It was late at night.
The moonlight was like gauze.
In the courtyard, Lin Sheng held a carving knife and was engrossed in carving the half-finished wood carving in his hand.
After an unknown amount of time, it might have been an hour, or possibly longer, the wood carving in his hand was finally completed. It was an eagle-like beast spreading its wings towards the sky, a Green-Eyed Fierce Eagle.
The wood carving was lifelike, exactly like the fierce exotic beast in his memory, and it even carried a trace of inexplicable charm.
Lin Sheng placed the wood carving in his hand on the stone table next to him and spoke softly.
"You've been here for so long, come out."
Clap clap clap…
Crisp applause came from the wall in a corner of the courtyard.
"I didn't expect Brother Lin to have such refined taste."
As a gentle breeze swept through, a tall figure had appeared in the courtyard.
The figure wore plain clothes, and on his back was a long, slender object. It was none other than Wan Yanbei, the number one on the Black Rank.
At this moment, Wan Yanbei's eyes flickered as he looked at Lin Sheng, who was sitting by the stone table, with great interest.
"As the number one on the Black Rank, even just providing information about you would be a considerable sum. Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the Imperial Court by appearing here?"
The carving knife flipped flexibly in his hand, reflecting a faint cold light under the moonlight.
"That is true, but I don't believe Brother Lin is that kind of person. Otherwise, you wouldn't have ruthlessly killed the two Prefecture Yamen constables back then."
Wan Yanbei said with a smile. After speaking, he walked over to the other side of the stone table and sat opposite Lin Sheng.
"After the separation in the County Town, Brother Lin's demeanor is even better than before. I was originally wondering which force could cultivate a Genius like Brother Lin, but I didn't expect it to be the Seven Forms Sect."
Although they hadn't fought outside the County Town, Wan Yanbei was quite interested in Lin Sheng. After all, he was only at the initial stage of the Blood Transportation Realm, yet he was able to easily defeat Pei Er.
He was very clear about Pei Er's strength. Being on the Black Rank, he was definitely considered an outstanding figure in the Blood Transportation Realm.
And according to Pei Er, he didn't even have a chance to escape in front of this person.
Furthermore, he seemed to possess some kind of mental attack method, which was even more rare.
If it weren't for Liu Tianci following too closely at that time, he might have interacted with the other party more.
In his opinion, although this young man was not as good as Liu Tianci and Nangong Lengshui, he was not much inferior. He was indeed someone worth cultivating.
So, after leaving the County Town, he arranged for his subordinates to investigate his whereabouts in the County Town area, but they found nothing. However, he didn't give up and instead arranged for people to search in the Fu City.
After all, such a Genius would definitely not be an unknown person.
He just didn't expect to find his traces in Wanhua City in the end, especially since he was a Disciple of the Seven Forms Sect. This surprised him quite a bit.
He also knew something about the Seven Forms Sect. It was indeed quite powerful hundreds or thousands of years ago, but now it really had nothing outstanding.
Lin Sheng didn't react much to Wan Yanbei's words, he just picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup.
"The Prefecture Yamen's control over Wanhua City is becoming stricter. You didn't come here just to say these meaningless words, did you?"
Hearing this, Wan Yanbei smiled faintly.
"Of course not. I came here to invite Brother Lin to join my Reverse Tenth Floor."
"Reverse Tenth Floor?"
Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, chewing on this unfamiliar name.
This was the first time he had heard this name.
"It seems Brother Lin doesn't know. That's right, after all, the Reverse Tenth Floor has always been hidden in the dark, so not many people know about it."
Wan Yanbei was not surprised by Lin Sheng's reaction and continued to smile.
"Speaking of which, I should have found Brother Lin a long time ago, but unfortunately, I was unlucky and encountered a Phantom Demon Beast Magic Seed in the County Town."
"Magic Seed?"
Hearing this, Lin Sheng's heart stirred.
He was originally wondering why the Magic Seed didn't come looking for him during that trip to the County Town. Now it seemed that Wan Yanbei had encountered it first.
"What was the result of that Phantom Demon Beast's Magic Seed?"
Wan Yanbei was stunned, as if he didn't expect Lin Sheng to ask this, but soon he smiled and shook his head.
"Of course, it was killed. This thing is quite vengeful, so if you provoke it, you naturally can't let it leave."
Lin Sheng nodded slightly. No wonder the Magic Seed had never appeared after so long. It turned out to have been completely eliminated by Wan Yanbei.
