Chapter 9: Alt Account
After getting the Realm-Breaking Talisman, Lin Luo's days returned to normal.
At least, he thought they would return to normal.
But early the next morning, his phone screen lit up with an interface he had never seen before.
[Detected that the host's cultivation has reached Foundation Establishment Stage. New feature unlocked.]
[Add New Account]
[Yes / No]
Lin Luo stared at the screen for three seconds.
New account?
He tapped [Yes].
[Please select a race]
[Human, Buddha, Demon, Ghost, Beast, Immortal (available after ascension)]
Below the options was a line of small text: Different races have their own cultivation systems and realm divisions. Resources are shared between accounts.
Lin Luo's eyebrow rose.
Resources are shared.
That meant any Spirit Stones or items the new account earned could be used by the main account.
He kept reading.
[Human, Buddha, Ghost: +10 starting stat points]
These three races had no cost. They started with 10 free stat points.
But Lin Luo's eyes stopped on [Demon] and [Beast].
He tapped on [Demon].
[Please select a bloodline]
Skeleton race – Free
Centipede race – 300 Spirit Stones
Vine Demon race – 500 Spirit Stones
Vampire race – 1000 Spirit Stones
Gu Insect race – 2000 Spirit Stones
Succubus race (Female) – 5000 Spirit Stones
Taotie race – 50000 Spirit Stones
Lin Luo checked his Spirit Stone balance: 1750.
He could afford Vampire but not Gu Insect.
But he didn't choose yet. He tapped on [Beast].
[Please select a race]
Treasure-Seeking Rat race – Free
Jade Rabbit race (Female) – 200 Spirit Stones
Ox race – 300 Spirit Stones
Green Hill Fox race (Female) – 5000 Spirit Stones
Mystic Snake race (Female) – 6000 Spirit Stones
Spirit Monkey race – 7000 Spirit Stones
Carp race – 8000 Spirit Stones
Eagle race – 9000 Spirit Stones
Tiger race – 10000 Spirit Stones
[A small line of text: For races not marked with a gender, gender is random. Male and female are the same.]
Lin Luo noticed that all the races marked with "(Female)" had an even smaller line of text after them.
[These accounts are born with natural charm. Please choose carefully.]
[Born with natural charm – comes with an innate seductive quality.]
[Friendly reminder: The risk of being captured and used as a cultivation cauldron is very high.]
[Warning: When cultivating certain specific techniques, you cannot engage in dual cultivation with the opposite sex, or you will lose all your cultivation.]
Lin Luo read through all of this with a blank expression. Then he silently backed out of the [Beast] options.
Not that he couldn't choose one, but now wasn't the right time.
He looked at [Demon] again.
Taotie race: 50000 Spirit Stones. He couldn't afford it.
Vampire race: 1000 Spirit Stones. He could afford it, but Vampire sounded troublesome – blood-drinking, fear of sunlight, hunted by righteous sects. He didn't want to attract trouble right now.
Skeleton race: Free.
Lin Luo stared at the word "Free" for a long time.
Then he tapped [Skeleton race].
[You have selected: Demon – Skeleton race.]
[Account creation in progress…]
[New account starting stats: Attack +5, Defense +10, HP +50.]
[Skeleton race trait: Physical damage reduction 20%, Light-type damage taken increased by 50%.]
[Skeleton race cultivation system: Demon Cultivation. Realm divisions: Qi Gathering, Body Tempering, Core Condensation, Intent Desire, Devouring, Demon Infant, Soul Departure, Sense Separation, Body Fusion, Void Break, Great Ascension, Tribulation Transcendence.]
[Current cultivation: Qi Gathering, Layer 1.]
[New account name: (Leave blank to use default name "Bone One")]
Lin Luo thought for a moment, then typed a single character into the name field.
[Bone One]
[Account "Bone One" created successfully. Switch to new account?]
[Yes / No]
Lin Luo didn't switch. He tapped on the new account's details first.
A brand new interface appeared. On the screen stood a chibi skeleton figure – all white bones, with faint green flames flickering in its eye sockets. Above its head floated two characters: Bone One.
