Time passed slowly. After finishing an entire Grandmaster realm ferocious beast, Lin Zheyu took out another one at peak Grandmaster realm from his storage pouch and continued grilling. If Martial Innate realm beasts were not so hard to find, he would have caught some to keep for leisurely meals.

Fan Hongwei fell silent. Seeing Lin Zheyu take out yet another beast, he felt somewhat speechless. He had been waiting for Lin Zheyu to speak first, but the young man proved far more patient than expected.

"Ahem... Have you considered my previous invitation, little friend? Help me with a small task, and I will reward you generously," Fan Hongwei said with a smile. If he did not bring it up himself, he felt Lin Zheyu might just keep grilling forever.

"Sorry, I have matters to attend to. I don't think I will be able to help. There are countless strong individuals in the world. Even martial artists stronger than me can be found in abundance within the Martial Alliance. So why me?" Lin Zheyu asked plainly, no longer holding back.

Fan Hongwei stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Of course, there is a reason. Very few martial artists can detect where I am hiding. That alone is enough to make me regard you highly. That place requires not only a powerful physique to break through, but also perception far beyond that of ordinary people. Cultivators who meet both conditions are extremely rare, whether in the immortal cultivation world or the Martial Alliance."

From their first meeting until now, the man had always appeared gentle, exuding an immortal bearing. Yet Lin Zheyu's instincts told him something was off. A faint sense of danger lingered in his heart. When it came to such instincts, he would rather trust them than ignore them.

He shook his head and said firmly, "I am cautious by nature and do not like taking risks. Sorry, I fear I must disappoint you."

"Oh? Interesting. Do you know the consequences of refusing me?" The old man looked at Lin Zheyu with interest, a dangerous aura flickering in his gaze, making Lin Zheyu's brows twitch uncontrollably.

Danger!

With just a single glance, the old man gave Lin Zheyu an overwhelming sense of threat.

Lin Zheyu took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in his heart as he said, "Of course, there are always exceptions. Senior, since it's your invitation, I will go through any hardship without hesitation."

In the end, Lin Zheyu yielded.

A wise man does not fight a losing battle. Lin Zheyu felt that if he had continued refusing, the old man would have struck without hesitation and killed him. He might not even have been able to resist.

Fan Hongwei stroked his beard and laughed, returning to his earlier, immortal-like demeanor. "Haha, I knew you would agree. Rest assured, martial artists like you, with such a powerful physique and keen perception, are hard to come by. We will have many opportunities to work together. I will not drain the pond to catch the fish. Whether this matter succeeds or not, I will reward you generously."

"Then I thank you in advance, Senior. When do we have to leave? I am at a critical point in my cultivation and need some time to break through. I wonder if you can grant me some time," Lin Zheyu said after some thought.

Since he could not resist, he could only delay as much as possible. With the help of Origin Force, his strength would undergo a tremendous leap in one or two years. At that time, he would no longer need to fear this old man. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"This matter is not urgent. I still have a dharma treasure that has yet to be fully refined. The earliest it will be ready is in a year," Fan Hongwei said with a smile.

He tapped his storage pouch with his right hand, and a familiar token appeared. It was the very one he had given Lin Zheyu before, which Lin Zheyu had discarded.

Fan Hongwei looked at Lin Zheyu with a half-smile and said, "Now you can accept this token, right?"

Lin Zheyu took the token and said casually, "So the token was with you all along, Senior. After you gave it to me back then, I ran into a powerful enemy and accidentally lost it."

Putting on an act was easy. This old man was clearly no good person, yet he still pretended to be an immortal sage.

"Heh... This token is very important. I hope you keep it on you and do not lose it again, or I will have to search for it. That would be troublesome for both of us, wouldn't you agree?" Fan Hongwei said with a faint smile, his tone carrying a subtle threat.

"Yes, I will keep it on me at all times. But to avoid losing it, keeping it in my storage pouch should be fine, right?" Lin Zheyu also replied with a smile.

"That is fine, as long as you do not lose it. I have matters to attend to and will take my leave. I enjoyed your roasted meat very much. It has been a long time since I ate so well. As courtesy demands reciprocity, I will give you this Six Harmony Pill."

Fan Hongwei flipped his right hand, sending a pale golden Primordial Pill flying toward Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu caught it and cupped his hands in gratitude. "Many thanks, Senior!"

After confirming that the man had left, the smile vanished from Lin Zheyu's face, and his expression darkened.

Lin Zheyu held the pill, a cold smile curling at his lips as he murmured, "A Six Harmony Pill. This old man is quite generous. First a blow, then a sweet reward, huh?"

