Fate Wasn't Enough, Advanced Trial

Just as Lin Yi was secretly delighted, the fastest-moving cultivators from the inner island had already gathered around.

This was a tall, slender man in silver-gray armor, who stood three steps away from him.

"Your Constant Guard." The man in silver-gray armor bowed slightly. "I am Luo Sen Van, an inner island student. Our team is recruiting a member for the intermediate trial, which involves heading to the Black Mist Sea Frontline, infiltrating the Black Silence Beast, and hunting down at least two perfected second-tier Black Silence Beast."

As he spoke, he turned to the side and pointed to a round table in the middle of the circular staircase.

Two other people were sitting at the table, a man and a woman. The man was burly, and his armor was covered with crisscrossing claw marks. The woman had her hair tied in a high ponytail, and the tips of her ears were extremely fine and pointed. When they saw Lin Yi looking over, they both nodded slightly, clearly their attention was also on him.

Then, Luo Sen gave an apologetic smile and asked, "May I ask your name? And approximately what your strength is? Of course, it is indeed a bit presumptuous to ask this on our first meeting. If it's convenient..."

"Lin Yi, Eternal Source Realm Level 3."

Lin Yi didn't mince words and said directly, "Two red ones, the third seal hasn't even been formed yet."

Luo Sen's smile faltered slightly, but he quickly masked it with an even gentler smile.

However, the female cultivator with the high ponytail who had been watching from a distance was not so composed. Her dark brown eyes widened noticeably, and if it weren't for the rudeness, she would have used her Soul Power to probe and see if she was really only at the third level of the Eternal Source Realm.

The burly man beside her also looked surprised.

This is normal. Generally speaking, the Constant Guard are at least at the mid-level of the Eternal Source Realm, and those at the Early Order of the Eternal Source Realm are indeed quite rare.

However, Luo Sen was a seasoned veteran who had seen it all. After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly smiled and said, "Eternal Source Realm Level 3, two fully red seals. To become Constant Guard so soon after entering Eternal Source Realm, and to continuously condense Divine-grade seals, impressive!"

This wasn't just a polite remark.

No cultivator standing on the Inner Island of Constant Island is a fool; they all know the significance of this position.

"Unfortunately, we weren't meant to be..."

Luo Sen silently muttered a sentence to himself.

Ultimately, being at the third rank of the Eternal Source Realm was too low. Their team's goal was to kill a second-rank perfected Black Silence Beast amidst heavy encirclement. The key was to charge forward and retreat in one strike without any hesitation or pause. Therefore, the weakest member of their team was at the seventh rank of the Eternal Source Realm, with a configuration of two red and five yellow members.

While it's impressive to have two divine-grade seals at the initial stage of the Eternal Source Realm, they can only become a hindrance in the face of an absolute difference in cultivation level.

Thinking of this, he raised his hand and conjured a communication talisman, which he then handed to Lin Yi.

"Your talent is beyond question," Luo Sen said. "It's just a pity that our team's mission is quite demanding, but that won't stop us from becoming friends. This is my personal communication talisman; I hope to fight alongside you someday if the opportunity arises."

In truth, Luo Sen knew very well that the Constant Guard's exchange visit to Constant Island would last for a maximum of one million Epoch. Such a short time was truly just a blink of an eye for cultivators at the Eternal Source Realm.

Even with exceptional talent, how far can a cultivator who has just reached the third level of the Eternal Source Realm advance within a million Epoch?

Their team's mission requirements start at the seventh level of the Eternal Source Realm.

Therefore, the so-called "opportunity for future cooperation" is, in Luo Sen's view, merely a respectable stepping stone.

However, friendships between practitioners often begin with a respectable stepping stone.

However, Lin Yi didn't think that way. He genuinely believed there would be opportunities for cooperation in the future, so he accepted the talisman and said with a smile, "Brother Luo Sen, you're too kind. Let's cooperate again in the future."

Luo Sen chuckled twice, exchanged a few more polite words, and then turned and left.

As soon as Luo Sen left, another cultivator with two dark gold runes engraved on his shoulder blade approached.

He was a step behind Luo Sen, so he had to wait to the side and only came over after Luo Sen left.

