In Martial Universe, Signed in at the Start with Yao Lao's Ring

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed since Lin Yan began cultivating with the Spirit Convergence Array.

During this time, with the array's assistance, Lin Yan's cultivation smoothly advanced to the early stage of the Heavenly Yuan realm.

However, Lin Yan felt that he could push even further.

With the aid of the Spirit Convergence Array's rich worldly energy and several cultivation-enhancing elixirs obtained from Yao Lao, Lin Yan's cultivation progressed at a terrifying rate.

At this moment, he was seated cross-legged on his bed, his hands forming seals while strands of pure Yuan Power shimmered like stardust across his body.

His breathing was steady, and with every inhale and exhale, countless strands of Yuan Power from the surrounding world surged into his body.

As the cultivation continued, his aura became increasingly powerful, and the radiance enveloping his body grew ever more dazzling.

Suddenly, the radiance around Lin Yan dimmed completely, and he opened his eyes, exhaling a deep breath.

"I've finally broken through to the middle stage of the Heavenly Yuan realm..."

Lin Yan stood up, stretching his body slightly.

Even without testing in actual combat, he could already sense the unprecedented power surging within him.

"Congratulations, little friend! Another breakthrough completed."

Yao Lao's figure appeared just in time, floating over with a smile as he addressed Lin Yan.

Lin Yan nodded in response before curiously asking, "Senior Yao Lao, how does my Heavenly Yuan realm cultivation compare to the Dou Qi Continent's Dou Shi realm?"

After pondering for a moment, Yao Lao replied, "They should be roughly equivalent."

"Based on my observations, the Dou Shi realm in the Dou Qi Continent corresponds closely to the Heavenly Yuan realm here."

"However, the two are not entirely identical."

"For example, Heavenly Yuan cultivators focus more on body refinement, leading to stronger physiques."

"Meanwhile, Dou Shi cultivators do not emphasize physical fortitude as much, but their Dou Qi reserves are likely denser."

Hearing Yao Lao's analysis, Lin Yan nodded thoughtfully.

Then, with a mischievous grin, he said, "Senior Yao Lao, if I remember correctly... you still have quite a few prized techniques stored away."

"I recall one of them being a Dou Technique called Flame Splitting Tsunami, right?"

Yao Lao was momentarily stunned before laughing heartily.

"So this is what you were after!"

"I was wondering why you suddenly asked about cultivation levels."

Shaking his head helplessly, Yao Lao smiled and said, "Fine!"

"Since you're interested, I'll pass this Dou Technique on to you in the future."

"In fact, I had planned to teach it to you sooner or later, but you've already got quite a handful of techniques to practice lately."

Lin Yan responded with a satisfied grin.

"Good, then I'll be looking forward to it."

Lin Yan then went over the various martial techniques he had already learned.

However, lesser techniques like Penetrating Fist and Eight Desolate Palm no longer held his interest.

Lin Yan primarily used Eight Extremes Collapse and Limitless Death Seal.

Through his testing, he discovered that as his cultivation level increased, both techniques seemed to unleash even greater power.

Especially Eight Extremes Collapse—when he threw a punch, he suddenly felt a subtle Hidden Force within it.

This surprised Lin Yan, prompting him to ask Yao Lao, "Senior Yao Lao, is this the Hidden Force you mentioned before?"

Yao Lao smiled and nodded. "That's right, this is Hidden Force."

"It seems today is a double blessing for you, little friend. Not only have you successfully broken through a realm, but you've also comprehended Hidden Force."

"At this rate, achieving Eight Extremes Collapse in its perfected form is only a matter of time!"

Yao Lao felt a wave of nostalgia. He recalled guiding Lin Yan when he first started learning Eight Extremes Collapse. Now, in what felt like no time at all, Lin Yan was on the verge of mastering it.

Lin Yan's talent was truly astonishing, even making Yao Lao feel somewhat awed.

"In that case, I should focus on perfecting Eight Extremes Collapse first!"

Lin Yan quickly made his decision.

Though Eight Extremes Collapse was merely a high-grade Xuan class technique, if mastered to perfection, it could rival Di class techniques.

Now that he had begun comprehending Hidden Force, he naturally wanted to strike while the iron was hot and push toward completion.

Lin Yan immediately resumed training in Eight Extremes Collapse, but just as he was about to begin, he sensed the activation of an external formation.

Raising an eyebrow, he rushed outside.

"Damn, I forgot to deactivate the Flame Array I set up outside..."

Meanwhile, inside Lin Dong's residence, he had just completed cultivating the Spiritual Movement Chapter, resulting in a substantial increase in his strength.

A Seal Master, at its core, was simply another way of utilizing Yuan Power—except it required Mental Energy as its driving force.

The Spiritual Movement Chapter was designed to cultivate Mental Energy. In this regard, Lin Dong had remarkable talent.

After half a month of training, his Mental Energy had surged dramatically, and now he could already use it to battle opponents.

Even though he had yet to break through to the Heavenly Yuan realm, with this newfound ability, he wouldn't have much difficulty dealing with Heavenly Yuan stage opponents.

"I should find Brother Lin Yan."

"He said he'd come get the Spiritual Movement Chapter from me, but he never showed up."

"He must've forgotten."

"I need to bring it to him. This thing is really useful—he needs to learn it too."

Muttering to himself, Lin Dong headed toward Lin Yan's residence.

However, just as he stepped through the entrance, he inadvertently triggered the Flame Array that Lin Yan had previously set up.

A terrifying heatwave immediately surged toward Lin Dong, and he found himself temporarily immobilized due to the array's restrictive force.

With no other option, he had to circulate his Yuan Power and Mental Energy to resist the oppressive heat.

"What is this?"

"Why is it so overwhelming?"

While resisting the burning force, Lin Dong couldn't help but feel alarmed.

Although with his current strength, the Flame Array wouldn't be able to harm him too quickly, he had never encountered such a strange formation before.

"Release!"

At that moment, Lin Yan's voice rang out.

Soon after, Lin Yan appeared before him, and with a simple gesture, the intense heat that had been assaulting Lin Dong vanished instantly.

"Brother Lin Yan, what was that thing I just stepped into?"

Finally freed, Lin Dong let out a long breath.

He had already guessed that this was Lin Yan's handiwork, but he still couldn't hide his shock as he turned to ask.

"A Spirit Array."

Lin Yan smiled and answered without hesitation.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he deactivated all the Flame Arrays he had forgotten to remove from the courtyard.

Lin Dong's mouth twitched at the sight.

He hadn't expected Lin Yan to have set up so many of these formations.

Having just experienced their power firsthand, he realized that facing a single one was manageable, but if he had unknowingly triggered multiple arrays in succession—like stepping on a minefield—even he would be in serious trouble.

"Come in, have a seat."

Lin Yan chuckled and invited him inside.

Lin Dong obediently followed him in.

However, the moment he stepped inside, he was immediately enveloped by an incredibly pure Yuan Power.

Lin Dong was dumbfounded.

The energy in this place was far more concentrated than he had ever experienced.

Even without actively cultivating, he could already feel his Yuan Power surging on its own.

Pointing at the glowing formation ahead, Lin Dong turned to Lin Yan in disbelief.

"Brother Lin Yan, is this also a Spirit Array?"