The First Thing After Breaking Through: Climbing the Wall

A high-pitched cry rang out in this space, instantly followed by the sound of wings beating—wind had materialized out of nowhere in this realm where even time was frozen.

A golden blur shot out from the endless void.

It flew straight toward Lin Shuguang.

Spring Autumn Cicada!

It was the Spring Autumn Cicada!

Lin Shuguang couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Ever since he arrived on the Totem Continent, the Spring Autumn Cicada and the Divine Demon Body had been unusable, even severing all connection. He never expected that his upgraded and mutated Nine Revolutions Golden Core would have such an effect.

The Spring Autumn Cicada circled around Lin Shuguang, letting out joyful, chirping cries.

Even Lin Shuguang's expression softened slightly.

Right now, he had descended into this mysterious space in soul form, and the Spring Autumn Cicada was also in a spiritual state.

Lin Shuguang extended his hand, and the Spring Autumn Cicada eventually landed in his palm.

A fragment of memory then transmitted from the Spring Autumn Cicada into Lin Shuguang's mind...

"The Imperial Capital Battle... Ji Wufeng?" Lin Shuguang was startled.

He hadn't expected that the Imperial Capital Battle, which erupted on the third day of October, was connected to Ji Wufeng—and that Ji Wufeng was currently still locked up in the Black Prison.

He slowly raised his head...

"It looks like a storm is about to descend."

"Ji Wufeng ascended to the Imperial Capital, caused a huge commotion, forced the Taiyi Immortal Sect to reappear in the world, and broke through the gates of Xuanyuan City... Strange, wasn't Xuanyuan City said to be firmly in Gu Taxian's grasp? This clearly doesn't match the rumors. The Great Gan Dynasty really seems to be in trouble."

"Trouble at a time like this—it must be related to this fortune. There's not much fortune left on the Totem Continent, or else the Eternal Night wouldn't have descended..."

After transmitting the information, the Spring Autumn Cicada, as if fulfilling its mission, soared again, circled around Lin Shuguang a few times, and then dissolved into light, scattering within this space.

Lin Shuguang's soul, as if pulled by some force, returned from this void space back into his body.

When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer inside the Spatial Altar but standing in his room, as if the space had ejected him.

Lin Shuguang's heart tightened.

Could it be that because of his breakthrough, he could no longer enter the Spatial Altar?

If so, he'd be at a huge loss.

With a single thought, he vanished from where he stood. After confirming that he was back inside the Spatial Altar, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Spatial Altar was his trump card for survival. Without it, his plans going forward would be impossible to execute.

Having just experienced the void space, Lin Shuguang had no idea how much time had passed. Now that his soul had returned, he felt a strange dissonance—as if this physical body had become somewhat cumbersome.

Lin Shuguang frowned, a hint of doubt creeping in. He looked down at his body, raised his hand, and clenched it tightly. The surging power was clearly palpable.

Thinking about this mismatch between soul and body, Lin Shuguang immediately pulled up his attribute panel.

Strength: 149W

Physique: 149W

Defense: 149W

Mental Power: 300W

Originally, the gap between Mental Power and the other three attributes hadn't been large, but now, because of that mutated Nine Revolutions Golden Core, Mental Power had surpassed the other three by over a million points.

Such a massive disparity was no wonder Lin Shuguang felt the disharmony between soul and body.

"Physical strength has to be increased. If I keep breaking through like this, who knows if I'll end up permanently leaving my body and losing it forever..."

As Lin Shuguang's power grew, he wasn't entirely opposed to a soul state—after all, all paths lead to the same end, and existence itself is reasonable.

But what he couldn't bear to part with was this body. He had poured countless efforts into forging it. If he really lost it, he'd be furious.

He continued checking the system.

The realm column clearly displayed: True Fate Realm, Sixth Heaven!

"A breakthrough is something worth celebrating."

Lin Shuguang turned and exited the Spatial Altar. Not long after, he knocked on Leng Yueyan's door.

"What?" Leng Yueyan's voice came from inside after a moment, though she showed no sign of opening the door.

Lin Shuguang urged, "Open up. I need to talk inside."

"I don't want to." Leng Yueyan refused outright.

Lin Shuguang's face darkened. "There's something I need to ask you."

"But... it's late at night, a man and a woman alone—it's not appropriate." Leng Yueyan hesitated from behind the door.

Lin Shuguang scowled. "Then why didn't you think that way when you came to find me before?"

Leng Yueyan didn't answer.

But Lin Shuguang could clearly sense the woman standing right behind the door, the two of them separated by just that single panel... Faintly, he thought he heard Leng Yueyan muttering to herself.

"Open... don't open... open... don't open..."

It sounded like she was struggling with some difficult choice.

Just as Lin Shuguang was growing impatient and about to barge in, Leng Yueyan suddenly opened the door.

"I—"

He only managed to get out one word before Leng Yueyan, peeking around cautiously, grabbed him and pulled him inside.

