Chapter 29: The Path to Transcendence

Lin Yu’s words were not false.

Because humans in the Furi Lian world were heavily corrupted by magic, Lin Yu had to begin cultivating his subjects from infancy, shielding them from magic until their meridians fully developed, so he could implant spiritual roots—

In fact, long before joining the chat group, Lin Yu had already been doing this.

His first experimental subjects were the twin infants born to the old village chief and his wife.

In his plan, these twins would become the first cultivators in the Furi Lian world, possessing power equal to the local magic system and lifespans far exceeding those of human mages.

Now that Su Haoming and Xiang Yunye had voluntarily offered assistance, Lin Yu’s vision could be realized ahead of schedule—this was undoubtedly a great contribution.

To be honest, if not for concerns about their dantian and qi sea being unable to withstand it, Lin Yu would have directly flooded them with magic, forcibly elevating them to the peak of Nourishing Qi—the stage just before Qi solidifies into Foundation Establishment.

Compared to these ungiven gifts, a few Spirit Stones were truly insignificant.

Upon hearing Lin Yu’s words, Su Haoming and Xiang Yunye understood his intent, yet still felt uneasy.

Lin Yu noticed this and smiled: “If you truly care that much, then write down your cultivation notes—consider it a task I’ve entrusted to you!”

“Alright!”

“No problem!”

Su Haoming and Xiang Yunye immediately agreed.

Lin Yu snapped his fingers and brought the two back to the upper level of the castle, assigning them two adjacent guest rooms.

“Although you have Spirit Stones as cultivation resources, their efficiency still falls short of my castle—by cultivation world standards, this is among the best heavenly realms in the entire world.”

“If you’re not in a hurry to return, you may train here in my castle first.”

“From now on, these rooms are yours. I’ll keep them reserved for you indefinitely. Powerful barriers have been set up inside—you may rest or cultivate here without fear of any interference.”

“Also, the bookshelves in the guest rooms connect directly to the library—you may freely access any magical text stored within.”

As he spoke, Lin Yu produced two alchemical wristwatches and handed them to the two.

“These are my latest alchemical creations—you can think of them as room keys. Wear them, or you won’t be able to pass through the castle’s various powerful barriers.”

“Besides that, the watches have several special functions.”

Lin Yu tapped the watch, and instantly a blue magical screen materialized.

“See this map icon? Tap it to view the castle’s 3D map.”

“And this bell icon—tap it once to open a new interface; the soldier button lets you command the castle’s puppet warriors, up to three at a time…”

So that’s how it works!

Su Haoming nodded and pointed curiously at the monkey-head and wolf-head buttons: “What about these two?”

Lin Yu smiled: “These are my two demonic beasts—White Wolf Guangzhi and White Ape Guangmou. They’re also servants of the castle, but of higher rank—they’re my mounts and attendants.”

“….”

Su Haoming and Xiang Yunye exchanged glances, both wearing strange expressions.

“Guangzhi and Guangmou—what kind of name is that, like some abbot from Golden Pool Temple!”

They mentally scoffed but said nothing aloud, only forcing a laugh: “Nice names!”

Lin Yu chuckled: “If you ever need anything, you can call Guangmou—he knows the castle inside out, and his temperament is calmer than Guangzhi’s, who’s quick to attack.”

Su Haoming nodded and asked: “Then how do we contact you?”

At this, not only Lin Yu, but even Xiang Yunye turned to stare at him.

“...Are you serious?”

“What?”

“We have the chat group!”

“Oh right!”

Su Haoming slapped his forehead, embarrassed: “I got too immersed—I forgot!”

Lin Yu and Xiang Yunye both burst into laughter.

After the laughter subsided, Lin Yu added: “One final warning: aside from Spirit Stones, none of the other magical artifacts have been modified—they cannot be taken back to your world. Especially the watches—be sure to remove them before leaving.”

The two nodded seriously: “Understood!”

Lin Yu smiled: “That’s all I needed to say. I won’t disturb your cultivation anymore.”