"Vika, the 721st on the inner island." He bowed slightly and then said, "Our team is going to take on an intermediate trial to hunt down a high-risk wanted criminal. We originally wanted to invite Lin Yi to participate, but I heard what you just said, so inviting him now would be inappropriate."

As he spoke, he also took out a communication talisman and handed it to Lin Yi, "Let's exchange contact information. We can cooperate again in the future."

Lin Yi has no problem with it; having more friends means having more options.

After seeing Lin Yi accept the offer, Vika turned and headed straight for the exit of the main hall, without even returning to his original round table. Clearly, in his eyes, he wouldn't be able to find a suitable person today.

Next, the other small teams that had gathered nearby followed the same procedure.

Although they had all heard about Lin Yi's strength and knew that Lin Yi did not yet meet their requirements, none of them turned around and left immediately. They all came over to exchange a few words and exchanged Contact Mark before politely taking their leave.

No one mocked them, and no one showed any disdain.

These inner island students have been able to gain a foothold on Constant Island, a place teeming with elites, and it's not just their abilities that have allowed them to do so.

They may be hostile to each other due to conflicts of interest, and there is no shortage of open and covert struggles among the students, but no one who can cultivate on the inner island for a long time is a fool.

A highly talented Constant Guard has already approached. If I don't say hello and just turn around and leave, who knows if he'll remember me?

Although the Constant Guard are generally of good character and unlikely to hold a grudge, what about Constant Guard friends? The Constant Guard are known for their wide circle of friends; why make enemies over such a trivial matter?

Therefore, everyone adheres to the same principle: even if you can't be teammates, you must never offend anyone.

One after another they came, and one after another they left...

Lin Yi muttered something to himself, but remained unmoved.

He knew very well that these people had made the right choice.

Within the Inner Island of Constant Island, the trial missions themselves are quite dangerous. The world of cultivation has never been a place of warmth and affection. Without absolute strength, no matter how good the relationship, it is impossible for someone to risk their life to take you into a battle that is clearly beyond your capabilities.

If he were in the captain's position, he would never allow someone who is clearly not good enough to join the team. That's not loyalty; that's harming people.

At this moment, Jess, who had been watching silently from the side, took a few steps closer and patted Lin Yi on the shoulder.

"Don't worry," he reassured you. "There aren't many teams at the Early Order of the Eternal Source Realm realm on the inner island to begin with. It's normal that you didn't encounter any in the main hall this time. With your strength, you'd be highly sought after among the Early Order of the Eternal Source Realm teams. It's just that we didn't run into any today. But don't worry, the inner island is only so big. Your news will soon reach the ears of those Early Order of the Eternal Source Realm teams. Before long, they'll come looking for you."

As he spoke, he pointed to the central light screen, "Why don't you see now what type of mission you're interested in? Is it exploring the Cosmic Sea Wonder, hunting down wanted criminals, deadly challenges, or carrying out decapitation strikes on the Frontline the Black Mist Sea? Decide your direction first, and when those teams come looking for you, you can decide which one to join."

Lin Yi smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"In a hurry?" He shook his head. "No, I'm not in a hurry at all."

Jess was slightly taken aback.

"I don't plan to join any team for now," Lin Yi said, "Because I've discovered a type of mission that might be quite suitable for me."

C

Jess frowned slightly upon hearing this.

What missions don't require joining a team?

He asked instinctively, then suddenly realized what he meant, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, "You mean..."

"Good."

Lin Yi pointed to the giant, slowly scrolling light screen in the center of the hall, "Those research-related trial missions."

Jess looked in the direction Lin Yi was pointing.

On that giant light screen, most of the entries were various combat-type trial missions, but occasionally some entries marked with light blue text would flash by between these combat missions.

The pale blue entries scrolled quickly, inconspicuous amidst the screen full of combat missions, but there were quite a few of them.

[Trial Level: Beginner. Trial Type: Restoring a Lost Secret Text - Fragment. Task Description: A fragment of a secret text unearthed during archaeological excavations in the First Constant Domain needs to be restored to a readable state. Points Reward: 3500. Points Required to Accept the Points: 350. Time Limit: 300,000 Epoch.]

