At Lin Tanyu Venerable Mansion, those who had passed had already been arranged to live in a separate courtyard, waiting for the Star Sky Alliance to send people to escort them away. This was only the first batch; in the following months, there would be an endless stream of testers arriving at the Venerable Mansion in batches.

As for the subsequent tests, Lin Mo had already handed them over to Jiang Rushi to arrange; he was happy to relax.

Besides the palace where the Venerable handled official affairs and received guests and friends, the Venerable Mansion also had a quiet side courtyard, which was the Venerable’s rest residence, built behind the palace.

"Alright, all of you go down." Lin Mo waved his hand and dismissed several servants.

There was a wooden table set in the courtyard, covered with delicacies of every kind, exuding a rich fragrance, along with fine wine, all brewed by Jiang Rushi’s relatives, the sort that others usually had no chance to drink.

"Rain King, Luo Yu’er, drink." Lin Mo raised his cup.

The Rain King and Luo Yu’er also raised their cups and toasted him across the air.

But faced with the dishes Lin had ordered, the Rain King had no mood to eat. He looked at Lin Mo and said, "Mr. Lin, are you really the new Venerable?"

"Would there be a fake?" Lin Mo set down his cup, lifted his head, looked at the former, and smiled. The Rain King scratched his head, smiling a bit foolishly. "It’s just that I still find it hard to believe. My brother actually became one of the Twelve Venerables and is now Lin Tanyu Venerable. We all came to the Trial together, and now you’ve even taken the seat of Venerable. That

really leaves the others no face to show."

"It’s just fate." Lin Mo said with a faint smile.

Indeed, it could only be explained with the word "fate": he had unintentionally entered the Inheritance Hall and met those two Realm King brothers.

Then he had offended Yin Shang and been captured here by True Yang Venerable.

Of course, Lin Mo wasn’t stupid. Those two Realm King brothers wanting to become sworn brothers with him was most likely because of the "Heavenly Thunder Bamboo Sword." Otherwise, why would they lower themselves to swear brotherhood and show goodwill to a nobody like him whose strength hadn’t even reached World Level?

He didn’t mean to say "those two Realm Kings are snobs." Circles are a mysterious thing. If you want others to look up to you, you yourself must have the capability. For example, Lin Mo would never go looking for some mountain farmer to swear brotherhood with; not because he looked down on people, but because they simply weren’t from the same circle—just like how a child from an ordinary family could hardly become friends with the children of tycoons, unless

he had extraordinary skills and qualifications. Otherwise, when you become friends, it’s only you who goes begging others; they will never need to come begging to you. Your thoughts, horizon, and what you see are all different.

Those two Realm Kings were willing to befriend him because they probably felt that in the future he could stand on the same peak as them, or even somewhere higher.

This world has never lacked people who add flowers to brocade, but how many will send charcoal in the snow?

The two Realm Kings had sent charcoal in the snow; this kindness, Lin Mo naturally would never forget.

"But doing this, will it bring trouble to you?" The Rain King was somewhat worried; this was what he truly feared.

Lin Mo had used his authority to openly admit to favoritism and fraud, letting himself and Luo Yu’er pass the test. Would the Star Sky Alliance really sit back and ignore that? "Both Realm Kings of the Dark Demon Sea are on pretty good terms with me. They won’t pursue responsibility for such a small matter. Besides, every Venerable secretly engages in under‑the‑table dealings with some Sects they have good private ties with. As long as it’s not excessive, the Star Sky Alliance simply turns a blind eye." Lin Bu

Fan said mildly.

Right now, Shao Wenfeng’s face was probably very ugly!

"Then that’s good. I was just afraid the matter of me and Yu’er would cause trouble for you." The Rain King finally relaxed.

"It’s fine, you two just set your minds at ease." Lin Mo smiled. "Come, drink, let’s drink to our hearts’ content."

The journey in the Dark Demon Sea was drawing to a close, and Lin Mo already had his plans. Next, he would go report to the Star Sky Alliance, and secondly, he would think of ways to gather information on Xia Mengdie.

