After that, he pulled out a series of tools and began carving at his doorstep.
This was a teleportation array leading to Shuangyu Feng.
He had already carved the other end on the night he first arrived at Shuangyu Feng.
Originally, he had planned to carve it near Saint Brilliance Academy.
But he hadn't expected that he would end up living here instead.
Jiang Lin squatted on the stone-paved ground in front of the villa, the carving tool in his hand gliding steadily across the stone surface.
He had already prepared the positioning rune for this teleportation array back when he was at Shuangyu Feng, but he just hadn't found a suitable place to carve it.
The open space in front of the villa was the perfect location, with plenty of buffer space between the courtyard wall and the holly bushes.
The patterns weren't too complex; after all, it was just a single-point directional teleportation, connecting to the corresponding node he had reserved at the edge of the ice terrace on Shuangyu Feng.
After about fifteen minutes, the final stroke was completed. An ice-blue glow rippled across the surface of the rune array before quickly fading and sinking into the stone patterns.
Jiang Lin stood up, patted the dust off his knees, and took a few magic crystals from his spatial ring to insert into the slots of the array core.
The teleportation array wasn't large, about two meters in diameter, and could hold at most three people at a time.
But it was enough.
He stepped into the array, his mind shifting slightly.
An ice-blue light rose from beneath his feet, enveloping his entire body.
After a brief sensation of weightlessness, his vision cleared, and he found himself standing on the ice terrace of Shuangyu Feng.
Auroras flowed across the sky, illuminating the eternally frozen peak like a dream.
The deep blue ice beneath his feet was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the blue-purple light flowing overhead.
In the distance, the ice crystal pavilion refracted a mesmerizing glow under the aurora.
Jiang Lin stepped out of the teleportation array and walked toward the pavilion.
At the edge of the ice terrace, that ice-blue figure sat cross-legged.
Loren was still clad in his ice-blue robe, his long hair cascading down, his purple eyes closed, with the Frostblade resting across his knees.
The sword remained still, but the chill of the entire frozen peak seemed to condense around him, even the flow of the aurora slowing down slightly by his side.
Jiang Lin stopped three paces away from him and knelt on one knee:
“Master, your disciple has returned.”
Loren opened his eyes, his purple eyes reflecting Jiang Lin's figure.
He swept his gaze up and down for a few breaths, then nodded slightly:
“5th-Rank early stage. Your foundation is very stable.”
“I had some opportunities along the way, so the breakthrough went quite smoothly.”
“Rise.” Loren stood up, the Frostblade sheathing itself silently. “Let's talk inside.”
On the first floor of the ice crystal pavilion, the fire in the fireplace was burning brightly.
Loren sat down at the stone table, and the ice crystal teapot floated up on its own, pouring steaming tea for the two of them.
The tea was pale gold, carrying a crisp sweetness like melted snow.
Jiang Lin picked up his teacup and took a sip. The warm liquid traveled down his throat, turning into a warm current that flowed through his entire body.
“Tell me, where did you go these past few months?”
Loren leaned back against his chair, his purple eyes looking at him calmly.
Jiang Lin set down his teacup and began recounting everything, starting from the Spark Mission.
He spoke of Planet Caeous's grayish-brown soil and pale purple sky, the gathering of the seven apostles of god, the rift connecting to the Abyss of Slaughter, the natives eroded by pollution, and the ambushes and counter-ambushes of the Demon God Apostles.
He spoke very concisely, without overly dramatizing the details of the battles, but Loren listened very attentively, his purple eyes occasionally flashing with a hint of emotion.
When Jiang Lin mentioned using spatial anchors to trap seven Demon God Apostles and working with his teammates to wipe them out, Loren nodded slightly:
“Good tactics.”
When Jiang Lin mentioned opening a “tributary” in the energy circulation system of the Demon God statue to continuously intercept the power of faith from the Demon God, Loren's brow arched slightly:
“You have quite the nerve.”
When Jiang Lin mentioned the rift of the Abyss of Slaughter and how the 4th-Rank peak Blood Demon had lost contact less than five minutes after entering, Loren's expression finally showed a noticeable change.
His purple eyes darkened, and his fingers tapped twice gently on the tabletop.
“Did you go into the rift?”
“I sent a Blood Demon in; I didn't go in myself.” Jiang Lin shook his head. “That erosion power could trace back through the mental link, so I cut off the connection in time.”
Loren was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly:
“Prudent enough. With your current strength, going in there is just suicide.”
“Your disciple understands.”
Loren picked up his teacup and took a sip, seemingly pondering something.
After a moment, he set down his teacup and spoke slowly:
“After you left, I also went out.”
Jiang Lin looked up at him.
