Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Ancient Lin Token

“At last, I’ve arrived. As expected of the Ancient Lin Basin,” Lu Han said, gazing at the sunken stretch of land before him.

The Ancient Lin Basin spanned dozens of li in every direction. No one knew how it had come into being, yet now most of the Innate Realm experts, along with the strong clans and sects of the first and second rank, had established their bases here.

The Ancient Lin Basin was also said to be the only place on the Chaotic Soul Plain where there was no fighting. Even if you possessed no cultivation whatsoever, once you entered the basin, you would be safe from harm. Of course, that was provided you had the luck to reach it alive.

Here, if anyone made a move, no matter who they were, they would be hunted by everyone in the Ancient Lin Basin. Up to now, no one had dared fight within it.

That said, very few people below the Innate Realm ever came from the outer regions of the Chaotic Soul Plain to the Ancient Lin Basin. No one could predict what demonic beasts they might encounter on the way. Once one stepped into the Innate Realm, the journey became far safer.

Lu Han had met no small number of demonic beasts along the road. Once, he had even run into an Innate Realm Bronze-Shadow Bull.

A Bronze-Shadow Bull, upon reaching adulthood, was comparable to a human cultivator at the first level of the Innate Realm. It possessed monstrous strength and an intense sense of territory; setting foot on its ground was tantamount to provoking it. Its only flaw was its sluggish speed. Lu Han considered his physical strength and bodily toughness already close to that of a first-level Innate cultivator, yet against the Bronze-Shadow Bull he had no confidence at all. So he had packed up his tent and fled at once, leaving the clumsy beast bellowing furiously in place.

It was also worth mentioning that the strange man he had encountered that day—the disheveled figure with loose hair and ragged clothes, suspected to be a King of Earth expert—had appeared several more times. But every time, he would snatch Lu Han’s roasted meat and vanish without a trace. Lu Han had nearly wept from helplessness; each time, all he could do was gnaw silently on dry rations.

Lu Han had asked his master, Old Ling, about him, but Old Ling had only shaken his head. Such grievous damage to the soul was beyond his ability to mend.

Which made sense. If Old Ling had a way to heal that madman’s shattered soul, then his own soul would not have remained so weak and frail.

Lu Han could only swallow the loss in silence. There was nothing he could do.

The entire Ancient Lin Basin sank more than ten meters below the surrounding land, and for dozens of li all around it was the same, forming a natural barrier.

“I hope I can trade for, or at least learn the whereabouts of, the Soul-Seizing Sable here,” Lu Han thought to himself.

As he stepped into the Ancient Lin Basin, a gate over ten meters high appeared before him. Above it hung an enormous plaque, carved with two ancient, unadorned characters: Ancient Lin.

Whoever had inscribed those words must have been a true master of calligraphy, Lu Han thought.

“Hey, before you enter Ancient Lin, show us your Ancient Lin token.”

Just as Lu Han was about to go in, he was stopped by two men at the gate.

“Ancient Lin token? What’s that?” It was the first time Lu Han had heard of such a thing; the map had never mentioned it.

The two guards exchanged a glance, their expressions turning a little strange.

“This wouldn’t be your first time in Ancient Lin, would it? You don’t look familiar.”

“Yes,” Lu Han answered rather innocently.

What did that have to do with entering Ancient Lin for the first time?

“Young brother, to come alone all the way to the Ancient Lin Basin at only the eighth level of the Acquired Realm—this Old Zhang truly admires you,” said the other guard, raising a thumb.

Those who dared come alone to the Ancient Lin Basin were invariably Innate Realm cultivators. On rare occasions, someone at the peak of the Acquired Realm would venture in. In all his years, this was the first time he had seen someone at the eighth level of the Acquired Realm make it here from the outer region—and Lu Han did not even seem to have a scratch on him.

According to Old Zhang, Acquired Realm cultivators who came to the Ancient Lin Basin were not unheard of, but they were always accompanied by Innate Realm experts.

“I say, young brother, this Ancient Lin token is proof of your identity. Only those who hold one are allowed to stay in the basin. One token costs ten thousand gold coins.” Old Zhang held up a finger.

