Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 136 Treasure and Legacy

On a clear morning on White Star, sunlight streamed through the hotel windows, illuminating the room with brightness and warmth. Lin Yun stood by the window, watching the snowflakes swirling in the air outside, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

The journey to the Realm of Light and Mist has finally come to an end.

He stayed in the Guanglan Realm for nearly four months, a month longer than originally planned. But his gains far exceeded his expectations—nearly ten million Hunyuan in wealth, a top-tier secret technique, and the intelligent life form Xiaolan. These gains were enough for him to raise his strength to another level before the Genius Battle.

"Lin Yun, we should go." Luo Feng's voice came from behind. "Bai Lan Star isn't safe either. People from all the major powers are asking around about who has obtained the inheritance. Although no one knows it was you, we should leave as soon as possible."

"I know." Lin Yun turned around. "Let's go."

The four packed their things and boarded their spaceship, leaving White Orchid Star and returning to Earth.

Throughout the journey, Xiao Lan kept reporting the situation outside to Lin Yun.

"Master, the Black Dragon Mountain Starfield is in complete chaos." Xiao Lan's voice echoed in Lin Yun's mind. "The four major organizations, the two holy lands, and the sixteen major families are all frantically searching for the inheritor. They've sent people to seal off the exits of the Light Storm Realm and are interrogating everyone who comes out. But no one knows who has obtained the inheritance, because everyone has been randomly teleported away."

"Has anyone been questioned?" Lin Yun asked.

"No," Xiao Lan said. "There are three thousand people participating in the test, and no one knows whether others have passed or not. Therefore, no one can be sure who has obtained the inheritance. The major powers can only cast a wide net and inquire everywhere."

"That's good." Lin Yun breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, Master, you still need to be careful," Xiao Lan reminded her. "The major powers won't give up easily. They will monitor those suspected for a long time. After you return to Earth, try not to reveal your strength. Before the Genius Battle, keeping a low profile is the best choice."

"I understand," Lin Yun said.

After several days of travel, the four finally returned to Earth.

Mingyue Residential Area, Lin Yun's villa.

He Lingruo was playing with Lin An in the living room. The little guy was over two years old, a chubby-cheeked boy, running around the living room, calling out "Mommy" and "Daddy". Hearing the door open, he turned around, saw Lin Yun walk in, paused for a moment, and then ran over.

"Daddy!" Lin An hugged Lin Yun's leg, tilted his head back, and his eyes sparkled.

Lin Yun squatted down, picked up Lin An, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Do you miss your dad?"

"I've thought about it!" Lin An nodded vigorously.

He Lingruo stood up from the sofa, walked to Lin Yun's side, her eyes full of tenderness.

"You're back?"

"You're back." Lin Yun took her hand. "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work," He Lingruo shook her head. "You're the one who's having a hard time."

Lin Guodong poked his head out of the kitchen and smiled when he saw Lin Yun.

"You're back? Are you hungry? Grandpa will cook for you."

"Grandpa, I'm not hungry," Lin Yun said with a smile. "You rest, I'll cook."

"What can you do? Don't burn the kitchen down!" Lin Guodong said with a laugh, then turned and went into the kitchen.

Lin Yun put Lin An down, asked He Lingruo to play with him, and went upstairs into the cultivation room.

In the cultivation room, Lin Yun sat cross-legged and took out the silver-white ring left behind by the Lord of Guanglan Realm from his spatial ring.

"Xiao Lan, could you tell me about the contents of this ring?" Lin Yun said.

"Yes, Master." Xiao Lan's voice rang in his mind. "I've sorted it out. The total value of the wealth in the ring is nearly ten million Hunyuan. About two million Hunyuan in cash is stored in the Cosmic Galaxy Bank, and the rest are various cultivation resources, secret manuals, and Origin Force weapons."

"Two million Hunyuan..." Lin Yun murmured. This number was much larger than he had expected. He had heard Xiao Lan say that the Lord of Guanglan Realm had left behind a fortune of several million Hunyuan, but he hadn't expected that there would be two million Hunyuan in cash alone. Two million Hunyuan was equivalent to a relatively wealthy Marquis Immortal, a truly astronomical figure.

"Master, although our former master was a Realm Lord, his wealth was no less than that of some Immortals," Xiao Lan said. "He fought in the outer realms for many years, slaying countless enemies and accumulating a vast fortune. Moreover, his teacher was a King-level Immortal who would occasionally bestow treasures upon him. Most of this wealth came from what he acquired in the outer realms."

"Huyanbo is also immortal, but he doesn't seem to have that much wealth," Lin Yun said.

"Master, Huyan Bo is an immortal, but he's a rogue cultivator with no powerful backing," Xiao Lan explained. "Our former master was a core member of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, with a teacher who was a King-level immortal. His resources and connections were far superior to those of a rogue cultivator. Moreover, our former master possessed a level of understanding of the laws that was close to that of a Marquis-level immortal when he was still a Realm Lord. He killed countless enemies of the same level in the extraterrestrial battlefield, and naturally acquired a great deal of spoils."

Lin Yun nodded. The identity and background of the Lord of Guanglan Realm were indeed far beyond what Huyan Bo could compare to. One was a core member of one of the five great giants of the universe, while the other was a rogue cultivator; the difference was self-evident.

"Master, among the wealth left by the previous master, there are two million Hunyuan in cash," Xiao Lan continued. "This cash is in the account left by the previous master. The remaining cultivation resources, secret manuals, and primal force weapons are worth approximately eight million Hunyuan in total."

"So many..." Lin Yun took a deep breath.

