"Seeking death?" Lu Hai sneered in mid-air.
"Seeking death!" Zhang Liucheng gritted his teeth.
A strand of sword light flashed, the stone bridge collapsed, and the youth turned into a rain of blood.
...
Lin Zhao was not far away, watching Zhang Liucheng being killed, but he was powerless. He clenched his fists, as if a thousand-pound boulder was pressing on his heart. Mr. Qin was dead, Chu Huaixi was dead, Chen Yu was dead, and now Zhang Liucheng was dead. How many people important to him were left in this world?
The demon race occupied the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake all over the mountains and plains. This important town had been lost to the human race.
He turned and saw a familiar figure.
Mr. Qin stood by the stone bridge, a gentle smile on his face.
"Hmm?"
Lu Hai, the great demon, was at the twelfth realm. He could see Lin Zhao's soul, and he could also see Qin Suihan's soul. When he saw Lin Zhao's soul, he had already developed a murderous intent, but when he saw Qin Suihan's soul, this murderous intent immediately vanished. A fourteenth-realm Confucian Sage, even if only a wisp of soul remained, was not someone a twelfth-realm like him could provoke.
"Mr. Qin."
Lin Zhao strode forward, bowed to Qin Suihan, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect to see you again..."
"Of course, we have to see each other again."
Qin Suihan smiled slightly and said, "Will you accompany me for a walk?"
"Okay."
Lin Zhao accompanied Mr. Qin from the front street to the back street, and then went to the upper reaches of the White Fish Creek. At the place where he often fished, two souls sat by the stone bridge.
"Do you regret it?" Qin Suihan asked with a smile.
"No regrets."
The youth shook his head and said, "It just hurt a bit when I died..."
Qin Suihan chuckled, "It all hurts a bit."
"Mr. Qin."
The youth stood up, bowed to his teacher, and said, "I thank you on behalf of the world."
"No need."
Qin Suihan chuckled, "As a scholar and a Confucian Sage, I have read so many principles from the books of the sages. I must take action to prove it. Otherwise, if the principles are always on my lips, but my legs don't move a single step, wouldn't all my learning become empty talk?"
"Yes, that's the principle..."
The youth nodded, "Mr. Qin, you were... looking for me just now?"
"Yes."
Qin Suihan stood up and said, "Lin Zhao, I'll ask you one more thing, are you willing to be my disciple, Qin Suihan? Although I don't have much time to teach you anything, I still want to hope for the title of teacher and disciple."
Lin Zhao thought for a moment, then directly saluted, "Teacher, your student Lin Zhao greets you!"
Qin Suihan smiled, "Alright, get up quickly."
"Yes, teacher."
"Why are you willing to acknowledge me as your teacher now?"
"I'm dead, so I can't care about so much anymore."
"Hahahaha~~~~"
This scholar rarely laughed heartily.
...
Just then, three rays of light descended from the sky. They were all scholars in Confucian robes, but each of their auras was extremely powerful. Lin Zhao could tell at a glance that they were all in the upper five realms, Confucian experts.
"Lin Zhao."
Qin Suihan brought his student and said with a smile, "Let me introduce you. He is the Vice Head of the Confucian School, the Grand Preceptor of the Academy, and the Head of the First Confucian Academy."
"Qin Suihan."
The Grand Preceptor frowned and said, "As a Confucian Sage, although you have been demoted, you are still a consecrated sage of our Confucian School. Is it too hasty to take a disciple? Lin Zhao's lineage is from the Ice Orchid of the Eternal Secret Realm. He serves as a commander in the human world and has learned military talismans. He is clearly a military man. How can you take a military man as a disciple? We are here under the command of the Head to inquire!"
"That's right."
The Head of the Academy smiled slightly, "Even if you want to take one, you should give a reason. Lin Zhao is good, but is he truly worthy of being your disciple, a Confucian Sage? Can he be considered a gentleman?"
"A gentleman..."
Qin Suihan smiled, "Perhaps he is."
