Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

Ao Zheng immediately retreated back into the cave entrance: "Well, I meant well. If I hadn't been so blunt, you might not have been able to break through. Let's just forget about it for now."

"It's nothing!"

"Master, help me!"

"It's alright." Lin Ran waved his hand. "It knew its limits."

Although the Xuanjiao appears to be only at the eighth rank, its combat skills are derived from the Xuan Chen Lord, who was at the Mahayana stage.

Ao Zheng, who was not good at fighting to begin with, was naturally at a disadvantage against a Xuan Jiao of the same level.

The black dragon pounced, and with a flick of its tail, it sent Ao Zheng tumbling three times in the air.

Not to be outdone, Ao Zheng turned around and swung his claw, but Xuan Jiao dodged it by sidestepping.

The two enormous creatures were battling each other at sea, splashing water everywhere.

However, Xuanjiao only gave Ao Zheng a light beating and didn't do anything to him.

After more than a dozen rounds, Xuan Jiao withdrew and retreated, while Ao Zheng lay panting heavily on the sea surface.

"Fine, I give up, okay?"

"Hmph." The black dragon raised its head: "Be more polite to your ancestors from now on."

"Okay, okay." Ao Zheng rolled his eyes.

Lin Ran smiled and shook his head.

"Alright." He stood up and stretched his limbs. "Let's go back to Xinhai for a look, and then it's time to get down to business."

He put away the Nine Heavens Cave Heaven, rode his sword into the sky, and flew towards the New Sea.

During the journey, Lin Ran took out the bracelet.

The screen lit up, and Chu Xining's messages popped up one after another.

"Brother Lin Ran, how's everything going on your end?"

"School's out today, and I'm so bored."

"What are you busy with?"

"Please reply to my message when you see it."

The last message read: "Brother Lin Ran, it's almost Chinese New Year, when are you coming back?"

Lin Ran's lips curled up slightly as he continued scrolling down.

Zhao Yanran sent only one message: "Naughty little brother, your sister has a peculiar treasure. I don't know if it's what you need. Come find me when you get back."

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow and immediately replied, "Come to Villa No. 1."

Zhao Yanran replied instantly: "You're finally back! I'm at Villa Number One, come over quickly! I'm waiting for you!"

A moment later, Lin Ran appeared in the courtyard of Villa No. 1 of Platinum Mansion.

The living room door was open, and the lighting was soft.

He stepped inside, and Zhao Yanran was sitting sideways on the sofa, wearing a black lace nightgown, holding a glass of red wine in her hand, which she was gently swirling.

Seeing him enter, she smiled slightly: "Was I the first person you saw after returning this time?"

Lin Ran walked to the sofa, picked up another empty glass, and poured himself a glass of wine: "It seems you've seen through me."

"I'm not your childhood sweetheart." Zhao Yanran raised an eyebrow.

"Are you about to break through to the extraordinary realm?" Lin Ran glanced at her, then changed the subject: "It seems you haven't been slacking off lately."

"Of course." Zhao Yanran slightly raised her chin: "Your cultivation speed is so fast, I have to work hard to catch up."

"Actually, you don't need to work so hard." Lin Ran took a sip of his drink. "Because no matter how hard you try, you can't catch up with me."

"You're so mean!" Zhao Yanran glared at him reproachfully.

"I can be even worse."

Lin Ran put down his wine glass and pulled Zhao Yanran into his arms.

Zhao Yanran leaned against his chest and drew circles on his chest with her fingertips.

The living room lights were dimmed a bit, and the moonlight from outside the window shone through the sheer curtains, casting a silvery-white layer on the carpet.

Two hours later.

Zhao Yanran lay in Lin Ran's arms, her hair disheveled and her face flushed: "Have you gotten stronger again?"

"You can tell that?" Lin Ran looked down at her.

"This feels different!" Zhao Yanran suddenly widened her eyes. "Wait a minute! Could it be that you've already broken through to the Martial Venerable realm?"

"More or less," Lin Ran said casually. "From now on, no one on this entire planet will be able to completely suppress me in terms of military strength."

"Even a Martial Saint isn't acceptable?"

"It's a 50/50 chance," Lin Ran thought for a moment. "Even if I can't win, I'll still be in an invincible position."

