Chapter 28: Divine Elixir Realm

Page (1/3)

The assailant was none other than the young man who had left earlier. He had returned in secret and even slipped into the cave, attempting to deliver Lin Fan a fatal blow.

Unfortunately, the strike had missed.

Hearing the faintly mocking words in Lin Fan’s voice, the young man seemed to have been struck in one of his most vulnerable places. His face instantly turned ashen, and a trace of barely perceptible panic flickered through his eyes.

His figure shifted between light and shadow within the cave, as though he were hesitating over whether to attack again.

Lin Fan stood at the opposite end of the cavern, his gaze blazing as he stared intently through the dim light at the assassin who had suddenly appeared.

A playful smile curved his lips, as though he had never taken the unexpected assassination attempt seriously.

“Your speed is impressive, but not fast enough.”

Lin Fan spoke slowly, his voice carrying an unquestionable calm. “And your methods are far too crude. The entrance to this cave was clearly concealed by someone, yet you claimed it was a demon beast’s lair. From the very beginning, you intended to ambush the people inside. Unfortunately, I happened to return. Afraid I would expose your intentions, you hurriedly left. The moment I revealed an opening, you struck.

“Clearly, your patience is lacking, and your assassination skills are nothing special.”

“You bastard! Die!”

The young man’s face turned livid, and a vicious glint surfaced in his eyes. His figure flickered once more, transforming into a dark blur as he lunged toward Lin Fan.

Lin Fan remained where he was, as though he had anticipated everything. With a faint smile, he shifted slightly to the side and effortlessly evaded the deadly strike.

It seemed he had been prepared all along. A strange radiance suddenly flared in his hand, and the gleaming Flame Qilin Sword swept out. It appeared to be an ordinary slash, yet it carried the momentum of a sword technique, forcing the young martial artist of the Divine Core Realm to stagger backward again and again.

“At first, I thought you only wanted the energy in my bracelet. But since you intended to take my life, I have no choice but to make sure you stay.”

Lin Fan’s tone was indifferent, yet his eyes revealed an unshakable resolve.

The young man stared at the long sword in the youth’s hand in terror. It had been nothing more than an ordinary slash, yet it brought him an unprecedented sense of danger.

After that single strike, he tried to retreat—but it was already too late.

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

The long sword in Lin Fan’s hand was like lightning cutting through time and space. With astonishing speed, it tore through the air and shot straight toward the young man’s throat.

At that instant between life and death, the young man felt as though all the strength had been drained from his body. He could not believe that he had actually been defeated before a seemingly young candidate in the Divine Sect examination.

“No... Impossible!”

His voice was filled with unwillingness and shock. But as Lin Fan’s sword swept across, the words came to an abrupt halt. His body collapsed helplessly onto the cold floor of the cavern, like a kite whose string had been severed.

Lin Fan withdrew his sword and cast a cold glance at the young man lying on the ground. A thread of spiritual light slipped into his bracelet, causing the energy stored within it to increase substantially. It even showed signs of changing color.

The energy contained in a single person’s bracelet had already brought him such tremendous gains.

He knew that this battle was merely the prelude. The true trials still lay ahead.

He had to be even more cautious. In this land of the Divine Sect examination, filled with competition and slaughter, deadly dangers could be concealed around every corner.

He picked up the young man’s pack from his robes. There were not many valuables inside, but the most important items were undoubtedly the ten sixth-grade spirit pills stored in a jade bottle.

“This person probably came from a small empire as well.”

The young man’s cultivation was not particularly formidable. Within the Divine Core Realm, he could only be considered average at best. For someone of his strength to have entered the examination grounds, he most likely came from a small empire, just as Lin Fan did.

The scale of an empire seemed to determine the difficulty of the trials. That was the conclusion Lin Fan had drawn from Kong Yi and Meng Yao.

Those two possessed only moderate strength within the Divine Core Realm. Compared with the others, they were indeed somewhat weaker.

“It is a pity. If you had not harbored malicious intentions toward me, you would not have fallen so soon.”

After glancing at the young man’s corpse, Lin Fan turned and left. He knew that the bloody scent would attract endless trouble.

Sure enough, less than three minutes later, the heavy footsteps and bloodthirsty roars of demon beasts could be faintly heard outside the cave.

Their keen sensitivity to the smell of blood made every attempt at concealment futile.

Remaining in the cave would undoubtedly be inviting trouble.

Although Lin Fan was not afraid of those demon beasts, he understood that his foremost goal now was to reach the Divine Core Realm.

To achieve that breakthrough, all other thoughts and distractions had to be put aside.

He had to devote himself completely to the cultivation ahead, allowing no room for error.

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

Lin Fan chose a somewhat more secluded spot among several other caves. Although it was inferior to the previous cavern, it would still serve for secluded cultivation as long as he remained careful.

He sat cross-legged and drew in a deep breath. A large pile of Earthflame Ore lay scattered across the ground. He began circulating the Burning Heaven Qi Refinement Art, frenziedly devouring the pure energy within the ore and gathering it in his dantian.

As the energy continued to surge into him, Lin Fan felt his Divine Core gradually begin to change.

The Divine Core slowly shifted from silver to gold, a defining sign of the Divine Core Realm.

A golden Divine Core represented a higher level of cultivation and greater strength. It also heralded the final step toward the end of the Divine Core secret realm.

Throughout the process, Lin Fan’s body endured immense pain and purification, yet his will remained as firm as iron, without the slightest wavering.

He knew that this was the inevitable path toward a higher realm.

Finally, in a single instant, Lin Fan felt the Divine Core within him transform completely into gold. A powerful force erupted through his body. His consciousness became clearer, while his perception of everything around him sharpened to an extraordinary degree.

Lin Fan opened his eyes, golden light flickering within them. He had successfully broken through into the Divine Core Realm.

Standing upon this new threshold, Lin Fan felt unprecedented confidence and power.

This strength was even greater than what he had possessed at the height of his former cultivation.

He knew that this was merely the beginning of his path. A much longer road still lay ahead.

But at that moment, he had taken the most crucial step, reaching the final stage of the Divine Core secret realm—the Divine Core Realm itself.

Lin Fan took a deep breath, sensing the formidable power within him. A resolute light flashed through his eyes.

He knew that he would face even more challenges and trials from this point onward, but he was ready to meet them all.

When he stepped out of the cave, daylight had already arrived. The dense forest still echoed with the roars of demon beasts, but compared with the previous night, they sounded far gentler.

Lin Fan narrowed his eyes slightly and sensed the auras of the demon beasts around him. From among them, he selected the strongest sixth-tier demon beast. A smile spread across his lips as he called softly,

“The time to hunt has come!”

Page (3/3)