Chapter 5 I'm lost

  "Jun Ling, we can't have this." Bai Lan came back to her senses and hastily declined.

  How precious the Saint Energy Stone is, even if Jun Ling has already reached the middle rank of a saint, it's still extremely precious to him, how could he not use it? It must be just to make them feel at ease.

  Cai Yi grasped the white jade-like Saint Energy Stone, which still carried a warm aura. A flash of surprise and longing quickly swept across her beautiful eyes, but in the end, she reluctantly put the object back on Ling Wu's desk. "I can't have it."

  Cai Yi's beautiful eyes blinked, of course she wanted to, how could she ask for his things when she hadn't even repaid the debt of gratitude for saving her life?

  "Come on, Second Brother Bai, just take it. I have plenty of these things." Facing the two men's refusal, Ling Wushuang was somewhat helpless and thought for a moment before saying: "Do I look like someone who would casually give away things?"

  Bai Lian was taken aback for a moment, and then suddenly understood Ling Wushuang's meaning.

  At first sight, the black-robed young man's cold and distant demeanor indeed left a deep impression on him. However, after spending a day together, they discovered that as long as you interact with him sincerely, Jun Ling is actually very easy to get along with. Perhaps it was also due to his senior brother's influence, but sincerity is the key.

  Now, Jun Ling is even more generous to give them such precious things, in other words, it's a recognition of them, and he truly regards them as his own people!

  Her eyes sparkled slightly as a gentle smile floated onto her elegant face, and she laughed loudly: "In that case, we won't be polite anymore."

  "Brother Bai doesn't need to be polite with me," Ling Wushuang smiled calmly.

  "Haha, I've been searching for this thing for a long time, and the Holy City was almost turned upside down by me!" Cai Yi saw that her senior brother had already put everything away, so she didn't hold back either. With a flick of her fiery red sleeve, Le Hehe picked up the Sacred Energy Stone from the stone table, let out a sigh of relief, "Now breaking through to the Holy Rank will be much easier!"

  She had previously thought of giving her top-grade energy stone to Jun Ling, but unexpectedly, this guy was hiding his true abilities.

  "Right, and also..." Ling Wu Xiong smiled slightly, then flipped his hand over to produce two medicinal pellets, which he spread out in the palm of his hand. "White Big Brother, you guys should be able to use these too."

  Cai Yi stared blankly at the thing in Ling Wu's hand, her long eyelashes blinking twice before she saw it clearly. Her eyes suddenly widened and her eyeballs nearly popped out, "Sacred Tier Dan Medicine!"

  The moon-white colored elixir, the size of a fingertip, with its breath completely internalized, and faintly visible dan patterns floating on its surface, all these signs clearly indicate that it belongs to the sacred grade elixir.

  "Po Yuan Dan!" Bai Lian's elegant face was also rich and colorful at this time, "Jun Ling, this is too precious..."

  The Sacred Tier Elixir is, to a certain extent, even more precious than the Saint's Energy Stone. After all, there are very few Saintly Alchemists, and even the Holy Temple only has one. Where did Jun Ling get this Sacred Tier Elixir from?

  "Don't worry, Bai Dage, I have plenty of these things in hand" Ling Wushuang handed two dan medicines to the two people.

  Bai Lan couldn't help but curve up the corners of her mouth, "What else is in your hands, exactly?"

  He didn't know whether Jun Ling was trying to comfort them by saying that, or if he really had a lot of these things, or maybe both.

  "Really, the Po Yuan Dan——" Cai Yi didn't hesitate anymore, smiling and taking it over, her two braids also swaying back and forth. "It's great, I was thinking about this thing so much that I almost got sick, if only there was a Sacred Heart Dan too, then it would be perfect!"

  "Cai Yi" Bai Lan looked at the shapeless Cai Yi, who was still muttering about wanting Sheng Xin Dan. He gave Ling Wu a helpless smile, feeling somewhat embarrassed, "This girl is just a bit wild by nature, don't mind her, Jun Ling."

