This martial saint is too cautious.

Birds flap their wings, and the cold wind howls.

The distance from the Seven Star Sword Sect to Foshan Prefecture is not short, several thousand miles, but at the speed of flying birds, it only takes two hours to arrive.

Lin Yan sat on the bird's back, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Instead of cultivating the Taiyi Divine Technique, he organized and summarized the Eight Heavenly Sounds in his mind.

The information contained in the Eight Heavenly Sounds is vast. Even though he has grasped the framework, it will still take him a long time to digest the first three sounds, "Central, Vibrating, and Swaying," into his own combat system.

The absence of the Heavenly Sound Fruit does not mean that the Eight Heavenly Sounds are completely useless.

Based on the information from the character "振" (zhen), combined with what he had learned in the "Nine Strikes" technique, Lin Yan has made further breakthroughs in the Nine Strikes technique over the past few days.

Perhaps, once Shen's resonance reaches the first level, the Nine Strikes Technique can be evolved to further enhance its close-range attack power.

"We've arrived in Foshan Prefecture, but we're heading directly to the mountain range where the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm is located."

Jiang Munian, who was leading the way, gave a brief speech, and the group controlled their flying beasts to continue forward while simultaneously decreasing their altitude.

Lin Yan looked up and saw a prefectural city below. Unlike other prefectural cities, Foshan prefectural city was divided into many areas. Looking down, one could clearly see dozens of large courtyards covering hundreds of acres.

"Foshan is a place where martial arts are extremely prosperous in southern Guangdong. Unlike other places where sects and families dominate, Foshan has many martial arts schools, with hundreds of them of all sizes. Among them are many martial arts schools with powerful Dharma Aspect experts. The Martial Lion Tournament, held every ten years, is extremely lively and is the grandest event in martial arts in southern Guangdong. It not only attracts martial artists from southern Guangdong, but also martial artists from other sects. If you junior brothers are interested, you might as well stay for a while after the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm ends. The Martial Lion Tournament will start in half a year."

Jiang Munian introduced with a smile, while Zhao Qing nodded: "I've also heard about the popularity of martial arts schools in Foshan. It's probably related to the martial arts master from back then."

"Junior Brother Zhao is right. The Martial Saint once visited Foshan and said something: 'When martial arts schools prosper, martial arts prosper.' It is because of this saying that martial arts schools in Foshan have continued to exist."

"Did that Martial Saint really say that?" Pei Wujiu asked curiously.

"Well... that happened so long ago, no one can verify it now."

Jiang Munian hesitated for a moment: "This martial arts master left his calligraphy only on Mount Tai. He did not leave any other calligraphy anywhere else. But because of this one sentence, Foshan has always maintained the pattern of one hundred martial arts schools, which are divided into three grades: high-grade martial arts schools, mid-grade martial arts schools, and ordinary martial arts schools."

"The Martial Lion Championship, held every ten years, is a new ranking competition, especially for the four top-tier martial arts schools, which all send their Dharma Aspect disciples to compete."

"Even Dharma Aspect level experts have mobilized; must the rewards for this Martial Lion Tournament be incredibly generous?"

Lin Yan couldn't help but ask, "Even a major sect like the Taiyi Sword Sect often controls its battles to the level of Dharma Aspect. Even the Sword Inheritance Tournament, which symbolizes sword geniuses, only has a maximum level of half-step Dharma Aspect."

In competitions between sects, disciples are usually sent to participate.

A strong disciple indicates a more complete system for training disciples, which in turn attracts more potential disciples to join.

The reason why a sect can prosper for a long time is not because of one or two geniuses or one or two top experts, but because of a group of good disciples who enter the sect, and then the outstanding ones gradually emerge, and so on, generation after generation.

The special treatment given to geniuses, how to maintain fairness among disciples, how to guide competition, and how to allocate resources within the sect's jurisdiction all require a sound system to maintain.

Sects with only one or two top experts are mostly focused on cultivation and have no time to attend to the sect's affairs. They can only manage major events, resulting in numerous factions within the sect. From disciples to stewards and even elders, they fight each other for resources and power. Ultimately, with the departure of the top experts, the sect will inevitably fall apart.

