Red Flame

Lin Xuan leaned against the stone stele and sat down on the ground.

The Eternal Life Art surged within him, swiftly breaking open his fifth spiritual vein. His aura soared in an instant, and an invisible wave of energy swept in all directions.

The Eternal Life Art was extraordinary. After cultivating it, Lin Xuan's spiritual power became exceptionally abundant. His current spiritual power was not the least bit weaker than that of a Sixth Level of Meridian Condensation cultivator. If he truly broke through to the Sixth Level of Meridian Condensation, he could likely sweep through all sixth-level cultivators with one hand.

Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes. Sharp gleams flickered now and then in his narrow eyes, while that lazy smile returned to his face.

"My cultivation has improved, but I've only found one stone. Looks like I need to hurry!" Lin Xuan was brimming with drive.

"I want spiritual roots!" Wine Lord clamored as well.

"I want a treasured sword!" Lin Xuan refused to be outdone. Carrying the refined steel sword, he headed deeper inside.

Before he had gone far, a faint mist rose ahead of him. Even from a great distance, Lin Xuan felt a wave of dizziness.

"Not good, it's poisonous!" He retreated at once. His Shadowstep had already reached minor mastery, and its speed was absolutely incredible. Afterimages remained where he had stood, while Lin Xuan reached a safe spot in the blink of an eye.

Going deeper was impossible. It seemed he could only head outward. Having made up his mind, Lin Xuan darted toward the outside.

The farther out he went, the more alarmed Lin Xuan became. As soon as he neared the outer edge, he felt the spiritual power within him draining away at a furious rate. It left him deeply shaken.

"Damn it! It's dangerous inside, and dangerous outside too. Only the middle is safe. What kind of rotten place is this?" Lin Xuan wore a helpless expression.

Unable to think of a solution for the moment, he could only remain near the stone stele.

Night fell, black as ink.

Lin Xuan chopped down some black trees to use as firewood, but before long, he realized he had caused trouble.

Black whirlwinds rose from the felled trees and swept toward Lin Xuan. The fire he had just built was extinguished in an instant, and a massive suction force frantically tugged at him.

Light flickered around Lin Xuan's body as azure spiritual power formed a thin membrane over him, resisting the black winds that were like raging blades. At the same time, he drove both feet into the earth and resisted with all his strength.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Before long, black whirlwinds drifted in from all directions, rapidly closing in on Lin Xuan. At that critical moment, a surge of black spiritual power erupted from within him. Black lotus patterns spread over half his body, and two black lotus leaves wrapped around Lin Xuan, blocking every tiny black whirlwind outside.

A moment later, all the black winds vanished, and the lotus patterns on Lin Xuan's body disappeared as well. Feeling that mysterious black spiritual power gradually fade within him, his expression became exceedingly grave.

That power had once prevented him from cultivating, yet now it had begun protecting him. For a moment, Lin Xuan was utterly bewildered.

"Hm? Little Xuan, there are quite a few brown stones behind you!" Wine Lord's voice interrupted Lin Xuan's thoughts.

Wine Lord's condition made it impossible for him to provide Lin Xuan with any substantial power, so he had been unable to intervene in what had just happened. Lin Xuan knew that as well, but this fellow was always unwilling to mention the black lotus, making Lin Xuan's teeth itch with frustration.

He turned around helplessly and was instantly startled.

Seven or eight brown stones lay scattered across the ground. The largest was as big as a millstone, while the smallest was the size of a fist.

"So many?" Lin Xuan froze slightly. "They must have been blown here by that strange wind just now."

Using the glow of his spiritual power, he arranged the stones together, then lit the firewood again.

Fortunately, no strange black wind appeared this time. Lin Xuan struck the stones, preparing to cut them open one by one. His palm was like a blade; with a downward swing, he split a brown stone apart.

In the end, out of all seven stones, only two items were found.

One was the spiritual root Wine Lord needed. The other was a pitch-black roof tile, as large as a palm.

