The Affectionate Sword Intent

"Ah, yes, yes, yes." Cao Xin suddenly thought of something.

He produced a small storage soul tool and tossed it to Lin Yuan, directly stowing the Whale Glue he had been holding inside it.

"This soul tool is a gift for you as well; ten cubic meters of space will be enough for you to use for a long time."

Lin Yuan put the soul tool away and cupped his hands toward Cao Xin once more. "Many thanks, Master."

"Alright, Lin Yuan. You go down and rest first; I have important matters to discuss with these two." Ning Zhiyuan waved his hand.

"Yes." Lin Yuan exited the room.

The moment he stepped out the door, Lin Yuan suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask where he was sleeping tonight.

Just as Lin Yuan was considering whether to turn back, Ning Tian and Wu Feng emerged from around the corner.

"Lin Yuan, come with me. Father has already arranged a place for you to stay, and I will take you there now." Ning Tian spoke to Lin Yuan quite naturally.

"Then many thanks." Just as Lin Yuan was thanking Ning Tian, an untimely growl erupted from his stomach.

Lin Yuan scratched the back of his head, smiling awkwardly at the two of them.

Through the inheritance of the God of Destruction, Lin Yuan understood that by forcibly raising his innate soul power, his body had suffered a deficit.

During this period, in order to replenish this deficit, he would find himself feeling hungry quite easily.

Seeing Lin Yuan in such an undignified state, Ning Tian covered her mouth and squinted her eyes in amusement.

Wu Feng, meanwhile, keenly seized this opportunity, placing her hands on her hips and indignantly saying to Lin Yuan, "You really have no self-control, to actually be this undignified in front of Ning Tian. Look at me..."

Gurgle--

A sound of intense intestinal churning emanated from Wu Feng's lower abdomen.

Lin Yuan looked at the increasingly embarrassed Wu Feng with a suspicious gaze; she was in the same state as him, yet she had the nerve to talk about him?

"Haha, you two are truly interesting." Ning Tian was amused to the point of tears.

"Come, let's go to the sect's cafeteria to eat first. This hour is just right for a late-night snack."

Ignoring their reactions, Ning Tian grabbed both of them by the hands and led them toward the cafeteria of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.

Watching Ning Tian's back as she led the way, Lin Yuan felt a bit fortunate that he wasn't facing the little princess of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect from the era of the first Douluo.

Ning Rongrong really didn't seem like someone from the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect; based on Lin Yuan's interactions, the people of this sect, young and old alike, were all very approachable.

He couldn't see a single trace of the "Little Witch" from the original work.

This just went to show that Ning Rongrong's genes hadn't been passed down; Lin Yuan couldn't imagine how heaven-defying a sect full of people with Ning Rongrong's personality would be.

No.

If that were the case, the entire Nine Treasures Glazed Sect wouldn't have been passed down at all; it probably would have declined just a few years after Tang San ascended.

Lin Yuan's expression turned completely helpless, as he was being stared at intensely by the food-guarding Wu Feng.

The next day, without giving Lin Yuan much time to adapt, he and Ning Tian began to cultivate alongside Cao Xin.

Regarding the hunting of soul rings, Ning Zhiyuan indicated that there was no need to be in such a rush.

He wanted to give Lin Yuan some time to cultivate and improve his foundation so that he could absorb a soul ring of a higher age in a better state.

There was also the matter of collecting data on suitable soul beasts; after all, for a super martial soul, one could not be careless in the choice of soul beasts.

Based on Lin Yuan's own sensing of his martial soul, Ning Zhiyuan was currently coordinating the collection of soul beast data in two directions: pure-blooded dragon-type soul beasts and offensive-type soul beasts.

If the data on pure-blooded dragon-type soul beasts was collected more completely, Lin Yuan would focus on the Destruction Demon Dragon; otherwise, he would focus on the Jade Dragon-Slayer.