:

A sect needs a group of people who sacrifice their martial arts training time to manage the sect. These people dedicate some of their energy to the sect's operation and the training of disciples, in exchange for the sect's contributions.

Most of these martial arts masters already know that it is difficult for them to break through their martial arts realm. They rely on managing and operating their sects to keep the sects prosperous. The prosperity of the sects can also protect their family descendants.

The maintenance of this system is the foundation for the prosperity of a sect.

The more comprehensive this system is, the more guaranteed the disciples' abilities will be.

The second reason for keeping sectarian conflicts under the control of the Dharma Aspect level is that battles between Dharma Aspect level experts can easily get out of control and eventually escalate into a full-scale war between the two sects.

Upon hearing Lin Yan's question, Jiang Munian replied with a smile, "Junior Brother Lin, you may not know this, but Foshan Martial Arts School has always maintained a number of one hundred schools, and there are only four top-grade martial arts schools. As long as you are ranked as top-grade, you can not only obtain a large amount of martial arts resources in the mountainous region, but also receive a lot of resources from the current imperial court. Foshan Martial Arts School radiates throughout the entire southern Guangdong region."

"Will the imperial court also provide it?"

Lin Yan was genuinely surprised. If the struggle for supremacy in the Central Plains was won by the four great martial arts masters of the Central Plains through their appeal to the imperial court, then what gave this Foshan martial arts school the right to do so?

"Based on the words of the Martial Saint, this applies not only to the present dynasty but also to the previous dynasty."

Jiang Munian's attitude towards Lin Yan was warmer than before, because he already knew that Lin Yan had defeated Fang Muyuan.

The Martial Saint holds immense weight in the hearts of martial artists throughout the world.

When martial arts schools prosper, martial arts will prosper.

In short, both the previous and current dynasties can only offer support to the Foshan martial arts school.

Of course, the Foshan martial arts school did not restrict where its disciples went, and many of its disciples later joined the imperial court.

"The Huo, Huang, Ye, and Tan schools, the four top-tier martial arts schools in Foshan, haven't changed in thousands of years, have they?" Pei Wujiu added.

"Hmm." Jiang Munian nodded: "It has indeed remained unchanged, but just because it hasn't changed in the past doesn't mean it won't change now. There are several mid-grade martial arts schools that are also very strong and have the opportunity to replace one of these four. My father predicts that the Martial Lion Championship will become increasingly fierce in the next few years."

"No matter how fierce the competition is among martial arts schools in Foshan, it has nothing to do with us. Our goal is the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm."

Zhao Qing said something, and Lin Yan didn't ask any further questions; he just said yes.

……

An hour later.

"We've arrived at the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm."

Upon hearing Jiang Munian's words, Lin Yan looked ahead. On the horizon, he could see the outlines of several towering black mountains, shrouded in a layer of hazy mist.

The next moment, a glimmer of light appeared within the dark fog.

A thunderbolt appeared!

Almost every few breaths, a bolt of lightning would strike.

:

Outside Foshan Prefecture, there is a mountain called Leishan, where lightning strikes year after year.

Lin Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. Even from such a distance, he could feel the wood-attribute energy emanating from that mountain range.

Thunder belongs to the element of wood, representing the most violent form of wood.

"Fellow disciples, you may leave now."

Seven birds flew down together, heading towards the foot of Leishan Mountain.

Leishan Town.

When the birds landed at the post station in Leishan Town, Lin Yan glanced around and saw that many of the sheds in the post station were filled with birds.

Leishan Town is the only town in China that has a post station for feeding birds.

"There are quite a lot of people."

Jiang Munian glanced at the birds in the sheds and said, "Junior brothers, I have booked inns for you all in advance. However, every time the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm opens, there are a lot of martial artists coming, so the environment may not be very good. Please bear with me."

"Senior Brother Jiang, you're too kind. We're here to participate in the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm, and we don't have many requirements regarding our accommodations."

