On the road home, the spring rain had ceased to fall. The setting sun raced through the gusting wind, while rosy clouds secretly shone from behind it, scattering a layer of golden radiance across the road stretching through Lin'an.
Inside the luxurious carriage, Lin Zhuifeng chattered without pause, venting the shock and excitement in her heart.
Lin Qingyin sat quietly within, listening with pursed lips and smiling from time to time.
An Le sat upright and proper, Bamboo Sword Green Mountain tucked at his waist and Ink Pool laid across his knees. He looked utterly calm. An outsider might have thought that the genius favored by a Mountain Lord and awarded a Minor Sacred Token was Lin Zhuifeng, waving around a fire poker and unable to contain her excitement.
How many peaks lay west and south beneath the setting sun? Broken clouds stretched a thousand miles, smearing away the fading red.
Accompanied by the evening glow after the spring rain, the carriage made its way back to Lin'an Prefecture, where lanterns had just begun to shine.
After stepping down from the carriage, An Le wore two swords at his waist and smiled as he bid Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin farewell. Only after the carriage gradually vanished at the end of Qingbo Street did he turn and head in Imperial Ancestral Temple Alley.
Dressed in white, with a smile lingering at the corner of his lips, An Le was in an excellent mood.
His cultivation had broken through, and he had gained both the treasured sword Ink Pool and a Minor Sacred Token. Naturally, joy filled his heart.
Upon reaching the courtyard gate, he paused slightly. An elderly man in plain robes with wide sleeves stood before the courtyard, leaning on a bamboo staff. In one hand, he carried a jug of wine and a packet of beef wrapped in oiled paper.
Seeing An Le return, the old man's long brows relaxed slightly as he raised the wine and meat in his hands.
The smile on An Le's lips widened further. He quickened his pace, trotting to the courtyard gate and taking out his key to unlock it.
A short while later.
In the courtyard after the fresh rain, wine and meat were being enjoyed at a small table.
An Le and the old man shared a cup of wine, counting it as a celebration for obtaining the Minor Sacred Token on Sixth Mountain today.
Ten thousand rays of sunset light spilled across the world in blazing splendor.
The old man held Ink Pool in his hand and examined it with narrowed eyes. "The Sixth Mountain Lord's case holds three thousand hidden swords, said to contain every sword in the world. Heavenly Immortal swords above, Crimson Dust swords below—there are all of them."
The old man's fingers, like withered branches of an ancient tree, brushed over the blade. Ink Pool trembled lightly, and sword cries filled the courtyard.
"This Ink Pool is quite interesting. Forged like ink and wash, it is a Painting and Calligraphy Sword. At present, it can only be considered a sixth-rank sword weapon, yet it suits you very well. You excel at painting. Nurture the sword with paintings, and Ink Pool's rank may rise. Furthermore, it contains a Minor Sacred Token. Its rank may perhaps one day break through this sword's limits."
The old man praised him.
Hearing this, An Le smiled as well. "My body tempering has only just entered the second realm. Ink Pool suits me best. It would mean little to blindly pursue a high-rank sword weapon when I cannot unleash its power."
The old man picked up a piece of beef and chuckled. "It is naturally best that you can be so free and easy."
"Now that you have obtained a Minor Sacred Token, this old man should remind you of something. Those who possess Minor Sacred Tokens will be listed on a ranking known as the Minor Saint Ranking, arranged according to its holders."
"Obtaining a Minor Sacred Token is one of the conditions for speaking with the Sacred Teacher, but only by reaching the top three of the ranking will you have an opportunity. This is also a test."
Hearing this, An Le was immediately stunned.
"How does one rise through the rankings? Very simply—challenge others."
"Win, and your rank rises. But every holder of a Minor Sacred Token has only two chances to lose."
"After two defeats, the Minor Sacred Token will shatter on its own and you will be removed from the ranking. Therefore, challenges must be undertaken cautiously."
The old man drank and laughed softly.
Hearing this, An Le's expression gradually turned solemn.
"As for the specifics of the ranking, you will learn them after going to Lin Manor. This old man will not say more."
