This martial saint is too cautious.

Chapter 356 Intimacy (Seeking more monthly votes)

For the next few days, Lin Yan continued his cultivation at the Inspector's Mansion.

"Let's go, it's time to return to Beihai Xingdao."

Hearing his master's voice, Lin Yan's eyes lit up. He packed his bags and waited at the door, where his master was already standing.

"Master, has the deal been reached?"

Lin Yan was aware of his master's movements over the past few days; his master was busy discussing the rewards he would receive this time with Lord Kong.

The two sides negotiated for three days.

"Yes, it's settled."

Hearing his master's words and seeing the smile on his master's face, Lin Yan understood that his master was quite satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations.

The master and disciple left the city directly on flying birds. As for Pei Wujiu and the others, they had already embarked on their return journey with Li Mubai two days earlier.

The person in charge of seeing them off was a deputy inspector, but Lord Kong did not show up.

Lin Yan glanced at his master. His master's expression didn't change much, nor did he seem dissatisfied. There was only one possible explanation: his master had dealt a heavy blow to Lord Kong, causing Lord Kong to be so heartbroken that he couldn't care less about etiquette.

"Master, what did you want?"

Once aboard the flying bird, Lin Yan couldn't help but ask some questions out of curiosity.

"In short—enough for you to break through to the Realm of Reality."

Shen Cangwu smiled slightly. He had personally taken charge; if he wasn't satisfied, why would he leave the Inspector's Office?

As for Kong Hao—

"This guy lacks vision. He didn't steal anything from the Kong family; he took resources from the Guangdong local government and the imperial court. He kept arguing with his master. If I hadn't taken you as my disciple and started cultivating your character, I would have already cleaved this inspector's mansion in two with a single sword."

Hearing his master's words, Lin Yan's lips twitched. Smashing the Inspector's Mansion must have been a joke by his master.

Regardless, the Circuit Inspectorate represents the face of the imperial court, and as long as it doesn't break with the court, it certainly won't do such a thing.

But for this Master Kong to argue with his own master, the master's knife must have cut very deep.

It's good that it's cut deep.

The deeper you go, the more benefits you will gain.

The journey proceeded smoothly and without incident.

As Lin Yan's bird landed on the mountain peak and put down its baggage, it sensed several figures approaching through the air.

"Did they arrive right away?"

Lin Yan smiled and raised his right hand, opening the courtyard gate directly.

"Fellow disciples, please come in."

Not long after Lin Yan's voice rang out, Ji Rong, Li Zhaoying, Shangguan Xun, and others stepped into the courtyard.

"Senior Brother Lin, I admire you!"

As soon as Shangguan Xun entered, he gave Lin Yan a thumbs up.

"Senior Brother Ji, you can still call me Junior Brother."

Seeing that Ji Rong was somewhat silent, Lin Yan guessed that he didn't know how to address him, so he spoke up to help him out of the awkward situation.

In fact, the martial arts world ranks people according to their strength, and there's nothing wrong with that rule. Most martial artists cultivate and break through to higher levels step by step.

In a sect, disciples who can be called fellow disciples are mostly those with similar talent and strength.

People like myself who skipped several levels in a row are few, or rather extremely rare, so it was difficult to determine this title for a while.

However, Lin Yan estimated that once he reached the Realm of Reality, he would be able to become an elder of the Qijian Hall.

Even those in the Void Realm can become elders of various peaks in the Qijian Hall, but I am still too young. If someone is old enough and has the qualifications, it is no problem for someone in the Void Realm to become an elder. However, since I am so young and lack the qualifications, my strength must be a bit higher than the standard. This is to save face for the elders of various peaks.

"Alright, then I'll take the liberty of calling you Junior Brother Lin. When Junior Brother Lin becomes an elder, I'll call you Elder Lin."

"Then Senior Brother Ji should call out to him a few more times, otherwise I'm afraid it won't be long before the title 'Junior Brother Lin' becomes a thing of the past."

Shangguan Xun chuckled to himself, while Li Zhaoying had been scrutinizing Lin Yan ever since she entered the courtyard. How could this person have cultivated to such a level?

Lin Yan's entry into the Dharma Aspect stage shocked the entire Taiyi Sword Sect. However, rumors then circulated that Lin Yan might have used some secret techniques to enter the Dharma Aspect stage, making future breakthroughs in strength difficult.

