In the illusion, the small formation was directly destroyed by Li Lin in a forceful manner, and suddenly the scene in front of him was inside a canyon.
"Continue to break through," Li Lin muttered.
By evening, Li Lin finally broke through the fifth realm, which also made the second protector feel less gloomy.
Returning to the courtyard, Li Lin saw his master, Yu Yuqian, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
"Disciple pays respect to Master," Li Lin respectfully saluted. Although this master hadn't taught him much about cultivation, there was no doubt that he liked this master very much.
"Lin'er, I've heard that you have been cultivating in the Martial Spirit Illusion every day recently. Among the four disciples of your master, you are the one who puts my mind at ease the most," Yu Yuqian said with a smile.
"Master, you must have something important to tell me by coming here," Li Lin asked with a calm smile.
"Let's go inside and talk. I have something important to tell you," Yu Yuqian said with a rare serious expression.
Sitting down in the courtyard, Li Lin said, "Master, what important matter would require your personal visit?"
"In a month, it will be the time for the secret land to open. The sect will select twenty disciples to enter the secret land for cultivation. After a month, the top fifty on the Dragon Ranking will compete in a challenge. Only the final twenty will be able to enter the secret land. I came to remind you that you must enter the secret land. It will be greatly beneficial to your cultivation," Yu Yuqian said seriously to Li Lin.
Li Lin had heard of the name of the secret land several times before but was unclear about what was inside. He asked, "Master, what benefits will there be by entering the secret land?"
Yu Yuqian smiled slightly and said, "Spending half a year in the secret land, the disciples who enter for cultivation, if nothing unexpected happens, will see a surge in their strength when they come out. Generally, it's not surprising for someone at the seventh level of Martial Spirit to break through to Martial General after coming out. For someone who is a first-level Martial General going in, coming out as a third-level Martial General is also normal."
"Half a year and such a quick breakthrough?" Li Lin was immediately surprised. He naturally understood that at the level of Martial Spirit, especially near the level of seventh-level Martial Spirit close to Martial General, breaking through a level would normally take two years for most people, even one year for those with good talent.
Even among the disciples on the Dragon Ranking of the Yunyang Sect, who each have exceptional talent, it would still take seven or eight months. The cultivation speed of dual-system martial artists is a bit faster, but it also takes half a year, which is already the limit. Yet, in the secret land, it's possible to break through from the seventh-level Martial Spirit to Martial General in half a year, especially since breaking through from Martial Spirit to Martial General is a major hurdle. To have such a breakthrough is indeed terrifying. What Master Yu Yuqian mentioned is just the normal situation; some people might even break through faster.
"Master, does this mean there are treasures inside the secret land?" Li Lin asked. Without treasures that could enhance strength, it would seem impossible to achieve such a fast breakthrough.
"Indeed," Yu Yuqian said, "There are treasures in the secret land, not just ordinary treasures. Only a few old fellows from other sects know about this. Inside the secret land lies one of the foundations of our Yunyang Sect, the Martial Spirit Holy Fruit."
"Martial Spirit Holy Fruit, the foundation of the Yunyang Sect." Li Lin immediately asked, "Master, what exactly is the Martial Spirit Holy Fruit?"
"It is a miraculous treasure. After consuming it, one's strength will surge dramatically. Most importantly, consuming the Martial Spirit Holy Fruit can enhance the cultivator's mindset, which is extremely important for future cultivation. Especially after consuming the Martial Spirit Holy Fruit, the success rate of breaking through to Martial King is over fifty percent, while the normal success rate of breaking through from Martial Marshal to Martial King is only ten percent," Yu Yuqian said seriously.
"There's such an effect?" Li Lin was almost shocked. Li Lin had heard from Uncle Jiang before that in cultivation, whether for martial artists or spiritual practitioners, there are three major hurdles. The first is breaking through the Martial Spirit to condense the Martial Dan, which is a huge hurdle for martial artists.
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The second is the breakthrough from Martial Marshal to Martial King, which is also a huge hurdle. Currently, there are not many Martial Kings on the entire continent, so the difficulty of breaking through to Martial King is imaginable.
As for the third hurdle, it is even more unreachable. Li Lin previously thought it was the Five Emperors, but then he learned from Uncle Jiang that although breaking through to Martial Emperor has only appeared in legends, there is a level higher than Martial Emperor, which only existed in the ancient times of the continent and has long since disappeared from the annals of history.
Observing Li Lin's surprise, Yu Yuqian was not surprised and then said, "There are only nine Martial Spirit Holy Fruits. Twenty disciples will enter the secret land, but not all can obtain them. It also requires luck and strength to acquire them. There are many dangers inside the secret land, unlike the Martial Spirit Illusion, which is truly dangerous."
