I was reborn as a young master in an invincible family of immortals

Faced with the mysterious sphere's strange behavior, everyone's hearts were in their throats. Lin Yun stared intently at the sphere so close before him, trying to discern its true intentions from its flickering light and the rhythm of its runes, but it was like an ancient secret book that was difficult to decipher, leaving no room for understanding.

The sphere's radiance pierced everyone's eyes, causing them to squint slightly. But no one dared to look away, fearing to miss even the slightest shift that might reveal its intentions. Beads of sweat gradually formed on Lin Yun's forehead. He knew full well the sphere's extraordinary power. Every movement might determine their life or death, as well as their reward.

As everyone was in a tense standoff, the light on the sphere suddenly changed. The originally dazzling and chaotic light gradually converged, forming a series of orderly rays. These rays intertwined on the surface of the sphere, outlining a series of blurred images.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, straining to make out the image. It depicted an ancient and mysterious battlefield, thick with smoke and the deafening cries of battle. Powerful cultivators cast dazzling spells, locked in a desperate struggle with hideous beasts.

"This scene... seems to be telling a long history." Lin Xiao muttered to himself.

Lin Yun also frowned, pondering inwardly. He felt that the sphere's display of these images was not without purpose, and perhaps had some connection to its origins and its previous act of stealing the treasure.

As the scene shifted, the battlefield gradually faded, replaced by a magnificent palace. Within the palace lay a variety of precious treasures, including those they had just seen in the treasure box. Deep within the palace, a massive altar sat upon which sat a sphere identical to the mysterious one before them. Surrounding it were monks in bizarre attire, seemingly engaged in some solemn ritual.

"Could this sphere have come from that palace? It took away our treasures, is it trying to recreate the ceremony of that year?" Lin Yun guessed.

Everyone was stunned after hearing Lin Yun's words. If this was true, then weren't they unintentionally involved in an ancient incident of unknown depth?

Before anyone could recover from their shock, the image on the sphere shifted again. This time, a scene of catastrophe appeared: the earth cracked, floods raged, and the sky was thick with dark clouds, thunder and lightning. Countless lives struggled in agony, and all of this seemed somehow connected to the mysterious sphere.

"This... could this sphere be the source of the disaster?" a team member said in horror.

Lin Yun's heart tightened as he felt more and more that there was a huge secret hidden behind this sphere, and it was probably an extremely dangerous secret.

At this moment, the light on the sphere suddenly dimmed, and the images instantly disappeared. Then, the sphere slowly retreated, creating a distance between it and the crowd.

"What is it going to do now?" Everyone watched the sphere's every move nervously.

Suddenly, the sphere glowed again, and a gentle voice rang out from within: "Foolish mortals, you have trespassed where you should not, triggered an ancient seal, and awakened me from my sleep. Those treasures never belonged to you; they are the key to unlocking the next level of the ruins. Only by gathering enough treasures can you continue to explore the depths of the ruins and uncover the true secrets hidden within."

Everyone was surprised and delighted when they heard the sound. They were surprised that the sphere could actually speak, and they were delighted that they still had a chance to continue exploring the ruins and find more opportunities.

"Then why did you take away our treasure? Why not just explain it directly?" Lin Xiao said angrily.

"Hmph, if not, how would you know the rules of this relic? Besides, I don't need to explain anything to you. Giving you the opportunity to continue is already a great gift." There was a hint of arrogance in the voice of the sphere.

Lin Yun frowned and said, "Then how can we continue to move forward? Where is the next level of ruins you mentioned?"

The sphere flickered with light, as if pondering something. After a moment, it responded, "To continue, you must first pass a test I've set. If you succeed, I'll return your treasures and lead you to the next level of the ruins. If you fail, hmm, you'll remain here forever."

"What test? Tell me quickly!" a team member shouted anxiously.

"There are four hidden stone statues around this hall. You need to find them within the time of one stick of incense and activate them in a specific order. If you fail to do so within the time limit, the consequences will be at your own risk." The sphere said coldly.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked around and began searching for the hidden stone statue. Lin Yun took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and carefully observed every corner of the hall. He knew that this was their only chance to continue deeper into the ruins, and he had to give it his all.

Time was running out, and everyone dared not slack off. They shuttled through the hall, some checking the walls, some feeling the ground, and some even flying into the air to check if there was any hidden place on the ceiling.

Lin Yun, with his keen observation, was the first to discover a stone statue in a hidden compartment in the wall. The statue was carved with lifelike detail, depicting a monk holding a sword, his eyes fierce, as if ready to strike at any moment.

"I found one!" Lin Yun shouted, and the other team members rushed over after hearing it.

With this discovery, everyone's confidence increased and they searched even harder.

With everyone's concerted efforts, they finally found the remaining three stone statues before the incense stick had burned out. The four stone statues were a sword-wielding monk, an alchemist, a beastmaster, and a formation master. They were distributed in different locations in the hall, each emitting a faint spiritual energy fluctuation.

"What do we do now? How do we activate them in a specific order?" asked a team member.

Lin Yun looked at the four stone statues, pondering. He felt that this order might be related to the characteristics of the professions they represented or some ancient rules.

Just as everyone was racking their brains, Lin Yun suddenly remembered a record about ruins exploration that he had seen in the family's ancient books. It mentioned a similar activation order, which seemed to be to be activated in the order of strength, wisdom, spirituality, and skill.

Lin Yun made a quick decision and said, "I think I know the order. Everyone, follow my instructions. First, activate the sword-wielding monk statue, which represents strength; then activate the alchemist statue, which represents wisdom; then activate the beastmaster statue, which represents spirituality; and finally activate the formation master statue, which represents skill."

After hearing Lin Yun's words, everyone nodded and, according to the order he said, mobilized the spiritual power in their bodies and sent it to the corresponding stone statue.

When the last stone statue of the formation master was activated, a melodious bell suddenly rang in the hall, and the four stone statues lit up dazzling light at the same time. The light gathered together to form a huge portal.

"Successful!" Everyone cheered.

At this moment, the mysterious sphere slowly floated over. It returned the treasures it had previously taken to everyone, one by one, and then said, "Yes, you have passed the test. Now, follow me, and I will lead you to the next level of the ruins. There, even more precious treasures and deeper secrets await your exploration. I hope you can continue on this path of cultivation and unravel more mysteries."

After saying that, the sphere floated into the portal first. Everyone looked at each other, their eyes full of anticipation and excitement, and followed in without hesitation.

But just as everyone stepped into the portal, a powerful suction force suddenly came. Everyone felt as if their bodies were being tightly pulled by an invisible force. They instantly lost control of their bodies, and the scene in front of them became blurred.

"Ah! What's going on?" someone exclaimed.

Lin Yun was also shocked, but he was powerless at the moment and could only let this force carry him forward.

After an unknown amount of time, the suction gradually dissipated, and everyone's vision gradually cleared. They found themselves in a completely new environment, surrounded by a dim space. They could vaguely see some strange lights flickering, as if countless pairs of eyes were spying on them.

"Is this the next level of ruins? It feels so eerie." A team member whispered with a hint of fear in his voice.

Lin Yun looked around and said cautiously, "Everyone, be careful. Since we are on the next level of the ruins, there will definitely be more dangers and challenges waiting for us. Don't separate yet, stay in close contact."

Everyone nodded, huddled together, and cautiously walked forward, ready to face the challenges and opportunities that the next level of ruins would bring...