My skills have mutated again!

Chapter 326 The Efficiency of the Wall Breaker and the Foundation of the Xia Family!

There must be a secret in the Eighth Guardian Ash District.

Xia Lin had previously felt that the strength level of this Ash District was not commensurate with its racial foundation level.

Furthermore, since the Ash Zone system says that this Ash Zone is related to the Deceitful God, then this Ash Zone must contain traces of the Deceitful God!
There is a secret that is out in the open—that is, the secret that the Eight Guardian Sword Clan is protecting, as required by the main quest.

This secret is called: The World Barrier!
[Main Quest: The Mystery of the Eight Guardians, Stage 1 Objective Completed!]

Inadvertently insert willows and willows.

Xia Lin wasn't in a hurry to do the main quest, as she was preoccupied with her identity quest. However, after receiving such kindness from Zhong Ying and Zhong Qiming, Xia Lin couldn't refuse and directly completed the first stage of the main quest.

[Main Quest: The Mystery of the Eight Guardians, Phase Two Objective Triggered!]

[As you already know, the purpose of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan is to protect the world's barrier, and within that barrier lies an even deeper secret.]

[Phase Two Goal: Use any means necessary to reach and break down the world's barriers!]

[Mission failure penalty: Permanent confinement in the Ashes.]

[Reward for successful completion of the mission: Activate the third stage of the main quest.]

Xia Lin took a deep breath and quickly organized the information in her mind.

Xia Lin learned a lot from Zhong Ying's mind.

……

As Zhong Qiming's niece, subordinate, and a mid-level member of their organization, Zhong Ying's mind is no less savvy than that of the patriarchs of other families in the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.

This is not an exaggeration, because it involves organizational structure issues.

The organization Zhong Ying belongs to is relatively open and enlightened, unlike the ancient Eight Guardian Sword Clan... This makes the organization's intelligence relatively transparent, and members above the middle level have a considerable understanding of the dark side of this world.

Xia Lin is now aware of all this intelligence.

First is the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.

The martial arts circulating outside are generally crude, ineffective, and slow to develop. Only the secret teachings of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan can be considered superior martial arts.

These superior martial arts techniques were not actually created by the ancestors of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan, but were given to them from beyond the realm!
According to ancient legend, several thousand years ago, when the human race in this world was still in the era of slash-and-burn agriculture, eight warriors accidentally fell into a dark ravine in the ground.

What happened during that time is unknown. All that is known is that when these eight people reappeared several years later, they had acquired extraordinary cultivation and established the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.

Because this matter is too old, it is impossible to verify.

The process is not important; the result is what matters.

This legend defines the secret martial arts of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.

The martial arts of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan are foreign imports!
As time has passed, the Eight Guardian Sword Clan has effectively taken control of the entire world thanks to their overwhelming power.

Then there are the world barriers.

Whether the world barrier is truly a barrier or a physical wall is something Zhong Ying doesn't know—Zhong Qiming, as the head of the Zhong family, most likely does know, but Xia Lin's strength is not far from Zhong Qiming's, and he doesn't have the ability to search Zhong Qiming's soul.

The Martial Arts Soul Searching Technique is ultimately inferior to the Immortal Arts Soul Searching Technique.

Leaving aside these unimportant matters, let's return to the issue of global barriers.

In essence, this world barrier is the underground crevice where the ancestor of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan fell. Long ago, this place was designated as a forbidden area by the Eight Guardian Sword Clan, strictly prohibiting anyone, including their own people, from approaching it!

Next, there's Zhong Ying and Zhong Qiming's target this time.

They wanted Xia Lin dead in order to open the forbidden area of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan and come into contact with the world barrier.

The forbidden area's defense system was undoubtedly formidable.

It also involves some martial arts secrets.

Nowadays, even if the Eight Guardian Sword Clan wants to open the forbidden area, all eight clan leaders need to gather together and use blood to open the outer layer of restrictions before they can reach the world barrier.

However, Zhong Ying's organization took a different approach, finding a crooked and unorthodox way to break through the outer layer of restrictions.

—By using the blood of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan, bypassing the blood-drip restriction, they could quietly make contact with the world barrier without alerting the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.

As for what these people want to do after coming into contact with the world's barriers...

Zhong Ying only knew one side of the story, not the other.

Finally, there's the name of Zhong Ying's organization: The Wallbreakers.

A shadowy organization hidden in the dark, but whose strength should not be underestimated.

