Yang God

Lin Chan dripped a drop of his essence blood onto the sword's guard, silently reciting the incantations, and finally chanted the sword's name, establishing a Blood Oath that declared his life and Mystic Frost's were now tightly bound together.

The entire process wasn't slow—it was finished within a few incense sticks' time.

But from then on, every day, Lin Chan had to drip a drop of essence blood into the Flying Sword Mystic Frost, strengthening his connection with the blade.

In short, it was a very troublesome affair.

Once the Blood Oath was set, whether it was psychological or something else, Lin Chan felt his bond with Mystic Frost grow tighter.

Mystic Frost seemed like an extension of his own body, able to move according to his will.

Lin Chan guided the sword in circling around him several times until his spiritual power was exhausted, then sheathed it.

Now at Qi Cultivation Layer 2, Lin Chan had naturally mastered minor divine abilities like Object Control.

But his spiritual power was limited, unable to sustain it for long, nor could he control heavy objects, and he was far from reaching the level of riding qi to soar through the air.

Returning Mystic Frost to his waist, Lin Chan walked out of the Cave Dwelling and saw Xu Chang sitting cross-legged in front of it, saying, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for helping me."

"Congratulations, Little Junior Brother, on successfully connecting with your sword." Seeing Lin Chan emerge from the Cave Dwelling, Xu Chang said with a smile.

He too cultivated the Heart Sword Same Origin Art and knew this was just a minor ritual.

The Heart Sword Same Origin Art wasn't difficult; the key was to be with the sword every day, nourishing the Flying Sword with essence blood.

"We'll be setting out soon," Lin Chan said with some emotion.

"Junior Brother, there's no rush for this matter. Wait until Master informs us, then we'll talk," Xu Chang said, knowing what Lin Chan referred to but not taking it to heart.

After a few casual words, Lin Chan bid Xu Chang farewell.

Afterward, he devoted himself to cultivation.

Before turning twelve, he broke through to Qi Cultivation Layer 3.

This was a bit faster than previously anticipated.

Once the heart-sword connection was established, his cultivation speed indeed increased somewhat.

As for the matter of the Si Mu Tiger Demon, whether True Person Xuan Chen had forgotten or something else, it was unclear.

Before the new year, Master hadn't brought it up.

Perhaps True Person Xuan Chen wanted Lin Chan to enjoy the new year in peace.

Thus, Lin Chan smoothly passed his twelfth birthday and gained a new talent, Heart Like a Mirror.

Heart Like a Mirror: The mind is naturally clearer; when meditating and entering stillness, one can reach a state of forgetting both self and the world faster than ordinary people.

With this talent, Lin Chan's cultivation speed increased by another twenty to thirty percent.

Moreover, over these past few months, he sometimes found himself thinking about the Si Mu Tiger Demon. While cultivating, his train of thought would suddenly break, and the scene of facing the Si Mu Tiger Demon that day would abruptly appear.

At such times, a question would surface in his heart.

If he met the Si Mu Tiger Demon again, could he still be as composed as last time?

Could he escape the tiger's jaws once more?

Lin Chan even felt that if this continued, he might develop a Heart Demon.

All because he had to face that Si Mu Tiger Demon one more time.

Now, with the Heart Like a Mirror talent, Lin Chan's mind had calmed, and his cultivation went smoothly.

As for the Si Mu Tiger Demon, he no longer dwelled on it constantly.

Now, even if he had to brave the tiger's lair again, he could remain at ease.

After the new year, True Person Xuan Chen indeed called Lin Chan and Xu Chang over.

"Xu Chang, Lin Chan, do you know why I've summoned you here?" True Person Xuan Chen asked.

"It's about the Tiger Demon that fled to Wu Country," Xu Chan said bluntly.

Lin Chan nodded in agreement.

"That's it. After the Tiger Demon reached Wu Country, it committed no more violent acts, clearly reforming. It once had some friction and misunderstandings with your Martial Uncle Xuan Ji, and this matter needs to be resolved."

