Breakthrough, Spirit Talisman Master!

Fortunately, all the talisman masters present possessed cultivation; they could stand in place for a month without issue. In order to witness this legend, not a single one of them left. They all chose to remain and wait for Lin Dong to emerge from the tower.

And then... they really waited for an entire month.

One month later.

"It has already been thirty days. Why hasn't Lin Dong come out yet?"

Master Yan raised his head and glanced at the Ninth Floor of the Symbol Master Tower, where a single point of light still shone.

"Buzz!"

The moment Master Yan finished speaking, an extremely powerful wave of Mental Energy suddenly erupted from the Ninth Floor, vanishing in an instant.

"That was a mental fluctuation? Could Lin Dong have broken through?"

All the talisman masters abruptly looked up, staring in astonishment toward the source of the fluctuation.

"Teacher, I remember Lin Dong only entered the Three Seal Talisman Master level two months ago, didn't he? If he has broken through again, has he stepped into the Four Seal level?"

The shock on Ziyue's pretty face was impossible to conceal.

"I don't know either."

Master Yan shook his head blankly. He did not dare tell his disciple that the fleeting fluctuation from earlier could have easily destroyed him, an established Late Four Seal Talisman Master.

"Look, the light on the Ninth Floor has left! He's descending."

"He's moving quickly. The Eighth Floor... the Fifth Floor... the First Floor... Look, Senior Brother Lin Dong has come out. Come on, let's go welcome him."

Amid startled cries trembling with excitement, a slender figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the Gray Tower, dazzling yet composed.

"Lin Dong, congratulations on successfully guarding the tower and entering the Ninth Floor, which no one has reached in nearly a hundred years." Smiling, Master Yan led the talisman masters forward to greet him.

"The honor is mine as well." Lin Dong nodded.

"Lin Dong, it seems your cultivation has broken through again?"

Ziyue, who had tried hard to maintain her icy beauty's demeanor, finally could not resist asking.

"More or less. I made a small breakthrough."

Silently sensing the five Life Spirit Talismans floating quietly within his Niwan Palace, Lin Dong smiled faintly.

Lin Dong was about to speak again, but Master Yan raised a hand and interrupted him. "All right, I have something important to tell you. While you were in the tower, the Blood Wolf Gang somehow learned that your Lin Family possesses a Yang Yuan Stone Mine. They intend to make a move against the Lin Family, but they have stayed behind the scenes and had their allied force, the Ghost Blade Sect, act instead."

"The Ghost Blade Sect sent two Minor Yuan Dan Stage experts to lead an ambush against your Lin Family's escort convoy. Unexpectedly, your father, Lin Xiao, suddenly unleashed the strength of the Minor Perfection Yuan Dan Stage and killed both men on the spot."

"Gui Yan, the Ghost Blade Sect's leader, is an established Minor Perfection Yuan Dan Stage expert. After losing two major subordinates, he actually tore off all pretense and accused Lin Xiao of wantonly slaughtering innocents. He is currently confronting the Lin Family's experts at the City Central Square."

"The Blood Wolf Gang leader, the Myriad Gold Merchant Association, and the other forces have all arrived. The situation has reached a stalemate. If you had not come out now, I would likely have gone over there already."

"Ghost Blade Sect? Blood Wolf Gang? Those idiots dare set their sights on my Lin Family's Yang Yuan Stone Mine? They even dare challenge my father?"

The smile on Lin Dong's face grew even brighter.

"Lin Dong, rest assured. You helped the Yan City Talisman Master Association win the Tower Battle and preserve the Symbol Master Tower this time. I owe you a great favor, and I certainly will not let the Lin Family suffer a loss. Come, I'll go see Gui Yan and Yue Shan with you."

Master Yan stepped forward without hesitation. This was the perfect chance to repay a favor.

"And me. I can represent the City Lord's Mansion. I believe my father would also be very willing to befriend you, Yan City's number one genius."

Ziyue's words immediately drew a chorus of agreement. All the Yan City talisman masters wanted to accompany Senior Brother Lin Dong and lend him their support.

"Good. Lin Dong thanks you all. Let's go."

After sweeping his gaze around the group, Lin Dong nodded lightly and led the crowd in a grand procession toward the City Central Square at the heart of Yan City.

