Inside the side room, the maids of Lin Manor had long since prepared clean clothes for An Le.
The maid had originally intended to help An Le change, but he refused. The side room fell quiet, while the patter of rain outside the window drifted on melodiously, making the room seem even more tranquil.
An Le sat in a chair, his expression calm. This ambush at the Quiet Street Entrance had caught him somewhat by surprise, yet it was not entirely beyond acceptance.
As the capital of Great Zhao, Lin'an Prefecture was a place where every faction intertwined and noble figures gathered like clouds. All manner of grudges and hidden dealings formed a vast net, with no way to trace its source.
"Liu Qingyan, that painter, sent people to attack me today. But now that I have entered Lin Manor, I have gained another layer of identity. Coupled with my Juren scholar status, how would Liu Qingyan dare lay a hand on me?"
"Therefore, someone stood behind Liu Qingyan. Was that person Luo Qingchen, who had been in the carriage today?"
An Le poured himself a cup of water. As he drank lightly, he pondered.
Luo Qingchen had originally wanted Liu Qingyan to enter Lin Manor as a painter... only for him, An Le, to snatch the opportunity away?
There was likely a faction standing behind Luo Qingchen as well. Their target... was Lin Manor.
Yet since they had dared strike at him directly at the Quiet Street Entrance, that faction's relationship with Lin Manor was surely poor, perhaps even treasonous.
This was a dispute between nobles, while he, An Le, was like a mayfly that had accidentally been swept into it and inexplicably caught in the fallout.
An Le frowned, slowly sorting through the threads in his mind. He vaguely grasped the truth behind certain matters.
His slender, clearly jointed fingers tapped lightly against the table. Within the dim side room, An Le slowly exhaled.
With a thought,
the light screen surfaced.
Name: An Le Time Qi: 6 strands Time Dao Fruit: Cultivation Genius (3/10), Sword Dancer (0/10) Cultivation Techniques: "Sword Waterfall Diagram" (0 strands), "Qi Induction Breathing Technique" (1 strand) Skills: "Five-Animal Body-Tempering Technique" (0 strands), "Zhao Ancestor Long Fist (Incomplete)" (1 strand)
His Time Qi had now accumulated to six strands. He had drawn four strands from Luo Qingchen and his coachman, then plucked another two strands after seeing Lin Zhuifeng.
Today, An Le had truly felt the gap between himself and powerful cultivators. Yet he was neither dejected nor despairing. Instead, fighting spirit surged within him.
Just as Luo Qingchen had said, there was a fierce tiger in a young man's chest. That tiger... was An Le's ambition to become stronger.
Time Qi was what An Le relied upon.
He closed his eyes and began allocating the Time Qi, but just as his mind stirred,
a streak of flowing golden radiance suddenly surged before his eyes. Golden Time Qi twisted together like incense sticks, rising in curling trails as it burned.
An Le could not help but feel pleasantly surprised. He had never expected to pluck a strand of Golden Time Qi.
The space before him rippled like water, and a scene emerged.
Heavy snow shrouded the world, blanketing everything in white.
A figure in white strode through the snow, carrying a long, narrow yellow pearwood case on his back. He walked as if on level ground, leaving no trace upon the snow.
This figure was none other than Luo Qingchen.
Opposite Luo Qingchen stood a thatched cottage, its roof weighed down by snow as though it might collapse under the burden at any moment.
Within the cottage, a handsome young man could vaguely be seen sitting quietly. Water boiled over the brazier, steam billowing from the spout, while several tea leaves rose and fell in the boiling water.
"Luo Qingchen of Qingzhou has come to Lin'an to challenge the outstanding talents of the realm, tempering my sword intent through battle. Thus far, I have remained undefeated, and my sword intent runs mighty and full. Only then have I dared come to test the depth of the top scholar's ability."
Luo Qingchen, clad in robes white as snow, dipped slightly in a bow. His voice was ethereal, carrying boundless arrogance and Battle Intent.
On that day, Luo Qingchen was brimming with spirit, like a submerged dragon emerging from an abyss, dazzling beyond compare.
