The lacquered box seemed utterly unremarkable, common as a pebble, devoid of gleam or shimmering aura. Yet, this very ordinariness was its most remarkable trait, for it thwarted any attempt at divine sense intrusion, a feat most uncommon indeed!

Upon the box rested a brittle parchment, aged and yellowed, like a seal emanating an ancient aura. It seemed to have lingered for eons, untouched by any hand.

Wang Lin gazed upon the box, his eyes veiled in contemplation. A moment later, his gaze sharpened, and with a swift motion, he reached out and tore away the ancient seal that had guarded the box for countless years.

The instant the parchment yielded, Wang Lin felt a surge of peculiar energy escape the seal and burrow into his being. It raced through him, as if judging the worthiness of the one who dared open the box, before shrinking back into its source.

The discarded seal, as if having traversed vast epochs in that single moment of release, crumbled into dust within Wang Lin’s grasp, vanishing before his eyes. The lacquered box, however, remained still and silent, floating serenely in the air.

A flicker of unease crossed Wang Lin’s face. He had sensed a subtle ripple emanating from within the box as the seal was broken, a pulse so faint it could easily be missed.

With a cautious hand, he swept the box open. Within lay a fist-sized stone, black and irregular. It appeared no different from any ordinary rock, save for the countless tiny pores that riddled its surface, each emitting a faint, otherworldly vibration that now filled the chamber.

Wang Lin frowned. He did not recognize the object. He cautiously extended his divine sense towards the stone, but the moment it approached, the countless pores greedily sucked it inward.

Without flinching, Wang Lin allowed the stone to draw in his consciousness. Slowly, he peered into the stone’s interior, and his expression underwent a drastic change.

“This is…” Within the humble stone, he saw a vastness, a myriad of spaces contained within its depths, as if each tiny pore was a gateway to a separate realm.

“This is a Space Stone… a humble gift prepared for you. Newly arrived in the Immortal Astral Continent, you will find your storage space is affected by the differences between worlds. At the cost of collapsing one of its internal spaces, this stone will allow you to retrieve a single item from your storage unscathed. But heed this warning, for the stone only grants a single use. Should you attempt more, the delicate balance of its realms shall shatter.” An aged voice echoed from within one of the stone’s internal spaces.

“That is but one of this stone’s gifts. The other… is to nourish Heaven’s Dao. I know you possess an incomplete fragment of the Great Dao. By nurturing it within this stone, it will slowly attain its full potential.”

“This is my first offering. May it find favor in your eyes.” The aged voice faded, leaving no trace even as Wang Lin searched every nook and cranny within the Space Stone.

Wang Lin’s gaze sharpened, his senses returning to his body. He stared at the stone in his hand, deep in contemplation.

Rather than rashly act, he set the stone aside and turned his attention to the second lacquered box. Its seal remained unbroken. With a wave of Wang Lin’s hand, it peeled away, turning to dust as the box clicked open.

Inside lay a single item: a jade slip shrouded in mist. Indeed, the slip seemed to be composed of mist itself, swirling and shifting in a spectral dance before Wang Lin’s eyes.

Frowning, Wang Lin reached out and grasped the misty jade slip. The moment his fingers touched it, the aged voice echoed in his mind.

“This is my second gift… a jade slip crafted from the essence of my life’s work in Soul Derivation. It will grant you a single instance of Immortal Astral Transformation, allowing you to divine a single fate.”

“But only once…”

The voice vanished, leaving Wang Lin in silent contemplation. He gazed at the jade slip, seeing within it a multitude of interwoven destinies. He knew that with a single thought, he could choose a soul and peer into its past and future, a power of immense value.

While the first gift was useful, allowing him to bypass the constraints of his storage on this new world and even to nurture the Dao, he could live without it.

But the second gift was of a far different caliber, exceeding the first tenfold in importance. If the voice spoke true, then this jade slip could unveil the past, present, or future of any being, a boon that could prove invaluable.

