I'm laying my cards on the table: I'm a first-rank array master!

Xuan Yin Old Ancestor was trembling with excitement. He had less than twenty years of Lifespan left, and reaching the Late Nascent Soul Stage had been his greatest wish, one he had long since given up on.

But now, Lin Yuan had given him a monumental hope!

The two of them stared at Lin Yuan as if they were looking at a monster, so shocked that they couldn't utter a word for a long time.

After a long while, Xuan Yin Old Ancestor asked with a trembling voice, "Fellow Daoist Lin... is this true?"

Lin Yuan nodded firmly, "The two of you should have already felt the Spiritual Qi in this place. I can control the Formation here to perform Spiritual Qi infusion for you both. Combined with the Medicinal Pills I have specifically refined for you to overcome your Bottleneck, the success rate will be at least seventy percent."

Ye Youmeng took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She exchanged a glance with Xuan Yin Old Ancestor, both seeing determination in the other's eyes.

"Good! If this is truly possible, then our Alliance will have two Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators holding the fort, plus a mysterious and unfathomable high-rank Alchemist and Formation Master like you... This plan is viable!"

Lin Yuan nodded in satisfaction, "However, before I help you both with your Breakthrough, the Formation of this city needs to be upgraded further."

His tone deepened, "Now that three Nascent Soul Cultivators have appeared in Black Stone City in succession, the other four sects are likely unable to sit still anymore."

"They will soon come to investigate at any cost to find the true cause of the Breakthroughs. They might even have already discovered that all of this is related to me."

"If I am not mistaken, they will soon dispatch top experts to sneak into Black Stone City to assassinate me!"

"Although my Cultivation is not high, but..." A cold arc curved at the corner of Lin Yuan's mouth, carrying a hint of a veteran's playfulness, "I think they will soon understand the terror of a First-Rank Formation Master. Perhaps, we can even get a good start for our future Alliance cause."

When Nascent Soul Cultivators fight, it is extremely difficult to completely kill the opponent.

But for a First-Rank Formation Master, if they set up a kill Formation in advance, ambushing and killing a Nascent Soul Cultivator, while not exactly easy, is certainly not difficult!

"A... First-Rank Formation Master?"

Xuan Yin Old Ancestor and Ye Youmeng exclaimed simultaneously, both standing up abruptly from the stone stools, their faces filled with shock as if they had seen a ghost.

For ordinary Cultivators, being proficient in just one of these is enough to establish a foothold and be respected by others.

Yet Lin Yuan not only possessed god-like skills in Alchemy that could turn decay into magic, but now... he was actually a First-Rank Formation Master!

What kind of concept is this?

In the entire Eastern Region, the Old Medicine King of the Medicine King Valley is a Third-Rank Alchemist, the one from the Misty Immortal Sect is a Third-Rank Formation Master, and Murong Yue of the Xuanfu Sect is a Third-Rank Talisman Master.

The Third Rank is the recognized limit!

The First Rank only exists in the legends of ancient texts!

In Ye Youmeng's soul-stirring, charming eyes, there was now only pure shock.

She finally understood why the Spiritual Qi in this small Tingfeng Courtyard was so dense.

She also finally understood that Lin Yuan's arrogant claim of "unifying the Eastern Region" was not the recklessness of youth, but the absolute confidence of someone holding the power to overturn the chessboard!

"Authentic and genuine." Lin Yuan picked up the Hundred Flowers Wine that Ye Youmeng had just poured, drank it in one gulp, and wore a look of natural calm on his face.

Ye Youmeng and Xuan Yin Old Ancestor exchanged a glance, both seeing relief in the other's eyes.

Fortunately, this kind of monster is a friend, not an enemy.

"Next, I will help you both step into the Late Nascent Soul Stage. At the same time, to prevent any accidents, I need to upgrade the defenses of Black Stone City once more."

Upon hearing this, Ye Youmeng did not hesitate in the slightest. With a wave of her fair hand, in an instant, the ground was filled with glittering treasures as a large pile of rare Spiritual Materials appeared out of thin air.

