This martial saint is too cautious.

Chapter 326: Handiwork (Third Update, Please Read On)

"Senior, please don't joke around."

Lin Yan's expression turned serious. He didn't think he was the one the other party had arranged to slay the dragon.

If I hadn't happened to get involved in the Li family's conspiracy, I'm afraid this Senior Luo would never have mentioned these things to me.

More likely, this senior Luo discovered at the last minute that he was a good fit.

I would never do the work of a temporary worker.

As for the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, if it can't even handle a dragon that hasn't yet transformed into a dragon, then it might as well disband the court as soon as possible.

"I'm not joking with you."

Luo Lie's expression also turned serious: "Once that beast emerges from the water, someone will naturally be able to kill it, but in doing so, the people traveling in southern Sichuan will surely suffer. How can the life of that beast be worth the lives of hundreds of millions of people in southern Sichuan?"

"What if we evacuate early?"

"The common people can be evacuated, but thousands of miles of fertile land and homes—these cannot be taken away. Young friend Lin, can you bear to see hundreds of millions of people in my southern Sichuan region displaced?"

"Are you trying to morally blackmail me?"

Lin Yan wanted to say, "I have no morals," but looking at Luo Lie's sincere eyes and the scene of hundreds of millions of people being displaced in his mind, he finally fell silent.

"Everyone says they should be selfish and stay far away from any crisis, but why can't they do it?"

Lin Yan cursed himself, "Knowledge and action must be one!"

No wonder that in ancient times, anyone who could achieve this was considered a saint, because it was extremely difficult to do.

"Senior Luo, you might as well just say how you plan to slay this dragon. Let me make it clear beforehand: if I feel that I am not capable enough and will not agree, I believe that Senior Lin has more than just me in mind."

Upon hearing Lin Yan's reply, Luo Lie nodded slightly: "The plan is simple: enter the water and kill that beast. And young friend Lin is indeed not the only candidate. Besides young friend Lin, I have also selected several other outstanding talents."

"Didn't they say they couldn't find that beast's location?"

Lin Yan frowned. If the location could be determined, he could simply have the experts from the Great Zhou Dynasty take action.

"The beast's aura will be revealed an hour before it emerges from the water, and that hour will be the opportunity to slay the dragon."

Before Lin Yan could ask any further questions, Luo Lie continued, "Young friend Lin is probably wondering why we were able to find that beast, and why we needed your help. That's because that beast is hiding in a secret realm. This secret realm has never appeared in the world before, but according to the information I've gathered over the years, it's highly likely that it was left behind by that powerful array master from the Shu-Nan Kingdom ten thousand years ago. The Li family's cooperation with that beast is probably aimed at the inheritance of that powerful array master from the Shu-Nan Kingdom within that secret realm."

"The secret realm left behind by a master of array formations must have strict requirements for those who wish to enter. Even we Dharma Aspect Realm experts may not have the opportunity to enter."

"Senior, I am also a Dharma Aspect Realm expert."

"But young friend Lin is not even forty, not even thirty. Perhaps the secret realm of this senior's inheritance is age-restricted?"

Luo Lie looked at Lin Yan, who fell into deep thought.

He understood what Luo Lie meant; he should only be one of the candidates.

Regarding this secret realm, Lord Luo should have made multiple preparations, including a group of younger people and a group of body-tempering martial artists.

"Senior, I have another question. What is that beast's strength?"

"This beast can send dreams, which is equivalent to the third stage of the Dharma Aspect realm. However, when this beast transforms into a dragon, all its supernatural powers will be restricted, leaving only its original form, and its realm will be at the first stage of the Dharma Aspect realm."

"How long will it take for that monstrous beast to transform into a dragon?"

"Based on the current progress, it will be within five years."

"6

Five years?

If I were to open my own thirty-zhang cave dwelling and cultivate to the fifth level of the Void Realm, I might be able to fight that beast.

Lin Yan nodded: "Junior understands. Senior wants me to be a candidate to slay the dragon, and I can agree, but on the condition that Senior also agrees to one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"Evacuate the people in advance."

After saying that, Lin Yan sighed inwardly.

He could never do what those in power do, treating the people like dirt.

This was also the first time he had proposed conditions not for his own benefit.

There is no other reason, perhaps it is simply because he also comes from a world that belongs to the people.

Luo Lie hadn't expected Lin Yan to make such a condition. His old eyes narrowed sharply. He now understood why the Marquis had taken a liking to Lin Yan at first sight and given him special treatment.

You have to understand that at that time, Lin Yan was only at the ninth level of the True Qi Realm. He couldn't even catch the eye of the Marquis, let alone himself.

Those who hate evil as if it were their enemy must also have a compassionate heart.

