"Whoosh!"

There wasn't a loud energy explosion, just a sound of energy cutting through the air. The protective aura around the scarred man began to crack as an unrivaled force spread out, distorting the surrounding space. His body split in two, and with a spray of blood mist, his pupils dilated in horror. Only then did he realize that his opponent was a spiritual practitioner, using a spiritual technique.

"Whoosh whoosh..."

The sword's fury unleashed by the scarred man was penetrated by the knife aura and continued to envelop Li Lin. As the scarred man was killed, the sword aura transformed into energy and dissipated into the void.

Li Lin's face turned slightly pale; executing the Knife Soul Technique consumed a considerable amount of spiritual power.

"Ah..."

Almost simultaneously, a scream came from the air. The little dragon had bitten the neck of the ninth-level warrior, turning him into a dry corpse.

"Still not dead?" Li Lin approached the eighth-level warrior who had fallen onto a boulder. The warrior's face was pale, with blood traces around his mouth. He was so shocked that he couldn't speak. Seeing Li Lin approaching, he shook his head in terror and tried to retreat, but his body was paralyzed.

The warrior had never imagined that a seemingly lean young man could possess such terrifying strength. They had misjudged him, as had their sect.

"Not dead yet, that's good." Li Lin softly said, changing the hand seal. A claw print instantly clasped the man's crown, unleashing a massive devouring force.

"Ah..."

After a final scream of agony, the warrior's skin gradually withered and dried up. In a quarter of an hour, he turned into a dry corpse.

"Treasure Gathering Gate, I'll settle this account with you later." After retracting the hand seal, Li Lin's brows furrowed. While absorbing the warrior's true qi, he learned from the warrior's memories that the four assailants had been sent by people from the Treasure Gathering Gate.

Although the Treasure Gathering Gate was the largest business in town, it secretly engaged in such murderous ventures, targeting those who appeared wealthy in their shop.

After searching the four bodies, only the scarred man had a spatial bag. After claiming it as his own and inspecting its contents, Li Lin found over ten thousand gold coins, more than ten second-grade pills, and various items—a moderate haul.

"Sssss..."

The little dragon quickly expanded its body, swallowing all four corpses with its massive mouth.

"Let's go back." The little dragon shrank back to its small size and coiled on Li Lin's shoulder. Li Lin gently stroked its head.

"Sssss..."

The little dragon affectionately rubbed against Li Lin's neck.

After returning to the Flying Spirit Gate, the little dragon reluctantly entered Li Lin's sleeve at his request.

"Junior Brother, welcome back!"...

On the way, ordinary disciples of the Flying Spirit Gate respectfully greeted him.

"Brother!" At their residence, Li Xintong happily greeted him, her face brightening with a smile.

"Here, brother got you some clothes. See if you like them." Li Lin smiled and took out several dresses and clothes from his spatial bag for Li Xintong.

"So many! Xintong has new clothes to wear, thank you, brother!" Li Xintong joyfully jumped up, giving Li Lin a happy kiss on the cheek.

"Junior Brother, you're back." Fang Xinqi smiled as she came out, accompanied by Zhang Mingtao.

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"Yes." Li Lin replied softly and then asked Zhang Mingtao, "Brother, does the Flying Spirit Gate have a secure practice chamber? I want to go into closed-door cultivation for a few days."

"A safe chamber." Zhang Mingtao understood that a safe chamber meant a place where people like Huang Haibo couldn't enter at will.

"Yes, there is one behind the mountain, usually used by Master for his cultivation," replied Zhang Mingtao. "How long do you plan to be in closed-door cultivation, Junior Brother?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe half a month, perhaps two months," Li Lin said. He planned to cultivate the Blood Soul Mark and attempt to make puppets, which would take some time.

Behind the waterfall on the back mountain, not far from their residence, the chamber was inside a large rock mountain.

Led by Zhang Mingtao, Li Lin entered the chamber. The chamber, surrounded by thick rock, could only be opened from the inside. Previously, it was used by Li Qing for his cultivation.

Li Lin entered the chamber and looked around. The spacious area was sufficient. He asked the little dragon to guard outside for his safety and to let it play on the back mountain.

"First, I'll refine." Li Lin sat cross-legged, forming hand seals. He hadn't yet refined the true qi energy he had absorbed

from the eighth-level warrior. He planned to refine it before cultivating the Blood Soul Mark.