In a crucial moment, this very jade slip could save his life!

Wang Lin’s heart stirred. After a long while, he glanced at the third lacquered box.

“The first was valuable, the second far more so… what wonders does the third hold?” Setting aside the jade slip, he reached out and grasped the third box.

Its seal crumbled, and even the box itself seemed to rot away in his hand, turning into a pile of dust, revealing a single, exquisite water droplet, no larger than a fingernail.

Within the droplet, mist swirled, creating an enthralling display of light that threatened to seize the senses, drawing the gaze into a mesmerizing world.

A potent aura of Water Origin pulsed from the droplet, engulfing the cave and spreading out across the burning mountain. The flames licked at the peaks faltered, threatened by the water origin.

At the sight of the water droplet, Wang Lin’s expression changed instantly. His pupils contracted, his eyes locked onto the droplet, and a storm of emotion roiled within him.

This third item held the greatest significance to Wang Lin, far exceeding the others. It was what he sought most desperately. His Water Origin had attained only minor completion on the Five Planet, never advancing to the grand completion that he needed to reach.

Even the power of the Fire Origin True Body could not raise Wang Lin’s cultivation. He was simply stuck in the latter stage of Spiritual Void.

“I already possess seven Origins. If this Water Origin were to be completed, I would instantly reach eight Origins and the great circle of Spiritual Void. Obtain but a single Origin more, and I would possess nine great powers, enough to break the shackles of Spiritual Void and become a Void Profound cultivator!”

“And at that time, even if I were still at the Spiritual Void, by virtue of these powers I could face a Void Tribulation in battle, unlike now where I need a massive advantage to barely face one in battle. Later, in the heights of Void Profound, even the nine Void Tribulations will become easy! I can take them all in a single go and become a Void Tribulation cultivator!”

Wang Lin knew that his path of cultivation differed vastly from others. He had no faith power. Instead, he relied on his own understanding and the natural world to seize what he needed. With this style, even when nine types of power were at play, he was different.

It could be said that everything in Wang Lin’s path of cultivation hinged on the powers!

But Origin seemed so easy, yet gaining and reaching their heights were difficult. He had to hold in a deep breath after seeing that water drop.

This was not the first time Wang Lin held this item, but the second. The first time, the mysterious Sky Fortune gave him the same drop and the same thing was done to help Wang Lin reach the minor accomplishment of water.

But the water drop in his hands far exceeded Sky Fortune’s gift. The two could not be compared. They were no more alike than the full moon and a firefly!

“This drop of the Essence of Water is my third gift, refined from the power of ninety-nine rivers and nurtured within countless Water Origin cultivators. I do not know if it will be enough to fully complete your Water Origin, but it will take you most of the way there.”

“Three gifts I give. May you be pleased and protect my Great Soul Sect. Please allow my descendants to return to Central Continent!”

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed. After the words of the senior dissipated within his heart, he tightly held the water drop. It was far too important to him!

Holding the drop, Wang Lin’s consciousness erupted and delved deep within, searching for any sign of treachery. Satisfied, he looked up at the cavern ceiling as if trying to pierce the skies.

“If Wang Lin has the ability to help the Great Soul Sect, then he shall!” When Wang Lin’s words fell, a thunderous explosion echoed in the sky outside the Great Soul Sect, shaking the earth.

Countless cultivators were awakened, especially Green Bull Old Ancestor, who shot up in shock.

“An old founder…”

As thunder echoed, Wang Lin was alone in the cave, where he raised his left hand and began a hand seal. Suddenly, pressure rolled from his body.

“True Origins, protect me!” Wang Lin shouted, and the peaks outside coalesced into the shape of a figure sitting in lotus pose.

Fan Shanmeng glanced at the scene and wondered what Wang Lin was planning to do.

Wang Lin did not ignore Fan Shanmeng. By taking her in, he also had measures to control her. As he closed off the world, he grabbed the Space Stone.