A Deal with Lin Suri

Lin Suri on a protruding rock deep in the Ancestral Mountain, gazing at the distant sky, which was shrouded in a hazy mist and starlight.

His face remained calm and composed, but a subtle undercurrent of emotion flickered in his eyes, barely perceptible to outsiders.

As he gazed at Chen Lingxi aboard the Heavenly Boat, a multitude of images involuntarily flooded his mind.

It has only been a little over two years since he possessed the Rebirth Realm another, and as a cultivator Truth-Seeking Realm, his memory can be described as extraordinary!

When Lin Suri first possessed this body, he held a grand banquet to celebrate the body's birthday.

On the surface, the banquet was a celebration, but in reality, he used Incense Burner as a medium to set up a magic array that gathered Spiritual Qi throughout the entire Baosu Marquis Residence.

On that day, he had seen Chen Lingxi once.

At that time, he was just a sallow-faced, emaciated government slave, completely insignificant.

Lin Suri never imagined that Chen Lingxi was also a Truth-Seekers.

Not only is Truth-Seekers, but his accumulated cultivation has also reached such a formidable level.

With his cultivation level of the seventh level of the Lin Suri Qi Circulation Seventh Floor, and the Six-Qi True Method by his side, and with two Treasure Qi flowing simultaneously in his Qi Sea, he believed his eyesight was no less than that of any other cultivator at the same level.

Even so, he still couldn't quite fathom the depth of Chen Lingxi's skill.

The figure stood on the Heavenly Boat, his spiritual energy condensed like water, his aura restrained and not leaking outwards, just like a famous sword hidden in its sheath, its sharpness not revealed, yet it possessed a chilling aura that made people's hearts tremble.

"If I don't count the magical Law Artifact I possess, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to defeat Chen Lingxi based solely on my own cultivation level."

"Moreover, this person also has considerable background."

Lin Suri thought to himself.

In particular, Chen Lingxi also possessed an extraordinary throwing knife Law Artifact in his hand.

Xi Yuan, a figure at the Qi Circulation Eighth Floor, suddenly became sluggish in front of Chen Lingxi, as if he were stuck in a quagmire, and was dragged into the cracks of time by an invisible hand.

That method was too bizarre to be performed by ordinary magical Law Artifact.

Although it lasts only a brief moment, in the life-or-death struggle between cultivators, a single instant is enough to determine victory or defeat.

Compared to the Tiger General Token and the Two-Foot Jade Sword in his hand, that Law Artifact is probably even stronger.

He stared at Chen Lingxi, his mind racing.

Chen Lingxi was the same.

In Chen Lingxi's eyes, Lin Suri's spiritual energy circulated around him, and the two Treasure Qi in his Qi Sea lit up at the same time, raising his aura to its peak.

The Tiger General Token at his waist also emitted a faint golden light, and the phantom of the divine general appeared and disappeared behind him. A fierce and soaring aura burst forth from his body.

It's obvious.

Lin Suri was very wary of him.

This is only human nature.

Chen Lingxi was not angry. He stood on the bow of the boat and first looked down at the interior of the boat.

There lay a person there, it was Xi Yuan.

This Truth-Seeking Realm from the Xi Family had his eyes closed and his Qi Sea damaged.

Chen Lingxi casually pressed lightly on the back of his neck, releasing a small amount of spiritual energy.

Xi Yuan out a soft groan and then completely lost consciousness.

After doing all this, Chen Lingxi raised her head and turned her gaze to Lin Suri.

There was no murderous intent on his face; instead, he wore a calm and composed smile.

Chen Lingxi calmly stepped off the Heavenly Boat, and the pale blue cloud beneath her feet silently dissipated.

"Brother Dao, there's no need to be wary of me," Chen Lingxi said, his voice echoing through the silent valley. "I am but a minor cultivator. Although I desire the Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi, I do not wish to offend Brother Lin or the Dao-Below Academy."

His gaze was open and honest, and his tone even carried a hint of genuine sincerity.

Lin Suri remained unmoved and did not relax his guard because of these few words.

Having cultivated himself in two lifetimes, he knows the dangers of this world well, so how could he lower his guard because of a few nice words?

He remained silent, his gaze lingering for a moment on the Thunderlight Sword at Chen Lingxi's waist before slowly shifting to the distant celestial vessel suspended in mid -Heavenly Boat air.

It was as if it were saying... Lu Baizhong and Rong Chun also came from extraordinary backgrounds, so why did you dare kill them?

Chen Lingxi took in his gaze but didn't care, simply shaking her head slightly.

"I have a long-standing grudge against Rong Chun and Lu Baizhong."

He stated frankly, "They had tried to take my life long before I left the Ancestral Mountain Ancestral Mountain. This time, I was merely repaying their grievances with grievances."

