After a brief crisis in the dense forest, Lin Tian continued his journey. However, as he ventured deeper, the surrounding environment gradually changed. The trees around grew taller and denser, as if it were an ancient forest isolated from the outside world. Lin Tian carefully observed his surroundings, knowing in his heart that everything here could be some sort of trap or test, and he couldn't be careless. As he moved forward, a thick fog emerged from nowhere and quickly enveloped the entire forest. This fog was not a natural phenomenon but carried a strange and sinister aura, seemingly existing specifically to hinder the movements of cultivators. Lin Tian frowned slightly and exerted his spiritual sense, attempting to explore the source of the fog. However, contrary to his expectation, his spiritual sense was greatly obstructed in this fog and could only extend for less than ten yards. Lin Tian's heart tightened, realizing that he was trapped in some sort of prohibition. He didn't act rashly but instead calmed his breath and steadied his mind to ensure he wasn't affected by the external changes. As time passed, the fog seemed to grow denser. Lin Tian felt that the fluctuation of the spiritual energy around him became extremely disordered, as if some powerful force was guiding these changes. He attempted to move a few steps but found that no matter which direction he headed, the density of the fog didn't weaken in the slightest. "It seems that this fog is not a simple optical illusion. It's very likely some sort of formation." Lin Tian thought to himself. He immediately stopped and carefully perceived the fluctuation of the spiritual energy around him, attempting to find a way to break the formation. Just as Lin Tian was deep in thought, a low humming sound suddenly came from within the fog, as if some colossal creature was slowly approaching. This sound was extremely oppressive, causing Lin Tian's mind to tremble slightly. He immediately circulated his true essence, preparing for any unexpected situations. The sound in the fog gradually approached, accompanied by faint footsteps, as if something was silently approaching Lin Tian. Lin Tian held his breath and focused, his eyes fixed on the fog ahead, secretly speculating the identity of the approaching entity. Finally, a massive spirit beast emerged from the fog. It was a completely black monster with eyes like torches, and its appearance was highly similar to the legendary fierce beasts. With each step of the spirit beast, a strong oppressive force was emitted, as if the entire space trembled with its movement. Lin Tian knew that the appearance of this spirit beast was no coincidence and was very likely a part of the formation. The other party's aura was powerful, clearly not something an ordinary cultivator could handle. He didn't dare to be the slightest bit careless and immediately gripped the magical weapon in his hand, circulated the true essence within his body, and was ready to counter the attack of this spirit beast at any moment. The spirit beast stopped several yards away from Lin Tian and stared at him intently, as if waiting for something. Lin Tian's heart stirred, realizing that this spirit beast didn't seem to be in a hurry to launch an attack but was probing his strength. Lin Tian had an idea and decided to test the other party's reaction. He slowly raised the magical weapon in his hand, and a weak sword light shot out from the weapon, directly aiming at the spirit beast's brow. However, just as the sword light was about to hit the spirit beast, the spirit beast suddenly let out a low growl, and its huge body leapt up, avoiding the attack of the sword light and pouncing towards Lin Tian at an extremely fast speed. Lin Tian wasn't alarmed but instead was pleased. Although this spirit beast was powerful, it didn't seem impossible to deal with. He quickly summoned a defensive formation, enveloping himself within it, and at the same time, waved the magical weapon, preparing to launch a counterattack. However, just as he was about to make a move, another strange sound came from within the fog. Lin Tian felt the ground beneath his feet suddenly shake, as if something was emerging from underground. Immediately after, a strong attractive force came from beneath his feet, seemingly wanting to drag his entire person underground. Lin Tian immediately cast a lightness spell, and his body rose into the air, attempting to break free from this suction force. However, that force grew increasingly stronger, as if countless invisible hands were pulling his body, causing his movements to become extremely sluggish. At this moment, the spirit beast launched another attack, its sharp claws aiming directly at Lin Tian's chest. Lin Tian inwardly shouted that it was bad. In a desperate situation, he could only forcibly stimulate the true essence within his body and desperately exert his movement technique, barely avoiding the fatal blow. Although he temporarily avoided the attack, Lin Tian also knew that the current situation was extremely unfavorable to him. Both the underground force and the spirit beast posed a huge threat to him. If he didn't escape from this predicament as soon as possible, he would likely be in danger of losing his life. Lin Tian gritted his teeth and forcibly calmed his mind. He knew that he had to find the flaw in the formation in order to break free from the restraint of this fog. With this thought, Lin Tian closed his eyes again and concentrated on perceiving the changes around him. With his focus, he gradually felt that the underground attractive force wasn't无源之水 but was connected to some sort of force within the fog. This force formed a unique cycle, restricting Lin Tian's movements within a narrow range. Lin Tian's heart stirred, and he thought of a bold attempt. He suddenly opened his eyes, quickly waved the magical weapon, and engraved a complex rune on the ground. Once the rune was formed, it released a strong light that shot straight towards