Chapter 28: Before the Departure? I'm Armed to the Teeth!

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three days, Lin Xuan barely stepped out of his door, devoting himself entirely to preparations before his departure.

First, using his status as a guest elder of the Four Seas Trading Company and the spirit stones in his possession, he successfully exchanged for the auxiliary materials needed to refine a "Dust Ring," such as Void Sand and Star Iron. When the manager of the trading company saw the materials he required, although somewhat surprised that a "first-level Golden Core" guest elder would want to refine a magic treasure involving spatial power, he did not ask further and provided the goods readily, clearly having been instructed by Qian Duoduo or someone higher up.

With the materials ready, Lin Xuan immediately began the refinement in the quiet room of his small courtyard.

He had no furnace for refining artifacts, nor did he have earth fire, but for him, possessing the system, these were not insurmountable difficulties.

"System, assist in refining the Dust Ring!"

[Ding! Consuming slack-off points, activating auxiliary artifact refining mode! "Dust Ring Refining Method (Simplified Version)" has been loaded. Please, Host, inject spiritual power according to the instructions and control the system energy for precise operation.]

A stream of profound knowledge regarding artifact refining flooded his mind, while at the same time, an invisible force took over his precise control of spiritual power. He only needed to continuously provide pure Golden Core spiritual power as energy and foundation, while the system was responsible for completing the most complex and precise material fusion and rune inscription.

He watched as the fragment of Void Stone, wrapped in system energy, slowly floated up. Lin Xuan formed seals with his hands, and his Golden Core spiritual power, like a docile stream, poured in continuously. Under the system's precise control, the auxiliary materials like Void Sand and Star Iron melted one after another, turning into streams of liquid shimmering with various colors, which, as if possessing life, coiled around the Void Stone fragment and gradually merged with it.

The entire process was quiet and efficient, without the smoke and fire of ordinary artifact refining, only the flow of spiritual light and the faint humming of energy.

Several hours later, all the auxiliary materials had been perfectly integrated, and the Void Stone fragment had turned into a liquid substance emitting a soft silver light. The system controlled this substance to begin shaping, finally solidifying into a ring with an archaic design, dark silver throughout, with tiny, star-like light spots flickering on its surface.

The final step: inscribing spatial runes and the master-recognition array!

The system energy, like the most precise carving tool, outlined complex, invisible patterns inside the ring. Lin Xuan forced out a drop of his essence blood and dripped it onto the ring.

"Hum!"

The essence blood was absorbed instantly, and the star-like light spots on the ring suddenly brightened, then retracted, returning to their archaic and unadorned appearance. A feeling of being connected by blood surged into Lin Xuan's heart.

Refinement successful!

Lin Xuan picked up the Dust Ring and put it on the index finger of his left hand. As his spiritual sense probed inside, a stable, roughly one-cubic-meter dimensional space appeared clearly in his perception. Although the space was not large, it was more than enough to store the most important items, such as the Phoenix Wood remains, elixirs, and spirit talismans, and it was much safer and more secretive than a storage bag.

[Ding! Successfully refined "Dust Ring" (low-grade magic treasure), artifact refining proficiency +100! Obtained 3000 slack-off points!]

"Done!" Lin Xuan looked at the ring on his hand with satisfaction; with it, things would be much more convenient.

Next, he went to the internal treasury of the Four Seas Trading Company again. Relying on his guest elder token and the authorization previously given by Qian Duoduo, he browsed the list of items in the treasury available for him to exchange.

Attack types, defense types, auxiliary types... a dazzling array.

Lin Xuan deliberated carefully and finally chose three things:

1. One-time sword talisman "Golden Light Evil-Breaking Sword": Contains a full-strength strike of a late-stage Golden Core sword cultivator, specifically effective against evil spirits and dark demons, perfect for dealing with Nether Sect cultivators or powerful demonized spirit beasts he might encounter. Consumed 3,000 contribution points.

2. High-grade magic treasure "Black Tortoise Shield": Astonishing defensive power, can automatically protect its master, and can withstand continuous attacks from mid-stage Golden Core cultivators. Consumed 5,000 contribution points.

3. Third-grade high-grade elixir "Heaven-Returning Pill": As long as one has a breath left, it can sustain one's life and buy time for treatment; it is a life-saving divine medicine. There was only one, consuming 8,000 contribution points.

These three items almost exhausted his contribution point quota as a newly appointed guest elder, but they also armed him instantly, greatly enhancing his offensive, defensive, and life-saving capabilities.

He carefully placed the sword talisman and the Heaven-Returning Pill into the Dust Ring, while the Black Tortoise Shield was refined and stored in his dantian to be nourished.

After doing all this, Lin Xuan felt much more confident.

On the eve of his departure, Qian Duoduo arrived uninvited, carrying a pot of spirit wine.

"Elder Mu, how are the preparations going?" Qian Duoduo sat down familiarly and poured a cup of wine for himself and Lin Xuan each.

"Almost there, thank you for your concern, Young Master Qian." Lin Xuan raised his cup in gesture.