With that, he waved to them, his figure flickering and vanishing from their sight.

Su Haoming and Xiang Yunye exchanged glances, offered each other words of encouragement, then turned and entered their rooms.

Five hours later, Su Haoming, having familiarized himself with basic spells, stepped out of his guest room, bid Lin Yu farewell, and chose to return.

Though he still had over ten hours remaining, he had lived in his cousin’s mansion before crossing over—if he vanished too long, it might raise unnecessary suspicion.

In contrast, Xiang Yunye had far more leeway.

Long before accepting the invitation, he had instructed his family not to disturb him for twenty-four hours.

Before leaving, Su Haoming glanced at the countdown hovering in his mind and sighed.

According to Lin Yu, it was this countdown that kept the chat group perpetually active—otherwise, with the thousandfold time-flow difference between the two worlds, he wouldn’t need to rush at all.

……

……

In the empty bedroom, a silver light flashed, and Su Haoming’s figure materialized from within.

As soon as he appeared, Su Haoming checked the door and saw the copper coin still wedged in the crack—only then did he exhale in relief.

Good—no one had entered. If his cousin discovered he was gone, or worse, caught him returning from another world, it would be awkward!

Su Haoming thought with relief.

But soon, another problem struck him—

Seven hours had passed since he accepted the invitation.

In those seven hours, his cousin had not returned to the mansion at all!

…… Had something else happened?

Worried, Su Haoming hesitated briefly, then pushed open the door.

Indeed, the vast courtyard was empty.

Su Wuming was never a lavish man, and since the county magistrate’s residence was tied to an ongoing case, he wouldn’t hire servants—so the entire mansion housed only three people: the Su family and their servant.

Now that Su Wuming and Qian Shu had left on official business, only Su Haoming remained.

Su Haoming’s gaze swept the mansion, then locked onto the study nearby.

Its door stood open, and fresh mud clung to the threshold.

“Brother has been back!”

“He just didn’t disturb me…”

Su Haoming understood, and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“Judging by the freshness of the mud on the threshold, Brother must have just left—not sure what he’s discovered…”

As he thought this, Su Haoming stepped forward and entered the study.

As soon as he entered, a faint scent of blood drifted in with the breeze.

Su Haoming instinctively turned his head and covered his nose—then realized his sense of smell had greatly improved.

No—not his smell. More accurately, his perception of air currents!

Clearly, this path to transcendence created by Brother Lin was far more than just absorbing magic!

Su Haoming’s lips curled slightly, then he lowered his arm and followed the scent’s direction.

On the study desk lay two dark tea bricks—one intact, the other broken and partially consumed.

“This is… Chang’an black tea?”

Su Haoming realized and leaned closer curiously: “Two servings—according to the plot, one should be the leftover from the former Chang’an county magistrate Wu Daqi, the other found by Brother and the others at the Ghost Market’s Yin Shiyang.”

“So it seems Brother has finally connected the two cases?”

Su Haoming made his judgment, then tapped the ground with his toe—magic mimicking true qi surged from the Fengchi point, flowing along the Foot Shaoyang Meridian, finally erupting from the Zúqiàoyīn point at the tip of the fourth toe, forming a gentle current.

Xun Wind Seal: Treading Void, Riding the Wind!

In an instant, the scholar in blue robes glided effortlessly into the front courtyard.

The air current behind him not only propelled his body but also gently closed the study door.

In the blink of an eye, Su Haoming had moved over ten meters!

Watching the study door drift shut behind him, he felt an indescribable surge of excitement.

Is this transcendental power?

Even at Nourishing Qi Level One, it was utterly beyond ordinary human capability!

After calming his racing heart, Su Haoming began to think.

“Time is still early—let me test other spells. Besides, Yin Shiyang was just tricked by my ambush—the plot has shifted drastically. The mastermind might get angry and target me or Brother…”

With that thought, he no longer hesitated and stepped forward into the front courtyard.

(End of Chapter)