Do You Hear What People Are Saying?

Lin Changkong quickly made his decision and chose the Crimson Flame Saber.

The Crimson Flame Saber's blade was too wide and bulky, so it could only be carried on his back. Fortunately, the sect had thoughtfully provided a matching strap for carrying it behind him.

Whenever he needed it, he only had to reach back and draw it.

With the Crimson Flame Saber on his back, Lin Changkong felt extremely pleased with himself.

Mm, he had a bit of the Condor Hero's bearing now.

The Condor Hero used a Profound Iron Heavy Sword, while he used a Fire Iron Heavy Saber. Though they differed in form, they shared the same spirit—he could count them as fellow travelers.

"By the way, Elder Ye, does the Heavenly Fire Sect have any decent body-tempering techniques?"

Lin Changkong abruptly changed the subject and asked.

He knew that as his realm rose, the growth of his spiritual energy cultivation would inevitably slow down. Later on, it might even take a hundred years of cultivation just to advance a single minor realm.

Under such circumstances, if he had a body-tempering technique and could advance both hand in hand, the gains would undoubtedly be far greater.

At the same realm, if his physical body were as strong as his spiritual energy cultivation, then even after his spiritual energy ran dry, he would still have the strength to fight. Naturally, he would far surpass others of the same realm.

Ye Wuchen knew that Lin Changkong practiced Spirit and Body Dual Cultivation, so he was not surprised. He merely frowned and said, "Body-tempering techniques are scarce to begin with, and the Heavenly Fire Sect places greater emphasis on spiritual cultivation.

"So it isn't that we have none, but there are very few. There is even less to mention in the Outer Sect—only second-tier body-tempering techniques, about the same as what you learned in the Servant Courtyard.

"The Inner Sect does have fourth-tier and even fifth-tier body-tempering techniques, but they are only available to Inner Sect disciples.

"If you want them, you will be qualified to cultivate them once you enter the Inner Sect."

"I see. Understood. I'll join the Inner Sect."

Lin Changkong nodded, then bade Ye Wuchen farewell and left the Weapon Pavilion.

"Junior Brother, come on. Let's go eat together."

The moment he stepped outside, Hong Ye came over, hooked an arm around Lin Changkong's shoulders, and dragged him off to eat.

When she saw the scarlet heavy saber on Lin Changkong's back, as broad and weighty as a tombstone, she said in surprise, "You picked that saber?"

Lin Changkong said, "Yeah. Is there a problem?"

Hong Ye shook her head. "No problem. It just looks way too conspicuous. How should I put it... it feels really pretentious. You get what I mean, Junior Brother."

Lin Changkong nodded solemnly. "I do, Senior Sister. I picked it precisely to show off. If a person doesn't show off, what difference is there between them and a salted fish?"

Hong Ye said, "..."

Do you hear what people are saying?

"By the way, Junior Brother, the matters of entering the sect are basically finished now. You can start taking sect missions. I happened to find a mission with a very generous reward. What do you say? Interested in teaming up with me to grind missions?"

Knowing she was no match for Lin Changkong when it came to showing off, Hong Ye changed the subject.

Lin Changkong said, "Of course. What mission is it?"

Hong Ye said, "No rush. We won't be doing it until tomorrow, so I'll explain it properly then. After we eat today, I'll first take you to see the cultivation grounds.

"The cultivation grounds are supported by an array that can increase cultivation speed somewhat."

Lin Changkong said, "All right. I'll follow Senior Sister's arrangements."

He had already felt that his cultivation speed had slowed. Having the cultivation grounds' support was naturally a great thing.

As they talked, they arrived at the dining hall.

It was mealtime, and people streamed back and forth everywhere.

Lin Changkong was already conspicuous with that enormous scarlet saber on his back, broad and heavy as a tombstone. On top of that, his title as the newcomer king and great devil had spread throughout the entire Outer Sect.

So when he swaggered into the dining hall, quite a few new disciples around him showed fear on their faces and retreated three paces away.