Intelligence is transparent within the organization, but the higher-ups remain shrouded in mystery.

Among the high-ranking members of Zhong Ying, there are three Grandmaster-level martial artists, one of whom is Zhong Qiming.

As the current patriarch of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan, Zhong Qiming was clearly not the highest-ranking member of this organization. Zhong Ying did not know the identity of the highest-ranking member, but guessed that he was most likely a member of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.

Yes, a mole.

This organization was most likely created by a traitor within the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.

"Perhaps it's greed, but perhaps it's the pursuit of martial arts..."

Xia Lin made this assessment in his mind, and this was most likely the truth.

Take, for example, Zhong Qiming's demands...

As the patriarch of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan, even if his strength is a bit weak, his status is still there.

In essence, Zhong Qiming is the eighth person in this world and one of the rule-makers. Normally, as the rule-maker, there is absolutely no reason for him to break the rules he set, but Zhong Qiming did just that.

This is one of the reasons why the Wallbreakers want to access the World Barrier, as mentioned earlier.

Because the transmission of knowledge has a time limit.

Over thousands of years of inheritance, even a large clan like the Eight Guardian Sword Clan can experience the problem of losing its heritage—just like the Xia family right now.

If Xia Huangwei were to suddenly meet with misfortune, without the guidance and instruction of his elders, even if the family's traditional techniques were still recorded, he would inevitably encounter some problems in comprehending them on his own.

It could be a misunderstanding, or a lack of qualifications.

If this happens frequently, it will inevitably lead to the loss of tradition and a decline in quality from generation to generation.

Such a situation has already occurred within the Eight Guardian Sword Clan—specifically, the Zhong family.

Originally, the lineages of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan were equally matched. However, due to the loss of their lineages, the strength of the Eight Guardian Zhong Clan has declined significantly. Even the clan leader, Zhong Qiming, can no longer live up to the title of Grandmaster.

Whether for his own martial arts or for the benefit of his family, Zhong Qiming inevitably needs to come into contact with, or even break down, the barriers between the world.

However, opening the world's barriers is something that the Eight Guardian Sword Clan explicitly forbids—the Eight Guardian Sword Clan are the gatekeepers, how can the gatekeepers steal from their own territory?

With a conflict of interest, Zhong Qiming chose to defy the ancestral laws...

That's understandable.

……

When Xia Lin returned to the villa, he had already sorted out everything he knew.

"Leaving aside the main mission objectives of the second phase, what I'm facing is still the pursuit of the Wallbreakers."

The Xia family is small, with only three people possessing Xia family blood.

As the youngest and, on the surface, the weakest, it's not surprising that Xia Lin became the target of the Wall Breakers.

The Breakers have already collected the blood of the other seven families—faking an accident to kill a member of a collateral branch is not difficult for them, and if they do it well, it won't attract the attention of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.

Unexpected things happen all the time, and not everyone in the Eight Guardian Sword Clan is like a dragon, possessing martial arts skills. It still depends on talent.

"In other words, all they need is my head."

Actually, at the beginning, Xia Lin had this idea—he wanted to try whether he could join the Wallbreakers, being both a hero and a villain.

Now that she knows all this, Xia Lin is glad she didn't do it.

Because his conflict with the Wallbreakers is irreconcilable, his own life is essential to the Wallbreakers.

"That means it's a life-or-death situation."

Muttering this to himself, Xia Lin wasn't too worried.

There are many, but not few, grandmasters among the wallbreakers.

The strength of this hidden organization is no less than that of any of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan members.

"But my cheapskate father isn't made of clay either."

"The Eight Guardian Sword Clan is not just for show, even if there must be a traitor among them."

"With them holding the line, it's enough to buy me enough time."

"So there's no need to think about so much right now. Just focus on cultivation and improvement, and that's all."

As soon as he got home from school, Xia Lin rushed into the cultivation room and began to practice the Hundred Losses Demonic Art.

The busy time in the kitchen begins again.

……

Lieutenant Colonel Puhua, Laboratory Building.

Three corpses were laid out on the autopsy table.

They are: Zhong Qiming, Zhong Ying, and the principal of Puhua Middle School.

The other three stood in front of the dissection table, hands behind their backs, expressionless.

One of them was Xia Lin's adoptive father, Xia Huangwei, and the other was Xia Lin's personal assistant, Xu Hui.

The last person was a stranger.

He was slender, like a bamboo pole, with prominent knuckles on his hands and calloused palms, and his eyes occasionally gleamed with a sharp light.