These rumors naturally originated from the Zhengxin Hall. The disciples of the Zhengxin Hall and Qijian Hall had often argued and quarreled over this.

But as news of Lin Yan's achievements in the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm spread, the Zhengxin Palace fell silent.

In less than six months, he went from entering the Dharma Image Illusion Realm to the fifth stage of the Illusion Realm.

If this counts as a "difficult breakthrough," then what about everyone else?

Just as Lin Yan was inviting Ji Rong and the others to take their seats, several rainbows appeared outside the mountain peak. Upon seeing these rainbows, Ji Rong and the others instinctively stood up.

"This is... all the core disciples of the Righteous Heart Hall have arrived?"

"Actually, there's nothing surprising. Given Senior Brother Lin's current status and position, it's normal for core disciples from the Zhengxin Hall to come after he returns to the sect."

Seeing the shocked expressions on the other people's faces, Shangguan Xun curled his lips. Lin Yan had already subdued the younger generation of Zhengxin Hall long ago.

Putting aside everything else, his own elder brother no longer dares to say anything like, "Kenshin and Kenmaru are different. Kenshin is favored by the way of the sword and is a born swordsman, while Kenmaru is just someone who has worked hard to train. The two cannot be compared."

Shangguan Xun was surprised to find that there were nine rainbows guiding the way this time, which meant that the core disciples of the nine lineages of the Zhengxin Hall had all come.

He could understand the other four lineages, but what about the first five lineages?

Even if the first five sects put aside their prejudices, what about your fifth sect?

Lin Yan had just killed Wei Xian, the previous core disciple of the Fifth Branch, and he just lost face like that?

"Junior Brother Lin, upon learning of your return, I brought a few fellow disciples to greet you."

As the first rainbow appeared, Pei Wujiu's voice rang out, and the next moment, Pei Wujiu and his nine companions appeared outside the courtyard gate.

"Senior Brother Pei, please come in!"

Lin Yan took a few steps forward, first greeting Pei Wujiu, then nodding to Jiang Ning and the others, and inviting everyone to take a seat.

Ji Rong, standing to the side, glanced at Lin Yan sitting with Pei Wujiu, and then at these core disciples of the Zhengxin Hall—of course—

The core disciples of the Fifth Clan still didn't come, but it didn't matter.

Qijian Hall, when did this magnificent scene appear?

Let alone all the core disciples coming, even on ordinary days no core disciples of the Zhengxin Hall would set foot in this area.

Junior Brother Lin's arrival has truly reshaped the landscape of the Zhengxin Hall and Qijian Hall.

Pei Wujiu also noticed the sighs on Ji Rong and the others' faces, but he only smiled slightly. He brought Jiang Ning and the others here for a purpose: to send a signal within the sect that Lin Yan was the leader between him and Lin Yan.

But this cannot be done too obviously!

On the way back, Senior Brother Zhao Qing had a long private talk with him. If he directly revealed his thoughts, it would probably cause a stir in the Zhengxin Hall.

From the Dharma Elders to the True Gang disciples, everyone would find it difficult to accept.

The best approach is to gradually express our stance, subtly influencing people until they realize what's happening, at which point there won't be much opposition.

It was because of Senior Brother Zhao Qing's words that he brought Jiang Ning and other core disciples to the Sword Sect as soon as he learned that Lin Yan had returned.

First of all, Lin Yan is already at the Dharma Aspect Realm, while Jiang Ning and the others are only at the Half-Step Dharma Aspect Realm. Although the disciples of the Righteous Heart Hall will have some discussions when they find out, the noise won't be too loud.

This is the first step. Next, let Senior Brother Zhao Qing and the others have more contact with Junior Brother Lin, subtly showing that they respect Junior Brother Lin, so as to influence the sect's Dharma Aspect experts to change their attitude. In three to five years, that should be about right.

Three to five years is nothing to a Dharma Aspect expert.

"I'm here to congratulate Junior Brother Lin on reaching the 80th place on the Dharma Aspect Prodigy Ranking, becoming the number one Dharma Aspect person below the Realm of Reality."

o

Pei Wujiu smiled and said, "On the Dharma Aspect Prodigy Ranking, the seventy-ninth place is the Real Aspect Realm, and the eightieth place can be called the number one person below the Real Aspect Realm."

