Lin Chen Descended the Mountain

Spirit Mist Mountain Blessed Land.

On a stone platform beside a cliff, a figure in a blue robe sat quietly cross-legged. Mountain winds howled past, snapping his robes.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes and breathed out a mouthful of turbid air. The breath held together, turning into a sharp streak of Sword Qi that shot into the distance before gradually dissipating.

"Too bad... I've only cultivated Windwalker to minor mastery. I can ride the wind and cross snow without leaving a trace, but soaring into the sky and roaming freely beneath the heavens is still beyond my grasp."

Lin Chen sighed softly, though he was not discouraged.

After all, it was a mid-tier Profound Grade martial art unrelated to the Sword Dao. It was only natural that it would be harder to comprehend.

He rose and stretched. A crisp series of pops rang from his bones. The fluctuations of cultivation radiating from him had reached the Fourth Level of the Profound Martial Realm.

"It's about time I descended the mountain."

With a thought, Lin Chen brought up his current Character Panel:

[Character]: Lin Chen

[Life-Bound Divine Artifact]: Starshatter Sword (Tier 3, ordinary)

[Realm]: Fourth Level of the Profound Martial Realm (865/1.1w)

[Sword Dao]: 20% Sword Intent (2907/2w)

[Martial Arts]: Three Revolutions Profound Origin Art (First Revolution), Thundercloud Sword Art (Second Level), Windwalker (Minor Mastery), Spirit-Shattering Thorn...

[Idle Training]: Astral Wind Wasteland (In Progress)

[Idle Training Rewards]: Approximately 251–270 experience points per month

[Remaining Experience]: 1189

Compared with when he first entered Spirit Mist Mountain Blessed Land, Lin Chen's personal attributes were now impressive indeed.

His cultivation had reached the Fourth Level of the Profound Martial Realm, officially carrying him into the realm's middle stage. He had begun to master "Thunderclap," the second level of Thundercloud Sword Art, and Windwalker had reached minor mastery.

He had also acquired a Spiritual Secret Art, Spirit-Shattering Thorn.

As for his Tier 3 Life-Bound Divine Artifact, the Starshatter Sword, its rank remained unchanged. But after devouring a good deal of equipment dropped during idle training over the years, its quality had improved. It was not far from Tier 3 fine quality.

"If only... this Wind-Eroded Crystal Core."

Lin Chen turned his hand and took out a blue-green crystal the size of a pigeon's egg.

Light shimmered across its surface, while a storm seemed to swirl within. It was the Wind-Eroded Crystal Core, a rare object he had obtained by chance after years of idle training in the Astral Wind Wasteland.

Lin Chen thought of it as a lucky drop.

The Wind-Eroded Crystal Core was a beast core containing immense energy. If he could refine it, it would be enough to advance him to the Fifth Level of the Profound Martial Realm.

Yet the core was tainted with violent Demonic Qi. Absorbing it without first removing that taint would only corrupt his True Essence. The loss would outweigh the gain.

"I can't deal with it myself, but once I leave Spirit Mist Mountain, I can use the Four Seas Merchant Guild to post a reward and find a way to purify the violent Demonic Qi..."

Now that he had joined the Four Seas Merchant Guild, Lin Chen naturally intended to make good use of that behemoth's resources and connections.

Putting the core away, Lin Chen gazed into the distance.

Spirit Mist Mountain, veiled in drifting clouds, and the vast, rolling mountain ranges beyond it all lay before his eyes.

His seven years were up.

It was time to leave.

Back at Bamboo Melody Pavilion, Lin Chen summoned Liu Yun.

When Lin Chen had chosen her as his maid and brought her into Spirit Mist Mountain, he had chiefly valued her ability to handle affairs. As for cultivation, Liu Yun had only been at the First Level of the Spirit Martial Realm. Now, seven years later, she had reached the Fourth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm.

