Watching Luo Qingchen Humiliated, Condensing the Dao Fruit, Fearless Heart

Inside the side room, the maidservant of Lin Manor had long prepared clean clothes for An Le.

The maidservant originally wanted to help An Le change, but he refused. The side room fell into silence, the sound of rain pattering outside the window drifting in, making the interior seem even quieter.

An Le sat on the chair, his expression calm. The ambush at Quiet Street Entrance had caught him somewhat off guard, but it wasn't so hard to accept.

As the capital of Great Zhao, Lin'an Prefecture was a web of intersecting forces, a sea of nobles, tangled disputes, and hidden truths like a vast net, difficult to trace to their source.

"Today, the one who sent people to attack me was the painter Liu Qingyan. But since I've entered Lin Manor, I have a layer of identity, plus my Juren scholar status—how did Liu Qingyan dare to make a move against me?"

"So, there's someone behind Liu Qingyan. That person is Luo Qingchen, the one in the carriage today?"

An Le poured himself a cup of water, sipping it lightly as he pondered.

Luo Qingchen had originally wanted Liu Qingyan to enter Lin Manor as a painter... and An Le had snatched that away?

Behind Luo Qingchen, there was likely another force standing. Their target... was Lin Manor.

But since they dared to strike at him directly at Quiet Street Entrance, that force's relationship with Lin Manor was certainly bad, even hostile.

This was a conflict among nobles, and An Le was like a mayfly accidentally swept into it, caught up for no reason.

An Le frowned, slowly piecing together a thread in his mind. Some things' origins vaguely revealed the truth.

His long fingers, with distinct knuckles, tapped lightly on the table. In the dim side room, An Le slowly exhaled a breath.

With a movement of his mind.

A light screen floated out.

Name: An Le

Golden Time Qi: 6 strands

Time Dao Fruit: Cultivation Genius (3/10), Sword Dancer (0/10)

Mastered Techniques: "Sword Waterfall Diagram" (0 strands), "Qi Induction Breathing Technique" (1 strand)

Mastered Skills: "Five Beasts Body Tempering Technique" (0 strands), "Zhao Ancestor Long Fist (Remnant)" (1 strand)

He had now gathered six strands of Golden Time Qi, four drawn from Luo Qingchen and his coachman, and two more just now from meeting Lin Zhuifeng.

Today, An Le truly felt the gap between himself and powerful cultivators. But he wasn't dejected, nor despairing. Instead, a fighting spirit surged within him.

As Luo Qingchen had said, the youth harbored a fierce tiger in his chest. That tiger... was An Le's ambition to become strong.

Golden Time Qi was his reliance.

He closed his eyes, about to allocate the Golden Time Qi, but the moment his mind stirred.

A flash of flowing gold light surged before his eyes. Golden Time Qi, coiling like an incense stick, burned with a curling smoke.

An Le couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected to have plucked a strand of Golden Time Qi.

The space before him rippled like water, and an image appeared.

Heavy snow fell, blanketing everything in white.

A figure in white robes trudged through the snow, carrying a long, narrow yellow pear wood box on his back, moving as if on flat ground, leaving no trace in the snow.

This figure was none other than Luo Qingchen.

Across from Luo Qingchen stood a thatched cottage, its roof weighed down by snow as if about to collapse under the strain.

Inside the cottage, a handsome young man could be faintly seen sitting quietly. A stove boiled water, steam billowing from its spout, a few tea leaves rising and falling in the bubbling water.

"Luo Qingchen of Qingzhou comes to Lin'an to challenge the world's talents, to nurture his sword intent. Undefeated so far, with sword intent brimming, I dare to test the depth of the Top Scholar."

Luo Qingchen, white robe like snow, slightly bowed, his voice ethereal, carrying supreme pride and battle intent.

On this day, Luo Qingchen was in high spirits, like an abyssal dragon emerging from the depths, dazzling beyond compare.

His voice shook a few flakes of snow from the cottage roof, causing a rustling sound like bamboo leaves brushing in the wind.

Inside the cottage, the elegant young man turned his face slightly. Though dressed in plain cloth, he exuded a noble air. He glanced at Luo Qingchen and shook his head. "Your sword intent is not enough."

"How can you know it's not enough without trying?"

Luo Qingchen sat cross-legged on the snow, as if floating on a cloud. He took down the yellow pear wood sword box from his back and laid it across his lap, like strumming a zither.

He opened the gold-forged lock, lifted the lid, and inside the box lay six palm-sized short swords, three silver and three gray.

Inside the cottage, the elegant young man paid Luo Qingchen no more heed. The stove water boiled, and he poured it into a bowl to brew tea.

The tea brewed with a yellow hue, the bowl swirling with flower-like patterns.

The young man watched the tea leaves bloom in the bowl water like flowers, a faint smile curling at his lips.

Outside the cottage, on the snowy ground.

Luo Qingchen, dressed in pure white blending with the snow, saw the young man ignoring him and took the initiative to strike. With a movement of his mind, he blew out a breath. Instantly, the short swords in the box rose into the wind like dandelion seeds.

He exhaled another breath, the breath like sword qi.

Six small swords arced through the air, shooting forth and tracing lines across the white snow. A killing intent, wrapped in the cold of the snowy day, raced toward the cloth-clad man drinking tea in the thatched pavilion.

The first strike was a thunderbolt—this was Luo Qingchen's proudest move.

The Silver Sword attacked head-on, while the Gray Sword concealed itself, seeming to vanish into heaven and earth, melting into the shadows.

Blowing the steam from his bowl, he took a sip of tea.

