Chapter 476

“Friend, you need not truly release the spell—just gather all ninety-eight spell runes, and that will suffice. I have no desire to destroy Brother Zhang’s property; even if I emptied half my fortune, I could not compensate for this Bijing Pavilion.” The young man surnamed Yan, sensing Wang Yu’s thoughts, hurried to say.

“So that’s how it is. That’s not difficult.” Wang Yu understood, and without further ceremony, he formed hand seals with both hands and began muttering incantations.

Tiny red lights began to appear one by one in the empty air before him, then rapidly churned and coalesced into crimson symbols, gradually converging into a red pattern.

The moment the pattern took shape, all ninety-eight symbols blazed with intense red light, emitting blinding radiance; the temperature in the air surged rapidly, becoming scorching and unbearable.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Bishui Palace, witnessing this sight, both subtly changed expression—they nearly all sensed a great threat emanating from the red spell pattern. The young man quickly said:

“Enough. The Fire Blade is indeed the ultimate spell limited to ninety-eight runes. It seems my trip here was not in vain.”

“Then can the friend inform me of everything?”

Wang Yu’s incantation halted. He swept his sleeve, and the red spell pattern before him dissolved into specks of spiritual light and vanished. He asked seriously:

“I will certainly inform you, but such an astonishing ultimate spell cannot possibly be mastered by a lone cultivator.”

“Brother Zhang said you come from beyond the Eastern Wastelands, but I wonder—are you from a sect on the Northern Seas, or from the Three Southern Kingdoms?” The young man smiled slightly, then asked another question.

“Does my origin matter?” Wang Yu frowned and replied.

“You came alone to our Luanspirit Domain, perhaps with some unspoken reason. But what I’m about to say concerns something significant. At the very least, I must know your general background to give the palace a proper account.” The young man spoke with deep implication.

“I, Wang Mou, come from the Southern Lands. I am indeed a sect cultivator, but I truly cannot reveal which sect I belong to.” After a moment of hesitation, Wang Yu showed a hint of helplessness.

“If you’re unwilling to reveal your sect, then let me ask a few other questions. If you answer truthfully, that will suffice.” The young man surnamed Yan did not seem bothered, and changed his approach.

“Then ask, friend.” This time, Wang Yu agreed without hesitation.

“Have you ever practiced blood sacrifice or other demonic cultivation methods? Are you a demonic cultivator?”

“No. I am not.”

“Are you an outsider hiding your true race?”

“No.”

“Since none of the above are true, are you a discarded disciple of your sect? Have you come to the Luanspirit Domain with any ill intent toward the Bishui Palace?”

When the young man surnamed Yan reached the final question, his voice lowered slightly, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on Wang Yu’s face.

The old man beside him appeared to sit calmly, but within his wide sleeves, a pale blue pearl had somehow appeared, faintly pulsing—as if ready to activate at any moment.

With Wang Yu’s powerful spiritual sense, he not only sensed the magical artifact’s fluctuation within the old man’s sleeve, but also felt the young man’s spiritual thread locked firmly onto him, giving him a distinct sense of threat.

A soul-secret technique?

Wang Yu’s heart tightened slightly, but he replied calmly: “No. My original sect faced a great enemy, forcing me to flee to the Luanspirit Domain. As for the name of the Bishui Palace, I had never heard of it before arriving—how could I possibly harbor ill intent toward your palace?”

The young man stared at Wang Yu for a long while, saying nothing. The atmosphere grew noticeably heavy.

Zhang Xiufu also watched the two in silence.

The next moment, the young man surnamed Yan smiled and said: “I believe your words.”

As soon as he spoke, the tension in the air vanished completely.

Zhang Xiufu’s face also broke into a smile, and the blue pearl in his sleeve disappeared without a sound.

Wang Yu blinked, his expression unchanged.

At this point, the young man surnamed Yan explained:

“Actually, my meeting with you today concerns two matters. First, I wished to confirm your origins—to ensure you are neither an outsider nor a demonic cultivator who might threaten the Bishui Palace.”

“Second, to test your spell talent. If you truly possess exceptional talent, we wish to invite you personally to our Bishui Palace to meditate upon a talent-revealing artifact. If you gain any insight from it, the benefits will surpass your imagination.”

“Meditate upon a talent-revealing artifact?”

Hearing this, Wang Yu was momentarily stunned.

“Indeed. Many cultivators in the Luanspirit Domain know that any cultivator with extraordinary spell talent has been invited by the Bishui Palace to meditate upon this same artifact.”

“Whether or not they gained any insight, all received considerable rewards from our palace. Some even performed so well during meditation that they were directly invited to join our palace as official disciples.” The young man spoke solemnly.

“Is this really true? But what kind of talent-revealing artifact could prompt your palace to go to such lengths?” Wang Yu found it hard to believe.

“You will know once you arrive at the Bishui Palace’s mountain gate. Will you accept this invitation?” The young man did not answer directly, but asked again with a hint of mystery.

“Must I, Wang Mou, definitely go to meditate on this talent-revealing artifact?” Wang Yu thought quickly, then asked slowly.

“What do you think?” The young man replied with a faint, ambiguous smile.

This made Wang Yu frown inwardly.

Beside him, Zhang Xiufu cleared his throat and interjected:

“Wang Friend, since the Bishui Palace began extending invitations, not a single outsider cultivator has ever refused our invitation.”

“But you need not worry excessively. Not only have small sect cultivators like yourself been invited—even disciples from the other two great sects with exceptional spell talent have received invitations, meditated upon this artifact, and many returned with dramatic breakthroughs in their spell cultivation.”

“Truly?”

Hearing this, Wang Yu felt a pang of interest.

“In fact, it’s not just the Luanspirit Domain. If any cultivator with astonishing spell talent appears in other major domains, our Bishui Palace also issues invitations. In the past century alone, over ten outsider cultivators have come to our palace to meditate upon this artifact.” The young man surnamed Yan said.

“Understood. Then I will accompany you, Friend Yan. But my Mishan Sect is newly founded—I must return first to arrange matters within the sect before I can leave with peace of mind.” After a moment’s thought, Wang Yu finally nodded, but added a condition.

“Of course. With your talent in mastering ninety-eight runes, perhaps you and I will one day be fellow sect members. This small matter is no problem—I will accompany you back, then go with you to the palace.” The young man, pleased that Wang Yu had accepted the invitation, smiled broadly and agreed without hesitation.