"Young Master..."
Shi Hanyin wiped the tears from her delicate face, revealing a sweet smile again. "You are amused by me, Master. Hanyin should not have been like this... I apologize, Master. About what just happened... can we pretend it never happened? Please do not hate me because of Hanyin's presumption, okay?"
Although she was smiling, her words were tinged with apprehension, truly worried that Lin Zhao would dislike her.
"Never."
Lin Zhao smiled and nodded. "It is Lin Zhao who lacks the fortune, so how could I dislike Miss Shi?"
"Master, please wait."
Shi Hanyin stood up and took out another emerald green box from the cabinet. Upon opening it, a pair of jade bangles were revealed. The surface of the bangles shimmered with a radiant glow, exuding an aura of precious artifact brilliance. It was evident at a glance that they were no ordinary items.
"These emerald bangles..."
Shi Hanyin pursed her red lips. "They were the price a rogue cultivator, said to be from the Upper Five Realms, offered when he passed through Tianji City and invited Hanyin to attend a banquet. It is said they are a pair of heavenly-grade upper-tier immortal bangles from the mountains, capable of restraining a sword cultivator's flying sword. They are quite useful. Hanyin does not understand much, but the cultivators in Yunxiang Tower said they are treasures, so Hanyin kept them. Today, I shall gift these emerald bangles to you, Master, as a farewell present."
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao felt awkward and uneasy. "How can I possibly accept this..."
"Please accept them, Master. This is Hanyin's sincerity." Shi Hanyin's beautiful eyes pleaded.
Lin Zhao accepted the emerald bangles. With a wave of his hand, he discovered they indeed possessed artifact effects—
[Emerald Bangles] (Heavenly Grade Upper-Tier)
Strength: +500
Stamina: +500
Agility: +500
Special Effect: Temporarily restrain the opponent's flying sword.
Lin Zhao took a deep breath. They were the same grade as the Demon-Hunting Mirror! As for the artifact effect, it was incredibly useful. In "Tianxia," whether in the game version or the background lore, sword cultivators were formidable. The strongest aspect of sword cultivators was their elusive flying swords. Once an opponent's flying sword could be restrained, a sword cultivator was half defeated. Therefore, this emerald bangle skill should be considered a divine skill. Moreover, there was a pair, capable of restraining two of the opponent's flying swords, making it highly effective!
The +500 stats to the three primary attributes were merely icing on the cake. In short, the more artifacts a player refined, the stronger their accumulated attributes would be. This was beyond doubt.
Seeing Lin Zhao accept the emerald bangles, a smile appeared on Shi Hanyin's delicate face. "Then, these bangles will serve as Hanyin's companion by your side..."
Lin Zhao felt he could not possibly bear such deep affection.
He felt a bit embarrassed and searched through his inventory. He finally found a mid-tier heavenly-grade artifact, a very exquisite and sharp dagger named Tianxiang. He had obtained it when confiscating the assets of Zhao Jingyu from the Qingliang Sect. Since it was not suitable for him to refine, he had kept it, and now it had found its use.
He presented the dagger, saying, "Miss Shi, this Tianxiang dagger was something I took from another when I challenged Qingliang Sect. Now, I offer it as a borrowed flower to Buddha, gifting this Tianxiang to Miss Shi. The martial world is deep and full of villains, this dagger is for Miss Shi's self-defense."
"Mmm."
Shi Hanyin happily accepted the dagger, her delicate face filled with smiles. This was a gift from Lin Zhao, and she would surely treasure it.
"It is late."
Lin Zhao took a step back and clasped his hands in a fist. "Lin Zhao shall not intrude further. Tomorrow, the matters of Xueyu Tianchi in Yunzhou should be concluded, and I will return to Xueyu Tianchi. Lin Zhao bids you farewell in advance, Miss Shi. If fate allows, we shall meet again in the future."
"Alright!"
Shi Hanyin pursed her red lips and said softly, "Hanyin will wait for you in this Yunxiang Tower. When Master arrives, Hanyin will offer fine wine. If Master wishes to take Hanyin away, Hanyin can leave at any time, only wishing that Master does not forget Hanyin."
"Mmm, farewell!"
Lin Zhao withdrew from the courtyard and turned, flying towards the front yard on a sword. Shi Hanyin stood at the gate, watching him depart. Her heart was filled with both joy and a hint of sadness. Joy that he had gifted her a dagger named Tianxiang, and sadness that he had not taken her with him. Yet, upon further reflection, Shi Hanyin felt a sweetness in her heart. Lin Baiyi of Xueyu Tianchi was a man who belonged to the world. If he had been greedy for her beauty and taken her away, his stature in her heart would have diminished.
In reality, everything was arranged for the best. There was no need for her to be overly greedy.
...
"Old Huang, let's go!"
Lin Zhao called out, and together with Huang Tingyu, they returned to the encampment.
Upon returning, Old Huang was drinking the fine wine and accompanying dishes he had "borrowed" from Yunxiang Tower, while Lin Zhao practiced his fists in the courtyard under the moonlight. He went through more than a dozen sequences of his martial arts, sweating profusely.
What was this all about?
Huang Tingyu held the wine pot, looking perplexed. For the sake of being a gentleman and refusing Shi Hanyin's amorous advances, he was now tormented by inner turmoil and regretting it, thus angrily practicing his fists? He wrinkled his nose with disdain. They say a gentleman is cautious in solitude and seeks truth, but aren't these contradictory? If one seeks truth, according to their heart, all beautiful women in the world belong to me, and not one shall escape!
Alas, he, Old Huang, was also a gentleman of integrity!
