Inside the Sword Tomb.
The sound of flowing water continued, and Lin Zhao's mind instantly lost sight of the mountains and the people. When he regained his senses, he saw a patch of dark mountain range in the distance, where streaks of deep blue spring water were flowing continuously into the depths of the mountain, making the sound of gurgling water.
And deep within the earth, these mountain roots were being continuously eroded by this flowing water. Some mountain roots had even been pierced through. Lin Zhao frowned, and above the flowing water, he saw that grey figure again, as if all of this was controlled by someone's hand.
Not long after, the scene slowly disappeared.
When Lin Zhao opened his eyes again, he found a floating mountain range.
The floating mountain range was magnificently varied, enveloped by an immense aura of the Great Dao. Such a vast mountain range, yet it could suspend in the air – what a strange and astounding sight!
Moreover, as Lin Zhao gazed, he finally saw through this mountain. Speaking of strangeness, the roots of this floating mountain range were actually inside the mountain body, with each root exuding a dense, ethereal aura.
"Not right..."
Lin Zhao frowned. He seemed to see figures appearing in the depths of the floating mountain range, accompanied by the flashing of various spells and divine abilities, and mountain roots were being moved away.
Who was it that wanted to move the roots of this floating mountain range, and what was the use of moving them?
Lin Zhao could not understand.
The next moment, his mind plummeted, returning to his body, and he emerged from the cultivation of the Eternal Sword Scripture. At this moment, his spiritual power was already somewhat insufficient.
However, the scenes he had seen in the flowing time remained in Lin Zhao's mind. His master had said that what was seen in the flowing time was something that had already happened or was about to happen. Everything was full of unknown variables, and the future could also be changed.
Yet, the reason these scenes appeared before his eyes must be due to karmic connections. It was precisely because of these connections that he was able to see them.
What mountain was that, and who was that grey figure? As for who moved the roots of the floating mountain range, all of this was unknown. But Lin Zhao remembered it all firmly. These clues and details would become part of his deductions.
...
Late at night, Snow Region Heavenly Lake.
The White City grew taller and taller. Behind the gatekeeper's hut, a city wall had already risen from the ground, blocking much of the northwest wind and sparing the gatekeeper from much suffering from the wind and rain.
At this moment, the disheveled man Tang Guangjun sat on the cliff not far from the wooden house on the mountain cliff, with an empty bowl of noodles beside him. Adhering to the idea of thriftiness that the Mountain Lord had spoken of, the noodle bowl was empty, and even the soup had been drunk.
But after finishing the noodle soup, Tang Guangjun fell into melancholy.
Originally, he felt that people like him should not be melancholic, but now he was truly somewhat melancholic.
The source of his melancholy was when Tang Guangjun was wandering in the small town and saw children holding their fathers' and mothers' hands, clamoring for candied hawthorn. He saw the scene of a young tutor from Hefeng Academy walking out of the academy to see off his students, with students bowing to their teacher.
Tang Guangjun frowned, feeling a sense of oppression in his heart.
In fact, the greatest feeling he had upon arriving at the Mountain Peak Villa was the warmth of human life at the villa. It was the taste of the delicious dishes from the Natural Residence that he could not let go of. But where was his own family affection?
Tang Guangjun was a true Great Sword Immortal. His parents were ordinary mortals. When Tang Guangjun was following his master to cultivate in the Ancestral Court of the Military School, his parents had already passed away. Later, when Tang Guangjun returned to his hometown, he only saw a few aging cousins. Tang Guangjun left a considerable sum of money, making those few cousins into local prominent families.
But when Tang Guangjun returned later, he found that the brothers in that lineage had all died. Their descendants either gambled away their businesses or had crooked hearts. When Tang Guangjun returned to his hometown after a hundred years, he could no longer find any trace of his roots.
No one in his hometown recognized Tang Guangjun anymore. Even the ancestral temple for famous generals that the family had built for Tang Guangjun in the past had long since been completely abandoned and leveled.
His family ties were considered completely severed.
Tang Guangjun frowned. When he was cultivating late last night, he felt as if he had touched the bottleneck of the thirteenth realm, only one step away from becoming a thirteenth-realm Great Sword Immortal of the Military School. But he needed something to unlock it, something that he deeply craved.
Human worldly affairs.
Tang Guangjun had always believed that the Great Dao was emotionless. Therefore, what his Great Dao lacked most was precisely the human worldly affairs that ordinary people despised. Thus, Tang Guangjun planned to return to the Ancestral Court of the Military School to pay homage to the old man.
In fact, after being trapped by inner demons on Changming Mountain, Tang Guangjun had long wanted to return to the Ancestral Court of the Military School to pay respects to his master.
"Sigh..."
He sighed. The Mountain Lord was out cultivating, and he would likely have to wait until Lin Zhao returned before he could leave. After all, Tang Guangjun was the gatekeeper of Snow Region Heavenly Lake, and he could not leave without Lin Zhao's permission.
"Old man!"
Tang Guangjun picked up the wine gourd hanging from his waist, only to find it empty. So, he opened his mouth and took a sip of the spring breeze, laughing, "I'm sorry, it was my disciple's ignorance in the past. At that time, my thoughts were like an animal's. I'm truly sorry..."
After saying this, he felt much more at ease.
...