  Jun Ling's life-saving kindness had yet to be repaid, and now he owed him an even greater favor. He knew that Jun Ling only treated them as friends and gave his gifts wholeheartedly, but he couldn't help but remember.

  "It's nothing" Ling Wu Xiang smiled, she actually liked Cai Yi's straightforward personality, it reminded her of Ji Yun Yang that shameless guy who took advantage of every inch.

  Ling Wushuang raised an eyebrow with a hint of a smile, "Does Caiyi want the Sacred Heart Dan?"

  "Ah——?" Cai Yi looked at Bai Lian and then at Ling Wu Shuang, with a confused expression, "Are you asking me?"

  She seemed to be still in a daze from her excitement, and upon hearing this, her face immediately turned red. She scratched the tip of her forehead with her finger, as if afraid that Ling Wusuo would misunderstand something. She hastily replied: "No, I didn't mean it like that, I was just casually saying it."

  Po Yuan Dan is the best elixir for breaking through the Holy Stage, while Sheng Xin Dan is the most suitable elixir for consolidating and solidifying one's foundation after breaking through.

  "What bad luck!" Ling Wushuang's red lips curled up, and Cai Yi was more thorough than she thought.

  Ling Wu's wrist flipped, and two green elixirs appeared in her palm. The faint medicinal pattern and the aura similar to that of the Broken Origin Pill made Cai Yi want to speak up, but her words got stuck in her throat. She looked up at Ling Wu with an incredulous expression, her eyes wide with wonder.

  "Aren't you the one who wanted it?" Ling Wu Shuang was puzzled, looking at Cai Yi's stunned expression, what kind of reaction is this?

  "Shèng Xīn Dān!" Cǎi Yī suddenly came back to her senses, her eyes shining with an unusual light. She excitedly received it and even held it up to the sunlight for a glance.

  "Jun Ling, you really are..." Bai Lan didn't know what language to use to describe him anymore.

  This guy is like a bottomless pit, whatever he wants, he has it. Did they bring back a god of wealth or something?

  "You're really a good person, Ling!" Cai Yi suddenly turned her head, the two braids behind her back swung up into the air, forming a beautiful arc, and she said with a smile: "This time, we don't have to go see that Medicine Saint's face anymore."

  Yaosheng is the only sacred pharmacist in the Sacred Hall, with a noble status. Every year, he provides the Sacred Hall with ten Saint-grade Dan medicines, which are eventually distributed to disciples who have the potential to break through.

  Apart from that, if you want the Sacred Tier Dan medicine, you can only go to his door and ask for it. However, everyone in the Holy City knows that Medicine Saint has a strange temperament and doesn't have absolute benefits, so he won't easily help people refine dan medicine, not even making an exception for the Elders of the Holy Hall.

  Bai Lan gave Cai Yi a helpless glance, but it was clear that he was also delighted. He casually added, "However, Medicine Saint went to Lu Ri Forest to collect medicine several months ago, and there hasn't been any news of his return."

  It seems that afterwards, a large number of senior disciples from the Holy Hall were also summoned away, and it is unknown for what reason.

  Ling Wushuang picked up the tea on the stone table and took a sip, her eyebrows slightly raised. She would tell them that the only one in the Holy Temple, the noble and dignified holy medicine master, was accidentally killed by her? It's strange that the whole city isn't searching for her yet.

  "I've made up my mind!" Cai Yi suddenly stood up, slapping her palm on the jade stone table, "I'll offer myself as a betrothal gift instead!" Cai Yi stared at the handsome young man in black robes in front of her, her eyes blazing with intensity, "What do you say?!"

  "Cough——" As expected, Ling Wusong swallowed the tea in his mouth and barely held back from spitting it onto Caiyi's radiant face in front of him. Instead, he was startled into gulping it down, his throat hurting so much that he couldn't stop coughing.

  "Cough, cough, cough, cough——"

  "Stop being so noisy!" Bai Lian's face was as black as coal, she stretched out her hand to grab Cai Yi and pressed her firmly onto the stool.