Zhao Qing smiled slightly. The Thunder Swamp Secret Realm would open in a day or two. For these Void Realm experts, it wouldn't be a problem to stay in an ordinary inn or even sit cross-legged in the wilderness to cultivate and wait.

Just as the seven were about to get up and leave, another bird landed, and an old man in gray robes tumbled down from a jet-black eagle.

The old man was thin and gaunt, and at first glance, he seemed to have no origins, but Lin Yan sensed danger emanating from him.

As Lin Yan was sizing up the old man, the old man's gaze also fell upon them. When he saw Lin Yan and the others' clothing and the long swords they carried, his old eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded before leaving on his own.

Once the old man's figure disappeared, Jiang Munian frowned slightly: "Why did this person come?"

"Senior Brother Jiang, what is this person's background? Judging from his cultivation level, he is at least at the fifth level of the Void Realm."

As a fourth-level Void Realm expert, Zhao Qing could only be seen through by someone at least at the fifth level of the Void Realm.

"Junior Brother Zhao, this is the sixth level of the Void Realm, the vice master of the Cangying Martial Arts School in Foshan Prefecture, and he is now eighty-five years old."

"Coming again at eighty-five?"

Pei Wujiu looked somewhat speechless. At such an advanced age, did he really think he could rely on the Thunder Swamp Spirit to break through to the second stage of the Dharma Aspect realm?

"There are some, but this person's target should be the Spirit of Thunder, which will not conflict with us."

The Spirit of Thunder Swamp is something that only those at the fifth or even sixth level of the Void Realm have a chance to obtain, while their goal is the Thunder Pool, so there is no conflict between the two.

The seven entered the town, which was bustling with people, all of whom were martial artists carrying various weapons. The shops on both sides of the street were also crowded with people.

:

"Every time the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm opens, many martial artists come here. After all, in principle, even True Qi Realm cultivators can enter the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm. Of course, most of them are just here to join in the fun, which has led to the emergence of these shops. Many martial artists will bring out items of unknown origin that they have found in some mountains or other places to sell, since it is difficult to gather so many Dharma Aspect Realm experts."

Jiang Munian led the group while introducing the group.

The martial artists on the street silently made way for Lin Yan and his group. Even though Lin Yan and his group didn't release their aura, their presence as Dharma Aspect experts was unmistakable and they were not to be trifled with.

Lin Yan did not release his divine soul to sense anything. If he used his divine soul to sense anything, he would be easily seen as provoking others if he were discovered.

With the opening of the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm imminent, there's no need to create unnecessary trouble.

Soon, the group arrived at an inn.

Lin Yan then realized that what Senior Brother Jiang meant by "poor hospitality" was simply that he hadn't booked the best inn in Leishan Town.

"Junior brothers, you can go to the backyard to rest for a while, or you can take a stroll around Leishan Town. I'll go and find out the specific situation of the martial artists who entered the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm this time."

"Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother Jiang."

After Jiang Munian left, everyone else went back to their rooms to rest and recuperate, while Lin Yan stayed in her room for a while before deciding to go out for a walk.

Jiang's words had just piqued his interest.

Many true martial artists will put up items of unknown origin and function for sale; you might just find a bargain.

In particular, martial artists below the Dharma Aspect level know very little about many objects related to strange beasts.

After changing into casual clothes, Lin Yan turned and left the courtyard.

"Going out at this hour."

In another courtyard, Zhao Qing sensed Lin Yan leaving the inn and let out a soft hum.

"Senior Brother Zhao, Junior Brother Lin is still young, so it's understandable that he likes excitement."

Pei Wujiu smiled and explained to Lin Yan.

At the same time, these words were a subtle reminder to Senior Brother Zhao and the others that there was no need to be so hostile towards Junior Brother Lin, given his talent.

"By the way, Junior Brother Lin told me not long ago that he has already reached the second stage of the Void Realm."

As Pei Wujiu had predicted, upon hearing that Lin Yan had broken through to the second stage of the Void Phase realm, Senior Brother Zhao and the others' expressions changed slightly.

"Senior Brother Zhao, Junior Brother Lin is also a Dharma Aspect prodigy of our Taiyi Sword Sect. We should prioritize the overall situation."

