The Third Iron Box

"You worthless thing—what's so great about bringing back a fish?"

Before Qi Ruming even knew what was going on, Zhao Qingshan tore into him, berating him right off the bat.

"Look at your little junior brother. What's he doing? And what are you doing? You toy with trifles and lose your ambition."

Qi Ruming stood rooted to the spot, dumbstruck as a wooden chicken.

He had no idea what was happening.

How had Lin Chen suddenly become his little junior brother?

Hadn't the apprenticeship ceremony not been held yet?

And besides, dawn had only just broken. What were they all doing here?

There wasn't even the smell of breakfast in the air.

With a string of questions swirling in his head, Qi Ruming looked to Lin Chen for help.

Lin Chen immediately stepped in to smooth things over. "Third senior brother, hurry and give me the fish. We're having Spirit Fish Porridge this morning. I guarantee you won't get enough."

"Uh... alright, alright, Little Junior Brother. I'll carry the fish inside for you. This little thing is strong as hell." Qi Ruming hastily took the offered way out and walked into the courtyard.

Only when he was walking shoulder to shoulder with Lin Chen did he dare ask in a low voice, "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you later." Lin Chen found it rather baffling. "Third senior brother, what were you doing over the past day and night?"

"Ah, don't mention it. Didn't I figure I'd find somewhere crowded and lively to show off? Then I ran into some old acquaintances, and we went drinking.

Who would've thought those bastards would try to swindle my fish away from me? We ended up fighting, and I only got the fish back after a lot of trouble..."

After hearing third senior brother's explanation, Lin Chen could barely hold back his laughter.

He had never imagined that such things happened even in the world of cultivation.

Before long, breakfast was ready.

The Spirit Fish was made into porridge, soft and glutinous, fragrant and sweet, with a savory flavor that seeped right in. Everyone ate with great satisfaction.

Qi Ruming in particular nearly swallowed his tongue, repeatedly crying out that it was delicious.

Everyone strongly demanded fish again at noon.

Lin Chen nodded in agreement.

After the meal, Zhao Qingshan did not hurry off.

Instead, he led everyone into a room.

The moment they entered, they saw a portrait of the Ancestor Master hanging on the opposite wall.

Fruit and an incense burner rested on the offering table before the portrait.

After entering, Zhao Qingshan lit a stick of incense, placed it in the burner, then sat in a chair nearby.

"Lin Chen, kneel before the Ancestor Master and kowtow." Zhao Qingshan's expression was solemn. "Bufan, go make tea."

"This disciple obeys." Ming Bufan went to make tea, his face full of delight.

Lin Chen knelt and bowed as instructed.

Even a fool would have understood what was about to happen.

He was going to take a master!

Afterward, Lin Chen performed the Apprenticeship Ceremony, served tea, and officially became Zhao Qingshan's fourth Inner Disciple.

The ceremony was solemn and dignified.

Once everything was over, Zhao Qingshan beamed with smiles.

"Good, good, good. From now on, you are my fourth Inner Disciple. Go greet your senior brothers and senior sister."

It was clear that he was extremely satisfied with this disciple.

Lin Chen greeted them one by one. "This junior brother, Lin Chen, greets senior brother, Second Senior Sister, and third senior brother."

Although he had used those forms of address before, they had always seemed to carry a layer of distance.

Now that he said them again, Lin Chen found them smooth and intimate.

Just like calling out to true family.

"Fourth, this is your master's gift to you—the Thousand-Mile Escape Shuttle."

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

The moment Zhao Qingshan finished speaking, sharp intakes of breath sounded around the room.

Seeing the shocked looks in his three senior siblings' eyes, Lin Chen knew this treasure had to be extraordinary.

He hurriedly said, "Master, isn't this too precious?"

"You little brat, why didn't I see you refusing when you were asking for Spirit Stones? Take what your master gives you." Zhao Qingshan flicked his hand, and a palm-sized Silver Shuttle appeared in Lin Chen's hand.

It felt smooth and delicate, cool to the touch.

Lin Chen could sense a powerful force of spatial rupture concealed within it.

Before he could examine it closely, he quickly bowed in thanks. "Thank you, Master!"

"Mhm. Just drip blood on it to recognize it as your master. You'll understand what it is then."

With that, Zhao Qingshan rose to his feet. "You all chat. I need to go organize the Soul Forging Art."

"Farewell, Master."

The four of them bowed.

The moment Zhao Qingshan left, Ming Bufan and the other two immediately crowded around Lin Chen.

They snatched the Thousand-Mile Escape Shuttle from him to inspect it.

"What a treasure! Fourth Junior Brother, this is a Supreme-grade Spirit Artifact. You little punk really stepped in dogshit luck." Qi Ruming stroked the Thousand-Mile Escape Shuttle, unable to put it down.

