Silk-Entwining Sword Intent

Deep in the mountain forest, Lin Yan roasted meat over a fire, devouring the bear flesh in large mouthfuls.

After killing Bai Qingrang and his four companions, Lin Yan had scattered their remains in different directions. Within the White Cloud Mountain, it wouldn't even take a night for the beasts to pick their corpses clean.

The campfire flickered, casting light and shadow across Lin Yan's body.

Five pounds of bear meat settled in his stomach, and the burning sensation within grew increasingly intense, as if he had swallowed a ball of fire rather than meat.

Tiger, bear, deer, snake, and fish—it truly lived up to its reputation as the second-ranked precious meat.

Lin Yan stood up and walked to the clearing beside the campfire.

He raised his hands and began the Mountain Splitting Fist.

With the first punch, the air exploded with a boom. The wind pressure flattened the campfire, and the heat within his body shuddered, transforming into a stream of warmth that surged through his limbs and was rapidly absorbed.

Again.

The second punch, the third punch...

The shadows of his fists grew faster and faster, the wind whistled, and the fallen leaves around him were swept up, swirling within the wake of his strikes. With every punch, the burning sensation in Lin Yan's body was stirred, turning into blood-energy that poured into his bones and marrow.

Sweat rolled down his forehead, sliding along his cheeks to drip onto the ground—not from exhaustion, but from the heat.

The blood-energy of the bear meat was so potent that it forced his pores to vent the excess heat.

Finishing the set, Lin Yan stopped, gasping for air.

He looked down at his hands; his skin was flushed red, and his veins were faintly visible.

Returning to the campfire, Lin Yan sliced off another few pieces of roasted bear meat, totaling five or six pounds.

Grease dripped into the flames with a sizzling sound, and the aroma filled the air.

As Lin Yan chewed, that burning sensation rose from his stomach once more.

He continued to eat.

He didn't stop until the heat grew overwhelming, at which point he stood up and began his punches again.

Repeating this cycle several times until he had completely finished a side of bear leg, Lin Yan finally came to a halt.

Looking inward at his mind, he saw that the Martial Dao Tree had grown by nearly half an inch.

Before today, he had been stuck at the third stage of skin-tempering for half a month, and in all that time, the Martial Dao Tree hadn't even grown half an inch. Now, after five pounds of bear meat, the tree showed clear growth.

Glancing at the remaining portion of bear meat, Lin Yan estimated that once he finished it all, combined with the Bone-Tempering Pill, he should be able to push his Martial Dao Tree to three feet and two inches.

Since his cultivation realm couldn't make a sudden leap in the short term, he would focus on improving his sword technique first.

The reason he had been able to deal with Bai Qingrang and his men so quickly was entirely due to his swordsmanship.

There were currently six Martial Fruits on the Martial Dao Tree, totaling eighteen years and three months of cultivation time.

"Refine!"

As Lin Yan focused his intent, all six Martial Fruits were poured into the bitter practice of the Startling Swan Sword Technique.

The surrounding space shifted once more, and he saw a figure practicing the sword.

That figure was none other than himself.

This time, he appeared from the perspective of an observer, watching the trajectory of his sword tip through the air as he struck.

The Startling Swan Sword Technique emphasized the sword as a swimming dragon, a startling swan in flight.

The sword momentum he had previously developed was derived from the moves themselves, and through this observation, Lin Yan gradually understood what sword momentum truly was.

So-called sword momentum was the shroud of the sword moves; what appeared to be a single strike was actually a continuous flow of techniques.

But from this third-party perspective, he discovered the flaw in his momentum: while the shroud was terrifying and difficult to defend against, the sheer number of moves meant increased resistance.

A true master of the sword ensured that every strike was made without a single wasted effort.

Watching the traces left by the longsword in the air, Lin Yan gradually gained enlightenment and began to capture that thread of trajectory.

The trajectory was like silk, like a line...

He didn't know how much time had passed when Lin Yan suddenly whispered, "Silk-Entwining Sword Intent?"

The next moment, Lin Yan opened his eyes.

He looked down at the scabbard in his hand, drew the blade, and the moonlight caught the steel, reflecting a cold, sharp light.

Lin Yan raised the sword and swung it lightly at a tree the thickness of a bowl, standing a yard away.

The blade did not touch the trunk.

Yet, where the sword wind passed, fine cracks appeared on the bark.

Walking up to the tree, Lin Yan reached out and gave it a gentle push.

Snap.

The trunk broke into several sections, each cross-section as smooth as a mirror.

It was as if he had wrapped sharp fishing line around tofu, slicing it into pieces with effortless ease.

Fifty-six years of bitter practice had finally led to the comprehension of the Silk-Entwining Sword Intent.

Lin Yan looked inward at his mind once more. The leaf belonging to the Startling Swan Sword Technique had turned completely purple, and a tiny white vein had appeared upon its surface.

