Mystic Dragon Seed and Mystic Wolf Seed

"Diao Kui, the Wild Jackal Gang's second-in-command?" Lin Zhao raised a brow, his fingers unconsciously brushing the mystic iron short knife at his waist. He had never forgotten the debt of Zhang Laochui's abduction. Who would have thought that "Iron Mask," who came regularly to trade, was actually his enemy?

"That is him. When Zhang Laochui was abducted before, I specifically investigated his appearance: a three-inch knife scar on the tiger's mouth of his left hand, and a slight limp in his left leg. There is no way I could be mistaken." Zhao Tieying said gravely. "I never expected that after joining the northern Vagrant Alliance, he would dare show his face openly in Northern Garrison City. He must be relying on the Grandmaster Warrior backing the alliance, believing no one would dare touch him."

Lin Zhao was surprised as well, but he quickly composed himself. "Did he recognize Uncle Zhao?"

"Rest assured, Young Master. Both sides wore masks during the transaction. Seeing that he seemed suspicious, I specifically had the estate guards handle the exchange in my place and never showed myself." Zhao Tieying explained. "Back then, my name, 'Shadowless Sword,' still carried some echoes in northern martial circles. If he uncovered my identity, he might grow suspicious and cut off the trade. We have no choice but to be cautious."

"Then should we continue trading armor with him?" Zhao Tieying hesitated. Doing business with an enemy always left a bad taste in his mouth.

After pondering for a moment, a cold gleam flashed in Lin Zhao's eyes. "Continue trading. He pays promptly, which is just what we need to keep our silver flowing. Besides, startling the grass and alerting the snake now would only make Zhang Laochui harder to find. Once we are strong enough, we can settle all old debts together."

"Should we tamper with the armor? For example, forge the outer layer bright and polished, but secretly reduce the mystic iron within, so we do not truly help him build up his strength." Zhao Tieying asked again, his tone carrying a trace of calculation.

"No need." Lin Zhao waved it off. "Diao Kui himself is a Third Rank martial arts blacksmith. Such petty tricks would not fool him and would only make him suspicious.

As for strengthening him, Uncle Zhao worries too much—the Wild Jackal Gang joined the Vagrant Alliance, and their main enemies are the imperial garrisons, Celestial Masters' Manor, and the private troops of the surrounding noble houses, not our Lin Family Fortress.

With his scale, he cannot possibly swallow more than a dozen sets of armor from us every month. He is most likely purchasing them for the Vagrant Alliance. When he invited me to join their 'righteous cause' before, he was probably trying to recruit me as the Vagrant Alliance's exclusive blacksmith."

He paused, tapping the table's edge with his fingertips, his tone growing colder. "In the end, we are not his target. The armor we sell him is nothing more than a drop in the ocean to the Vagrant Alliance.

"Since that is so, we might as well earn his silver first—consider it the interest for abducting Zhang Laochui.

"When the Vagrant Alliance raises its banner in rebellion someday, we can strike amid the chaos, seize back both Zhang Laochui and the armor we sold. Would that not be more worthwhile?"

Cold light shone in Lin Zhao's eyes—patience was what he lacked least.

With the Proficiency Panel, his cultivation speed was far beyond that of ordinary people. Given time, let alone one Wild Jackal Gang, even Xu Qin, Duke Wei, might not necessarily be beyond his ability to contend with.

At only sixteen, time was ultimately on his side.

Qixia Mountain Valley, Lin Family Fortress.

24th Year of Jiajing, first month.

Three months had passed since the Black Raven Tower assassination, and Lin Zhao had finally completed his secret chamber.

More precisely, the chamber was not inside the fortress, but within the body of Qixia Mountain behind it. A narrow hidden passage, only wide enough for one person to pass through, connected it to the secret room beneath the fortress—the very room where he kept the lone copy of the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique.

This space of more than twenty square meters had been excavated entirely by Lin Zhao himself.

To ensure absolute secrecy, he had not called on any estate guards for help. Even when splitting mountains and shattering stone, he used the Binding Force of "Three Talents Slash" to hack away. After three months, thick calluses had formed on his palms, and his arms had ached more than once.

Only Zhao Tieying knew about it in the entire fortress. Whenever he saw Lin Zhao emerge from the hidden passage covered head to toe in dust and mud like a miner, he could never help but laugh.

The secret chamber was stocked with cured meat, wheat cakes, fresh water, and wound-healing medicine. It even held two mystic iron short knives, looking for all the world like a hidden refuge where one could avoid the world for a long time.

Though cramped, the space gave Lin Zhao an unusual sense of security—like when he had curled up in his mother's bedding as a child, believing that no matter how formidable the demons or evil spirits were, they could never get in.

At this moment, Lin Zhao sat bare-chested in the center of the secret chamber, circulating the Mystic Wolf Breathing Technique.

Suddenly, his eyes flew open, a sharp gleam flashing within them like lightning. A mouthful of white breath burst from his lips, shooting more than a zhang away like an arrow before striking the stone wall and dispersing into white mist.

He rose to his feet, his joints crackling sharply. Satisfaction showed on his face.

