In the world of martial arts, one works tirelessly to attain enlightenment.

Chapter 53, The Sword Tomb Inheritor, the Cursed One

"Captain? You're actually resting? That's unusual."

Yan Lingfei was surprised. She came down almost every day, but she never saw Lin Ran.

Lin Ran smiled and said, "Yes, I was tired from cultivating, so I came out to rest for a while."

He glanced at her and recognized that Yan Lingfei had also reached the tenth level of the lower-level Awakener, a stage where she could begin preparing to break through to the middle-level Awakener.

Yan Lingfei sat down beside her, crossed her hands to support her chin, and said with a smile, "Captain, you rarely have free time, how about you come with me to a party? It'll be a good way to relax."

"A party? Tell me about it,"

"Elite members from the human race's mother realm plan to join forces to hunt down the alien race after entering the secret realm."

"The news about the alien races is not limited to the five races we know now; there are also powerful races coming from deep within the battlefield."

"These races possess a mother world and subordinate worlds. The beings that come to the edge of the battlefield are not the strongest, but it can be said that they are hard to beat."

"This party is also part of our advance planning to deal with these powerful beings."

"What races are there?" Lin Ran asked, intrigued.

"I wasn't interested, so I didn't ask any further questions. The other people at the party must know."

Yan Lingfei shook her head and moved closer.

"Captain, come with me!"

"When?" Lin Ran decided to relax for a moment.

He plans to return and make a final push to become a mid-level Awakened, and then add another mental skill.

"Let me ask."

Yan Lingfei took out the battlefield communicator and, after a brief exchange, said, "Captain, if you're free, let's have it tonight. Actually, a large part of the reason for this party is for you, Captain."

"It's just that you've been focusing on your cultivation, so the event hasn't been held yet."

Lin Ran asked in surprise, "Do I have that much influence?"

Yan Lingfei was speechless for a moment.

"Captain, you may be underestimating your own value. People trained in the elite program have a great chance of entering the upper echelons of the alliance in the future, and these people will be involved in the political system."

"There are so many intricacies in this kind of place, but no matter how many intricacies there are, you still need to have enough power in your hands."

"You couldn't find ten people like you in the entire elite program—someone who doesn't participate in politics, is solely for humanity, and has a clean background!"

"Except for a very few people, you are the target of most members' efforts to win you over, and you may play a key role in the future."

After listening, Lin Ran couldn't help but shake her head. "Tsk, I suddenly feel that this party is a bit boring."

Yan Lingfei shook Lin Ran's hand, "Not necessarily. There are seven or eight other people like that. They know you're attending the party, Brother Lin, so they'll probably come too."

"So, what do you want to do?"

Lin Ran glanced at Yan Lingfei, not believing that she had no ulterior motives.

Yan Lingfei chuckled, "Captain, pretty girls always have a lot of suitors, so you know what I mean."

"It's a pointless argument. There's still some time before dark. If those people you mentioned are going, I'll go with them."

Lin Ran withdrew her hand and opened the game cached in the terminal to relax.

"Alright."

Yan Lingfei was not surprised and began contacting other people.

……

As night fell, Baiyujing, its branch store, second floor.

Lin Ran still came, because Yan Lingfei contacted the others, and three people, seeing his impressive performance against the alien races, accepted the invitation and postponed their cultivation to attend the banquet.

The others remained focused on their cultivation and did not want to get involved in these matters.

A secluded corner seat.

When Lin Ran arrived, two people had already arrived.

A girl of about twenty years old, holding a long sword, wearing a pure white dress, with white hair reaching her waist, bloodshot eyes, and an expressionless face, had a delicate appearance like a porcelain doll.

The other person was draped in a black cloak that covered everything below the shoulders. His short hair and eyes were a deathly gray, but his appearance was comparable to that of the woman holding the sword.

Lin Ran calmly approached, observing the two of them, while also being observed herself.

The woman holding the sword, Jian Linglong, is a tenth-level lower-level awakened being. She is from the most mysterious force in the Human Alliance and is the inheritor of the Sword Tomb. Only the inheritors of each generation can be given the surname "Sword".

The cloaked woman, Zhou Yu, is a tenth-level lower-level Awakener from a legacy even more mysterious than the Sword Tomb—a Cursed One!

There can be a maximum of three cursed individuals in each generation. If all the successors of the same generation die, the succession will automatically select the next successor.

"Hello, I'm Lin Ran."

Jian Linglong nodded, her voice clear yet carrying a chill that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Hello, I am Jian Linglong."

"I am Zhou Yu."

Zhou Yu's voice was hoarse, and she had no desire to chat.

Lin Ran carefully sensed Jian Linglong's aura and realized that it was not spiritual energy, but sharper and stronger than spiritual energy. It was the sword energy unique to the sword path inheritance!

Around Zhou Yu, there was an indescribable obscurity; once one got close, it felt like sinking into a quagmire, and being rapidly corroded and worn away.

The perception was bidirectional; both Jian Linglong and Zhou Yu were observing Lin Ran's aura.

But the feedback was weak; all one could "see" was a bright but warm fire, and a thick, forgiving earth, with a vague, invisible wind and darkness.

The sofa area was silent, but not awkward.

All three parties are testing, in their own ways, whether the others are qualified to sit here.

Soon after, Jian Linglong took the initiative to probe.

She looked at Lin Ran, and two crossed swords appeared in her crimson eyes. An invisible sword aura arose out of thin air and pierced towards Lin Ran's brow.

Lin Ran responded with her gaze, a crimson light flashing in her eyes as she instantly activated her pupil technique.

boom!

The eye technique and sword energy collided, freezing for a moment before exploding. The shattered spiritual energy spread in all directions, and the aftershocks shattered everything in the sofa area except for the three people sitting there.

The ground was shattered, and the floor-to-ceiling window next to it was also reduced to countless fragments. The loud noise silenced the hall, and all eyes turned to look.

Lin Ran's eyes narrowed slightly, and an even more brilliant crimson light flashed by.

Jian Linglong pointed her fingers together to form a sword and slashed forward. A crimson crescent moon appeared out of thin air and attacked, shattering her sword aura with a snap. The aftershock hit the sword in her arms and sent her flying.

The instant the sword was knocked away,

Lin Ran felt her body sink, as if she had entered a swamp. Exhaustion was spreading from all parts of her body, and a strong sense of drowsiness and fatigue filled her mind. The thought of resting and relaxing overwhelmed her consciousness.

The circulation of dark spiritual energy, wind spiritual energy, and earth spiritual energy stopped abruptly, losing their destructive power.

The fire elemental energy was at its maximum and did not immediately stop circulating, but without command, it could not resist.

Just as Lin Ran was about to close her eyes, she suddenly looked down and saw her palm. She immediately activated her pupil technique, and a scar appeared out of thin air on her palm.

The burning flames seared his wounds, bringing him to his senses somewhat, and then he looked at Zhou Yu.

boom!

A strange gray rune appeared out of thin air in front of Zhou Yu, but it was shattered by the pupil technique in the next moment. The residual power impacted Zhou Yu, bringing up a strong wind.

Lin Ran's gaze involuntarily slid downwards. Was this scale for real?

Yunzhu is rather thin, but unusually plump. I never expected someone could be even more outstanding!

Zhou Yu remained expressionless, her gray eyes welling up with mist, which immediately spread across the surroundings, enveloping the sofa area.

Jian Linglong gripped the hilt of her sword and took a step forward, rushing into the mist.

After a brief silence, the fog burst open.

(End of this chapter)