Path of Transcendence

Lin Yu was not lying.

Because humans in the Frieren World were heavily eroded by magic power, if Lin Yu wanted to study this system, he had to start cultivating them from infancy—shielding them from magic power until their meridians grew fully, only then could he plant Spiritual Roots.

In fact, he had already been doing this long before joining the Chat Group.

His first experimental subjects were the twins born to the old village chief and his wife.

In his vision, these twins would become the first cultivators of the Frieren World, possessing power no less than the native magic system, along with lifespans far exceeding those of human magic users.

Now that Su Haoming and Yun Ye had proactively offered their help, allowing Lin Yu's vision to be realized ahead of schedule, this was naturally a tremendous contribution.

To be honest, if he weren't worried that their Dantian Qi Seas couldn't withstand it, Lin Yu would have directly infused them with magic power and forcibly elevated them to the peak of Qi Nourishing—just short of liquefying and establishing a foundation.

Compared to these ungiven gifts, a mere few Spirit Stones really didn't amount to much.

Hearing Lin Yu's words, Su Haoming and Yun Ye understood his meaning, but they still felt a bit uneasy in their hearts.

Lin Yu noticed this and said with a smile, "If you're really that bothered by it, then write some cultivation notes—consider it a task I've entrusted to you!"

"Alright!"

"No problem!"

Su Haoming and Yun Ye immediately agreed.

Lin Yu snapped his fingers, bringing the two back to the upper level of the Castle, and assigned them two adjacent guest rooms.

"Although Spirit Stones serve as cultivation resources, their efficiency still can't compare to my Castle. In Cultivation World terms, this place counts as one of the best Blessed Lands in the entire world."

"If you're not in a hurry to return, you can cultivate here in my Castle first."

"From now on, these will be your rooms. I'll keep them reserved for you. The rooms are equipped with powerful barriers, so you can rest or cultivate inside without worrying about any interference."

"Also, the bookshelves in the guest rooms are connected to the library—any Magic Books stored there are freely available for you to use."

With that, Lin Yu took out two Alchemy Wristwatches and handed them to the two.

"These are my latest alchemical creations. You can think of them as room keys or something similar. Wearing them will allow you to pass through the various powerful barriers set up in the Castle."

"Beyond that, the wristwatches also come with some special functions."

Lin Yu tapped on the wristwatch, and a blue magic power screen materialized.

"See this map icon? Tap it, and you'll see a three-dimensional map of the Castle."

"And this bell icon—clicking it opens a new interface. The soldier button inside lets you command the puppet golems in the Castle, up to three at most..."

I see!

Su Haoming nodded, then pointed curiously at the wolf head and monkey head buttons beside it. "What about these two?"

Lin Yu smiled. "These two are my contracted magical beasts—White Wolf Guangzhi and White Ape Guangmou. They also serve as servants of the Castle, but at a higher level—they're my mounts and attendants."

"..."

Su Haoming and Yun Ye exchanged glances, both wearing strange expressions.

"Guangzhi and Guangmou—what Abbot Golden Pool nonsense!"

The two complained inwardly, but outwardly said nothing, only dryly chuckling, "Great names!"

Lin Yu laughed. "If anything really comes up, you can call Guangmou. He's very familiar with the Castle and has a relatively gentle temperament, unlike Guangzhi, who tends to attack easily."

Su Haoming nodded, then asked, "And how do we contact you?"

At this, not only Lin Yu, but even Yun Ye couldn't help turning to look at him.

"...Are you serious?"

"What?"

"We have a Chat Group!"

"Oh, right!"

Su Haoming slapped his forehead, embarrassed. "Got too deep into the role—forgot about that!"

Lin Yu and Yun Ye both couldn't help laughing.

After the laughter subsided, Lin Yu added, "One last reminder—aside from the Spirit Stones, none of the other magical tools have been modified yet, so they can't be brought back to your world. Especially the wristwatch—make sure to take it off before you leave."

The two nodded seriously. "Understood!"

Lin Yu smiled. "Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. I won't disturb your cultivation."

With that, he waved to them, and with a flicker, vanished from their sight.

Su Haoming and Yun Ye exchanged a look, offered each other a few words of encouragement, then turned and walked into their own rooms.

