"Hmm, I can buy these things from you at the going rate. I can also give you all the spirit herbs without asking you to make up the difference. There's just one thing I need your help with, young friend."
Master Yan pondered for a moment, then turned to Lin Yiqing and nodded. "Do you remember that small favor we agreed on earlier—the one that was within your ability?"
At his words, Lin Yiqing's expression froze for a moment. He immediately realized what the other man meant to ask and quickly replied, "This junior has always kept it in mind. I wouldn't dare forget it for a moment."
"Good. Then do you know about the Symbol Master Association and the Symbol Master Tower?"
Master Yan seemed very satisfied with Lin Yiqing's answer. His tone grew much gentler, and the look he gave him became warmer as well.
"The Symbol Master Association is renowned far and wide, and I've heard plenty about the Symbol Master Tower's value. It's a treasure of Yan City, so how could this junior not know of it? Besides, I also know that you, Master Yan, are the president of our Yan City Symbol Master Association. Many of Yan City's Talisman Masters look up to you as a role model!"
Lin Yiqing said with a smile. If there was anything else in Yan City worth staying for a while longer, it could only be this.
Qi-Grade Mental Secret Technique—Life-Transforming Rune Array!
Like martial arts, Mental Secret Techniques came in different grades: Jing, Qi, and Shen, each higher than the last. The Spirit-Transforming Needle that Master Yan had given Lin Yiqing earlier, for instance, was a Jing-Grade Mental Skill.
Qi-Grade Mental Secret Techniques, on the other hand, were far rarer. Even across the entire Tiandu Prefecture, only a handful could be found.
After all, Talisman Masters were rare to begin with, and those with powerful mental strength were rarer still.
"Very good. Since you know about them, I'll get straight to the point. I'd like to invite you, young friend, to represent Yan City in the Symbol Master Tower competition three days from now."
In the end, Talisman Masters were simply following another path of Yuan Power cultivation. The only difference was that this method required mental strength to activate.
The two paths led to the same destination. Neither was superior to the other; both were forms of cultivation.
Of course, the difference in how they wielded Yuan Power led to groups forming around those drawn to each other. The Symbol Master Association was made up of Talisman Masters like these, though, without strict rules, it was a relatively loose organization.
The Symbol Master Association kept a low profile throughout Yan City, but when it came to actual combat strength, it could hold its own against any of the three major factions.
There was a Symbol Master Association in every major city, not just Yan City. Over time, this had given rise to something else: the Symbol Master Tower!
The Symbol Master Tower was a wondrous tower formed from the mental strength of many Talisman Master sages. It had the marvelous effect of tempering and cleansing one's mental strength, and the Yan City Symbol Master Association had one of these extraordinary towers.
Of course, not every city had such a marvelous tower. Fewer than one in ten cities across the Great Yan Dynasty possessed one. As a result, disputes over the Symbol Master Towers had arisen. These were known as Tower Duels!
However, Tower Duels weren't fought to the death. Instead, the sides competed by climbing the tower. Whoever climbed higher won!
Unfortunately, Yan City had lost its last Tower Duel to nearby Wuling City. Now it was time for the second one, and Yan City would once again be defending the tower.
If Yan City lost three times in a row, the Symbol Master Tower would belong to Wuling City outright. That was why Master Yan had come to Lin Yiqing for help.
What he didn't know was that Lin Yiqing had already been planning to help ever since their first meeting.
He wanted not only to repay Master Yan for gifting him a secret technique, but also to obtain that Qi-Grade Mental Secret Technique!
"Master, you helped guide this junior in the way of the Talisman Master, and I owe you a debt of gratitude. Even if I hadn't agreed to help you before, I'd still give this my all!"
Lin Yiqing cupped his hands and replied without hesitation. At last, a delighted smile appeared on Master Yan's face.
"Haha, then I'll be counting on you, young friend."
Lin Yiqing had had his suspicions about this Talisman Master competition, but it wasn't until Master Yan brought it up that he could be certain.
In the original timeline, Lin Dong wouldn't arrive for this Talisman Master competition until four years later. It seemed the Symbol Master Tower really was a prize worth fighting over.
With that information in mind, Lin Yiqing felt even more confident about the Tower Duel. Judging by what he knew, Wuling City would surely lose this time. Otherwise, there would be no reason for the events four years later.
After putting away the spirit herbs and taking his leave of Master Yan, Lin Yiqing found a quiet inn nearby and settled in to await the Tower Duel three days later.
For some reason, the Blood Wolf Gang didn't come after him again during those three days. It was as if the Sky Wolf Gang's destruction had never happened.
Lin Yiqing was glad to enjoy the peace and quiet. He had never been one to welcome trouble. If cultivating in seclusion on some mountain could have let him keep breaking through, he might have vanished from the world by now.
For three whole days, he never once stepped outside his room. When tired, he meditated for a while; once rested, he swallowed a pill and continued cultivating. He was thoroughly absorbed in it, unable to stop.
The joy of cultivation was truly addictive.
During this time, he had been refining his Yuan Power. The boost from Sun Qi had been enormous, lifting him in one leap from the Late Earth Yuan Stage to the late Heaven Origin Realm. There were many details of cultivation in between that he still needed to understand.
If he hadn't deliberately suppressed his progress, he would likely have broken through to the Lesser Origin Pellet Realm on the very day Sun Qi entered his body. Greater Yin Qi and Sun Qi were both peerless divine treasures. Merely absorbing and possessing them had brought him tremendous benefits.
The two divine treasures used his dantian as a lake, chasing and playing with each other like a pair of fish. They constantly stirred his cultivation technique into motion, while the wisps of yin and yang energy they released nourished both his body and his spirit.
It was as if he were cultivating on autopilot, growing stronger every moment!
Time flew by. When the agreed-upon day arrived, Lin Yiqing ended his cultivation on schedule and set out for the Symbol Master Tower to take part in the Tower Duel!
As he walked along the main road, Lin Yiqing had already spotted more than a dozen Talisman Masters. He could sense many more ahead, which made him click his tongue in amazement.
It seemed the Tower Duel truly mattered a great deal to every Talisman Master in a city!
Before long, a gray tower came into view. It had nine stories and stood on the White Jade Plaza, its design steeped in antiquity.
Even from a distance, it seemed to exude a heavy, oppressive presence!
By then, quite a few Talisman Masters were already sitting cross-legged in the plaza, quietly waiting for the Tower Duel to begin.
Lin Yiqing stirred his mental strength and finally spotted Master Yan near the front. He pushed past someone and went over. "Master, sorry to keep you waiting. I'm not late, am I?"
Master Yan laughed and exchanged a few words with him, then solemnly pointed to a white-robed man behind him and introduced him to Lin Yiqing. "This is one of my disciples, Zhou Qian. The two of you will be taking part in the Tower Duel together. Remember to support each other. We must defeat Wuling City!"
"I'll follow your instructions, Master. Little Brother Yiqing, I'll be relying on you this time."
Zhou Qian looked at Lin Yiqing with a smile. The duel outside the city gates a few days earlier had already spread through the major and minor factions of Yan City. He wouldn't dare underestimate the other man.
Besides, how could someone his own teacher had invited to help be anything but exceptional?
"Not at all, Brother Zhou. You're too modest. With your cultivation, winning this Tower Duel will be as easy as reaching into a bag!"
As Lin Yiqing looked at him, his heart tightened. Zhou Qian was only in his twenties, yet he had already become a Two-Seal Symbol Master. He was clearly another prodigy of extraordinary talent!
It seemed victory in this Tower Duel was already in the bag!
Before you continue