Just then, Lin Zhao, who was "angrily practicing his fists," suddenly erupted with fist intent. His accumulated mastery of his martial art was full once more. In an instant, he successfully broke through to the next realm. Strands of martial fortune descended from the sky, enveloping him. He had now become a fourth-realm martial artist—
"Ding!"
System notification: Congratulations, you have successfully entered the Martial Artist [Marrow Cleansing Realm]. You have gained the following effects: Agility +40, Stamina +80, Resilience +40, Vitality Recovery +30%, Critical Hit Resistance +10%, Physical Damage Effect +15%. When attacked, 15% of the damage taken will be converted into health!
Lin Zhao felt an unparalleled sense of comfort throughout his body. Breaking through to a new realm felt incredibly good; he was filled with strength, and the benefits were immense. As his martial artist realm increased, the player's hidden attributes also accumulated and improved bit by bit. These accumulated attributes, in other words, meant he was more agile, his punches were heavier, he was more durable, and harder to kill.
With the foundation of a sword cultivator for offense and the foundation of a martial artist for survival, this was the most perfect player characteristic!
"Hoo—"
He took a deep breath and, disregarding everything else, assumed another stance. Immediately, a surge of fist intent rose. This time, it was the fist intent of the fourth form of the Nine Farmer's Fist. As he assumed the stance of "Qi Swallowing Mengze," his fist intent instantly surged by more than double compared to before. The "Qi Swallowing Mengze" style emphasized the continuous increase of momentum. This punch, with its power, would likely surpass the combined might of "Dragon Leaping from Dry Land" and "Qi Swallowing Dou Niu."
"Yo!"
Huang Tingyu squinted his eyes and chuckled. "Fourth-realm martial artist? Interesting..."
"Not bad."
Lin Zhao was inwardly delighted and continued practicing his fists, neither arrogant nor impatient. While he had been far surpassed by Chen Ben in the art of fist fighting, there was nothing he could do. How many people in the world could compare to that exceptionally gifted boy who was naturally suited for fist fighting? Lin Zhao's state of mind was incredibly stable. Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles; without accumulating small streams, one cannot form a great river. He would steadily practice his fists; there was no need to compare himself to Chen Ben in fist fighting.
...
Late at night.
A gray figure roamed the vast, dense forests of Yunzhou's northern border. This was a human rogue cultivator, quite elderly, at least several thousand years old. When he was born, let alone the Great Shang Dynasty, the Great Xia Dynasty did not even exist. Unfortunately, this person came from humble beginnings and lacked a deep background. Thus, only when he was on the verge of death did he manage to break through the limitations of his lifespan and become an eleventh-realm cultivator. Today, from some scattered clues circulating in the martial world, he seemed to have found the origin of a treasure.
"Swish!"
He landed on a forest marsh as still as a mirror, treading on the water. His brows were furrowed, and he held a rapidly spinning compass in one hand while rapidly performing hand seals with the other. Soon after, this eleventh-realm immortal, who had some understanding of the Book of Changes, saw through the mysteries within the water. He took out a talisman from his sleeve, ignited it, and chuckled. "Hidden for so many years, deceiving the eyes of countless mortals, reveal your true form to this immortal!"
Instantly, threads of golden light emerged from the water's surface. In a blink, the water's appearance began to burn like paper set ablaze by golden flames, spreading boundlessly. After the burning, a swampy landscape was revealed. Within a radius of tens of miles, seals of heaven and earth rose. This old immortal had clearly succeeded in his ancient exploration and triggered some ancient prohibition.
"Hmm?"
He frowned and continuously sent forth artifacts from his sleeve. "A prohibition that has been dead for thousands of years still wants to harm this immortal?"
The next moment, a furious thunderclap erupted from the depths of the swamp. The old immortal let out a mournful cry, his body turned to dust within the thunderclap. Subsequently, this ground-shaking thunderclap that shot into the sky triggered a system announcement bell—
"Ding!"
System Announcement: Attention, all players! An elder immortal from the Upper Five Realms has successfully explored an ancient ruin, opening the long-sealed rare map: [Ancient Dragon Marsh]! Players level 145 and above can enter this map. Entry is limited to once per natural month. The Ancient Dragon Marsh contains seven levels of maps with abundant resources. Upon defeating the final Boss, there is a chance to obtain the legendary artifact [Heaven and Earth Mystic Fire Pagoda]! This map will officially open at twelve noon tomorrow!
...
"Hmm?"
At the border between the human realm and the demon realm, a sword immortal clad in snow-white robes slowly turned her head, gazing in the direction of Yunzhou. She sensed that an ancient ruin there seemed to have been opened, though she did not know who was responsible. However, she did not linger. With a single movement, man and sword became one, and she, along with another figure, shot directly towards the depths of the demon realm.
"What does this mean?!"
On the demon ancestor mountain, the Demon Ancestor frowned. Suddenly, a Dharma body tens of thousands of feet tall soared into the sky from the peak of the ancestral mountain. His eyes blazed with anger. "Lin Wanhua, Jing Chu, do you two think my demon race has no one left?"
Just then, at the junction of the two realms, a spark of fire suddenly fell upon a mountaintop. Around the spark, strands of golden Confucian texts materialized, the divine will of heaven and earth's decree. Immediately after, an old scholar in a plain white Confucian robe appeared beside a lake on the mountainside. Holding a green bamboo rod, he began to fish by the lake. However, while fishing, his gaze flickered towards the demon ancestor mountain.
"..."
The Demon Ancestor's expression turned cold. Such a great commotion from the Confucian Wenlin, dispatching a fourteenth-realm vice-leader to the mortal realm—what was their motive?