Li Lin raised an eyebrow. With such treasures as the Martial Spirit Holy Fruit, he naturally had to find a way to obtain them. It seems that he would have to put in some effort during the competition in the Martial Spirit Illusion.
"Besides the Martial Spirit Holy Fruit, there are dangers in the secret land, but also many other treasures," Yu Yuqian said, looking at Li Lin, "In the secret land, there are many medicinal herbs and martial techniques."
"Martial techniques?" Li Lin was somewhat surprised.
Yu Yuqian said, "Not only martial techniques but also many high-level martial techniques. You should know that even the direct disciples of the Yunyang Sect usually only have one set of high-grade yellow-level martial techniques. The disciples on the Dragon Ranking each have two sets of high-grade yellow-level martial techniques. As for the top ten on the Dragon Ranking, perhaps a few have low-grade mysterious-level martial techniques."
Having said that, Yu Yuqian told Li Lin, "The martial techniques I gave you are more than what a normal direct disciple would have. That's because I have fewer disciples, so you benefited. As for the 'Fleeting Shadow', a low-grade mysterious-level body technique, it's not something every direct disciple in the sect can cultivate. But I gave it to you, and other elders wouldn't dare to say much. In the secret land, there will be many martial techniques left by the sect's powerful ancestors. Where exactly, no one knows. Over the years, many disciples have been able to obtain high-grade yellow-level martial techniques, mid-grade yellow-level martial techniques, and even low-grade mysterious-level martial techniques."
"There are low-grade mysterious-level martial techniques?" Li Lin smiled slightly. It seems the secret land is indeed very tempting.
"Lin'er, although you are currently ranked twentieth on the Dragon Ranking, this is not the final ranking. In previous years, every time the secret land opens, some disciples on the Dragon Ranking become dark horses and enter the top twenty, so you must be careful," Yu Yuqian said.
"I will be careful," Li Lin nodded.
"Alright, there's one more month. Just focus on your cultivation. You must enter the secret land. This is an opportunity. The secret land only opens once every three years, not often," Yu Yuqian said.
Then, in the courtyard, the master and disciple talked for a long time. When Yu Yuqian left, he gave Li Lin many elixirs, all fourth-grade, worth nearly a million gold coins.
After Master Yu Yuqian left, it was almost dusk. Looking at the sky, Li Lin called the Skywing Snow Lion and went to the courtyard where Li Wushuang lived.
"Wushuang, have you broken through?" Li Lin sensed the aura on Li Wushuang, who was now at the third level of Martial Spirit. Two months ago, she was only at the second level.
"Yes, I don't know how it happened. After breaking through Martial Spirit, I felt that my cultivation speed has become much faster, as if my body can cultivate all the time," Li Wushuang said lightly, also appearing quite puzzled.
"It might be related to your recent hard work in cultivation," Li Lin said lightly.
"I still find it a bit strange. I feel that my strength seems a bit different. Sometimes, I can feel a huge power inside my body, but sometimes I can't," Li Wushuang said with a furrowed brow.
Li Lin was also unclear about all this. Li Wushuang did not think too much about it, after all, a rapid increase in cultivation level is not a bad thing.
After spending an hour together, Li Lin was again chased out of the courtyard by Li Wushuang, just like last time. Under uncontrollable emotions, Li Lin wanted to apply to advance the appropriate time, but was rejected by Li Wushuang. Attempting to force his way, he almost succeeded, but in the end, the last line of defense was like the Normandy defense line, utterly impenetrable.
With no other choice, Li Lin had to return to his own mountain peak, pondering over many things. It had been half a year since he arrived at the Yunyang Sect, and more than half a year since he left the Flying Spirit Sect. He wondered how the Flying Spirit Sect was doing now, probably expanding rapidly under the hands of Ghost Fairy Bai Ying. With the Poison General Dong Wuming and Ghost Fairy Bai Ying guarding the Flying Spirit Sect, there likely wouldn't be any problems.
Now thinking about the secret land, Li Lin had made up his mind. Since there were treasures to be taken, as well as mysterious-level martial techniques and treasures like the Martial Spirit Holy Fruit, he definitely couldn't miss out.
It had been half a year now, and there was still no news about the Ten Thousand Year Red Copper, which was starting to make Li Lin anxious. He had already cultivated the Fleeting Shadow body technique. Next, he should focus on finding the Ten Thousand Year Red Copper.
Li Lin was unaware of the importance of the Ten Thousand Year Red Copper, but it was definitely much stronger than the Fleeting Shadow, a mysterious-level body technique.