"Hoo--"

After finishing a morning of cultivation, Lin Yuan let out a long breath and plopped down onto the grassy shade of a tree.

Cao Xin tossed a gourd of clear water to Lin Yuan, who unscrewed the cap and drank it down in big gulps.

"Hey!" Lin Yuan looked up to see Ning Tian practicing her swordplay in front of them.

For this first day of cultivation, Cao Xin had them start by swinging wooden swords in the air to get familiar with the weapon.

Although Ning Tian didn't specialize in swordplay, she had already rested five times under the same training intensity.

Lin Yuan, however, was only just starting his first rest, even though the difference in their soul power was only half a level.

Before their martial soul awakening, Ning Tian, who had been nourished by heavenly treasures for years, still possessed a physical constitution superior to Lin Yuan's.

Lin Yuan couldn't help but stare blankly at the girl's back as she swung her sword, his nose twitching as he caught a whiff of a pleasant, delicate fragrance.

"Do you like her?" Cao Xin, sitting to the side, asked with a mischievous grin.

"Cough." Lin Yuan cupped his hands and gave an embarrassed cough, his face turning slightly red.

Due to the education he had received in his past life, he couldn't bring himself to say those two words.

"I like her." But that was his past self; he was currently a child with a biological age of six.

"You like her? That's great then," Cao Xin said with a chuckle.

"In history, there have been no shortage of Sect-Protecting Douluos marrying the female sect master. Keep it up, young man."

Ning Tian maintained a serious expression, yet the tips of her ears were flushed a deep red.

She complained incessantly in her heart, frustrated that these two men didn't even bother to avoid her, the person actually involved in their conversation.

Lin Yuan finally saw it clearly: although Cao Xin had no descendants, he was truly a lecherous old man hiding behind a facade of solemnity.

"But Teacher, do you really not plan to teach us any sword techniques today?" Lin Yuan picked up a wooden sword and gestured with it, bored.

"Kid, you want to fly before you've even mastered the basics? You haven't even learned how to walk yet," Cao Xin said with a laugh, stroking his beard.

"Besides, aren't you practicing right now? You are cultivating the sword intent of my Affectionate Sword."

"How so?" Lin Yuan looked at Cao Xin, puzzled.

"Look," Cao Xin pointed toward Ning Tian.

"This weather, this sunlight, this breeze, and of course, this beautiful girl."

Even with Ning Tian's good temper, she was so embarrassed and indignant at Cao Xin's teasing that she stopped what she was doing, stomped her foot, and glared at the two of them.

Cao Xin ignored the young girl's shyness and continued speaking to Lin Yuan, "This is the true essence of my Affectionate Sword. You must first use your heart to feel all the emotions and beauty in this world."

"Ultimately, you must fuse the techniques cultivated over a lifetime with your very bones and blood. That is the highest realm our path pursues."

Lin Yuan couldn't help but fall into deep thought, then asked hesitantly, "Is it like... a state of mind?"

Cao Xin looked blank upon hearing this term.

Then, he slapped his thigh and laughed, "Yes, that's it! Our sect has always struggled to find a word to describe this realm; it's exactly what you called a state of mind!"

The more Cao Xin looked at his disciple Lin Yuan, the more satisfied he became. This had resolved a knot that had plagued their sect for a long time.

Lin Yuan couldn't help but ponder.

Since the ultimate mystery of the Affectionate Sword was to feel the emotions between heaven and earth and forge a sword with that sentiment, he had plenty of material to work with. After all, he was a transmigrator from Blue Star who had memorized the Three Hundred Tang Poems and Song Lyrics.

Perhaps, once he matured, he could fuse the poetry of Blue Star with the Affectionate Sword intent.

In this world, what kind of emotion could compare to the imagery found in poetry?

This gift from his motherland could be considered an inexhaustible treasure trove for his future path in sword cultivation.

He only needed to consider how to put this treasure to use...