"When did you come to Xuan Spirit Heaven?" Yan Ming King was surprised. He thought Wang Linchi had died long ago in Yi State; after all, with such meager strength, how could he possibly have escaped?

"Well, it's quite unfortunate, actually. The Sheng family was secretly buying people, and I was sold here by the local Great Families. Then, I got caught when the Six Doors were arresting people and ended up in prison."

"After that, by some chance, I ended up in the Secret Realm, thinking I'd lay low for a while."

"Then I heard about your reputation and decided to seek refuge with you," Wang Linchi summed up his story briefly.

"Your luck... it's really something, surviving yet again," said Yan Ming King, scratching his nose. "So you plan on joining our Ming King Palace now?"

"Nope. The gap between us is growing. If I join now, it would seem like I'm being opportunistic," Wang Linchi said frankly.

Yan Ming King also noticed Wang Linchi was still at the Black Iron Level. Recognizing the vast difference in their abilities, he understood Wang Linchi's point.

He was already at the peak of Secret Silver Level, capable of overpowering even veteran Elite Gold Level Awakeners. His power was obviously immense.

"So why did you come to see me?" Yan Ming King was puzzled.

"To complete the task. We agreed on a year. Even though it took longer, it was due to circumstances beyond my control. Being old classmates, you wouldn't mind a little delay, would you?" Wang Linchi teased.

"You actually completed it?!" Yan Ming King was genuinely shocked this time. With all that had happened, he had hardly hoped Wang Linchi could finish the task. The fact that he was still alive was impressive enough.

"It was tough. I was on the run most of the time. However, thanks to the groundwork we laid before, and after entering the Secret Realm, I managed to settle down by keeping my head down and avoiding the mission," Wang Linchi explained, pulling out several stacks of books. "You trusted me so much. Besides the latest Soul Seed Boiling, there are also its derivative Soul Skills. See if they're useful."

Yan Ming King hastily took them and began to study them.

[Soul Skill: Soul Seed Boiling LV7 (0/0): Permanently enhances all Soul Kind effects by 70%.]

[Soul Skill: Common Level Soul Kind Searing: When Soul Seed Boiling is active, each level of Soul Seed Boiling increases the effects of all Common Level Soul Kinds by an additional 5%.]

[Soul Skill: Excellent Level Soul Kind Searing: When Soul Seed Boiling is active, each level of Soul Seed Boiling increases the effects of all Excellent Level Soul Kinds by an additional 5%.]

[Soul Skill...]

[Soul Skill: Legendary Level Soul Kind Searing: When Soul Seed Boiling is active, each level of Soul Seed Boiling increases the effects of all Legendary Level Soul Kinds by an additional 5%.]

Indeed, from LV5 to LV7. Next, I just need to develop a Soul Seed Boiling that can affect Mythology Level Soul Kinds to reach LV10.

Then there were these derivative Soul Skills. Although they couldn't take effect on him—after all, the nine Soul Kinds he possessed were all Mythology Level, and Wang Linchi couldn't research something non-existent—he was satisfied with the effect. If Wang Linchi developed LV10 Soul Seed Boiling, it would definitely come with the derivative Soul Skill, Mythology Level Soul Kind Searing. By then, his Soul Kind Effect would reach 200%.

No, perhaps more. Wang Linchi is fully capable of creating more derivative Soul Skills based on Soul Seed Boiling. Unfortunately, it's not a Battle Class Soul Resemblance. Sigh. Yan Ming King sighed inwardly.

"Well? Satisfied?" Wang Linchi asked.

"Satisfied, I'm very satisfied." How could Yan Ming King not be satisfied? Then he continued to ask, "Are you confident about the Mythology Level?"

"No," Wang Linchi said directly. "Without Mythology Level Soul Kinds, how could I possibly succeed?"

"I'll sponsor you!" Yan Ming King said resolutely.

"I'm afraid you can't afford it," Wang Linchi said regretfully. "Based on the gap between Legendary Level and Epic Level Soul Kinds, the plan requires ten Mythology Level Soul Kinds, one hundred Legendary Level Soul Kinds, and even more Epic Level Soul Kinds."

Yan Ming King listened without any change in his expression.

"Let's do as you have proposed for Mythology Level and Legendary Level. As for Epic Level, will 10,000 be enough?" Yan Ming King was actually prepared for this.

He could actually muster that many Soul Kinds.

Nowadays, the Soul Kinds and resources he possessed were as worthless as currency in a collapsed economy. It was as if the entire Dajing Dynasty world was sacrificing itself to continually push Yan Ming King's growth.

"Really?!" Wang Linchi was surprised. He hadn't expected Yan Ming King to agree.