This Phantom Demon Beast's Magic Seed had always been a thorn in his heart. Although this thorn became less and less important as his strength improved, it was undoubtedly a good thing that it could be completely resolved. Otherwise, if it remained hidden in the dark, it might cause him trouble at any time.
"Why should I join you?"
Lin Sheng spoke softly.
"If you join my Reverse Tenth Floor, I, Wan Yanbei, can guarantee that Brother Lin's treatment will exceed the treatment of a direct Disciple in your Seven Forms Sect, and it will be a complete exceeding. The simplest example is that you can obtain the Peerless True Art to break through to the Divine Transformation Realm."
"You don't need to spend a lot of time cultivating several true arts and integrating them like in the Seven Forms Sect. In addition, you can mobilize the resources within the building, and the abundance will definitely not disappoint you."
Wan Yanbei spoke with a smile, his words full of temptation.
"Peerless True Art?"
Lin Sheng's gaze fell on Wan Yanbei.
He hadn't expected that this so-called Reverse Tenth Floor would have such a deep foundation.
However, upon closer thought, the other party's identity was from a major force in the Southern Qi Country, a behemoth that was three parts stronger than the Tianxiang Sword Sect.
Such a giant, even if it had been destroyed, was still stronger than a starved camel compared to a horse. As its descendant, Wan Yanbei undoubtedly had many foundations. It was perfectly normal to have the Peerless True Art, and Lin Sheng strongly suspected that there were remnants of experts from that major force behind Wan Yanbei.
Otherwise, with the interests behind him, the Yuanyang Beast Sect, the Tianxiang Sword Sect, and even the great experts in the Imperial Court might not be able to resist taking action.
In front of the terrifying powerhouses of the Divine Transformation Realm, even if Wan Yanbei was a heaven-sent Genius and ranked first on the Black Rank, he would definitely have no power to resist.
Therefore, it was highly probable that there were also Divine Transformation Realm experts protecting him from behind.
It was just a pity that he was not interested. After all, Wan Yanbei was an outsider, and given the chaotic situation in Wanhua City, he really didn't want to get involved in a new whirlpool.
Moreover, he knew very well that there was no free lunch in this world. If the other party could give him such generous treatment, he would undoubtedly need to pay more.
This so-called Peerless True Art was definitely not as simple as imagined, and there might be some restrictive means.
So, after a brief thought, he shook his head.
"Thank you for your kindness, but there's no need."
"No need to rush, Brother Lin, no need to rush to refuse. Even if you don't join my Reverse Tenth Floor, we can still cooperate. I know you seem to need a Spirit Beast, and one that focuses on defense. Perhaps I can help you..."
Wan Yanbei was not surprised by Lin Sheng's refusal. He picked up the teapot on the stone table, poured himself a cup, and said calmly.
"It seems you are quite concerned about me..."
Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes, his voice gradually sinking.
"This information is nothing. Anyone who is willing to investigate can find it out. Brother Lin doesn't need to worry about it." Wan Yanbei said with a chuckle, seemingly unaware of the dangerous aura emanating from the other party.
"Seven days, in seven days, I can get you a suitable Spirit Beast. As for the price, you haven't sold the Bone Forging Treasure Pills I gave you last time, have you? We'll use those two Treasure Pills as payment. I believe Brother Lin won't refuse."
Speaking of this, Wan Yanbei picked up the teacup on the table, drank the tea in one gulp, and his figure disappeared from the side of the stone table.
Watching the other party's figure disappear, Lin Sheng's fingers tapped rhythmically on the stone table. After a long while, he took out another piece of wood from the side, picked up the carving knife, and began to carve carefully.
If the other party could really get a suitable Spirit Beast, he wouldn't be averse to trading with them.
The two Bone Forging Treasure Pills were just sitting in his hands, so exchanging them for a Spirit Beast was just right.
On the other side, Wan Yanbei left his residence and landed on a high-rise pavilion outside the long street where Lin Sheng was located.
"Young Master, how was it? Did that kid agree?"
At the top of the pavilion, the short and thin Pei Er had been waiting by the side for a long time. Seeing his Young Master appear, he quickly asked.
"No." Wan Yanbei shook his head slightly.
"That kid is really ungrateful. I don't think we need to waste too much effort on him." Pei Er frowned slightly, saying with some indignation.
In his opinion, his Young Master personally inviting him had given him a great deal of Face, but he didn't expect him to still refuse. It was truly detestable.
"Originally, the last meeting with this child surprised me quite a bit. I didn't expect his strength to have improved greatly since then. It's truly interesting. It seems this child has a considerable secret."
Wan Yanbei spoke softly, his gaze falling on the spacious courtyard in the distance, a look of interest on his Face.