His voice shook several clumps of snow from the cottage roof, drawing a soft rustling like leaves brushing through a bamboo sea.
Inside the cottage, the elegant man turned his face slightly. Though dressed in coarse cloth, he exuded an air of pure nobility. He glanced at Luo Qingchen and shook his head. "Your sword intent is not enough."
"How would you know it is not enough without trying?"
Luo Qingchen sat cross-legged in the snow, seeming to float upon clouds. He removed the yellow pearwood sword case from his back and laid it across his legs as though caressing an ancient zither.
He opened the golden-forged clasp, lifting the wooden case's lid. Within lay six palm-length little swords, three silver and three gray.
Inside the cottage, the elegant man no longer paid Luo Qingchen any heed. The water boiled furiously in the brazier, and he poured it into a bowl to make tea.
The kettle brewed a golden stamen hue; the bowl swirled with dust-colored blossoms.
Watching the tea leaves bloom like flowers in the water, a faint smile appeared on the man's lips.
Outside the cottage, amid the snowy ground,
Luo Qingchen, clad in plain white and blending into the snowy scenery, saw that the man ignored him and took the initiative. His spiritual power blossomed as he blew out a breath. In an instant, the little swords in the case rose into the wind like dandelions.
He exhaled again, his breath as sharp as Sword Qi.
The six little swords carved arcs through the air and shot forth. They traced marks across the vast white snow, their killing intent carrying the frigid cold of a snowy day as they sped toward the coarse-clothed man drinking tea within the cottage.
His opening move was a thunderous strike, Luo Qingchen's proudest technique.
The Silver Swords were the main attack, while the Gray Swords concealed themselves, seeming to fade into heaven and earth and merge with the shadows.
He blew away the steam above his bowl and took a sip of tea.
Facing the six little swords speeding toward him, the coarse-clothed man finally cast a sidelong glance over and shook his head lightly.
Then, he raised his hand and clenched his five fingers.
The six little swords were effortlessly seized by the coarse-clothed man and gently placed upon the table.
The coarse-clothed man slowly rose and walked outside the cottage.
He looked at Luo Qingchen, who sat in the snow with disbelief written all over his face, his own expression utterly blank.
Then, the man raised his hand again, palm facing upward before pressing it down.
In an instant,
Luo Qingchen felt immense spiritual power descend like mountains overturning.
That hand seemed as though it would crush his spine, force him to bend, force him into submission...
Luo Qingchen's sword intent had been mighty and full, yet beneath that terrifying pressure, his entire body was still pressed flat into the snow. His sword broke, and dust clouded his Dao heart.
Snow burst up around him before falling from the heavens, like another great snowfall.
The man in the cottage withdrew his hand, dusted off his coarse clothes, and sat back down to drink tea.
Snowflakes drifted outside the cottage.
Only Luo Qingchen's sobs remained, lingering amid the snow—whether from the dust clouding his Dao heart or sorrow over his six swords being seized, none could tell.
The scene gradually faded, and the azure radiance vanished. An Le came back to his senses.
The side room remained quiet, while spring rain pattered outside the window.
Exhaling a breath of stale air, An Le had not expected this strand of Time Qi to conceal such a secret.
"So Luo Qingchen failed when challenging that coarse-clothed man, and was oppressed by sheer force, leaving dust upon his Dao heart... That is why, at the Quiet Street Entrance earlier, he also wanted to oppress me with force and make me bend."
An Le pondered. This Luo Qingchen... wanted others to endure what he himself had endured... His mind had probably become twisted.
However, Madam Hua had oppressed Luo Qingchen again today. That twist in his heart would likely worsen.
Shaking his head, An Le realized this Time Qi had clearly not formed from prideful emotions, but rather from desolation. It had been a moment etched so deeply into Luo Qingchen's memory that it was preserved by Time Qi.
Azure words appeared before his eyes.
