I’ll Take That Opportunity Chapter 12 - Acquiring A Talisman

As Ye Lin stepped into the bustling city, the air buzzed with the calls of vendors hawking their wares. His eyes scanned darted around, searching for a particular stall. According to the panel, the elder would arrive tomorrow, making this the ideal time—though he wasn’t entirely sure he’d find what he sought.

Suddenly, his eyes brightened.

A vendor in a gray robe furtively surveyed the surroundings before pulling out bottles and jars and setting up a small stall.

Ye Lin approached.

"Young Brother, here to browse treasures? Take your pick! These are all relics salvaged from ancient relic sites—artifacts left behind by Immortal cultivators!"

Ye Lin ignored the vendor’s exaggerated claims.

Ancient relic sites were once cultivation dwellings of powerful cultivators, riddled with deadly traps.

Let alone the vendor before him—a mere mortal—even Gold Core experts wouldn't dare claim they could leave such cultivation dwellings unscathed.

"How much for this?" Ye Lin picked up a small blue box.

The vendor’s eyes flickered, "Ah, this nearly cost me my life! Inside lies an Immortal pill, a gateway to the world of Immortals!"

Ye Lin scoffed, "If it's an Immortal pill, then why not take it yourself?"

Caught, the vendor hesitated, visibly embarrassed.

The truth was, none of these items could be opened, or else they would lose their value. It was akin to opening a mystery box.

In reality, he knew exactly where they came from. Forget an Immortal pill—he’d be lucky if it wasn’t poison.

Otherwise, why would he be out here trying to sell it?

"Boss, name a price." Ye Lin said, his tone indifferent, "This box looks nice—I’ll use it as decoration."

"Since you really want it, Young Brother, I'll sell it to you for five low-grade Spirit Stones."

Ye Lin stared at the vendor as if he were an idiot. Five low-grade Spirit Stones? Was he serious?

"I'm in a hurry. One low-grade Spirit Stone."

Without waiting for a response, Ye Lin tossed a Spirit Stone onto the stall, grabbed the box, and walked away.

Opening the box, he found a yellow talisman inside, inscribed with glowing, mysterious runes. He smirked and slipped it into his chest pocket.

As he strolled through the city, translucent panels flickered before his eyes, providing insights into the surroundings.

The streets swarmed with rogue cultivators—mostly at the 1st or 2nd layer Qi Refinement stage, though a few possessed surprising luck.

Ye Lin was hoping to find something useful.

"Damn, what a windfall! This guy is filthy rich!" The vendor gawked at the Spirit Stone in his palm, grinning from ear to ear.

He had expected to haggle, thinking a single silver tael [1] would be a massive win. Instead, he ended up with a Spirit Stone—far more valuable than mere silver.

However, he remained oblivious to the true worth of what he had just sold: a talisman capable of unleashing a 9th layer Qi Refinement stage full-force attack.

After scouring the city and finding nothing particularly noteworthy, Ye Lin felt a tinge of disappointment and decided to return to the sect.

Back in his quarters, he wasted no time. Though the talisman offered some reassurance, it was, in the end, merely an external object. True strength had to come from within.

"I’ll cultivate for three days. After that, I’ll seize the status of an outer disciple. By then, when Zhang Xiao emerges from seclusion, even if I can't defeat him, he won’t dare to kill me openly."

There were two ways to become an outer disciple: defeat an existing one or pass the outer sect assessment.

The first option was too risky. The deaths of Zhao Hu and the others were still under investigation, and making a move now would only draw unwanted attention.

That left him with only the second option—the outer sect assessment. Passing it would not only secure his position as an outer disciple but also reward him with three Spirit Refinement Pills.

The requirement was simple: reaching the 4th layer of Qi Refinement.

A 4th layer Qi Refinement cultivator shouldn’t be capable of killing three 5th layer cultivators—making it the perfect cover to avoid suspicion.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

During this time, Ye Lin cultivated the first level of the Life-Death Three Sword to the consummate stage. Even 6th layer experts wouldn’t dare face the technique head-on.

"Time to take the outer sect assessment."

He rose and made his way to the Outer Sect Office.

Upon arrival, he found two young disciples sleeping at the entrance. They were in charge of handling matters of the office.

"Senior Disciple Brothers, I’m here for the outer sect assessment." Ye Lin said, cupping his hands.

One of them cracked open an eye, and then said mockingly, "The handyman overseer? Shouldn’t you stick to your duties instead of wasting time here?"

"I have long admired the outer disciples and wish to give it a try." Ye Lin replied, keeping his head lowered, his tone calm and respectful.

The disciple yawned before lazily extending a hand, "Alright. Three low-grade Spirit Stones, and we’ll set things up for you."

Ye Lin slowly raised his head.

"I wasn’t aware that taking the outer sect assessment required three low-grade Spirit Stones."

At Ye Lin’s response, the disciple’s expression darkened, his tone growing impatient, "It’s a new rule. Otherwise, every Tom, Dick, and Harry could show up to take the assessment, making things messy. Do you have the Spirit Stones or not? If not, get lost. Stop wasting our time."

At that moment, Ye Lin's eyes focused. A translucent panel appeared before him.

[Name: Wu Shuang]

[Cultivation base: 6th layer Qi Refinement]

[Fate grade: white (ordinary)]

[Fate trait: minor luck]

[Fate prediction: in half a year, during a devil subjugation, a deviant devil will drain all your lifeblood, and you will die.]

[Upcoming opportunity: sensing an imminent breakthrough to the 7th layer Qi Refinement stage, you will seek a life-and-death trial in the Dark Gold Demon Beast Cavern two days from now. There, you will slay three 5th layer Qi Refinement demon beasts, and then discover a low-grade mystic-tier spirit fruit—Bloodsoul Fruit. Refining it will greatly enhance your spiritual soul.]

[Minor luck: you will occasionally stumble upon opportunities during outings.]

Ye Lin’s heart skipped a beat as he read Wu Shuang’s fate prediction. A treasure capable of strengthening the spiritual soul—such an item was rare and invaluable.

The spiritual soul was the foundation of an individual. A stronger spiritual soul meant heightened perception, faster comprehension, and even resistance against spiritual attacks.

A powerful enough spiritual soul could directly nullify spiritual attacks of deviant cultivators—a terrifying advantage.

"What are you standing there for?" Wu Shuang snapped, breaking Ye Lin’s thoughts, "If you don’t have the Spirit Stones, then get lost. Stop wasting our time."

Seeing that Ye Lin didn’t leave, Wu Shuang’s patience wore thin. A mere handyman overseer—where would he even get Spirit Stones?

Before he could snap again, Ye Lin casually pulled out three low-grade Spirit Stones and handed them over, "Here are three low-grade Spirit Stones."

Wu Shuang’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he swiftly pocketed them, "Not bad. Follow me."

Ye Lin trailed behind Wu Shuang to an open training ground, where three towering puppets, each two meters tall, stood motionless.

"The minimum requirement for becoming an outer disciple is reaching the 4th layer Qi Refinement." Wu Shuang briefly scanned Ye Lin before nodding, "You’ve met the first condition."

He then gestured toward the puppets, "The second test is combat. You must defeat these three puppets, each at the 4th layer Qi Refinement stage."

Wu Shuang pressed a button on a nearby pillar.

With a dull clang, the three puppets came to life, their eyes glowing as they stepped forward.

"Alright, the assessment begins now."

[1] - tael