Ascending to the Clouds Alone

The next morning, Lin Su finished his practice and stood in the courtyard, quietly experiencing the wisp of energy within his body.

Looking at the scar on his left hand, he recalled the female butler's swordsmanship.

In terms of exquisite skill, that sword technique was indeed remarkable, but it was still somewhat lacking.

Watching the mantis and the black snake fight, Lin Su gained many insights, but they were fragmented and vague, and he couldn't quite put them together for the time being.

In the battle against the Bewitching Moth, he had clearly grasped a key to defeating the enemy, but it was merely a survival instinct that erupted from his body at the critical moment of life and death.

Afterwards, that subtle feeling dissipated like smoke, impossible to grasp.

Looking back now, I still have doubts, and there is no one around to answer my questions or give me guidance.

The image of the sword that pierced Qi Fengqin flashed through his mind.

If I were the one wielding the sword at that moment, would I have charged in and thrust straight at them? If one cannot truly put the principle of "combining civil and military skills" into practice, one will never grasp the real key to defeating the enemy.

Thinking of this, Lin Su looked around and found a thin twig, assuming it was the soft sword.

A gentle breeze blew by, and the branch in my hand swayed.

He raised his hand following the slight tremor, pointing the tip of the branch forward, but failed to pierce the wind.

At this moment, Lin Su's heart was clear, and he stood quietly, waiting for the next gust of wind.

Before making his move again, he listened carefully to the rise and fall of the wind.

Just as the wind reaches its peak and the energy is about to dissipate, the branch tip thrusts forward, striking the point of force, like lightly tapping the strings of a zither. It falls for only a moment before withdrawing, using the vibration to break the force.

With a slight tremor, Lin Su felt a numbness in his tiger's mouth, and the gust of wind dispersed into several strands of soft silk.

The force flowed up the branches, from the fingers to the shoulders, like a pebble falling into a pool, creating ripples that spread outwards.

He gently turned and released the remaining force, immediately bringing the branch to a stop.

The skill of listening to the strings, honed through playing the zither in the past, can now be applied to all things.

Coming to his senses, he noticed that there was very little firewood left in the corner of the courtyard wall, so he went over, placed a section of wood on the ground, and picked up an axe.

After a moment of concentration, the axe rose and fell.

The moment the blade pierced the wood, the wooden stake cracked open from the inside by gently twisting the wrist with the force of the impact.

The aroma of cooking food mingled with the spiritual energy wafted through the courtyard, instantly soothing the senses.

Ye Qingqing came out of the kitchen after making breakfast and asked in confusion:

"If you're chopping wood, then chop wood. What are you grinning about?"

Lin Su scratched his head and said, "It's nothing."

He said he was fine, but his mind was still racing.

"Come with me, it's time for breakfast."

"Oh? Why haven't I seen the old doctor today?"

"Grandfather went out to see patients."

Just as the two were about to move into the dining hall, they saw three tall figures stepping through the side door and steadily walking into the courtyard.

The leader was dressed in a dark blue official robe with delicate cloud patterns embroidered on the collar and a bronze badge hanging at his waist; he was an official under the Zhencheng Prefecture.

The official's aura was slightly restrained, revealing a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation, which was estimated to be at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Behind him followed two black-clad guards with magic swords at their waists. The two men had a deep and composed aura, clearly indicating that they were among the top-level mortal martial artists.

The subordinate official, holding a register, stepped forward and asked:

"How many people usually live at the clinic? Are there any rules for the guests?"

Ye Qingqing answered them one by one.

After asking about his family background, he turned to Lin Su and asked:

"Are you a foreign cultivator? Residing here temporarily?"

Lin Su felt a slight tightness in his chest and nodded.

Name, place of origin.

"Lin Su, Qinglan Domain".

The subordinate nodded slightly and continued to ask:

"Which prefecture? Which county? Is there any official document from the imperial court, or a token from the sect?"

This detailed questioning left Lin Su completely bewildered.

He had rarely traveled far since childhood, and only in recent years had he followed Han Xiangyu around, but he had never seen the rule of checking cultivator's documents.

For a moment, Lin Su was speechless.

Seeing that he remained silent, the subordinate made a note in the register and said in a deep voice:

"Decree of the Town Governor: Recently, there have been foreign forces colluding with barbarian tribes, attempting to seize the territory of our Great Yin Dynasty."