As for those martial artists who failed to make it onto the Dharma Aspect Prodigy Ranking but were at the peak of the sixth level of the Void Aspect Realm, there were some. But what does it matter if someone who can't even make it onto the Dharma Aspect Prodigy Ranking is at the peak of the sixth level of the Void Aspect Realm? They are certainly no match for the martial artists on the Dharma Aspect Prodigy Ranking at the same level.

This is a point of consensus throughout the martial arts world of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"A little bit of empty fame, not worth mentioning."

Hearing Lin Yan's modest words, Su Wanqing's beautiful eyes also showed a complicated expression. It wasn't that she thought Lin Yan was being hypocritical; on the contrary, she believed that Lin Yan was speaking from the heart.

Given Lin Yan's rapid progress in martial arts cultivation, ranking eightieth is really nothing special.

Perhaps, just like the list of heroes back then, Lin Yan doesn't care about the ranking at all, because his goal isn't in that.

An hour later, after Pei Wujiu and the others left, the courtyard returned to its quiet state.

Lin Yan returned to the house and took out the bronze mirror. What he wanted to know most now was the origin of the Dharma Image Weapon Technique and why Night Owl would give him this technique, which was suspected to be at the "True Law" level.

Activate the bronze mirror!

To Lin Yan's surprise, Night Owl actually sent him a message.

[Night Owl: Please reply to this message.]

[Night Owl: Please reply to this message.]

Several messages came in a row. Since there was no time display on the bronze mirror, Lin Yan believed that Night Owl probably didn't send them to him at the same time, but rather once a day.

Is someone urgently calling me?

Could it be that there's something wrong with the monster egg?

Lin Yan: I'm here.

Lin Yan replied to the message, thinking that Night Owl might not see it immediately. But to his surprise, Night Owl replied instantly as soon as he sent the message.

[Night Owl: Why are you only replying now?]

Upon seeing Night Owl's words, Lin Yan curled his lip, thinking to himself that he wasn't an internet addict who spent all day clutching this bronze mirror.

Besides, this bronze mirror isn't even good for voice chat; at most, it's only good for text-based sex.

Ahem, I've gone off on a tangent.

[Lin Yan: What's the matter?]

[Night Owl: Did you touch that monster egg?]

Lin Yan: No, I only touched the bloodstone beneath the beast egg.

Seeing that Night Owl didn't reply immediately, Lin Yan's face showed a thoughtful expression. It seemed that he was right, it was indeed related to that alien beast egg.

The beast inside the egg died and failed to hatch?

A dozen or so breaths later, the message from Night Owl reappeared on the mirror.

[Night Owl: The cub should recognize you as its mother. Strange—you didn't touch this beast egg, so why would the beast recognize you?]

"Recognize me as your mother?"

Lin Yan was stunned when she saw the message from Night Owl. Did he really think of her as his mother?

No, that's not right. If I were to be someone, I'd be a father.

[Lin Yan: Could it be a mistake? I'm not female.]

[Night Owl: — This beast only shows affection to females.]

[Lin Yan: I'm not even next to this strange beast egg, how can you be sure it's close to me? Has it already hatched on your side?]

In the mountains, Night Owl saw Lin Yan's words, and then saw a fluffy, charcoal-like creature lying not far away. A look of helplessness appeared on his face.

Not only did she try to get close to it after it hatched, but she failed each time.

There is only one possibility in this situation: the cub has already recognized a familiar person.

The only one that has recently come into contact with the alien beast egg is Mount Emei.

If she weren't certain that Emei Peak knew very little about the strange beast, she would have suspected that Emei Peak was doing it on purpose, first establishing a close relationship with the strange beast, and then using the beast's egg to extract benefits from her.

Just as Night Owl was pondering how to explain, another message came through the mirror.

Since this cub isn't close to you, return it to me. We must respect the beast's own choice.

return?

What a shameless thing to say!

The tribe spent hundreds of years' worth of savings to bring this cub into the world.

Seeing that Night Owl wasn't responding again, Lin Yan knew that it was impossible to get him to send it back.

Even if you don't get close to it, it's still a strange beast.

We'll figure out a way to deal with this later. As long as the beast is in Night Owl's hands, I'll always have a chance to see it.