He casually picked up some wheat cakes and cured meat from beside him and took several bites, replenishing the inner breath he had just expended.

Compared with three months ago, his presence had grown stronger by far more than a single level. His muscle lines had become increasingly balanced, and beneath his bronzed skin, every inch of sinew and flesh contained explosive power. Forget the bodybuilders from his previous life—even the burliest martial soldiers in the Northern Garrison camp looked like children before him.

He was already nearly nine chi tall, his arms as thick as an ordinary person's thighs. No one would believe this was the body of a sixteen-year-old boy.

This is what a man ought to look like! Those pale-faced scholars who could not even truss a chicken—what sort of men were they? Lin Zhao looked at his arms, inwardly quite pleased with himself.

Over these three months, he had not wasted a single moment.

While excavating the hidden passage, the proficiency of "Three Talents Slash" had soared wildly. In three months, it had accumulated four thousand points, advancing a full fifth of the twenty-thousand-point progress bar. With the boost from his remaining Ink Flood Dragon Body Tempering Pills, the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique had also gained five thousand points. At this rate, it would break through to the Fifth Level by year's end, making him a mid-level Entering Martial Master.

Unfortunately, the Mystic Dragon Secret Medicine had been exhausted. To continue accelerating his progress, he had to find a source of Pangolin Dragon Essence as soon as possible.

He had therefore decided to leave seclusion and personally make a trip to Northern Garrison City, determined to buy back more Pangolin Dragon Essence.

Yet the greatest surprise came from the Mystic Wolf Breathing Technique—just moments ago, this technique had actually broken through to the Fourth Level!

With the foundation of inner breath provided by the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique, combined with Mystic Mane Fierce Wolf meat as a supplementary material during cultivation, condensing an Inner Qi Seed was as easy as turning his hand over.

What was more, the Mystic Wolf Breathing Technique was inherently a Lower Grade bloodline technique, far less difficult to cultivate than the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique. Reaching the Fourth Level from the first level in half a year was progress so shocking that it could be called horrifying in northern martial circles.

At this moment, beside the "Mystic Dragon Seed" condensed by the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique at his heart meridian, there lay another mass of silver-white wolf-shaped mist—the "Mystic Wolf Seed" condensed by the Mystic Wolf Breathing Technique.

That was right. Lin Zhao now possessed two Inner Qi Seeds within his body at once!

Lin Zhao did not know whether he was the only martial master in the world with dual Inner Qi Seeds, but even if there were others, they would surely be as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

After his excitement faded, a thought stirred in his mind, and the Proficiency Panel unfolded within it:

-Lin Zhao

-Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique: Fourth Level (731/20000), special effect: Basic Mystic Dragon Defense (inner qi covered the body to block blunt weapons and weaken sharp weapons)

-Mystic Wolf Breathing Technique: Fourth Level (Complete/4000), special effect: Mystic Wolf (agility increased to three times that of an ordinary person; evasion and attack speed surged)

-"Three Talents Slash": Fourth Level (5099/20000), special effects: Advanced Shocking Force, Basic Entangling Force

-Martial Arts Blacksmithing: Third Tier (8897/10000), special effect: Guaranteed Exquisite

-Beast Taming: Third Tier (Complete), special effect: Heart of Beast Taming

"Hm? The Fourth Level is already the limit? As expected, a Lower Grade technique can never amount to much." Lin Zhao smacked his lips, unable to keep disappointment from rising in his heart.

Only now did he truly understand how important an Upper Grade technique was. The Fourth Level of the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique was merely the beginning of the Entering Martial Master realm. Beyond it lay the Fifth Level, mid-level; the Sixth Level, high-level; and the Seventh Level, peak.

But the Fourth Level of the Mystic Wolf Breathing Technique was both its starting point and its end point. This was the technique's own limit. With his current cultivation, there was simply no way for him to break through it.

In other words, a martial master who cultivated only the Mystic Wolf Breathing Technique could at most become a low-level Entering Martial Master in this lifetime, unless he switched to another Upper Grade technique.

"Still, cultivating the 'Mystic Wolf' special effect means my effort was not wasted." Lin Zhao consoled himself.

He tried mobilizing the inner qi of the Mystic Wolf Seed and immediately felt his entire body grow lighter. He lightly tapped his feet around the secret chamber, leaving behind a string of afterimages that even startled him. The description of the [Mystic Wolf] special effect had not lied:

His attack speed, movement speed, and reaction speed had all risen to three times those of an ordinary person. Evading attacks in battle would be as easy as turning his hand over.

He glanced over his other skills. The Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique and "Three Talents Slash" were still far from breaking through, with no hope in the short term. Because he had spent these three months excavating the hidden passage and cultivating, his martial arts blacksmithing progress had slowed considerably. Otherwise, it should have advanced to the Fourth Rank long ago. This had also caused the fortress's armor output to drop by nearly thirty percent.

"Unfortunately, there are only twelve two-hour periods in a day. It is not like I can go without sleep." Lin Zhao shrugged, calculating inwardly. Once my blacksmithing reaches the Fourth Rank, I'll sell another batch of armor and save up two thousand taels of silver. Then I'll personally go to Northern Garrison City—not only to buy Pangolin Dragon Essence, but also to see whether there are other body-tempering supplementary materials that can replace it. I can't hang myself from a single tree.