Changqu Town is the strategic gateway to the southwest region; all unlicensed independent cultivators must be registered. Those of unknown origin must be detained and investigated to prevent spies from infiltrating.

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it, and two constables stepped forward to arrest him.

Seeing that things were not going well, Ye Qingqing ran a few steps and blocked Lin Su's way.

A faint trace of body-refining energy emanated from Ye Qingqing's body, and her face flushed red.

"He is a patient of my clinic; you cannot take him away!"

The subordinate official frowned and said sternly:

"Insolence! Within the Nine Realms, all must abide by the laws of the Great Yin Immortals and Mortals. Even if your grandfather, Elder Ye, were here, he would not be able to obstruct my actions."

Seeing this, Lin Su quickly pulled Ye Qingqing aside, offering some words of comfort:

"Don't worry, nothing will happen."

In his current state, even if he faced one of them alone, he would have absolutely no chance of winning.

Judging from the other party's tone, it was just a matter of verifying their identity.

Since they are officials of the imperial court and this place is not under the jurisdiction of the Wuxian Sect, we should let them go for now.

Ye Qingqing was a little anxious, and could only silently step aside and wait for her grandfather to return in the evening before making any plans.

At the order of his subordinate, Lin Su was escorted out of the courtyard by two constables.

As they traveled through the streets and alleys, half of the doors along the way were tightly shut, and occasionally soldiers would rush by, creating an unusually tense atmosphere.

After about 15 minutes, Lin Su was led to a quieter street.

When I stepped into Changqu Town the day before yesterday, the whole street was bustling with traffic. Why is it that in just a few days, it has become so different?

As Lin Su walked along, puzzled, he looked up and saw a mansion appear in his line of sight at the foot of a mountain in the distance.

Upon closer inspection, it was the town's residence, its imposing aura spreading for dozens of feet, quite magnificent.

The bailiffs herded him to the gate of a side courtyard next to the town magistrate's residence. Inside, there was a cacophony of voices, numbering about two or three hundred people.

After Lin Su was pushed into the courtyard, the bailiffs locked the gate.

Most of the people in this courtyard had mixed auras and were low-level rogue cultivators without any sect or school. Most of them were at the Qi Induction stage, with only a few dozen at the Qi Refining stage.

Some people looked anxious, some closed their eyes to regulate their breathing, and others whispered among themselves; the air was filled with a sense of oppression and unease.

The courtyard was surrounded by spirit-trapping arrays. Judging from this setup, cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage would definitely not be able to get out.

Lin Su leaned against the wall, listening to the scattered whispers around him, and gradually sorted out the current situation.

Recently, barbarian tribes have repeatedly harassed the border town, and Changqu Town was placed under martial law last night. All unlicensed wandering cultivators and itinerant individuals are gathered here, and will be allowed to pass only after their identities have been verified.

Anyone suspected of being a spy would be thrown into a death row cell and subjected to torture.

The surrounding discussions continued.

"In previous years, when the border was in danger, people like us who were detained without any documents or background were always taken to build city walls first."

"With our meager cultivation levels, we're lucky to even be sent to repair the city walls. Whether we survive on the front lines to defend the city depends entirely on our own abilities!"

"This time, the barbarians have also colluded with demons. How dare the garrison commander relax his guard?"

"That's hard to say. If they really go berserk and throw us into the Spirit-Severing Moat or the Xuan Tie Formation outside the city, we'll be completely helpless!"

These words gradually spread, and resentment and fear intertwined, making everyone feel insecure.

As Lin Su's fear grew, he immediately sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing, mobilizing the innate energy within his body to repeatedly flush away the spirit-locking talisman, hoping that the talisman's power would dissipate instantly.

He is now not far from being an ordinary martial artist. If he is forced to help defend the city, or even get involved in the battle outside the city, how will he survive?

About an hour passed, and the somber mood in the courtyard grew even heavier. Suddenly, a sound came from the sky:

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

The urgent chimes of the spirit bell shattered the sky, the sound waves piercing through the clouds and mist, making people's eardrums vibrate.

"It's an alarm bell signaling the breach! A triple warning! The outer defenses can no longer hold!"

"The barbarian alliance broke the formation?"

"The outer defenses have completely collapsed!"

The urgent shouts echoed through the side courtyard, followed by a deathly silence.

A few breaths later, a sudden uproar broke out, and the crowd immediately became restless and in chaos.

Just then, the courtyard gate was kicked open.