Status panel:
[Character: Bone One (Demon · Skeleton Race)]
[Cultivation: Qi Gathering, Layer 1]
[Attack: 5]
[Defense: 10 (+20% physical reduction)]
[HP: 50]
[Spirit Stones: 0]
[Current Status: Alive]
[Revive Cost: 1 Spirit Stone]
The same revive mechanism as the main account.
Lin Luo tapped on [Idle Cultivation].
[Idle Cultivation started. Cultivation increases automatically while offline. Estimated breakthrough to Qi Gathering, Layer 2 in 6 hours.]
[Note: The new account and the main account can idle simultaneously. Idle speed is calculated independently.]
The corner of Lin Luo's mouth curled up slightly.
Two accounts idling at the same time.
The main account cultivating immortality. The alt account cultivating demonic arts.
Double the experience. Double the resources.
He put his phone away and lay back on the bed.
Outside the window, the sky wasn't light yet. The Chores Hall courtyard was quiet.
Lin Luo closed his eyes. His mind was already planning how to use this alt account.
Skeleton race: 20% physical damage reduction, but afraid of light. Can't go out during the day. Can't see sunlight. Can't go into righteous sect territory.
But demon cultivators had their own ways.
Black markets. Underground trades. Assassination missions. Things the main account couldn't do, the alt account could.
And if the alt account died, it didn't matter. Revival only cost 1 Spirit Stone.
Lin Luo turned over, a smile on his lips, and soon fell asleep.
---
The next morning, Lin Luo was woken by Ma Biao pounding on his door.
"Brother Luo! Brother Luo! Something huge is happening!"
Lin Luo rubbed his eyes and opened the door. "What?"
"People from the Sacred Ground are here! Right outside the mountain gate! They want to see you!"
Lin Luo blinked.
The Sacred Ground.
Qin Yun had gone back to report yesterday. Today, the Sacred Ground had sent people. They moved fast.
He washed up, changed into clean clothes, and followed Ma Biao toward the mountain gate.
Along the way, every disciple he passed looked at him with complicated expressions – curiosity, awe, and some schadenfreude.
"I heard the Sacred Ground sent a Golden Core elder."
"Golden Core? Then Lin Luo is dead for sure?"
"Who knows? Didn't he smash a Golden Core Layer 1 statue?"
"A statue is a statue. A living person is different."
Lin Luo listened to the chatter, his face expressionless.
He pulled out his phone and checked the Spirit Eye Technique description – could view a target's cultivation. This skill would be useful today.
Outside the mountain gate stood three people.
In the lead was a middle-aged man in a golden robe. His face was cold and sharp. His eyes were piercing. Behind him stood two young people – one of them Lin Luo recognized.
Qin Yun.
Lin Luo walked to the mountain gate and stopped.
Spirit Eye Technique activated automatically.
[Target: Sacred Ground Elder · Zhou He]
[Cultivation: Golden Core Stage, Layer 5]
[Spiritual Root: Metal Spiritual Root (High Grade)]
[Physique: None]
[Danger Level: High]
Golden Core Layer 5.
Four sub-realms higher than the Sword Spirit Stone Statue on the ninth floor of the Trial Tower.
Lin Luo was at Foundation Establishment Layer 1. His physical body could withstand early Golden Core attacks. Golden Core Layer 5 was mid Golden Core. He couldn't withstand that.
But this was Cangxuan Sect territory. They were guests. He was the host. They wouldn't start a fight here.
"You're Lin Luo?" Zhou He spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.
"Yes."
"The Realm-Breaking Talisman is in your hands?"
"Yes."
Zhou He stared at him for three seconds.
"Do you know that the Realm-Breaking Talisman belongs to the Sacred Ground?"
Lin Luo looked him in the eye without flinching.
"The talisman sat on the ninth floor of the Trial Tower for over three hundred years. No one could take it. I took it. Now it's mine."
Zhou He's eyebrow twitched.
Behind him, Qin Yun's expression shifted. He started to say something, but Zhou He raised a hand to stop him.
"You have guts," Zhou He said. "Not many people dare to speak to the Sacred Ground like that."
"I'm not speaking to the Sacred Ground," Lin Luo said. "I'm speaking to you."