"Young Master, this child already knows of our existence. Since he is unwilling to join us, should we kill him to avoid revealing our whereabouts?"
A trace of killing intent appeared on Pei Er's Face.
"No need. This child is very much to my liking and can be cultivated as a shadow. He may be of great use in the future."
Wan Yanbei shook his head slightly.
"But Young Master, this child even refused your personal invitation. I'm afraid it won't be that easy for him to join us."
"It's alright. Refusing now doesn't mean he will always refuse. When he sees our strength, he will naturally understand that although the Seven Forms Sect's true art can break through to the Divine Transformation Realm and can barely be considered a Peerless True Art, it is only a low-grade one among Peerless True Arts."
"Also, Elder Tong should still be in the jungle mountain range, right? Go send a message and ask him to find a Spirit Beast that is good at defense and bring it back."
Wan Yanbei seemed to have thought of something and smiled faintly.
"Yes, Young Master." Pei Er still responded.
...
Time flew by, and seven days passed quickly.
During these seven days, Lin Sheng basically spent all his time in secluded cultivation.
The progress of his Qingniao Chasing Star Finger cultivation had significantly improved, but there was still some distance to go before breaking through.
According to his estimation, it would probably take nearly two months to reach the sixth layer of the Chasing Star Finger.
This cultivation speed was already considered extremely fast.
It was much faster than Wei Yun's back then.
However, Lin Sheng still felt it was a bit slow.
"If I could integrate another flying Spirit Beast, my cultivation speed would undoubtedly increase significantly, but unfortunately, flying Spirit Beasts are not that easy to obtain."
Lin Sheng shook his head and sighed softly.
As for the mental condensation of the Mingxin Realm, it also had some effect compared to before, but of course, it was only some.
There was still a long way to go before completely condensing his own spirit.
The Seven Forms Sect had undergone some significant changes in the past few days.
Because the Da Cui Peak beast mine was occupied by the Imperial Court, the original beast mine share had undoubtedly been lost.
However, to his surprise, the Garrison reward was not canceled and still gave the Disciples the full amount of rewards.
But the resource allocation for each courtyard in the future was significantly reduced.
Looking at this situation, it was clear that the Seven Forms Sect would inevitably suffer significant losses after losing a ten-thousand-year-old beast mine like Da Cui Peak.
"The financial situation of the Seven Forms Sect is not optimistic. I imagine the other White Dragon Gang and Fang Family are not doing much better."
Lin Sheng murmured to himself.
The Imperial Court's overbearing occupation of the entire Yunshui Five Peaks was clearly something the remaining three major forces would not be willing to accept, but unfortunately, the Imperial Court's power was too strong, and they could only suffer this silent loss.
And now, the Imperial Court is also imposing a lot of control over Wanhua City, and the industries of these three major forces in the city will inevitably be affected.
In this situation, the hidden conflicts between the two sides will undoubtedly intensify.
Although these three major forces dare not do anything openly, they might do something secretly.
After all, if this continues, the financial crisis of the three major forces will undoubtedly become more serious.
The Imperial Court cannot be unaware of the consequences of this situation.
Lin Sheng was thinking to himself when his brows suddenly furrowed.
What if this is what the Imperial Court wants?
Once the three major forces can't help but want to make some small moves in the dark, the Imperial Court will wait for this opportunity to directly eliminate the three major forces with swift and decisive measures, just like they eliminated the Crimson Whale Hall. Even if others want to say something, what can they do?
Although the Northern Yan Kingdom's Imperial Court suppresses all Sects and aristocratic families, there is still a balance between them.
Among the Sects and aristocratic families, especially those with long histories, there are also many strong individuals. If they gather together, they are a threat that the Imperial Court cannot ignore.
For many years, a tacit understanding has been maintained between the two sides.
Although the Imperial Court has always been overbearing, they basically do not act against Sects and aristocratic families without reason.
Only when the latter do something outrageous will they carry out extermination.
Although he doesn't know why the Imperial Court has turned a blind eye to Wanhua City for so many years, the situation seems to have changed since the discovery of a god seed in Yunshui Mountain.
"I can vaguely sense this point, so the three major forces should be even clearer..."
The three major forces have been able to stand in Wanhua City for so many years, and there are many extremely intelligent people among them. Hopefully, they can come up with a solution.
Given the Seven Forms Sect's current low-key behavior, they should not actively provoke the Imperial Court, but the White Dragon Gang and the Fang Family are not necessarily the same.
All he can do is quickly improve his strength to protect himself and the people he cares about in the coming storm.
