Meeting Linley

Linley and the others had gathered in the ship's cabin.

When they left Basil City, they happened to hear that a merchant was selling a Memory Crystal Ball containing a battle between Saint Realm experts.

Out of curiosity, they spent money on one.

As Linley looked at the Memory Crystal Ball, he could not help recalling the past.

Back when he and Alice had not yet broken up, he had bought two Memory Crystal Balls as well. He had planned for each of them to keep one, recording their daily lives so that when they were apart, they could watch the recorded images and ease their longing for one another.

In the end, before he could even give the two Memory Crystal Balls to Alice, he discovered that Alice and Kalan were together.

After carving "Dream Awakening," Linley had already let go of that relationship.

Thinking of it now, it was no more than wind passing over water without leaving a trace. Light as drifting clouds, it could be dismissed with a smile. He no longer took it to heart.

Sessler sent a thread of magical power into the crystal ball, and images began to appear within it.

In the image, a black-haired young man in white robes faced off in midair against a purple-haired man.

"Useno!"

The moment Sessler saw the purple-haired man, he was startled.

"Sessler, do you know these two?" Linley looked at Sessler.

Sessler was a 9th-level Grand Magus of Necromancy and was already more than eight hundred years old. It was only natural that he knew some powerful experts.

Sessler's gaze turned icy. "I don't know the black-haired one, but that purple-haired man... hmph. He is Useno, the Chief Inquisitor of the Radiant Church's Religious Inquisition!"

Everyone's expressions changed. Linley's group all bore grudges against the Radiant Church. Since Useno was the Chief Inquisitor of the Religious Inquisition, he was their great enemy.

"I wonder who that black-haired young man is." Barker, the eldest of the five Undying Warrior brothers, stared at Liewen in the image.

"Heh, whoever he is, as long as he is fighting the Radiant Church, he is our friend!" Gates, the fifth brother, said carelessly.

"They've started fighting!" Ankh, the second brother, cried out.

Linley and the others fell silent, quietly watching the battle in the image.

Before long, Linley furrowed his brow.

"This black-haired young man should be cultivating the Laws of Light. He is very strong, but Useno is even stronger!"

Linley compared their strength to his own and realized that, let alone facing Useno, he was not confident of defeating even the black-haired young man.

"This black-haired fellow looks like he's about to lose," Sessler said blandly.

Barker and the others could not help sighing. They were all enemies of the Radiant Church, and they had instinctively begun supporting Liewen as one of their own.

In the image, Liewen's Light Armor had already shattered, and Useno swung his blade once more.

Rebecca, Lina, and Jenny could no longer bear to watch.

"Is that black-haired young man going to be killed?" Barker was worried. It was their first time watching this Memory Crystal Ball, and they did not know the outcome of the battle.

"Eh!"

Everyone cried out in surprise almost at the same time.

They had all seen Useno get sent flying by Liewen.

Linley's eyes lit up. "That move just now seemed somewhat different from the ones he used before."

Linley felt as though a flash of insight had crossed his mind, but he simply could not grasp it.

A Memory Crystal Ball only recorded images, after all. It was still different from experiencing it in person.

In the image, Liewen began counterattacking. After several exchanges, Useno fled in a sorry state, and the scene in the Memory Crystal Ball came to an end.

"He actually won!" Barker and the others could hardly believe it. None of them understood how the situation had suddenly reversed.

"The black-haired young man must have had an epiphany. I just don't know what he comprehended for his strength to increase so much." Linley frowned in thought. He had a feeling that what the black-haired young man had comprehended would also help him.

After watching the battle, Barker and the others were fired up. It was as if Liewen had inspired them, and they each went off to train.

The next day, Linley stood on the deck, feeling the wind over the Yulan River as he comprehended the Laws of Wind.

"The rhythm of the wind..."

From time to time, he swung the Violet Blood Soft Sword, sending streaks of purple light flashing before him.

"What is Brother Linley practicing?" Jenny, watching from not far away, asked softly.

Rebecca and Lina, standing beside her, also shook their heads to show that they did not know.

"Brother Liewen, look at that person. What is he doing? He looks so strange!"

A child's voice drifted over on the river wind. Following the sound, Jenny and the others saw another large ship not far from theirs.

The large ship Linley and the others were traveling on had been arranged by Mackenzie. It was considerably faster than ordinary large ships.

The ship beside them could not match their speed. Linley's ship was overtaking it, and during that time, the decks of the two ships were temporarily aligned, allowing the people on both decks to see one another.

Jenny and the others saw a black-haired young man on the deck of the other ship, holding the hand of an adorable little girl around eight years old.

"That man is..." When Jenny and the others saw the black-haired young man's face, they covered their mouths in shock.

Hearing Laina's voice, Liewen also looked in that direction. When he saw Linley standing on the deck, he froze.

On the other side, Linley also sensed something and turned to look. Upon seeing Liewen, he froze as well.

Liewen was stunned because he had not expected such a coincidence, meeting Linley here.

Linley, however, was shocked because he recognized Liewen as the black-haired young man who had fought Useno in the Memory Crystal Ball.

The two looked at each other across the river. Liewen gave Linley a slight nod, formally acknowledging their acquaintance and offering a greeting.

Linley nodded in return.

"Barker, hurry over here!" Rebecca called out to Barker and the others, who were training.

However, by the time they reached the deck, Liewen was already nowhere to be seen.

Linley's ship was much faster. It did not take long to overtake the ship Liewen was on and sail ahead, naturally leaving them unable to see one another.

"What a pity. I didn't get to see him in person!" Gates said in great frustration.

"Should we fly over and meet him?" Barker asked.

Their group had Saint Realm experts, so flying was not a problem.

The others were somewhat tempted as well.

After thinking for a moment, Linley said, "Forget it. Going over directly would be too abrupt. We don't know his temperament, and we might offend him."

Hearing Linley say this, Barker and the others gave up on the idea.

Meanwhile.

"What a coincidence." Liewen smiled and shook his head, putting the brief encounter aside.

He still did not know that Linley had watched the Memory Crystal Ball of his battle with Useno. If he had known, he could have taken the opportunity to go over and befriend Linley.

"There's no rush. We're heading to Chiyan City this time, so there will be plenty of chances."

After playing with Laina on the deck for a while, Liewen returned to the cabin to continue cultivating.

Several hours later, he sensed something unusual. Someone seemed to be rapidly approaching.

Liewen left the cabin and came onto the deck.

He was the only one on the deck. As soon as he arrived, he saw a streak of light fly down from the sky at high speed and land on the deck.

The newcomer had long white hair and a white beard, looking extremely aged, yet his eyes were a dreamlike sky blue.

"Haha, you were quite hard to find!" the white-haired old man said with a warm smile. "Since this is our first meeting, let me introduce myself. My name is Hodan, and I am the Plane Overseer of the Yulan Continent plane."