Chapter Sixty-Four: Brothers Reunited

Time slipped away quietly on this journey home. Over the past half month, Lin Yanghao had successfully stabilized his cultivation at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Now, the ship was drawing ever closer to the Northern Continent of Violet Jade.

Knock, knock, knock. Suddenly, a series of knocks broke Lin Yanghao’s meditation. He opened the door to see a cultivator at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Lin Yanghao was puzzled—he knew hardly anyone on this ship. Why would someone seek him out?

"Is there something you need from me?" Lin Yanghao asked, bewildered.

"Are you Young Master Lin?" the cultivator inquired.

"I am Lin Yanghao, and you are...?" Lin Yanghao was surprised that the man knew his name.

"Young Master Lin, my master invites you for a chat." Without waiting for further questions, the cultivator took Lin Yanghao by the arm and led him away.

"So it’s an A-class cabin!" The more Lin Yanghao thought about it, the more perplexed he became. Who could possibly be looking for him? He knew only a handful of people in the Spiritual Realm, and yet this person knew his identity. Lin Yanghao reasoned that it must be someone familiar, so he didn’t refuse the invitation. After all, the early Foundation Establishment cultivator wasn’t strong enough to pose any threat to him.

"Brother Tan? Is it really you?" As the door opened, Lin Yanghao recognized the figure standing before him—it was none other than Tan Zhuo.

"Haha, Brother Lin! It’s been nearly a year since we last met. I’ve missed you dearly!"

"Indeed, Brother Tan. What brings you here?"

"Naturally, I’m here for the Newcomers’ Tournament in the Cultivation World. Who would have expected the event to be attacked by the Beast Domain? Fortunately, I was delayed before setting out, or I would not have escaped unscathed. With no reason to remain in the Central Continent, I boarded a ship back to the Northern Continent of Violet Jade. Just now, while registering passengers, I happened to spot your name, Brother Lin, so I sent someone to confirm whether it was you." With these words, Tan Zhuo pulled Lin Yanghao into the cabin and sat him down. The two brothers, reunited, opened their hearts as if there were endless tales to share.

...

"Brother Lin, you truly astonish me! In barely half a year, you’ve broken through from the peak of Qi Refining all the way to mid-stage Foundation Establishment. You’re a prodigy! And to think you’re only twenty years old—surely, this is unprecedented in the cultivation world," Tan Zhuo exclaimed in awe.

"Brother Tan, you say that, but aren’t you the same? When we first met, you were at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and now you’re at the mid-stage as well."

"It’s not quite the same. I was already close to breaking through, so it was only natural. But you’ve leapt not just an entire major realm, but also several minor realms," Tan Zhuo replied.

Night fell. Lin Yanghao returned to his room and resumed crafting talismans. In cultivation, money was needed everywhere, so whenever he had time, Lin Yanghao would refine talismans—his only reliable way to earn substantial profits. With increasing practice, his success rate had climbed to sixty percent.

A soft, mocking laugh suddenly echoed, startling Lin Yanghao in the midst of crafting a Tunneling Talisman, causing it to fail.

"Who’s there! Show yourself!" Lin Yanghao searched the room high and low, but found nothing.

"Hahahaha..." The playful laughter sounded again as Lin Yanghao scoured the room.

"Could she be invisible?" Lin Yanghao nearly turned the entire room upside down, but there was only the voice and no sign of anyone. Finally, he sat down, giving up the search, though unease gnawed at him. If this voice had been around all along, then surely all his secrets would have been exposed.

"Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I’m in your sea of consciousness," the voice relented, sensing Lin Yanghao’s growing irritation.

"What!" Lin Yanghao was stunned. He had never imagined another presence within his own sea of consciousness.

"Is my sea of consciousness some sort of treasure? Why does everyone want to hide in there! If that’s the case, hasn’t she already discovered the Chaos Ring and the mysterious crystal?" Without further delay, Lin Yanghao swept his divine sense through his sea of consciousness.

"Where are you?" Lin Yanghao searched every nook, finding only the Chaos Ring and the mysterious crystal quietly floating in the center, the rest shrouded in mist.

"Fool! I’m right in the middle of your sea of consciousness!" The playful voice rang out again.

"Why can’t I see you?" Lin Yanghao searched once more, but there was still no trace.

"I am the Cloud Pendant right in front of you, silly!"

"Are you the one who’s been speaking to me?" Lin Yanghao stared at the mysterious crystal that called itself the Cloud Pendant, momentarily speechless. The surprise it brought was immense. The old monster, Real Person Mu Yu, had said it could increase cultivation speed, but now it could actually speak!

"Of course, who else do you think it could be?"

"What exactly are you?" Lin Yanghao probed the mysterious crystal with his divine sense, but found no change.

"I’m not a thing! My name is Ling’er! If you call me a thing again, I won’t talk to you anymore!" Suddenly, a little girl appeared before Lin Yanghao’s eyes.

"Alright, alright, Ling’er, can you tell me who you really are?"

"Fine, fine, I’ll tell you. You look so anxious!" Ling’er replied playfully.

"My name is Ling’er, the spirit of the Cloud Pendant. My master was the most powerful person in this world, capable of anything. But aside from some fragments of memory, I remember almost nothing else—it seems my master sealed everything away." Ling’er’s eyes sparkled with little stars as she spoke.

"Then what is the Cloud Pendant exactly? Surely you know that much?" Lin Yanghao wasn’t interested in her master’s identity, only the mysteries in his heart.

"The Cloud Pendant and the Chaos Ring are two innate treasures born at the dawn of the universe. The Chaos Ring contains all things, its interior forming a world of its own. Not only that, the Chaos Ring can also slow the flow of time—a treasure imbued with the laws of time and space!"