The other two wore equally envious expressions.

Lin Chen was somewhat confused.

According to the ranking of magical treasures—

Magic Artifacts, Spirit Artifacts, Treasure Artifacts, Spiritual Treasures...

From that perspective, a Supreme-grade Spirit Artifact was not the highest grade.

"You brat, you're standing in the midst of blessings without knowing your fortune."

Qi Ruming handed the Thousand-Mile Escape Shuttle to Jian Rushuang and continued explaining.

"This is not merely a Supreme-grade Spirit Artifact. It is also a rare spatial-type magical treasure.

When its owner is trapped in grave danger, it can instantly devour all spiritual energy within a radius of ten thousand zhang, transform into a streak of escaping light, and carry its owner fleeing a thousand miles away."

Qi Ruming's explanation left Lin Chen stunned as well.

At last, he understood his master's painstaking intentions.

This was a gift of one more life!

"Fourth Junior Brother, the Thousand-Mile Escape Shuttle isn't only for escaping. It's also an incredibly powerful flying treasure, even more advanced than Senior Brother's Five-Colored Auspicious Cloud!"

Qi Ruming added another sentence.

Lin Chen immediately fell in love with the Spirit Artifact.

Jian Rushuang reluctantly returned it to Lin Chen and watched him drip blood onto it to recognize it as his master.

Lin Chen's playful side rose up. He ran outside, and with a flash of escaping light, he vanished from where he stood.

"Yahoo!"

Lin Chen's carefree laughter rang out from midair.

The three exchanged smiles. Their little junior brother had finally revealed a childlike side.

He was rather adorable.

High in the sky, Lin Chen circled Sect Leader Peak more than a dozen times.

He discovered that the Thousand-Mile Escape Shuttle was more than ten times faster than a Flying Sword.

Moreover, it could automatically absorb the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth for its own use.

Even at such extreme speed, it consumed almost none of his energy.

"What a treasure!"

By the time he returned to the courtyard, his three senior siblings had already left.

"Time to go fishing!"

In high spirits, he carried his fishing rod to the rear mountain.

His luck was exceptionally good that day. In only half an hour, he caught more than a dozen Spirit Fish.

"One last fish before I reel in the rod."

Lin Chen cast his line again, but nothing bit for a long while.

Just as he was about to reel in and leave, the float finally moved.

He jerked upward with all his strength, yet it felt as though there were nothing on the line.

With a whoosh, the fishhook flew out of the water. There was no fish on it, only a clump of dark waterweed.

But when the waterweed landed, it gave off a clang.

Lin Chen found that strange. He stepped forward and nudged it with his foot, only to discover that something dark was wrapped inside.

"Hm? A treasure?"

He removed the fishhook and stripped away the waterweed, finally seeing it clearly.

The Iron Box inside looked extraordinarily similar to the one his father had left behind.

He immediately picked up the Iron Box and washed it by the water's edge.

Once he saw the Iron Box's true appearance clearly, Lin Chen's face darkened.

He took out the one his father had left him, the one he had obtained from Lord Qin's Treasure Vault, and this Iron Box.

There were three in total.

They were completely identical.

He did not know what these Iron Boxes carved with dragon and phoenix patterns represented.

But he knew this was definitely connected to the tragedy of his Lin Family's extermination.

Drawing a deep breath, Lin Chen exerted force with both hands. With a click, he opened the Iron Box he had fished out of the deep pool.

The Iron Box had been sealed extremely tightly, and the inside was still dry.

To his disappointment, there was nothing inside except a palm-sized Small Bronze Mirror.

Next, he opened the Iron Box passed down through his family.

The Black Token still lay quietly inside.

Lin Chen picked up the Sealed Letter beneath it.

He slowly exhaled, circulating spiritual energy to his fingertips before tapping the seal on the Envelope.

The seal on the Envelope rippled like water, but it did not open.

Lin Chen frowned. He was already at the Qi Condensation Layer 9 Peak.

Yet even his own spiritual energy was still unable to open the seal.

What kind of secret was this letter hiding?

After failing in his attempt, Lin Chen packed his things and returned to the mountain peak.

At noon, they had another feast of fish.

That evening, Lin Chen sat in a reclining chair in the courtyard, gazing at the moon.

The Iron Box he had fished from the water sat on the table.

The Small Mirror lay on the box's lid, reflecting the moonlight onto the opposite wall.

At first, Lin Chen did not think much of it.

Until, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a swaying shadow appearing in the moonlight on the wall.

Lin Chen abruptly sat upright and stared at the shadow on the wall.

To his shock, the shadow actually stepped out from inside the wall.

Following the reflected moonlight, it drifted toward Lin Chen.

When he clearly saw the shadow's face, his eyes flew wide open. "He Yiliang?"