For one thing, the abundant spiritual energy of Spirit Mist Mountain Blessed Land made cultivation twice as effective with half the effort. For another, Lin Chen had not begrudged her a few resources to help her progress.

After all, Liu Yun had handled every mundane task over those seven years, allowing Lin Chen to devote himself entirely to cultivation. He had no objection to rewarding her for it.

"Pack your things. We'll descend the mountain in a few days."

"Yes."

Liu Yun respectfully acknowledged his order.

A few days later, Lin Chen visited Sun Rong before his departure, then went straight out through the gates of Spirit Mist Mountain.

Several hundred li from Cloudmist Territory.

On an official road, a caravan of nine wagons rolled slowly forward.

Inside the largest wagon, at the center of the caravan, a middle-aged man in his forties wearing an indigo silk robe frowned deeply as he studied a ledger.

The man was Chen Defu, president of the Greenleaf Merchant Guild in Mountside City.

Mountside City was a small city with thin spiritual energy and few martial artists. With his cultivation at the Sixth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, he was already considered an expert there.

"Father, what's worrying you now?"

The girl sitting opposite him was around sixteen or seventeen, with delicate features. Though not as refined as a young lady from a great household, she possessed a lively charm born of the hills. She was Chen Defu's only daughter, Chen Rou, and had only recently entered the First Level of the Spirit Martial Realm.

"Little Rou."

Chen Defu put down the ledger and sighed.

"Mountside City is short on resources, and business gets worse every year. This time, I've staked everything we own on this shipment of Cold Iron Ore and Ice Velvet Grass from the Northern Region. If we can find buyers in Cloudmist, the guild might still have a chance. If not..."

He did not finish, but the worry in his eyes said enough.

Chen Rou said softly, "Father, Cloudmist Territory has plenty of martial artists. We'll surely be able to sell our goods."

"I hope so."

Chen Defu forced a smile and lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.

Forest-covered hills stretched along both sides of the official road. The caravan had only eight guards in total. The strongest was Liu Zhong, a veteran guard at the Seventh Level of the Spirit Martial Realm; the rest were merely at the third or fourth level. They might have sufficed in Mountside City, but here in unfamiliar Cloudmist Territory...

"May we have a safe journey," he murmured.

Before the words had left his mouth, a sudden rush of hoofbeats came from up ahead!

"On guard!"

Liu Zhong's shout rang out, and the caravan came to a halt.

Chen Defu's heart sank. He hurriedly leaned out to look.

More than a dozen riders thundered around a bend in the mountain road and surrounded the caravan in an instant.

Every one of them looked vicious, and even the weakest had reached the Spirit Martial Realm. Their leader was a one-eyed, middle-aged man with a great halberd slung over his shoulder. He made no attempt to hide the Killing Intent rolling off him—and his cultivation was around the Ninth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm!

"This is bad..."

Chen Defu's face went deathly pale.

Meeting bandits on an official road was any caravan's worst fear, especially when the other side was far stronger than their own.

"Heh, lucky us. We caught ourselves a fat sheep."

The one-eyed man grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Leave your goods and money behind, and I might spare you the trouble of being hacked to pieces. Hahahaha!"

Liu Zhong tightened his grip on his long saber and said gravely,

"Good sir, we're from the Greenleaf Merchant Guild of Mountside City. We're only a small business. Please show us mercy..."

"Enough talk!" A savage gleam flashed in the one-eyed man's eye.

"You were unlucky enough to run into me today. Every last one of you will die here. The girl, though—she can come up the mountain and enjoy herself..."

"Brothers, get them!"

The one-eyed bandit waved his blade, and more than a dozen outlaws lunged forward with vicious grins.

"Protect the president!"

Liu Zhong roared and prepared to meet them with the seven other guards.

But at that very instant, the one-eyed man suddenly went rigid. His expression froze, and the light rapidly faded from his eye. A heartbeat later, he toppled from his horse like a puppet and hit the ground with a thud. He did not move again.