The scene was truly brimming with pretentious swagger.

After eating, Hong Ye led Lin Changkong to the cultivation grounds.

The cultivation grounds were an enormous circular building, divided into three layers from outer to inner.

According to Hong Ye, there were private meditation rooms inside, as well as spaces where one could practice martial arts.

The entire cultivation grounds were also supported by arrays that continuously gathered spiritual energy. Cultivating inside naturally made one's progress faster.

Of course, the increase varied from person to person. But overall, one could generally improve ten to thirty percent faster than outside, with only a very small number falling below ten percent.

"But there's something I need to tell you. Although the entire cultivation grounds are theoretically supported by the array, the spiritual energy isn't distributed absolutely evenly.

"The closer one gets to the center of the array, the denser the spiritual energy becomes. The array's center is at the very middle of the cultivation grounds, so among the three layers, the innermost layer has the densest spiritual energy.

"Generally speaking, no one has a fixed room in the cultivation grounds. As long as a room is empty, anyone can use it. But the older disciples are generally stronger than the new ones, so while that may be the rule, the innermost layer is basically used by older disciples.

"Some of the higher-ranked older disciples even choose fixed rooms on the innermost layer for cultivation. It's best not to touch those rooms if you can help it, or you'll easily offend people. You understand what I mean, right?"

Lin Changkong nodded. "I understand."

When all was said and done, strength was the foundation of everything.

With strength, one could seize the best spots. Without strength, one could only scavenge around the outskirts.

Without strength, do not hope for fairness.

In the world of cultivation, the fist was the greatest truth!

"All right, I've said everything that needed saying. Now go find an empty room and give it a try yourself."

Hong Ye smiled and patted Lin Changkong's shoulder. Without even a moment's hesitation, Lin Changkong headed straight for the innermost layer.

Hong Ye was dumbfounded.

Well then, all that talk had been for nothing.

Lin Changkong had no fear of these unspoken rules. With a hundred years of cultivation every day, he had the confidence. Unless they could kill him outright, so long as he was given time, he feared no one.

But what disappointed Lin Changkong was that every room in the innermost layer was already occupied. There was not a single empty one.

"Damn it, a bunch of grind-addicted dogs!"

Lin Changkong cursed, then searched the second layer before finally finding an empty room.

He immediately entered, sat down cross-legged, and began cultivating according to the Crimson Flame Blood Fiend Technique. Though he had a cheat, he still wanted to see just how much progress he could make without relying on it.

An hour passed quickly.

Lin Changkong opened his eyes, his brow tightly furrowed, and shook his head.

"Forget it. Better turn on the cheat."

He had given it a try. With his own aptitude, that hour of cultivation had brought him practically no sensation at all.

"Since cultivating spiritual energy won't do, I might as well practice my saber technique. The Crimson Flame Saber just arrived, and I haven't even gotten used to it yet."

So he left the meditation room, found a weapon practice room, drew the Crimson Flame Saber, and began practicing.

After swinging it a few times, he felt his entire body grow scorching hot. He directly took off his clothes and continued practicing.

Spirit and Body Dual Cultivation had already given him a powerful physique. Added to the weight of the Crimson Flame Saber, every swing made his muscles ripple. His bronze skin looked hard and imposing, full of visual impact.

The Crimson Flame Saber was enormous and heavy. Compared to it, his previous horizontal saber was not even in the same league. But this was the world of cultivation, and a few hundred pounds was still easy enough for a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator to adapt to.

As he moved and swung, Lin Changkong felt increasingly at ease, along with a sense of utterly unrestrained exhilaration.

Without using spiritual energy, relying solely on the strength of his physical body, his combat power while wielding the Crimson Flame Saber was still explosively formidable.

Two hours passed like this, and the Crimson Flame Saber had become highly familiar in his hands.

Boom—

At that moment, a tremendous crash suddenly came from the door of the practice room, as though someone were ramming it.

Then a shout rang out. "Who's inside? Get the hell out!"