When Lin Ye returned to his quarters, Chen Feng was already waiting there.
"Zhao Mingxuan came to see you?"
"Yeah." Lin Ye nodded and briefly explained what had happened, leaving out Zhao Mingxuan's warning.
Chen Feng was silent for a moment. "You agreed?"
"Did I have a choice?" Lin Ye countered.
"...No." Chen Feng shook his head. "Zhao Mingxuan is a deacon of the Inner Sect Deacon Hall. Being singled out by him is both an opportunity and a shackle."
"So I need to grow stronger as soon as possible."
Chen Feng looked at him. "Are you sure you can do it?"
"Three months will be enough."
Chen Feng glanced at him but said nothing more. He turned and left.
Lin Ye watched his retreating figure, a flicker of thought passing through his eyes.
Sometimes, the less you knew, the safer you were.
Putting those thoughts aside, Lin Ye began to cultivate.
Ten Qi Gathering Pills, together with the ones he already had, would be enough for him to break through.
"The True Qi Realm comes after the ninth level of Body Tempering reaches perfection. One draws qi into the body, opens the dantian, and condenses a True Qi seed."
"What will happen if I reach the tenth level of Body Tempering before breaking through to the True Qi Realm?"
A glimmer of anticipation passed through Lin Ye's eyes.
The bottleneck began to loosen.
Lin Ye did not rush to break through.
He focused on accumulating strength, honing himself, and refining every last trace of medicinal power.
At the same time, he practiced the Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind Zhao Mingxuan had given him.
The sword style was subtle and exquisite, emphasizing speed, precision, and cleverness. Like a clear breeze brushing the face, it slipped through every opening.
He wanted to comprehend it on his own first, and only use Martial Arts Points to break through when he encountered a bottleneck.
It was a way of tempering himself.
And so, a month passed.
Lin Ye's cultivation had settled firmly at the peak of the eighth level of Body Tempering, just a hair's breadth from the ninth.
He had mastered the first six swords of the Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind, enough to be considered a beginner.
That day, Zhao Mingxuan sent someone to summon him again.
"Lin Ye, Deacon Zhao wants you to come to the Sword Testing Cliff."
The Sword Testing Cliff was where outer sect disciples sparred and honed their swordsmanship. It lay deep in the back mountains, with a bottomless abyss beneath it, shrouded in clouds and mist all year round.
When Lin Ye reached the top of the cliff, Zhao Mingxuan was already waiting there.
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sea of clouds below. His moon-white robe snapped in the wind.
"You're here." Zhao Mingxuan did not turn around.
"This disciple greets Deacon Zhao." Lin Ye bowed.
"How are you progressing with the Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind?"
"I've only just begun."
"Show me."
Lin Ye drew the fine-grade Azure Edge Sword Zhao Mingxuan had given him last time.
The sword emerged, and a clear breeze stirred.
The first sword, A Gentle Breeze Blows.
The second sword, The Wind Leaves No Trace.
The third sword, Wind Sweeps the Clouds Away.
The sixth sword, Wind and Clouds Surge.
Sword light flashed, carving streak after streak through the air atop the cliff. It moved in harmony with the mountain wind, carrying a hint of unity between man and nature.
A flicker of approval crossed Zhao Mingxuan's eyes.
"Six swords in a month. Your talent is decent." He gave his assessment. "But swordsmanship isn't honed through practice. It's forged through killing."
He turned to Lin Ye. "Today, I'll teach you the seventh sword—Wind and Thunder Move."
Before his words had faded, he joined his fingers like a sword and swept them through the air.
"Shhk!"
A streak of Sword Qi ripped through the air. At first, it was like a clear breeze sweeping over the face; in the blink of an eye, wind and thunder crashed together, and the Sword Qi transformed into a streak of blue-violet lightning. It carved a sword mark three feet deep into the cliff face.
Wind and Thunder Move. The sword struck like wind and thunder, swift and fierce—the most lethal sword in the Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind.
"Understand it?" Zhao Mingxuan lowered his hand and stood still.
"Seven-tenths of it," Lin Ye replied.
"The other three-tenths must be understood in real combat." Zhao Mingxuan clapped his hands.