  Cai Yi sat down and still muttered, "Didn't they all say that a life-saving favor should be repaid with one's body? Isn't that right?"

  "...", the usually intimidating Ling Wu Shuang was scared for the first time, and finally understood what it means to be "laughing and crying at the same time".

  "Jun Ling, Cai Yi is just this fiery and impulsive by nature, don't mind her." Bai Lan's forehead was sweating profusely.

  Ling Wusong coughed dryly and laughed, interrupting: "Bai Dage, is there a suitable place here for me to go into seclusion? There are still several days before the Holy City Convention, I want to solidify my foundation and make some preparations."

  Her internal Xuanli had already reached the peak of the 9th rank, and last time she felt like it was about to break through. Unfortunately, something crucial was missing. Now that she's absorbing the divine energy from the Divine Origin Stone, she'll definitely be able to break through to the next level in a short amount of time. If she can do it before the Holy City Conference, that would be best.

  "Yes!" Cai Yi had just excitedly spoken out when she was fiercely glared at by Bai Yan, and obediently sat back in her original position.

  Her face, with a gentle and elegant smile, stood up, "There is a quiet place in the back mountain, where I usually retreat to practice my skills. Generally, no one dares to disturb me there. If you don't mind, you can come with me."

  With the two things given by Jun Ling, after this Holy City Conference, he will also undergo a long period of closed cultivation. If he can break through to the Holy Rank in one go, that would be the best. If even this is not possible, then he fears that for his entire life, he will stop at this level.

  "Good——"

  Ling Wushuang shook his clothes and stood up, following Bai Lian's back as he left, but his pace was getting faster and faster, as if something was chasing him from behind.

  Before I knew it, three days had passed.

  As the Holy City Conference approaches, a large number of Xuan Masters from all over the world flood in, making the Holy City increasingly lively. Various factions are also in contention, and it's not uncommon for a few people to go missing, which wouldn't attract much attention from the crowd.

  "Boom——"

  Suddenly, a shocking wave of energy came from the direction of the Holy Palace, the sky was windy and cloudy, with a radiant light of thousands of feet, rushing to the sky.

  "Someone has broken through!"

  In the holy city, due to this extraordinary phenomenon, a thorough sensation was stirred up. The voices of discussion from all directions were like the tide spreading in all directions. People raised their heads and gazed at the sky, their hearts beating rapidly, symbolizing the auspicious light that lingered for a long time without dispersing.

  The Saint of Seals emerges, a thousand feet of auspicious clouds move, the divine person at the summit appears, and the heavens and earth's winds and clouds surge!

  "Someone has broken through to the Divine Realm!" The Holy City was filled with excited and trembling voices, causing wave after wave of shock.

  Any breakthrough above the Holy Steps will trigger a heavenly phenomenon, as long as the person who breaks through does not intentionally suppress and hide it. In each of the major forces, there are such breakthroughs, and generally, they will not choose to hide, nor will the Holy Temple, because from another perspective, this is a kind of deterrence!

  "After so many years, someone has finally broken through to the Divine Realm again!"

  Of course, seeing such a situation, some people are happy and some people worry. The people in the holy city are naturally delighted.

  "I don't know who broke through this time, could it be the Holy Master?"

  Someone whispered, "I think so too. The Holy Master has been in seclusion for almost a year now. I heard that when he went to Donglin, he was stimulated by the Heavenly Night Lord. It's said that this time back, he made up his mind not to leave until he breaks through to the Divine Stage."

  "That's not necessarily true, among the nine peak saints in the holy temple, there is more than one saint master"

  "Stop guessing blindly, everyone will know soon enough"

  ……

  Everyone was chatting enthusiastically. In the White Mansion, Ling Wusuo, who had just come out of his quarters, and Bai Lian and Cai Yi, naturally also noticed the strange phenomenon on top of the Holy Palace.

  Bai Lian raised his head and looked in the direction of the Holy Palace, his expression surprisingly showing no joy at all. "Someone really broke through."