"As long as I can step into the Late Nascent Soul Stage, Fellow Daoist, feel free to use these worldly possessions!" She smiled charmingly, her eyes flowing with emotion, carrying a hint of deliberate ingratiation.

Xuan Yin Old Ancestor was not to be outdone, and he took out all of his belongings.

"Additionally, this is an ancient, incomplete Pill Formula I obtained by chance. It is said to have miraculous effects on helping Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators break through their Bottlenecks. However, the Pill Formula is incomplete, and the required Materials are harsh; my sect has studied it for hundreds of years but failed to complete it. Today, I gift it to you, Fellow Daoist, perhaps it may provide you with some inspiration."

Lin Yuan took the Jade Slip, probed it with his Divine Sense, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

This Pill Formula was indeed exquisite. Although incomplete, its core concept gave him great inspiration.

"Good." Lin Yuan put away the Jade Slip and Materials, looked at Ye Youmeng, and said, "Three days from now, I will start the furnace to refine the Medicinal Pill for you."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Lin!" Ye Youmeng was overjoyed.

Xuan Yin Old Ancestor watched from the side with great envy, but unfortunately, his Nascent Soul was injured, and to break through, he must first recover from his injuries.

...

Dozens of miles away from Black Stone City, on a mountain peak shrouded in black clouds.

Four figures with auras as deep as the sea were suspended in mid-air, their cold gazes locked onto the city shrouded in a vortex of Spiritual Qi from afar.

They were Situ Piaomiao of the Misty Immortal Sect, Xiong Kaishan of the Hundred Beasts Mountain, Murong Yue of the Xuanfu Sect, and the Yan Yang Empress, Ji Wushuang.

"That is the third one." Situ Piaomiao's voice was as cold as frost, devoid of any emotion.

"Hmph! If we let him keep doing this, won't the Yin Corpse Sect be riding on our heads and shitting?" Xiong Kaishan had the most explosive temper; his voice was like a booming bell, and the flesh on his face trembled, "In my opinion, we should gather the strength of the four sects, flatten Black Stone City directly, and dismantle that old ghost's bones one by one!"

"Fellow Daoist Xiong, you are brave, but this is not the best strategy." Murong Yue, dressed in green, frowned and said softly, "This matter is too strange. What kind of Opportunity has the Yin Corpse Sect obtained to be able to make a Cultivator break through the Nascent Soul Bottleneck so easily?"

Situ Piaomiao glanced at her coldly, "What, Fellow Daoist Murong, have you not planted your own spies in the Yin Corpse Sect?"

Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat subtle.

The mutual planting of spies between sects had long been an unspoken secret.

Xiong Kaishan chuckled and broke the silence first, "The person my Hundred Beasts Mountain planted has too low a status. I only found out that the Yin Corpse Sect recently promoted a new Supreme Guest Elder named Lin Yuan. It is said that this person's Alchemy is god-like, and his methods are probably no less than that old guy from the Medicine King Valley."

"It is not just that." Ji Wushuang, dressed in a black and gold dragon robe, narrowed her phoenix eyes, her voice majestic, "This person is also a Formation Grandmaster. Haven't you felt it? The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for a hundred miles around has almost been forcibly plundered and gathered into Black Stone City. Such an overbearing method of seizing the fortune of Heaven and Earth means his rank as a Formation Master must be terrifyingly high."

Hearing this, Murong Yue's face finally revealed unconcealable shock.

As a Grand Elder of the Xuanfu Sect, she knew that Formations and talismans were inseparable. Precisely because of this, she understood even more clearly what kind of terrifying attainments in the Dao of Formations were required to achieve this!

"A Prodigy who is peerless in both Alchemy and Formations..." Situ Piaomiao's tone became increasingly cold, "This child must not be left alive."

She looked around at the others, her killing intent chilling, "The information I received is that Lin Yuan's Cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage. As long as we can sneak up to him silently, any one of us could kill him in one blow!"

She looked at Xiong Kaishan, "Fellow Daoist Xiong, your Hundred Beasts Mountain has many Secret Techniques, and your stealth and infiltration arts are the best in the Eastern Region. This matter is most suitable for you to handle."