Originally, he hadn't asked for so many. In his mind, three Mythology Level Soul Kinds and five Legendary Level ones would have sufficed. As for Epic Level, it didn't matter much; the main focus was on the Mythology and Legendary levels.

"Hmm, when can you finish?" Yan Ming King asked.

"I'll be leaving the Secret Realm in six months. If you can help me collect five Longevity Fruits and Natural Treasures or Soul Devices for a Black Iron Level breakthrough to the spiritual power limit, I can get it done for you in five months. The remaining month can then be used to upgrade Soul Kind Searing to Mythology Level. If I'm lucky, I could even develop a new set of derivative Soul Skills," Wang Linchi said without hesitation.

He naturally planned to use the remaining time to collect some Natural Treasures or Soul Devices, ensuring he would have cultivation resources after leaving the Secret Realm.

However, in the face of Mythology Level Soul Kinds, everything else could be set aside. Besides, having Yan Ming King help him collect them would be even better, wouldn't it?

"Your Secret Realm mission is to collect five Longevity Fruits?" Yan Ming King abruptly asked.

"Yes!" Wang Linchi responded without hesitation. He wanted the Longevity Fruits, naturally hoping to see if he could exploit some kind of loophole.

If his Stand-in Saint Master consumed one, would the lifespan gained be a hundred years or ten? If it was a hundred years, Wang Linchi could gain one hundred years of life through this loophole. After all, the Stand-in Saint Master's lifespan was his lifespan.

As for awakening an ability or improving aptitude, he guessed it would probably be useless for the Stand-in Saint Master, who already possessed the highest theoretically achievable level of aptitude.

But even if the loophole couldn't be exploited, Wang Linchi could still consume the Longevity Fruits to extend his own lifespan or use them to increase his permitted time in certain Secret Realms in the future.

"Alright, I will try to collect them for you," Yan Ming King agreed.

Since this concerned his own LV10 Soul Seed Boiling and its derivative Soul Skills, Yan Ming King naturally had to ensure Wang Linchi's requests were met.

"Shall I arrange a safe place for you to start working?"

Yan Ming King was much more anxious than Wang Linchi.

"No problem." Wang Linchi naturally would not refuse.

Wang Linchi glanced at the Book of Records and was somewhat relieved. It was fortunate that the Stand-in Saint Master was essentially a Guardian Spirit created from Ghost Patterns and thus could be stored within the Book of Records. Otherwise, if Yan Ming King saw it, who knew what conclusions he might jump to.

Soon, Wang Linchi was taken to a secluded courtyard, where Yan Ming King had arranged for people to guard and protect him. He had considered working alone, but it was too dangerous outside.

The conflict between Yan Ming King and the Baylong Religion was escalating. If it weren't for the protection of his Stand-in Saint Master, he might not have even been able to find Yan Ming King.

It should be known that not only was Yan Ming King present, but also a Morning Star Level protector—a beautiful woman assigned by his Domain Master mentor. She and the Black Dragon Bishop of the Baylong Religion clashed every few days, resulting in heavy casualties among the Secret Realm's native inhabitants, caught between the influence of the Tree of Immortality and their battles.

Notably, Yan Ming King seemed to have no intention of expelling the Tree of Immortality. Instead, he allowed the Black Dragon Bishop to continuously let it spread throughout the Secret Realm, apparently having some scheme in mind.

Watching me? Wang Linchi detected certain special fluctuations of spiritual power through his Thought Field.

If they had been surveilling him directly using visual abilities or line-of-sight techniques, Wang Linchi might not have detected it. However, fluctuations and frequencies generated by methods like Divine Sense perception or spiritual power scans could be captured by his Thought Field.

However, it was understandable. This involved ten Mythology Level Soul Kinds; if it were him, he wouldn't be at ease either. But it seemed the one watching him wasn't Yan Ming King, but other members of the Ming King Palace.

He didn't track the source but began to analyze the Mythology Level Soul Kinds on his own. Even if they watched, Wang Linchi didn't believe they could understand his methods.

If they truly could understand, it wouldn't matter. It would be like trying to build a pavilion without laying any foundation; if they could manage that, he'd admit they were skilled.

Besides, his actions were very covert, so he didn't need to worry about them figuring anything out. His Soul Kind, Soul Courtyard, had been upgraded to Legendary Level, and its Soul Shield ability had also grown stronger.

By his estimation, one would need to be at least Morning Star Level to discern any clues. And based on the intensity of the spiritual power wave frequencies monitoring him, it was likely from a Secret Silver Level Awakener.

As expected of Mythology Level; the difficulty is much higher than Legendary Level. One month isn't enough to complete the analysis; it will take two. After his preliminary analysis, Wang Linchi naturally felt the task was quite challenging.

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