Wine Lord smilingly put away the spiritual root, while Lin Xuan grimly stuffed the black tile into his robes.

"Where's the treasured sword you promised?" Furious, Lin Xuan punched the stone stele beside him.

Boom! Half the stone stele collapsed in response, startling Lin Xuan.

"It was that flimsy?" Lin Xuan muttered.

"Alright, Little Xuan. Since you've worked so hard to help me find spiritual roots, I'll give you a sword." Wine Lord suddenly said.

"What? You have a treasured sword?" Lin Xuan jumped in anger. "If you had one, why didn't you give it to me sooner...?"

"Young man, you're far too impatient!" Wine Lord said unhurriedly. "Even giving it to you now is a bit much. If you don't believe me, try it."

As he spoke, a black vortex appeared before Lin Xuan. Immediately afterward, a dark-red greatsword flew out from within it and plunged into the ground with a clang.

Unlike an ordinary three-foot sword, this was a greatsword. Its blade was broad but not thick, and its hilt was long enough for Lin Xuan to grip with both hands without any trouble.

Lin Xuan stared at the dark-red greatsword, its blade covered in rust, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Although he liked the sword's appearance very much, wasn't this far too old? Rust mottled countless places on it. At a glance, it was clearly an antique.

"This is the treasure you're giving me?" Lin Xuan asked worriedly. "It won't snap the moment I use it, will it?"

"Hmph, even if you snapped, it still wouldn't!" Wine Lord snorted coldly. "I originally intended to give this greatsword to you once you had grown stronger. Giving it to you now is far too much of a stretch."

Lin Xuan was unconvinced. "What do you mean, a stretch?" He walked forward and reached out to grasp the hilt.

Comfortable—especially comfortable! The instant Lin Xuan held it, he did not want to let go. It felt like holding the hand of a goddess, so good it sent him straight to heaven.

Applying a little force, Lin Xuan prepared to pull out the dark-red greatsword and use it to practice the Thunder Movement Swordsmanship once.

Yet the dark-red greatsword did not move in the slightest.

"Hmph!" Wine Lord gave a soft snort, then said faintly, "As expected, too young..."

Lin Xuan's face darkened. He gave it a hard pull, but it still did not budge.

Stunned, he let out a low shout and used all his strength. At last, the dark-red greatsword slowly rose, gradually leaving the ground.

"Damn, it's so heavy. What kind of material is this made from?" Lin Xuan could not help cursing under his breath.

"Not bad. You can lift it with muscle alone. It seems you're a little stronger than I imagined." Wine Lord spared no effort in knocking him down a peg.

Lin Xuan's small face darkened. He finally understood why Wine Lord had called it a stretch. He circulated the Eternal Life Art, and azure spiritual power sprang forth, while a surging force burst from within his body.

His arms finally stopped trembling, but even with spiritual power supporting him, he still found it incredibly heavy. Lin Xuan tried swinging it twice and discovered that it consumed spiritual power extremely quickly.

Clang!

Lin Xuan planted the dark-red greatsword into the ground and stood with his hand on the hilt.

"Say, Uncle Drunkard, aren't you deliberately messing with me? How am I supposed to use the Thunder Movement Swordsmanship with this sword?"

Wine Lord took a sip of wine. "You'll get used to it. And conquering it will definitely bring you benefits beyond anything you imagine. Think about it—if you can one day wield such a heavy sword as lightly as an embroidery needle, how strong will you become?"

Of course Lin Xuan understood. He was merely grumbling aloud. From the moment he had grasped this sword, he had already fallen in love with the greatsword.

"From now on, you and I will walk the path of martial cultivation together!" Lin Xuan murmured. "I'll call you Red Flame."

He poured azure spiritual power into the blade. In the next instant, beneath the rust on its surface, red light suddenly gleamed. Strange runes could vaguely be seen, mysterious beyond measure.

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