Hearing Pei Wujiu's words, Zhao Qing remained silent for a while before speaking: "Junior Brother Pei, I'm afraid that if things continue like this, Lin Yan will eventually surpass you."

"If Junior Brother Lin can continue to be one step ahead of me, I will only be happy for him and for my Taiyi Sword Sect. This means that my Taiyi Sword Sect has produced a super genius above all others."

Pei Wujiu's expression was solemn, and his tone was sincere, without a trace of pretense.

:

Zhao Qing and the other three exchanged glances, surprised that Junior Brother Pei thought that way.

Junior Brother Pei, a prodigy from the Zhengxin Hall, was actually willing to serve as an assistant.

"Junior Brother Pei, is your First Clan Leader aware of this decision?"

"If Junior Brother Lin can do it, I will persuade Master."

Upon hearing Pei Wujiu's words, Zhao Qing and the other three did not continue the topic. Before this, the four of them had a tacit understanding that no matter what happened in the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm, they had to ensure that Junior Brother Pei could successfully advance.

But judging from Junior Brother Pei's words, he wanted to protect Lin Yan first.

They need to discuss this matter privately before making a decision.

Seeing his senior brothers remain silent, Pei Wujiu sighed inwardly. He decided to let the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm decide who would lead and who would assist between him and Lin Yan. He wanted to confirm this as soon as possible to avoid any future factional divisions caused by this matter.

……

On the streets of Leishan Town, Lin Yan completely concealed his aura. The "dang" sound of the Eight Heavenly Sounds could extend and contract at the same time.

After combining the sound of "荡" (dàng), Lin Yan improved his Breath Concealing Technique. Now, unless he uses the power of his Dharma Aspect, no one can detect that he is a Dharma Aspect expert just by his aura.

After passing through the area where the Dharma Aspect Realm experts lived, the streets gradually became bustling, especially in a temporary stall area where crowds gathered.

"One hundred purple gold."

"Three hundred purple gold."

"This thing costs three hundred purple gold coins, why don't we just rob it?"

"If you can't afford it, just put it down."

……

Listening to the bargaining between the sellers and buyers at the stall, and looking at the items on the stall, Lin Yan's lips twitched. He had previously wondered if those people were afraid of selling good things cheaply by putting out items of unknown origin to sell.

It now appears that there was no question of selling it cheaply at all.

These sellers are all shrewd, and their prices are outrageous, often starting at 100 purple gold coins.

There was even something that looked like a conch shell. Lin Yan had seen a description of it in the Taiyi Sword Sect's collection of books. This thing was called the Soul-Soothing Conch, which had the effect of calming and solidifying the soul. If one listened to the sound of blowing on this conch shell, the effect would be equivalent to 30% of the effect of a Soul-Solidifying Pill.

However, a Soul-Stabilizing Pill is only worth one tael of gold, which would only cost ten points at Chengyi Sword Academy.

But this seller directly quoted a thousand purple gold coins.

The buyer is never as shrewd as the seller; finding a bargain is almost impossible.

Lin Yan's interest waned considerably after failing to find a bargain, but as is customary... since he was already here, he might as well finish it.

:

"Huh!"

When Lin Yan arrived at a stall, he paused and looked at it.

The stall was filled with a jumble of odds and ends: stone bowls, animal bones, clay pots, and iron rings and copper pieces whose purpose was unclear, all spread out on the ground.

"They're tomb raiders, aren't they?"

Lin Yan's lips twitched. How dare they put these pieces of scrap metal up for sale?

"What is the origin of this clay pot?"

The stall owner, a middle-aged man, saw Lin Yan stop and his gaze fall on the clay pot. He immediately smiled and said, "Young master has a good eye. This clay pot is no ordinary item. It was taken from a secret realm by my ancestors."

"Stop."

Lin Yan interrupted the stall owner directly, asking, "Are all the sellers the same person?"

Even things from last week can be touted as dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty.

"How much?"

Lin Yan stopped asking, because everything she got was a lie.

"Six hundred purple gold coins."