"Oh?"
The Grand Preceptor raised his eyebrows, his temper apparently not good, and said coldly, "Then tell me, Qin Suihan, how is Lin Zhao, a warrior who fights on the battlefield and a military man, a gentleman?"
"He can be."
Qin Suihan took a step forward, confronting the three Confucian sages head-on.
His voice was calm, and every word was sonorous and powerful—
"Although Lin Zhao is young, he learned martial arts and military strategies from childhood, but he has never used them against the weak. He only stepped forward when confronting the demon race. This is the gentleman who hides his talent and waits for the right moment!"
"When Lin Zhao was young, he was insulted by his tutor, but he never showed anger. This is enduring insult without losing composure!"
"Lin Zhao entered the Mountain Top Villa and was constantly targeted by Cang Zhi and Luo Yang, but he never spoke harshly. Instead, he resolved conflicts with gentle means. This is discerning others' faults without publicizing them!"
"Lin Zhao saw through the malicious intentions of Li Tong, the Prefect of the Imperial Granary, but he never publicized it. Instead, he planned ahead and was cautious. This is realizing others' deceit without speaking out in anger!"
"Lin Zhao ate food from a hundred families since childhood and never forgot the kindness of his neighbors. This is remembering favors received!"
At this point, Qin Suihan raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at the three Confucian sages, and continued speaking as if he didn't care about their reactions.
"Lin Zhao lost his parents when he was young and followed Guo Dongyang, learning archery, hunting, fishing, and setting traps. This is learning to fish by being given fish!"
"Lin Zhao is good at recognizing and using people in the army, giving important positions to Cang Zhi, Luo Yang, Mu Ya, and others. This is recognizing people's talents and granting them power!"
"Lin Zhao has been taciturn and steady in his actions since childhood. This is deep water does not speak, a stable person does not speak!"
"Lin Zhao had already made plans and laid out strategies when the Northern Four Tribes were restless. This is that those who plan great things hide it in their hearts and act upon it!"
"Lin Zhao fought wits and strength with Yu Zhi, and he never let Yu Zhi gain the upper hand. Instead, he resolved crises several times. This is that the wise see danger in the unseen, and the intelligent see disaster before it arises!"
...
At this point, Qin Suihan put one hand behind his back and smiled slightly, "With such innate Confucian knowledge, if Lin Zhao is not a Confucian gentleman, then who in this world is a gentleman?"
The Grand Preceptor of the Confucian Academy laughed first, cupped his hands, and said, "Congratulations to the Confucian Sage on taking a disciple!"
The other two great scholars also smiled and cupped their hands.
Qin Suihan smiled, "I don't have much time with Lin Zhao. Please leave, my old friends. Qin Suihan still wants to accompany his student for a little longer."
"Good."
The three turned into rays of light and ascended into the sky.
Lin Zhao followed his teacher, walking through the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake.
...
Shortly after, the sound of war drums rumbled in the distance. The ghost tribe launched an attack, and ten blood-weeping mounds of heads spanned the sky, exerting an extremely powerful crushing force on the human battlefield. Above the mounds of heads, ten ghost kings stood proudly. One of them, carrying a saber, laughed heartily, "We haven't even made a move yet, and you've already been routed. The human race, the human race, is truly不堪一击 (invincible)! Where is Lin Zhao's so-called strategy? Wasn't it crushed in an instant by the demon army and the demonic cavalry!"
A ghost king stood up, drew the long sword from behind him, and said lightly, "Since the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake has been destroyed, there's nothing we can do. We, these ten blood-weeping mounds of heads, can only look south. Come, take this king's sword!"
He suddenly slashed out with his sword, and the sword light came south.
But just as the sword light was about to cross the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, a golden light suddenly flew from the west. With a loud "bang," a young man in a short shirt appeared. He actually stomped down with his foot in mid-air, forcefully trampling the sword qi that the ghost king had unleashed into the ground of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, directly neutralizing it.
