Inside the Demon Slaying Tower, under the long luminescent screen, Lin Xianzhi's gaze finally settled.
"Deacon Wei, please help me retrieve a Tribulation-Resolving Elixir," Lin Xianzhi handed over his token representing his identity to a portly deacon from the Qingxuan Sect.
Within the Demon Slaying Tower, people from the Three Sects were present, and naturally, deacons from each of the Sects were there to take turns at this duty, and this Wei was one of the Qingxuan Sect's.
"Daoist Lin, you are too polite. I'll process this for you right away," Deacon Wei accepted the token, checked it, took out a pill bottle, and handed it to Lin Xianzhi, then his gaze involuntarily fell on Lin Shiming beside him.
The effects of the Tribulation-Resolving Elixir were beneficial for those at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and clearly, Lin Xianzhi was exchanging for this elixir for Lin Shiming, who was beside him.
"Daoist Lin, if I may be so bold to say a word, during times of great battles, it's still important to focus on your own cultivation level," the deacon warned.
"Thank you for the reminder, Deacon Wei," Lin Xianzhi also bowed in gratitude.
At this moment, Lin Shiming's gaze darted left and right, seemingly discontent.
"Deacon Wei, help me exchange for a heavier magic artifact—the heavier, the better!" Lin Shiming spoke, producing his token with an air of arrogance.
"A heavier magic artifact?" Deacon Wei's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He himself was at the peak of Foundation Establishment and could consider himself a peer to Lin Xianzhi. Even though he had heard of Lin Shiming's talents and strength, such temperament might not be suitable for achieving great things.
Taking into account Lin Xianzhi's presence, Deacon Wei refrained from speaking further and checked the token only to find it had just twenty Foundation Establishment Early Stage Contribution Points.
He then began pointing out a series of Third Rank Inferior Grade magic artifacts displayed on the luminescent screen.
"Can't I exchange for Third Rank Intermediate Grade or Third Rank Superior Grade ones?" Lin Shiming asked.
"There is, in fact, one bead artifact," Deacon Wei replied coldly.
He then pointed to the Cave Heaven Bead.
At this moment, Lin Shiming's heart surged, not expecting Deacon Wei to understand so well.
He had directly picked out the key point.
"How heavy is it?" asked Lin Shiming. Despite his excitement, he managed to maintain a calm exterior.
"You can try it," Deacon Wei said, tossing the bead straight to Lin Shiming.
Catching it, Lin Shiming felt as though an entire mountain was pressing down on him, heavier than even a full-strength punch from the Red-haired Demon Monkey.
Only by exerting his True Yuan was he just able to hold it.
Keep in mind, he was a Body Cultivator.
Yet, the heavier it was, the more secretly delighted Lin Shiming became in his heart.
The heavier the Cave Heaven World, the larger the space inside it turned out to be.
The Cave Heaven Bead was not a perfect sphere but an oval bead, grey in color and made of a material that was neither stone nor jade.
After examining it closely for a while, Lin Shiming put away the Cave Heaven Bead and did not immediately bring it into his Dantian to combine it with the Spirit Platform.
Instead, he began to practice the Purple Wood Heart Sutra.
Ever since Lin Shiming returned to Heavenly River City, his cultivation had become smoother day by day, his improvement in Cultivation Level increasingly evident.
This was because his True Yuan had been refined to nearly the ultimate level, not much different from that of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
At this moment, he was only lacking a catalyst to reach the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, which would then allow for things to fall into place naturally.
...
Inside an unremarkable pavilion, a blue-robed cultivator was seated at the main seat in the grand hall, while a cultivator at the late stage of Foundation Establishment was crouched below, reporting in detail.
"Reporting to Deacon Dong, a total of one hundred and twenty treasure maps from the Demon-Slaying Tower have been distributed!"
"Good, well done. With the previous distributions in the black market included, we'll definitely be able to open the mysterious herbal garden in the Qingxuan Secret Realm this time!" The blue-robed cultivator tapped the nanmu armrest of the throne leisurely with his index and middle fingers, slightly excited.
"By the way, Deacon Dong, that bead has also been exchanged by someone?" The latter stage Foundation Establishment cultivator continued.
"Oh, who has taken it?"
"A junior cultivator from a small family clan in Yunzhou within Qingxuan Sect's territory. He appears extremely young and utterly inexperienced."
"But he was leading me in a roundabout way; it might just be good luck, not as if he deliberately exchanged for it!"
"Lead on, then keep an eye on him. If his Cultivation Level breaks through soon, or if he masters that artifact, report back to me swiftly!" After the blue-robed cultivator finished speaking, his gaze drifted into the void for a moment. He had studied the bead for decades.
Despite his Purple Mansion cultivation, he couldn't unravel it, and the bead's weight was equivalent only to a Foundation Establishment Magic Artifact, not even reaching the material for a typical Magical Treasure.
After some thought, he decided not to bother with it anymore and instead thought of the treasure maps and the herbal garden in the Qingxuan Secret Realm.
Speaking of this herbal garden, he had discovered it during his last participation in the Profound Grade Secret Realm event hosted by the Qingxuan Sect, but at that time, he couldn't open it. Now a Purple Mansion cultivator, he hadn't forgotten to continue his scheming.
It's just that the Formation around the herbal garden was slightly cruel, not quite suitable for recruiting cultivators from his own sect.