Not to mention his various escape techniques and enhanced immobilization techniques, his Mountain Moving Technique alone is enough to bring his power to the level of a Martial Saint.

With the right combination of various spells, even a slightly weaker martial saint might not be able to gain the upper hand against him.

While those in the Golden Core stage still need to consider how to keep a low profile, those in the Nascent Soul stage have already reached the pinnacle of Blue Star.

"My man is amazing!" Zhao Yanran's eyes gleamed with admiration.

"Alright." Lin Ran pinched her cheek. "Your man has fulfilled his duty. Now, can you show me the treasure you received?"

"Hehehe..." Zhao Yanran sat up from his lap, smiling brightly, "These are the ones I carefully selected over several months!"

She raised her hand and waved it, opening the storage bag beside her, from which a streak of light flew out.

A copper bell hovered in mid-air.

The copper bell was about the size of a fist, dark yellow in color, and covered with a layer of mottled verdigris, like an old object just dug out of the ground.

The bell is cast with dense patterns that spread from the mouth of the bell to the top, interwoven like a spider web.

Upon closer inspection, the patterns are not chaotic, but rather subtly form countless distorted faces.

The faces were crowded together, some roaring with their mouths open, some sleeping with their eyes closed, and some only showing half of their faces, as if countless souls were sealed inside the bell.

The clasp is a dark red bead, suspended inside the bell, motionless, yet emanating a faint, chilling aura.

The entire bronze bell looks old and simple, and at first glance it looks like an ordinary object, without any spiritual energy fluctuations.

But if you stare at those patterns for more than three breaths, you will faintly hear a very subtle bell sound coming from inside the copper bell.

The sound was elusive, sometimes there, sometimes not, sending chills down one's spine.

"This thing clearly has fluctuations of spiritual energy, but there's no way to control it." Zhao Yanran subconsciously rubbed the goosebumps on her arm. "It's different from the magical treasures you had me auction off before."

The moment the bronze bell appeared, the Xuanhuang Cauldron immediately sensed it.

Lin Ran reached out and took the copper bell in his hand. The moment his fingertips touched the bell, a chilling coldness shot through his veins.

He carefully examined the patterns on the bell; the distorted faces moved slightly between his fingers, as if scrutinizing him.

"This is exactly what I want!" A glint flashed in Lin Ran's eyes.

"That's good." Zhao Yanran breathed a sigh of relief: "Your investment wasn't wasted after all."

"I'll refine it first and see what it is."

After Lin Ran finished speaking, he raised his hand and made a hand seal. A golden light covered the bronze bell and put it into the Xuanhuang Cauldron.

As the cultivation technique was activated, the copper bell slowly rotated within the Xuanhuang Cauldron.

Golden flames engulfed the entire bronze bell within the cauldron, and layers of verdigris peeled off its surface.

With each layer peeled away, the patterns on the bell became clearer, and the outlines of those distorted faces went from blurry to sharp.

The dark yellow copper gradually faded, revealing the deep purple copper base underneath.

When the last piece of verdigris peeled off, the entire bronze bell shone with a dark purple luster.

A chilling, ancient aura poured out from the bronze bell, momentarily dimming the golden light of the Xuanhuang Cauldron.

All the thousands of faces on Ling's body opened their eyes.

Countless tiny eyes simultaneously looked at Lin Ran's soul, their gazes filled with greed, longing, pleading, and fear.

The dark red bell tongue trembled slightly, emitting a very soft ringing sound.

Ding!

The bell wasn't loud, but it pierced through Lin Ran's consciousness, causing his soul to tremble slightly.

The voice of the Lord of Xuan Chen rang out in time: "The Soul-Capturing Bell? It is indeed one of the more powerful magic treasures."

"Most likely." Lin Ran steadied himself and sank the Soul-Capturing Bell back into the Xuanhuang Cauldron. "However, I'll only know for sure after I've truly refined it and used it."

"You originally had the Xuanhuang Cauldron guarding your soul, so no one could affect you through soul attacks."

The Lord of Xuan Chen spoke with a touch of emotion: "Now that we've also obtained the Soul-Capturing Bell, with one for offense and one for defense, we have almost no weaknesses in terms of the soul."

"Keep a low profile, keep a low profile."