Obtaining a Talisman

As he entered the city, people thronged all around him, and waves of hawkers' cries drifted into his ears.

The moment he stepped into the city, Ye Lin's eyes constantly swept the surroundings. He was looking for that little stall. The panel said the elder would appear tomorrow, and since he had come early, he could not be certain he would encounter him.

At that moment, Ye Lin's eyes suddenly lit up. Ahead, a young attendant in a gray robe cautiously glanced around before pulling out all kinds of bottles and jars from his robes and setting up a stall.

Ye Lin stepped forward.

"Young brother, here to hunt for treasure? Take your pick. I brought all these things back from all sorts of ancient ruins. They all belonged to ancient immortal cultivators."

Ye Lin paid no attention whatsoever to the young attendant's bragging.

Ancient ruins were the cave residences left behind after mighty ancient immortal cultivators fell. Mechanisms and traps lurked everywhere within them. Forget this young attendant— even Golden Core experts would not dare claim they could enter and emerge unscathed.

Besides, the young attendant before him was plainly just an ordinary mortal.

"Boss, how much is this?"

Ye Lin picked up a little blue box and placed it before the young attendant.

"This? I brought this out of a ruin after narrowly escaping death nine times. There's an immortal pill inside that can let you step onto the path of immortality."

"If it's an immortal pill, why don't you open it and swallow it yourself?"

Ye Lin sneered.

Having been exposed, the young attendant was visibly embarrassed.

These things could not be opened. Once opened, they would not fetch a good price at all. It was like opening a blind box.

Still, he knew exactly where these things came from. Forget immortal pills—he would be lucky if opening them did not reveal poison.

Otherwise, why the hell would he be running a stall?

"Boss, name a price. This little box looks rather exquisite. I'll take it back as an ornament."

"Since you sincerely want it, five Low-Tier Spirit Stones."

After the young attendant spoke, Ye Lin looked at him as though he were an idiot. Five Low-Tier Spirit Stones—he really dared to ask for that much.

"I'm in a hurry. One Low-Tier Spirit Stone."

After saying that, Ye Lin tossed the young attendant one Low-Tier Spirit Stone and headed deeper into the city. He then opened the box, revealing a yellow talisman inside, covered in all manner of mysterious glowing patterns.

Ye Lin tucked the talisman into his chest.

All along the way, various panels appeared before Ye Lin's eyes.

There were quite a few Rogue Cultivators in the city. Although they were generally only at Qi Refining Levels 1 or 2, some Rogue Cultivators possessed astonishing luck.

Ye Lin wanted to try his luck.

"Damn it, I struck it rich! What a fat cat!"

The young attendant stared at the Spirit Stone in his hand, his face splitting into a broad grin. He had originally intended to haggle. Selling it for even one or two taels of silver would have been a huge profit, yet he had somehow hooked a Spirit Stone.

The value of one Low-Tier Spirit Stone far exceeded mundane things like silver.

But how could he know the value of a talisman capable of unleashing the full-force strike of a Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator?

After making a round and finding nothing particularly eye-catching, Ye Lin could not help feeling disappointed. He then headed back toward the sect.

After returning to the sect, Ye Lin made his way to his residence. Time was tight for him. Though the talisman gave him great confidence, external objects were ultimately just external objects.

"I'll cultivate for three days. Three days from now, I'll obtain the status of an Outer Sect disciple. By then, when Zhang Xiao emerges from seclusion, even if I'm no match for him, he won't dare openly make a deadly move against me."

There were two paths to becoming an Outer Sect disciple.

The first was to defeat an existing Outer Sect disciple. The second was to pass the Outer Sect assessment.

He could not take the first path, because the cause of Zhao Hu and the other two's deaths had yet to be determined, and the storm had not passed. If he suddenly and overwhelmingly defeated an old Outer Sect disciple to become a new one at such a time—

It would inevitably draw some attention.

He could only take the second path. Once he passed the Outer Sect assessment, he would become a qualified Outer Sect disciple and receive three Spirit Conversion Pills as a reward.

