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A moment later, Emmett and Dermot, the two spirits, crouched on the stone steps, looking utterly aggrieved.
Compared to Emmett’s black stone form, Dermot was still wrapped in red runes, looking like a dumpling trussed up with string.
He struggled to wriggle his limbs free from the threads, glaring daggers at Emmett.
Emmett hung his head and turned away, ignoring him.
Meanwhile, the Dreamweaver was still lost in thought about the nature of spirits.
Linda glanced at the three spirits and let out a long sigh. ‘Great, I’ve just picked up three walking disasters,’ she thought.
She calmed herself, blocked out all distractions, and cast five runes to lay down a protective ward. Settling beneath the tree, she started channeling the Mind–Tempering Liturgy.
As she worked the liturgy, ten Gilded Cores floated out from within her, tracing the spell circuits she’d arranged in the air.
At that moment, both the Dreamweaver and Dermot couldn’t help but turn to look.
The Dreamweaver muttered, “Externalizing the Gilded Cores…”
Even though he’d seen it before, he never failed to be blown away by Linda’s talent.
Normally, a cultivator would only have a single Gilded Core. They’d refine it, break through to the Astral Sovereign Form, and then advance through each
Then, they would advance through each stage, including Aether Transcendence, Void Phase, the Fusion phase, the Ordeal–Bound phase, the Peak phase, and finally, Ascension.
If they could survive Ascension, they’d truly become an immortal.
But Linda’s path was on a whole other level,
She had ten Gilded Cores already, and she might end up with even more down the line.
Right now, Linda’s ten Gilded Cores were weaving along the path she’d designed, a route that, as the Dreamweaver could instantly tell, was just her internal spell circuits extended outward into the air.
It was like a living blueprint of her spell circuits, drawn outside her body.
It was as if she’d built a sprawling web of spell circuits around herself, and now she was sending her Gilded Cores to claim every inch of it as her own.
That was why, the moment Dermot entered Linda’s domain, he was instantly under her control.
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Chapter 80
Because in this space, Linda was the sole rule–maker.
There was an even better word for it, Domain.
CID
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As a Gilded Phase cultivator, she’d already unlocked domain powers that should only show up at the Aether Transcendence stage.
She was also putting it to good use.
Dermot muttered to himself, ‘She is absolutely a genius!
This time, he was completely beaten into submission. After all, Claudio had totally trashed his dreamscape, leaving him with nowhere else to go.
At least with Linda, he had a shot at surviving. If he stuck with Claudio, he might as well be dead already.
That guy was even more of a monster.
The Dreamweaver muttered under his breath, “Just give her time to grow. Who knows how far she’ll go.”
Not even he could guess what Linda’s next move would be.
All he could tell was that this girl was bound to turn the cultivation world upside down, whether it’d be a miracle or a disaster, nobody could say.
Out of the ten Gilded Cores, five were cracked.
Linda gathered those five in front of her, zeroing in first on the Fire Core. She summoned a fourth–tier Fire Mystique Crystal, letting it float in midair.
With nine Gilded Cores orbiting around her, she channeled her mana, coaxing the crystal’s power out little by little.
The Fire Core and the crystal wrapped around each other, their energies weaving together.
As her mana surged, refined fire essence began to patch up the cracks in the Gilded Core.
It was a long, boring grind.
It took Linda a month and a half to crack the first one, but once she’d figured out the trick, she breezed through the second Water Core way faster.
She wrapped it up in just twenty days.
Once those two Gilded Cores were patched up, the five elemental wisps of mana inside Linda surged forward, each making a breakthrough.
Her Water and Fire Affinities both hit the thirteenth tier of the Mana–Stoking Phase.
Her Wood Affinity climbed to the sixth tier of the Mana–Stoking Phase.
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Chapter 80
Her Metal and Earth Affinities were now sitting at the fifth tier.
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Linda clenched her fist, thinking, ‘No wonder it’s a fourth–tier witch–weed. Its potent spiritual resonance patched up two Gilded Cores.
“The leftover energy even gave me a breakthrough. I’m so close to reaching the Foundation Establishment.’
But after checking on the remaining three elemental wisps, Linda decided to hold off for now.
To keep her five elements in perfect balance, it was best to level up all five at once when advancing. So Linda wasn’t rushing things.
She did a quick mental calculation. Sixty–five days had passed inside the Hermit’s Sanctum, but outside, thirteen days had already gone by.
