A figure, like a ghost, traced arcs across the mountain peaks, stirring gentle currents of air that howled softly, continuing throughout the night.
The next morning, Li Lin went straight to the Martial Spirit Fantasy Realm and instructed the Skywing Snow Lion to come back for him in a month. In that spirit realm, he was to stay for a month.
"Second Protector." Inside the great hall, Li Lin greeted the Second Protector with a slight bow.
"Li Lin, I received a message from the sect last night. Today, you are here to accept the punishment from the Sect Master," the Second Protector said lightly, looking at Li Lin with a meaningful gaze. It was clear to anyone, though it was called a punishment, it was merely a formality, merely a pretext for Li Lin to spend a month in the spirit realm.
"I am indeed here to accept the punishment," Li Lin said with a slight smile.
"The Spirit Realm and the Martial Realm are quite different. The Martial Realm is more about tempering one's cultivation, while the Spirit Realm is for tempering one's will and soul. The realm is full of illusions, with a total of nine levels. Generally, martial disciples and spirit disciples challenge the first level, while martial souls and spirit souls can attempt the fourth level. In the Spirit Realm, martial artists are slightly at a disadvantage compared to spirit practitioners. I have arranged for you to enter the fourth level, but remember, the Sect Master said to reflect for a month, but that was just a casual remark. Staying in the Spirit Realm for a month, even fourth-level spirit souls find it hard to achieve. How long you can stay depends on your cultivation. If you fail, you can always try again," the Second Protector said with a smile.
After speaking, the Second Protector handed Li Lin a jade slip, saying, "Drop a drop of blood on it and enter the eighth stone chamber on the right. Remember, everything inside is an illusion. If you get confused, you will fail. Although there is no risk to your life, failure consumes a significant amount of soul power. You are to stay there for a month, and failing several times will be tough on you," the Second Protector said with a meaningful smile. "Remember, everything inside is an illusion. Don't let it disturb your mind. Normally, a first-level martial soul can stay for a day, which is already quite good. If you have the ability, you can walk out directly. But if you can walk out from the fourth level of the Spirit Realm, unless you are a first-level Spirit General, ordinary third and fourth-level Martial Generals cannot make it out."
Li Lin was somewhat puzzled; it seemed there was more to the Second Protector's words.
Holding the jade slip, Li Lin entered the eighth stone chamber on the right side of the great hall, closed the stone door, and after a slight shake within the chamber, the stone door opened again.
"Huh, that's strange," Li Lin murmured to himself. Outside the stone door was now an endless plain, lush and green, with a mountain range in the distance.
"An illusionary formation," Li Lin realized almost instantly. He was not in the Spirit Realm with his consciousness but physically in an illusionary formation, a mental and spiritual training illusionary formation.
A rich aroma enveloped the area, which felt somewhat familiar to Li Lin. Upon closer inspection and surprise, this aroma was somewhat similar to the Soul Spirit Essence of the Myriad Beasts Sect. Cultivating here could greatly benefit one's soul power.
"No wonder it was said to greatly benefit soul power," Li Lin raised an eyebrow, not taking it too seriously. Although the aroma was rich, it wasn't potent enough for direct absorption. His cultivation of the Yin Yang Spirit Martial Technique was inherently slow, and cultivating here wouldn't offer much benefit.
"Since it's an illusionary formation, then it should be easy to handle," Li Lin smirked. The formation was decent, but probably not enough to stump him. However, he wasn't here to break the formation, just to experience it.
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"Huhuhu..." As Li Lin slowly moved forward, suddenly, a yellow light burst out from the ground ahead, bringing a strong aura and a sharp, cutting wind.
This yellow light rushed forward like lightning, revealing a huge beast hundreds of meters in size, with a formidable aura and ferocious appearance, charging directly at him.
"A beast?" Li Lin's expression darkened as he prepared to retaliate, but then he remembered that this was all an illusion. Being mentally disturbed meant failure.
"Shh!" Li Lin calmed his mind, and as the ferocious beast got within a meter of him, it suddenly turned into yellow smoke and disappeared.