"Master, among the cultivation resources left by the previous master, there are many that can help you quickly improve your strength," Xiao Lan said. "There are a large number of cultivation potions, gene nutrient solutions, and cosmic crystals, enough for you to cultivate to the World Lord level. There are also some rare treasures, such as the 'Radiant Crystal Core,' which can accelerate your comprehension of the laws of wind and light."

"A luminous crystal core?" Lin Yun's eyes lit up.

"That's right," Xiao Lan said. "Back then, our former master relied on these crystal cores to achieve mastery of the laws of wind and light at the Realm Lord stage. However, the number of crystal cores left by our former master is not large, so you should use them sparingly."

Lin Yun nodded and kept this in mind.

Lin Yun probed his spatial ring with his mental energy and began to examine the items inside one by one.

First, there were cultivation resources—potions of various grades, nutrient solutions, and cosmic crystals—piled up in one corner of the ring. Lin Yun roughly estimated that these resources were worth at least three million Chaos Yuan.

"These resources are enough for me to cultivate to the World Lord level," Lin Yun thought to himself.

Next came the secret manuals—dozens of thick books covering various laws such as wind, light, and space. Lin Yun picked up one; the cover read "Detailed Explanation of the Law of Wind." He opened it and saw that it contained the Lightstorm Realm Master's profound understanding of the Law of Wind, with detailed explanations for each step, from beginner to expert.

"Good stuff." Lin Yun put the books into his spatial ring.

He then picked up another book—"The Laws of Light Explained," which was equally priceless.

When he picked up the third book, his pupils suddenly contracted. The cover bore four large characters—"The Secrets of Space."

"Spatial secret technique!" Lin Yun's heart raced.

He opened the book, which contained a complete set of spatial secret techniques, a priceless treasure for Lin Yun. His Golden Horned Beast clone possessed considerable talent in spatial laws, but lacked a suitable spatial secret technique to learn. The Golden Horned Beast's own secret technique, "Absolute Space," was only suitable for Golden Horned Beasts to cultivate, not for his human self. Now, with this set of spatial secret techniques, his comprehension of spatial laws could finally begin.

"Xiao Lan, is this 'Spatial Secret Techniques' complete?" Lin Yun asked.

"Master, this secret manual was obtained by our former master in the battlefield beyond the realm," Xiao Lan said. "Our former master only cultivated this secret technique to a minor level and did not continue to delve deeper. But even so, the value of this secret manual is no less than a million Chaos Yuan."

"A million Chaos Yuan..." Lin Yun gasped. A single set of secret manuals was worth a million Chaos Yuan, more than many Immortals' fortunes.

He carefully put away the "Secret Techniques of Space," intending to study it slowly later.

Lin Yun continued to examine the items in the ring.

Next up are the Force weapons—dozens of Force weapons, including knives, spears, swords, clubs, axes, hammers…you name it. These weapons are all of good quality, the lowest being a Tier 5 Force weapon, and some are even Immortal-grade.

"These weapons can be given to Thor and the others, and any extras can be sold off," Lin Yun thought to himself.

He continued searching and found a set of armor in the corner of the ring. The armor was entirely silver-white, with fine patterns on its surface, emitting a faint glow. Lin Yun took out the armor; it was extremely light to the touch, the material was soft, yet incredibly tough.

"This is..." Lin Yun asked.

"Master, this is the former master's personal battle armor, called the 'Radiant Armor'," Xiao Lan said. "It's a peak fifth-tier Force armor, capable of withstanding the full force of an expert at the World Lord level. The former master wore this armor throughout his World Lord period, and it protected him from countless attacks."

"A fifth-tier peak battle armor..." Lin Yun's eyes lit up. He was currently wearing third-tier battle armor, and this Radiant Armor would be a perfect replacement.

He stored the Radiant Armor in his spatial ring, intending to put it on later.

Finally, Lin Yun discovered a palm-sized metal box deep inside the ring. The box was entirely black, its surface covered with intricate runes, and it emitted faint spatial fluctuations.

"What's this?" Lin Yun asked, picking up the box.

Xiao Lan's voice became solemn: "Master, this is the most precious treasure left by the former master."

"The most precious one?" Lin Yun's heart raced.

"Yes," Xiao Lan said. "This is an Immortal-grade soul treasure called the 'Soul Seal.' His teacher gave it to him when he went to the extraterrestrial battlefield. It can withstand soul attacks from Immortal Lord-level warriors. Although it's not much among Immortal-grade equipment, anything related to the soul is a top-quality item. This Soul Seal is worth millions of Chaos Yuan, making it arguably the most precious treasure among all treasures."

"An immortal-level soul treasure..." Lin Yun gasped. Soul treasures are naturally many times more valuable than defensive or offensive treasures of the same level. For example, in the original story, an ordinary soul treasure was enough to exchange for dozens of ordinary weapon treasures.

He carefully opened the box, inside lay a palm-sized silver badge. The badge was engraved with intricate patterns and emitted a faint glow. Lin Yun picked up the badge; it felt warm and smooth to the touch, and he could sense the immense energy it contained.

"Master, this soul imprint needs to be bound to a master before it can be used," Xiao Lan said. "Once bound, it will merge into your soul and automatically resist all soul attacks. Even a soul attack at the level of an Immortal Army Lord cannot harm you."

Without hesitation, Lin Yun probed the badge with his spiritual power. The patterns on the badge began to glow, and a silver-white light entered his brow. In his mind, a silver-white dot appeared. That was the core of the Soul Imprint, merging with his soul.

A moment later, the soul imprint was successfully bound to its master. Lin Yun could feel that his soul was protected by an invisible, incredibly resilient force.

"My precious treasure," Lin Yun murmured.

He carefully stored the soul imprint and then categorized and stored the other items. Cultivation resources, secret manuals, elemental weapons, armor... he neatly placed each item into his spatial ring.