On the other side of the crowd, Fang Jiaxuan's representative was staring coldly at Lin Zhou.
The man was dressed in black, named Fang Rui. He was Fang Lie's nephew and one of the top fighters among the younger generation of the Fang family.
Fang Rui received Fang Lie's instructions and learned that Lin Zhou was "a representative of the village chief's faction".
His eyes were full of hostility, and his fingers tightened their grip on the yellow jade pendant, clearly intending to find an opportunity to snatch Lin Zhou's jade pendant in the secret realm.
Lin Zhou naturally noticed Fang Rui's gaze, but only glanced at it briefly before looking away.
He had no interest in fighting over the jade pendant, and even less interest in the so-called ancient cultivation technique.
His only goal was to find the innate energy after entering the core area of the Celestial Cave.
As for comprehending the cultivation technique, it's just a formality.
"Alright, prepare to teleport." The gray-robed elder raised the bronze bell and shook it again.
The moment the bell rang, the jade pendants in the wooden box simultaneously lit up, and a beam of light shot out from each pendant, enveloping the corresponding cultivator.
Lin Zhou felt a blur before his eyes, and the scenery around him instantly changed. The mortal village disappeared, replaced by a dense ancient forest.
The trees in the ancient forest are hundreds of feet tall, with intertwined branches and leaves that block out the sun. The air is filled with a rich spiritual energy, but it also carries a faint sense of danger.
"Fellow Daoist? Where are you?" Shen Jinhao's voice came from afar, tinged with anxiety.
Lin Zhou raised his hand and released a faint wisp of divine sense in the direction from which the voice came: "I am in the ancient forest to the east. Follow the direction of your divine sense."
He glanced at the black jade pendant in his hand, then surveyed his surroundings, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Whether it's a secret realm or a struggle, nothing can stop him from finding innate energy.
Next, all we need to do is wait for Shen Jinhao to join us, and then collect all the jade pendants, and we can enter the core area.
Meanwhile, in other areas of the secret realm, Lu Zhizhou was using the Star Derivation Technique to search for the jade pendant, while Luo Yun Chu used her ice power to freeze a monster that had launched a sneak attack.
Huo Zheng then set the entire forest ablaze, attempting to force out the jade pendant hidden in the shadows. Fang Rui even led the Fang family members...
Beside a bamboo house in a mortal village outside the secret realm, Fang Lie was whispering instructions to his trusted confidant.
His tone was full of calculation: "Initially, I wanted to ask Huo Zheng to be our representative. After all, the Flame Clan is on good terms with our Fang family, and Huo Zheng is a top genius in the Lingxiao Star Region, so our chances of winning are much greater."
He paused, a shrewd glint in his eyes: "But on second thought, why not just send Rui'er directly?"
“Rui’er is the pride of our Fang family. His cultivation at the early stage of the Dao Realm is already quite strong. Let him join forces with Huo Zheng.”
"On the one hand, we can use the power of the Blazing Flame Clan to suppress Lin Zhou and Lu Zhizhou."
"On the other hand, if Rui'er succeeds and subsequently leads the Lingxiao Starfield, our Fang family can firmly grasp the initiative and have a better chance of winning. It's better than giving the benefits to the Flame Clan."
The confidant quickly nodded in agreement: "The patriarch is wise! Young Master Rui'er is exceptionally capable, and with the assistance of Young Master Huozheng, even if Lin Zhou is strong, he may not be able to defeat the two of them together. The village chief is definitely going to lose!"
Fang Lie smiled with satisfaction, his gaze fixed on the entrance to the secret realm, his eyes filled with anticipation. As long as Fang Rui could pass the third trial, the Fang family's ambitions would be within reach.
In the ancient forest of the secret realm, Shen Jinhao was hurrying along, guided by Lin Zhou's divine sense, occasionally kicking a dry branch.
They couldn't help but look around nervously. Although the monsters in the secret realm weren't particularly strong, his cultivation was limited, and if he encountered real danger, he wouldn't be able to withstand it at all.
Only when he saw that familiar figure ahead did he breathe a sigh of relief and quickly ran over: "Brother Lin! I've finally found you!"
Lin Zhou turned around, his expression still calm. He glanced at Shen Jinhao, who seemed unharmed, and said directly, "You don't need to do anything. Just follow behind me and don't wander off."
These simple and direct words inexplicably reassured Shen Jinhao, who quickly nodded, "Okay! I'll listen to you and won't cause any trouble!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Zhou raised his right hand and slowly stretched it out into the void in front of him.
The place was completely empty, without even a trace of spiritual energy. Shen Jinhao was wondering what Lin Zhou was going to do when, in the next second...
Then they saw Lin Zhou's palm seem to have reached into an invisible gap, and with a gentle grab of his fingertips, several jade pendants that shimmered with different lights appeared out of thin air in his hand!
The jade pendants are yellow, blue, and green, which correspond to the three colors other than red and black!
Shen Jinhao's eyes widened, his mouth gaped open enough to fit a fist, and he froze on the spot.
He saw it clearly just now: Lin Zhou didn't use any spiritual power or search for any traces; he just reached out and grabbed at the void, and the jade pendant came out!
This is outrageous!
"Fellow Daoist, how...how did you do that?"
Shen Jinhao's voice trembled as he stared intently at the jade pendant in Lin Zhou's hand, then looked up at the void.
He seemed to be trying to find the secret within, but no matter how he looked, the void remained empty, with nothing at all.
Lin Zhou glanced at the jade pendant in his hand, casually weighed it in his hand, and said in a flat tone as if he were saying, "The weather is nice today."
"The jade pendants in the secret realm are refreshed in the void rifts according to the rules of the realm. They are just hidden well. You can just reach out and take them out."
"There are still two red and black pieces missing, so it shouldn't be refresh time yet."
He spoke casually, but Shen Jinhao was terrified as he listened to the void rift!
That's a place even powerful Dao Realm experts have to explore with extreme caution, as the slightest mistake could result in a backlash from the rift.
Lin Zhou was able to pull out the jade pendant from his pocket as easily as if he were reaching into his own pocket; this strength was beyond his comprehension!
Looking at Lin Zhou's retreating figure, he felt that the man before him was like a bottomless sea. Previously, Lin Zhou had instantly killed Shen Jing and intimidated the guardians of Falling Star Village.
He thought that was Lin Zhou's full strength, but now he realized that what he had seen was only the tip of the iceberg.
"Then, what do we do now?" Shen Jinhao suppressed his shock and asked in a low voice.
Lin Zhou carefully put away the three jade pendants, turned around and walked into the depths of the ancient forest. His tone was still casual, but it carried an undeniable confidence: "Let's go find the others and 'borrow' their jade pendants."
"Borrow?" Shen Jinhao was stunned for a moment, then realized that with Lin Zhou's strength, it was not a matter of "borrowing" at all; it was clear that the other party simply dared not refuse to "borrow"!
He quickly followed Lin Zhou's footsteps, feeling both excited and awe-inspiring. He secretly resolved that no matter what happened, he must never leave Lin Zhou's side.
Meanwhile, in another part of the ancient forest, Huo Zheng was using flames to force out a demonic beast that was hiding a green jade pendant. Just as he picked up the pendant, he saw Fang Rui leading several Fang family cultivators over.
With a fawning smile, Fang Rui quickly stepped forward: "Young Master Huo Zheng, I've long admired your name! I am Fang Rui of the Fang family."
"I've come on the orders of the patriarch to join forces with the young master. Let's gather the jade pendants together so we can deal with Lin Zhou and Lu Zhizhou. What do you say?"
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