After eating and drinking their fill, Lin Mo had Jiang Rushi prepare rooms for the two of them, and he himself also returned to his room and closed the door.

On the bed sat a young man in black robes, cross‑legged. He looked exactly the same as Lin Mo, and his eyes opened as well. The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Guya’s Turtle Shell."

The young man sitting cross‑legged on the bed took out a Turtle Shell, stained with traces of age, about a circle larger than a palm. This Turtle Shell was the Treasure Lin Mo had obtained when he was twirling his staff in the valley and blasted apart that suddenly shooting black Stele.

It was just that, at the time, he had run into the pursuit from Yanhuang Palace and Water God Sect, so he hadn’t had the time to study it carefully.

Now that he was free, Lin Mo wanted to properly study this Turtle Shell. "A Spiritual Imprint?" Lin Mo played with the Turtle Shell in his hand. His spiritual power turned into a needle, wanting to penetrate the inside of the Turtle Shell, but as soon as it touched, it encountered the obstruction of a Spiritual Imprint. However, this Spiritual Imprint wasn’t strong, and after the endless years, it had already been

greatly weakened.

Lin Mo easily wiped out that Spiritual Imprint that served as a Sealing, and soon, segment after segment of information poured into his mind like a tide. "I, Guya, am hailed as the once‑in‑an‑Era peerless genius of the Star Sky Alliance, a Direct Disciple of Emperor Banqing. It is only through Master’s favor that I have my current achievements. By chance, I encountered the World King Ancient Tomb and reaped great gains. I leave one item here for whoever has the fate to obtain it. Be cautious,

extremely cautious."

A hazy figure appeared within Lin Mo’s Divine Sea, but he was blurred, his appearance completely indistinguishable.

After he finished speaking, his figure dissipated.

Guya?

That peerless genius?

How long an Era is depends on the Time reference system. In this universe, one Era corresponds to ten million years.

The Sect Master of Mystic Realm Sect had once praised Lin Mo as a genius of a million years, whereas this Guya clearly had Talent and fortune that far surpassed Lin Mo’s. Unfortunately, Heaven is jealous of genius—before he could grow into a true powerhouse, he was assassinated by Assassins dispatched by the Demon Clan.

At that time, Guya’s Realm was only at Star Domain Level Peak; he had yet to truly step into World Level.

The Demon Clan sent five Realm Kings, and only by paying the price of losing three Realm Kings did they completely kill him. A genius like that, had he truly grown up, would have possessed the bearing of a Great Emperor.

"A peerless genius who overshadowed all peers of the Human Clan for an entire Era? What a pity, what a pity." Lin Mo couldn’t help but sigh with regret.

A tall tree invites the wind; Guya’s edge was too sharp, how could the Demon Clan allow him to truly grow up?

Besides this passage, the Turtle Shell also recorded a Body Refinement Secret Manual. "Demon Body Refining Method?" Lin Mo’s eyes widened. He had heard the two Lord World Kings mention it before: the reason the Demon Clan had sacrificed three Realm Kings to kill Guya was because Guya had cultivated a powerful Body Refining Method. His body had turned into an Ultimate Weapon, indestructible.

"Could this be the Magic Method Guya used to cultivate such a powerful fleshly body?"

Even Lin Mo’s hands trembled a bit; he had actually obtained such a precious Cultivation Technique. The entire Demon Body Refining Method had detailed cultivation methods, but at the end there was one more sentence, written by Guya himself.

"Cultivating the Demon Body easily disturbs the Heart Realm and can even cause Demon Transformation—be cautious, and then be even more cautious." "Once the Demon Body is completed, one becomes Immortal, comparable to the strongest humanoid Weapons?" Lin Mo furrowed his sword eyebrows. "But Guya said cultivating this Body Refining Method will affect the Heart Realm and lead to Demon Transformation? After Demon Transformation, one becomes a killing machine with no emotions. How is that any different from a Corpse Master?"