Sword Controlling Technique

"Young hero, please, give 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. Before anyone knew it, Ye Lin was already standing right in front of him.

He immediately grabbed Ye Lin's long robe with his filthy hands, begging in a low voice.

The once pristine, snow-white robe was left with a clump of black stains under the ravages of the old beggar's hands.

"Young Master, don't believe him. He's a fraud. This old beggar begs here every single day, and I've never seen him starve to death."

At this moment, a woman nearby spoke up, advising Ye Lin kindly.

"It is no matter. Old man, there is a restaurant right ahead. I shall treat you today; you may eat to your heart's content."

As soon as Ye Lin finished speaking, the old beggar's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up.

"Truly?"

"Naturally. I would not deceive you."

Ye Lin said with a smile.

"Many thanks, young hero! Many thanks, young hero!"

The old beggar finished speaking and immediately scrambled to his feet, running toward the restaurant. He arrived at a table and slammed his hand down hard on the wooden surface.

"Bring me one of every dish you have here!"

"This..."

Seeing this, the waiters in the restaurant cast their gazes toward Ye Lin. Only after Ye Lin gave a nod did they immediately head off to prepare the meal.

Having just seen Ye Lin display his might by slamming Cheng Huai's head onto the table, they knew this young man before them was no simple person; he was likely a cultivator.

Ye Lin walked over and sat down across from the old beggar, not showing the slightest disdain for the strange, lingering odor clinging to the man.

Name: Huang Tianyi
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Late Stage (Damaged)
Fate Grade: Green (Damaged)
Fate Logic: [Sword Dao Leader]
Destiny: Originally a rogue cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Later, his family was murdered by enemies. In a fit of rage, he sought them out, but his enemies were too powerful; his cultivation was crippled, and he became a broken man. Under the weight of multiple blows, he never recovered, becoming an old beggar who lived out his days in sorrow until he died of old age.
Recent Opportunity: None

Looking at the panel of the person before him, Ye Lin felt a jolt of shock. He had not expected this to be a powerhouse of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

It made sense, though; if he were an ordinary person, where would he have obtained a Foundation Establishment demonic core?

After a while, all sorts of fish and meat were laid out before the old beggar. Seeing this, the old beggar stood on no ceremony, grabbing the meat with his dirty hands and devouring it in large bites.

He took a bite of meat, then a gulp of wine—it was nothing short of satisfying.

A full half-hour later, the old beggar looked at the scraps on the table and patted his belly with satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad. This is the fullest and best meal I have ever had. Truly satisfying."

Seeing this, Ye Lin merely maintained a smile.

"Young hero, to be so young and already at the sixth level of Qi Refining—you must be a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, right?"

At this moment, the old beggar suddenly lowered his voice and spoke to Ye Lin.

Ye Lin smiled and nodded in response. Tianfeng City was very close to the Azure Cloud Sect, so it was not difficult to guess his identity.

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

"By handing them to you, I have fulfilled this wish of mine. We shall meet again in the future."

The old beggar placed a wooden box and an ancient-looking book on the dining table, then left the restaurant contentedly, disappearing into the unknown.

Ye Lin opened the wooden box. To his surprise, a round, plump inner core lay inside, emitting a faint, quiet fragrance into the air.

Ye Lin put away the wooden box and turned his gaze to the ancient book on the side. He picked it up slowly and saw three large characters written upon it: Sword Controlling Technique.

Seeing these three words, Ye Lin was shocked. The Sword Controlling Technique—could this be the unique, secret skill of the Heavenly Sword Sect?

One had to know that the Heavenly Sword Sect's signature technique, the Sword Controlling Technique, was a Profound-grade low-tier sword art. If this truly were the sect's signature technique, then he had hit the jackpot this time.

After placing both items into his Spatial Ring, Ye Lin stood up. At that moment, the waiter from earlier approached him, trembling.

"Kind sir, this meal comes to two taels of silver."

Looking at the waiter, Ye Lin nodded, then reached into his robes—and his expression suddenly stiffened.

Spirit stones—he only had three mid-grade spirit stones. Silver? He had none. Hiss, I finished the meal but have no money.

"Kind sir, you don't happen to be penniless, do you?"

The waiter looked at Ye Lin with a strange expression.

At this, Ye Lin took out his outer disciple token and placed it before the waiter.

"I, as an outer disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, guarantee that I will bring you the money within one month."

Having said this, Ye Lin put away the token and walked out the door. Looking at the token Ye Lin had just presented and the name inscribed upon it, the waiter fell into deep thought.

This restaurant was opened by the Azure Cloud Sect; outer sect disciples could dine here for free. Surely he couldn't be unaware of that?

Upon arriving at Wang Family Village, the villagers had indeed kept their word and specifically dispatched two men to guard the snake head.

After speaking to the villagers, Ye Lin grabbed the snake head and headed toward the Azure Cloud Sect.

"Hiss, that snake head weighs at least several hundred catties, if not a thousand. The Immortal Master is truly worthy of the title."

Watching Ye Lin walk at high speed while gripping the snake head with ease and comfort, the villagers were filled with admiration.

Having been left for several hours, the blood within the snake head had long since dried, yet it still looked incredibly gruesome.

Arriving at the Azure Cloud Sect, Ye Lin headed straight for the Mission Pavilion. He was in a great hurry; after submitting the mission, he needed to quickly verify the authenticity of the Sword Controlling Technique.

If it were real, he would have truly struck gold.

Reaching the Mission Pavilion, Ye Lin tossed the snake head at the entrance and walked inside.

"Hiss, could this be the Qi Refining fifth-layer Demon Snake from Wang Family Village at the foot of the mountain?"

"That's right, wasn't that the newly promoted outer sect disciple who just walked in? I heard he only has Qi Refining fourth-layer cultivation."

"Damn, slaying a Qi Refining fifth-layer Demon Snake with only fourth-layer cultivation? Even among the fifth layer, this Demon Snake is a standout. That is seriously impressive."

The surrounding outer sect disciples looked at the massive snake head and exclaimed in succession. Without Qi Refining sixth-layer cultivation, no one would dare take on this mission alone.

And how many people in the outer sect were at the sixth layer? No more than a dozen or twenty.

"Senior Brother, I have completed the mission."

At this moment, Ye Lin spoke to the drowsy Huang Xiao in front of him.

As he finished, Huang Xiao suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed intently on Ye Lin.

"Are you sure? Where is the snake head?"

After Huang Xiao spoke, Ye Lin turned around to reveal the massive snake head sitting right at the entrance, with disciples constantly stopping to comment on it.

"This giant python could fight a Qi Refining sixth-layer cultivator. How did a little cultivator at the fourth layer kill it? Could it be..."

At this, Huang Xiao suddenly let out a cold laugh. If his guess was correct, this Ye Lin had some major secrets, but that had nothing to do with him.

The stronger Ye Lin was, the happier he was to see it, for his brother was Huang Xiong, who had always been at odds with Zhang Xiao. He had never truly looked at Zhang Xiao with any respect, so if Ye Lin's cultivation grew even stronger, he would have quite a show to watch.

"Good. Since you have completed the mission, I have recorded your three hundred contribution points. The outer sect disciple assessment happens once a month, and the monthly requirement is two hundred points; you have passed."

Hearing Huang Xiao's words, Ye Lin nodded. No wonder new outer sect disciples couldn't survive without joining one of the three major factions.

This outer sect assessment alone was enough to drive one to their death.