Night Raid

"My hand!" Chen Feng cried out in terror. His right arm had been slashed open by a deep wound, and white bone was visible beneath the flesh in places.

"How could this happen?" Zhang Bin and the others did not give chase. That sword strike had been far too strange, and Lin Xuan's aura was definitely not at the Third Level of Body Tempering.

"Could he have hidden his strength?" Zhang Bin wondered. "Or perhaps it was the Fire Lingzhi's effect, allowing him to break through into the Meridian Condensation Realm. Your blood—I'm taking it for sure!"

"You two, hurry and help him back to the sect!" Zhang Bin ordered.

The two men supported Chen Feng and hurried toward the Profound Heaven Sect. Zhang Bin followed behind them, his gaze flickering as no one knew what he was thinking.

Lin Xuan ran all the way back to his small hut. He shut the door and did his best to calm himself down.

To be honest, the power of that sword strike had somewhat exceeded his expectations. His father had given him that sword move and told him to practice it diligently.

Though the move appeared ordinary, once unleashed, its power was boundless. However, it only had one move, and that single move consumed quite a bit of spiritual energy—nearly one-third of his reserves.

Thinking of spiritual energy, Lin Xuan grew excited again. After all these years, he could finally cultivate. He could not help thinking of the little sword inside his body. It was precisely this little sword that had opened his spiritual meridians, while also granting him the inner sight divine ability that only those in the Spirit Transformation Realm possessed.

The little sword was neither metal nor stone, and he had no idea what material it was made of. It was a finger long, Glazed-Colored from end to end, with spiritual energy constantly spilling from it. Lin Xuan tried to connect with it, but nothing came of it.

Seeing no reaction, Lin Xuan simply stopped bothering with it. Instead, he planned to make use of the lingering medicinal properties of the Fire Lingzhi and continue cultivating.

He had once been a disciple of Sword Pool Prefecture. Although he had been a good-for-nothing in the past and had never had the chance to study martial arts manuals, his father had given him their complete inherited Mystic Art. His Lineage's cultivation method was a Mystic Tier technique, its power extraordinarily great.

Lin Xuan formed hand seals with both hands and circulated his spiritual energy according to the inherited cultivation method. Yet the moment he began, the Glazed-Colored Sword within him trembled, scattering that spiritual energy.

"Hm?" Lin Xuan froze. He formed the seals again and tried circulating his energy once more, only to discover that the Glazed-Colored Sword seemed to be deliberately preventing him from cultivating.

"Could this sword have thoughts?" Lin Xuan could not make heads or tails of it. But what was the meaning of refusing to let him cultivate?

"Say, if you won't let me practice my inherited cultivation method, do you have something better?" Lin Xuan muttered.

The Glazed-Colored Sword seemed to understand Lin Xuan's words. It hummed, sending out a sheet of golden light. Every ray of golden light was a dazzling little golden sword. Those little swords transformed into strange runes and burrowed into his mind.

"Eternal Life Art?"

The Glazed-Colored Sword had actually given him a cultivation technique! Lin Xuan was somewhat stunned. He quickly read through the Eternal Life Art. The name alone sounded utterly domineering, and some of the principles it explained were far more profound than his inherited cultivation method.

Since the little sword would not let him cultivate any other technique anyway, he might as well practice this Eternal Life Art it had given him. Lin Xuan made up his mind, forming strange hand seals before slowly closing his eyes and circulating the spiritual energy throughout his body according to the incantation.

Golden spiritual energy moved through his spiritual meridians. With every cycle, the spiritual energy grew stronger. Around those spiritual meridians were countless smaller meridians, which carried the spiritual energy throughout his body.

Lin Xuan circulated the Mystic Art over and over. His spiritual energy steadily grew stronger, and the medicinal power hidden in his body was stimulated as well. Gradually, that spiritual energy gathered through the tiny meridians and surged toward the second spiritual meridian.