This white vein was the Silk-Entwining Sword Intent.

"Cultivating sword intent does not mean I have reached the peak; the Silk-Entwining Sword Intent can still be further enhanced."

The next day, dawn broke.

Lin Yan did not intend to stay in the mountains any longer. He feared that if the master of the Green Pine Martial Hall discovered his disciples were missing, he might bring men to search the woods, and he could not afford to be spotted by people from the Green Pine Martial Hall.

Before descending, he made a trip to the mountain ravine where he had dumped the bodies. After a night, as he had expected, the corpses of Bai Qingrang and the other four had been picked clean. Even many of their bones had been dragged away by wild beasts, making it impossible to assemble a complete skeleton.

He gathered the remaining scraps of these men and tossed them into the grove where the black bear had knocked down the trees, creating the illusion that they had been wiped out by a wild beast, before finally heading down the mountain.

"Encountering a black bear on my first trip into the mountains was already far beyond expectations. Once I finish eating the meat from this bear and the commotion dies down, I will return to the mountains."

Lin Yan was very satisfied with the harvest from this trip, but he would not let his expectations soar; encountering a black bear this time did not mean he would encounter one the next.

In any given forest, especially with predators like tigers and bears that possess strong territorial instincts, their numbers would never be high.

This was White Cloud Mountain, not Tiger Head Mountain. A hunter could not simply enter the woods and bag a thousand pounds of game, nor could a thousand men enter and bag a million pounds; prey did not respawn daily.

From the time he went up the mountain yesterday until his return today, Lin Yan had not alerted a soul. As for the bear meat, he had stashed it in the cellar in his courtyard.

The cellar at the foot of the mountain was cool, and the meat would be perfectly fine for ten days or half a month.

After getting everything settled, Lin Yan specifically stepped out of his courtyard gate and made several appearances in public. Should the Green Pine Martial Hall launch an investigation, these people would serve as witnesses that he had been staying at his residence.

However, until he had finished eating all the bear meat, no one from the Green Pine Martial Hall ever came by.

"Has the Green Pine Martial Hall not yet investigated this far, or does their master believe his disciples died at the hands of wild beasts and decided against a search?"

Lin Yan frowned, but regardless of the reason, out of caution, he decided to stay put for the time being and wait a while longer.

Ten days passed, and the height of Lin Yan's Martial Dao Tree reached one and a half inches.

On this day, as he practiced martial arts in the courtyard as usual, a voice came from the gate.

"Is Young Master Lin in?"

The visitor was Xia Mingtang, a top-tier martial artist at the second stage of skin-toughening who held a position here at the Tang Family Pharmacy.

Xia Mingtang pushed the door open and entered. As the top-tier second-stage skin-toughening martial artist under Lin Yan at this branch, Xia Mingtang was the one who truly managed the specific affairs. His expression was very anxious as he spoke: "Young Master Lin, a batch of our medicinal herbs was robbed yesterday."

"Robbed? By mountain bandits or highwaymen?"

Lin Yan frowned. The Tang Family's territory in Sanshan County had been incident-free for years; had bandits appeared the moment he arrived?

"Not bandits."

Xia Mingtang realized Lin Yan had misunderstood and explained: "Young Master Lin, forgive me for not being clear. It was a batch of medicinal herbs that our Tang Family Pharmacy was supposed to purchase locally yesterday, but it was intercepted by another family."

Under Xia Mingtang's explanation, Lin Yan finally understood what was going on.

In addition to the mountains where they grew their own herbs, the Tang Family also purchased local herbs in Sanshan County. Itinerant merchants would go down to various villages to collect the herbs before delivering them to the Tang Family Pharmacy in the area.

According to custom, yesterday was the day for the monthly delivery from the itinerant merchants. However, Xia Mingtang had waited at the medicine warehouse for half the day and never saw a single merchant.

Upon inquiring today, he learned that these merchants had been intercepted halfway by people from the Wei Family. The Wei Family martial artists had forcibly taken them away, compelling the merchants to sell all their herbs to the Wei Family instead.

Like the Tang Family, the Wei Family operated a medicinal herb business, but the difference was that the Wei Family's business was confined strictly to the borders of Sanshan County.

Lin Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. As a local herb merchant in Sanshan County, the Wei Family must have harbored resentment toward the Tang Family for encroaching on their turf. Yet, they had made no moves for years, only choosing to act now after Zhang Xin had left. Were they certain they could take him?

"What is the strength of the Wei Family?"

"The father and son of the Wei Family are both experts at the third stage of skin-toughening. The head of the Wei Family has been at the third stage for eight years. The year before last, Master Zhang once sparred with him, and Master Zhang held the upper hand."

Hearing Xia Mingtang's answer, Lin Yan recalled the height of the Martial Dao Tree he had seen when his body touched Zhang Xin's during the welcome banquet: three feet four inches.