[Trial Level: Intermediate. Trial Type: Creation of Chaos Seal Pact Secret Technique. Task Description: Within the designated direction, create a Chaos Seal Pact Secret Technique of the Eternal Source Realm, with power at least at the Excellent level. Points Reward: 10,000-30,000. Points Required to Accept the Points: 1,000. Time Limit: Ten Million Epoch.]

[Trial Level: Advanced. Trial Type: Restoration of Ancient Inscriptions. Task Description: Restorate the incomplete Law Inscriptions excavated from the ruins of the First Constant Domain. Points Reward: 60,000-85,000. Points Required to Accept the Task: 6,000. Time Limit: Ten Universal Epoch.]

To be honest, Lin Yi was somewhat surprised when he saw these research-based trial missions.

Due to the sudden outbreak of the Black Mist Sea, more than half of the empire's territory fell, especially the most core and prosperous First Constant Domain. The empire's cultivation and application of Chaos Power regressed, and many technologies needed to be restored by venturing into the Black Mist Sea to excavate and excavate in the First Constant Domain.

Lin Yi knew that many powerful individuals would help with research on technology restoration in their spare time, and some even specialized in this field.

But he didn't expect that there would be quite a few of these kinds of missions on Constant Island.

Research-related tasks...

Jess looked at the pale blue entries, hesitated for a moment, and then couldn't help but advise, "Brother Lin Yi, you should think this through. These research missions are no less risky than combat missions, and some are even more difficult. Otherwise, they would have been taken away long ago."

As he spoke, he pointed to the advanced trial mission.

"Take this for example, restoring the Law Inscriptions. You need to immerse your consciousness into the incomplete inscription structure, exploring the broken law threads bit by bit, and then finding the correct path from countless possible directions. This process is essentially the same as comprehending the Chaos Law, and there is also the risk of getting lost."

"Take that intermediate-level quest for creating your own secret technique, for example. It has to be at least of the high-quality level! Don't be fooled by how easy it is to cultivate a high-quality secret technique. Cultivating and creating one are two different things. You should also know that the Chaos Seal Pact involves the Soul Origin. In the process of creation, you will inevitably make repeated trials and errors. If you are not careful, you will damage your origin and it will be a loss."

"So although these research assignments seem good, not many people are actually willing to take them on."

Jess said so much in one breath, and finally looked at Lin Yi seriously and said, "Brother Lin Yi, be careful."

Lin Yi listened quietly to Jess's advice.

He could sense that this fellow Constant Guard, whom he was meeting for the first time, was genuinely concerned for him.

But Jess didn't know his trump card.

With his talent, he has nothing to fear.

With his innate Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, it's only a matter of time before he completes these tasks.

He certainly couldn't tell Jess these things.

So he simply nodded and said sincerely, "I've taken your reminder to heart, Brother Jess. But I just want to give it a try first."

If I try it and find it doesn't work, I'll still team up and participate in the combat trials as usual.

As he spoke, he added, "It just so happens that my third seal hasn't been formed yet, and since it's inconvenient for me to go out and do trial missions for the time being, I can use this time to form the seal while also trying out a research-type mission."

This was the truth in his heart. After looking at the list of blood essence exchanges, he decided to use the existing blood essence of the Misi Crimson Armor Beast directly for the third seal.

Constant Island's inventory lacks the essence blood of the first and fourth ranked beasts, so from the remaining top ten essence blood, he only needs the second...

The six types are: three, five, six, eight, and ten.

The blood essence of the Eternal Silence Abyss Dragon, ranked nineteenth, has condensed into the first seal; the blood essence of the Eternal Constant Fusion Beast, ranked seventh, has condensed into the second seal.

With the addition of the blood essence of the Misi Crimson Armor Beast, there are exactly nine seals, so there's no need to hesitate at all.

While the Main Body is condensing the seal, the clone can carry out research tasks.

He also brought along the clone that had been sent to the Silent Judgment Domain, which resides within his own Divine Kingdom.