Such pills were highly beneficial to martial artists. Even at Bai Lin's level, they would still have a noticeable effect. With long-term use, they could enhance the physique's affinity with the world and reduce the difficulty of breaking free from the shackles.

Dharma treasures can only be refined by Golden Core realm cultivators. This old bastard said he still has one unfinished, which means his strength is at least at the Golden Core realm, and perhaps even higher. Damn, my luck is terrible to run into someone this monstrous at random.

Lin Zheyu could not help but curse inwardly. Fortunately, he still had about a year as a buffer. Combined with his current stockpile of over 200 units of Origin Force, he would have more than 600 units by then.

With over 600 units of Origin Force, even if I cannot break through to the Shackles realm, opening the three great divine repositories should not be a problem.

Strong confidence rose within him. Without opening the divine repositories, he already possessed strength comparable to the peak Foundation Establishment realm, even rivaling half-step Golden Core realm cultivators. Once he opened the three great divine repositories, his power would undergo a complete transformation and step fully into the Golden Core realm—and not an ordinary one, but one at least at the mid-stage. With his mastery of spatial rules, even if he could not win, escaping would not be an issue.

"You dare threaten me? Fine. When the time comes, I'll show you what a real surprise is." Lin Zheyu let out a cold laugh.

I will definitely take this job!

"That old bastard must have used some method to track me. He probably left some kind of mark on me when we parted."

Lin Zheyu frowned slightly, holding the token Fan Hongwei had given him. It felt troublesome.

He did not know what the token did. If it could detect his strength, that would be a serious problem. Yet he could not discard it again. Lin Zheyu believed that the moment he threw it away, the old man would come knocking. This time, their calm conversation had been a courtesy before force. If he refused again, Fan Hongwei would likely reveal his ruthless side.

"At worst, I just won't use Origin Force to boost my strength for now. When the year is almost up, I'll hide inside the demon god barrier. If that doesn't work, I'll pass through a space-time rift into the demonic realm. I refuse to believe that old bastard can still track my condition through the token."

Lin Zheyu gritted his teeth, his expression turning fierce.

He not only possessed the Primordial Golden Body, but could also use Yao Transformation to enter a yao form. If pushed to the limit, Lin Zheyu could retreat into the demonic realm, find a place to hide, and return only after his strength had grown sufficiently. With Origin Force, he would not have to worry about being unable to recover even in the demonic realm.

With a plan and a fallback in place, the sense of crisis in Lin Zheyu's heart eased considerably. He no longer had the mood to continue grilling. After putting away the remaining beast meat, he looked at the transparent chair beside the campfire. Once Fan Hongwei left, the suppressed chill within the chair spread out again, and the temperature of the entire courtyard dropped below freezing in an instant.

"What astonishing power of rules. That old bastard's mastery over ice is terrifying."

Lin Zheyu reached out and touched the chair, feeling a chilling force that pierced through his skin and tried to invade his body.

And this was only a chair casually created by Fan Hongwei using the power of rules. He had deliberately displayed his strength to intimidate Lin Zheyu and suppress any thoughts of resistance.

A troubling thought surfaced in Lin Zheyu's mind. At the Golden Core realm, one begins to comprehend rules. With that old man's mastery of ice, could he have reached the late-stage of the Golden Core realm?

If he truly was at the late Golden Core stage, giving him a surprise would not be easy. Lin Zheyu might really have no choice but to hide in the demonic realm and cultivate in seclusion.

Clang!

A long saber suddenly appeared in his hand. With a swing of his right arm, true origin surged through his body as he struck the freezing chair. A sharp clang rang out. Fine cracks spread across the entire chair, yet it did not shatter. It now looked like a strange piece of art.

Lin Zheyu stared at the cracked chair, shocked.

"What incredible hardness. Even though I've just broken my limits and haven't fully recovered, that strike still carried at least 30% of my full strength without using the power of rules. And it still couldn't break it."

The more he tested, the more alarmed he became at Fan Hongwei's strength. His confidence dwindled further. A year was too short. If only it were longer. No wonder Fan Hongwei had been so confident. With such strength, he had every reason to be.

"Am I really going to have to hide in the demonic realm?" Lin Zheyu muttered to himself. It was a last resort.

Judging from the lifeless, hell-like environment of the demon god barrier, one could imagine how harsh the demonic realm truly was. If forced to retreat there, he would have to endure endless darkness and bitter seclusion.

"Wait. Besides breaking into the Shackles realm, I can also enter the demon god barrier and compete for rule fragments. With the help of Origin Force, it won't take many attempts for my mastery of spatial rules to reach an astonishing level. When that happens, even if I can't defeat that old bastard, I'll at least stand undefeated."