Time flew like an arrow, flowing like water. Before he knew it, Lin Zheyu had spent seven days in Lei Family City. Lei Yunshu hosted him for two days, then let him wander the city on his own as she had matters to attend to. Having suddenly become wealthy, he upgraded everything at once.

He bought a treasured blade worth one hundred and thirty mid-grade spirit stones, as well as a suit of armor that could withstand a strike from a Golden Core realm expert and even aided cultivation. On top of that, he acquired several powerful body-refining techniques, along with more advanced knowledge on demonic patterns and barbarian totems. He also deposited one hundred mid-grade spirit stones into the Wanli Alliance platform for later use. Altogether, he spent two high-grade spirit stones, leaving him with just one. Spirit stones were meant to be spent. Only when converted into strength did they serve their true purpose.

With this many techniques and manuals, it will keep me occupied for quite a while. As long as I fully grasp them, creating the third stage of the Primordial Golden Body will not be a problem, Lin Zheyu thought to himself as he looked at the many jade slips in his storage pouch.

Many cultivators in Lei Family City followed the path of body refinement, and the market was filled with all kinds of body-refining techniques. Among them were even unorthodox methods that incorporated demonic patterns from yaos, barbarian totems, and even the practices of the legendary Shamanic Clan. The sheer variety of techniques left Lin Zheyu overwhelmed. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

As Lin Zheyu held a jade slip and extended his spiritual sense into it to study the mysteries of demonic patterns, he sensed a faint fluctuation from the Spirit Resonance Sphere in his storage pouch. "Hm? A message."

With a thought, the Spirit Resonance Sphere appeared in his right hand. The light that belonged to Bai Lin was flickering gently on its surface.

Fellow Daoist Xiao, I have come out of seclusion.

Bai Lin's message was concise.

Yet this short message revealed two things. He had exited seclusion, and he had already gone to the courtyard where Lin Zheyu had previously stayed and retrieved the Spirit Resonance Sphere he had left behind. Otherwise, Bai Lin would not have been able to contact him through it.

Lin Zheyu quickly sent a reply.

Please wait, Fellow Daoist Bai. I am handling something outside. I will arrive in half a day.

A hint of joy appeared on his face. Bai Lin had finally come out of seclusion. After staying in Lei Family City for so long, it was about time to leave. Moreover, the Azure Dragon Realm imposed restrictions on visiting cultivators. Depending on their status, the allowed duration varied. Since Lin Zheyu had been invited by Lei Yunshu, he could stay for up to 10 days.

Although the spiritual qi in Lei Family City was abundant, it held little meaning for Lin Zheyu. With so many powerful figures around, he did not dare use the Limit Cultivation Method to obtain Origin Force, fearing he might be observed. By that calculation, the longer he stayed, the more he lost. After leaving a message for Lei Yunshu, he set off.

When he came, he had slowed down to match the maid's pace. Now, on the return trip, Lin Zheyu used the Earth Shrinking Technique, and his speed surged to seven times the speed of sound. It did not take long before he reached the teleportation plaza. After paying two low-grade spirit stones, he concluded his trip to the Azure Dragon Realm.

***

Amid the wild mountains, beside a scenic waterfall, white torrents plunged from hundreds of meters above, roaring thunderously.

The light in the air warped briefly, and Lin Zheyu stepped out.

After getting used to places rich in spiritual qi, returning to the mundane world feels quite uncomfortable. No wonder immortal cultivators rarely linger among mortals, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

Even someone like him, who had not opened the Bridge of Heaven and Earth and possessed only an inferior aptitude, felt the discomfort after just a few days. Not to mention those cultivators who had grown up in places like the Azure Dragon Realm, where spiritual qi was abundant.

Lin Zheyu did not dwell on it. With a step of his right foot, he appeared several hundred meters away in an instant, the motion entirely natural. After comprehending Mu Jianli's sword intent, although his understanding of spatial laws had not improved much, his application of them had become far more refined and effortless.

By the riverside of Wuling City, the river flowed with a steady rushing sound.

Lin Zheyu stepped through the air and landed in the courtyard, cupping his hands toward Bai Lin, who had been waiting for a while. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Fellow Daoist Bai."

Bai Lin waved his hand dismissively and said, "I have only just arrived, so I would not call it waiting. Rather, I have made you wait, Fellow Daoist Xiao."

After this seclusion, his strength seemed to have improved again, and his aura had grown even more powerful.

"Congratulations, your strength has improved again. It seems you may soon advance to the Shackles realm," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

"It is still far off. I have only just touched the threshold of the Shackles," Bai Lin said with a wry smile.

Breaking the shackles was extremely difficult. To break them, one first had to sense their existence. Many martial artists who followed the path of Immortal Martial Cultivation could not advance to the Shackles realm precisely because they could not even perceive the shackles. Without that, how could they ever break them?