Moreover, the Outer Sect assessment only required Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation. For someone at Qi Refining Level 4 to kill three cultivators at Qi Refining Level 5—no matter who saw it, they would find that impossible.

This would also conceal himself better.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Over those three days, Ye Lin successfully cultivated the Life and Death Three Swords to the peak of the first layer. Once this sword was unleashed, even experts of the same sixth level would not dare take it head-on.

"Next, it's time to pass the Outer Sect assessment."

Ye Lin rose to his feet and headed toward the Outer Sect Office.

When he arrived at the Outer Sect Office, he saw two young disciples lying at the entrance, sleeping soundly.

They were responsible for all the office's affairs.

"Senior Brothers, I'm here to take the Outer Sect assessment."

Ye Lin clasped his hands and spoke to the two men before him.

After he spoke, one of them lazily opened his eyes.

"A Chore Overseer? Why aren't you obediently doing your job as a Chore Overseer? What are you doing here joining the fun?"

One of the disciples sneered.

"I have admired Outer Sect disciples for a long time. I came today to give it a try."

Ye Lin still kept his head lowered, his tone solemn.

"Fine. Three Low-Tier Spirit Stones, and we'll arrange it for you."

After the disciple spoke, Ye Lin slowly raised his head.

"Why have I never heard that taking the Outer Sect assessment requires three Low-Tier Spirit Stones?"

Seeing Ye Lin's expression, one of the disciples frowned, his tone impatient.

"It's a newly established rule. Otherwise, every stray cat and dog would come take the Outer Sect assessment. Wouldn't that throw everything into chaos?"

"Got them or not? If not, get lost. Don't waste our time."

At that moment, Ye Lin's gaze sharpened, and a panel appeared before him.

Name: Unrivaled

Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 6

Fate Rank: White (ordinary)

Fate Traits: [Small Fortune]

Destiny: Half a year later, he would be ordered down the mountain to eliminate demons, only to be drained of all his vital blood by an Evil Demon halfway there and die.

Recent Opportunity: Sensing that he was about to break through to Qi Refining Level 7, he would enter the Dark Gold Beast Cave two days later for a life-and-death trial. After independently killing three Qi Refining Level 5 Demon Beasts, he would discover a Mystic-Tier Low-Grade Spirit Fruit, the Blood Soul Fruit, within the beast cave. After refining it, his divine soul would be greatly strengthened.

[Small Fortune]: Good luck often allowed you to turn danger into safety when facing a crisis. You could always pick up something or other while walking down the road.

Seeing Unrivaled's opportunity, Ye Lin's heart shook. It was actually a treasure capable of strengthening the divine soul—such treasures could only be encountered by chance, never sought.

The divine soul was the foundation of a person. A powerful divine soul brought endless benefits, such as enhanced comprehension.

If an Evil Cultivator launched a spiritual attack against you, a powerful divine soul could directly render such attacks ineffective. It was absurdly overpowered.

"What are you standing there for? If you don't have Spirit Stones, get lost. Don't waste Laozi's time."

Seeing Ye Lin remain motionless, Unrivaled's patience gradually wore thin. Then again, he was only a minor Chore Overseer. Where would he get so many Spirit Stones?

"Here are three Low-Tier Spirit Stones."

Ye Lin then took out three Low-Tier Spirit Stones and handed them to Unrivaled. At the sight of them, Unrivaled's face lit up with delight, and he quickly put away the Spirit Stones.

"Very good. Not bad. Follow me."

Ye Lin followed behind Unrivaled to an open area, where three enormous puppets, each two meters tall, stood lined up.

"To become an Outer Sect disciple, your cultivation must be at least Qi Refining Level 4. I see that you're at Qi Refining Level 4, so you've passed the first test."

"The second test is to defeat three puppets at Qi Refining Level 4."

Unrivaled examined the spiritual energy fluctuations belonging to Qi Refining Level 4 around Ye Lin, nodded to himself, and spoke.

"Alright. The assessment begins."

After speaking, Unrivaled pressed Pillar at the side. Instantly, the three two-meter-tall puppets in the open area began to move.