Xu Hui spoke up from the side: "The second young master has arrived home."

Xia Huangwei nodded slightly, his expression relaxing slightly. He then looked at the man with the bamboo pole and asked, "Old Jiang, what exactly is going on today?"

The man referred to as Old Chiang slowly began to speak.

“Zhong Qiming suddenly appeared at the school, killed the principal first, and then went straight to cause trouble for the second young master.”

"I hid in the shadows, ready to strike and kill Zhong Qiming at the crucial moment... but... the Second Young Master..."

Just as Old Jiang's expression changed and he was about to say something, Xia Huangwei suddenly waved his hand and said, "You killed Zhong Qiming."

Old Jiang was taken aback, then nodded: "Yes, I killed Zhong Qiming and Zhong Ying because they were hostile to the Second Young Master."

Xia Huangwei then nodded.

Old Jiang, Jiang Wufang, a grandmaster trained by the Xia family.

He was also a hidden hand lurking beside Xia Lin.

The Xia family, as one of the eight guardian sword clans, only ranked seventh. They had been weak for a long time, and with a small population, their presence was not prominent.

Unexpectedly, besides Xia Huangwei, the Xia family also had another Grandmaster hidden in their possession.

After a brief conversation that confirmed some things, Jiang Wufang immediately got up and walked out the door, disappearing without a trace.

Before long, more hurried footsteps could be heard outside the door.

As the morgue door opened, more than ten people entered the room.

The leader was burly but looked somewhat old.

He went straight to Zhong Qiming's body, briefly examined it, and then shook his head.

“I already know the situation. This time, the Zhong family was at fault first, and Zhong Qiming’s death was in vain.”

"The most urgent task is to select the next head of the Zhong family as soon as possible. Huangwei, you don't need to get involved in this matter. I will handle it myself."

Xia Huangwei nodded calmly: "I naturally trust Uncle Wang to handle things."

Wang Chengping.

The first family of the Eight Guardian Sword Clan, the Grandmaster of the Wang Family.

He is not the clan leader because his strength is not as good as that of the royal clan leader, but his Grandmaster cultivation is genuine, so he has a lot of power and influence.

The eight sword-guarding clans are closely connected, so if conflicts arise among the eight clans, the Wang family will always get involved, acting as a notary and presiding officer.

Zhong Qiming's death is indeed under the jurisdiction of the Wang family.

Xia Huangwei then added, "But I need to investigate this matter."

“Zhong Qiming, why did he want to kill my son? The Zhong family needs to give an explanation.”

Wang Chengping nodded decisively: "Don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter!"

After exchanging a few words, Xia Huangwei turned and left.

Only after leaving Lieutenant Colonel Puhua and getting into the car did Xia Huangwei let out a cold snort.

"The Eight Guardian Sword Clan, someone has forgotten their ancestral teachings..."

He had already guessed that there was a traitor within the Eight Guardian Sword Clan—and that Zhong Qiming was not the only traitor.

At the same time, he vaguely guessed the truth about how he was attacked and injured eight years ago.

That group of people must be connected to Zhong Qiming!

He turned to look at Jiang Wufang, who was already waiting in the car.

"Xia Lin will need to rely on your help a lot more, Brother Jiang."

Jiang Wufang hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just nodded.

He wanted to say that, given the second young master's rate of growth, he might not even need him as a protector for another six months.

But look at Xia Huangwei's expression.

He seemed to have noticed Xia Lin's unusual behavior as well, but chose to ignore it.

This is trust. There's no point in saying more.

……

Lieutenant Colonel Puhua, in the morgue.

The people Wang Chengping brought began to get busy.

The main purpose was to collect Zhong Qiming's body.

It's not a good thing to die under mysterious circumstances as the head of the Zhong family.

Therefore, one should still maintain a presentable appearance, as this is a matter of face for the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.

Wang Chengping stood in the corner, puffing on a cigarette.

As he watched his men wash and change Zhong Qiming's clothes and piece together his mangled body, a sinister smile suddenly appeared on Wang Chengping's face.

"You didn't die in vain."

"At the very least, it helped me find out who was protecting Xia Lin..."

Muttering this to himself, Wang Chengping threw away his cigarette butt and stomped it out.

I originally thought that the Xia family was weak, with only Xia Huangwei, a half-crippled Grandmaster.

As long as Xia Huangwei's movements are monitored, with Zhong Qiming, this fake Grandmaster, working together with several other Grandmasters, taking down Xia Lin will be more than enough.

