A Year Flew By in a Finger Snap; One Day's Enlightenment Cut the Waters' Flow

Not long after news of the great victory came back,

Elder Lin Song returned.

Though he had fought a fierce battle, he showed no fatigue. Instead, he was more vigorous than ever, as though he had rediscovered the thrill of facing powerful foes in his youth.

Accompanying Elder Lin Song was a stern, imposing middle-aged man: Lin Hai, the Lin Family Head.

Why had Father come in person?

Lin Chen was a little surprised.

Once they entered the Herb Garden's hall, Lin Hai and Elder Lin Song heard their subordinates' reports. Everyone then withdrew, leaving only Lin Chen with them.

Lin Hai looked at him and asked with a smile, "Chen'er, have things been peaceful these past few days?"

Lin Chen cupped his hands. "Father, a band of thieves did attempt to attack the Herb Garden yesterday."

He recounted the events in detail and took out the Blackwind Stronghold token.

"Li Baichuan's son..."

Lin Hai's expression tightened.

"During the battle at Blackwind Cliff, Li Yuan and I fought Li Baichuan on the clifftop. That old brigand had some skill. Though we suppressed him together, he fought with such reckless disregard for his life that he held us off long enough for some of the thieves to escape."

"I never expected his son to attack the Herb Garden while fleeing, much less meet his end at your hands."

As he spoke, Lin Hai looked at Lin Chen with approval.

"You did well. Mang Shan and Li Qianren were no weaklings. Killing them shows how far you've come over these years."

Without a shred of shame, Lin Chen replied, "Though I was sent to the Herb Garden, I've trained hard all these years without slacking off for a single day. That's how I've achieved what I have today."

The approval in Lin Hai's eyes deepened. Then he changed the subject and spoke of what had followed the battle against Blackwind Stronghold:

"Blackwind Stronghold has fallen, and Li Baichuan has been executed. The Lin Family and Li Family have taken joint control of Blackwind Cliff for now. But some slipped through the net during the battle, and we still need to hunt them down."

Lin Hai's gaze darkened.

"One of them is Li Baichuan's sworn brother, Hu Yuan, known as the Butcher. He has reached the Spirit Martial Eighth Layer. For some reason, he wasn't in the stronghold at the time and escaped by sheer luck."

"He's vicious, brutal, and repays the slightest grudge. We can't let our guard down. I've assigned Elder Lin Xuan to hunt him down."

Elder Lin Xuan ranked first among the Lin Family elders.

His cultivation had reached the Ninth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, second only to Lin Hai's, and the Lin Family also honored him as Grand Elder.

Lin Hai turned to Lin Chen. His tone softened as he revealed the true purpose of his visit.

"Now that you've reached the sixth level of the Spirit Martial Realm, you needn't remain at the Herb Garden. Return to the residence with me the day after tomorrow. You won't have to manage clan affairs; you need only focus on cultivation."

"Once you break through to the Tenth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, the Lin Family will stand unrivaled in Kaiyang City."

"And if you ever have the chance to enter the Profound Martial Realm..."

A sharp light flashed in Lin Hai's eyes. "Even Li Yuan will have to bow before us. The Lin Family will become the true overlord of Kaiyang City and rule this region!"

"I understand, Father. I'll follow your arrangements."

That was good news, of course.

Cultivating at the Lin Residence would be safe and peaceful, with no one to disturb him. Lin Chen had no reason to refuse.

Elder Lin Song stroked his beard, a hint of regret in his voice.

"The Family Head has thought of everything. It's just that my Herb Garden will lose a capable manager."

A thought stirred in Lin Chen's mind. He smiled. "Elder, there's someone you might consider..."

That night, the Herb Garden held a grand banquet to celebrate the Lin Family's victory and welcome Lin Hai and Lin Song after their journey.

Three days later, when Lin Hai returned to Kaiyang City, Lin Chen went with him.

At the Herb Garden, I left everything to Lin Tie, so it never delayed my cultivation. But I still had duties to fulfill. Now I'm truly free of such distractions.

Lin Chen looked at every familiar blade of grass and tree in the courtyard and smiled faintly.

I haven't studied the Sword Diagram these past few days because of Blackwind Stronghold. I didn't want to tax my mind. Now that everything's settled, it's the perfect time to cultivate in seclusion and contemplate it...