“Further north of the Northern Ice Field, deep within the glaciers, I discovered a secret realm.” Loren's tone was flat, as if he were just commenting on the weather. “The entrance was very well hidden, covered by myriad-year ice. If not for my sword intent resonating, even I wouldn't have noticed it.”
“What was inside the secret realm?”
“Ancient ruins. It seems to be a trial ground of some long-extinct civilization.” A trace of reminiscence flashed in Loren's purple eyes. “There were quite a few guardian puppets inside, ranging from the 5th-Rank to the 8th-Rank. I spent some time fighting my way through, layer by layer.”
He spoke of it nonchalantly, but Jiang Lin knew that a secret realm that could make Loren “spend some time” was definitely no ordinary place.
“And in the end?”
“In the end, there was a hall.” Loren set down his teacup, tapping his slender finger lightly on the table. “In the center of the hall was a teleportation array. It was damaged, but the structure was still intact. I studied it a bit; that teleportation array doesn't lead to anywhere on this planet.”
Jiang Lin's brow furrowed slightly:
“An interplanetary teleportation array?”
“It should be.” Loren nodded. “The direction the coordinate anchor points to is not in our star sector. As for where exactly it leads, that can only be confirmed after it's repaired.”
He took out a fist-sized ice-blue crystal from his robes, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Jiang Lin.
The crystal was completely transparent, with countless fine frost patterns circulating inside.
Through the frost patterns, one could see an extremely complex set of rune patterns sealed inside the crystal.
It was an imprint of the core part of the teleportation array.
Jiang Lin reached out to pick up the crystal, sinking his consciousness into it.
The rune patterns unfolded in his perception.
It was an extremely complex network with dense nodes and intertwined circuits, more complex than the ancient teleportation array he had seen in the villa's secret room by more than an order of magnitude.
The structural principles of teleportation arrays were similar, but the scale of this teleportation array far exceeded any case he had ever come across.
It was at least an Emperor Rank creation, perhaps even a Saint Rank one.
He studied it carefully for a long while, ultimately shaking his head:
“This is too complex; it's beyond my capability.”
He placed the crystal back on the table:
“The core part of this teleportation array is severely damaged. What needs to be repaired is not just the rune patterns, but also the redirection of the spatial anchors. With my current spatial magic attainment, forcing a repair will only cause the entire array to collapse.”
Loren nodded slightly, as if he had long expected this answer:
“Then I will find someone else.”
“Master knows a 9th-Rank powerhouse who is skilled in spatial magic?”
“I know a few.” Loren picked up his teacup. “We had some interactions during my past travels. One of them has done deep research on ancient teleportation arrays, but she has an eccentric temper and rarely sees people.”
He paused, his purple eyes sweeping over Jiang Lin:
“However, if I go personally, she should show me some courtesy.”
Jiang Lin was silent for a moment, then asked tentatively:
“Master, could you ask her to provide some knowledge manuals or something? Just high-level theoretical knowledge on spatial magic. She doesn't need to teach me personally; I can just read it myself.”
Loren's hand holding the teacup paused slightly.
He glanced at Jiang Lin, an unfathomable look flashing in his purple eyes.
“You certainly know how to take advantage of a situation.”
“Your disciple simply doesn't want to waste Master's favor.” Jiang Lin said with a straight face. “Since that senior is willing to help Master repair the teleportation array, asking for some reference materials in passing shouldn't be too much to ask.”
Loren was silent for a moment, then set down his teacup:
“I'll try. But for powerhouses of that level, the things they hold aren't easily given away. How much she gives you will depend on her mood.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Don't thank me too early.” Loren stood up. “She lives on an archipelago to the south, which is not close to here. It will take me at least a few months to make the round trip. During this time, go about your business and don't sit idle.”
“Your disciple understands.”
Loren walked to the window, gazing at the auroras flowing outside. After a moment of silence, he suddenly turned around:
“It's been a long time since I've loosened up. Come, let me see your current level.”
He walked out of the pavilion, his ice-blue robe dragging a cold, crisp trail under the aurora.
Jiang Lin stood up and followed behind him.
On the ice terrace, the auroras flowed across the sky, casting their shadows long across the ground.
Loren stood in the center of the ice terrace. His right hand clenched loosely, and an ice-blue longsword condensed from sword intent formed in his palm.
The blade was as thin as a cicada's wing, so transparent it was almost invisible, with only a very faint silver halo circulating around the edges.
“Attack with all your strength,” he said. “Don't hold back.”
Jiang Lin took a deep breath.
The Eight Extremities Holy Sword condensed in his palm, its white-gold blade wrapped in deep blue ice soul power, with the eight-colored runes at the crossguard slowly circulating.
The magic essence of the 5th-Rank early stage surged within his body, and the golden-red liquid magic essence in his dantian was like a stirred whirlpool, continuously sending power to his entire body.
He raised his sword, pointing the tip at Loren.