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over Lin Suri: "As for Brother Lin and me... we are complete strangers, with no enmity whatsoever, so naturally I would not attack you without reason."

Lin Suri remained silent for a few moments.

He merely turned his head slightly, his gaze falling once more on Xi Yuan, who lay unconscious on the Heavenly Boat.

This Xi Yuan, do you also have a grudge against him?

Chen Lingxi seemed completely oblivious to his gaze.

He simply flicked his sleeve.

The instant he flicked his sleeve, the Profound-Pointing Sword Furnace on his left index finger lit up!

The black bead on the ring trembled slightly, and a beam of sword light shot out from it.

The sword light soared up, transforming into a three-foot-long azure sword aura, carrying an incomparably sharp aura, and shot straight toward a half-person-high blue stone not far away.

Where the sword flashed, the huge blue stone was silently split in two like tofu.

The cut surface is as smooth as a mirror, which is enough to show the sharpness of this Sword Qi.

Chen Lingxi withdrew his hand, and the radiance on the Profound-Pointing Sword Furnace slowly faded, transforming back into an inconspicuous dark silver ring.

He gestured towards the bluestone that had been cut in half, making a welcoming gesture.

"Brother Dao, we've known each other for a while now, why don't we sit down and discuss this?"

After saying this, he stepped forward to the bluestone section, lifted his robe, and sat down.

His demeanor was calm and unhurried, as if he were hosting an old friend who had come from afar in his own home.

Lin Suri still, his gaze lingering on the smooth, mirror-like cut surface for a few moments.

The sword light that just now seemed casual, but in fact it had already revealed some of Chen Lingxi's cultivation level.

The sword light contained three distinct streams of Treasure Qi.

"This person's Six-Qi True Method is actually more profound than mine."

Lin Suri felt somewhat helpless. "I only collected two extraordinary Treasure Qi, but this person collected three."

Left with no other option, he pondered the matter further.

If he makes a move, his true strength is unknown, and it's uncertain whether he can win.

If they flee, even if they escape temporarily, they will still need to refine that Mother Qi within this Ancestral Mountain before they can leave, and there is a high possibility that this person will find them.

He remained silent for a moment, then stepped forward and sat down opposite Chen Lingxi.

After the two sat down, Chen Lingxi suddenly reached to his waist and the Thunderlight Treasure Sword disappeared instantly, disappearing into his Hongdong Bag.

Lin Suri understood that this was Chen Lingxi's way of showing sincerity.

So he also withdrew the golden light from the Tiger General Token, and the phantom of the divine general behind him also disappeared.

He took off the token and untied the Two-Foot Jade Sword from his waist, putting both into his Hongdong Bag.

The two sat facing each other, only a few feet apart.

The wind at the mouth of the valley passed between the two men, causing their robes to flutter slightly.

Starlight streamed down from the night sky, falling on the bluestone and on the two people's shoulders, making this desolate mountain wilderness resemble a celestial cave abode where immortals discussed Daoist principles.

Chen Lingxi spoke first, breaking the silence.

"The Mother Qi of Ancestral Mountain is extremely precious to a small cultivator like me." He said slowly, with some real emotion in his tone. "But for a noble cultivator like Brother Lin Dao, it is actually not very important."

Upon hearing this, Lin Suri shook his head calmly. "The Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi is already an extremely precious fortuitous opportunity."

Even in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, this would attract numerous cultivators, even those at the Dao Foundation Realm Establishment stage, vying for it, let alone in this Qi-Less Grotto-Heaven."

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, having obtained the Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi, we will have a much better chance of competing for the Cauldron-Seizing Realm in the future."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lingxi's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded and smiled, "Indeed. The Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi is extremely precious, and Brother Lin would certainly not give it away to me so easily."

After he nodded, he suddenly flipped his palm over.

With a gentle flick of his long, slender hand in the Void, a talisman flew out of the Hongdong Bag and hovered steadily in his palm.

The talisman was about three inches long and two fingers wide, and the paper was a pale gold color with a faint jade-like luster.

As soon as the talisman appeared, an extremely mysterious aura emanated from it.

The aura was deep and heavy, like a volcano sealed within a small space. Although it had not yet erupted, one could already vaguely sense its extraordinary power.

Lin Suri's expression finally changed slightly.

The spiritual energy around him began to circulate almost instantly upon the appearance of the talisman.

The two Treasure Qi in his Qi Sea suddenly lit up, and a profound essence emanated from his body, enveloping him in a faint golden light.

"Brother Dao, please don't be angry!" Chen Lingxi quickly said.

He didn't activate the talisman; he simply opened his palm, letting the talisman hang steadily in his hand, his tone even carrying a hint of reassurance. "The reason I took out this talisman is to show it to Brother Lin."