  "It's most likely the Holy Master" The colorful clothes and beautiful face did not show any joy, but instead were tinged with a layer of worry.

  "Hmm" Bai Lan nodded, "The Holy Master obtained a Divine Origin Stone several years ago. Breaking through at this time is not impossible."

  Bai Lian turned around and saw the person beside her, who had been silent all along, with a thoughtful expression. She couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, "Jun Ling, what are you thinking?"

  Ling Wushuang clasped his hands to his chest, his slender fingers rubbing against his chin. Upon hearing Bai Lian's words, he tapped his chin heavily and nodded in affirmation: "This isn't the aura of a Peak Divine Spirit, it should be someone who has broken through to the Secondary God level."

  "How did you know?" Bai Lian was surprised, not because he thought wrongly, but because of Ling Wushuang's affirmative tone.

  Ling Wushuang smiled but didn't speak, her eyes gleaming with a profound light. The aura she emitted was only slightly weaker than what she had sensed from Gu Xi, and it was clear that he hadn't broken through to the peak of the Divine Realm, merely being a half-baked quasi-divine at best.

  Bai Lian saw that he didn't respond and didn't ask again. Instead, she smiled and casually asked, "Have you made any progress in the past few days?"

  The Godhead Stone in your hand is a good thing, the Godhead energy contained within it is a great tonic. As a mid-tier Saint, even if you can't break through, the benefits you'll gain are unimaginable.

  Ling Wushuang smiled and gave a vague answer, "It's okay"

  This time, she thought it was too simple for her. The holy rank and the divine rank are after all a chasm apart, saying big is not big, saying small is not small. Even if she absorbed the divine origin energy, she would not be able to break through in just two or three days.

  But she could feel that this time the difference wasn't in the essence, but a turning point for a breakthrough. Although there was no real breakthrough, she absorbed the divine origin and her strength underwent a qualitative transformation.

  "That's good, as long as there's improvement it's all good" Bai Lan smiled and patted Ling Wu Xuan's shoulder, couldn't help but exclaim, "It's said that the Holy Temple gathers geniuses, now seeing you Ling I realize, the Holy Temple is nothing special after all"

  Jun Ling is probably no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, yet he has already reached the middle stage of a Saint.

  "Right, Lord Ling" Cai Yi suddenly remembered something and turned her head. "These past few days, the elder of Gu Xi has been looking for you everywhere. Yesterday, he even sent someone to ask about you at our place. We were afraid of disturbing your closed-door training, so we made an excuse that you weren't here and sent them away."

  "Looking for me?" Ling Wu Xuan was also somewhat perplexed, why was he in such a hurry?

  The colorful clothes fluttered on her shoulders, and the two braids behind her back swayed in the air, "looking like she's in a hurry"

  Ling's eyebrows slightly raised, and her eyes deepened for a moment.

  "Tomorrow is the selection match, you haven't even taken a good stroll around Holy City, I'll take you to get familiar with the surroundings." Bai Lan withdrew her gaze from the distant sky and looked at Jun Ling, who seemed to have some plan in mind. Getting familiar with the environment was always a good thing.

  "Whatever" Ling Wu Xuan calmly understood Bai Lian's meaning.

  "There are many fun places around the holy city." Caiyi was very excited, she loved going on trips and playing everywhere.

  Three people chatted and laughed as they walked out of the White House. After a day, they had strolled to quite a few places. At this special time, the world's top masters gathered in this place. And on this day, what was discussed most was that someone in the Holy City had broken through to the Divine Realm.

  The temple's foundation is a magnificent palace called the Holy Palace.

  The holy palace is still based on white, located in the center of the holy city, on a rippling water surface. The waters around the holy palace are like a lake, called the Holy Lake, which is very wide and stretches for miles.

  At this time, the golden lotus flowers in the Holy Lake are in full bloom. The silvery moonlight pours down from the horizon, casting a thin layer of silver light over the entire lake, making it look incredibly beautiful. There are also many aquatic Xuan beasts raised inside.

