Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord

As his words fell, Chen Lin raised his hand, and an ancient Storage Ring had already appeared on his finger.

He gently pushed it in front of Ling Tian: "Inside this, I've packed a little token of your master's regard."

The "little trinket" he spoke of was no small matter.

Thanks to his current breadth of knowledge, which spanned nearly every field, combined with the all-encompassing nature of the imperial clan's techniques, his reach was vast—many secret arts and rare objects that others could scarcely access, he could dabble in to some extent.

"There are a few seeds inside," Chen Lin explained. "If you ever encounter an enemy too powerful to face head-on, and the situation grows dire, just toss them out. They will instantly transform into Yellow Turban Warriors, guided by your Divine Sense."

"Although these Yellow Turban Warriors carry but a wisp of your master's power, that power is more than enough to easily suppress an expert at the Divine Treasury Realm. Consider them a life-saving Trump Card from your master." Chen Lin's gaze was warm, carrying an undeniable solemnity.

Hearing this, Ling Tian's eyes burst with delight: "Easily suppress a Divine Treasury Realm expert!"

As for why his master didn't give him something capable of suppressing a Dharma Aspect, he guessed it must be because he hadn't been filial enough yet.

And Chen Lin naturally knew Ling Tian would fill in that reason on his own, so he said no more.

He quickly took the Storage Ring; it felt warm and smooth in his hand.

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

With a flicker of thought, he probed it with his Spiritual Sense and was instantly astonished—the space stretched endlessly, yet it was so empty he could almost hear an echo, with only a few fist-sized seeds radiating a soft spiritual light lying quietly in a corner.

Ling Tian immediately grasped his master's deeper intent.

"Master," he said solemnly, "the next time your disciple comes to pay respects, I will surely offer new resources, along with a Heaven-tier cultivation technique."

"The stronger your strength, Master, the more at ease your disciple will be. If you can one day break through to the Cave Reality Realm, that will be my greatest reliance, my greatest Trump Card."

Ling Tian's words were sincere and earnest. He deeply understood that in this era of constant change, a powerful master meant so much hope for survival.

Chen Lin nodded inwardly, truly approving of this disciple's intelligence and thoughtfulness.

Hmm, it seems this ring wasn't given to you for nothing. You caught on so quickly.

He mused to himself, naturally not intending to actually ask his disciple for resources; what he liked was that his disciple could aptly grasp his intentions.

Then, Chen Lin offered a few pointers on the shortcomings of the Earth-tier cultivation technique and martial skills Ling Tian was currently practicing.

Ling Tian repeatedly acknowledged the advice, then left with a heart full of gains and vigilance.

Watching Ling Tian's figure vanish completely into the night, Chen Lin turned to Little Anzi, who had been standing attentively by his side, and spoke in a calm tone laced with undeniable authority: "Little Anzi, I see your cultivation has stagnated at the Foundation Establishment realm for some time. You should break through to the Core Formation Realm soon; otherwise, how can you better assist my disciple in his affairs?"

He paused, then continued: "So, next, I will teach you an Earth-tier cultivation technique."

Chen Lin knew well that eunuch bodies often carried heavy yin energy, making them most suited to cultivating fierce, yang-attributed techniques, which could compensate for their deficiencies.

The Sun True Scripture was good, but not suitable.

He had other techniques in mind, but only one truly caught his eye—the Heavenly Dipper True Qi!

This technique could refine the True Essence within the body into sharp, unmatched Heavenly Dipper True Qi, brimming with killing intent, capable of overcoming enemies in battle.

Hearing this, Little Anzi was overjoyed, never dreaming that the Crown Prince's master, Elder Lin, would condescend to personally teach him a technique!

He dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Thank you, Elder Lin! Thank you for your guidance, Elder Lin!"

Chen Lin helped him up, a rare hint of a smile appearing on his face, tinged with both jest and sincerity: "Alright, get up. I just hope you don't die before me; otherwise, I might end up alone again."

With that, Chen Lin began patiently teaching Little Anzi the cultivation method of the Heavenly Dipper True Qi, step by step.

After finishing the instruction, Chen Lin lay back comfortably in his rocking chair, closed his eyes, and rested, as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than ordinary small talk.

Before long, Little Anzi snapped out of his intense focus. He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on Chen Lin, the fear in his eyes replaced by deep respect and a near-fanatical reverence.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, bowed respectfully to Chen Lin, then turned and hurried back to his room, eager to immediately delve into the hard-won Heavenly Dipper True Qi.

Chen Lin cracked an eye open, watching Little Anzi's retreating figure, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth, then closed his eyes again.

Time flowed silently in the stillness. Outside the window, the night deepened, and several hours passed unnoticed, until it was the dead of night.

In the thick darkness, as Chen Lin hovered between sleep and wakefulness, he suddenly felt a shadow fall before him.

At some point, a Black Robed Man had appeared abruptly in front of him, his silhouette seeming to condense from the darkness itself, utterly soundless.

The Black Robed Man looked down at Chen Lin in the rocking chair, a trace of extreme contempt and disdain flashing in his eyes. He sized up Chen Lin's slightly aged face and casual posture, sneering inwardly:

"So I'm supposed to disguise myself as this old fossil?"

He was the Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord, famed for his mastery of disguise and transformation.

He scoffed in his heart. This old fool slept so soundly, like a pig—how disgusting.

Back in the day, his ancestors had been enfeoffed as marquises, yet by his generation, he had fallen to this.

He never thought that in his generation, only one Foundation Establishment cultivator would emerge, and that sole one was assigned to guard the Scripture Repository. The imperial clan probably pitied him and gave him this post.

Still, he knew a fair bit about Chen Lin.

After all, Chen Lin's ancestors had been afflicted with the 'Nine Nether Cold Fiend'—a side effect of a Heaven Tier Martial Skill from the Nine Nether Sect.

If not for that, he wouldn't be so familiar with this old man's background.

This 'Nine Nether Cold Fiend' was extremely insidious; only the purest, most yang True Essence could dissolve it. Otherwise, it would cling like a bone-gnawing maggot, never leaving, even passing down to descendants.

Every fifteenth night of the lunar month, when the moon was full, the Cold Fiend would flare up, freezing every meridian in the body until they felt like they were cracking inch by inch, the pain unbearable.

He had heard that Chen Lin's father had died from such an attack.

At this thought, the Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord's gaze once again fell on Chen Lin in the rocking chair. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and suspicion stirred in his heart.

Wait—why was there no trace of the Nine Nether Cold Fiend's aura on this old bastard anymore?

A flicker of shock and doubt passed through his mind, but then he sneered coldly, too lazy to dwell on it further.

Someone must have stepped in to relieve the old fellow of that cold fiend's torment.

Just as his thoughts turned, the muscles on his face writhed grotesquely once more, shifting rapidly until, in the blink of an eye, they were indistinguishable from Chen Lin's features.

At the same time, his entire aura instantly retracted and suppressed itself, dropping to the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer level, perfectly matching the aura Chen Lin usually displayed.