"The Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range is not like the Imperial Capital; spirit beasts run rampant there, the environment is complex, and you must be even more careful of... people." Qian Duoduo sipped his wine, implying something, "Liaochen and that girl from the Floating Snow Palace have also gone, so be careful. In addition, according to the news we received, the Nether Sect also seems very interested in the strange movements in the mountain range and has likely sent people to infiltrate."

Lin Xuan's gaze sharpened: "The Nether Sect's reach is truly long."

"Profit moves people's hearts." Qian Duoduo smiled and lowered his voice, "A word of advice: if... I mean if, you discover anything special in the mountain range, such as... things related to ancient sects or special bloodlines, try to record them, or... hehe, you know. The head office has always rewarded such information heavily; it's worth much more than that so-called Condensing Elixir Liquid."

Ancient sects? Special bloodlines? Lin Xuan's heart stirred, thinking of the Phoenix Wood remains scanned by the system; could it be that this is what the Four Seas Trading Company really cares about?

"Young Master Qian, rest assured, if I discover anything, I will certainly not forget the support of the trading company." Lin Xuan replied calmly.

"Haha, talking to a smart person is so worry-free!" Qian Duoduo patted Lin Xuan on the shoulder and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, "I wish Elder Mu a triumphant return, loaded with spoils! When the time comes, I will host a welcome banquet for you!"

After seeing Qian Duoduo off, Lin Xuan stood in the courtyard, looking at the twinkling stars in the night sky.

Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, Condensing Elixir Liquid, Nether Sect, Liaochen and Yun Yao, ancient secrets... various clues intertwined, indicating that this would be a journey that would be anything but peaceful.

He touched the Dust Ring on his index finger, felt the Black Tortoise Shield being nourished in his dantian, and the few life-saving trump cards in the ring, his heart filled with anticipation and vigilance.

"System, pull up my current status."

[Host: Lin Xuan]

[Cultivation Base: Golden Core First Level (Stable)]

[Techniques: Nine Turns Thunder Gang Body (Entry), Turtle Breathing Technique, Shadow Concealment Art, Phantom Transformation, Shrinking Ground to an Inch (Entry)...]

[Skills: Deep Scan, Luck Camouflage (Elementary), Basic Talismans, Basic Contract Technique...]

[Items: Dust Ring (containing Phoenix Wood remains, Heaven-Returning Pill, Golden Light Evil-Breaking Sword Talisman, etc.), Black Tortoise Shield (refined), Bad Luck Curse Doll (used), Bilin Pill x3...]

[Slack-off points: 0]

Looking at his current panel, compared to when he first transmigrated, it was a world of difference.

"Almost there." Lin Xuan took a deep breath, his eyes as sharp as knives, "Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, let me see what kind of surprises (or scares) you are hiding!"

The next day, at the hour of the Dragon (7-9 AM).

At the military drill ground in the west of the city, banners fluttered, and the atmosphere was grim.

Nearly a hundred Golden Core cultivators who had passed the screening gathered here, standing in lines according to different team numbers. Lin Xuan (Mu Xuan) was assigned to the third squad.

His gaze swept over, and he saw the outstanding Liaochen and Saintess Yun Yao standing at the front of the team; they seemed to be in the first squad. He did not see Ye Chen.

The members of the third squad were a mixed bag, including military cultivators in standard leather armor, fierce-looking rogue cultivators, and a few who looked like they came from small families. The captain was a middle-aged officer with a cold face and a long spear on his back, with a mid-stage Golden Core cultivation base.

"My name is Zhao Lie, and I am the captain of your third squad." The middle-aged officer's voice was loud, carrying the iron-blooded aura of a soldier, "This mission is to go deep into the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, investigate the source of the beast tide, and wipe out high-level spirit beasts! Remember, in the mountain range, danger is everywhere; not only must you guard against spirit beasts, but you must also be vigilant against others with ill intentions! Follow my command in all actions! Those who disobey orders will be dealt with by military law!"

Everyone responded solemnly.

Soon, a huge flying warship, like a black mountain, slowly landed on the drill ground with a roar. This was the "Cloud-Piercing Ship" used by the imperial military for large-scale troop transport and warfare, and its grade was extremely high.

"Board the ship!"

Following the order, all the summoned cultivators boarded the Cloud-Piercing Ship one by one.

Lin Xuan followed the flow of people and stepped onto this massive war artifact. The hull was inscribed with countless defensive and offensive runes, emitting heart-palpitating spiritual power fluctuations.

The Cloud-Piercing Ship slowly ascended, then accelerated violently, turning into a stream of light, speeding towards the distant, undulating Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range that looked like a crouching giant dragon!

A new adventure officially begins!

Standing by the ship's rail, watching the mountains and earth flying backward beneath his feet, and feeling the whistling gale, the blood in Lin Xuan's body was faintly boiling.

He glanced at Liaochen and Yun Yao in the direction of the first squad, then looked at the teammates behind him with their various expressions, and the corners of his mouth curled up in an imperceptible arc.

"Slack-off system, don't you dare let me down."

"This wave, I must make a killing!"

(End of Chapter 28)