"Shh."

Leng Yueyan made a silencing gesture.

Lin Shuguang stared at her expressionlessly. Though he'd known her less than two days, it was obvious this woman was a bit of a ditz... At his feet lay a mess of flower petals, clearly the reason behind her earlier "open, don't open" muttering.

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Leng Yueyan deftly cast a spell barrier around the room before turning back to Lin Shuguang. "It's soundproofed now. Talk."

Lin Shuguang's gaze unconsciously drifted—the pink bedsheets made him raise an eyebrow. Since when did his home have that set of bedding?

"Can you... not look around?" Leng Yueyan suddenly blocked his view.

Lin Shuguang withdrew his gaze, face unchanged. "Do you have any more Nine Revolutions Golden Cores?"

Hearing this, Leng Yueyan immediately fixed her eyes on him. "Did you use the one I gave you?"

"Yeah."

The moment he finished speaking, Leng Yueyan struck, her hand shooting out like lightning.

Lin Shuguang casually blocked it, easily catching her wrist.

"You broke through?" Leng Yueyan exclaimed in delight, twisting her hand like a slippery eel to break free from his grip.

Lin Shuguang narrowed his eyes slightly... He had already advanced to the sixth level of the True Fate Realm, yet he still couldn't gauge this woman's depth.

Leng Yueyan was about his age, but she hid herself even deeper than he did.

He withdrew his hand, showing no intention of probing further, and cut straight to the point. "I need a Nine Revolutions Golden Core."

Leng Yueyan shook her head. "You just took one. Taking another would be pointless—just wasting the core's energy. And I'm saying this for your own good. You've only just broken through; your foundation might still be unstable. Rushing to take another could actually harm your cultivation."

"I'm only asking if you have one. I don't need your concern for anything else," Lin Shuguang said flatly.

Leng Yueyan faltered, then snapped irritably, "What's wrong with you? I'm trying to give you good advice, and this is the thanks I get? No, I don't have any!"

Her tone was harsh, but her demeanor made it clear she had no real skill at arguing.

Lin Shuguang looked at her. "Are Nine Revolutions Golden Cores expensive? Rare?"

"No kidding." Leng Yueyan rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and turned away. "The materials for a Nine Revolutions Golden Core are all costly, and the success rate is abysmally low. Even those old masters wouldn't dare claim they could refine one with certainty."

"What if I said I could?" Lin Shuguang suddenly spoke.

"You?" Leng Yueyan blinked, looking at him oddly. She didn't immediately dismiss him but instead probed, "You really know alchemy? Do you even understand it?"

Lin Shuguang said casually, "Maybe... no one in this world understands alchemy better than I do."

Leng Yueyan was amused by his words. "If that got out, those old masters would probably want to refine you into a pill. But are you serious?"

Lin Shuguang gave a noncommittal look. "Do you have a way to get alchemy materials?"

Leng Yueyan studied him for a moment before replying, "It's hard for me to believe you just from hearing that. I think you can understand—if someone else suddenly said something like that, would you trust them?"

When it came to matters of interest, Leng Yueyan seemed to transform into a different person.

The shift in her demeanor was unmistakable.

"But since we know each other, I'm willing to give you a chance—on one condition."

Leng Yueyan looked at him slyly, like she was waiting for a fish to take the bait.

Lin Shuguang met her gaze. After a moment, he said slowly, "What condition?"

Leng Yueyan was blunt: "Pretend to be my man."

Lin Shuguang paused. "Fine."

To his surprise, Leng Yueyan was the one caught off guard. "I thought you'd refuse."

"I need the materials. When can you give them to me?" Lin Shuguang cut straight to the chase again.

Leng Yueyan tilted her head, thinking. She seemed genuinely curious about his alchemy skills. "Tomorrow morning?"

"Too late." Lin Shuguang shook his head. "Better now."

Tomorrow, Ninth Prince Gu Changhe's men might arrive. He didn't have time to waste with Leng Yueyan. The only reason he'd agreed to her demand was... to string her along as long as he could.

Leng Yueyan thought for a moment, then looked at him. "Then wait outside for me. I'll take you somewhere."

Lin Shuguang frowned, and Leng Yueyan snapped, "I need to change clothes. Get out."

Lin Shuguang waited by the door for a few minutes. Luckily, Leng Yueyan didn't dawdle long before emerging in a dark outfit. "Follow me this way."

With a wave of her hand, she vaulted over the side wall.

Lin Shuguang: "..."

The door was right there in front of them—why did this woman insist on climbing the wall???

One Void Chaos Art later, he teleported directly to Leng Yueyan's side. The sudden appearance startled her, as she had been waiting for Lin Shuguang to climb over. "You've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve?"

"Lead the way." Lin Shuguang urged.

"Just follow me. Don't say anything, don't ask anything." Leng Yueyan warned. Lin Shuguang nodded, and the two of them quickly vanished into the night...