First Style · Frost Condensation.
The sword struck shadowlessly.
Deep blue sword intent erupted from the tip of the sword, silent and noiseless, so fast that the air didn't even have time to ripple.
Loren didn't move.
He simply raised his sword and blocked lightly.
“Ting.”
The crisp sound of the collision echoed across the ice terrace.
Jiang Lin's strike was effortlessly neutralized, his sword intent exploding against Loren's blade and scattering into countless tiny ice crystals.
“Again.”
Loren's voice was as calm as ever.
Jiang Lin did not hesitate.
Instant Light Flash.
His figure vanished from the spot, appearing behind Loren in the next second, the Eight Extremities Holy Sword thrusting straight toward the back of Loren's neck.
Without even turning his head, Loren swept his longsword backward, precisely parrying Jiang Lin's sword.
“Clang!”
A deafening metallic clash echoed through the frozen peak.
Jiang Lin was jolted back three paces, his right arm feeling slightly numb. Loren remained completely motionless, not even the hem of his robe fluttering.
“Your spatial magic is well-utilized,” Loren said as he turned around, his purple eyes looking at him. “But your timing in executing the strike is still slow. There is an extremely brief pause between the teleportation and the strike. Against an opponent with fast reflexes, this pause is enough for them to mount a defense.”
Jiang Lin nodded, engraving this advice in his mind.
“Continue.”
Loren raised his sword again.
Jiang Lin no longer held back.
His intermediate condensation sword intent erupted with full force, the golden light on the Eight Extremities Holy Sword compressing to the limit, turning into an almost transparent pale gold.
Second Style · Ice Prisms, Third Style · Snow Dance, Fourth Style · Cold Current.
The three sword styles bloomed at the exact same moment, their three sword intents weaving into a magnificent ice-blue tapestry that enveloped Loren.
Loren raised his sword and swept it in an effortless swing.
The tapestry shattered.
Jiang Lin's sword momentum was deflected by an irresistible, gentle force, causing him to stagger two steps and almost lose his balance.
He stabilized his posture and looked up at Loren.
Loren stood in place, his robes not even slightly disheveled.
“Not bad.” He nodded slightly. “You are much stronger than before you left. Your 5th-Rank early stage foundation is very solid, and your application of sword intent is more proficient. However, there are still some issues that need polishing.”
He withdrew his sword, the sword intent longsword dissipating into a wisp of cold air at his fingertips.
“First, although your Instant Light Flash is fast, your choice of landing point is still not precise enough. You always appear behind your opponent; this habit is too easy to anticipate. Try appearing at the sides, above, or even directly in front to disrupt your opponent's rhythm.”
Jiang Lin nodded.
“Second, the combination of your sword intent and spatial magic is still not tight enough. You teleport first and then strike, creating a distinct gap in between. Try to fuse the teleportation and the strike into a single action, so that the moment you land is the exact moment you strike.”
Jiang Lin chewed on these words repeatedly in his mind.
“Third, your intermediate condensation sword intent is already relatively stable, but there is still some way to go before consummation. This cannot be rushed; it requires time to settle and more polishing in real combat.”
Jiang Lin knelt on one knee:
“Thank you for your guidance, Master.”
Loren glanced at him, then turned and walked toward the ice crystal pavilion:
“Come in and have a cup of tea, and then you can scram.”
The two returned to the pavilion and sat down at the stone table.
The ice crystal teapot floated up once more, pouring tea for them.
“Master,” Jiang Lin picked up his teacup, “when will I be able to meet that senior who is skilled in spatial magic?”
Loren thought for a moment:
“I will set out tomorrow. At my speed, it will take about a month to get there. Convincing her to repair the teleportation array might take a few days. If she is willing to provide reference materials, I will bring them back for you. If all goes well, I should be back in three to four months.”
“What if she's not willing?”
“Then I'll spend a few more days wearing her down.” Loren's tone was flat. “There's always a way.”
Jiang Lin nodded and didn't ask further.
He believed in his master's ability.
As his teacup emptied, Jiang Lin stood up:
“Your disciple will head back first. Take care on the road, Master.”
“Mm.” Loren didn't rise, merely leaning back against his chair as his purple eyes watched him. “Don't focus solely on cultivation. Rest when you need to rest.”
“Your disciple understands.”
Jiang Lin walked out of the pavilion and stepped into the teleportation array on the ice terrace.
The ice-blue light engulfed him.
When his vision cleared once more, he was already standing on the stone-paved ground in front of his villa.
The ice-blue light on the surface of the teleportation array slowly faded, sinking into the stone patterns.
The late spring sunlight spilled over the hills, dyeing the grayish-brown earth a warm, golden hue.
The holly in the yard swayed gently in the wind, and a few sparrows hopped along the wall, chirping.
......
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