Chapter 154 - Mysterious Green-haired Man

Lin Xuan’s gaze pierced through the crowd, looking towards the back.

In a corner, there was a green-haired man, wearing a cold smile, his eyes emitting a green, ghostly glow.

Lin Xuan had never seen this person before, but he was very familiar with the aura emanating from the man.

The aura of the green-haired man was the same as that of the bronze coffin under the Blood-colored Palace, both making his heart palpitate.

“Could it be that the person in the coffin is alive?” Lin Xuan’s face was clouded with uncertainty.

“Brother Lin, what’s wrong?” Tong Yu asked from the side.

“It’s nothing,” Lin Xuan recovered his composure, but when he turned his head again, he found that the green-haired man had disappeared.

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, he followed the crowd into the Tong Mansion.

In front of them was a group of elders, most of whose gazes fell on him.

“Greetings to all the elders,” Lin Xuan bowed.

“The younger generation is indeed fearsome.

May I ask from which sect does Young Hero Lin hail?” an elder asked.

“Yunzhou Xuantian Sect,” Lin Xuan answered.

The elders looked at each other, visible disbelief in their eyes, but they didn’t voice their doubts.

“Thank you, Young Master Lin, for taking action today…”

Lin Xuan conversed with the Tong Family Elders, discovering that these old men were constantly probing his identity, but Lin Xuan insisted that he was a disciple of the Xuantian Sect, leaving the group at a loss.

Eventually, when they could not get anything more out of him, they let Lin Xuan go.

Phew!

Back in his room, Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew what the Tong Family intended—they wanted to establish a relationship with the mysterious master behind him.

He did have a mysterious master, but that was his secret, one he would take to his grave rather than reveal to anyone.

However, that wasn’t what he was worried about.

What worried him the most was the green-haired man he had seen earlier, whose greedy gaze made his skin crawl.

“Lord of Wine, what exactly is that thing?” Lin Xuan inquired.

“It doesn’t seem to be a living creature, its body is full of death energy.

With your current strength, it’s best not to fight with it.”

Lin Xuan nodded, then began to consolidate his strength, especially as he was not yet proficient with the newly condensed Soul Seal.

“Your Soul Seal is based on the Great Dragon Sword Seal, it has enormous potential and needs to be nurtured well,” Lord of Wine slowly said, “I’ll first teach you some simple engravings.”

Lin Xuan concentrated, carefully feeling the engravings taught by Lord of Wine.

After a while, his soul surged, and he gently lifted his finger, slowly falling.

The simplest rune appeared in the air, and Spiritual Power surged towards it.

Three simple strokes, yet containing magical power.

Lin Xuan practiced over and over again, the air around him lit up with points of light, forming countless spirals of Spiritual Power.

At last, he was able to complete it in one breath—a full and intact drawing.

Appearing to be just three simple lines, but they contained the mysteries of heaven and earth, which ordinary people could not draw at all.

This was the entry-level practice for an Engraver, and ordinary engravers would need one to two months to complete it smoothly.

Lin Xuan, however, had managed to do so in just a few hours.

Such talent was nothing short of monstrous.

Lin Xuan opened his eyes, frowning slightly, as the prolonged use of Soul Power had made his head spin.

Rubbing his temples, Lin Xuan pulled out a cup of Spiritual Wine and slowly drank it down.

His Soul Power needed about two hours to fully recover, and Lin Xuan spent this period cultivating the Longevity Technique.

Thus, one day quickly passed by.

The next day, Lin Xuan walked out the door; he needed to buy some herbs to start learning how to refine Spiritual Wine and to see if there were any good weapons available.

He had about a hundred Mid Grade Spirit Stones, three chests of low-grade spiritual stones, and a Xuan-grade Treasure Saber.

This wealth was indeed pitiful, but fortunately, Lin Xuan’s initial cultivation had relied on the Spiritual Wine refined by Lord of Wine, so there was no immediate crisis.

However, as his cultivation grew higher, the resources he needed increased as well, and without them, he would definitely fall behind the disciples of the large sects.

