Chapter 488 - 287: Secrets of Core Formation and Planning in Advance (Part 2)

Chapter 488: Chapter 287: Secrets of Core Formation and Planning in Advance (Part 2)

After exchanging some pleasantries, they sat down.

Lin Changheng wasted no time in stating the purpose of his visit, hoping Lü Tong could offer some advice.

"Please, Brother Lin, go ahead."

Lü Tong patted his chest, looking eager to help.

"I was wondering if you happen to know any Tier Two Upper Grade Array Masters in the Immortal City?" Lin Changheng asked with a smile.

"A Tier Two Upper Grade..." Lü Tong mused, listening intently.

"As you know, Mr. Lü, my Dao Field is at Jade Belt Lake. The last attack on it has left me deeply unsettled. I’d like to hire a rather skilled Array Master to design and set up a Defense Array, a Maze, and other protections for me. That way, I can cultivate in peace, away from all the trouble. You, Mr. Lü, are famously well-connected, which I truly admire. That’s why I’ve come to seek your advice and hopefully get an introduction."

Lin Changheng chuckled, having made his request clear.

"Brother Lin, you’ve certainly come to the right person." Lü Tong laughed heartily. After his centennial celebration, Lin Changheng’s fame had grown and spread far and wide. Lü Tong, ever the skilled networker, would naturally not pass up an opportunity to deepen their connection.

"However, I’ve given it some thought. When it comes to setting up Defense Arrays and Mazes, there aren’t any Array Masters within the Immortal City who specialize in both and meet your requirements, Brother Lin..."

Lin Changheng’s expression didn’t change; he knew there was more to the story.

"But outside the Immortal City, there just so happens to be an Array Master I know quite well who might be able to meet your needs, Brother Lin."

Lü Tong said earnestly, his tone sincere as he made the recommendation.

"And where would that be?" A sense of caution naturally arose in Lin Changheng, but he maintained his smile as he asked.

"I’m sure you’ve been there before, Brother Lin," Lü Tong said with a smile.

"Oh?"

"On Jade Capital Mountain. At Nanny He’s place."

"So that’s where they are. You mean Talisman Master He’s neighbor?"

Lin Changheng immediately made a guess.

"That’s right," Lü Tong said with a smile.

’If their Array Skill is deep enough, it might be worth a visit.’

Lin Changheng didn’t mind cultivators referring business to one another, as long as the job was done well.

"I can vouch for them on this. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied, Brother Lin."

Since Lü Tong had put it that way, Lin Changheng saw no reason to refuse. He arranged to meet after the Auction, then took his leave.

As he left, Lin Changheng passed by his former residence, Cave Mansion No. 98. The entrance was wide open, clearly indicating it had a new occupant.

To his surprise, a CREAKING sound came from the neighboring cave mansion—the one that was always sealed shut, with no one ever going in or out. Just then, it opened, and a slender figure in a gray robe emerged.

’Huh? Finally decided to show yourself?’

Lin Changheng recognized the man at a glance. It was the same person who had furtively slipped out of the neighboring cave mansion late one night when he was testing his Insight Demon Technique. He hadn’t expected the man to appear in broad daylight.

They came face to face.

Their gazes locked in mid-air.

In that instant, Lin Changheng felt the man’s seemingly vacant gaze suddenly sharpen, sweeping over him as quick and sharp as a needle’s point, filled with appraisal and scrutiny.

The man wasn’t deliberately hiding his Magical Power fluctuations, which marked him as a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Yet, the sensation he gave off was like a reef hidden in fog—seemingly there, but ultimately elusive.

The Gray Robe Cultivator forced a somewhat stiff smile, gave Lin Changheng a slight nod in greeting, and then walked away quickly without a word.

But Lin Changheng felt there was something strange about the man. It was just a gut feeling, with no evidence to back it up.

With a flicker of thought, he silently activated his Insight Demon Technique at full power! Simultaneously, he cast both his Spirit Detecting Skill and Qi Observation Skill, both of which he had long ago cultivated to the Perfection Realm!

The three Investigation-type Strange Techniques didn’t merely stack. Instead, anchored by his powerful Divine Sense and with the Insight Demon Technique as their core, they fused into an organic whole.

Instantly, his eyes seemed to HUM. A tri-color Divine Light of gold, limpid light, and gray swirled endlessly within them like a vortex, while deep in his pupils, dark-golden Runes spun frantically! A ray of Divine Light—condensed to its absolute limit, formless and intangible, yet seemingly capable of piercing all falsehoods—shot across space, projecting toward the departing Gray Robe Cultivator.

In the next instant, every Disguise and concealment was laid bare before Lin Changheng’s gaze in the finest detail.

Within his ’vision,’ the seemingly ordinary gray Daoist Robe was internally interwoven with countless fine, deeply hidden Array Patterns for insulation and Concealment. Its Grade was extraordinary—far beyond what an ordinary Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator could ever possess!

’It has to be at least a Tier Two Upper Grade Magic Robe!’

The Robe-Making Skill could be considered a branch of the Artifact Refining Dao, one that had separated and grown into its own distinct craft.

It was also one of the Hundred Arts.

The robes Lin Changheng himself wore were merely a Tier One Magic Robe with no fancy features, only the basic function of repelling dust. This suited his low-key nature.

What surprised Lin Changheng even more was what he ’saw’ beneath the Disguise of Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Magical Power fluctuations: a drastically compressed, yet far purer and more refined power—the Magical Power of the Late Stage Foundation Establishment!

The man’s true Cultivation was the Eighth Layer of Foundation Establishment, a single step away from the Peak of Foundation Establishment!

But that wasn’t all.

The barrier of flesh and blood, along with the chaotic Spiritual Light masking the man’s body, could block any ordinary prying Divine Sense. But Lin Changheng vaguely sensed something more, and he used his own Divine Light to peel back the layers.

It was a deep, obscure aura!

Like a dormant viper, it was the unmistakable sign of an extremely sinister Demonic or Ghost Dao Cultivation Technique practiced to a very high level!