"On behalf of the people of southern Sichuan, I thank you, young friend Lin."

Luo Lie stood up and, in his capacity as inspector, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lin Yan.

"Senior, please don't flatter me. I also come from humble beginnings and know the suffering of the common people. But if I find myself no match for that beast, I will retreat at any time. I hope you can understand."

"Yes, I understand."

With the matter settled, Luo Lie took full responsibility for handling the situation with the Li family, ensuring they wouldn't target him.

On a certain mountain peak, there is a ten-zhang-long furnace with raging flames burning below.

"My lord, a letter has arrived from Lord Luo, the Daoist of Southern Sichuan."

In front of the furnace, a man dressed in a blue robe spoke respectfully.

"Yes, I understand."

A few breaths later, a majestic figure dressed in casual clothes emerged from the furnace, took the letter handed to him by the man in the blue robe, and slowly unfolded it.

The next moment, a smile appeared on the face of the man in plain clothes.

"Evacuate the people of southern Sichuan ahead of schedule—this condition—I have not misjudged you."

"My lord, what do you mean?"

"Wenxing, see for yourself."

The man in the blue robe took the letter from the Marquis, and after reading its contents, he understood why the Marquis had laughed.

This Lin Yan—this time he has truly caught the Marquis's eye.

Among the eight great marquises of the land, there are those who guard the south and those who guard the north, each with an increasingly imposing title. Yet, this particular marquis ultimately referred to himself as the Marquis of the Common People.

"If we evacuate the people ahead of schedule, I'm afraid the Li family will get wind of it."

"So what if they got wind of it? The Li family has already driven themselves to their doom, and they can't even extricate themselves from it now."

The Marquis in his ordinary clothes had a look of disdain on his face: "The Li family thinks they can keep their actions secret, but it's not just my family that knows their secrets; I'm afraid there are quite a few other people watching as well."

"And these people?"

"Some people don't care whether it's flooding several prefectures or dozens of prefectures. Their goal is the inheritance of that array master. All martial arts in the world can use array diagrams. If they are enhanced by array diagrams, their power will be greatly increased."

After the Marquis in civilian clothes finished speaking, he asked, "Has Lin Yan just broken through to the Dharma Aspect Realm?"

"It has been more than three months since the breakthrough, and the Divine Palace should have been formed. He is now ranked ninety-third on the Dharma Aspect Prodigy Ranking."

"Ninety-third on the list of prodigies, not bad."

After pondering for a while, the Marquis in ordinary clothes said, "Based on his conditions, he can use my points to exchange for a high-grade medicine from the imperial court. Then, Luo Lie can give this medicine to Lin Yan without having to do it in my name."

"My lord?"

The man in the blue robe looked shocked. A grade-up medicine could raise the spiritual power of a Void Realm martial artist by one grade. Such a medicine—even with the treatment of a marquis, it would take three years to exchange for one in the imperial court.

"Based on the conditions he proposed, he's worth this powerful medicine. Go and do it."

The Marquis in his ordinary clothes waved his hand and walked back into the furnace.

Li family.

"Father, our water fortress has been wiped out."

"I understand."

Li Wuyu looked at his son and said, "As for this matter, Deputy Inspector Rong has already explained it to me at the Inspector's Office. We were just caught in the crossfire, so let's just let it go."

"Just let it go?"

Li Cheng was somewhat unwilling, as even a half-step Dharma Aspect Realm cultivator had died this time.

"What else can we do but forget about it? How do we explain that my Li family's water fortress sheltered bandits?"

Li Wuyu glared at his son: "I have told you to be careful in your actions. Why did you take in those bandits?"

""

"I—I thought that those bandits were quite strong, most of them were at the True Qi Realm. If we took them in and let them serve our Li family, then the entire waterway of the Shu Nan Xingdao would be under our Li family's control in the future."

"Cheng'er".

Li Wuyu sighed softly: "You must remember, the reason I trained some water bandits and allowed them to occupy various waterways in southern Sichuan was not to control these waterways."

"Isn't it to control these waters?"

Li Cheng looked puzzled. If it wasn't to control these waters, then what was the point of his father's investment in the various waterways of southern Sichuan over the years?

"There are some clan secrets that I cannot tell you right now, but for now, we must not cause any unnecessary trouble."

"I understand."

"At the Inspector's Mansion, Lin Yan once again awaited the arrival of Night Owl."

"Brother Night Owl, please come in quickly!"

Lin Yan had been staying at the Inspector's Mansion for the past few days, and upon receiving a report from the servants there, he immediately went out to greet them.

At Lin Yan's enthusiasm, a smile curled at the corner of Night Owl's mouth beneath his mask: "Emei Peak is really quite pragmatic. Why weren't they this welcoming last time?"

