"Hehehe… not bad. Really not bad."
Shen Daolun's familiar, scheming chuckle drifted right into Lin lan's ear.
"At your level, mastering the basics of the Soul-Refining Manual this fast is impressive," he said smugly. "Back in my day, it took me twice as long to get there."
Lin lan frowned.
He hadn't even noticed Shen Daolun slipping out of the protective formation. Now the plump old ghost was floating right beside him, close enough to be irritating.
Ignoring the praise, Lin lan shot him a cold glance.
"How did you get out? Aren't you worried about running into trouble?"
Shen Daolun grinned without the slightest hint of shame.
"With you smashing undead left and right, what trouble is there for me?" He shrugged. "Besides, if I'm not sticking close to you, where else am I supposed to get soul energy to patch myself up?"
Lin lan's eyes narrowed.
"So you don't trust me." He snorted. "Afraid I'll take everything for myself? Do I really look like that kind of guy?"
Shen Daolun nodded enthusiastically—like a chicken pecking at grain.
"You do. Completely."
"…You—!"
That answer hit harder than any bone club.
Lin lan almost kicked him on the spot, but barely held himself back. Grinding his teeth, he turned away.
Focus. Hunting comes first.
He tightened his grip on the bone club and strode toward his next target.
The hunt stretched from dawn until dusk.
Lin lan moved with growing confidence, each swing of his club heavy and precise. Danger lurked everywhere, but every close call ended with him slipping away intact.
By nightfall, the results spoke for themselves.
Ten newly formed skeletons.
He handed three over to Shen Daolun and absorbed the rest. Turning his awareness inward, he examined his soul flame.
It had grown.
Not dramatically—but unmistakably.
The change was subtle, almost invisible, yet undeniably real.
Still…
It wasn't enough.
Not even close.
This is way too slow.
With that much soul energy refined, he should've felt a qualitative leap. Maybe not enough to turn the flame red—but at least a deeper, richer white.
When Lin lan voiced his frustration, Shen Daolun nearly fainted.
The Soul-Refining Manual was one of the most powerful cultivation methods in existence—but even so, results didn't appear overnight.
Back in the Nine Nether Immortal Realm, Shen Daolun himself had spent nearly a full year just to complete this stage.
And now this kid—barely one day in—was already complaining?
Forcing down the urge to strangle him, Shen Daolun plastered on a stiff smile.
"Your cultivation speed is already terrifying," he said carefully. "If other cultivators found out, they'd die of jealousy. Even when I first entered the Nine Nether Immortal Realm, I wasn't half as fast as you."
He continued patiently,
"Cultivation is a long and lonely road. Endurance matters. The newborn skeletons you hunted today are the weakest undead there are. Their soul energy is thin to begin with—and most of it gets consumed during refinement. All things considered, you've done exceptionally well."
Lin lan grabbed him by the collar.
"Then when the hell do I get out of this place? Stop dodging and give me a straight answer."
Shen Daolun didn't resist. Instead, he calmly pointed toward a mist-shrouded hill in the distance.
"See that hill? That's Archer's Hill."
"It's crawling with skeleton archers. At the very top sits their leader—the Skeleton Archer Chieftain. It possesses a divine-grade artifact known as the Piercing Void Divine Ring."
"If you can get that ring," Shen Daolun said evenly, "freely entering and leaving the Nine Nether Immortal Realm won't be a problem."
Then his tone hardened.
"But don't get excited. That chieftain is one of the strongest undead in the entire Skeleton Wasteland. To reach it, you'd have to pass through territories controlled by skeletal warriors and countless newborn skeletons."
He met Lin lan's gaze.
"With your current cultivation? You wouldn't even make it halfway."
"So for now," he concluded, "focus on getting stronger. There's no rush to die."
Lin lan frowned.
"And how do you know the Piercing Void Divine Ring is with him? What, you spying on him?"
Shen Daolun let out a dry chuckle.
"He used to have two rings. Back then, I wasn't strong enough to beat him outright, so I stole one after a lot of effort."
"Later, my cultivation improved—but once I had the Void-Piercing Divine Ring, I lost interest in bothering him." His expression darkened. "Unfortunately, that ring was shattered by heavenly lightning during my final attempt to ascend."
Lin lan sighed.
What a waste.
If that ring still existed, he wouldn't be trapped here at all. As things stood, getting another would take time, effort, and a lot of risk.
Sensing his disappointment, Shen Daolun suddenly smiled.
"Even if you can't leave yet," he said lightly, "seeing the outside world isn't hard at all."
With a flick of his wrist, he produced a circular silver mirror nearly two feet wide.
The frame was etched with intricate silver patterns, and the mirror's surface shimmered with a watery blue glow.
Shen Daolun brushed his finger across it.
Ripples spread instantly, like waves across water. Blurred shapes emerged—then sharpened into clear images.
"This is the Emerald Spirit Mirror," Shen Daolun said proudly. "It's the only treasure capable of piercing the spatial restrictions of the Nine Nether Immortal Realm to observe the outside world."
"It once belonged to the Dragon King of the Si River. With it, he could see every movement within his domain—nothing escaped his sight."
He sighed.
"But during one of his travels, some reckless soul infiltrated the Dragon Palace and stole it. After changing hands many times, it eventually ended up with the Copper Armor Zombie here."
"I fought that thing for it while cultivating." Shen Daolun shuddered. "Even now, I don't know how I survived."
The mirror clearly stirred old memories, and Shen Daolun began rambling about his past exploits.
Lin lan didn't listen.
His eyes were locked on the mirror.
Excitement tightened his chest.
It had only been a few days—but it felt like centuries.
After a brief distortion, the image stabilized.
And then—
A pair of red lace panties drifted cheerfully into view.
Lin lan froze.
The tiny flames in his eye sockets nearly shot out.
What. The. Hell.
He slowly turned toward Shen Daolun and raised a skeletal hand.
"You Pervert."
Shen Daolun's face flushed bright red.
"T-The focus was off!" he stammered. "The lens wasn't aligned properly! I'll fix it—right now!"
The mirror rippled again.
A bed.
A wardrobe.
A sofa.
A television.
Scene after scene flashed past.
Lin lan was absolutely certain—if he exited the Nine Netherworld Divine Jade right now, he'd land in an apartment.
A woman's apartment.
Then—
The bathroom came into view.
A woman stood beneath the shower.
Lin lan's soul flame flickered wildly.
The frosted glass hid the details, leaving only a hazy silhouette—somehow making it even worse.
Blood rushed. Imagination ran free.
"Brother Shen," Lin lan said solemnly, "your character is truly despicable. Using a divine-grade treasure to spy on people."
Despite doing exactly the same thing, he spoke with righteous indignation.
Shen Daolun clutched his chest dramatically.
"Heaven knows, I haven't used it in ages! You have to understand—watching the outside world while being trapped here alone… that's the cruelest punishment imaginable!"
Lin lan paused.
…That was actually fair.
He nodded reluctantly.
Just then—
The bathroom door opened.
And the woman stepped out.