Zhou He was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"Interesting." He looked Lin Luo up and down. "Foundation Establishment Layer 1, beating a Golden Core Layer 1 statue, withstanding two palm strikes from Foundation Establishment Layer 7 – you do have something. But between Foundation Establishment Layer 1 and Golden Core Layer 5, there's more than a full major realm. You don't think you can beat me, do you?"
"I can't," Lin Luo admitted.
"Then on what basis do you refuse to hand it over?"
"Because I don't want to."
Zhou He's smile disappeared.
"Do you know the consequences of refusing?"
"Yes," Lin Luo said. "The Sacred Ground will come after me. But let me ask you – is the Trial Tower property of the Cangxuan Sect, or the Sacred Ground?"
Zhou He didn't answer.
"The Trial Tower is on Cangxuan Sect land. It's been there for over three hundred years. No one from Cangxuan Sect could take it. I took it. That's Cangxuan Sect business. On what basis does the Sacred Ground come to claim it?"
Zhou He's eyes turned cold.
"On the basis that the Sacred Ground is stronger than the Cangxuan Sect."
"Then are you going to take it by force right now?" Lin Luo asked. "Here at the mountain gate, in front of everyone from the Cangxuan Sect?"
Zhou He was silent.
He could start a fight at the mountain gate. Golden Core Layer 5 against Foundation Establishment Layer 1 – one move would be enough. But this was Cangxuan Sect land. Behind the mountain gate was the Cangxuan Sect's mountain-protecting formation. If he started a fight, it would be a provocation against the entire Cangxuan Sect.
For a talisman, it wasn't worth it.
"Fine." Zhou He nodded. "Keep the thing for now. But remember – the Realm-Breaking Talisman doesn't belong to whoever takes it. It belongs to whoever can keep it."
"I know."
"When you can't keep it anymore, the Sacred Ground will come again."
Zhou He turned and left.
Qin Yun glanced at Lin Luo, seemed to want to say something, but in the end just followed.
Lin Luo stood at the mountain gate, watching their backs disappear into the distance.
Ma Biao crept closer and asked cautiously, "Brother Luo, aren't you scared?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you—"
"Back there, we were on Cangxuan Sect land." Lin Luo turned and walked back. "They wouldn't dare start a fight."
"What about later? What if they come after you outside the sect?"
Lin Luo didn't answer.
He pulled out his phone and checked the alt account's idle progress.
[Bone One (Demon · Skeleton Race) Idle Cultivation in progress… Time until breakthrough to Qi Gathering, Layer 2: 2 hours.]
Then he checked the main account's idle progress.
[Idle Cultivation in progress… Time until breakthrough to Foundation Establishment Stage, Layer 2: 82 hours.]
The Nine Cycles Mystic Art, Second Cycle progress:
[Nine Cycles Mystic Art, Second Cycle cultivation in progress… Time remaining: 22 hours.]
Almost there.
Once the Second Cycle was complete, his physical strength would reach another level. Then, even if he couldn't beat Golden Core Layer 5, at least he wouldn't die.
Lin Luo put his phone away and quickened his pace.
---
When he got back to the Chores Hall, someone was standing in the courtyard.
Su Xiaoxiao.
She wore a white inner court disciple uniform. Her long hair hung over her shoulders. She stood next to the woodpile like a white lotus flower blooming in a pile of trash.
"Lin Luo, I heard people from the Sacred Ground came?"
"Yes."
"They left?"
"Yes."
"No fight?"
"No."
Su Xiaoxiao nodded, then changed the subject. "You broke through to Foundation Establishment last night?"
Lin Luo's steps faltered.
"How do you know?"
"I guessed." Su Xiaoxiao said. "When you took Zhou Tong's two palm strikes, your physical strength was already above late Foundation Establishment, but your cultivation always showed Qi Refining Layer 1. So I figured your real cultivation had to be higher than Qi Refining Layer 1. Yesterday you cleared the ninth floor and beat a Golden Core Layer 1 statue – if your cultivation were still Qi Refining Layer 1, how strong would your body have to be?"
She paused.
"So I guessed that your cultivation just reached Foundation Establishment. Because if you had already reached it earlier, you wouldn't have waited until yesterday to challenge the ninth floor."