"Once you have reached the threshold, progress will come quickly," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

"I will take that as a good omen. Are you still interested in joining the Martial Alliance?" Bai Lin smiled as he turned to the main matter.

"Of course. I have long been interested in the Martial Alliance. I simply never had the opportunity to join," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

In Lei Family City, he had found quite a few techniques related to the Divine Repositories and Shackles realm. However, techniques at that level were extremely expensive and not particularly high in quality. Joining the Martial Alliance directly was far more worthwhile.

"Have you finished your matters? Can we set out now?" Bai Lin asked.

"I have nothing pressing to handle now. We can depart immediately," replied Lin Zheyu with a nod.

He simply ignored Tu Yuan. That fellow had been in seclusion for so long that Lin Zheyu had already become wealthy and no longer cared about such a small amount of spirit stones.

"Uh... then shall we go now?" Bai Lin was momentarily taken aback. He had thought Lin Zheyu would need to settle some matters first.

"Yes. I have been looking forward to the Martial Alliance for a long time. I hope it will not disappoint me," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

"It certainly will not disappoint you. The Martial Alliance possesses many powerful martial cultivation techniques, the most advanced explorations of the path, and the strongest martial practitioners. Here, you will meet many like-minded martial artists and improve together," Bai Lin said with a smile.

The two moved and leaped out of the courtyard. Once outside Wuling City, their speed increased rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished into the deep mountains. The Martial Alliance mainly operated in the Fengchuan Region, which lay extremely far from Wuling City. Even at their speed, the journey still took more than a day.

In the forest, Bai Lin gasped heavily, his face slightly flushed. He looked at Lin Zheyu, whose aura remained steady and who appeared completely at ease, and felt great astonishment. If not for the time Bai Lin needed to recover, their arrival in the Fengchuan Region would have been even faster.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, are there not teleportation formations? Why not use them directly?" Lin Zheyu asked casually as he looked at Bai Lin, who was catching his breath. His blood qi and true origin far surpassed that of ordinary martial artists, and with his grasp of spatial laws, his consumption along the way had been much lower than Bai Lin's.

Bai Lin shook his head and said, "Teleportation formations within the mundane world are not the same as those between the mundane world and a grotto heaven realm. The Heavenly Dao of this world is incomplete. Using teleportation formations in the mundane world costs far more than using those that connect to grotto heaven realms. A single trip requires a full hundred low-grade spirit stones. It is not worth it."

Even for cultivators from esteemed families, without powerful parents or exceptional talent, spirit stones were always in short supply. As a martial artist, Bai Lin was no exception. He was poor. Spending a hundred low-grade spirit stones just to save a day or two was far too extravagant.

"Hmm, it truly is not worth it." Lin Zheyu nodded as if in agreement. His sudden wealth had dulled his sense of value toward spirit stones. He had almost blurted out that a mere hundred low-grade spirit stones were nothing.

After resting for an hour, Bai Lin opened his eyes and said, "Let us go. We are almost there."

Since they were close, Bai Lin did not wait to fully recover before setting off again.

A gentle breeze swept through, rustling the trees. Even in the depths of winter, the forest here remained lush and verdant. As the wind blew, waves of heat rolled in.

"It is quite hot. Is there a volcano here?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously. His Perception Domain spread out, but he did not detect any active volcano.

"There is no volcano, but there is a place called Fallen Phoenix Slope. It is said that a divine beast phoenix once fell there," Bai Lin explained.

"Oh? If there is time, I would like to take a look," Lin Zheyu said with interest.

"I am afraid that will not be possible. Fallen Phoenix Slope is an important site of the Heavenly Works Pavilion. It is their finest place for artifact forging and a restricted area. Outsiders cannot enter at all." Bai Lin shook his head.

The two passed through an invisible barrier, and a teleportation formation leading to the Martial Alliance headquarters appeared before them.

"That is truly a pity," Lin Zheyu said with some regret.

He stepped forward ahead of Bai Lin, took out spirit stones, and placed them into the formation slots. Light flowed through the formation, and the two vanished from the forest.

As soon as they arrived in the grotto heaven realm where the Martial Alliance was located, the roar of a ferocious beast echoed through the sky.

"What kind of beast is that?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously, sensing the immense power contained in the roar.

Its strength was likely close to the Golden Core realm.

"That is a Crimson Flame Lion. It has come out to hunt again. It is the mount of the alliance leader. It is extremely powerful, comparable to a Golden Core realm cultivator, but its temperament is quite gentle, so you need not worry," Bai Lin explained.

He smiled and continued, "Come, I will take you to the Martial Alliance headquarters to complete your membership procedures."

"Alright." Lin Zheyu nodded and withdrew his gaze.