[Lin Yan: Putting aside the strange beasts for now, what's the origin of that Dharma Image Weapon Holding Technique you gave me?]

Seeing Lin Yan inquire about the Dharma Image Weapon Technique, Night Owl's lips curled up slightly. [Do you find it difficult to cultivate?]

[Lin Yan: It is indeed difficult. I have never seen such a difficult cultivation method.]

Upon seeing the words on the mirror, Night Owl's smile widened.

[Night Owl: If the Dharma Form Weapon Technique were so easy to cultivate, you wouldn't have had a chance to learn it.]

[Lin Yan: Regardless of how difficult it is to cultivate, you should at least tell me the origin of this Dharma Image Weapon Holding Technique. Don't tell me you're trying to fool me with a fake technique.]

[Night Owl: I can only tell you that the Dharma Image Weapon Holding Technique was accidentally obtained by my ancestors, but the place where the Dharma Image Weapon Holding Technique was discovered is no ordinary place—you will never have the chance to set foot there in your lifetime.]

Upon seeing the message from Night Owl, Lin Yan's lips twitched. "I'll never have the chance to set foot there in my entire life?"

Underestimating yourself so much?

But if the Dharma Image Weapon Technique is truly at the level of a genuine Dharma, then perhaps Night Owl wasn't exaggerating when he said that.

True-level cultivation techniques can only be obtained in the Qinghua Domain, and not even in ordinary places within the Qinghua Domain.

It seems that Night Owl himself didn't know the exact rank of the Dharma Aspect Weapon Holding Technique, so he wasn't intentionally trying to harm himself.

Of course, there is also the possibility that the Night Owl knows that the Dharma Image Holding Weapon Technique is a true technique, and is deliberately pretending to be confused at this moment.

However, upon further reflection, Lin Yan felt that such a possibility was very small. True techniques—according to his master, even in the Qinghua Domain, they were top-tier techniques, and even cultivators had to register in advance. Would it be worth Night Owl using a true technique to harm him?

[Lin Yan: I understand. So why did you call me? Is it just to inquire about the cubs?]

[Night Owl: It's alright now.]

When the cubs were first hatched, he was indeed very anxious when he learned that they already had someone to be close to them. But now that so much time has passed, the matter is no longer urgent.

Or rather, there's no use in being anxious.

[Lin Yan: Since there's nothing else, I'll hang up now.]

Bye?

Night Owl paused for a moment, wondering what that meant.

However, compared to this question, he suddenly remembered that this time it was Emei Peak that took the initiative to contact him.

Given Emei Peak's personality, he wouldn't reply to my message unless something came up, even if he saw it. This guy probably saw it a long time ago.

The only reason you need to connect with yourself is if there's something that requires your attention.

But from beginning to end, Emei Peak never asked him anything; the only thing he inquired about was the origin of the Dharma Image Weapon Technique.

Could it be that this guy can actually master the Dharma Form Weapon Holding Technique?

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Night Owl laughed.

impossible!

Even my mother-in-law failed back then. Although it was partly because her cultivation method was different from that of ordinary martial artists, according to her deduction, not to mention a True Qi Martial Artist, even a Dharma Aspect Martial Artist might not be able to master it.

The hand seals of the Dharma Image Holding Weapon Technique contain a certain restriction.

He would give Lin Yanfa the military manual, but more likely he was waiting to see Emei Peak make a fool of itself.

"Mmm, mmm~"

Just as the owl was pondering, a clear sound came from the side, and the fluffy, charcoal-like cub grunted.

sound.

Hearing the sound, Night Owl slapped his forehead; the little guy was hungry again.

"Eat."

Night Owl took out a medicine bottle from his pocket, poured out three scarlet pills, and walked towards the little black charcoal. However, when he got within three feet of the little black charcoal, the little black charcoal immediately curled up into a ball and let out a low growl.

"Hmm~"

Seeing this, Night Owl had no choice but to stop and flick the pill in his hand. Little Black Charcoal immediately stretched out his body and steadily caught the pill in his arms. His big, slippery eyes glanced at Night Owl, then he snorted and curled up again.

"You rascal, you eat my food, use my things, and yet you won't let me get close. If you follow Emei Peak, you'll probably starve to death."