“Ten thousand gold coins?” The price startled Lu Han.

“That’s right. You know how vast the Chaotic Soul Plain is. No one knows exactly how many people are on it now, but the Ancient Lin Basin is only so large, and it’s already overcrowded. The Ancient Lin token was introduced precisely to ease the population pressure here,” Old Zhang explained.

This was not extortion on the part of the two guards; it was simply how things were. If you had the wealth, you could stay in the Ancient Lin Basin. If not, then too bad.

Lu Han merely shrugged. Ten thousand gold coins meant nothing to him.

“Here.” He took out his gold card.

…

After entering the Ancient Lin Basin, Lu Han idly toyed with the token in his hand. It was a palm-sized plaque engraved with the character for “Ancient,” though he had no idea what material it was made from.

“First, I should find somewhere to stay.”

He gradually walked away.

One of the two guards at the gate spoke up.

“Old Zhang, this really isn’t your style. Every time someone in the Acquired Realm comes here, you fleece them a bit. But this brat at the eighth level of the Acquired Realm—not only did you not make a move, you even explained so much to him. That’s not like you at all.”

“What do you know!” the guard called Old Zhang snapped, glaring at him.

Truth be told, serving as a guard here was an excellent post. There were plenty of opportunities for profit, no need to go out hunting demonic beasts, and hardly any danger.

“That kid’s no simple one. He came alone from the outer region. Don’t tell me he never ran into demonic beasts—I wouldn’t believe that if you beat me to death. But look at him: not even a crease on his clothes. I’d wager he’s some gifted disciple from a great clan or sect, out here for training. And if that’s the case, if I so much as entertain the slightest crooked thought, I’m afraid I won’t live to see tomorrow’s sun,” Old Zhang said.

…

The streets were packed to the brim, and tents of every size lined both sides.

Many people were surprised to find that Lu Han’s aura was only at the eighth level of the Acquired Realm, though not enough to make a fuss. Plenty of great clans and sects sent a few disciples to Ancient Lin to broaden their horizons. Unfortunately, they had guessed wrong. Not only did Lu Han have no powerful background, he had come alone from the outer region. If these people learned that truth, their jaws would likely hit the ground.

Lu Han decided to find a place to stay first, then ask around about the Soul-Seizing Sable and familiarize himself with the area.

With the Azurefall Sword on his back, he passed through the streets, noticing that everyone he encountered seemed rather indifferent. Even those who had set up roadside stalls to trade goods simply sat there quietly with their eyes closed, cultivating.

“What a strange place. Shouldn’t people be shouting to sell their wares?”

Puzzled, Lu Han stepped forward to take a look. To be honest, there was little he truly lacked.

“This brother, may I ask how much this Bronze-Shadow Bull horn costs?” Lu Han asked.

Anyone capable of killing a Bronze-Shadow Bull had to be at least at the second level of the Innate Realm.

The man looked to be around thirty, and a frightening scar ran across his face.

“Two thousand gold coins,” the man said flatly, without even opening his eyes.

“Two thousand?”

Though a Bronze-Shadow Bull horn was indeed excellent material for forging, it could only serve as a supplementary ingredient. Outside this place, it would fetch at most a few hundred gold coins.

“If you’re not buying, then leave. Don’t disturb me,” the man said coolly.

Lu Han was speechless.

Was there really such a way of doing business?

He set the horn down, shook his head, and left. It was of no use to him anyway.

Only after walking for quite some time did Lu Han finally find a place to stay.

The attendant appeared to be in the Innate Realm, though his left sleeve hung empty. He was fairly warm at first, leading Lu Han to a small tent.

Then he said somewhat coldly, “Here it is.”

Lu Han did not know whether it was his imagination, but the attendant seemed to harbor some hostility toward him.

That left Lu Han rather baffled. It was clearly their first meeting.

“Big brother, may I ask you something?”

Just as the man was about to leave, Lu Han spoke.

He had no choice. In an unfamiliar place, it was better to ask about the situation here first.