Grandmaster Realm

"Everything will be arranged by Master."

Lin Heng agreed without refusing Xiao Rang's kindness.

Though he felt no need to play with children his own age, if it could put Xiao Rang at ease, there was no harm in agreeing.

Xiao Rang was highly efficient. Seeing Lin Heng agree,

the very next day, he summoned the twenty sword-bearing maids he had prepared.

Ten of these sword-bearing maids were older, and ten were younger. The eldest were fifteen or sixteen, while the youngest were Lin Heng's age.

Of the ten older girls, five came from Affiliated Dynasties, while the other five had been selected from among the Sect's disciples. They were responsible for Lin Heng's daily needs. Of the ten younger girls, five likewise came from Vassal States and five from the Sect. They had been prepared as Lin Heng's playmates.

Before coming here, both the maids and their families had already received benefits such as money, status, and Cultivation Resources. They had been taught the rules and knew how to conduct themselves.

To accommodate these sword-bearing maids, Xiao Rang had even arranged a new residence for Lin Heng within Cloud Sword Palace.

Empty Bright Hall—this was Lin Heng's new home.

It was not far from Xiao Rang's residence, making it convenient for him to keep watch over Lin Heng's safety at any time, yet distant enough to preserve his privacy.

"Greetings, Young Sect Master."

The twenty sword-bearing maids stood in two rows within Empty Bright Hall and bowed to Lin Heng.

All of them possessed skin like ice and bones like jade, with features painted like a picture. They were exceedingly beautiful.

Yet before Lin Heng, every one of these maids seemed somewhat dimmed.

Lin Heng's charm was worth twenty points—enough to be called a Banished Immortal Descending to the Mortal World—while these maids were at most worth seventeen to nineteen points.

A single point of charm represented a qualitative transformation. They were not on the same level at all.

Thus, upon seeing Lin Heng, the maids all lost themselves for a moment, utterly captivated by him. They completely forgot their initial reluctance at having been selected and sent here.

If they had initially come unwillingly to serve Lin Heng as maids because of their families' orders and the many promised benefits, now they sincerely felt that being able to accompany someone who seemed like an immortal banished to the mortal world was a blessing.

Twenty points of charm does have its advantages. Even people meeting me for the first time can be won over so quickly. I won't have to sleep with one eye open at night.

Lin Heng watched the fluttering orioles and swallows before him, muttering inwardly.

Besides being beautiful, these maids also possessed decent cultivation Talent. The older maids had Houtian Seventh Level cultivation, while the younger ones had reached Houtian Third Level.

The Postnatal Realm had only nine levels. The first three opened the Twelve Main Meridians; the middle two opened the Eight Extraordinary Meridians; Houtian Sixth Level opened the remaining branch and hidden Meridians. The seventh, eighth, and ninth levels were for accumulating power and preparing to break through into the Xiantian Realm.

After Houtian Seventh Level, every increase of one level generally raised one's inner strength by an entire order of magnitude.

These older maids were already at Houtian Seventh Level. Reaching the Xiantian Realm before the age of thirty would basically pose no problem for them.

This cultivation speed was nothing compared to Lin Heng's, but among their peers, it was already considered outstanding. Otherwise, they would not have qualified to be chosen as Lin Heng's sword-bearing maids.

If their strength was too low, they would lack prestige when taken out.

"No need for such formality."

Though Lin Heng's mind was occupied with stray thoughts, his expression remained exceedingly calm.

He began asking the sword-bearing maids for their names. After learning them, he gave each girl a hundred taels of silver as a meeting gift. That was how Lin Heng became acquainted with this batch of sword-bearing maids.

After all, they were only maids in his presence. Away from his side, each of them was like a young lady of a prominent family. The meeting gifts could not be too stingy.

Besides the meeting gifts, the salaries these maids would receive each month in the future were not low either.

In the days that followed, Lin Heng continued to cultivate diligently.

Although Lin Heng had initially felt that it made no difference whether he had sword-bearing maids or not, he soon found himself thinking, It really is wonderful.

Whenever he took breaks from cultivation and saw these fluttering orioles and swallows before him, his mood improved considerably.

Who did not enjoy looking at beautiful young ladies? Especially when those beautiful young ladies obeyed one's every word.

And the fact that they were not only beautiful, but also proficient in all manner of talents—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—was an even more delightful surprise.

After cultivating, listening to beauties play jade flutes, stroke zithers with pale hands, and dance in graceful whirls was truly an excellent spiritual enjoyment.

Being with them made cultivation feel less exhausting. At times, Lin Heng even felt that playing with them every day would be a wonderful thing, allowing one to live carefree and without worries.

In the end, Lin Heng used great willpower to suppress those thoughts.

Though he had never possessed so many beautiful resources in his previous life, he had at least been an adult who understood restraint. He would not sink into indulgence over this.

Through his daily struggle against his own desires, Lin Heng felt his spirit becoming even Tougher, and even his sword intent growing several degrees sharper.

At that moment, Lin Heng suddenly understood Xiao Rang's other purpose in finding him this flock of orioles and swallows. He wants me to get used to beauty, so I won't suffer losses to a beauty trap when I roam the Jianghu in the future.

Or even lose my mind and my life over mere beauty.

Right now, within the Sect, if Lin Heng became addicted to beauty, elders stood nearby to wake him up.

But once he went out into the world in the future, he would have to rely on himself to judge such matters.

"He truly went to great pains."

Lin Heng shook his head with a smile, his state of mind becoming calm and composed.

He could possess all the beauty in the world, but he could not forget that strength was the foundation.

This was Xiao Rang's expectation of him.

And Lin Heng had long since Comprehended this. Such minor trials would not shake him completely.

Time flew by in cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Heng was more than halfway through his ninth year.

On a Training Ground near a Cliff, Lin Heng, dressed in white and wearing a focused expression, danced with his sword beneath the moon.

Sword light flashed through the air, while fierce sword intent crisscrossed in every direction.

At this moment, Lin Heng could clearly sense the surging Internal Breath circulating within his body, crashing toward the final unopened Acupoint within him.

Pop!

A crisp sound, like a bubble bursting, echoed through Lin Heng's body.

From this moment onward, all 1,296 Acupoints within Lin Heng's body had been opened. He had reached the Great Perfection of Xiantian Eighteenth Level and gained the qualifications to break through into the Grandmaster Realm.

At the instant all the Acupoints in his body were opened, Lin Heng felt his Internal Breath undergo a wondrous transformation.

Driven by sword intent, the Internal Breath that had once quietly circulated through his Meridians in a Great Circulation now began to encompass every Acupoint throughout his body. His blood and vitality became powerful and vast to the Peak, causing the speed of his Internal Breath's circulation to increase dramatically.

Heaven and Earth Origin Energy was drawn forth, resonating with Lin Heng's Internal Breath and pouring back into his body, entering through every Acupoint.

At that moment, Lin Heng could clearly feel his body being Nourished by Heaven and Earth Origin Energy. The nourishing effect was a full ten times stronger than before.

Amid this nourishment, his Physique began to improve rapidly at a speed he could distinctly feel.

This was the Grandmaster Realm!