Lin Chen entered his cultivation chamber, unfurled the Sword Diagram, and immersed himself in it.

Meanwhile, after several rounds of negotiations, the two families finalized how they would divide the spoils of Blackwind Cliff: they would jointly own the Black Iron Ore Vein, each holding half the mining rights. Both would station clan members and managers there long-term to oversee mining and split the proceeds equally.

Everything was settled.

Half a month later, Lin Tie quietly received a promotion and formally became the Herb Garden Manager.

This time, he was no longer a temporary stand-in. The position was his in both name and fact.

Lin Tie later found a chance to visit the Lin Residence and thank Lin Chen in person, but his trip was in vain. Lin Chen was deep in secluded cultivation.

Time flowed like water, slipping silently by amid peaceful, fulfilling cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, a year and three months had passed since the battle at Blackwind Cliff.

On a late autumn afternoon, the sky was high and the clouds were thin.

Behind the Lin Residence, a waterfall plunged from a clifftop like a length of white silk hanging in the air, crashing into the deep pool below with a thunderous roar.

Before the clear pool, Lin Chen sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. Spray dampened his robes, but he noticed nothing.

Above him, a Sword Diagram slowly unfurled, drawing him once more into the world he had contemplated hundreds of times.

This time, though, something felt different...

Within that world, so vivid he might truly have stood in it, Lin Chen raised his head and gazed into the depths of the sky.

With each session of contemplation, the lingering essence within the Sword Diagram had grown fainter. Reflected in this world, the once-thick layers of cloud had thinned day by day until they were nearly transparent.

Now, when Lin Chen looked up, not a cloud remained for ten thousand miles. The sky was clear as though freshly washed.

And at last, he saw what lay above the clouds that had once hidden it layer upon layer: the source of the Sword Qi that had descended from the nine heavens and cut him down time after time.

It was a single character.

The simple character [Sword] contained the boundless mysteries of the Sword Dao.

Boom!

The instant Lin Chen saw it, the character blazed with light and sent down one final stroke of Sword Qi.

In less than an instant, the Sword Qi crossed the vast heavens and pierced the space between Lin Chen's brows.

Sword Qi cut the body; Sword Intent slew the spirit.

This time, however, Lin Chen felt his mind become whole. He suffered no harm. Instead, inspiration surged like a spring. Everything he had accumulated through hundreds of contemplations erupted at once, as though he had reached a limit and shattered through it into an entirely new realm.

[Sword Dao]: None (5000/5000)

[Sword Dao]: Ten Percent Sword Intent (0/10000)

Beside the pool, Lin Chen's eyes snapped open.

A thought arose, and Sword Qi came of its own accord.

He did not raise a hand. Guided by a single thought, the spiritual energy around him gathered naturally, becoming an invisible blade that slashed through the air!

Hiss.

Sword Qi tore through the air and struck straight into the waterfall!

Amid a thunderous roar, countless droplets burst into mist and spread in every direction.

The water that plunged from more than a dozen yards above had abruptly stopped some ten yards short of the pool!

It had not been blasted apart by brute force or frozen by cold. It was as if an invisible heavenly blade had cut straight through it, leaving an edge smooth as a mirror.

Severed from its source, the lower half of the waterfall fell into the deep pool on its remaining momentum, sending spray soaring skyward.

The upper half still surged over the cliff. But when it reached the empty space where the water had been severed,

it seemed to strike an unseen wall. The mighty flow split in two and rushed down either side, pounding the rock face with a rumble.

Where the waterfall had once fallen, a gap about three yards wide now stretched from the cut all the way to the pool!

Sunlight streamed in, falling for the first time on the crevices, moss, and water-worn marks that had long lain hidden behind the falls.

And on the mark left by that sword strike.

Only after ten breaths, when the Sword Intent faded, did the severed water fall under gravity once more and crash into the deep pool.

His Sword Intent had taken shape.

With his first step across the threshold, he could sever a rushing torrent.

Lin Chen raised his head and watched the waterfall roar again as though nothing had changed. The corners of his mouth lifted.

"I have a sword. It cannot move mountains or overturn seas, but at least... I've reached the point where I can draw my blade and cut the water, and the water will not flow."