It was a strange, greenish-black stone, somewhat shaped like a rice scoop, looking as if it were a random product of nature. The scant spiritual energy upon it barely allowed it to be classified as a spirit material.

However, having been brought back by a Foundation Establishment spirit bird, and from Spirit Beast City at that, it was clearly no ordinary item.

Moreover, the reaction of Fang Jinyu's Fate Calculation Art was rather too intense.

Still, after much hesitation, Fang Jinyu ultimately chose not to use the Fate Calculation Art to "analyze" this object. It wasn't that he feared insufficient fate energy—the Fate Calculation Art's reaction clearly indicated his current fate energy was enough to offset the cost.

But this fate energy was, after all, an extremely difficult thing to obtain. Fang Jinyu had no desire to consume a large portion of his fate energy on this.

Besides, since this object was a future opportunity of the female lead Su Yier, then by carefully recalling it a few more times, he was bound to find some clue to crack it.

Even if he truly couldn't recall, he would simply wait until he had refined the Azure Luan Shears!

Fang Jinyu had been completely baffled before, but after receiving that little girl's "guidance," he understood the reason.

That book had mentioned that after the Tianling Sect's Nascent Soul stage ancestor, with the immense mana of the seventh layer of the Nascent Soul stage, opened up the Lingdu Secret Realm, he saw three magical treasures gestating. Finding their grades unremarkable, he left them in the Lingdu Secret Realm as opportunities for later disciples.

However, that Nascent Soul stage ancestor not only misjudged the magical treasures but even failed to discover that a "split soul" of a mysterious existence was hidden within this secret realm!

What the origin of that "split soul" was, the book had not yet written, but at the time, it mentioned that not long after Su Yier entered, she encountered the "split soul." Then, under the guidance of this "split soul," Su Yier, after obtaining the first magical treasure, found the second magical treasure, the Azure Luan Shears.

This could be considered the "split soul's" first appearance in that book.

‘Is it that thing?’ Fang Jinyu's gaze flickered. After much thought, it could only be this incomparably mysterious split soul.

‘Such a technique of imperceptibly exerting influence, even if its means are heaven-reaching, has a distance limit. Then I just need to wait another two months.’

Fang Jinyu recalled the book's contents and settled his heart.

Because two months later, Su Yier's affair with that "Senior Brother Qin" would be discovered by her master. Then, Su Yier's master, in a fit of rage and humiliation, would expel Su Yier from the sect.

Of course, this wasn't a true expulsion, merely her master acting out of momentary fury. He would later take the initiative to seek Su Yier out and bring her back.

And then, naturally, they would enter the clichéd but widely enjoyed segment of "abusing the wife for a moment is satisfying, chasing the wife leads to the crematorium."

A journey of love and mutual destruction, ultimately returning hand in hand to the Tianling Sect three years later.

And in these three years, Su Yier would successively encounter several "high-quality male cultivators" of the cultivation world. Among them were the refined and cultured scion type, the rogueishly handsome type whose words didn't match his heart, and the aloof and steady loyal dog type...

Of course, though the fish multiplied, the one who held the foremost place in Su Yier's heart was still that gloomy, paranoid, yandere, love-brained sword cultivator.

After all, this one was handsome, wealthy, high in cultivation, and born of a top-tier cultivation family.

Even that "Senior Brother Qin," who had taken Su Yier's first time, was far inferior to this love-brained sword cultivator. Su Yier even stated directly: "Although he took the first time of my body, the first time in my heart has always been for you..."

Fang Jinyu hurriedly cut off his recollections.

He feared he might become possessed.

Immediately after, Fang Jinyu returned to Li-Character Spirit Medicine Peak in high spirits, whereupon his good mood came to an abrupt end.

Because Du Man'er told him that a piece of gossip about him was spreading like wildfire.

"Someone says that I stole someone else's slot to enter the Lingdu Secret Realm, and that's how I entered the secret realm? Does the person who said this have a brain?"

Fang Jinyu wore an expression as if he'd seen a ghost. What kind of nonsensical slander was this?

Then he couldn't help but glance at Du Man'er, for after just a short while of not seeing her, she, who had barely broken through to the second layer of Qi Refining last time, had now actually reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining!

Was this the treatment of a protagonist?

After breaking through the original life-or-death outcome, when bitterness ended and sweetness came, it was directly a case of "a time will come to ride the wind and cleave the waves, I'll set my cloud-white sail and cross the sea"?

This made Fang Jinyu resolve to definitely stay as far away from Su Yier as possible!

If Du Man'er received such treatment, then Su Yier, who was mentioned in the book to shatter her core and form a nascent soul in just over ten years, would, amidst her skyrocketing cultivation, likely have no weak strength at all. One could even say she would be invincible within her realm.

"Uncle-Master, what's going on?" Du Man'er was also somewhat curious about this, because Foundation Establishment cultivators could not enter the Lingdu Secret Realm. Although the Tianling Sect had no explicit rule on this, it had always been tacitly accepted.

Fang Jinyu briefly explained the reasons behind it.

After all, she was also a protagonist.

"Uncle-Master, you've even met the Ancestor?" Du Man'er couldn't help but reveal a trace of envy in her eyes. For a small Qi Refining cultivator, being able to meet a Nascent Soul stage cultivator could be considered a tremendous honor!

Then, Du Man'er said indignantly, "I wonder who is spreading this nonsense; it's too outrageous! Yet many people have actually believed it."

As someone close to Fang Jinyu, she naturally stood on his side.

"This matter, though irritating, is also quite boring," Fang Jinyu shook his head, too lazy to dwell on it. After all, it was meaningless. He might as well strive to comprehend the Yuanling Pill formula today.

"However, although I don't know who spread it, I do know that someone indeed stole another person's Lingdu Secret Realm slot," Fang Jinyu said, glancing thoughtfully at Du Man'er. He decided to give this newly risen female lead a dose of "eye drops."

"No wonder..." Du Man'er suddenly understood, but she did not continue asking.

She was just a Qi Refining cultivator and knew what should be said and what shouldn't. Even facing Fang Jinyu, with her usual caution, she wouldn't act rashly.

But while she didn't ask, someone else did.

A certain heartless little girl curiously leaned her little head over and asked, "Who is it? You should know, right?"

Seeing this little girl deliver an "assist," Fang Jinyu immediately pretended to hesitate, until the little girl urged him once more. Only then did he timely speak: "Fine, it won't hurt to tell you this matter. Do you know of Spirit Sword Peak?"

"Is that the peak of the sect's number one sword cultivator?" Du Man'er said. The Tianling Sect only had one Golden Core sword cultivator, so the name of Su Yier's master was quite renowned.

"Exactly," Fang Jinyu nodded. "As far as I know, this year, Spirit Sword Peak had no slot to enter the Lingdu Secret Realm. Because that Sword Cultivator Uncle-Master took on a disciple too suddenly, and the slots had long been decided, with Spirit Sword Peak not included. Yet I saw a disciple from Spirit Sword Peak there at the time."

At this point, Fang Jinyu said no more, but the implication was already quite clear.

Then, he began to contemplate the Yuanling Pill formula.

He had thought the rumor about him would soon die down, since he was only a minor cannon fodder character. Yet barely two hours later, the rumor intensified even more, to the point that it even forced him, who was in the middle of comprehending the pill formula, to come out.