Moments later, Li Lin entered a cultivation state, refining the absorbed true qi energy into pure qi, which flowed through his meridians and eventually into his dantian qi sea.

As time passed, Li Lin was enveloped in a faint earthy-yellow light, his aura slowly rising, entering a wondrous state of cultivation.

In a range of continuous mountains, within these mountains, stood the majestic Yun Peak, its cliffs shimmering. Above the mountainside, forests and clouds intermingled, creating a lush greenery that framed a large group of exquisitely carved buildings.

Among these mountains, on one solitary peak, the trees were lush, and a bamboo grove cast a cooling shade. The steep cliffs surrounded the area. Looking down from above, the undulating emerald-green mountains and the densely shaded trees contrasted with the vast azure sky, while a few drifting clouds completed this picturesque landscape.

Atop the peak, a woman's silhouette was faintly discernible as she gazed into the distance. Her eyes were tender and thoughtful, a slight trace of sorrow in her brows.

"Unparalleled Sister..." A clear voice rang out, followed by two graceful figures appearing on the mountain. The leading girl, elegant and beautiful, was Du Gu Binglan.

Beside her, another young girl, with long eyebrows over large, beautiful eyes and fair skin, wore a light-colored long dress that accentuated her figure. A red birthmark adorned her face; she was Du Gu Binglan's maid, Cuiyu.

"Binglan, Cuiyu, what brings you here?" The woman turned around, her smile enchanting yet seen by few.

"I just finished my cultivation practice and came to see you. I heard you entered the Dragon List yesterday, so I came to congratulate you," said Du Gu Binglan with a slight smile.

"It's just the last place on the Dragon List," Du Gu Binglan laughed. "You seem to have quite the news network."

"Now, many male disciples in our sect are talking about Unparalleled Sister. You must have many admirers," teased maid Cuiyu.

"You silly girl," Li Wushuang gently smiled, and the three women started frolicking on the mountaintop.

Seven days later, in the secret chamber of the Flying Spirit Gate, Li Lin was enveloped in a thick earthy-yellow aura. His presence had strengthened considerably compared to seven days ago.

"Sigh..."

Exhaling a breath of turbid air, his aura, along with the earthy-yellow light, retracted into his skin.

"I've reached the late stage of the Eighth-Level Warrior." Li Lin opened his eyes, his gaze sharp. He felt the level of true qi in his body. Refining the true qi of an eighth-level warrior had advanced him from the early to the late stage of the Eighth-Level Warrior.

"Now it's time to start cultivating the Blood Soul Mark," Li Lin frowned, slightly daunted by the thought of the process.

"Hum..."

He took out the Fire Dragon Cauldron and placed it in the chamber. He then started preparing various valuable medicinal ingredients such as Bi'an Spiritual Grass, Tongling Fat, and Ju Blood Ganoderma.

"Let's do it. No pain, no gain," Li Lin gritted his teeth. Successfully cultivating the Blood Soul Mark would allow him to control demonic beasts, significantly enhancing his strength. Enduring hardship was a small price to pay in this world where there's no such thing as a free lunch.

With a hand seal, spiritual power flowed into the cauldron, igniting fierce flames within. A sweep of his sleeve sent a medicinal herb into the Fire Dragon Cauldron.

As soon as the herb entered, it was enveloped by the intense flames. The flames released tremendous heat, and the herb began to melt after a moment.

Li Lin carefully controlled the process. The ingredients for the Blood Soul Mark were primarily used in third-grade pills, which he felt were still beyond his capability to refine. However, he could process these herbs, though it was more challenging and consumed more spiritual power.

The flames in the Fire Dragon Cauldron churned, raising the chamber's temperature to an unbearable heat, turning the herbs into spiritual liquid.

Then, Li Lin added the second herb, which withered rapidly under the high temperature before slowly melting.

Three hours passed, and only Bi'an Spiritual Grass, Tongling Fat, and Ju Blood Ganoderma remained. These were the most expensive and difficult to process, crucial for cultivating the Blood Soul Mark.

After three hours of processing, Li Lin felt his spiritual power significantly depleted. Hesitating for a moment, he took out a Lingyu Bed from his spatial ring. Sitting cross-legged on it, an invisible energy gently flowed into his body, amplifying his spiritual power. This was of great help under the circumstances.