Boom!

The second spiritual meridian was opened, like a riverbank bursting apart. Endless spiritual energy poured in, constantly washing over Lin Xuan's body. Some impurities were forced from his body, and Lin Xuan quickly cleaned himself up.

"I didn't expect that in just half a day, I'd reach the Second Level of Meridian Condensation. Now I'm a Second-Order Spirit Warrior too." A faint glow shone from Lin Xuan's body, and it brimmed with strength.

"With this level of strength, I can definitely pass the outer sect's test. But I heard the inner sect's test is incredibly difficult, practically one selected from a hundred. I really wonder what realm one must reach to pass it."

Lin Xuan sighed and resumed cultivating the Eternal Life Art. What he lacked most now was time, so he did not want to waste a single minute.

Night descended, as though the sky had been draped in a layer of black cloth, dark and oppressive. The moon was hidden behind clouds, and the stars across the sky had tucked themselves away as well.

A fierce wind howled between heaven and earth, making the forest moan and roar. The brown wooden door creaked incessantly.

Lin Xuan opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Rising to his feet, he looked at the dark clouds filling the sky outside, then quickly shut the little wooden door.

Lin Xuan was still a Sword Slave, and he lived on a remote, deserted mountain peak. There was no one else living nearby.

Rumble!

Thunder suddenly exploded in the sky, making his eardrums tremble. Lin Xuan looked out at the world beyond the window and said with some feeling, "The most unfathomable thing of all is still the power of heaven and earth. When will I be able to move mountains and fill seas with a wave of my hand?"

Another flash lit the heavens, followed by a rolling boom. But at that moment, Lin Xuan's heart jolted, and he swiftly crouched down.

Whoosh!

An arrow skimmed past the top of his head. He could even feel the chill emanating from it.

If he had not broken through to the second level of the Meridian Condensation Realm, strengthening senses such as his hearing and vision, that arrow alone could have taken his life!

Lin Xuan hid beneath the windowsill and quickly guessed that Zhang Bin and the others were behind it. As for how many there were, he had no idea.

The weak were prey to the strong—such was the survival law of this world. Lin Xuan had long experienced it firsthand. He now waited quietly, without moving a muscle. The enemy outside should have been more anxious than he was; after all, the weather outside was terrible.

The Profound Heaven Sect's rules were strict. Disciples were permitted to fight, but killing was forbidden. Even Sword Slaves could not be casually killed. But once one left the Profound Heaven Sect and entered the forest, anything went.

Ordinarily, no one would dare make a move within the sect. But today's torrential rain provided an exceptionally good environment for murder.

Lin Xuan gripped his longsword tightly, his mind focused to the utmost, ready to strike at any moment. Sure enough, before long, the wooden door shattered with a crash, and a figure darted inside.

Seizing the instant that person landed, Lin Xuan thrust out his sword. Like a meteor streaking across the sky, it flashed forth. The man had not expected such a tricky strike and could only hurriedly raise his sword to block it.

Clang!

The two weapons collided, sending out a shower of sparks. The man's spiritual energy was clearly deeper than Lin Xuan's, causing Lin Xuan's sword to veer off course, though it still carved out a wound.

The figure gave a muffled grunt and quickly retreated. He urged his spiritual energy to wrap around the wound, then watched Lin Xuan cautiously.

"Zhang Bin, I know it's you. No need to hide anymore!" Lin Xuan said coldly.

"Hmph, since you know, then obediently come with me!" Zhang Bin snarled.

"You've already been wounded by my sword, yet you're still spouting big words! Call out all your men!" Lin Xuan prepared himself.

"Do I need help to kill you? I was careless just now and let you succeed in ambushing me. Let's see what you do this time!"

Zhang Bin sneered. With a flick of the longsword in his hand, the Flowing Cloud Sword Art flowed out with agile grace, leaving behind layers of sword shadows in the air that enveloped Lin Xuan.

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