Facing the six flying swords, the cloth-clad man finally glanced sideways, shook his head lightly.

Then, he raised his hand and grabbed with five fingers.

The six small swords were effortlessly captured by the cloth-clad man, who set them gently on the table.

The cloth-clad man slowly rose and walked to the edge of the thatched pavilion.

He looked down at Luo Qingchen, seated in the snow with utter disbelief, his face expressionless.

Then, the man raised his hand again, palm up, and pressed downward.

In an instant.

Luo Qingchen felt a vast spiritual power, like a mountain collapsing upon him.

That hand seemed intent on breaking his spine, forcing him to bow, to submit...

Luo Qingchen's sword intent surged, but under the terrifying pressure, he was still crushed into the snow, his sword broken, his intent sullied.

Snow exploded around him, falling from the sky as if a heavy blizzard had descended.

The man in the pavilion withdrew his hand, brushed off his cloth robe, and sat back down to drink tea.

Outside the pavilion, snow drifted.

Only Luo Qingchen's sobs lingered in the snow, whether from his Dao heart being tarnished or grief over his six swords being seized.

The scene gradually faded, the azure light dimmed, and An Le came back to himself.

The side room remained quiet, with the spring rain pattering outside the window.

Letting out a turbid breath, An Le hadn't expected that wisp of Time Qi to hide such a secret.

"So Luo Qingchen challenged the cloth-clad man and failed, was crushed by his momentum, and his Dao heart was sullied... That's why earlier at Quiet Street's alley, he tried to crush me with his momentum, to make me bow."

An Le pondered. This Luo Qingchen... what he suffered himself, he wanted others to suffer too... He must have become psychologically twisted.

But today, Luo Qingchen was bullied by Madam Hua again, which would likely twist his mind even further.

Shaking his head, it was obvious that this Time Qi wasn't born from pride, but from a moment of deep desolation that left an extremely strong impression on Luo Qingchen.

Thus, it was captured by the Time Qi.

Before him, azure text appeared.

Obtained Time Dao Fruit: Fearless Heart

Note: Fearless Heart (Dao Fruit): Possessing a Fearless Heart, one shall have fearless spirit, an unbroken spine, charging forward without hesitation, cutting through calamities, strengthening the Fearless Heart, and nourishing cultivation in return.

A wisp of Flowing Gold Time Qi condensed into a Fearless Heart Dao Fruit!

His eyes flickered, joy rising in his heart. Watching Luo Qingchen have his spine broken and his Dao heart sullied, he instead condensed a Fearless Heart. This Dao Fruit's formation was oddly angled... killing the spirit?!

If Luo Qingchen knew, he'd probably be so furious his thoughts couldn't flow smoothly.

An Le studied it carefully and found that this Time Dao Fruit was different from others—it seemed unable to enhance Time Qi.

But the effect of the Fearless Heart Dao Fruit was excellent. With a Fearless Heart, one had fearless spirit. With the Fearless Heart present, the youth's spine stood like a heavenly pillar; no pressure, no matter how great, could break it. Moreover, cutting through calamities would strengthen the Fearless Heart, nourishing cultivation and raising one's power!

"So, Luo Qingchen's oppression of me today becomes a stepping stone in my heart. In the future, if I defeat him, bully him, slay him, I can strengthen the Fearless Heart and gain cultivation feedback..."

An Le mused thoughtfully.

He gained greater resolve and will to defeat Luo Qingchen after growing stronger.

Closing his eyes, he continued studying the Time Qi. One wisp had turned into a Dao Fruit, and the remaining five were no longer Flowing Gold Time Qi, so An Le added them all to the Cultivation Genius Dao Fruit, raising the enhanced Time Qi to eight wisps.

He vaguely felt his mind clearer, his comprehension of the Sword Waterfall Diagram deepening.

This was clearly the effect of the Cultivation Genius Dao Fruit being enhanced.

Having done all this, An Le changed into clean clothes, his hair slightly damp, his face like jade, and left the side room.

The delicate maidservant had long been waiting outside. Seeing the handsome An Le emerge, she shyly averted her eyes and carefully led the way, guiding him to Tianbo Water Pavilion.

Above the pavilion, the spring rain had resumed, falling into the Great Pond, creating ripples dot by dot.

In the main hall, Madam Hua sat reading a book, while Lin Qingyin and Lin Zhuifeng were eating pastries.

An Le stepped into the hall, bowed to Lin Qingyin and Lin Zhuifeng in greeting, and incidentally took two wisps of Time Qi from Lin Qingyin.

The Time Qi wrapped around Lin Qingyin wasn't as much as Lin Zhuifeng's, but still amounted to eight wisps.

"An Le greets Madam Hua. Thank you for your assistance."

An Le clasped his hands and bowed, sincere in his gratitude.

Madam Hua set down the great Confucian work she was reading, her gaze falling on An Le. As she looked, she couldn't help but pause slightly.

He had assumed that An Le, oppressed by Luo Qingchen, would be in low spirits with dimmed fighting will, and was just about to call him over to offer a few words of encouragement and guidance.

But he did not expect the youth to show even a trace of dejection or loss.

On the contrary, he had undergone a transformation—his eyes blazing bright, his spine standing straight as a heavenly pillar, his presence as mighty as a great bell!

And hidden within was an air of fearless resolve!

Sharp as a peerless swordsman's sheathed blade—though not yet drawn, once it was, it would possess the audacity to cut through ten-thousand-foot towering waves or city-crushing black clouds with a single strike!

The youth harbored a tiger in his chest, and fearlessness in his heart!

A flicker of delighted surprise shone in Madam Hua's eyes. This youth might well be a treasure trove.

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