"Alright, I'll find a good master for Xintong in the future to make her a powerful martial artist," Li Lin said.

"Why can't you teach me, brother? You killed those two men, you're already very powerful," Li Xintong asked with wide eyes.

Li Lin smiled slightly, acknowledging his own limitations, and gently said, "Brother still has a long way to go. In the future, I'll find a strong master for Xintong."

As they continued their journey, Xintong became happier with Li Lin by her side, while Little Dragon vigilantly kept watch.

Along the way, Li Lin encountered two third-stage initial-level demonic beasts. To ensure Xintong's safety, Little Dragon killed them. Over the next few days, they occasionally came across second-stage demonic beasts. Initially frightened by the bloody scenes, Xintong gradually became accustomed to them.

Li Lin intentionally exposed Xintong to blood, believing it would make her stronger and benefit her in the future.

As they encountered fewer demonic beasts of lower strength, Li Lin concluded they were leaving the danger zone and nearing the Ancient Realm.

Reaching the periphery, they saw more people in the mountains, mostly martial warriors seeking medicinal herbs and low-level demonic beasts. Martial masters were rare.

"Clang, clang..." Ahead, the sound of intense fighting broke out, with several figures battling, all at the martial warrior level, causing a continuous series of sonic booms.

Li Lin had become accustomed to such skirmishes over the past two days, confirming the rumors of chaos in the Ancient Realm. He had witnessed large-scale battles involving hundreds of people.

With Xintong by his side, Li Lin immediately avoided the fray, not wanting to attract trouble.

Through observation, Li Lin learned about the frequent killings for loot near the Ancient Realm. He also discovered that many small sects were created and destroyed daily in the chaos of the Ancient Realm. The region was governed by several super-large sects, whose power rivaled the three major sects and four major gates of the Lingwu Continent. These super-large sects maintained order in the Ancient Realm, preventing outsiders from interfering.

At the edge of the Wudu Mountains, the chaos was already palpable, and Li Lin could only imagine the greater turmoil deeper in the Ancient Realm.

Quietly leaving the area with Xintong, Li Lin's pace was slower.

That night, under the bright moon, they found a valley with dancing shadows of tree branches on the rocks, resembling a dance of demons.

In a cave in the valley, Li Lin cultivated, surrounded by an invisible glowing aura, and finally stopped at dawn. He had broken through to the eighth level of spiritual mastery, with only about one-fifth of the Soul Spirit Divine Liquid remaining. Previously, consuming one-tenth of the bottle had elevated him from the second to the sixth level of spiritual mastery.

Now, with only one-fifth of the liquid's energy remaining, Li Lin realized he wouldn't be able to reach the ninth level of spiritual mastery. He wasn't surprised, as each higher level required more energy. He anticipated even greater energy consumption once he reached the level of a spiritual master.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Eight levels of spiritual mastery, eight levels of martial mastery," Li Lin reflected on his strength, knowing his journey to become a stronger warrior was just beginning. He estimated that with his current power, if he used the Xuan-level spiritual technique, Soul Blade Technique, he could potentially kill an average second-stage martial master, demonstrating the power of the technique.

Li Lin has now become an eight-layer spiritual warrior, his strength multiplied several times. It shouldn't be difficult for him to kill a second-layer martial artist. The Blade Soul Technique is a mysterious-level spiritual technique, highly valued on the Great Path, far surpassing star-level or yellow-level martial and spiritual techniques in power.

However, Li Lin isn't sure if the Blade Soul Technique can kill a third-layer martial artist. After all, he is only an eight-layer spiritual warrior, and using the technique consumes an astonishing amount of spiritual energy, unsustainable for frequent use.

After preparations, Li Lin and his companions, a person and a beast, set off again.

In a forest, a little dragon flicking its tongue and gazing intently to one side alerted Li Lin to potential danger.

"Help, friends ahead! Save my life with three second-grade elixirs." A young man, looking disheveled and with torn clothes, ran from the bushes ahead. His aura suggested he was a seventh-layer martial artist. Two young men with knives were furiously chasing him.

Li Lin watched the young man approach without a frown.

The young man, now within ten meters of Li Lin, pleaded loudly, "Save me, and the three second-grade elixirs are yours."

"Seeking death," Li Lin coldly snorted. As the young man neared, Li Lin's true qi surged out, and five finger imprints shot through the air like lightning, carrying a scorching breath, instantly hitting the young man. Five bloody holes appeared, and he was killed on the spot without a chance to fight back.

"Run..." The two knife-wielding young men behind hesitated for a moment, then fled.

Li Lin had no intention of chasing them. He smiled faintly, realizing the young man was about a seventh-layer martial artist, and it was abnormal for him to be chased by a fourth-layer and a fifth-layer martial artist. The young man's panic seemed feigned, with a hint of coldness in his eyes, indicating a trap. If Li Lin had been slightly careless, the man might have attacked him unexpectedly.

"Die smarter in your next life," Li Lin muttered, kicking the young man's corpse, which had only a few dozen gold coins and three common herbs, without even a space bag.

After clearing the area, the little dragon devoured the young man's corpse, and they continued on their journey. Li Xin Tong, who had just witnessed the killing, showed no nervousness, merely closing her eyes briefly, being only a ten-year-old girl.

Three days later, after crossing a forest, Li Lin found himself in a vast land with no more forests or mountains in sight, only a distant mountain range visible on the horizon.

This land was a huge territory, next to a large body of water with several small islands in the distance, all covered with a layer of glossy green.

On this land, there were continuous buildings, winding as far as the eye could see, its breadth unknown.

"Phew..." Li Lin let out a long sigh. After several months, he finally emerged from the Misty Mountain Range, only to find himself in the ancient realm.

"I'm finally out," Li Lin said with a bitter smile. Over the past few months, he had undergone significant life-and-death trials.

"Brother, this is the ancient realm. The Flying Spirit Gate is not far ahead," Li Xin Tong informed Li Lin.

"Let's find a place to eat well and rest well, then plan for the future," Li Lin suggested.

Upon reaching the ancient realm, Li Lin didn't want to stay. He planned to find a mercenary group heading to Misty City and travel there together. It had been over five months since he was separated from Li Wu Shuang and others, who probably thought he was dead.

Li Lin also longed to return to Yun Yang Sect soon to complete tasks entrusted to him by Uncle Jiang, including acquiring the Millennium Red Copper and the Floating Shadow technique.

"I'll listen to Brother," Li Xin Tong said, holding Li Lin's hand and smiling slightly. "Actually, I think the grilled meat Brother makes is very delicious."

In recent days, Li Lin had been grilling various wild beasts for Li Xin Tong, who drooled over the delicious food, having never tasted anything so good before.