A third-tier cultivator already possesses the title of "Grandmaster" and is authorized to establish their own sect.
Especially someone like him who has achieved the highest level of alchemy, could become a true disciple or a powerful elder even in major sects like the Sword Sect or the Starry Sky Palace.
Joining the imperial court would allow one to become the head of a hundred schools in a prefecture, a promising future indeed.
After thinking about it for a moment, Lin Yi put those thoughts out of his mind and thought to himself, "Let nature take its course."
As the boat approached the island in the middle of the lake, Lin Yi paid the fare. After he went ashore, a refined young man of about twenty-three or twenty-four years old immediately came up to him and asked, "May I ask what brings you here, fellow Daoist?"
Lin Yi said with a smile, "I've just entered the third rank, so I've come here specifically to report this."
The refined young man immediately led the way, saying, "Please follow me."
The formalities were completed quickly, and Lin Yi's identity jade talisman was upgraded once again. From today onwards, he has the qualification to issue missions in Tongde Halls throughout the Great Xia Dynasty.
If one is proficient in alchemy, weapon crafting, talisman making, and other similar skills, one can also obtain various resources through Tongdetang's efficient and convenient network to aid one's cultivation.
After leaving the Hundred Schools Academy, Lin Yi casually found a school in the capital to stay at. The next day, he received countless flying message talismans.
These talismans mostly came from various sects under the rule of the Great Xia Dynasty, offering various conditions to recruit Lin Yi, a rogue cultivator.
Lin Yi put away the telegram talismans and casually picked out a few to look at. The contents were all similar, sent by representatives of various forces stationed in the capital, mainly from Taoist sects.
A talisman came into view, and Lin Yi picked it up. This talisman came from Haoyang Sect in Lingzhou.
It's time to go back to Lingzhou.
He was once just an ordinary second-tier cultivator who had gained some fortuitous opportunities, but now he is a third-tier elite with the potential to cultivate a primordial spirit and has achieved a high-grade elixir. Even if he has some secrets, no one will easily dig into them.
With the addition of the Void Robe and the Supreme Ship, Lin Yi was confident he could escape even if the Nascent Soul True Immortal from Haoyang Sect personally intervened.
………………
The northern border of Lingzhou, the Baiyang Mountains where Haoyangmen's mountain gate is located.
On this day, a long rainbow descended, revealing a man in his twenties dressed in a blue Taoist robe.
Lin Yi took out a jade talisman and activated it. A loud voice came from it, "Is this Fellow Daoist Lin?"
“It’s me. I’m now outside the White Sun Mountains,” Lin Yi said.
The person on the other side of the jade talisman said happily, "Good, I will send someone to fetch you, fellow Daoist."
"Thank you for your trouble." After saying that, Lin Yi put away the jade talisman.
A moment later, a sword light flew to Lin Yi's front, revealing a female Taoist priest.
Although the woman was dressed simply, the little bit of skin she exposed was as white as snow, and her face, though without makeup, was still beautiful and lovely. Her bright and delicate eyes gave people a sense of clarity, peace, and tranquility, clearly indicating that she was very well-mannered.
"May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings." The female Taoist priest bowed to Lin Yi and said, "Yu Qingxue, a fourth-generation disciple of the Haoyang Sect, greets Fellow Daoist Lin. Please follow me."
Lin Yi returned the greeting and said, "Fellow Daoist Yu, please."
Led by Yu Qingxue, Lin Yi passed through the protective array of Haoyang Sect and arrived at the main hall, Jinyang Hall.
The main hall enshrines the statue of the Supreme Taoist Ancestor.
Sitting cross-legged on the futon beneath the statue was an old Taoist priest with white hair and beard and a ruddy complexion; he was none other than Xu Ruoyu, the current head of the Haoyang Sect.
After escorting Lin Yi to the entrance of the main hall, Yu Qingxue turned and left.
Xu Ruoyu greeted, "Fellow Daoist Lin, please come in."
"Greetings, Sect Leader Xu," Lin Yi said, bowing as he entered the main hall.
"Sit down," Xu Ruoyu said, pointing to the futon beside her.
After Lin Yi sat down, Xu Ruoyu looked at the young man in front of him. His aura was perfectly round and flawless, which was a sign of a top-grade elixir.
There are very few cultivators in the Haoyang Sect who have reached the upper-grade Dan level. Yu Qingxue, who went to guide Lin Yi earlier, is the most promising one.
Although achieving a mid-grade elixir allows one to pursue the path of Nascent Soul or Yang Spirit, it is not a dead end. However, both shattering the elixir to form a Nascent Soul and achieving the birth of Yang from Yin are extremely difficult.
"I'd like to see my master first," Lin Yi said.
What Haoyang Sect used to move him was the bond between master and disciple. Lin Zhengyang, who had already become a ghost cultivator, was a very good card to play.
Of course, they didn't know that Lin Zhengyang's ability to gather his soul and refine his form was due to Lin Yi's secret efforts.
Xu Ruoyu nodded without saying a word and led Lin Yi toward the back hall.
The rear hall of Jinyang Hall is the central hub of Haoyang Sect's protective mountain formation—the Zhutian Yuanchen Yangxing Formation. Therefore, no other cultivators were found along the way. When they arrived at the door of a quiet room in front of the rear hall, Xu Ruoyu casually cast a few purple restrictions on the door of the quiet room.
Then Lin Yi saw the door to the quiet room twist and turn into the entrance to a cave. It was pitch black inside, dark and deep, with wisps of cold air blowing out.
Xu Ruoyu cast a protective spell, and a white jade ruler appeared above his head, emitting rays of golden light that firmly protected him. Then he turned to Lin Yi behind him and said, "Use any protective spells you have. If you accidentally let a trace of the bone-corroding and soul-destroying Nine Netherworld Qi seep into your body, it will take several years to get rid of it."
Lin Yi dared not be negligent. The Seven Star Robe appeared on his body, with starlight rippling like water, and the True Star Fire burning within.
After taking a look, Xu Ruoyu took the lead and walked into the cave.
The cave was cold and gloomy. The steps wound down, and the cold air became stronger and the chill more intense the further down you went.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the chilling aura transformed into one after another black ice dragon.
With a hissing sound, the Starry True Fire surrounding Lin Yi dimmed and went out. He wanted to use it again, but found that there was no fire spiritual energy around him. He could only use his own true energy, which greatly reduced its power. It went out as soon as it appeared.
Lin Yi didn't waste his time; he infused the Seven Star Robe with the aura of saintly virtue, which naturally had the miraculous effect of being immune to all magic.