Just as Lin Yinuo had expected, his renown as the "Imperial Bulwark" was like a boulder hurled into a tranquil lake, its ripples spreading rapidly. After he returned to Fenlai City and politely declined almost every overt invitation, all manner of open and covert probes and approaches began taking more secretive forms.
Some people claiming to represent major merchant associations tried to purchase the Magic Cannon blueprints at astronomical prices; young nobles with powerful backgrounds came offering "friendship," their words laced with probing questions; even a few solitary experts with inscrutable auras appeared intermittently around the academy's perimeter, their gazes appraising.
Lin Yinuo ignored them all, spending most of his time in his small dormitory building or the library's restricted section, diligently absorbing the practical experience he had gained fighting the Luo'ao Empire's army while continuing his intensive study of The Art of War and the fragments of fire laws. He knew these were merely appetizers. The truly influential powers were still watching, or preparing more direct approaches.
That evening, he received a politely worded invitation bearing the Radiant Church's blazing emblem, inviting him to Fenlai City's cathedral in three days to "discuss faith and the empire's future."
The Radiant Church... have they finally lost patience? Do they see the Magic Cannon's potential in war, or have they noticed something else unusual about me?
He put the invitation away without betraying anything and did not reply immediately. He needed some time, and an opportunity, to break out of his current passive position as the object of every faction's covetous attention.
Night fell, and the purple nether moon hung in the sky, bathing the earth in its cool, clear light. Rather than stay in his dormitory, Lin Yinuo went alone to a small, long-abandoned observatory tower on the edge of Fenlai City's noble district. The ground here was elevated, offering an open view over nearly half the city while remaining secluded enough.
He climbed to the top of the tower, feeling the slight chill of the night breeze and the nether moon's distinctive radiance. In the Coiling Dragon Universe, the nether moon corresponding to the Netherworld seemed to hold deeper secrets connected to the soul. Checking in here might yield something special.
"Check in."
He said the words silently, a trace of anticipation in his heart.
[Ding! Check-in successful! Congratulations, host, on checking in at [Observatory Beneath the Purple Moon], triggering environmental resonance and receiving the rewards: [Dimensional Beacon (Fragment) · Gebados] and [Soul Concealment Technique (Basic)]!]
Two streams of information flooded his mind in an instant.
[Soul Concealment Technique (Basic)] was an ingenious method of using spiritual energy that could effectively suppress his soul aura. Unless someone's soul realm far exceeded his, they would find it difficult to discern his true capabilities. Given the scrutiny he currently faced, this was undoubtedly timely aid.
But what shook Lin Yinuo even more was the [Dimensional Beacon (Fragment) · Gebados]!
It was not a physical object, but an extraordinarily complex soul imprint containing spatial coordinates and a special frequency! It pointed straight to the Gebados Planar Prison, where countless experts were confined! Although it was only an incomplete beacon and could neither transport him directly nor give him control over the Planar Prison, it provided a clear set of "coordinates" and a faint ability to "sense" it!
Here it is! The key to the Planar Prison has appeared in this form! The system really is guiding me toward a broader stage!
He immediately began absorbing the [Soul Concealment Technique] and put it into operation. At once, the faint, unusual aura surrounding him, born of his powerful spiritual energy and comprehension of laws, rapidly withdrew inward. He became like an ordinary magic apprentice whose mana was simply a little purer, no longer drawing attention as he had before.
Good. This should spare me a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Next, he sank his awareness into the [Dimensional Beacon]. The soul imprint resembled a miniature, constantly shifting three-dimensional star chart. One point shone especially brightly, emanating an aura of chaos and savagery, yet brimming with powerful fluctuations. Those were the coordinates of the Gebados Planar Prison. Through this beacon, he could not only vaguely sense the Planar Prison's existence, but even faintly detect the extremely unstable and dangerous "weak points" between it and the Yulan Continent!
The Necropolis of the Gods... right. In the original story, one of the entrances to the Gebados Planar Prison was in the Necropolis of the Gods. This beacon is undoubtedly guiding me there. But before that, I need sufficient strength, and a legitimate reason to enter the Necropolis of the Gods.
A clear plan rapidly took shape in his mind.
He needed to use this invitation from the Radiant Church, along with any other pressure that might soon arrive, to secure the right to enter the Necropolis of the Gods! At the same time, he had to begin preparing in advance to "manage" the Planar Prison in the future. Bluefire... that supreme expert trapped in the Planar Prison who was about to break through to become a Lower Sovereign would be his most important prospective partner.
Standing atop the observatory tower beneath the nether moon's clear radiance, Lin Yinuo's lips curved faintly upward.
Passively waiting to be recruited? That was not his style.
What he wanted was to take the initiative and break the deadlock, to step beyond the Yulan Continent's chessboard and make the planes his stage!
The Radiant Church's invitation might make a good opening. He now had enough bargaining chips to negotiate as an equal with these foremost powers of the continent.
Three days from now... Fenlai City's cathedral. Let me see just what this Radiant Church wants to do. And what new door my "Dimensional Beacon" will open for me.
He turned and descended the observatory tower. His figure looked especially upright beneath the nether moon, his steps firm.
From that moment on, his gaze was no longer confined to the conflicts of the Yulan Continent. The chaotic Gebados Planar Prison, filled with opportunities, was his true next objective.
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