Once he learned to refine Spiritual Wine, he would be able to make money.

Lin Xuan was not worried about the future, and in fact, he was even somewhat full of anticipation.

He weaved through the corridors, his demeanor serene.

Ahead, figures moved about—it seemed like quite a crowd.

“Is the Cang Family causing trouble again?” Lin Xuan wondered.

However, he soon realized that this was not the case; rather, it was a group of people surrounding an elder, heading toward the inner courtyard.

Lin Xuan’s face lit up with curiosity as he sensed a familiar soul fluctuation from the elder in brocade.

“Could it be an Engraver?” His mind stirred, not expecting to see a peer so quickly.

“Indeed, an Engraver,” said Lord of Wine, “at the peak of First Grade, far beyond what you, a half-baked novice, can compare with.”

Lin Xuan rolled his eyes: “I’ve only been studying for one night, okay?”

His gaze shifting, Lin Xuan walked over.

“Uncle Cheng,” he called out with a smile.

“So it’s Young Hero Lin,” Uncle Cheng turned his head to look at Lin Xuan from behind the crowd.

“Who is that elder?” Lin Xuan asked with an air of curiosity.

“That’s Master Hong, a Ming Alchemist,” Uncle Cheng explained, although he did not elaborate further.

“Ming Alchemist…” Lin Xuan murmured to himself, “Uncle Cheng, you’re busy, I’ll take a walk outside.”

After saying goodbye to Uncle Cheng, Lin Xuan left the Tong Mansion and walked down the main street.

“Ming Alchemists, Engravers, are there many different types?” Lin Xuan transmitted his voice, inquiring with Lord of Wine.

“Initially, there was no distinction, but most people’s energies are limited after all, it’s impossible to master everything, hence the emergence of specializations.”

“They’re generally divided into three main categories: medicine, artifacts, and formations.

Among them, the medicine line is the most developed and has the most complete system.”

Lin Xuan listened to Lord of Wine’s explanation as he walked briskly.

He learned that titles such as Ming Alchemist and Engraving Master are reserved for those who have truly formed a Soul Seal.

Those who haven’t formed a Soul Seal are referred to as Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, or Artifact Nourishment Masters.

While only a word apart, the status and strength between the two are worlds apart…

Soon, he arrived at the bustling area of the city.

Among them, the largest and most crowded was undoubtedly the Ten Thousand Treasure Tower.

It was a large trading alliance with business in every region of Xia Country; although the prices were slightly higher, the reputation was reliable.

Lin Xuan paid ten low-grade spirit stones and then entered.

The hall was decked in gold and splendor, with a throng of people coming and going, and the atmosphere was very heated.

Following the list provided by Lord of Wine, Lin Xuan started purchasing herbs.

Being new to cultivation, the herbs he needed weren’t very rare, making the purchase straightforward.

He quickly gathered all that he needed.

“Eh, what’s this?” Lin Xuan noticed a beautifully crafted booklet on the counter and couldn’t help but take a closer look.

“Hidden Dragon List!”

The three characters framed in gold, with dragons soaring and phoenixes dancing, seemed to emit a subtle War Intent.

“This can only be viewed after purchase.”

A gentle voice was heard, and Lin Xuan looked up to find a pretty Maid standing behind the counter.

“I’ll take one,” said Lin Xuan.

“Alright, fifty low-grade spirit stones,” said the Maid.

Lin Xuan gasped; he hadn’t expected a simple directory to be so expensive.

It was truly outrageous.

He handed over the spirit stones and picked up a booklet, slowly opening it.

There were a hundred names of young elites recorded inside, with annotations next to each name.

These included detailed battle records and Martial Artists’ specialized Absolute Skills.

“It’s impressive that someone has been able to collect such comprehensive information; it’s really extraordinary!” Lin Xuan admired.

If what was written was all true, then the person who compiled this book was truly remarkable.

“This is compiled by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, you don’t know that?” A voice filled with slight disdain came from beside him.