Although the clone cannot absorb Source Essence Crystal and convert them into Spiritual Enlightenment Qi, it still naturally generates 10,000 strands of chaotic energy every day, which adds up to nearly three hours. It can be considered usable, only less efficient than the Main Body, but it is still capable of being used for research.

Seeing Lin Yi's insistence, Jess said no more.

Ultimately, spiritual practice is a very personal matter.

"Since you've made your decision, I won't say any more." Jess shook his head, but quickly added seriously, "However, there's one thing you must remember."

"As you've probably seen, these tasks all require a deposit of Points. This is to prevent people from accepting tasks indiscriminately. However, new members joining the inner island, whether on exchange or as official members, do not need a deposit for their first task, but from the second task onwards, they will need to deposit Points. If a task fails, the Points will not be refunded. The higher the level of the task, the more Points need to be deposited. Therefore, choosing the first task without a deposit is crucial."

"So, if you really want to go down the research-based mission path, choose a safe one for your first attempt to ensure you earn some Points. Otherwise, if you fail, you might not even have enough deposit for a good intermediate mission next time, which would be a real shame."

These were invaluable words of advice, Lin Yi nodded. "I've got them."

Seeing Lin Yi's expression, Jess understood that Lin Yi probably already had a target in mind, so he said no more.

After chatting for a while, Lin Yi said goodbye to Jess and Geke and turned to walk towards the exit of the main hall.

They hadn't gone far when they ran into Luo Sen.

He was leaning against a thick, dark blue stone pillar at the exit of the main hall, his arms crossed over his chest, seemingly waiting for someone.

Upon seeing Lin Yi emerge, Luo Sen straightened up and nodded slightly to him.

"Brother Lin Yi, you're out so soon?" Luo Sen's voice carried a hint of surprise. "Didn't you take a good look around?"

Lin Yi stopped and replied, "That's about enough. I'm going to take on a solo mission to practice."

Luo Sen glanced subconsciously at the light screen in the center of the hall, as if he had thought of something, but he didn't say anything, just smiled and said, "Alright, see you again sometime."

Lin Yi nodded and continued walking out of the main hall.

Back in the Seventh Court Garden, Lin Yi walked through the courtyard and down the circular staircase to the cultivation room on the first basement floor.

On the central cultivation platform, the intricate energy flow patterns automatically lit up upon sensing his presence, and the nodes on the wall also activated simultaneously, enveloping the entire meditation room in a faint energy field.

Lin Yi sat down cross-legged.

Instead of rushing to condense the Chaos Seal Pact, he first activated the Constant Island Emblem, using the virtual light curtain mode.

A pale golden light screen unfolded before him; it was the task list interface.

He skipped over the densely packed combat missions and switched the interface to the research missions section.

The pale blue entries began to scroll.

Jess's reminder was indeed reasonable; the first time is deposit-free, and this benefit must be taken advantage of.

For others, the first time without a deposit means they can try out the depth of research tasks without any pressure, so most people will choose a beginner task to practice.

But Lin Yi felt that, for him, the situation was quite the opposite.

Since he is confident that he can complete the task and does not need to worry about failure, he should choose the advanced task for his first mission, which would be the most advantageous.

As Lin Yi pondered this, his gaze swept back and forth across the several advanced research tasks.

Compared to combat-related advanced trial missions, which are often highly competitive, research-related advanced trial missions are almost entirely ignored, with four available.

Two of them also have a grayed-out "long-term unanswered" mark, indicating they have been idle for quite some time, with Points ranging from 40,000 to 70,000.

Between ten thousand and ten thousand.

Another option is a team-based one, requiring you to venture deep into the ruins of the First Constant Domain under the escort of other teams to conduct on-site research. Although it offers the highest Points reward, it's not suitable at the moment.

The last one, and the second highest in Points reward, is "Restoring the Ancient Law Inscriptions".

Points 60,000 to 85,000 is quite high for a high-level trial mission.

That's it.

With that in mind, Lin Yi simply stretched out his finger and lightly tapped the light screen.

A confirmation message pops up: Accepting this task will deduct your first-time no-collateral qualification. This is an advanced trial task; please refer to the task details for completion criteria. Confirm acceptance?

"Confirm."

The screen flashed, and the task status changed to "Accepted".

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