Unexpectedly, not only did the task fail, it also cost Zhong Qiming his life.

—And Wang Chengping never considered the possibility that Xia Lin might personally kill Zhong Qiming, which is illogical.

It's just a guess that Xia Lin is most likely protected by another Grandmaster.

Now, the plan has failed, and it has even made Xia Huangwei wary...

But it’s not a big problem.

With his eyes half-closed and a moment's thought, Wang Chengping quickly came up with an idea.

"I refuse to believe that your Xia family can produce a third Grandmaster."

……

Everyone underestimated the efficiency and determination of the wallbreakers.

That night, Xia Huangwei took a private plane from Lincheng back to Shenjing.

Not long after the plane took off, the Wallbreakers made their move again.

Xia Lin Villa, in a nearby park.

Three figures faced off, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.

One of them was Jiang Wufang.

The other two are slightly weaker than Jiang Wufang, but their combined strength is still greater than Jiang Wufang's.

The fluctuations in the aura of a Grandmaster caused a strong wind to blow and dark clouds to gather.

Jiang Wufang squinted and sighed, "You're really quick. Zhong Qiming just died, and you're already in such a hurry."

The only response to Jiang Wufang was a powerful punch that came flying through the air.

……

At the same time, in Shenjing (Beijing).

Xia Lin's older brother, Xia Tian, had finished his day's journey and was returning home.

The Xia family's family rules are not strict, leaving the children with enough freedom.

When there is no danger, this is a good thing, allowing the Xia family descendants to have a normal life.

But in dangerous situations, this becomes a weakness that can be exploited.

The vehicle had just left the main road and entered the side road when a precise explosion suddenly rang out. Although it could not destroy the vehicle Xia Tian was in, it forced it to stop.

A figure descended from the sky like a falcon, stomping through the roof of the vehicle.

Rough, large hands covered in sticky blood reached into the car, intending to capture Xia Tian alive.

But then a flash of light appeared.

In front of the car, the driver quickly sheathed his sword, and a sudden surge of blood energy erupted, demonstrating his Grandmaster-level strength!
The Xia family really does have a third Grandmaster!
……

Xia Lin, who was cultivating in the villa, sensed the fluctuations of blood energy in the park.

Considering that the three opponents were all Grandmasters, whose strength was above his own, Xia Lin hesitated for a moment, then made no move and decided to observe the situation.

About ten minutes later, the fluctuations in blood and qi subsided.

A few minutes later, a knocking sound suddenly rang out.

Xia Lin got up and opened the door, and saw Yuan Yao standing in front of the door with another man who was as thin as a bamboo pole but had a slightly pale face. Upon seeing Xia Lin, the thin man, Jiang Wufang, immediately spoke.

"Second Young Master, come home with me immediately. The plane has been arranged."

Both Xia Huangwei and Jiang Wufang underestimated the determination and strength of the wallbreakers.

Given the current situation, it is highly unlikely that a Grandmaster could protect Xia Lin. The safest strategy would be to return to Shenjing and hide in the Xia family mansion.

Xia Lin then learned the identities of the three people who had just fought in the garden.

One was his covert bodyguard, while the other two were grandmasters on the side of the wallbreakers.

After a moment's thought, Xia Lin immediately nodded.

The Breakers' ability to act actually exceeded Xia Lin's expectations.

Normally, if your first plan fails, you should take a break, right?

But the wallbreakers didn't do that; when one plan failed, they immediately intensified their efforts.

The first time was with Zhong Qiming.

The Breakers made little noise about this step, still planning to do it secretly and avoid attracting attention.

They failed, and then changed their minds.

The second wave occurred a few hours later, with two Grandmasters arriving directly.

The speed at which they execute their plans and mobilize manpower is ridiculously fast.

It is conceivable that a third wave of attacks may occur before dawn, and the intensity of this third wave will only be greater than that of the second wave.

"They've gotten desperate and laid their cards on the table..."

Zhong Qiming's death seems to have disrupted the plans of the Wallbreakers organization.

But this also disrupted Xia Lin's plan to secretly develop.

After a moment's thought, Xia Lin nodded.

Go out immediately.

In front of the gate, three cars with identical license plates were already ready.

Beside him, Jiang Wufang spoke quickly.

"The master's private plane is turning around and will meet us at Lincheng Airport."

"But I was worried about safety on the road, so I arranged three convoys as a smokescreen."