The old man did not continue discussing the matter. Over Old Yellow Wine and beneath the fading sunlight, the two spoke instead of their insights into painting ink bamboo.
When the pale moon hung high in the sky and the wine and meat had both run out, the old man rose, dusted off his plain robes, and walked out of the courtyard with his bamboo staff.
"Now that you have gained a Minor Sacred Token, you will soon become famous throughout Lin'an. Countless honors and riches, all manner of extravagant temptations, will come crashing down upon you. Only by holding fast to your original heart and tempering yourself onward will you not fail your talent, nor fail Green Mountain."
The old man stood in the alleyway, offering a serious and heartfelt reminder.
Hearing this, An Le bowed deeply to the ground.
"This student will remember."
Upon hearing that, the old man turned and left. The sound of his bamboo staff striking the ground echoed through the moonlit alley, gradually fading away.
An Le withdrew his gaze and returned to the courtyard. Sitting upright in his chair with the three-foot Ink Pool across his legs, he bathed in the cold spring night wind as his thoughts gradually calmed.
Although he had obtained a Minor Sacred Token, the pressure he would face next was even greater.
Having gained the Minor Sacred Token, he naturally had no desire to waste his days without advancing. He was determined to climb higher and meet the Sacred Teacher, who was even more mysterious and powerful than the Yuan Meng Emperor.
Thus, advancing on the Minor Saint Ranking and achieving first place in the imperial examinations were both towering mountains waiting for him to cross.
In the days ahead, he had to guard against arrogance and impatience.
Study, cultivate, nurture his sword, and examine himself three times a day.
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, An Le rose and briefly tidied the courtyard. He moved the flowers and potted plants left behind by the former landlady to the edges before bathing in the moonlight and practicing the Five Animals Body Tempering Technique in the courtyard.
His body tempering cultivation had entered the second realm, forging a Sword Qi Spirit Bone. As his blood and qi circulated, force burst forth. With the might of the Sword Qi Spirit Bone, his strength was vastly greater than in the first realm.
The tiger form became ever more ferocious. As his movements shifted, he truly resembled a striped tiger roaring through mountain forests, even drawing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy together.
Then came the deer form, bear form, ape form, and bird form. The power of every form had greatly increased. On Sixth Mountain, tempering the Five Animals amid sword rain had brought him tremendous gains.
After a while, his boiling blood and qi slowly settled. An Le gathered his thoughts, closed his eyes, and felt the changes in the force within his Spirit Bone, becoming familiar with his suddenly increased strength and explosive power.
The moon climbed to the center of the sky, and the cold night deepened.
An Le sat cross-legged beneath the Old Scholar Tree, closing his eyes and Entering Stillness for spirit refinement visualization.
On Sixth Mountain, although he had not broken through the Embryonic Breathing Realm to enter the third realm of spirit refinement, Transcending Worldliness, Spirit Refinement Transcendence meant rising above the mortal world. Madam Hua had once said that this realm was of critical importance, a transformation in the very essence of one's spirit.
An Le placed great importance on it. As he visualized, the moonlight seemed drawn toward him, falling over his body as though draping him in clear robes.
Within the Brow Niwan Palace, a phantom of a sword pool emerged and spread around him.
Sword light drifted through the gaps, dreamlike and illusory.
Ink Pool, placed upon his legs and nurtured by his mind, trembled faintly as though it wished to soar into the heavens, circle around him, and race through the air.
Yet it was ultimately still lacking something. If he attained Spirit Refinement Transcendence, he might perhaps easily control the sword's rising and falling.
Suddenly, An Le's consciousness drifted into Ink Pool's blade, where a strand of Sword Qi circulated.
To An Le's senses, it was pure, vast, and razor-sharp.
His consciousness gradually sank into Ink Pool. The Ink Pool Sword truly seemed to transform into a pool of inky water, carrying his consciousness ever deeper.
That was the secret treasure hidden within the Minor Sacred Token, and could also be considered the Sacred Teacher's modest gift.
When An Le opened his eyes, he saw a scroll slowly unfurling.
Ink spread across it, revealing a painting.
As An Le observed the painting, he felt that a blade of grass, a leaf, a drop of water... all could become swords. All things between heaven and earth concealed Sword Qi!
