we'll speak again tonight. Remember, my surname is Luo, and I come from the Southern Xuan Region..."

Hearing this, Lin Yan, who was walking, suddenly paused. Then the corners of his mouth curved up. He could feel that with this mysterious figure's help, he would be like a tiger that had grown wings, soaring completely into the sky.

Even so, Lin Yan did not reveal the slightest excitement on his face. He still said calmly, "In that case, I will go handle the Hunting Tournament first.

"My name is Lin Yan. Uncle Luo, may our cooperation be pleasant."

Seeing Lin Yan's still calm and composed expression, Uncle Luo, inside the Refining Demon Pearl, could not help twitching at the corners of his mouth. In truth, from the moment he awakened, he had already chosen Lin Yan in his heart. Those words just now had merely been a small test. Without a doubt, whether in personality or talent, Lin Yan suited his temperament extremely well.

However, the youth's unchanging calm expression, like a zombie face, gave him no sense of accomplishment. At the same time, though, it also made him admire him. "Lin Yan, is it? An interesting little fellow. I hope our cooperation will be pleasant..."