"Indeed, it's no ordinary place," Li Lin said softly. This illusionary formation had no offensive power but was the perfect place for the younger generation to temper their will. Moreover, the rich aroma here was definitely beneficial for the soul.
"Continue." Li Lin proceeded forward, curious about everything within the Spirit Realm, planning to study it thoroughly.
Walking slowly across the vast plain, Li Lin remained calm as usual. Beasts would occasionally appear around him, but they would turn into energy a meter away from him.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Lin realized he had unwittingly left the plain and entered a mountain range, with a forest appearing before him.
"Hehe..." From the depths of the forest, near a pond, came laughter. Li Lin raised an eyebrow, wondering if others were in this fourth-level illusionary formation as well.
Looking up, Li Lin was stunned to see several stunningly beautiful and seductive women, scantily clad, frolicking by the pond.
"Who are you, and how did you get here?" the seductive women asked upon seeing Li Lin.
"I just entered. Have you been here for a long time?" Li Lin asked with a slight smile.
"Hehe, we've been here for quite some time. Since you're here, come and play with us," the seductive women said, continuously making enticing gestures and casting flirtatious glances at Li Lin.
"Another illusion," Li Lin thought to himself, his mind unmoved, aware that this was just another illusion within the formation. Relaxing his guard would likely result in being expelled from the Spirit Realm. Yet, looking at the seductive women, Li Lin couldn't help but feel a slight stir in his heart. They were incredibly real, and it would be difficult for anyone with a weaker will to resist.
Li Lin remembered the Second Protector's ambiguous words, specifically warning him that everything here was false, probably referring to such illusions.
"Come on, come play with us," the seductive women said, seeing Li Lin hesitate. Their voices seemed magical, making him wonder whether to join them.
"Come on, come quickly," the seductive women approached Li Lin, their beauty and minimal clothing becoming more apparent, starting to undress further.
Their exquisite bodies appeared before Li Lin, with curves and smooth skin that would tempt anyone. The women surrounded Li Lin, getting closer, and emitting moans.
Li Lin almost forgot it was all an illusion, so realistic was the scene.
"Sigh." Li Lin took a deep breath and walked away without looking back, leaving behind the voices of the women trying to persuade him to stay.
Li Lin steadied his mind, without any wavering. A moment later, energy fluctuations came from behind him, and when he looked back, the pond and the women had vanished without a trace.
"That was close," Li Lin thought to himself. He had almost lost control. This illusionary formation was indeed tricky, likely too much for most to resist.
In the Yunyang Sect, within a great hall, several figures were present. Zhao Wuji, at the head, was angry, with Zhao Qingtian, Li Shaohu, Shi Yunsheng, and others also showing cool expressions.
"With Yu Yuxian around, it's difficult for us to deal with that kid in the sect. Damn Yu Yuxian, sooner or later, I'll make him pay," Zhao Wuji said angrily.
"Grandfather, I didn't expect that kid's strength to be so formidable. What do we do now? We can't just let him off," Zhao Qingtian said coldly.
"Hmph, he thinks having Yu Yuxian in the sect can protect him forever? In three months, the secret realm will open, and what happens inside is unpredictable. Qingtian, with your strength, plus your brother, you should be able to kill that kid. Just make sure he doesn't come out of the secret realm," Zhao Wuji said coldly.
"There's no need for my brother to act. I alone am enough to deal with him," Zhao Qingtian said coldly.
Three days later, in the Spirit Realm, in front of a canyon, Li Lin pondered, "This month in the illusion has been somewhat a waste of time."
In these three days, Li Lin had seen various illusions, none of which had significantly affected him. Whether the illusions ahead would impact him was unknown, but he felt it was a waste of a month, a time he badly needed for cultivation.
"I wonder what it would be like to consume spirit pills in the Spirit Realm," Li Lin thought to himself. He couldn't afford to waste this month. Challenging the Spirit Realm could wait; for now, enhancing his strength seemed the better option.