It was about time she went out to see what was going on.
Linda drew all her Gilded Cores back into her body. When she stood up, she saw Dermot and Emmett sprawled out on either side of the stone step, each claiming their own little patch of territory.
But the Dreamweaver had already retreated into his spirit orb for a deep sleep.
Linda stowed them away, then glanced at the spirit orb, where the faint, flickering remnant of a soul lingered. She whispered, “You’re really running on fumes, aren’t you?”
He was in such a rush to find someone to take his place, because deep down, he knew he was running out of time.
With the Veil collapsing, there was nowhere left for him to go.
Linda gently traced her finger over the spirit orb, thinking to herself, ‘Maybe I should hunt down some witch- weeds that help mend a soul.
‘Raven Sloes might do the trick, but the Dreamweaver can’t eat them straight. If he’s just soaking up the spirit energy from the fruit, it wouldn’t do much at all.
‘A Spirit–Mending Bolus would be way better.
After thinking it over for a bit, Linda decided to add alchemy to her daily routine.
An hour a day should be enough.
If that wasn’t enough, she could always squeeze in a little more.
If she really needed it, she could always make time.
Linda stepped out of the Mystic Exchange and wandered over to her stall.
The Mystic Silver–Leaf was still sitting there, unsold, but she didn’t care. She put out the two new sigils she’d just inscribed.
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Chapter 80
…
:
As soon as she set them down, someone bought them instantly.
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[Congratulations, vendor! The customer ‘Moneybags‘ has purchased your Fire Sigil. 14,000 Luster Shards have been credited to your account.]
Linda was speechless.
‘Seriously, him again?‘ she thought.
Before Linda could say a word, Moneybags jumped in, firing off questions. “Hey, vendor, what’s the deal? You haven’t put out any new stuff in ages.
“Are you done with business? Don’t need Luster Shards anymore?”
Linda took a moment to collect herself, then replied, “I’ve been out dealing with some stuff lately.”
Moneybags tsked. “Man, you cultivators are always a pain. So, what’s this sigil supposed to do?”
“Fire Sigil. It’s for attack,” Linda replied, sounding casual.
Moneybags scoffed. “Seriously? That’s pretty useless. These basic attack sigils are everywhere in the Mystic Exchange. You’re charging way too much. What a ripoff.”
Linda said, “Go ahead and buy the other one too.”
[Congratulations, vendor. The customer ‘Moneybags‘ has purchased your Water Sigil. 14,000 Luster Shards have been credited to your account.]
Linda was speechless. ‘Wow, he really is loaded,‘ she thought.
He just went ahead and bought it.
“Why do you have both a Fire Sigil and a Water Sigil?” Moneybags asked.
Linda replied, “Ever tried mixing fire and water for a combo attack?”
Moneybags blinked. “Wait, you mean using them at the same time?”
Linda nodded. “Exactly. Use them together, the combo is way stronger than the sum of its parts. You can actually hurt an Astral Sovereign Form cultivator with it, but it’s a one–shot deal.
“Toss them and run. Once the sigils go off, the mist they create will cover your escape for twenty breaths.”
Moneybags was silent for a long moment before finally speaking up, his voice tense. “Can that mist actually block an Astral Sovereign Form cultivator’s soul search?”
Linda could tell he was sharp. He’d already caught on to the real value.
She smirked. “That’s right. These sigils are meant to be bought together. They’re not just for offense, they’re your ticket out of a tight spot.”
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Chapter 80
…
Moneybags’s tone turned grave. “Any left? I want ten sets!”
Linda shrugged, “Nope, sold out. If you want more, put your name down for the next batch.”
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[Congratulations, vendor! The customer ‘Just Looking‘ has pre–ordered ten sets of your Fire Sigil and Water Sigil. 280,000 Luster Shards have been credited to your account.]
Linda and Moneybags were stunned.
Moneybags turned and noticed the guy next to him. He shouted, “Hey! Bro, how many times have you this now?”
Every time he came over, this guy would tag along and buy whatever he bought.
This guy was always acting all sneaky about it.
“Just looking,” the guy replied quietly.
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It was the first time Linda had ever heard his voice. Compared to Moneybags‘ usual swagger, this one sounded like someone who’d seen too many winters, worn down by time.
It was clearly a young voice, yet it carried a heaviness, like his flame was about to flicker out.
A
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
