Huang Shi Sanren discussed his conclusion with Zuo Men and both of them agreed with the theory. Lin Jin’s jaw dropped upon hearing their discussion. He quickly realized that it was a blessing in disguise since he was spared the need to explain himself.
After all, even Lin Jin couldn’t be sure himself. Back then, he only wanted to counter the black silhouette so he tried using Clear Wind’s Sword Intent. Who knew it would work?
Spells and witchcraft of this kind were uncharted territories for Lin Jin, so he decided it was best to abstain from joining the discussion. If he made a mistake, he would only be exposing himself to ridicule.
In Huang Shi Sanren and Zuo Men’s opinion, Lin Jin was able to overcome this ordeal thanks to his luck.
Of course, they knew Lin Jin’s secret psyche protection method was to thank too. Since it was a secret art, they wouldn’t ask about it. Among cultivators, even blood relatives and close friends knew not to ask the other person for their spell secrets. This was an unspoken rule that they shared.
Huang Shi Sanren went on to talk about his grudge with Divine Palm Qiu Bin. According to his story, both immortals used to be old acquaintances. However, their hatred was formed during a treasure hunt, in which Qiu Bin plotted against Huang Shi Sanren.
Huang Shi Sanren didn’t want to bring up the past any more than necessary. He only told Lin Jin that Qiu Bin was an extremist who would seek revenge for even the pettiest things, so Lin Jin should be mindful of him.
“The time is up. Let’s hurry into the valley. The spirit pond might have been activated already,” said Huang Shi Sanren. Subsequently, the trio entered the valley together.
After walking through the thick forest, they reached a spacious opening.
The unique flora here was so overflowing with spirit energy that specks of glowing particles floated through the air. It was almost as if they had walked into some bizarre wonderland.
Lin Jin did not keep his attention on the scenery for too long, as he was distracted by a large piece of white jade up ahead.
The piece of jade was at least a thousand-foot long. Its curved shape very much resembled a piece that was chipped off a porcelain bowl. Half of the jade was buried underground. If one didn’t look too closely, they would mistake it to be a white jade hill.
The area around the jade piece varied in depth. A veil of water-energy covered the piece, adding to its mysterious appearance.
Many human silhouettes could be seen dotting the landscape. All of them stood in groups, and according to Huang Shi Sanren, these were immortals who came here with the same intention. They wanted to obtain the benefit that would accompany the activation of the spirit pond.
There were loose immortals as well as disciples of orthodox sects.
Lin Jin glanced around and counted roughly sixty immortals, some of whom were monsters who exuded potent monster energy.
Still, Lin Jin thought they were merely immortal beasts who could take on human forms.
Then, Lin Jin noticed someone in the distance. It was Divine Palm Qiu Bin, but Evil Eye Witch and the savage immortal weren’t with him.
Qiu Bin met Lin Jin’s gaze and then he quickly looked away.
Looks like their brief confrontation had spooked Qiu Bin.
Still, he wanted to enjoy the spirit pond’s benefits so he didn’t leave.
Huang Shi Sanren noticed Qiu Bin too, but he merely shot the man a glare and ignored him. Now, they were all just waiting for spirit water to gather in the spirit pond, so before that happened, no one would try to cause trouble. If they did, they would become the common enemy for everyone there.
“We’re lucky. The spirit pond’s spirit water hasn’t gathered yet,” Huang Shi Sanren said.
As they waited, Lin Jin came to learn that a pond would appear when the spirit water gathers. To put it more bluntly, that pit was only for display.
“A spirit pond is a gathering of spirit water, and spirit water is gathered through immortal spells, so they’ll be suspended mid-air. Once the spirit water gathers, the people around here will compete in seizing the spirit water for their use,” explained Huang Shi Sanren, thus giving Lin Jin a clearer picture.
A spirit pond meant a floating pool of water!
Lin Jin was new to the extraterritorial zone, so he wasn’t very familiar with this place. If he hadn’t met Zuo Men and Huang Shi Sanren, he might still be circling the forest or battling random wild beasts.
Now, he had the opportunity to participate in a ‘gathering’ of immortals. This was a huge step for Lin Jin in his journey of cultivation. Still, he refrained from asking how they would collect the spirit water later, in case Huang Shi Sanren and Zuo Men were as clueless as him.
More and more water-energy gathered around the base of the white jade piece, but most gathered in the center. Upon closer observation, one could even see water-energy in the shape of tiny fishes swimming around the jade piece.
How mysterious.
Lin Jin grew increasingly anxious, but so did Huang Shi Sanren and Zuo Men.
Only Dopey Bear remained indifferent to the situation. It sat on one side, glancing around curiously. There were other immortal beasts here too, but none were able to match its size.
Dopey Bear was by far the biggest creature here.
Just then, the water-energy around the jade piece grew so dense that it almost condensed into a liquid.
Suddenly, an immortal in long robes floated up and saluted everyone. “Fellow immortals and Taoists, I am Du Lifeng of the Immortal Healing Sect. The reactivation of the Immortal Empress Spirit Pond is a rare event for us immortals. When the spirit pond emerges later, I would like everyone to compete in retrieving the spirit water with their capabilities. Do not use this as an excuse to attack one another, nor can you bully the weak and steal their harvest. What we’re enjoying now, is peace after the great immortal tragedy. If a fight breaks out, we risk losing our final safe haven.”
Immortal Du’s voice resonated throughout the area, as it was enhanced by a spell. The way he spoke made him sound as if he was preaching to them.
Most of the ones present were loose immortals; these individuals were not bound to any group. That being the case, they should have ignored his advice.
Interestingly enough, no one raised any objections to his warning.
Huang Shi Sanren noticed Lin Jin’s confusion so he whispered, “Immortal Du is the renowned sect leader of the Immortal Healing Sect, a highly-respected man. Although he’s only a half-immortal, a cultured person is still better than a commoner. The Immortal Healing Sect is most adept in treating immortals and who could guarantee they would never fall sick? Accidents happen frequently during cultivation, and all of us will have to rely on his sect at one point. That’s why even we, loose immortals, have to show Immortal Du some respect.”
Lin Jin finally understood.
Just then, an immortal floated out of the crowd to say, “What Immortal Du has said makes sense. Our Five Element Sect completely agrees with him. Everyone should rely on their strength in retrieving the spirit water. Whoever resorts to looting will paint themselves as a common enemy to all of us.”
It was at this point that Lin Jin realized, they were laying down ground rules.
After all, the pie wasn’t big enough for everyone. If people started attacking one another, it wouldn’t take long for this place to turn into a chaotic battlefield. By then, even the spirit pond might be destroyed and no one wanted that.
With a heavyweight laying down the rules, so long as the majority assented to it, the minority would never dare to defy them.
“Our Immortal Cloud Sect agrees,” announced a female immortal.
“The Mystery Dao Sect has no objections either!” said a middle-aged man in green robes.
Upon hearing the names of these two sects, Lin Jin studied these individuals. After all, two of his guests from the Visitation Hall hailed from these sects.