the ground. Sure enough, with the activation of the rune, the underground attractive force instantly weakened, as if being suppressed by some sort of force. Seeing this, Lin Tian immediately seized the opportunity, quickly rose into the air, and broke free from the dangerous area. At the same time, the spirit beast seemed to also sense Lin Tian's change and let out an angry roar, closely pursuing him. Lin Tian didn't dare to engage in a prolonged battle and quickly exerted his movement technique, rushing towards the depths of the fog. He knew that as long as he could escape the pursuit of the spirit beast, he would have the opportunity to find the flaw in the fog and completely break free from this dangerous place. However, just when Lin Tian thought he was about to succeed, the fog in front suddenly rolled violently, and a more powerful oppressive force came from the front. Lin Tian's heart shuddered, and he immediately stopped and concentrated on being on guard. Within the fog, a huge figure slowly emerged. It was another even larger spirit beast. Its figure almost blocked out the sky, and its eyes revealed endless ferocity. Lin Tian felt an unprecedented pressure. The strength of this spirit beast far exceeded his expectations. Lin Tian knew that he was already in a desperate situation. Facing two powerful spirit beasts, he was simply powerless to resist. His mind rapidly thought of countermeasures but found that it was difficult to extricate himself no matter what. Just at this moment, a weak vibration suddenly came from Lin Tian's hand. He looked down and found that a jade pendant at his waist was emitting light. This jade pendant was obtained by him during an accidental opportunity. Usually, it never showed any abnormalities, but at this moment, it suddenly changed. Lin Tian's heart stirred and quickly injected true essence into the jade pendant. With the injection of the true essence, the light of the jade pendant grew stronger and stronger, eventually transforming into a brilliant pillar of light that shot straight into the sky. That pillar of light instantly penetrated the fog, forming a passage and enveloping Lin Tian within it. Lin Tian felt the pressure around him suddenly disappear, as if entering a completely independent space. The two spirit beasts seemed to also be intimidated by this pillar of light, letting out low roars, and then simultaneously backed away, no longer approaching Lin Tian. Seeing this, Lin Tian immediately rushed in the direction of the pillar of light and instantly broke free from the siege of the spirit beasts. The pillar of light carried Lin Tian forward at high speed. After a moment, he suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet become solid and found that he had broken free from the fog and arrived at a brand new place. This was a valley filled with spiritual energy. The surrounding scene was completely different from the environment within the fog. The air here was fresh and the spiritual energy was rich, as if it were a paradise forgotten by the outside world. Lin Tian heaved a sigh of relief in his heart, knowing that he was temporarily safe. He looked around and discovered an ancient stone tower in the center of the valley. The tower was engraved with complex runes and emitted a faint light. Lin Tian was attracted by this stone tower and slowly approached it, feeling the powerful force contained within it. Lin Tian walked to the front of the tower and looked up. He saw that the tower door was half-open, and there were several lines of ancient characters engraved on it. Lin Tian carefully identified them and found that it was a warning: "Those who step into this tower must have a sincere heart to obtain the supreme treasure. If one harbors greed, they will surely suffer divine retribution." Lin Tian's heart shuddered, knowing that this stone tower was no ordinary place. Although the treasure was tempting, he also understood that in such a place, there were often huge dangers. He stood in front of the tower, hesitating in his heart whether he should enter. However, thinking of his various encounters in this secret realm, Lin Tian ultimately decided to explore. He took a deep breath and stepped into the stone tower. The space inside the tower was much larger than it appeared from the outside. The surrounding walls were engraved with all kinds of runes and patterns, as if telling an ancient story. Lin Tian slowly walked inside the tower and felt powerful spiritual energy fluctuations coming from all around, as if the entire tower contained endless power. He walked up the spiral staircase, each step seemingly stepping in the fluctuations of the spiritual energy, and felt that the true essence within his body gradually became more refined in this environment. Lin Tian's heart was filled with joy, knowing that there must be some sort of opportunity hidden in this stone tower, perhaps it was his chance to break through the bottleneck. After Lin Tian absorbed the bead into his body, he immediately felt a powerful force circulating within him. This force was extraordinary. It was very different from the true essence he usually cultivated and carried an ancient and mysterious aura. With the influx of this force, Lin Tian's true essence began to undergo wonderful changes. Originally, although the true essence within his body was abundant, compared to those true experts, it was still slightly disordered. However, under the effect of the bead, this true essence began to rapidly condense, as if being compressed and refined by an invisible force. Every strand of true essence became purer. Lin Tian sat cross-legged, circulated the cultivation technique within his body, and concentrated fully on guiding this force to circulate within his meridians. He could clearly feel that the true essence within his body was constantly being purified, no longer as scattered as before but as clear and pure as crystal. With the purification of the true essence, Lin Tian's perception ability also