Chapter 465: Chapter 413: Altered Realm Cultivator

The old manager set down his teacup and consulted a jade slip. He quickly found the entry for mission Gui Zi No. 6, paused for a moment, and looked up at Zhao Lin.

"Young man, you’ve chosen the mission to gather Spirit Pearls on Red Tail Island, haven’t you?"

Zhao Lin nodded. "That’s right."

The old manager frowned. "You’re so young. Of all the missions to choose from, why this one?"

Zhao Lin was taken aback. "Manager, why do you say that?"

The old manager coughed and said gravely, "The mission you’ve chosen... while the rewards are generous, the risks are simply too great! Do you have any idea how many people have taken this mission this year, and how many of them never returned?"

"Young man, take an old man’s advice. Don’t dream of getting rich overnight. It’s much safer to stick to the proper path."

"There are Spirit Pearl ores in the coastal areas too. The merit point rewards aren’t as high and it’s harder work, but at least you won’t lose your life."

"The path of cultivation is hard. Cherish your life while you still have it!"

Perhaps due to his age, the old manager was quite long-winded. Zhao Lin understood his good intentions and listened patiently before saying, "Thank you for your advice, Manager, but I’d still like to accept this mission."

The old manager let out a long sigh and said no more. He took out his Star Origin Brush, accepted the Body Stone from Zhao Lin, and wrote:

October, Bingwu Year. Zhao Lin accepts the mission to gather Spirit Pearls on Red Tail Island. Mission Gui Zi No. 6, White-rank...

After accepting the mission, Zhao Lin had intended to return to Red Tail Island, but he had a second thought. ’The Magic of the Earth Dark Sect cultivators comes from the same lineage as the Chenghua Sect’s, but there are many differences.’

’My preparations were rushed last time, and I had trouble adapting when I fought the Earth Dark Sect cultivators. My opponents this time will likely be even stronger. I should study the Earth Dark Sect’s Magic so I know what I’m up against...’

With this in mind, he left and made his way to the Library Pavilion.

Every prefecture of the Chenghua Sect had a Library Pavilion. It was free for local cultivators, but cultivators from other prefectures, like Zhao Lin, had to pay three Spirit Coins to use it.

Zhao Lin paid the Spirit Coins and began searching the pavilion for relevant books.

He had expected them to be hard to find, but it turned out there were many records on the Earth Dark Sect’s Magic, some of which were quite in-depth.

Dongfu County bordered the sea, separated from the Earth Dark Sect by only a stretch of water. Throughout history, many cultivators had traveled to the Earth Dark Sect’s territory to journey or trade, accumulating a vast collection of notes.

Zhao Lin buried himself in the old tomes and began to read intently.

...

SKREEE!

A bird’s cry echoed from the sky.

A white-headed albatross soared over the Dongfu Market, flying toward Red Tail Island.

A closer look would reveal a small slip of paper tied to one of the albatross’s legs.

Clearly, someone was using the albatross to deliver a message.

In a world of cultivation, messenger talismans were naturally a faster way to send messages. However, in places where cultivators gathered, talismans risked being intercepted. Traditional methods were, conversely, more reliable.

The white-headed albatross was massive, its wingspan stretching over ten feet. It rode the air currents blowing in from the sea, flying away at an incredible speed...

「Red Tail Island, Earth Dark Sect’s Island Master’s Mansion.」

"General, have another cup."

In the main hall, Jing Shigen was reclining on a couch. A loosely-robed female cultivator held a wine cup, leaning in as she spoke.

"Any more and I’ll be drunk."

Jing Shigen glanced at the female cultivator’s bosom and accepted the cup with a smile.

The female cultivator shot him a look and was about to speak when a voice interrupted.

"Island Master, He Duzuo requests an audience."

A guard walked into the main hall, bowing his head as he reported.

"Let him in."

Jing Shigen frowned slightly and sat up straight. At a wave of his hand, the female cultivator tactfully stood up and swayed her way back to the inner chambers.

A moment later, a cultivator in red robes with a scar on his face strode into the main hall. He bowed and said, "My Lord, a secret message from Dongfu County."

Jing Shigen nodded and took the slip of paper. His expression immediately grew solemn, and the haze in his eyes cleared.

To prevent leaks, the message was written in code.

The Earth Dark Sect had many outposts in the Chenghua Sect’s territory. Each contact used a different code to communicate with Jing Shigen, and only he knew how to decipher them.

For a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, memorizing multiple codes was not difficult. Jing Shigen only needed a glance or two to read the entire message.

"He Duzuo, that man, Zhao Lin, is finally coming to carry out his mission!"