As the most bustling area in Yan City apart from the Myriad Gold Auction House, the City Central Square was ordinarily incomparably prosperous. Yet today, it was filled with a chilling, murderous air as four factions from two camps faced one another from afar.

At the forefront of the Lin Family's experts stood a tall figure with his arms folded, his expression indifferent as he looked toward the opposing side. To his left stood Xia Wanjin, Suxuan, Xia Zhilan, and the other Myriad Gold Merchant Association experts.

"Who would have thought Lin Dong's father, Lin Xiao, was actually a Minor Perfection Yuan Dan Stage expert? He even killed two Minor Yuan Dan Stage elders from the Ghost Blade Sect on the spot. Heh, the Ghost Blade Sect only has three Yuan Dan Stage experts in total besides its leader, Gui Yan."

"This time, he'll probably become completely isolated. No wonder Gui Yan was so enraged that he directly challenged Lin Xiao."

Within the Myriad Gold Merchant Association camp, a Yuan Dan Stage elder could not help gloating.

"Hmph. If the Ghost Blade Sect faced the Lin Family alone, it is hard to say who would win or lose. But since Yue Shan insists on dragging the Blood Wolf Gang into this, then he cannot blame my Myriad Gold Merchant Association for stepping in."

With his hands behind his back, Xia Wanjin gave a cold snort, his aura locking onto a bare-chested burly man across from him with a blood wolf tattooed on his body. Who else could it be but Yue Shan?

Sensing the aura locking onto him, Yue Shan's mouth twitched slightly. Why was Xia Wanjin, that old bastard, like an adhesive plaster, sticking to him everywhere? He could not even take this opportunity to wipe out the Lin Family.

In truth, after suffering a setback at the Pill Immortal Pool Gathering, Yue Shan began investigating the Lin Family to which Lin Dong belonged. To his surprise, he discovered that the Lin Family possessed a Yang Yuan Stone Mine.

Yue Shan was immediately overjoyed. Though he had no reason to act directly, he incited another powerful Yan City faction, the Ghost Blade Sect, to move against the Lin Family.

Gui Yan, the Ghost Blade Sect leader, was known as the number one person beneath the Great Perfection Yuan Dan Stage, the strongest Minor Perfection Yuan Dan Stage expert. He was a suitable ally.

Yet who could have known that Gui Yan would be so useless and let matters escalate to this point?

Beside the Blood Wolf Gang, whose members were all dressed in blood-red robes, stood a large force clad in Black Robes. At their head was a Black Clad Man with a sinister face.

This man was none other than Gui Yan, the Ghost Blade Sect leader. At this moment, he was sizing up the Lin Family Camp with a gloomy expression.

They had thought they could swallow a huge chunk of meat, but who could have expected the Lin Family to have a Minor Perfection Yuan Dan Stage expert and two Minor Yuan Dan Stage experts? It was said that Lin Dong of the Lin Family was also a Three Seal Talisman Master. That lineup was already fully comparable to their Ghost Blade Sect.

With two of the three remaining Yuan Dan Stage experts in the sect already gone, the Ghost Blade Sect was now weaker than the Lin Family. Gui Yan had already begun to consider retreating, but Lin Xiao had brought the Lin Family experts to their doorstep.

Left with no choice, Gui Yan could only strike first, falsely accusing Lin Xiao of wantonly slaughtering innocents and killing two top experts of the Ghost Blade Sect for no reason.

Gui Yan had already exchanged blows with Lin Xiao once. He was reputed to be the strongest beneath the Great Perfection Yuan Dan Stage in Yan City, so his strength was evident. Yet unexpectedly, he had failed to gain any advantage against Lin Xiao.

Whether in martial arts or Cultivation Technique Manuals, Gui Yan was unable to suppress Lin Xiao. He could only rely on his somewhat more robust Origin Energy cultivation to force Lin Xiao down a notch.

By now, retreat was no longer an option. Besides, Yue Shan of the Blood Wolf Gang, a Great Perfection Yuan Dan Stage expert, was backing him up. He might yet seize this chance to kill Lin Xiao and obtain that Yang Yuan Stone Mine.

A trace of resolve flashed through Gui Yan's eyes as he suddenly stepped forward.