"Haha, Brother Night Owl has a deep misunderstanding about me. Last time, we were both just arriving in Shu Nan to travel, so neither of us could be considered a host. I was unable to welcome Brother Night Owl."

Lin Yan ignored the sarcastic tone in Ye Xiao's words and led Ye Xiao towards the courtyard where they lived.

If you're going to get a treasure, what's wrong with being teased a few times?

-

The two entered the courtyard. Even through the mask, Night Owl could feel the expectation in Lin Yan's eyes. Without any hesitation, he took out two boxes from his pocket and placed them on the table.

Lin Yan stepped forward and opened the first box. When he saw the purple bead inside that emitted a dazzling light, Lin Yan's eyes lit up. After admiring it quietly for a few moments, he closed the box.

Next, open the second box.

The second box contained a booklet, still smelling of ink, and judging from the sheen of the pages, it was a new copy.

However, Lin Yan could understand that Night Owl would not give him the original cultivation technique.

"The Breaking Palace Pearl only has a high probability of enabling a Divine Palace to break through its limits; it does not guarantee success."

Seeing the excitement in Lin Yan's eyes, Night Owl coldly said, "As for the Dharma Aspect Weapon Technique, it can only be cultivated after the Dharma Aspect has been manifested, and it has extremely high requirements for the soul. If the soul strength is not sufficient, it is possible to fail in cultivation."

"clear."

Lin Yan nodded: "Brother Night Owl, don't worry. If I fail, it's my own problem and has nothing to do with you."

There is no treasure in this world that guarantees 100% success in martial arts breakthroughs. Just like doctors in my previous life, there is no absolute cure. To be precise, there is a 99% chance of recovery.

"You know this already, about that strange beast egg—"

"I'll take Brother Night Owl there right away."

"No need to bring it, just tell me the location and I'll go get it myself."

Taking away the alien beast egg was not a simple matter, and he didn't want Emei Peak to know too much.

"Go get it yourself?"

Lin Yan was somewhat surprised, but then she thought it was for the best, at least she was absolutely safe.

Don't worry about Night Owl getting the monster egg and then changing his mind.

"Okay, I'll draw you a map."

Back inside, Lin Yan picked up paper and pen and drew the location of the Yundang Mountains and the canyon.

"The monster egg is in this canyon crevice, but there's an energy that blocks perception; you have to get close to find it."

Night Owl listened quietly to Lin Yan's explanation, and he knew in his heart that this was a restriction set up by the strange beast to protect its cubs, but breaking it was not difficult for him.

Having taken the map, Night Owl didn't linger and left immediately.

The Yundang Mountains are located on the Beihai Road, some distance from the Shu Nan Road. He must contact his clansmen as soon as possible to retrieve the strange beast egg.

After seeing Night Owl off, Lin Yan returned to his room to study the Dharma Image Weapon Technique.

Although one cannot cultivate the techniques, one can memorize the techniques so that there is no need to carry the manual with one's body.

Lin Yan opened the booklet; the first page contained only a few lines of general principles: "The Dharma Form is the manifestation of the will of martial arts."

"Those who wield weapons represent the pinnacle of martial arts."

"Use the divine to govern the law, nourish the spirit to nurture the form, and unite the weapon and the form, and the sharpness will naturally arise."

As Lin Yan read through the pages, word by word, his brows relaxed more and more.

"Who created this technique? It's so exquisite!"

The "Dharma Image Holding Weapon Technique" is not an ordinary martial art, but a method of controlling Dharma images based on the soul.

As for the requirements of this method on the spirit and soul—

Lin Yan's lips curled up slightly. He believed that the Undying Mountain Technique he cultivated should be able to meet this requirement for the strength of his divine soul.

Just as Lin Yan finished memorizing the "Dharma Image Holding Weapon Technique" and was preparing to study the Broken Mansion Pearl, footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

Is Lord Emei Peak present?

"Hold on."

Lin Yan stepped out of the door and realized that the person who had led him into the mansion was the same middle-aged man who had first brought him in.

"Lord Emei Peak, Lord Luo specifically ordered me to deliver this box."

Looking at the box held in the middle-aged man's hands, Lin Yan's eyes showed surprise. What did it mean? Lord Luo had also prepared a gift for him?

What's inside the box?

"This... I don't know."

Seeing the middle-aged man shake his head, Lin Yan didn't hesitate. He took the box, thanked him, and went back inside.

"What's the special day today?"

Back inside, looking at the two boxes on the table, and then at the one in his hand, Lin Yan couldn't help but mutter something to himself.

The next moment, Lin Yan opened the brocade box in his hand.

The moment the box was opened...

boom!

Lin Yan immediately shut the door, his eyes gleaming, and he gasped, "Holy crap, such a grand gesture."