The process of Lin Hao obtaining this Soul Gathering Realm Cultivation Technique might have seemed simple, but in reality, every step was fraught with danger and uncertainty.

Only Lin Hao could have done it; anyone else would have certainly failed.

First, setting aside the discovery of the secret behind the nine stone pillars.

Over thousands of years, there must have been extraordinarily talented individuals who noticed something was amiss with the reliefs on the nine pillars. However, absolutely no one could have reproduced them the way Lin Hao did.

Reproducing the correct patterns of the reliefs sounded easy, but in truth, only an Artifact Refining Grandmaster could accomplish it. The ability to make the reliefs both spiritually and physically perfect, without the slightest error, was something only a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining possessed.

However, even with the abilities of an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, it would all be for naught without an incredibly strong physical body.

Lin Hao discovered that the force that had ejected him when the nine stone pillars lit up was even a fraction stronger than his own power.

This was a test of physical strength.

Without immense physical strength, one would faint and thus be unable to see the subsequent vision.

Although that scene seemed simple, it definitely included a test of one’s comprehension.

Without sufficient comprehension, obtaining the Divine Illumination Scripture would be useless. And if one fainted, any talk of comprehension would be moot.

If one could not witness that scene, the Divine Illumination Scripture would never have appeared.

Even at the very end, when the Divine Illumination Scripture appeared, the trial for the successor was still not over.

In short, the appearance of the Divine Illumination Scripture was not a coincidence, nor was it an inevitability. It was the result of Lin Hao passing the trials.

Although the manuscript had vanished, the contents of the Divine Illumination Scripture were firmly etched into Lin Hao’s mind.

Lin Hao closed his eyes, familiarizing himself with the contents of the Divine Illumination Scripture over and over in his mind.

At the same time, the scene he had just witnessed within the ball of light also surfaced in his mind.

Although Emperor Hongtian’s demonstration of the Divine Illumination Scripture was swift, Lin Hao had still managed to capture fragmented, intermittent glimpses.

By comparing these fragments with the Divine Illumination Scripture, it wasn’t long before Lin Hao began to make some sense of it.

A smile appeared on his face. Lin Hao sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate the Divine Illumination Scripture.

An hour later, a strange change occurred in the underground palace.

The brightly lit palace suddenly plunged into darkness, and the once-still ceiling began to stir, as if it had come alive.

Before long, the ceiling of the palace seemed to transform into a starry sky.

Specks of starlight appeared in that night sky.

The starlight illuminated the underground palace, creating a hazy, dreamlike scene that resembled a celestial court.

Lin Hao sat cross-legged. A star directly above his head, which had not been particularly bright, suddenly flashed.

As time passed, the star flashed more and more frequently, with increasing urgency. Moreover, it seemed to be pulled by some mysterious force, elongating and forming a small tail.

However, the force was too weak to succeed.

This continued for an unknown length of time.

Finally, an extremely faint sliver of light was pulled by the mysterious force, appearing above Lin Hao’s head before disappearing into the crown of his skull.

At the same time, the star above Lin Hao’s head dimmed considerably.

The first step is always the hardest. Not long after the first success, a second sliver of light was absorbed by Lin Hao.

After this repeated more than ten times, the star above Lin Hao’s head had become almost invisible.

At that moment, Lin Hao’s eyes flew open.

"What an incredible Divine Illumination Scripture! It truly lives up to its name as an Emperor’s art—it’s unbelievably powerful!" Lin Hao rose to his feet, his face filled with joy.

The Divine Illumination Scripture used starlight to nourish the soul. The power from just one star had already brought Lin Hao unimaginable benefits.

The True Self Divine Soul seated in his Upper Dantian had grown stronger thanks to this starlight.

"Huh...?"

Just now, Lin Hao had been completely focused on his cultivation and hadn’t noticed what was happening in the palace. He was naturally startled to suddenly see the ceiling transformed into a starry sky.

After his initial shock, Lin Hao dared not delay. He immediately sat down cross-legged again and circulated the Divine Illumination Scripture.

’This isn’t a real starry sky. It must be something Emperor Hongtian prepared long ago to help his successor familiarize themselves with the Cultivation Technique.’

Lin Hao naturally wouldn’t waste this opportunity. The sky might be an illusion, but the stars were real.

Having familiarized himself with the process, Lin Hao quickly drew upon the power of a second star.

After the starlight entered the crown of his head, it was directly absorbed by his True Self Divine Soul.

In Lin Hao’s Upper Dantian, his True Self Divine Soul sat cross-legged, actively Refining the starlight.

As the starlight entered the True Self Divine Soul’s body, it began to turn translucent and crystalline, and an aura of the Great Dao flowed within it.

At the same time, the drop of True Blood in the center of the Tai Chi Array Map in Lin Hao’s lower Dantian flared brightly, causing the Tai Chi Array Map to begin to rotate.

Gradually, Lin Hao’s own body, like his True Self Divine Soul, also became translucent and crystalline.

And in the starry sky above Lin Hao’s head, one star after another grew dim.

An unknown amount of time passed. The underground palace fell into complete darkness as the starry sky above vanished.

The next moment, the light of the Luminous Pearls flared up, and the palace returned to normal.

Lin Hao, who was sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes, a look of great excitement on his face.

He could feel that his True Self Divine Soul had grown much stronger, several times more powerful than when he had first entered the Soul Gathering Realm.

Even so, Lin Hao still hadn’t advanced to the Second Layer of Soul Gathering Realm.

The Divine Illumination Scripture was an Emperor’s art. The requirements to advance to the Second Layer while cultivating it were far stricter than those of an ordinary Cultivation Technique.

Lin Hao naturally understood this principle. The more starlight he absorbed, the more powerful he would become.

Therefore, there was absolutely no reason for Lin Hao to be unhappy.

Having obtained the Divine Illumination Scripture and familiarized himself with it, Lin Hao wanted to leave the underground palace.

But he stopped the moment he took a step.

The wooden box behind the stone door in the palace was just too tempting.

’I’ve received the Great Emperor’s inheritance. Doesn’t that mean I’m qualified to see what’s inside that wooden box?’ Lin Hao asked himself.

’Definitely. Now that I have the Great Emperor’s approval, the box can surely be opened.’ Lin Hao answered his own question.

With this thought, Lin Hao, refusing to believe otherwise, headed toward the stone door again.

After passing through the stone door, Lin Hao cautiously surveyed his surroundings, choosing not to act immediately.

Everything that had just happened in here was enough to make Lin Hao heighten his guard. If his guess was wrong, he could very well lose his life.

Lin Hao stretched out his arm, approaching the wooden box almost inch by inch.

Throughout this process, Lin Hao’s Spiritual Sense was on high alert, ready to retreat at the first sign of anything unusual.

However, Lin Hao’s worries seemed to be unnecessary.

Nothing unusual happened, even when his hand touched the wooden box.

Cautiously taking the wooden box in hand, Lin Hao manifested his Primordial Body to do the work for him. He himself retreated to a safe distance, then gave it the command to open the box.

This time, the wooden box opened without any resistance.