After returning to the fortress through the hidden passage, Lin Zhao immediately summoned Zhao Tieying and headed to the training ground with him. He wanted to thoroughly test the power of the "Mystic Wolf" special effect. Whether it was running speed, attack speed, or reaction ability, he needed to understand every detail, lest he misjudge his own strength in real combat someday and capsize in a gutter.

Testing running speed was the easiest.

Lin Zhao first had someone measure out a distance of one hundred paces with rope. Then he bent low and gathered strength. The inner qi of the Mystic Wolf Seed instantly flooded his limbs, and faint white vapor seeped from his pores with a hissing sound, like red-hot iron plunged into water.

"When I shout start, run!" Zhao Tieying stood at the finish line and called loudly.

"Alright!"

"Start!"

The instant his words fell, Lin Zhao shot forward like an arrow released from the bowstring, leaving behind only a faint silver-white afterimage.

Zhao Tieying's pupils contracted. Even with the eyesight of a Peak Martial Master, he could only barely keep up with Lin Zhao's movements.

In merely five breaths, Lin Zhao had already crossed the finish line. When he stopped, he was barely even out of breath.

"Five breaths for one hundred paces? This speed... is truly terrifying!" Even Lin Zhao himself was startled. He remembered that in his previous life, the passing standard for a one-hundred-meter sprint at university had been fourteen point nine seconds, while full marks required twelve point five seconds.

Yet now, he had run one hundred paces—roughly one hundred and fifty meters—in only five breaths. Converted over, he was more than twice as fast as the sprint champions of his previous life!

Looking across all living creatures under heaven, perhaps only the Silver Frost Snow Leopard of the northern desert could be a little faster than him. But snow leopards had poor endurance and could not sustain an all-out sprint for more than half an incense stick's time. He estimated that he could maintain this speed for at least a quarter of an hour.

"The limit of a mere Lower Grade technique can actually be this powerful?" Lin Zhao's heart surged with emotion. If I could find an Upper Grade, or even perfect-grade, speed-type technique and cultivate it to the peak, just how fast would I become?

"Forget it. No point thinking about such empty things. Continue the tests!" He shook his head, tossing aside those stray thoughts.

Next came testing attack speed and evasion. As the saying went, "Under heaven, no martial art can withstand speed." The Mystic Wolf Breathing Technique was a technique specializing in agility. These two aspects were its true core.

"Uncle Zhao, when we spar in a moment, you have to go all out. Do not hold back! I want to know exactly how far my strength has reached and where my limit lies!" Lin Zhao drew the cold steel Cold Moon Sword from his waist, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

"Young Master, you said it yourself. Do not cry out in pain later." Zhao Tieying smiled as he drew his own "Shadowless Sword"—a mystic iron sword tempered with inner qi, its blade glowing with a faint azure sheen.

"Come at me!"

"Good! If you cannot hold on, shout 'stop,' and I will withdraw my moves at once!" Zhao Tieying's expression turned serious. He stepped into Eagle Soaring Steps, charging fiercely toward Lin Zhao like a soaring hawk.

He did not use killing moves like "Three Talents Slash," relying only on basic chops, thrusts, and lifts. Lin Zhao did the same, dodging and weaving with the "Mystic Wolf" special effect, occasionally swinging his sword to block.

The two exchanged blows across the training ground, the clang of colliding longswords ringing without end. At times they fought in close quarters, tangled together; at others they pulled apart and faced each other from a distance. Before they realized it, they had traded several hundred exchanges, neither able to gain the upper hand.

"Uncle Zhao, you are not using your full strength! In a real fight with real blades, enemies will not show you mercy!" Lin Zhao called out as he dodged.

Zhao Tieying shook his head with a bitter smile. "How would I dare hold back? To tell the truth, I am getting old, and my inner breath is no longer what it was. Young Master, your strength is already comparable to that of a mid-level Entering Martial Master."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Tieying abruptly accelerated! The Eagle Soaring Breathing Technique he cultivated was already renowned for speed. Now that he exerted his full strength, his body became nearly twice as fast as before, truly as swift and fierce as an eagle pouncing on a rabbit. Eagles were birds of prey said in legend to naturally counter serpents, and the movement technique of the Eagle Soaring Breathing Technique happened to restrain the more yin and supple Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique.

Lin Zhao had to mobilize the "Rushing Wolf" special effect with all his might just to barely keep pace with Zhao Tieying. Sweat gradually seeped onto his brow.

In the end, the gap in realms remained right there. Zhao Tieying had entered the Peak Martial Master realm more than ten years ago, his inner breath condensed and his experience seasoned. Lin Zhao, meanwhile, had only recently broken through to low-level Entering Martial Master. Though bolstered by two techniques, his foundation and experience still fell short by a considerable margin.

After another thirty exchanges, Zhao Tieying was the first to withdraw his sword. Panting, he said, "Congratulations, Young Master! Your strength has far exceeded my expectations. It will not be long before you surpass this old bag of bones!"