Late at night.
Outside the Sword Tomb, sword lights were fierce. After finishing her healing, Xue Zhi once again fought with Lin Wanhua. The sword duel between the two Great Sword Immortals attracted many onlookers. Qin Yu, Liu Xilong, Ye Lin, and others were all present. Even Qin Ran had come.
He lay on the hill, only showing half his head to observe this great battle, wanting to cheer for his aunt. But it seemed unnecessary. After all, his aunt was invincible at the Fusang Great Wall. This was not just what his aunt had said, but also what his father and mother had said. He remembered it firmly and believed in his heart that when he couldn't defeat someone, he would just find his aunt.
Not long after, Xue Zhi emerged gracefully.
A streak of blood spread on her sword-wielding arm, dripping down from the tip of the sword. This time, she held on longer under Lin Wanhua's sword. The flaws in her swordsmanship and sword dao from before had been repaired, and she had avoided several of Lin Wanhua's killing moves. However... new flaws and weaknesses had appeared, which made Xue Zhi slightly happy.
It was normal to have problems. Being able to expose problems was a good thing in itself.
"Thanks!"
This time, she thanked him proactively, then sat cross-legged to heal and cultivate, quietly refining and repairing those flaws.
"Mm."
Lin Wanhua smiled and nodded, then turned around and looked at Qin Yu, Ye Lin, and the others, smiling, "Sneaking a peek at others practicing sword is a big taboo. Hurry back to bed. My swordsmanship is not afraid of you stealing it, but Xue Zhi's sword dao comes from the Mountain Peak Villa, so you should respect yourselves!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Qin Yu smiled and nodded, "Sister, then we're leaving."
"Mm!"
Ye Lin glanced at Xue Zhi again. That female sword immortal from the Mountain Peak Villa truly had a beautiful appearance!
He felt a stirring in his heart, but was glared back by a single look from Lin Wanhua.
"Get lost. You dare to make a move on the person Lin Zhao trusts the most?"
"I dare not, I dare not!"
Ye Lin hurriedly cupped his fists, thinking to himself, "My apologies, my apologies. It was just a momentary impulse. Impulse is not a sin, City Lord!"
"Scram, scram, scram. You're already a father, and you still have so many mischievous thoughts."
"As long as one's heart is young, one can still chase girls even as a grandfather..."
"Get lost!"
"Alright, City Lord Sister..."
...
Inside the Sword Tomb.
Lin Zhao went on a rampage, and countless sword souls temporarily dispersed under his sword, leaving behind countless sword intents, which were all refined. As Lin Zhao fought to the end of the Sword Tomb, his level had already risen to 196, which was incredibly fast. He then sat cross-legged and began to cultivate the Eternal Sword Scripture.
At the end of the Sword Tomb, the strongest sword soul was at the peak of the twelfth realm in his lifetime. After defeating him, Lin Zhao obtained a very profound sword intent. This cultivation was bound to be a fierce battle.
He sat there for nearly 50 minutes. When Lin Zhao's spiritual power was almost depleted, he finally refined all the acquired sword intents. His perfect sword heart gained many marks of craftsmanship, and at the same time, the layers of the Eternal Sword Scripture were filled again. A chime rang in his ears—
"Ding!"
System notification: Congratulations, your [Eternal Sword Scripture] has been cultivated to the fourth level, successfully awakening the skill: [Flowing Sword Style] (Eternal Grade)!
...
"Flowing Sword Style?"
Lin Zhao's heart trembled, and he quickly opened his skill list. Under the Eternal Sword Scripture system, a golden flowing water icon appeared. Clicking on it revealed another super practical skill—
[Flowing Sword Style] (Eternal Grade): Unleashes a stream of flowing sword qi to deal continuous attack damage to surrounding targets. The higher the level, the stronger the flowing sword qi.
...
"Hoo!"
Lin Zhao took a deep breath and gently drew his sword, Zhan Lu. He shook the blade, and immediately a stream of sword intent rushed out like flowing water, condensing into a golden, flowing sword qi around him. The sword qi automatically targeted enemies and shuttled within a radius of 40 yards centered on Lin Zhao. Unfortunately, all the nearby hostile targets had already been killed by Lin Zhao.
This flowing sword qi lasted for nearly 30 seconds before slowly dissipating. Indeed, it was a super practical skill. This kind of damage-boosting skill, combined with the effect of flying swords, basically put Lin Zhao in an invincible state where no one could approach him.
Essentially, Lin Zhao's current skills were already quite perfect. His output included various flying swords, the Submerging Sword Style, and more. His control included the Horizontal Sword Style, the Rising Dragon Slash, and so on. Now, with a sustained damage skill like the Flowing Sword Style, his account was becoming increasingly close to perfect.
He was full of ambition and joy.
It was enough. The cultivation in the Sword Tomb was complete.
Although he had not broken through to a new realm, he had still benefited greatly. It was time to go home!
...
When Lin Zhao walked out of the Sword Tomb, he saw Xue Zhi covered in wounds. Her long dress was almost half stained with blood. She was condensing sword intent, forming an arm, and using both her hands and mouth to bandage her wounds.
"???"
Lin Zhao was bewildered.
Not far away, the perpetrator, dressed in snow-white clothes, carrying her sword Jinghua, looked at him innocently.