The owl muttered something, but the cub continued to devour the pills, only occasionally letting out low growls to warn him not to come closer.

Night Owl:

Five days later, Lin Yan received a telepathic message from his master.

"Bring your Thunderscale and come to my residence."

Upon hearing this news, Lin Yan's eyes lit up; the settlement of this round of secret realm harvest had begun.

The only reason his master would call him over at this time could be for one thing: the imperial court's commendation, and the gratitude gifts from the sects behind the Void Realm warriors he had saved in the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm.

In a quarter of an hour, Lin Yan arrived at his master's residence.

"Wow, you came pretty quickly this time."

"Hehe, it's just that my cultivation level has improved, so my flight speed has increased a bit."

Lin Yan chuckled, not caring about his master's slightly sarcastic tone. His master was quite the old master of yin and yang—probably going through menopause, which he could understand.

"Don't explain. Everything is in the side hall and has been organized for you. Last time you said you wanted to reforge your spirit weapon, so I asked Kong Hao for some top-notch refining materials and also made an appointment with the people from the Chengbing Hall to have them choose suitable materials later."

"Having a master in the family is like having a treasure. Master, you have thought of everything for your disciple. All I need to do is focus on my cultivation. It is truly a blessing to have met you, Master."

"Alright, stop flattering me. I don't mind hearing it too much, but don't let outsiders laugh at us."

No sooner had Shen Cangwu finished speaking than a voice came from outside the hall: "Brother Shen, you are too kind."

Outside the main hall, two figures walked in. The elder leading the group was someone Lin Yan didn't recognize, but since the other party addressed his master as "Brother Shen," he knew without a doubt that the elder was at the same level as his master, a powerful figure at the fifth level of the Dharma Aspect Realm.

As for the young man behind the old man, Lin Yan recognized him: Ji Potian, the umbrella-wielding guy.

"Lin Yan, this is Hall Master Zhong of Chengbing Hall."

Upon hearing his master's words, Lin Yan quickly bowed and said, "This disciple greets Palace Master Zhong."

Zhongli glanced at Lin Yan and smiled, "No need for formalities. I was also shocked by what you did in the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm. I just happened to hear that Brother Shen needed someone to forge weapons, so I came uninvited."

Upon hearing what Palace Master Zhong said, Lin Yan looked surprised, but soon he heard his master's voice.

"I originally sought out a master blacksmith from the Chengbing Hall. This person's personal visit is likely out of curiosity and a desire to meet you. Don't overthink it."

Shen Cangwu sent a telepathic message because he knew that his disciple was meticulous and cautious. This kind of personality has its advantages, but it also has its disadvantages. The disadvantage is that he tends to overthink things.

With his master's reminder, Lin Yan stopped thinking about it. After the Palace Master Zhong exchanged a few pleasantries with his master, he led the two of them to the side hall.

In the side hall, dozens of brocade boxes were piled up, and nine of them were open.

Ji Potian, who followed him in, couldn't help but swallow hard when he saw the treasures inside the open brocade boxes.

"These nine boxes are filled with top-grade weapon-refining materials, so the other boxes must contain treasures of equal value. These treasures—perhaps not as valuable as the treasury of the Chengbing Hall, but compared to my own private treasury—"

Ji Potian was so envious he wanted to cry.

Although he had not yet reached the Dharma Aspect Realm, Ji Potian, being born into the Chengbing Hall, was always very confident in his own background, believing that even a Void Aspect Martial Artist could not compare to him.

So what if they are illusory martial artists? Although their realm is stronger than mine, many of them have emptied their pockets in order to break through their realm.

But now—he suddenly felt that practicing martial arts was the only way forward.

Forging weapons and refining elixirs—not worth mentioning.

All other pursuits are inferior; only cultivation is superior.

"If you can break through from the first level of the Void Realm to the sixth level within half a year, and save dozens of Void Realm warriors, you can also reap such benefits."

The sound of his master's reprimand reached his ears, instantly extinguishing Ji Potian's envious and somewhat jealous feelings. He also suddenly...

I realized it.

It's not that the martial artist is rich, but that Lin Yan is truly wealthy.

Lin Yan is a virtual martial artist, but the virtual martial artist is not Lin Yan.

He understood the reasoning, but tears of envy still welled up and streamed down his face.