Lin Luo looked at her and was silent for a few seconds.
This woman was too smart.
"You guessed right," he said. "Foundation Establishment Layer 1."
Su Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up.
"I knew it."
"You won't tell anyone, will you?"
"No." Su Xiaoxiao shook her head. "But you can't hide it for much longer. Zhao Tian is already suspicious. The Sect Leader probably already knows. The Sacred Ground also knows you're not at Qi Refining Layer 1. Your secret won't last much longer."
"One more day is one more day."
Su Xiaoxiao looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"Lin Luo, do you know? You're a really strange person."
"Strange how?"
"You're very strong, but you always want to pretend to be weak. Other people want the whole world to know how great they are. You want the whole world to think you're a waste."
"Because being a waste isn't tiring," Lin Luo said. "Being a big shot is too tiring."
Su Xiaoxiao stared at him for a moment, then laughed out loud.
"You're really something."
She turned and walked away. At the courtyard gate, she stopped.
"Lin Luo. No matter what happens, I'm on your side."
Lin Luo watched her back and said nothing.
Another one on his side.
Wang Hao said he was on his side. Zhao Tian said he wasn't his enemy. The Sect Leader kept his secret. Now Su Xiaoxiao said she was on his side.
Lin Luo shook his head, walked into the woodshed, and picked up his axe.
Chopping wood.
He pulled out his phone and checked the alt account's idle progress.
[Bone One (Demon · Skeleton Race) Idle Cultivation complete! Breakthrough successful!]
[Current cultivation: Qi Gathering, Layer 2]
[Bone One's stats have been updated. Resources are shared between main account and Bone One.]
[Spirit Stones: 1750 → 1750 (shared)]
Lin Luo tapped open the alt account's status panel.
[Character: Bone One (Demon · Skeleton Race)]
[Cultivation: Qi Gathering, Layer 2 ↑]
[Attack: 5 → 12]
[Defense: 10 → 18 (+20% physical reduction)]
[HP: 50 → 80]
[Idle Cultivation automatically started. Time until breakthrough to Qi Gathering, Layer 3: 12 hours.]
Lin Luo watched the alt account's progress, the corner of his mouth curling up.
Qi Gathering Layer 2.
At this rate, within three days, the alt account would reach Body Tempering Stage. After Body Tempering came Core Condensation, then Intent Desire, Devouring, Demon Infant—
Demon Infant Stage was equivalent to Golden Core Stage in the immortal cultivation system.
By then, the alt account would be able to help.
Lin Luo put his phone away and kept chopping wood.
The axe came down. The wood split cleanly.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
One after another, steady rhythm.
Just like the idle progress bar on his phone – not fast, not slow, but always moving forward.
---
Current Status
Main Account
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Layer 1 (Displayed: Qi Refining Layer 1)
Idle Cultivation: In Progress (82h to Foundation Establishment Layer 2)
Nine Cycles Mystic Art: Second Cycle (In Progress, 22h remaining), can withstand early Golden Core attacks
Attack: 280 (+50 Black Iron Axe)
Defense: 220 → 400 (boost from Nine Cycles Mystic Art)
HP: 1500/1500
Spirit Stones: 1750
Disguise Talisman: Active (Displayed Stage: Qi Refining Layer 1)
Possessions: Spirit Recovery Pill ×3, Life Extension Pill ×1, Black Iron Axe ×1, Blackwind Wolf King Core (Mid-Grade) ×1, Realm-Breaking Talisman ×1
Skill: Spirit Eye Technique (view detailed target information)
Instance Progress: Blackwind Ridge Trial Stage 3 (requires Foundation Establishment) unlocked, Trial Tower cleared
Alt Account · Bone One (Demon · Skeleton Race)
Cultivation: Qi Gathering, Layer 2
Idle Cultivation: In Progress (12h to Qi Gathering, Layer 3)
Attack: 12
Defense: 18 (+20% physical reduction)
HP: 80/80
Trait: Physical damage reduction 20%, Light-type damage taken increased by 50%
Race: Skeleton (Free)
Cultivation System: Demon Cultivation
Current Status: Alive
Revive Cost: 1 Spirit Stone
---
(End of Chapter 9)
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