Hearing the Aftermath

Since parting ways with Lin Yun, Lin Yiqing had visited the underground exchange several times to hunt for martial arts manuals, and this Grade 2 Wood Sword Art was one of his acquisitions.

Drawing upon the concept of wood's endless vitality, mastering it allowed one to condense over a dozen wood-attribute sword shadows. These shadows complemented the blade itself, creating an unparalleled offensive force.

He decapitated the mohawked man with a single strike, leaving the other two stunned.

The mohawked man was a powerhouse at the eighth stage of the Body Tempering Realm; even within their own ranks, he was one of the top experts.

It was a pity that he had died at the hands of a mere youth, a testament to the unpredictable nature of the world.

Witnessing this scene, the stoic man and the archer were filled with terror, and both began to harbor thoughts of retreat.

However, the stoic man seemed to recall something, and a fierce glint appeared in his eyes. He turned to the archer and roared, "We must kill him! If we go back like this, the Second Master will never let us off!"

Hearing this, the fear on the archer's face twisted into a savage expression, and the stoic man's broadsword attacks against Lin Yiqing became increasingly ferocious.

"Grade 2 Martial Art: Steel-Breaking Slash!"

A faint white light condensed upon the stoic man's broadsword as he leaped into the air, swinging down at Lin Yiqing with all his might.

"Grade 2 Martial Art: Gale Arrow!"

At the same time, the archer in the distant woods unleashed his own technique, sending an arrow wreathed in white light whistling toward Lin Yiqing.

Lin Yiqing gritted his teeth, a cold light flashing in his eyes. His short sword emitted a cyan glow once more, and he struck out, accompanied by several sword shadows.

"Wood Sword Art, break for me!"

"Boom!"

The three forces collided violently, sending dust and debris swirling into the air. The sheer power caused cracks to spiderweb across the ground beneath Lin Yiqing's feet.

"Ugh!"

A mouthful of blood surged up Lin Yiqing's throat, but he forced it back down, the ferocity in his eyes intensifying.

His internal organs felt as though they were being scorched by a raging fire, causing him immense pain, but this only served to ignite his ruthlessness.

Taking advantage of the stoic man's momentary lapse and the cover of the swirling dust, Lin Yiqing darted forward with a strange, fluid movement.

"Grade 1 Martial Art: Roaming Body Steps!"

His Refined Iron Sword shimmered with a faint cyan light as he thrust it forward, piercing directly through the stoic man's throat.

"Squelch!"

As he withdrew his blade, a spray of blood splattered onto Lin Yiqing. At this moment, he looked like a demon god risen from hell, covered in gore and radiating a murderous aura.

"You... you actually killed both of them?"

The archer stared at the scene in horror. Three men had ambushed one, only to have two of them killed in return—it was a nightmare he could hardly accept.

He realized now that he had kicked a steel plate.

Seeing Lin Yiqing turn his gaze toward him, the archer stumbled backward in fright before turning to flee; the youth had terrified him to his very core.

Seeing the man run, Lin Yiqing stomped his right foot against the ground and lunged forward like a cheetah, intercepting the man within a few breaths.

"Young Master Lin, please spare me! I had eyes but failed to recognize a mountain; I shouldn't have provoked you!"

Seeing this, the archer dropped his bow, fell to his knees before Lin Yiqing, and began kowtowing incessantly, begging for mercy.

A dark glint passed through Lin Yiqing's eyes. He rested his short sword on the man's shoulder and asked, "Tell me your origins and your objective!"

"This lowly one is Bai San, a member of the Blade God Gang in Qingyang Town. A few days ago, the Lin Family's Second Master sent someone to our gang leader, claiming he wanted to kill you to vent his anger. That's why the gang sent the three of us. Please, Young Master Lin, spare me! I was only following orders; I had no choice."

Seeing Lin Yiqing press the blade against his neck, Bai San trembled as he spoke.

It's a good thing I left when I did, otherwise I really would have been done in by that Lin Mang.

Lin Yiqing felt a lingering fear; had he left any later, he likely would have run straight into Lin Mang, a Heaven Origin Realm expert.

"What kind of experts does your gang have? What is your leader's cultivation level?"

The Blade God Gang leader was able to work under Lin Mang, so his cultivation was likely at least at the Earth Origin Realm. With this in mind, Lin Yiqing inquired about the gang's strength.

"Our leader, Lord He Jun, is a mid-stage Earth Origin Realm expert. We also have a vice-leader, Lord He Ying, who is an early-stage Heaven Origin Realm expert. Aside from them, there are two protectors at the ninth stage of the Body Tempering Realm, and most of the rest are at the sixth or seventh stage."

Perhaps sensing that Lin Yiqing no longer intended to strike, Bai San relaxed slightly and spoke cautiously.

"Hmph!"

After hearing this, Lin Yiqing thrust his sword through the man's throat, sheathed his blade, and said coldly, "I never promised to spare you. If you dare to come and kill, you must be prepared to be killed yourself!"

After disposing of the bodies and clearing the scene, Lin Yiqing could no longer hold back his nausea.

"Blegh!"

The three corpses before him had dealt him a massive shock; having lived in a comfortable environment, he had never experienced such a scene before.

Lin Yiqing felt as though he were vomiting his very bile. His mind went blank, and his entire body couldn't stop trembling.

"He who kills must be prepared to be killed. I was merely defending myself; none of this is my fault."

After a moment, Lin Yiqing tried to console himself.

"It seems this so-called Blade God Gang is nothing more than a rabble. However, that He Jun and He Ying—their Earth Origin Realm cultivation is a bit troublesome."

Thinking of the gang the three men belonged to, Lin Yiqing's mood grew heavy. If he didn't resolve this matter completely, he feared he would have no peace for some time to come.

The moonlight was like water as Lin Yiqing sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes tightly shut. Wisps of Origin Power surged around his body, eventually following his breath to drill into his flesh and nourish his bones and sinews.

Having endured the brutal battle during the day, Lin Yiqing had already broken through to the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm. However, the news he had learned about Lin Mang and the Blade God Gang hung over his head like a sharp sword, forcing him to work even harder.

After regulating his breathing for a moment, Lin Yiqing took a square wooden box from his Universe Bag and gently opened it, revealing his very last Azure Glaze Fruit stored inside.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Yiqing popped it into his mouth and swallowed, and a cold sensation immediately began to spread downward from his throat.

The potent medicinal power flowed throughout his entire body, and an itchy sensation began to emerge in various places; he knew this was the medicine repairing his battered physique.

Though he had appeared to handle the day's battle with ease, he had still sustained quite a few minor injuries. One might not pay them any mind under normal circumstances, but accumulated over time, they would eventually leave behind hidden ailments.

Wisps of pure medicinal power surged like water, repairing his minor injuries and tempering his bones and organs while simultaneously transforming into threads of Origin Power that merged into his Origin Power Seed.

The Origin Power Seed circulated incessantly through his meridians, but unfortunately, as it passed by his dantian, an invisible barrier blocked the seed from entering.

Lin Yiqing was not anxious. He had only just entered the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm, and he believed that with more days of cultivation, he would certainly be able to break through to the ninth level and allow the Origin Power Seed to take root in his dantian once and for all.