In the One Thought Clear Mind Tower, Lin Yun attempted to cultivate his realm.
“It doesn’t seem to work. I can’t connect with heaven and earth here,” Lin Yun said, shaking his head.
To reach the Heaven-Passing Realm, one must connect with heaven and earth, drawing on their power.
This couldn’t be done inside the One Thought Clear Mind Tower.
Since that was the case, he decided to continue studying swordsmanship.
With his mind made up, Lin Yun drew his treasured sword.
Ten days later.
After finishing a set of sword techniques, Lin Yun sheathed his sword.
“It seems difficult to improve my swordsmanship further,” Lin Yun said helplessly.
In terms of swordsmanship, Lin Yun had hit a bottleneck, unable to gain new insights or progress.
At that moment, a knock came at the door.
Lin Yun immediately left the One Thought Clear Mind Tower, returned to his room, and went to open the door.
Standing there was Huang Jiyuan, who was in charge of overseeing demon hunting.
“Brother Huang, what brings you here in person?” Lin Yun asked, slightly surprised.
Though Lin Yun didn’t know Huang Jiyuan’s exact strength, he knew that someone with such a position in the Skyfire Temple must have considerable power and a higher status than Lin Yun, a Skyfire Captain.
“I mentioned last time that based on your performance hunting demons in the Border Mountains, Iād try to secure a good reward for you. The reward has now been finalized,” Huang Jiyuan said with a smile.
“Oh? What kind of reward?” Lin Yun asked, his face lighting up with anticipation.
“The elders have given you three options. First, a reward of twenty million battle merit points, which can be used to exchange for any Saint-level secret manual or other resources. Second, upgrading your weapon to a Saint weapon. Third, a chance to cultivate in the Skyfire Temple’s Heart-Locking Tower,” Huang Jiyuan explained.
“What’s the Heart-Locking Tower cultivation opportunity?” Lin Yun asked, puzzled.
The first two options were easy for Lin Yun to understand, but the last one left him confused.
“The Heart-Locking Tower is a very special cultivation site in our Skyfire Temple. Entering it allows you to temper your divine sense. Long ago, the Heart-Locking Tower was highly sought after in the Skyfire Temple. There were even dedicated tournaments to compete for a chance to enter it. But as divine sense cultivation became less valued, the tower lost its popularity, and the tournaments were discontinued,” Huang Jiyuan said.
He paused, then continued, “Even so, getting a chance to cultivate in the Heart-Locking Tower is extremely rare. The tower can only accommodate one person at a time, and it takes a hundred years to recover after each use. The tournaments for a spot in the Heart-Locking Tower used to be held every hundred years, with only one spot available.”
“That sounds like an interesting place. These rewards all seem quite good,” Lin Yun remarked.
“Haha, naturally. Your demon-hunting performance in the Border Mountains proved your ability, and as a Death Soldier, the Skyfire Temple is certainly willing to invest resources in you, eager to nurture your potential,” Huang Jiyuan said.
He paused again, then added, “Once you reach the Heaven-Passing Realm, I believe the Skyfire Temple will pour even more resources into you, providing further support. Of course, youāll need to keep delivering outstanding performances to secure better resources and opportunities.”
“I understand,” Lin Yun nodded.
“Lin Yun, regarding the three reward options I mentioned, which one will you choose? Iād recommend the second option, upgrading your weapon. Itās the most straightforward way to boost your combat strength without expending any effort,” Huang Jiyuan suggested.
His suggestion had merit. Choosing the first option, exchanging for a Saint-level secret manual, would require time and effort to cultivate, and there was no guarantee it would surpass Lin Yun’s current techniques.
The second option was the most direct and effortless way to improve.
“I actually think the third option is better,” Lin Yun murmured.
After all, Lin Yunās weapon had already been upgraded to a True Saint weapon, so he had no need for the second option. Of course, Huang Jiyuan likely didnāt know about Lin Yunās True Saint weapon.
“Lin Yun, I really donāt recommend the third option. Since the Soul Protection Pendant came into use, divine sense cultivation has fallen out of favour in the Ancestral Land. Its usefulness is very limited now. Moreover, cultivating in the Heart-Locking Tower is said to be difficult and involves considerable pain. How long you can endure in there and how much you can improve are uncertain,” Huang Jiyuan said.
He continued, “Even if you improve your divine sense through the Heart-Locking Tower, the benefits wonāt be significant. Itās not as effective as directly upgrading your weapon, which is straightforward and painless.”
It was clear that Huang Jiyuan didnāt place much value on divine sense.
“Brother Huang, Iāll choose the third option. Iām not afraid of pain,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
“Are you sure?” Huang Jiyuan asked.
“Absolutely,” Lin Yun replied without hesitation.
“Fine, the third option it is. Youāre choosing the hardest, most gruelling path. Youāre making things difficult for yourself. When are you ready to go? The Heart-Locking Tower hasnāt been opened in over a hundred years and can be activated anytime. It depends on when suits you,” Huang Jiyuan said.
Though he didnāt recommend this choice, the decision was still Lin Yunās.
“Iām ready anytime.”
“Then go tomorrow. Iāll head back, report to the elders, and notify the Heart-Locking Tower staff. As for the towerās location, itās here.”
Huang Jiyuan took out a map of the Skyfire Temple and pointed out the Heart-Locking Towerās location to Lin Yun.
“Brother Huang, thank you for your trouble,” Lin Yun said, clasping his fists in gratitude.
“No need for formalities. Iāll go report to the elders now.”
After bidding farewell, Huang Jiyuan turned and left.
Lin Yun was somewhat excited about the Heart-Locking Tower, curious about its effects.
“The decline of divine sense cultivation actually has its benefits,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
If divine sense cultivation hadnāt fallen out of favour, a spot in the Heart-Locking Tower would still require competing in tournaments. How could it be directly granted to Lin Yun like this?
Not only that, Lin Yun believed that all resources and opportunities related to divine sense in the Ancestral Land would be less sought after and valued. This would make it easier for him to acquire such resources and opportunities in the future.
For Lin Yun, even if divine sense had lost prominence in the Ancestral Land, he would steadfastly continue cultivating it!
…
The next day.
At ten in the morning, Lin Yun left the camp and headed to the Heart-Locking Tower.
The Heart-Locking Tower was built on the mountainside behind the Skyfire Temple.
The tower was only five storeys tall. From the outside, it looked ancient, covered in moss and surrounded by weeds.