After saying that, he looked at Yuan Yao.

"Take the young master and set off along the side path."

Yuan Yao nodded immediately.

Having just fought two Grandmasters who had broken through the barriers, Jiang Wufang was nearly exhausted and suffered considerable injuries.

He is currently injured, and his fighting strength is reduced to less than one-tenth.

Not only would he attract more attention by staying by Xia Lin's side, but he also wouldn't be able to fulfill the duties of a bodyguard.

Therefore, it was a very reasonable decision to have Yuan Yao take Xia Lin with him.

More importantly, Jiang Wufang knew exactly how Xia Lin had won over Zhong Qiming.

His second son is quite capable of protecting himself.

The vehicles started and the three cars split into three groups and headed towards Lincheng Airport.

Just as they left the villa area, police cars followed Jiang Wufang, sirens blaring.

Using public resources for private purposes also adds to its credibility.

Xia Lin, however, sat in the car, gazing intently at Jiang Wufang as he drove away, and suddenly spoke.

Is there a problem back home?

The voice was calm, yet its tone was eerie.

Because of this sentence, Xia Lin incorporated some techniques from the Heart-Eating Soul-Stealing Technique.

As a foundational skill, the Mind-Seizing and Soul-Stealing Technique is not only a forceful soul-searching technique, but also a profound martial arts skill.

Incorporating this technique into your voice or movements can achieve a very good "interrogation" effect.

Of course, using the word "interrogation" is not quite appropriate for Yuan Yao, but that is the general idea.

In the driver's seat, Yuan Yao's eyes flickered.

He was injured during the day.

The situation was urgent, and Yuan Yao was on edge.

His strength is also weaker than Xia Lin's.

In this state, he clearly couldn't withstand the power of the Mind-Seizing and Soul-Stealing Technique.

Speak up immediately.

"Back in Shenjing, the eldest young master was also attacked."

“This attack was not directed at you, Second Young Master, but at all those with the bloodline of the Xia family. Furthermore, the Master suspects that there is a traitor within the Eight Guardian Sword Clan.”

The next sentence is information that Xia Lin already knows.

However, Xia Lin had only just learned about the previous sentence.

He turned back to look out the window, and his voice slowly rose.

"My older brother was attacked too... How is he?"

"There's nothing to worry about for now. The young master has returned home, and you can rest assured about the security at home."

Xia Lin didn't know how many trump cards the Xia family and Xia Huangwei had, or whether the power in Shenjing was sufficient.

But a strange sense of tension and anger rose in my heart.

The tension slowly subsided, but the anger intensified!

The concept of home is deeply ingrained in the very marrow of the original owner of the body.

Even when he himself was attacked, the original owner of the body did not show any extra reaction. However, when he heard that Xia Tian had also been attacked, the original owner of the body suddenly burst out with strong emotions.

Emotions even transformed into tasks.

[Identity quest triggered!]

[Identity Mission: Nip it in the bud!]

[Nip it in the bud: The actions of the Wallbreakers have thoroughly enraged you! You are determined to make them pay a heavy price for their decisions and actions!]

[Mission Objective: To harm or even destroy the Wallbreaker organization by any means necessary.]

[Penalty for mission failure: None. 】

[Mission Success Reward: Based on the damage and losses you inflict on the Breakers organization, you will receive varying amounts of power unlocking!]

A sudden gust of wind swept through, gently striking Yuan Yao on the back of the head.

Yuan Yao was knocked unconscious on the spot, but a trace of blood spurted out from the back seat and precisely pierced through the car's engine.

The vehicle stalled on the spot. Xia Lin sighed, pushed open the car door, and got out.

With one hand, she dragged the vehicle to a secluded spot, glanced back at the sleeping Yuan Yao, thought for a moment, tore off her clothes, bit her fingertip, and left a note.

Xia Lin stuffed the note into Yuan Yao's arms and turned to leave.

As he walked, his body swelled, quickly growing to a size of two meters.

With his clothes bursting, Xia Lin took out prop-level clothing from his personal space and put it on properly.

The disguise is complete.

The figure gradually disappeared by the roadside.

Yet a low murmur could be heard, faintly rising with the sound of the wind.

"This is what anger feels like..."

"To be honest, this feeling is familiar to me. I used to be filled with anger."

"So I know that anger solves nothing."

As his emotions gradually calmed down, Xia Lin grinned again.

"But holding your breath is bad for your health."

"Then let's just make a big scene."