Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Lin raised his hand. An ancient-looking Storage Ring appeared between his fingers.

He gently pushed it toward Ling Tian. "Inside is a small token of my affection."

The "little trinket" he mentioned was no ordinary thing.

Thanks to his extensive knowledge—which seemed to cover nearly everything—and the all-encompassing nature of the imperial cultivation techniques, he had dabbled in a vast range of fields. Even secret arts and rare treasures that most people could never access were familiar to him.

"There are several seeds inside," Chen Lin explained. "If you ever encounter an enemy you can't defeat and find yourself in dire straits, toss them out. They'll instantly transform into Yellow Turban Warriors, guided by your Divine Sense."

"Although the Yellow Turban Warriors contain a sliver of my power, they're strong enough to easily suppress Divine Treasury experts. Consider them your master's trump card for saving your life." Chen Lin's gaze was warm, but his tone carried an unmistakable gravity.

At his words, delight flashed in Ling Tian's eyes. "Easily suppress Divine Treasury experts!"

As for why his master hadn't given him something that could suppress Dharma Aspects, he guessed it must be because he hadn't shown enough filial devotion.

Chen Lin naturally knew Ling Tian would jump to that conclusion and fill in the reason himself, so he said nothing more.

Ling Tian hurriedly accepted the Storage Ring. It felt warm and smooth in his hand.

This was the very ring he had once given to his master!

A thought stirred in his mind, and he sent his Spiritual Sense inside. He was instantly astonished—the space stretched beyond sight, yet was so empty that he could almost hear an echo. Only in one corner lay several fist-sized seeds, quietly glowing with a soft light.

Ling Tian immediately understood his master's deeper meaning.

"Master," he said solemnly, "the next time I come to pay my respects, I'll bring fresh resources, as well as a Heaven-tier cultivation technique."

"The stronger you are, Master, the more at ease I'll be. If you can break through to the Cave Reality Realm one day, you'll be my greatest support, my greatest trump card."

Ling Tian spoke with heartfelt sincerity. He knew all too well how much hope of survival a powerful master could offer in an age full of uncertainty.

Chen Lin nodded inwardly, deeply pleased by his disciple's intelligence and thoughtfulness.

Good. Looks like I didn't give you that ring for nothing. You understood so quickly.

He mused to himself. He had no intention of actually asking his disciple for resources; what he liked was that Ling Tian could grasp his intentions just right.

Afterward, Chen Lin offered a few pointers on the shortcomings in Ling Tian's current Earth-tier cultivation technique and martial skills.

Ling Tian agreed repeatedly, then left, carrying a wealth of new insights—and a heightened sense of caution.

Only after Ling Tian's figure had vanished completely into the night did Chen Lin turn to Little Anzi, who had been standing by the whole time. His voice was calm, yet brooked no defiance. "Little Anzi, your cultivation has been stuck at Foundation Establishment for a long time. You should break through to the Core Formation Realm soon. Otherwise, how can you better assist my disciple with his affairs?"

After a brief pause, he continued, "So, I'll teach you an Earth-tier cultivation technique."

Chen Lin knew that eunuchs often had an excess of yin energy, making them especially suited to cultivating techniques that were yang-oriented and fierce. Such methods could make up for their shortcomings.

The Sun True Scripture was excellent, but unsuitable.

He had already considered the other techniques and had one in mind above all: the Heavenly Dipper True Qi!

This technique refined the True Essence within the body into Heavenly Dipper True Qi, sharp and unmatched, imbued with a potent killing aura that could overwhelm enemies in battle.

At Chen Lin's words, Little Anzi was overjoyed. He had never dreamed that Elder Lin, the Crown Prince's master, would deign to teach him a cultivation technique in person!

He dropped to his knees with a thump and kowtowed again and again. "Thank you, Elder Lin! Thank you for nurturing me!"

Chen Lin helped him to his feet. A rare smile appeared on his face, half teasing and half sincere. "All right, get up. Just don't die before me, or I'm afraid I'll be all alone again."

With that, Chen Lin began patiently teaching Little Anzi every detail of the Heavenly Dipper True Qi's cultivation method.

Once he had finished, Chen Lin contentedly reclined in his rocking chair again and closed his eyes to rest, as though nothing more than ordinary small talk had just taken place.

Before long, Little Anzi came out of his intense concentration. He slowly raised his head and looked at Chen Lin. The fear that had once filled his eyes had long since given way to deep respect and an almost feverish admiration.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and bowed respectfully to Chen Lin. Then he turned and hurried back to his room, eager to begin comprehending the hard-won Heavenly Dipper True Qi at once.

Chen Lin opened his eyes slightly and watched Little Anzi disappear. A faint smile tugged at his lips before he closed them again.

Time passed quietly in the stillness. Outside, the night grew deeper. Several hours slipped by unnoticed, and soon it was the dead of night.

In the deep night, as Chen Lin hovered between sleep and wakefulness, the light before him suddenly dimmed.

At some point, a Black Robed Man had appeared right in front of him. His shadow seemed to have condensed out of the darkness, without a sound.

The Black Robed Man looked down at Chen Lin in his rocking chair, his eyes flashing with utter contempt and scorn. He studied Chen Lin's slightly aged face and casual posture, sneering inwardly.

So this is the old geezer I have to disguise myself as?

He was none other than the Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord, famed for his disguises.

He secretly scoffed at the old man. Sleeping so soundly, he was practically a pig—disgusting.

His ancestors had once been ennobled, yet by his generation, the family had fallen so far.

Who would have thought that only now had their family produced a Foundation Establishment cultivator—and the only one, at that? And this man had been assigned to guard the Scripture Repository. The imperial family must have pitied him to give him such a job.

Still, he knew a thing or two about Chen Lin.

After all, Chen Lin's ancestor had once contracted the Nine Nether Cold Fiend—a side effect of one of the Nine Nether Church's Heaven Tier Martial Skills.

Without that, he wouldn't have known so much about the old man's background.

The Nine Nether Cold Fiend was extremely insidious. Only the most yang and unyielding True Essence could dispel it. Otherwise, it clung like a parasite to the bone, refusing to leave—and could even be passed down to descendants.

Every month, on the night of the full moon, the cold fiend would flare up. His entire body's meridians would freeze until they felt ready to split apart, causing unbearable pain.

It was said that Chen Lin's father had died during one such attack.

At the thought, the Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord looked back at Chen Lin in the rocking chair. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and suspicion rose in his heart.

Wait. Why can't I sense any Nine Nether Cold Fiend on this old geezer?

A flicker of doubt crossed his mind. Then he sneered and decided not to waste any more thought on it.

Someone must have stepped in and cured the old man of the cold fiend's torment.

As that thought crossed his mind, the muscles in his face began to squirm strangely once more, rapidly shifting until, in the blink of an eye, his features were indistinguishable from Chen Lin's.

At the same time, the aura around him instantly drew inward and was suppressed, dropping to the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, perfectly matching the aura Chen Lin usually displayed.