Two years ago, this Wei Family head was inferior to Zhang Xin; now, at most, he would be at the same level—three feet four inches.

That was two and a half inches higher than his own.

He could likely win, but he didn't know if he could secure a one-hit kill with his sword intent and Stone Waist Savage Spine. It was too risky; better to let it go.

"Young Master Lin, what should we do next? Should we go to the Wei Family to negotiate?" Seeing Lin Yan fall silent, Xia Mingtang interjected to ask.

Lin Yan shook his head: "Forget it. If the Wei Family wants to intercept the goods, we will simply raise our purchase price."

Hearing Lin Yan's response, a flicker of disappointment crossed Xia Mingtang's eyes, though he was not surprised.

Master Zhang was a veteran third-stage skin-toughening expert, so the Wei Family dared not harbor any schemes. But Young Master Lin had only recently broken through to the third stage, and the Wei Family had two such experts. It was only natural for Young Master Lin to back down.

Regardless, the Wei Family would not dare to offend the employer completely; at most, they would intercept a batch or two of herbs. As for raising the purchase price, that fell within Young Master Lin's authority.

Lin Yan truly did not want to stir up trouble, and by raising the purchase price, the herb-gathering farmers would be the ones to benefit, which could be considered looking after the common folk.

After dismissing Xia Mingtang, Lin Yan continued his training.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The long sword in his hand acted like a carving knife. As he swung it through the air, delicate, hollowed-out patterns appeared on the yellow flower petals in the corner of the courtyard wall.

Lin Yan spent his time organizing the herbs he had gathered to sell to the Tang Family Pharmacy while continuing to delve into the Silk-Entwining Sword Intent.

The Silk-Entwining Sword Intent was about wielding great weight as if it were light, hearing a thunderclap in the smallest of details.

To Lin Yan's pleasant surprise, as he studied the Silk-Entwining Sword Intent, the circulation of his internal blood and qi became increasingly refined; that force was no longer just broad and sweeping, but now possessed a thread of finesse.

Cultivating an intent actually helps with the control of blood and qi. Using the Martial Fruit to comprehend "intent," and then using the subtlety of that "intent" to refine the control of my blood and qi force—it truly achieves twice the result with half the effort.

This exquisite control over his blood and qi left Lin Yan fascinated; by comparison, the fighting and killing with the Wei Family was truly not to his liking.

The Wei Family.

"Father, that Lin Yan doesn't dare to confront our Wei Family; he's only having his subordinates raise the purchase price for herbs."

Listening to his son's words, Wei Li's face revealed a look of mockery: "I have investigated this Lin Yan sent by the Tang Family. He is merely of commoner origin in Guangping County. Being able to cultivate to the third stage of skin-toughening is already a blessing from his ancestors. Even as a third-stage skin-toughening martial artist, a person like that is timid and fearful by nature."

"Father's judgment of people is truly accurate."

"If he wants to raise the purchase price, he first needs those itinerant merchants to dare sell to him." A fierce glint appeared in the depths of Wei Li's eyes: "Shaoyou, pass down the order: whichever herb merchant dares to sell their goods to the Tang Family Pharmacy, our Wei Family will break their hands and feet."

Wei Shaoyou was startled: "Father, won't this provoke the Tang Family?"

The Tang Family had fourth-stage skin-toughening martial artists!

"This is Sanshan County. Even if the Tang Family's fourth-stage skin-toughening martial artists were to come to the county, the few fourth-stage skin-toughening martial artists in our own county would not stand idly by." Wei Li lowered his voice and continued: "Besides, the Tang Family is currently overwhelmed with their own troubles and has no mind to attend to things here."

"Father, have you heard some news?"

"Over in Guangping County, a new Four Seas Gang has emerged and is currently clashing with the Patrol Bureau. The Tang Family chose neutrality, which has left them alienated on both sides; both factions are suppressing the Tang Family. It will be good enough if the Tang Family can manage to keep their business in Guangping County; they have no time to spare for Sanshan County."

"To be honest, if I were the Tang Family, whether I chose the Four Seas Gang or the Patrol Bureau, joining either one would allow me to crush the other and reap even greater benefits. But it is better that the Tang Family is acting foolishly; it just so happens to benefit us."

"So that's how it is."

Wei Shaoyou suddenly understood; no wonder his father dared to intercept the Tang Family's herb supply at this time.

As the largest pharmacy firm in Sanshan County, the Wei Family could originally have purchased herbs at much lower prices.

However, because of the Tang Family's presence, whenever they tried to drive prices down, the herb gatherers would sell their goods to the Tang Family instead. Both father and son had long been full of resentment toward the Tang Family.

Although they had been full of resentment before, they had to endure it out of fear of the Tang Family's strength. But with this current opportunity, as long as they drove the Tang Family away, the Wei Family could suppress prices however they pleased. If those herb gatherers refused to sell, they would only be able to watch their herbs rot.