Lin Yun believed that when divine sense cultivation was still prominent, the Heart-Locking Tower must have been regularly maintained, unlike now, where even its exterior was neglected.
In front of the Heart-Locking Tower stood a small stone hut.
Lin Yun approached the hut and found the door open, with an old man inside, dozing off.
“Senior,” Lin Yun called softly.
The old man woke with a start.
“Senior, my name is Lin Yun. I’m here to cultivate in the Heart-Locking Tower,” Lin Yun said politely.
“So it’s you. I’ve received the notice. Follow me,” the old man said, standing up and walking out of the hut, with Lin Yun following behind.
“Young man, you’re lucky now. You don’t have to compete in tournaments to get a spot,” the old man said as they walked.
Then his tone shifted, “But the Heart-Locking Tower isn’t easy to endure. How long you can stay inside and what you gain depends entirely on you. If you come out with nothing, you can only blame your own lack of ability.”
“I understand,” Lin Yun replied.
Led by the old man, Lin Yun reached the entrance of the Heart-Locking Tower.
The tower’s door, about five metres tall, exuded a sense of weightiness, adorned with intricate, peculiar patterns.
The old man turned to Lin Yun, “Young man, let me explain the Heart-Locking Tower. It has five levels, and each level is significantly more difficult than the last. I suggest you stay on the first level, or at most, try the second. Remember, if you can’t endure it, leave immediately. Forcing yourself to stay could, in severe cases, cost you your life.”
Without waiting for Lin Yun’s response, the old man took out a stone tablet, placed it into a groove in the tower door, where it fit perfectly, and turned it.
Buzz!
The entire Heart-Locking Tower emitted a powerful fluctuation.
This signalled that the Heart-Locking Tower had been activated!
The stone door slowly opened.
“The Heart-Locking Tower is open. Go in,” the old man gestured to Lin Yun.
“Alright,” Lin Yun replied, stepping into the tower.
The old man turned and headed back to his stone hut.
Inside the hut, a figure in a red robe adorned with totems was already waiting.
This person, dressed in the totem red robe exclusive to the Skyfire Temple’s Red-Robed Elders, was Elder Li Fuxiao, the one who had offered Lin Yun the three reward options.
“Elder Li, what brings you here?” the tower guardian asked, surprised to see the Red-Robed Elder.
“Has that Lin Yun entered the tower?” Elder Li inquired.
“Yes, he’s gone in,” the guardian replied.
Elder Li sat down nearby and said, “This Lin Yun stayed in the Border Mountains for nearly two hundred years, with the last hundred spent alone, reaching the Heavenly Saint Realm in one go. Huang Jiyuan, who oversees demon hunting, reported this to me and requested a reward for him. I gave him three options, and this guy chose the hardest one, entering the Heart-Locking Tower. It surprised and intrigued me.”
If these three reward options were presented to other Skyfire Temple members, likely no one would choose the third.
“Really? This guy doesn’t know how tough the Heart-Locking Tower is, yet he dared to choose it as his reward,” the guardian remarked.
“I’m here to see what this kid is capable of and how long he can stay inside,” Elder Li said.
“He looks young. I bet an hour is his limit, and an hour won’t yield much gain. He’s made a poor choice,” the guardian sighed.
“This guy managed to survive the Border Mountains alone for so long. I’m curious to see if he can last a bit longer in there,” Elder Li said.
…
Inside the Heart-Locking Tower.
Lin Yun entered the first level of the tower.
“Based on what the senior said, advising me to stay on the first or second level at most, it means even these levels are quite challenging,” Lin Yun murmured.
At the centre of the first level was a stone disc, about two metres in diameter.
The disc was covered in intricate patterns and symbols.
“This must be it,” Lin Yun said, stepping onto the disc.
Buzz!
The disc trembled instantly, releasing a powerful fluctuation and a piercing light.
Lin Yun immediately felt a strong wave surge from the disc into his body, rushing towards his brain, pressing against his divine sense!
Boom!
His divine sense, under the pressure and forging of this wave, felt a sharp sting.
This wave was tempering Lin Yun’s divine sense.
This method of strengthening divine sense through forging was the most brutal, but also highly effective.
“This Heart-Locking Tower is indeed impressive, able to temper even my Origin-level divine sense,” Lin Yun said, a joyful expression on his face.
Boom!
At that moment, a second wave surged from the disc, pressing against Lin Yun’s divine sense again!
Lin Yun closed his eyes, embracing the wave’s tempering and forging of his divine sense.
As for the pain this forging caused, it was well within Lin Yun’s tolerance, almost trivial.
Of course, this varied from person to person. For many other cultivators, this pain might already be unbearable, and the longer the divine sense was tempered, the more uncomfortable it would become, with the pain escalating.
But for Lin Yun, who had endured the prolonged torment of Soul-Breaking Poison, this was easy.
About ten minutes later, Lin Yun opened his eyes, “The effect isn’t strong enough. I need to try a higher level.”
If his divine sense were still at the Saint Spirit or Origin level, the tempering here might have been sufficient.
But with his current Origin-level divine sense, though this forging had some effect, Lin Yun felt it was too slow!
He needed stronger power to forge and temper his divine sense for better results.
Lin Yun guessed that the higher the level, the better the effect would be.