  "It is Sheng Zhuo who broke through to the quasi-saint level!"

  Around the holy lake, there were many people. From their mouths, it was also confirmed that the person who caused the extraordinary phenomenon this morning was indeed Sheng Lin.

  "Jun Ling, this is the Sacred Lake." Bai Lan took a step forward towards the lake's surface, pointing to the vast expanse of water with her hand. The white palace on the lake was faintly visible, and she smiled lightly: "That place is the Sacred Palace, where tomorrow's selection match will be held."

  Ling Wushuang raised his head and gazed into the distance, as if deep in thought, nodding slightly. He turned around, but suddenly caught sight of a nine-story pagoda rising from the ground, and pointed at it, asking: "Is that the White Pagoda?"

  In the magnificent palace, a white pagoda stands out like a crane among chickens, and its tip still shines with a dazzling light like stars in the night sky, so beautiful that it takes one's breath away, just like the needle of the sea-god, calming the mirage-like palace on the water surface.

  Bai Lian followed Ling Wu Shuang's hand and smiled, "That's right, that place can only be entered by the elders of the Holy Temple or extremely outstanding disciples to cultivate."

  Bai Lian felt a mix of longing and nostalgia, "Even I have only entered once, and that was just the third layer. However, if we're talking about cultivation speed, it's not an exaggeration to say it increases by tenfold."

  "So amazing?" Ling Wu Xuan raised an eyebrow in surprise, and his gaze immediately fixed on the White Tower.

  "That's for sure" Cai Yi's eyebrows danced with excitement, but then she seemed a bit disappointed, "But even I haven't been inside before"

  "Yes" Bai Lian smiled and said: "But the reason is unknown to anyone, since the existence of the Holy Temple, this white tower has been here, it is said that this place is the core of the temple."

  Ling Wushuang's red lips slightly curled up, what's the core of it?

  "If you want to experience it, there is also an opportunity. The top ten of each Genius Selection Tournament are allowed to enter the White Tower and cultivate for a month." Bai Lian seemed to be envious, he had only stayed in for ten days last time.

  "Jun Ling Xiao Zi" translates to "The Duke's Little Concubine".

  A few people were chatting when a low and hoarse voice of an old man broke the harmonious atmosphere.

  Bai Lian's expression changed slightly, the gentle and elegant smile on his face faded away. He turned around, clasped his hands together and bowed, "Greetings to the venerable Taishi."

  Cai Yi's eyebrows furrowed in distaste, yet she still stepped forward and bowed her head, "Greetings, Honorable Taishi"

  The newcomer was Gu Xi, whom they had met at the Qishi shop a few days ago. Although he and Bai Lan were on opposing sides, in terms of seniority, when meeting someone, Bai Lan and his group still had to show courtesy and ask about his well-being.

  "Ah, Old Master Gu, what a coincidence! Are you also out to enjoy the scenery?" Ling Wu Xiang's face was full of smiles, but his words sounded somewhat awkward.

  "It's really you" Gu Yan's face was expressionless as he strode over, his golden robes fluttering with each step, his footsteps seeming extremely urgent.

  Gu Xi walked up to a few people, not even bothering with the others, his stern gaze locked onto Ling Wu Shuang. He opened his mouth and asked: "Young one, quickly show me that thing from a few days ago, hurry!"

  The last word was spoken quickly, Gu Xi even let out a low growl, it could be seen that he was really anxious.

  "What thing?" Ling Wu's face showed puzzlement.

  Gu Xi took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, his usual calm and composed demeanor slightly ruffled as he struggled to contain his irritation. He repeated himself, "It was that day, at the Qishi Pu, you bought that one piece of sky-blue Qishi, hurry up and take it out, let me see it."

  "Oh——" Ling Wu Xiong let out a long "oh", as if suddenly enlightened, "Sir, are you referring to that small, worthless stone that children play with?"