Lin Yan looked at the stall owner with a half-smile.

"Young master, this clay pot was truly retrieved from a secret realm by my ancestors..."

"Wang Hai, how can you sell things like this?"

Before Lin Yan could interrupt, another stall owner spoke up first.

"When selling things, you have to be honest. The strongest your ancestor was at was only the ninth level of True Qi. Where did you get into the secret realm? Young master, this clay pot was found by Wang Hai's ancestor in a cave a thousand miles away from the mountain range where the secret realm is located."

"The secret realm is thousands of miles away, but isn't that also related to the secret realm? I didn't say it was inside the secret realm."

Lin Yan was speechless after Wang Hai said that.

If that's the case, then if I were to forge a sword in Shandong, I could say it was forged by the Chengjian Hall of the Taiyi Sword Sect.

"If you are truly sincere about this, then... then it will be one hundred taels of gold."

"it is good."

Lin Yan agreed immediately, which stunned Wang Hai. Not only Wang Hai, but also the stall owner next door was stunned.

A feigned attempt to expose the scheme, a price reduction tactic...

:

Looking at the two stunned people, Lin Yan knew perfectly well that the stall owner next door, who seemed to be exposing Wang Hai's words, was actually putting on a show with Wang Hai.

If he's willing, he can lower the price even further.

But there's no need for that anymore. This clay pot is worth the price. The most important thing is that he sensed that someone had noticed this place, or noticed this clay pot.

"Take one hundred taels of gold."

The other party took out one hundred purple gold coins from his pocket, and Lin Yan picked up the clay pot directly.

Although the clay pot is made of clay, the seal is made of the skin of some kind of animal.

"etc!"

A voice came, and several figures quickly arrived, surrounding Lin Yan from all sides.

"If you are willing to part with this item, I am willing to offer two hundred taels of gold."

A young man walked over slowly. As soon as the man said this, Lin Yan's expression did not change, but Wang Hai and the stall owner next to him immediately changed their expressions.

Two hundred taels?

In the blink of an eye, it doubled.

Wang Hai's face turned as red as a pig's liver with regret; he should have known better than to bid.

Anyone with half a brain knows that this item is definitely worth more than two hundred pieces of purple gold.

However, the rule here is that once a seller makes a price, they cannot back out.

This rule was set to prevent some sellers from feeling cheated when they see that buyers are willing to pay, and then suddenly raising prices arbitrarily.

"Not for sale," Lin Yan replied calmly.

The young man frowned, and the person who had blocked Lin Yan's path spoke up: "This is the young master of our Zhaoye Martial Arts School."

It's the Teruno Martial Arts School.

Lin Yan thought of what Senior Brother Jiang had mentioned about birds, and Zhao Ye Martial Arts School was one of the several martial arts schools that had risen in Foshan in recent years.

But what does it have to do with me?

If we consider the four top-tier martial arts schools, they can barely be compared to the Taiyi Sword Sect. As for the Zhaoye Martial Arts School, let's talk about it when it becomes a top-tier martial arts school.

Xian Shaojie looked at Lin Yan: "If you are willing to part with it, I am willing to add five hundred purple gold coins, and I will also owe you a favor."

The commotion here has attracted the attention of many people.

Several people looked over from a distance of about 100 feet away.

:

"This is interesting. Someone has bought what the young master of the Zhaoye Martial Arts School wanted. Given the Zhaoye Martial Arts School's domineering style, I'm afraid this person will eventually hand it over."

"Teruno Dojo, what's that?"

A young man with a knife asked a disdainful question.

"Brother Kuang is a disciple of the Sword Sect, so naturally he wouldn't take Zhaoye Martial Arts School seriously, but this person is probably..."

"This person cares even less about Teruno Dojo than I do."

Kuang Ye shook his head dismissively. If he wasn't afraid of Zhao Ye Martial Arts School, why would Lin Yan be?

Back then, Lin Yan dared to directly chop Yao Guannan apart even before reaching the half-step Dharma Aspect stage, let alone now.

In Lin Yan's mind, the identity of the young master of Zhaoye Martial Arts School meant nothing!

: