Chapter 9: The Number of Unity

"There's definitely a house. What price range are you looking for, guest?" the realtor asked with a cheerful smile.

"I want to rent a house for a year, as cheap as possible, and location doesn't matter as long as it's quiet," Lin Jiufeng said.

The realtor glanced at Lin Jiufeng, noticing his large belly, and then at the thin figure of the Yellow Dog beside him. He figured they didn't have much divine energy, so he asked, "I have such houses. Please follow me."

They walked through the streets and alleys, with Lin Jiufeng and the Sacred Beast Qilin following the realtor toward the outskirts of the Holy Angel City.

The Sacred Beast Qilin quietly communicated, "He's not thinking of leading us outside the city, is he?"

Lin Jiufeng replied, "Definitely not, but it's probably going to be very remote. We don't have divine energy, so we'll have to settle somewhere more secluded."

The realtor continued to chat away, making the atmosphere lively as he shared news about recent events in the Holy Angel City. Lin Jiufeng listened attentively, picking up a bit more information about the city.

Eventually, the realtor said, "A few days ago, not far from the outskirts of the Holy Angel City, the Barbarians discovered a divine energy mine."

Lin Jiufeng and the Sacred Beast Qilin both tensed, exchanging a look. They were intrigued.

Lin Jiufeng cleared his throat and asked, "So, the Barbarians must have gotten quite rich from that."

The realtor shook his head. "Not at all. The Barbarians hadn't even had time to celebrate before an elder from the Asura Clan found out. They fought a fierce battle—raging so hard that they collapsed several mountain peaks."

Lin Jiufeng curiously asked, "Who won in the end?"

"They both lost," the realtor replied, shaking his head.

"Why?" Lin Jiufeng asked, intrigued.

"Because their fight was so intense it attracted the attention of the Holy Angel City guards. They went to investigate and discovered the divine energy mine. According to the Holy Angel City's rules, anything within a hundred thousand miles of the city belongs to the Holy Angel Clan, and no one else is allowed to mine it." The realtor shrugged. "So, the Barbarians and the Asura Clan had to call it off. The mine was claimed by the Holy Angel Clan."

Now Lin Jiufeng understood the outcome of the battle. The Barbarians and Asura Clan had only played the role of clowns in the situation—the true winner was the Holy Angel Clan.

"We should have taken more when we had the chance," the Sacred Beast Qilin murmured through their telepathic bond.

Lin Jiufeng smiled but didn't respond. He wasn't greedy—just taking what came was enough.

As they continued walking, the realtor led them to a house located near the very edge of the Holy Angel City.

"This place offers single-unit houses. It's very secluded, and there's no one around to disturb you. The price is also affordable. How does it look to you?" the realtor asked, pointing to a modest detached house.

Lin Jiufeng entered to take a look. It wasn't very big—two rooms, a small yard, a well, and a cherry blossom tree.

"This will do. How much for a year?" Lin Jiufeng asked.

"Two thousand pounds of divine energy," the realtor said, holding up two fingers.

The Sacred Beast Qilin frowned at the price.

Lin Jiufeng, however, wasn't in a rush. "This place is extremely secluded. The spiritual energy is weaker than elsewhere, and there are fewer main roads. Most of the other houses around here are empty, so not many people rent here. The price is too high."

The realtor furrowed his brows, asking, "What do you think it should be?"

Lin Jiufeng replied directly, "One thousand five hundred pounds of divine energy."

The realtor's frown deepened, and he immediately shook his head. "That price is impossible. The lowest I can accept is one thousand nine hundred ninety pounds of divine energy."

"You should first take a look at the quality of my divine energy," Lin Jiufeng said without further explanation, pulling out a piece of Fire Element Divine Energy and handing it to the realtor.

As soon as the realtor touched it, his eyes lit up. The Fire Element Divine Energy was of exceptionally high quality, and he immediately recognized it.

"Is all your divine energy of this quality?" the realtor asked, somewhat incredulously.

Lin Jiufeng nodded lightly.

"Alright, we have a deal." After a moment of careful thought, the realtor agreed.

"Let's sign the rental contract, and I'll hand over the divine energy," Lin Jiufeng said.

The realtor quickly drafted the contract, handed it over for Lin Jiufeng to review, and after confirming everything was in order, both parties signed and sealed the deal. The transaction was complete.

The realtor joyfully left with one thousand five hundred pounds of divine energy.

Lin Jiufeng and the Sacred Beast Qilin stayed in the house.

"For the next year, we'll focus on training here, aiming to break through to a new level, and then we'll go out to earn more divine energy," Lin Jiufeng said.

The Sacred Beast Qilin nodded, then chose a room and began to meditate.

Lin Jiufeng entered his own room, waved his sleeve, and the air around him stirred, sweeping away the dust. He then sat cross-legged, starting his meditation.

"Currently, my cultivation has reached the peak of the Eleventh Level, and my One Thought Manifestation technique is already perfected. My goal now is to break through to the Twelfth Level and become a True Ancient Giant," Lin Jiufeng silently thought.

Eleventh Level: One Thought Manifestation

Twelfth Level: True Ancient Giant

As the name suggests, breaking through the Twelfth Level would grant him a lifespan of ten thousand years—a true immortality. This level involves enhancing one's life essence, not just the physical body, but also the primordial spirit. Both the body and spirit would evolve to the level of a True Ancient Giant.

Of course, for Lin Jiufeng, none of this was difficult. His body and spirit had already begun to evolve back when he was still human. The thunder tribulation he went through had accelerated his physical and spiritual advancement.

So, for him, breaking through the Twelfth Level would be no challenge at all.

At this moment, Lin Jiufeng let go of all restrictions. His body and spirit began to wildly absorb the spiritual energy from the Holy Angel City, comprehending the Dao and immersing himself in it.

His cultivation began to loosen, and the gate to the Twelfth Level slowly opened before him.

Boom!

The thick spiritual energy, carrying the massive Dao flowing through the Holy Angel City, crashed into the gate of his cultivation.

Then, there was no turning back!

Lin Jiufeng's body shuddered slightly before an overwhelming wave of energy surged throughout his entire being.

In the next second, his life level began to leap upward.

Where others only experienced a single leap in this realm, Lin Jiufeng was different. His life level had already advanced once during the thunder tribulation, so theoretically, he wouldn't leap again at this breakthrough. But Lin Jiufeng had deliberately held back his breakthrough, allowing his life level to experience another leap alongside this one.

Boom!!!

Both his body and spirit began to shine, undergoing a transformation.

He opened his heart, released control over his body, and allowed the Dao and spiritual energy to take over.

His growth could be described as wild, as if growing without restriction.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lin Jiufeng's heart pulsed like a drum, driving the flow of blood. The spiritual energy cleansed his blood, turning every drop into a substance so powerful it could crush mountains.

Though his body grew wildly, it was still guided by the hidden principles of the Divine Demon Body Refining Technique.

At the same time, Lin Jiufeng's primordial spirit was also undergoing a transformation, advancing to even higher levels.

As both his body and spirit progressed simultaneously, he broke through the Eleventh Level and ascended to the Twelfth Level.

In that instant, his lifespan soared past the limit of the Twelfth Level, reaching a staggering twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty years.

The Number of Unity.