  Seeing Ling Wusuo's neither slow nor hasty appearance, her words still carried an inexplicable and strange meaning. Gu Xi hated that he couldn't stretch out his hand to twist her neck, but had to endure and say: "It's just that thing!"

  His tone suddenly rose several times, and his eyes even trembled slightly.

  Bai Lan and Cai Yi exchanged a glance, inexplicably at the same time, also slightly surprised. Gu Xi usually put on airs, always with an aloof expression, when had they ever seen him so flustered?

  What is it in your hand?

  "What is that thing after all?" Ling Wushuang smiled, his clear eyes full of puzzlement, seemingly unaware that Gu Xi's patience had reached its limit.

  "You stinky brat, I told you to take it and you took it, what's with all the nonsense!" Gu Xi swept his sleeve down and let out a low growl, his fierce gaze seeming to want to poke a hole through Ling Wusuo's smiling face.

  The white mist and the colorful clothes of the narrator, both sweated for Ling Wu Shuang. It turned out that in the past two days, Gu Xi Taishang Lao had almost searched the entire Holy City for Jun Ling. The reason was that what he held in his hand was... But looking at Jun Ling's uncooperative appearance, it seemed that he had provoked Gu Xi and was afraid of...

  Seeing Gu Xi's anxious expression, Ling Wushuang's cold and hidden eyes became even more profound. In the blink of an eye, both hands were spread out, and with a very innocent tone, he uttered a sentence that made Gu Xi spit blood: "But I've already lost it."

  "What!" Gu Xi gritted his teeth, unable to maintain even the last bit of calmness, and almost shouted at Ling Wusuo.

  Bai Lian and Cai Yi were stunned, lost?

  Ling Wushuang, who wasn't afraid of death, repeated a sentence, "I said, I'm lost"

  "You actually dare to lose it!" Gu Xi's chest heaved slowly, his expression almost frantic. "You little brat, do you know what that thing is?!"

  Ling Wushuang honestly replied: "I don't know"

  "You——" Gu Xi was so angry that he almost bit his teeth to pieces, and he wished he could pinch the person in front of him to death.

  Feeling the intense anger of Gu Xi, Cai Yi's forehead was covered in sweat.

  Ke Ling Wusuo seems to know nothing in general, blinking his eyes, "Lord Ke didn't you say that it's just something kids like to play with, just a worthless stone? I don't recognize its value, but Lord must not be unaware of it either! I bought it for a very high price, and hearing Lord say this, I'm so angry that I really can't understand why, and I feel like throwing it away!"

  Ling Wushuang's face was filled with righteous indignation, and Bai Lian's eyes twitched violently as she listened to her roundabout words, almost bursting out laughing.

  Gu Xi's face stiffened, and he was left speechless by Ling Wushuang's words. It seemed that it was his fault after all. But thinking again, he couldn't say that he didn't know the goods himself.

  He let out a mouthful of turbid air, barely holding back from erupting. To cover up his own loss of composure, he shook his old face and forced out a smile, which looked even uglier than crying. "Where did you throw it?"

  "This is a bit tricky for me, my memory has never been very good" Ling Wu's eyebrows were furrowed into a knot, he rubbed his chin, looked up at the sky, down at the ground, and then back at himself, all while telling Gu Xi not to rush him, "Let me think about it"

  Bai Leng looked at the expressionless face, but his forehead was secretly sweating. Was Jun Ling playing too big? If he really provoked Gu Xi, it wouldn't be easy to end this.

  "You little stinker, if you dare to play tricks on me, I'll skin you alive!" Gu Xi stood with his hands behind his back, staring unblinkingly at Ling Wushuang. His golden robe shimmered with an eerie light under the moonlight.

  "Oh, I remember!" Ling Wu Shuang clenched his fist and knocked on his palm, smiling slyly: "Look at my memory, just now when we were playing, didn't I use it to skip stones?"

  Bai Lian stumbled at the sound of footsteps beneath him. He thought to himself, with a hint of distortion on his refined face, "How could he not have seen it?"