"Lin Chan, you're familiar with the Tiger Demon, so you'll go as a mediator. Take the letters from our Tianquan Peak and Kaiyang Peak and deliver them to it. Also, two Vermillion Fruits as gifts." True Person Xuan Chen pulled two specially made letters and a small box from his sleeve. The letters were crafted from special bamboo leaves infused with spiritual power, able to last a long time.

True Person Xuan Ji was a True Person of Tianquan Peak, so it was related to Tianquan Peak.

As for Kaiyang Peak, that was where Shu Mountain's Monster Locking Pagoda stood.

The content of this letter was the agreement for Kaiyang Peak. Since the tiger demon had already reformed, it would not be taken into the Monster Locking Pagoda. This was to set its mind at ease while also demonstrating Shu Mountain's sincerity.

As for why True Person Xuan Ji didn't go himself, the answer was obvious. If the Four-Eyed Tiger Demon saw a True Person from Shu Mountain arriving in person, it would likely think they had come to capture it. How could a meeting even happen, let alone the demon trusting the True Person's words?

Besides, was there ever a case where a country's ruler personally went to another nation to sue for peace?

Even a general dueling before two armies clashed was a rare sight.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Chang glanced at Lin Chan, who stepped forward to take these items.

"I've reassessed your journey. There's still some danger, so I'm giving you a Grand Summoning Talisman. It can summon a Shu Mountain Yang God to descend and protect you."

True Person Xuan Chen then handed them a golden talisman, brimming with Incense and Fire Prayer Power—so much that it was countless times more than Lin Chan's Incense Talisman Coins.

A Yang God was the third realm of divine-path cultivators, equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Shu Mountain did not practice soul-seizing. If a cultivator's physical body had reached the end of its lifespan but their soul remained strong, lingering in the world without wanting to enter reincarnation, they could absorb Incense and Fire Prayer Power and cultivate the divine path.

Or, if a cultivator died tragically while rendering meritorious service to Shu Mountain, a great cultivator might gather their remnant soul and let them turn to the divine path.

But Incense and Fire Prayer Power was limited. Shu Mountain had only a few dozen divine-path cultivators, and fewer than three had reached the Yang God realm.

If this had been before, Lin Chan—spending his days in fear—would have started pressing for answers about what was happening.

But now, his heart was like a mirror. He accepted the golden talisman and handed it to Xu Chang.

True Persons had their own arrangements.

Besides, with multiple layers of protection and Xu Chang watching over him, Lin Chan didn't need to worry.

"Master, what happened? Why would we need to use the Grand Summoning Talisman?"

Xu Chang, on the other hand, couldn't sit still. This Grand Summoning Talisman was extremely valuable and consumed a vast amount of Incense and Fire Prayer Power. He had never seen True Person Xuan Chen give one out before.

"Nothing major. Wu Country is in some chaos right now, with demonic cultivators causing trouble. I just need you to be careful. You are both my disciples, so naturally I must ensure your safety."

True Person Xuan Chen said calmly.

"I see."

Xu Chang nodded.

With matters explained and protective treasures given, the two were about to leave. Before they went, Lin Chan still asked:

"Master, may I see the contents of the letter?"

After all, he would be facing the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger directly.

If the letter contained something strange, it could really get him killed.

"You may!"

True Person Xuan Chen uttered only a single word.

Lin Chan and Xu Chang both breathed a sigh of relief.

Leaving True Person Xuan Chen's palace, the two immediately went to Xu Chang's Cave Dwelling, ready to open the two letters.

"Junior Brother, this letter is special. It must be read with divine sense."

Xu Chang stopped Lin Chan from tearing the envelope.

Lin Chan had not yet reached Foundation Establishment, so his spiritual sense had not transformed into divine sense and could not leave his body. He had to leave it to Xu Chang.

Xu Chang swept his gaze over it briefly, then a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

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