Obtained Time Dao Fruit: Fearless Heart
Note: Fearless Heart (Dao Fruit): One who possesses a Fearless Heart shall possess fearless spirit. Their spine shall not break, and they shall press forward without hesitation. By cutting through tribulations, they may strengthen their fearlessness and feed it back into their cultivation.
One strand of Flowing Gold Time Qi had forged a Fearless Heart Dao Fruit!
His gaze flickered, and joy rose in his heart. Watching Luo Qingchen's spine be crushed and dust cloud his Dao heart had instead allowed him to condense a Fearless Heart. The angle from which this Dao Fruit had formed was truly bizarre... killing a man and stabbing his heart besides?!
If Luo Qingchen learned of this, he would probably be so furious that his thoughts could not flow freely.
An Le studied it carefully and discovered that this Time Dao Fruit differed somewhat from the others. It seemed incapable of receiving Time Qi enhancement.
However, the Fearless Heart Dao Fruit's effect was excellent. With a Fearless Heart came fearless spirit. So long as the Fearless Heart remained, a young man's spine would stand like a pillar supporting heaven; no matter how immense the pressure, it could not break it. Moreover, cutting through tribulations could strengthen the Fearless Heart and feed back into cultivation, raising one's cultivation!
"In that case, Luo Qingchen's oppression today became a stepping stone in my heart. One day, if I defeat him, humiliate him, or kill him, I can strengthen my Fearless Heart and receive feedback that raises my cultivation..."
An Le fell into thought.
After becoming stronger, he now possessed even greater resolve and will to defeat Luo Qingchen.
He closed his eyes and continued studying the Time Qi. One strand of Time Qi had become a Dao Fruit, while the remaining five strands were no longer Flowing Gold Time Qi. Therefore, An Le invested all of them into the Cultivation Genius Dao Fruit, increasing its enhanced Time Qi to eight strands.
He vaguely felt that his mind had become clearer, and his comprehension of the Sword Waterfall Diagram had deepened considerably.
This was clearly the change brought by enhancing the Cultivation Genius Dao Fruit.
After finishing everything, An Le changed into clean clothes. His hair was faintly damp, his face like jade, as he left the side room.
The pretty maid had long been waiting outside. Seeing the handsome An Le emerge, her eyes held a shy gleam. She cautiously led the way ahead, guiding An Le toward Tianbo Water Pavilion.
The spring rain resumed above the water pavilion, falling into the Great Pond and stirring concentric ripples.
In the main hall, Madam Hua sat reading, while Lin Qingyin and Lin Zhuifeng ate pastries.
An Le stepped into the main hall and cupped his hands in greeting to Lin Qingyin and Lin Zhuifeng, taking two strands of Time Qi from Lin Qingyin in passing.
The Time Qi entwined around Lin Qingyin was not as abundant as Lin Zhuifeng's, but it still numbered eight strands.
"An Le greets Madam Hua. Thank you, Madam Hua, for coming to my aid."
An Le clasped his hands and bowed, his gratitude sincere.
Madam Hua set down the work of a great Confucian scholar in her hands, her gaze falling upon An Le. At that sight, she could not help but freeze slightly.
She had assumed that after being oppressed by Luo Qingchen, An Le would be low-spirited and have his fighting spirit dimmed. She had intended to summon him over, offer a few words of encouragement, and ease his mood.
Yet she had never expected the youth to show even the slightest trace of dejection or loss.
Instead, he had changed. His eyes shone brightly, his waist and spine stood erect like a pillar supporting heaven, and his bearing resounded as grandly as a great bell!
There was even a faint aura of fearlessness about him!
He was sharp like the treasured blade hidden by a peerless Swordsman. Though it had not yet left its sheath, once drawn, whether facing towering waves or black clouds pressing down upon a city, it would cut through all with a single strike!
A fierce tiger rested in the youth's chest, and fearlessness dwelled in his heart!
A flash of delight passed through Madam Hua's eyes. This youth might well be a treasure trove.
Please make sure to follow the latest chapters. The current recommendation system only looks at follow-up reading; without it, this book can easily die young. Please support it!
Before you continue