Master Yan, Spirit Refining Art!

As Lin Yi stepped through the main entrance, a vast hall appeared before his eyes.

The hall was filled with numerous counters, each displaying a dazzling array of items.

Spirit Medicines, medicinal pills, weapons, Demonic Crystals, martial arts manuals, and more—the variety was endless.

"Young master, is there something you need?"

As Lin Yi examined the items behind the counters, a young attendant in green robes approached him with a beaming smile.

"Do you sell Universe Bags here?" Lin Yi asked casually.

"We do. Universe Bags come in low, medium, and high grades. May I ask which grade you are looking for?"

Hearing Lin Yi's inquiry, the attendant's face lit up with a smile as he introduced the wares.

"A low-grade one will suffice. How much are they?" Lin Yi was only buying a Universe Bag to avoid drawing attention, so naturally, he wanted the cheapest one.

"A low-grade Universe Bag costs forty-eight Yang Yuan Stones," the attendant replied with a smile. As he spoke, he retrieved a bag from the counter and continued, "The low-grade Universe Bag is crafted from Universe Wood and inscribed with runes by a Two-Seal Rune Master. Don't let its small size fool you; the interior is spacious enough to hold items as large as this counter. Carrying it with you can save you a lot of trouble."

"I see," Lin Yi replied nonchalantly, then added, "Can it be any cheaper? Also, can I pay with Yang Yuan Pills?"

Yang Yuan Stones were bulky, and since Lin Yi didn't have a Universe Bag, pulling out forty-eight stones would be far too conspicuous.

The attendant said, "Paying with Yang Yuan Pills is certainly fine, but the prices are strictly regulated. I'm afraid I cannot lower it. My apologies."

"Never mind," Lin Yi shook his head slightly. He reached into his robe and, in reality, retrieved five Yang Yuan Pills from his Universe Ring, handing them to the attendant.

The attendant took the pills, pulled two Yang Yuan Stones from behind the counter to place inside the Universe Bag, and then handed the bag to Lin Yi with a smile.

"Young master, please keep your Universe Bag safe. Also, the two Yang Yuan Stones in change have already been placed inside."

Lin Yi nodded slightly, took the bag, and examined it casually.

Before long, his gaze was drawn to a peculiar rune on the left side of the bag.

As Lin Yi stared at the rune, his vision seemed to blur suddenly. As his surroundings grew hazy, the hidden rune on the bag became increasingly clear.

In this strange state, a unique ripple suddenly emerged in Lin Yi's mind—it was Spiritual Energy!

Invisible Spiritual Energy seeped out from his mind, strand by strand, and finally began to slowly trace a pattern in front of him.

Although the traced image was quite blurry, it was remarkably similar to the complex rune on the Universe Bag.

However, the tracing remained incomplete. When the invisible rune in front of Lin Yi was only half-formed, a sharp pain shot through his mind. He snapped back to reality, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Lin Yi understood what had happened and felt no panic. He wiped the sweat from his brow and prepared to turn and leave the Curio Building.

In a corner of the hall, an elderly man in grey robes sat dozing. His surroundings were quite cluttered, yet no one dared to disturb him.

Suddenly, the old man's tightly closed eyes snapped open. His gaze shifted and locked onto Lin Yi. A look of profound shock flashed across his eyes as he muttered, "What powerful spiritual talent!"

Seeing that Lin Yi was about to leave, the old man flickered and suddenly blocked his path, simultaneously extending a withered finger to lightly tap Lin Yi's forehead.

Seeing the old man's move, Lin Yi instinctively tried to dodge, only to find that he had lost control of his own body at that moment.

Just then, the system's milky voice rang out in Lin Yi's mind once more.

[Ding! Detected a Rune Master approaching the host. As this is the host's first contact with the Rune Master profession, you are rewarded with the Spiritual Energy cultivation manual: Spirit Refining Art!]

I can get rewards for this too?

Hearing the system's notification, Lin Yi felt a stir of surprise.

At this moment, the old man's finger stopped at Lin Yi's forehead. He clearly sensed the exceptionally lively and restless Spiritual Energy within the youth's mind, and a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his stern, aged face.

"Little fellow, are you interested in becoming a Rune Master?"

The old man's words left everyone in the hall of the Curio Building stunned.

Many regulars in the Curio Building knew the identity of the grey-robed man: he was Yan Xuan, the president of the Yan City Rune Master Association, revered as Master Yan. He held a position of immense importance in Yan City!

No one expected Master Yan to take an interest in an unremarkable young man.

"May I ask what you mean, sir?" Lin Yi cupped his hands toward Yan Xuan and asked.

Yan Xuan chuckled, "I am Yan Xuan, president of the Yan City Rune Master Association. If you are interested in the path of a Rune Master, you may follow me and learn."

"Thank you for your kindness, Master Yan, but this junior already has a master," Lin Yi thought quickly and bowed to Yan Xuan.

Lin Yi actually had a good impression of Yan Xuan, but there was no need to take him as a master.

He would surpass him before long; there was absolutely no need for that.

Hearing Lin Yi's words, the expressions of the people in the hall became colorful, and they looked at Lin Yi as if he were an idiot.

Did this guy not know how many people in Yan City were begging to become Master Yan's disciple? And he actually refused!

"I see. That is truly a pity."

Yan Xuan felt a bit regretful upon hearing this, but he did not dwell on it.

"Thank you for your regard, Master Yan. This junior has matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave," Lin Yi bowed to Master Yan, then walked straight out of the Curio Building under the bewildered gazes of the crowd.

After leaving the Curio Building, Lin Yi first found a secluded spot to transfer all the Yang Yuan Stones and Yang Yuan Pills from his Universe Ring into the Universe Bag, then inquired about the location of the Wanjin Merchant Guild.

If he were to return now and pull a large amount of Yang Yuan Stones from the empty Universe Bag he had just bought, it would likely cause unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, Lin Yi prepared to change locations to purchase Spirit Medicine.

The Wanjin Merchant Guild had an external trading area for shops, in addition to its internal auction house.

Although it was only the outer area, even fourth-grade Spirit Medicine was nothing rare here.

A single stalk of fourth-grade Spirit Medicine was worth one hundred Yang Yuan Stones, and Lin Yi bought twenty stalks directly!

If he hadn't been afraid of attracting too much attention, he could have bought even more.

To avoid any complications, Lin Yi left the Wanjin Merchant Guild immediately after purchasing the Spirit Medicine, then departed from Yan City and headed back toward Qingyang Town.

After returning home, Lin Yi used his mysterious master as an excuse to give Lin Xiao five hundred Yang Yuan Pills, telling him to use them for his cultivation.

After dinner, Lin Yi returned to his room and used the Stone Talisman to refine all twenty stalks of fourth-grade Spirit Medicine into pills.

After putting the pills away, Lin Yi stirred his thoughts and took an ancient-looking scroll out of his Universe Ring.

Slowly opening the scroll, what was recorded upon it was precisely the contents of the Spirit Refining Art.