The maid smiled as she looked at Lin Zheyu, who was still immersed in shock, her expression filled with pride and satisfaction. Almost every cultivator who came to Lei Family City for the first time would be shaken by the arrogant, domineering characters on the city gate plaque and the astonishing intent contained within them.

After a long while, Lin Zheyu let out a deep breath and came back to his senses from the vision.

It's too terrifying. The one who had left behind those characters possessed strength beyond imagination.

Seeing that Lin Zheyu had recovered from his shock, the maid spoke at just the right moment.

"My lord, this way please!"

Lin Zheyu gave a slight nod, his expression returning to calm. The city gate was heavily guarded. There were not only formation restrictions, but also teams of cultivators led by Foundation Establishment realm cultivators stationed there. The maid presented her identity token, and the two passed through the gate and entered the city.

At the instant they crossed the gate, Lin Zheyu sensed a faint, nearly imperceptible film of energy that separated the outside from the outer city as if they were two different worlds.

What dense spiritual qi of heaven and earth!

Lin Zheyu drew in a sharp breath, inwardly shaken.

The spiritual qi outside the city was already over ten times denser than that outside the Azure Dragon Realm. Yet within Lei Family City, the spiritual qi was more than ten times denser than even outside the city. Standing in such rich spiritual qi, Lin Zheyu felt incomparably comfortable, as if every pore in his body had opened on its own.

Lin Zheyu could not help but begin actively absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. His poor cultivation talent actually displayed quite decent breathing and absorption efficiency in such a dense environment.

If one had grown up in such a privileged spiritual qi environment, why would there be any worry about failing in cultivation? Lin Zheyu muttered inwardly.

He carefully observed the maid beside him. Her efficiency in exchanging spirit power particles with the outside world was far slower than his. In other words, in terms of cultivation talent, she was even worse than Lin Zheyu. Yet thanks to growing up in such a dense spiritual qi environment and being nourished by it at all times, she had still reached the third stage of the Qi Refining realm.

"Does everyone living in Lei Family City belong to the Lei Family?" Lin Zheyu asked.

He curiously looked around this so-called cultivation city. The buildings carried an ancient style with an air of refined luxury. From above, Lei Family City had appeared enormous, almost on par with Bafang City in the Southern Barbarian Region. If everyone living here belonged to the Lei Family, then their numbers would be terrifyingly large.

"You could say that, but it would not be entirely accurate. In Lei Family City, aside from the main and branch members of the Lei Family, there are also cultivation families and sect forces affiliated with them. These forces together form this vast Lei Family City."

The maid straightened her chest, her expression tinged with pride, as if she shared in the Lei Family's glory.

"There do not seem to be many people. For such a large city, why do I not see many around?" Lin Zheyu asked, glancing curiously at the surrounding streets and buildings.

"This is the outer city area, where ordinary people live. It is working hours now, so most of them are out in the fields. Once we enter the inner city area, it will be much livelier. In the inner city, not only are there members of the Lei Family and its affiliated forces, there are also cultivators from other cities. It is very bustling," the maid said sweetly, her face glowing with pride.

Lin Zheyu nodded in understanding.

The maid took out two Lightness Talismans from her storage pouch and handed one over as she explained softly, "Lord Xiao, Fatebound Phoenix Pavilion is still some distance away. Since flying is not allowed here, we can only rely on Lightness Talismans for assistance."

Lin Zheyu shook his head slightly. "I do not need it. Keep it for yourself."

"Yes, my lord," the maid responded respectfully and put away one of the Lightness Talismans.

She could not see through Lin Zheyu's strength, but since he had been received as an honored guest by Miss Lei Yunshu, his strength must be comparable to hers. Not long ago, the young miss had already broken through to the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm.

Even within the Lei Family, someone in the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm was considered a core pillar. To be treated as her honored guest, his strength had to be at least at that level. The maid placed the Lightness Talisman on herself, said a word to Lin Zheyu, and in a flash, sped toward the inner city at nearly the speed of sound.

This Lightness Talisman is quite something. It can actually let a third-stage Qi Refining realm cultivator reach this kind of speed, Lin Zheyu remarked inwardly with interest.

A third-stage Qi Refining realm cultivator was not particularly strong, roughly equivalent to a martial artist who had just stepped into the Blood Qi realm. For such a cultivator to burst out with speed approaching the speed of sound showed just how extraordinary that Lightness Talisman was. It was far beyond the low-quality talismans sold outside.