Jing Shigen shook out his robes as he rose to his feet, throwing his head back with a loud laugh.

He Duzuo looked up upon hearing this and asked, "Is that the same person from two years ago?"

"Indeed."

Jing Shigen nodded slightly, unable to hide the excitement in his eyes. "It’s him!"

Seeing Jing Shigen’s pleased expression, He Duzuo felt emboldened to ask, "My Lord, what are your plans?"

Jing Shigen smiled and asked in return, "And what do you think, He Duzuo?"

He Duzuo thought for a moment before answering seriously, "I believe we should increase the mission reward and gather experts from the Qi Refining Realm."

Jing Shigen nodded in approval. "Indeed, that’s what I was thinking. Send a message to headquarters today: whoever kills Zhao Lin will be rewarded with twenty thousand merit points!"

He Duzuo was shocked. "That high? That’s enough to exchange for two Foundation Establishment Pills."

Jing Shigen’s gaze hardened. "It’s not high. Not high at all. Not only will I increase the reward, I will also have the Elder Council send over a Transformation Stage cultivator!"

He Duzuo exclaimed in surprise, "A Transformation Stage cultivator!"

The so-called "Transformation Stage cultivator" was not a type of cultivation method like a Martial Cultivator or Body Cultivator, but rather a special phase of one’s training.

To be precise, it was related to the Celestial Dao of the Xuanyuan Continent.

The Xuanyuan Continent was divided into four realms: the Dongling Realm, the Zhong Mountain Realm, the Xiluo Realm, and the New Origin Realm.

Though on the same continent, it was split into four realms. One reason was the existence of barriers between the realms, and the vast differences in each realm’s cultivation methods.

Another reason was that the Celestial Dao of each of the four realms was different.

So, strictly speaking, they were four separate worlds that just happened to share the same continent.

When a cultivator traveled from one realm to another, they would be suppressed by the destination realm’s Celestial Dao, and their Cultivation Realm would be lowered.

For example, if a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator traveled from the Dongling Realm to the Xiluo Realm, their cultivation would be suppressed to Early-stage Foundation Establishment.

This wasn’t just the early phase of Foundation Establishment; it was the absolute lowest point, equivalent to the state of a cultivator who had just broken through from the Qi Refining Realm, making them the weakest among their peers.

Such were the Heavenly Dao Laws, which prioritized the protection of a realm’s native cultivators.

When that Foundation Establishment cultivator returned to the Dongling Realm, their cultivation would slowly recover, eventually returning to its original Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

But there was a special exception.

If that cultivator had stayed in the Xiluo Realm for a long time, they would become "tainted" by its Heavenly Dao Laws.

Upon their return, the Dongling Realm’s Celestial Dao would mistake them for an outsider and suppress them once again.

At that point, the cultivator’s cultivation would drop from Early-stage Foundation Establishment down to the peak of the Qi Refining Realm—a fall of an entire major realm.

This was a "Transformation Stage cultivator," also known as a "false realm cultivator."

Of course, as long as the cultivator refrained from using any Magic for a month, they would be accepted by their home realm’s Celestial Dao, and their cultivation would return to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

With their realm suppressed, a Transformation Stage cultivator was naturally no match for cultivators of their original realm. However, in the lower realm they’d fallen to, they were practically invincible.

This was because in terms of magical proficiency and combat experience, Transformation Stage cultivators were far superior to genuine Low Tier cultivators. Moreover, their Divine Sense could still maintain its original range.

Of course, Transformation Stage cultivators would generally focus on recuperating and avoid fighting.

This was because, under the constraints of the Heavenly Dao Laws, using Magic during their Transformation Stage was extremely detrimental to their own cultivation. If they were injured, it could even damage their entire cultivation foundation.

For Jing Shigen to be willing to deploy a Transformation Stage cultivator just to kill Zhao Lin showed how wary he was of him.

"This... isn’t this a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

He Duzuo asked tentatively.

"Not at all."

Jing Shigen slowly shook his head. "Last time, Zhao Lin killed fourteen cultivators from our sect. Shannei and Qingchi, in particular, were among the best of our Qi Refining Cultivators. Two years have passed. Do you really think Zhao Lin has made no progress?"

"Don’t forget, his cultivation has already risen from the Qi Refining Fourth Layer to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer!"

"If we only send cultivators from the Qi Refining Realm, I don’t believe our chances of success are high enough."

"He killed Changze, which nearly got me censured. I will not allow any mistakes this time."

Jing Shigen paced a few steps, his expression growing more resolute. "Success is the only option; failure is not permitted. Only by taking his life can I wash away this disgrace!"

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