The clouds and mist below the cliff churned. Three dark figures leaped onto the summit like ghosts.
They were three masked men in black, each wielding a saber and radiating a savage aura. All three were at the ninth level of Body Tempering!
"Kill them, or be killed by them," Zhao Mingxuan said coolly, then walked to the edge of the cliff.
The three black-clad men snarled and charged at Lin Ye together.
Their saber light flashed, murderous intent filling the air.
Lin Ye's gaze sharpened as he drew the Azure Edge Sword.
He understood: this was a trial of life and death.
"Kill!"
Sword light clashed with saber light, sending sparks flying.
Outnumbered three to one, Lin Ye fell behind at once.
He did not panic. He used Flowing Cloud Steps, his figure darting like a ghost as he wove through the saber light.
At the same time, he chained together the first six swords of the Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind, barely managing to hold on.
"Thud!"
A saber struck his shoulder, spraying blood.
Lin Ye grunted, his expression calm.
Spotting an opening, he suddenly thrust out the seventh sword—Wind and Thunder Move.
With death closing in, his potential burst forth, and his strike captured eight-tenths of its true essence.
"Shhk!"
His sword struck like wind and thunder, piercing one black-clad man through the throat in an instant.
Blood gushed out, and the man collapsed.
The remaining two were both furious and shocked, their attacks growing even fiercer.
Wounded, Lin Ye's fighting spirit only burned brighter.
He stopped defending and went on the offensive with all his might.
He traded wound for wound, life for life.
"Pfft!"
Another sword pierced the second man's heart.
Seeing things turn against him, the last man turned to flee.
Wind and Thunder Move.
Sword light flashed like lightning, piercing straight through him from behind.
Silence settled over the cliff top once more.
Only the wind and the heavy stench of blood remained.
Lin Ye stood leaning on his sword, drenched in blood. His shoulder, ribs, thigh, and several other places bore wounds deep enough to expose bone.
His gaze remained calm as he watched Zhao Mingxuan's back.
Zhao Mingxuan turned to look at him, a complicated glint in his eyes.
"Not bad." He nodded. "You're ruthless and decisive enough."
He walked up to Lin Ye, raised a hand, and sent a gentle stream of True Qi into his body to stabilize his injuries.
"Break through to the True Qi Realm within three months. I have a task for you."
"What task?"
"You'll find out when the time comes." Zhao Mingxuan gave him a long, searching look. "Remember, you're my chess piece now. A chess piece's life is worth the least. But used well, it can deliver checkmate."
With that, he leaped off the cliff and disappeared into the sea of clouds.
Lin Ye stood where he was, staring in the direction Zhao Mingxuan had vanished. He remained silent for a long while before slowly sitting down to tend to his wounds.
He applied medicine and wrapped the wounds.
His movements were practiced, his expression impassive, as though the life-and-death struggle moments ago had been nothing more than an ordinary drill.
After tending to his wounds, he sat cross-legged and began circulating the Azure Origin Technique to heal himself.
At the same time, he carefully went over the battle in his mind.
That strike of Wind and Thunder Move had given him many new insights under the threat of death.
"The wind's swiftness, the thunder's ferocity. Joined together, they can shatter anything."
"Still not enough..."
[Points: 37] "How many points will it take to deduce the seventh sword of the Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind, 'Wind and Thunder Move'?" [Deduction of the seventh sword of the Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind (upper-grade mortal level) requires 30 Martial Arts Points] [Proceed with deduction?]
"Yes."
An illusory figure began to appear, demonstrating Wind and Thunder Move.
This time, however, the figure's swordsmanship was completely different from Zhao Mingxuan's.
It was even more swift and uncanny.
The sword struck without a sound; only when it drew near did wind and thunder explode. Its movements shifted between real and illusory, impossible to predict.
[Deduction complete] [The seventh sword of the Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind, "Wind and Thunder Move," has been optimized. Power increased by 50%, speed increased by 30%, and the "Paralysis" effect has been added, briefly hindering the opponent's movements.]
Paralysis?
A glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes.
This had already gone beyond the bounds of an upper-grade mortal-level sword technique.
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