gradually enhanced. Previously, spells that required full effort to control could now be operated with a gentle movement. This process lasted for several hours. It wasn't until Lin Tian felt that the true essence within his body was completely transformed into a purer form that he slowly opened his eyes. He understood that the quality of his true essence had significantly improved. This not only made it easier for him to cast spells but also laid a solid foundation for him to break through to higher realms in the future. With the purification of the true essence, Lin Tian's cultivation level also received a significant boost. After absorbing the power of the bead, he felt that the spiritual energy within his body was abundant and seemed to have reached a critical point. Lin Tian realized that he might have the opportunity to break through the current realm and enter a higher cultivation level. Lin Tian was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. At this stage, cultivators mainly focused on consolidating the foundation and refining the true essence. Now, he felt that the true essence within his body had reached a limit. If he didn't break through in time, it might cause the phenomenon of spiritual energy overflow and even lead to an unstable foundation. To ensure the success of the breakthrough, Lin Tian set up several defensive formations within the tower to ensure that he wouldn't be disturbed during the breakthrough process. Then, he began to concentrate fully on circulating the cultivation technique within his body, attempting to break through the bottleneck of the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. The breakthrough process wasn't smooth. With the continuous accumulation of the true essence, Lin Tian felt waves of tearing pain within his meridians. This pain was almost unbearable. But he understood that this was the critical moment of the breakthrough and he had to persevere. After a long period of effort, Lin Tian finally felt that the true essence within his body began to advance towards a new realm. The originally impregnable bottleneck seemed to gradually loosen under his persistence. Lin Tian continued to increase the output of the true essence and finally, at a certain moment, the bottleneck was completely broken. The true essence rushed towards his limbs and bones like a tide, bringing an unparalleled sense of power. With the breakthrough of the bottleneck, Lin Tian's cultivation level successfully entered the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. He could clearly feel that the true essence within his body was denser than before and the circulation speed of the spiritual energy also significantly increased. This meant that he could now cast more complex and powerful spells, and his overall combat power had a qualitative leap. After breaking through to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment, Lin Tian's spiritual sense also received a remarkable enhancement. Spiritual sense was an important means for cultivators to perceive the outside world and was also one of the important indicators of a cultivator's cultivation depth. Previously, although Lin Tian's spiritual sense was sufficient to deal with ordinary enemies, when facing powerful foes, he often felt powerless. However, after this breakthrough, Lin Tian's spiritual sense was greatly expanded. Originally, he could only extend his spiritual sense about ten yards, but now, his spiritual sense range almost doubled and could easily detect movements within twenty yards. This not only gave him an advantage in battles but also enabled him to discover dangers and opportunities more quickly and accurately when exploring the secret realm. Not only that, Lin Tian also discovered that his spiritual sense became more acute and could clearly capture some weak spiritual energy fluctuations and even perceive some subtle changes hidden in the space. This acute perception ability gave Lin Tian more means to break through complex formations and also laid a more solid foundation for his future cultivation. After this opportunity's baptism, Lin Tian's overall strength was comprehensively enhanced. Firstly, the purification of the true essence within his body made the casting of his spells smoother and their power significantly increased. Secondly, the breakthrough in cultivation level allowed him to officially enter the late-stage of Foundation Establishment, and his overall combat power had a qualitative leap. Finally, the expansion of the spiritual sense made him more at ease in battles and explorations. This enhancement filled Lin Tian with confidence, but he also knew that the path of cultivation wasn't smooth sailing. There were still more challenges awaiting him in the future. Lin Tian decided not to rush to pursue higher realms for the time being but to first stabilize his current cultivation level and explore more opportunities that might exist in this secret realm. Lin Tian already had the next step planned in his heart. He intended to search for more spiritual herbs and treasures in this secret realm to further consolidate his cultivation level. At the same time, he also decided to strengthen the study of formations and prohibitions to enhance his combat skills and survival ability. Lin Tian walked out of the stone tower, facing the morning sunlight. He felt like a completely new person. After this adventure, he not only successfully broke through to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment but also received comprehensive enhancements in all aspects. Now, Lin Tian was no longer just a cultivator capable of self-protection but a true practitioner with powerful strength. He looked around, his heart filled with expectations for the future. Although this secret realm was still fraught with dangers, Lin Tian was no longer afraid because he knew that his strength was sufficient to handle any challenges. And his path of cultivation would also reach higher peaks in this mysterious secret realm.