This man looked extremely nonchalant. He had a wine gourd hanging from his waist, a sword on his back, and even a donkey on his shoulder. It was undoubtedly Lu Xun.
"Alas..."
He stood on the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, looking at the devastated Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, and frowned, "It is I, Lu Xun, who has come too late..."
Saying this, he looked behind him, where Qin Suihan and Lin Zhao stood.
Lu Xun immediately cupped his hands and saluted, "It's Mr. Qin and Lin Zhao. I'm sorry, Lu Xun is late..."
"It's alright."
Qin Suihan smiled slightly, "The matter of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake was never your responsibility. You don't need to blame yourself."
"Lu Xun."
Lin Zhao smiled, "Has your sword heart been repaired?"
"Yes!"
Lu Xun smiled, "It has even reached a higher level!"
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao laughed heartily, "Could it be the fourteenth realm?"
"No... not yet..."
Lu Xun scratched his head and said, "But it's enough to deal with this group of rotten fish and rotten shrimp in front of us."
"What did you say?!"
From the ten blood-weeping mounds of heads, ten ghost kings roared.
"I said..."
Lu Xun directly drew his sword, rose into the sky, and as he drew the sword from behind him, he laughed heartily, "I said I'm going to fight all ten of you! Why don't you be buried with this ruined Snow Domain Heavenly Lake!"
...
"Chop!"
Lu Xun merged with the sword light and directly charged towards the blood-weeping mounds of heads in the sky.
With a loud explosion, the first blood-weeping mound of heads shattered. The ghost king let out a muffled groan in mid-air and was beheaded. Then came the second. Lu Xun, wielding his sword like a stream of light, continuously attacked and destroyed the blood-weeping mounds of heads and killed the ghost kings in the upper five realms with a series of "bang bang bang" sounds. The sword light poured down. Before Lin Zhao could even see clearly, Lu Xun had already returned on his sword.
"Tsk tsk, piece of cake!"
He wiped the blood from his face, his body swaying slightly. Behind him, the ten huge blood-weeping mounds of heads continued to collapse and sink, and the death aura in the sky and earth also rapidly descended with them. The threat from the ghost race had basically been resolved.
"Cool, wasn't it, Lin Zhao?" Lu Xun asked with a smile.
"Not bad..."
Lin Zhao couldn't bear to watch him.
"I'm leaving..."
Lu Xun suppressed his injuries, put on a show of nonchalance, and said with a smile, "Mr. Qin, Lin Zhao, I'm leaving now."
"Mm."
He supported himself with sword light and ascended to the heavens with his sword!
Lin Zhao looked up at the sky, filled with envy.
Lu Xun.
A sword immortal in the heavens, hard to find on earth!
...
"It's time to go."
Qin Suihan turned, looked at the scene of the surging demon race moving south, and said with a smile, "The human race has already won this great battle."
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao, who had devised the Heavenly Furnace strategy himself, naturally knew that they had won.
"Lin Zhao..."
Qin Suihan's smile was gentle, "I'm leaving, teacher. Before I leave, I have one question for you."
"Yes, teacher, please ask!"
"Do you want to be a sword immortal in the heavens?"
"Yes, I've always wanted to..."
"Good, then I'll give you a gift before I leave."
He flicked his sleeve, and a sharp sword tip, full of murderous intent, condensed in the air. He gently pushed the sword tip forward and said with a smile, "This is the broken tip of the Han Niu sword. You can refine it and use it as the flying sword for your second sword lake. I dare not say how powerful it is, but it is definitely much stronger than the first one, Ming Yue."
Lin Zhao frowned, "Teacher, are you really leaving?"
"Mm."
After Lin Zhao accepted the tip of the Han Niu sword, he looked south with his teacher, where filled with hope.
...
At a certain moment, countless memories flooded into Lin Zhao's mind.
He suddenly remembered, I, Lin Zhao, am that Lin Zhao...
Suddenly, a pleasant bell sound echoed through the land in his ears, audible to everyone in the world—
"Ding!"
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