Lin Zheyu curiously observed the flow of energy within the maid and discerned some of its workings. Although he had never studied talismans, with his current realm, strength, and insight, it was easy for him to see through the principles behind a low-level talisman like this. However, understanding did not mean he could create one. At most, he could borrow its principles of energy flow and see if they could be adapted for his own use.

Interesting. Its energy efficiency surpasses even my repeatedly refined Earth Shrinking Technique. I should consider purchasing some classic low-grade talismans for further study. Not only talismans, but also formations and restrictions. These traditional low-level formations, restrictions, and talismans hold valuable methods for manipulating rules and spirit power that are worth examining.

Whether it was restrictions, formations, talisman craftsmanship, cultivation, martial arts, or the barbarian totemic path, all routes ultimately converged at the same destination. They all had a common foundation—centered on the manipulation and application of the rules of heaven, earth, and spiritual power.

In the cultivation world, all kinds of classic talismans, formations, and restrictions had withstood the test of time and were widely used. The techniques, methods, and principles they contained for manipulating the rules of heaven and earth and spirit power were both classic and highly efficient, making them extremely valuable for study. However, not everyone could easily see through the mysteries contained within them.

Even Lin Zheyu only managed this after, during the demon god barrier, he accidentally infused golden energy into his sea of consciousness, which improved his perception. Prior to that, if he had seen the maid use a Lightness Talisman, he would have just found it interesting. He wouldn't have perceived the spirit power flow within it or had the same thoughts he just did.

Lin Zheyu followed beside the maid, his expression calm and his steps unhurried, as if strolling through a garden, completely at ease.

The maid secretly glanced at Lin Zheyu, and seeing how casually he walked, her heart filled with awe and admiration.

This Lord Xiao is incredible! As expected of a powerhouse treated as a distinguished guest by Miss Yunshu.

Lin Zheyu paid no attention to the maid's thoughts. At this moment, he was carefully observing the flow and patterns of spirit power within her. A small Lightness Talisman could grant a third-stage Qi Refining realm cultivator speed surpassing the speed of sound. Its efficiency in energy usage and its ingenious manipulation of rules were remarkably refined and highly worth studying. Lin Zheyu began trying to absorb the Immortal Dao principles involved in the talisman and incorporate them into his Earth Shrinking Technique.

Before long, the two passed through the outer city and arrived at the inner city. As expected, almost everyone here was an immortal cultivator. Looking around, nearly 80% of the people showed fluctuations of spirit power. However, most were below the third stage of the Qi Refining realm. Fewer than 40% were above the third stage, and less than 20% had surpassed the sixth stage.

The two stopped in front of a restaurant, and the maid said respectfully, "My lord, we have arrived at Fatebound Phoenix Pavilion. Please follow me. My lady is already waiting for you in a private room on the second floor."

"Mmm." Lin Zheyu gave a soft response, a trace of regret appearing on his face.

What a pity. There was too little time. Although Lin Zheyu's perception was already extremely strong, so strong that Ji Ziyang and the others believed he had not only opened his spirit divine repository but had also awakened a spirit divine ability, fully comprehending the mysteries within the Lightness Talisman in such a short time was still nothing but a fantasy.

Being able to vaguely perceive the flow of Dao resonance and spirit power when the talisman was activated was already the result of his powerful perception at work. To truly grasp its underlying principles, Lin Zheyu estimated he would need about a month of focused study. His perception was still not strong enough. If only it were even stronger.

The spirit divine repository... Lin Zheyu murmured inwardly, his thoughts turning to it.

After the golden energy within his body entered his sea of consciousness, his Perception Domain underwent a transformation, becoming powerful enough to rival that of a martial artist who had awakened a spirit divine ability. Once a martial artist opened their spirit divine repository, there was a chance they would awaken such an ability. Lin Zheyu had yet to awaken one, yet his spirit perception was already this strong. If he were to awaken a spirit divine ability...

No, even without a spirit divine ability, simply opening his spirit divine repository would likely bring about another major transformation in his perception. Thinking of this, Lin Zheyu felt even more anticipation toward it.

Unfortunately, Bai Lin and Tu Yuan had been in seclusion for so long and still had not come out. If he wanted to open his spirit divine repository, he would have to wait for Bai Lin to come out and go with him to the Martial Alliance. Shaking his head slightly, he cleared the stray thoughts from his mind.