Five hours later, Su Haoming, having preliminarily familiarized himself with the spells, stepped out of the guest room. After bidding Lin Yu farewell, he chose to return.

Although he still had over ten hours of stay time left, he had been staying at his Cousin's mansion before crossing over. Disappearing for too long would easily invite unnecessary trouble.

In contrast, Yun Ye had much more leeway with his time.

Before being invited across worlds, he had already instructed his family not to disturb him for twenty-four hours.

Before leaving, Su Haoming glanced at the countdown floating in his mind and sighed inwardly.

According to Lin Yu, it was this countdown that kept his chat group perpetually open; otherwise, given the thousandfold time flow difference between the two worlds, he wouldn't need to be in such a hurry.

In the empty bedroom, a flash of silver light streaked across, and Su Haoming's figure burst forth from within.

The moment he appeared, Su Haoming immediately checked the door. Finding the copper coin still wedged in the crack, he let out a sigh of relief.

Good, no one had come in. If his cousin found him absent from the mansion, or worse, happened to catch him returning from another world, that would be awkward!

Su Haoming thought to himself with relief.

But soon, he realized another problem—

Seven hours had passed since he accepted the invitation.

In those seven hours, his cousin hadn't returned to the mansion at all!

...Had something else happened?

Worry crept into Su Haoming's heart. After a moment's hesitation, he finally pushed open the door.

Sure enough, the sprawling estate showed no sign of anyone.

Su Wuming was never one for extravagance, and since the county lieutenant's residence was tied to the case, hiring servants was out of the question. The entire mansion housed only the three of them—the Su family's master and two retainers.

Now that Su Wuming had taken Uncle Qian out to investigate, naturally only he remained.

Su Haoming's gaze swept across the entire estate, then locked onto the study not far away.

The door there stood wide open, with some still-wet mud on the threshold.

"Elder Brother came back!"

"He just didn't disturb me..."

Understanding dawned in Su Haoming's heart, and he let out a long breath of relief.

"Judging by how fresh the mud on the threshold is, Elder Brother must have left not long ago. I wonder what he found this time..."

Thinking this, Su Haoming stepped forward and entered the study.

The moment he crossed the threshold, an extremely faint scent of blood drifted into his nose on the cross-breeze.

Su Haoming instinctively turned his head and covered his mouth and nose, only then realizing that his sense of smell had sharpened considerably.

No, not smell—more precisely, his perception of wind or airflow!

Sure enough, this Path of Transcendence created by Brother Lin was far more than just absorbing magic power!

A faint smile tugged at Su Haoming's lips, then he lowered his arm and followed the direction of the scent.

On the study's desk lay two dark tea bricks—one relatively intact, the other more fragmented, as if a fair amount had been used.

"This is... Chang'an Black Tea?"

Recognition struck Su Haoming, and he leaned in curiously: "There are two batches of black tea. Going by the plot, one should be the one former Chang'an County Lieutenant Wu Daqi left in the mansion, and the other is the one Elder Brother and the others found at Yin Shirou's place in the Ghost Market."

"Judging by this, has Elder Brother finally started connecting the two cases?"

Making this judgment, Su Haoming lightly tapped his toes. Magic Power Mimic True Qi rose from his Fengchi acupoint, flowed through the entire Foot Shaoyang Meridian, and finally burst forth from the Zuqiaoyin acupoint at the tip of his fourth toe, transforming into a gentle current of air.

Xun Feng Seal—Stepping on Void to Ride the Wind!

In an instant, the scholar in blue robes drifted with the clear breeze into the front courtyard.

The airflow behind him not only propelled his body forward but also conveniently closed the study door behind him.

In the blink of an eye, Su Haoming had moved at least ten meters!

Watching the study door recede into the distance, a surge of indescribable excitement and thrill welled up in his heart.

So this was transcendent power?

Even at just Qi Cultivation Layer 1, it was far beyond what any mortal could match!

After calming his surging emotions a little, Su Haoming began to think.

"There's still time. Let me test out some other techniques first. Since Yin Shirou fell for my trap, the plot has taken a major turn. There's no telling if the Mastermind might lash out in fury and come after me and Elder Brother..."

With that thought, he hesitated no longer and immediately strode toward the front courtyard.