Brother Lin, please take a look.

Lin Suri stared at the talisman for a few moments, his brows furrowing slightly.

He examined it carefully using the method of Qi Observation and found that the power contained in the talisman was extraordinary.

The spiritual energy sealed within the talisman flowed with terrifying power.

If it were activated, the power it unleashed would be earth-shattering.

"Is this the Foundation Talisman that Xi Yuan was about to activate?" Lin Suri asked.

Chen Lingxi smiled slightly, but did not answer.

He simply opened his right hand again, and another talisman appeared in his palm.

The talisman was exactly the same as the one from before, with the same pale gold paper, the same dark silver patterns, and the same profound and mysterious aura.

They were two identical Foundation Talisman.

Two talismans hovered in the air above his palms, their spiritual light faintly echoing each other, like two stars of the same origin shining brightly in the night sky.

Lin Suri's pupils contracted slightly.

Such powerful talismans, and Chen Lingxi just casually took out two of them?

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and asked in confusion, "What are you doing, fellow Daoist? Do you perhaps intend to exchange these two talismans for the Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi in my possession?"

Chen Lingxi shook his head. "The Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi is extremely precious. Although these two talismans are extraordinary, they are still valuable to cultivators at the Qi Circulation Eighth Floor. Once they reach the Ninth Floor of Qi Circulation, these talismans will no longer be considered precious, so how can they be exchanged for the Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi?"

As he spoke, he put the two talismans back into his Hongdong Bag before raising his head again.

His gaze fell on Lin Suri's face, and the smile slowly faded, replaced by an extremely solemn expression.

"The reason I showed these two talismans to you, fellow Daoist, is to let you know... I do indeed possess some hidden strength."

He said, "Brother, fortuitous opportunity. To be able to find a treasure full of spiritual energy in this Qi-Less Grotto-Heaven, you must also have a lot of resources."

He took a deep breath, and the smile on his face vanished completely.

He sat upright on the bluestone, his eyes fixed on Lin Suri.

"We have no grudges against each other; we have only come to this point by fortuitous opportunity."

If the two of us were to fight, even if one of us were to barely win, we would likely pay an extremely heavy price.

His voice echoed through the silent valley, "There should still be some remaining Seventh Floor cultivators within this Ancestral Mountain. At that point, they'll have only benefited others."

As Chen Lingxi spoke, her tone became increasingly solemn.

"I do not wish to be enemies with Brother Lin."

This statement was not meant to deceive Lin Suri.

Chen Lingxi truly did not want to be Lin Suri's enemy from the bottom of her heart.

Aside from the time he suppressed Lin Suri with Qi-Sea Vortex during the Total Perception Evolution, there were no other grudges between them.

Even during the Total Perception Evolution, Lin Suri only suppressed it with a vortex, rather than delivering a fatal blow.

Moreover, he had been spying on Lin Suri for a long time through his Wandering Sight Divine Ability, and knew that this person was not a malicious villain.

Why should I become his enemy?

Although he was unwilling to be Lin Suri's enemy, he never intended to hand over this Mother Qi.

The Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi was originally ownerless, and temporarily fell into the hands of Lin Suri.

Lin Suri had not yet refined it, so he could naturally seek it out.

Lin Suri looked into Chen Lingxi's earnest and honest eyes, pondered for a long time, and then slowly spoke, his voice still as steady as ever. "In that case, Fellow Daoist Chen, what do you wish to do..."

Seeing that he had finally relented, Chen Lingxi smiled again.

He straightened his robes and solemnly said, "I frankly tell you, Brother Zhi, I come from a minor sect in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm... My coming here to the Rebirth Realm was nothing more than an accident."

"I never harbored any desire to compete for the Cauldron Vessel; I simply wanted to seize the opportunity to find some Cave Heaven so that I could establish my Dao Foundation Realm after returning to the Great Xuanzhuo Realm."

Upon hearing this, Lin Suri looked Chen Lingxi up and down, his expression changing slightly.

He was probably thinking to himself...

Chen Lingxi's foundation is so terrifying, far surpassing that of ordinary Seventh Floor cultivators. He even captured Eighth Floor figures like Xi Yuan. Yet he is so humble now, which seems rather hypocritical.

Chen Lingxi seemed completely oblivious to the mockery in his gaze and continued speaking.

"So—" he began, his voice low but each word clear. "I am willing to make a deal with Brother Lin."

This time, he didn't fabricate any story about the fall of the Golden Grotto.

This is the real world; you have to take responsibility for what you say.

If he were to bluff and fool Lin Suri today, and the cultivators of the Pool-Soul Institute were to project themselves onto him one day to demand an explanation, what would he say then?

Lin Suri raised an eyebrow, clearly showing some interest in the word "transaction".

He hesitated for a moment, then asked...

How to trade?