Sword Qi was near at hand!
This was a technique for wielding swords, an exceptionally pure sword move!
It was also what An Le had gained after winning the Minor Sacred Token this time!
It was neither a spirit refinement method nor a body tempering method, merely a pure swordsmanship technique. It did not even have a name, like an ink-wash painting casually drawn within the token and then captured and read by An Le.
Beneath the Old Scholar Tree, An Le's consciousness withdrew from the Minor Sacred Token within Ink Pool. Beneath his pupils, a streak of sword light seemed to flash.
He stood up, no longer able to control his expression. He broke into a broad grin, pressed two fingers together into a sword sign, and lightly swept them before himself. His consciousness became like a minute strand of Sword Qi, like the strings behind a puppet's neck.
The silent Ink Pool suddenly broke away from An Le's side and shot forth with a howl. It flew through the air at incredible speed, charging and weaving about, slicing open the air like a fish cutting through water in a pond.
Though this was not Sword Control, the sensation of controlling a sword weapon from afar made An Le feel incomparably unrestrained and free!
Under An Le's control, Ink Pool viciously plunged into the Old Scholar Tree. It trembled lightly, and a leaf fell from the tree.
An Le pointed from afar with his sword fingers. That leaf from the Old Scholar Tree was actually controlled like a sword weapon, streaking through the air like a flying sword!
This was the sword-wielding technique hidden within the Minor Sacred Token's secret treasure!
An Le's eyes shone brightly. A blade of grass, a leaf, a drop of water... all things between heaven and earth could conceal Sword Qi. What a domineering sword move!
Within his Niwan Palace, the sword pool boiled. His consciousness seemed to grow a little stronger at that moment, drawing ever closer to Transcending Worldliness.
Outside the alley stood the Imperial Ancestral Temple, a two-story pavilion with four corners and layered eaves.
Incense smoke drifted faintly.
Zhao Huangting was wielding a brush and splashing ink when he suddenly sensed something. He turned his head toward the small courtyard in the alley.
A trace of astonishment surfaced in his eyes.
"He comprehended the secret treasure the Sacred Teacher left in the Minor Sacred Token... so quickly?!"
"What a monster..."
Zhao Huangting took a deep breath, then smiled. "I, Zhao Huangting, really do have a venomous eye."
An Le wielded his sword for a while, consuming much of his consciousness and growing somewhat fatigued.
With a thought.
The long-absent light screen appeared.
``` Name: An Le
Time Qi: 3 strands
Time Dao Fruits: Talent of the Ages (Flowing Gold Time Qi 0/2 strands, 0/100 strands), Innate Swordsman (Flowing Gold Time Qi 0/2 strands, 0/100 strands), Collapsing Sword Force (2/10 strands), Fearless Heart, Quenching Demon Ancient Jade
Mastered Techniques: "Sword Waterfall Diagram" (11 strands), "Qi Induction Breathing Technique" (1 strand)
Mastered Skills: "Five Animals Body Tempering Technique" (18 strands), "Zhao Ancestor Long Fist (Incomplete)" (1 strand)
Hm?
An Le froze, unexpectedly discovering that the light screen had not recorded this sword-wielding technique.
Even a commonplace method like "Zhao Ancestor Long Fist (Incomplete)" could be recorded, yet this technique could not.
Perhaps it was because this sword move was purely a technique, and thus could not be recorded?
Standing in the biting spring night, An Le fell into thought.
"This sword move was comprehended from the Minor Sacred Token. It has no name. Beneath this sword move, Sword Qi is near at hand and may be bestowed upon all things. Since that is so, this move shall be called Sword Qi is Near."
An Le happily named the sword move.
Then, with another thought, he mobilized the three strands of Time Qi drawn from that freeloading girl. After considering it, he infused them into the Dao Fruit Talent of the Ages.
After infusing two strands.
Suddenly, flowing golden light surged before his eyes. An Le was greatly surprised to find that he had directly obtained a strand of Flowing Gold Time Qi from the freeloading girl.
The Golden Time Qi transformed into an incense stick and began to burn.
Images appeared like stones dropped into a lake, sending ripples spreading outward.
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