Sword Controlling Technique

"Young hero, could you spare me something to eat? I haven't eaten in three days."

Just then, the old beggar, who had been hanging his head, suddenly looked up. Somehow, Ye Lin had appeared right in front of him.

He immediately grabbed Ye Lin's robe with his filthy hands and pleaded in a low voice.

The old beggar's hands left a black smear on the robe that had once been spotless white.

"Sir, don't believe him. He's lying to you. This old beggar begs here every day, and he's never starved to death."

The woman beside them spoke kindly to Ye Lin.

"It's fine, old man. There's a restaurant just ahead. It's my treat today, so go ahead and eat your fill."

At Ye Lin's words, a sudden gleam appeared in the old beggar's cloudy eyes.

"Really?"

"Of course. I wouldn't lie to you."

Ye Lin smiled.

"Thank you, young hero. Thank you!"

The old beggar finished speaking, sprang to his feet, and ran straight into the restaurant. Reaching a table, he slapped it hard with his hand.

"Bring me one of every dish you have!"

"This..."

The waiters inside the restaurant glanced at Ye Lin. Once he nodded, they hurried off to prepare the food.

After Ye Lin had suddenly displayed his might and slammed Cheng Huai's head onto the table, they'd realized the young man before them was no ordinary person. For all they knew, he might be a cultivator.

Ye Lin sat down across from the old beggar, not at all bothered by the strange smell coming from him.

Name: Huang Tianyi

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Late Stage (crippled)

Fate Rank: Green (crippled)

Fate Traits: [Sword Dao Leader]

Destiny: He had once been a Rogue Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Later, his family was killed by an enemy. Enraged, he went after the killer, only to find that his foe was too powerful. His cultivation was crippled, leaving him a useless man. Crushed by blow after blow, he never recovered and became an old beggar, spending his days in gloom until he finally died of old age.

Recent Opportunity: None

Looking at the panel of the man before him, Ye Lin was startled. He hadn't expected him to be a mighty cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Then again, where else would an ordinary person get a Foundation Establishment Demon Core?

After a while, platters of fish and meat were brought out and set before the old beggar. He didn't hold back in the slightest, grabbing the meat with his dirty hands and wolfing it down.

A bite of meat, a swig of wine—what a fine feast.

Half an hour later, the old beggar gazed at the scraps on the table and patted his belly with satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad. That was the fullest and best meal I've ever had. What a feast."

Ye Lin merely kept smiling.

"Young hero, you're so young, yet already at Qi Refining Level 6. I take it you're a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect?"

The old beggar suddenly lowered his voice as he spoke to Ye Lin.

Ye Lin smiled and nodded. Tianfeng City was so close to the Azure Cloud Sect that it wasn't hard to guess who he was.

"After what just happened, I know you're a good person. To repay you for this meal, take these two things."

"Giving them to you lets me put one more thing to rest. We'll meet again someday."

The old beggar placed a wooden box and an ancient-looking book on the table, then left the restaurant, looking content. No one knew where he went.

Ye Lin opened the wooden box. Inside lay a round, gleaming core, and a faint, delicate fragrance drifted through the air.

Ye Lin put the box away, then turned to the ancient book beside it and picked it up. Three large characters were written across its cover: Sword Controlling Technique.

At the sight of those characters, Ye Lin was startled. Sword Controlling Technique—could it be the Heavenly Sword Sect's exclusive art?

The Heavenly Sword Sect's signature sword art, the Sword Controlling Technique, was a Mysterious Grade Low Tier sword technique. If this really was their signature art, then he'd struck gold this time.

After putting both items into his Spatial Ring, Ye Lin stood up. Just then, the waiter from earlier came over, trembling with nerves.

"Sir, this meal comes to two taels of silver."

Ye Lin nodded at the waiter and reached into his robe. Then his face froze.

Spirit Stones... He had only three Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Silver? None. Damn, he'd eaten without having the money to pay.

"Sir, you don't have any money, do you?"

The waiter eyed Ye Lin strangely.

Ye Lin took out his Outer Sect disciple token and held it up before the waiter.

"I'll vouch for it as a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. I'll bring you the money within a month."

With that, Ye Lin put the token away and headed for the door. The waiter stared at the token Ye Lin had just shown him and at the name written on it, sinking into thought.

This restaurant belonged to the Azure Cloud Sect. Outer Sect disciples ate here for free. Surely Ye Lin knew that?

When Ye Lin arrived at Wang Family Village, the villagers had indeed kept their promise, assigning two people to guard the snake's head.

After speaking to the villagers, Ye Lin grabbed the snake's head and headed straight for the Azure Cloud Sect.

"Good grief, that snake's head must weigh hundreds of pounds, if not a thousand. The immortal master really lives up to his name!"

Seeing Ye Lin stride along at ease, carrying the snake's head, the villagers looked on in admiration.

The blood inside the snake's head had dried after sitting there for hours. Even so, it still looked horrifying.

Upon reaching the Azure Cloud Sect, Ye Lin headed straight for the Mission Pavilion. He was in a great hurry. After turning in the mission, he still needed to quickly verify whether the Sword Controlling Technique was genuine.

If it was, he'd really struck gold.

Ye Lin tossed the snake's head down by the entrance of the Mission Pavilion, then walked inside.

"Good grief, is that the Qi Refining Level 5 Demon Snake from Wang Family Village down the mountain?"

"That's right. Wasn't the one who just went in a newly promoted Outer Sect disciple? I heard he was only at Qi Refining Level 4."

"No way. He killed a Qi Refining Level 5 Demon Snake at Qi Refining Level 4? Even among Qi Refining Level 5 beasts, that snake was one of the strongest. That's insane."

The Outer Sect disciples nearby stared at the enormous snake's head, marveling. No one dared take this mission alone without reaching Qi Refining Level 6.

And how many people in the Outer Sect had reached Qi Refining Level 6? Only a dozen or twenty at most.

"Senior brother, I've completed the mission."

Ye Lin spoke to Huang Xiao, who was dozing at the counter.

At his words, Huang Xiao abruptly stood up and stared hard at Ye Lin.

"You're sure? Where's the snake's head?"

When Huang Xiao finished speaking, Ye Lin turned around. A huge snake's head was clearly lying by the entrance, and disciples had gathered around it to comment.

"This giant python could fight a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator. How did a little Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator like him kill it? Unless..."

Huang Xiao suddenly sneered. If his guess was right, there was something very unusual about Ye Lin—but that had nothing to do with him.

The stronger Ye Lin was, the happier Huang Xiao was to see it. His elder brother was Huang Xiong, and he and Zhang Xiao had never gotten along. Huang Xiao had never thought much of Zhang Xiao, either. If Ye Lin got stronger, there'd be quite a show to watch.

"Good. Since you've completed the mission, I've recorded the three hundred contribution points. The Outer Sect disciple assessment is held once a month. You need two hundred points a month, so you've passed."

Hearing Huang Xiao's words, Ye Lin nodded. No wonder new Outer Sect disciples couldn't get by without joining one of the three major factions.

The Outer Sect assessment alone was enough to drive you into the ground.