In the afternoon, Lin Zhao went online.
When his character finished loading and came online, he was already in Baidi City. The True Martial Scrolls and Divine Covenant Pages remaining in his inventory had vanished. According to the rules of the "Stone of Destiny" map, these items would directly refresh and disappear once a player left the map. Otherwise, Baidi City would have seen a scene of Divine Covenant Page trading, as a Earth-grade Boss was quite valuable. At this stage, Earth-grade equipment with slightly superior stats was priced at over fifty thousand Universal Coins, making it quite sought after.
He repaired his equipment and replenished a large supply of Qi Recovery Pills. As a Sword Cultivator, Lin Zhao's skill consumption was spiritual energy, which was restored by Qi Recovery Pills sold in the main city. These potions were abundantly supplied and reasonably priced; one could buy enough for 24 hours of consumption for a mere 5-10 Universal Coins. Naturally, this was one of the main expenses for players when leveling up. After deducting equipment repair costs, whatever money was earned was theirs.
Currently, at least over a hundred million players in the national server made their living in the game, truly treating it as their everything. Once they left the game, they might not be able to pay rent or afford food.
"Swish!"
His character teleported twice. The first teleportation took him to Shanhaiguan, and from there, he teleported to Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. As Lin Zhao flew on his sword towards the Mountain Peak Villa, Tong Yu, Zhang Luobai, and Zhuang Yirong, all from the younger generation, stood neatly on the mountain path and cupped their fists in salute with respect.
"Master, you're back?" Zhang Luobai asked with a smile.
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "I came to see you all. I still have more to do later. Luobai, how is your sword learning progressing with Immortal Tu Zhi? Come, demonstrate a sword form for your Master."
"Ah?"
Zhang Luobai scratched his head. "Master, you really want to see?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Quickly."
"Yes!"
Zhang Luobai straightened his posture and then picked up his wooden sword, Liucheng. He skillfully performed a basic sword form taught by Tu Zhi. In truth, this sword form was rudimentary, one of the forms practiced by everyone in the Snow Domain Army. However, despite its simplicity, it was quite good for beginners. As for Zhang Luobai's swordsmanship, he had not yet condensed any sword intent, but he performed it with a decent semblance of skill.
"Not bad."
Lin Zhao nodded. "You must practice diligently and follow Immortal Tu Zhi's teachings closely, striving to comprehend your first sword intent as soon as possible."
"Yes, Master!"
Zhang Luobai sheathed his sword and cupped his fists. Although their Mountain Master Master always spoke in a gentle and kind manner, never harshly, Zhang Luobai took every word of his Mountain Master Master to heart. He dared not slack off at all, fearing that if he were to indulge in play and not practice his sword well, his Mountain Master Master might become angry and expel him from the sect. If that happened, Zhang Luobai felt he would never find such a good master in his life, nor would he be able to become a Sword Immortal.
"Zhuang Yirong."
Lin Zhao looked at the young girl beside Zhang Luobai and smiled. "Demonstrate a set of fists for me to see."
"Yes, Mountain Master!"
Zhuang Yirong did not dare to delay. After all, the Mountain Master's status at the Mountain Peak Villa was far higher than that of their Master Chu Yu. Moreover, their Master had always said that they must obey the Mountain Master; the Mountain Master was the highest authority on the mountain. Thus, Zhuang Yirong immediately adopted a boxing stance and slowly began to punch. In an instant, a faint trace of fist intent began to flow around her. Despite her young age, she already possessed a hint of a martial artist's aura.
"Sigh..."
Lin Zhao couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness. Zhang Luobai, that brat, had talent no less than Zhuang Yirong's, but he was still a youth with a carefree spirit. Despite Lin Zhao's constant admonishments, he remained playful. However, Lin Zhao didn't force him. In his previous life, Zhang Liucheng was also like this. If he were to diligently practice swordplay every day, he wouldn't be himself. A young Sword Cultivator didn't need to be pressured too severely.
"Excellent!"
After Zhuang Yirong finished her set of punches, Lin Zhao nodded and smiled. The young girl's face immediately lit up with joy. Receiving a compliment from the Mountain Master was a rare and valuable thing.
When Lin Zhao looked at Tong Yu, the young girl's body stiffened, and her pretty face turned slightly rosy. "Brother Lin Zhao, do you want to see me practice my sword?"
"No."
Lin Zhao shook his head and smiled. "Tong Yu, your cultivation is guided by Miss Lin, so I won't interfere. After all, the sword techniques of our families are not from the same lineage."
"Mm!"
Tong Yu smiled and nodded. Lin Zhao then mounted his sword and departed. In fact, he did want to guide Tong Yu, but he couldn't. Tong Yu, this Sword Immortal prospect, under Lin Wanhua's tutelage, was progressing rapidly and steadily. It was estimated that in another six months, her cultivation realm would surpass his own. In such a situation, how could Lin Zhao have the资格 to guide her?
The immediate priority was to find a place to grind monsters vigorously and accumulate stacks of God-Slaying Blood-Drinking!
...
Hundred Flower Valley.
This was a map in the mountain ranges southwest of Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. This Hundred Flower Valley was rarely visited by players for leveling. Firstly, the path was difficult; ordinary players needed to traverse mountains and cross several peaks to get there, taking over an hour just to walk. Secondly, the monsters' levels were somewhat high, with level 140 Butterfly Spirits spawning. Furthermore, the monster density was high. Instead of players grinding monsters, they would often be ground by monsters. Therefore, with these factors combined, Hundred Flower Valley was quite deserted. Only a large group of Butterfly Spirits congregated together, refreshing for a long time without being killed, enduring their loneliness.
"Swish!"
Lin Zhao descended from the sky, riding twelve ancient Wilderness Swords, and plunged straight into the valley. A ripple instantly spread through the vast monster horde, and countless Butterfly Spirits swarmed towards him. He had nothing to say. Drawing his Liquan Sword, he began to slash indiscriminately. His lifesteal effect had already reached the maximum of seventy percent. As a melee player, his combat resurrection ability was at its peak. The flying sword Haoran always protected him with its divine light, and coupled with the illusory armor of the Flame Demon Wolf, he had basically established a firm foothold in Hundred Flower Valley.
Shortly after, hundreds of Butterfly Spirits turned into corpses under Lin Zhao's sword. A large pile of equipment dropped on the ground, none of which was wasted and was all swept into his inventory. Lin Zhao's high charm value also led to a higher monster drop rate. While ordinary players might get ten pieces of equipment from grinding this area, Lin Zhao could get twenty or even thirty.
While rapidly grinding monsters, with every Butterfly Spirit killed, the pattern of his passive talent skill, God-Slaying Blood-Drinking, would rotate with a glow. As Lin Zhao killed at a furious pace, this rotation almost never stopped. Each rotation meant one more stack was added. In less than an hour, his white robe and silver armor were covered with a faint layer of blood-red hue, and his monster-killing speed had increased significantly. The effect of God-Slaying Blood-Drinking was beginning to show its power.
Slowly accumulate!
Lin Zhao frowned. He was the only player in the national server to have ever faced the projection of the Human Emperor Wang Chong head-on. He knew how terrifying that Ghost God-level Boss was. If he only stacked a shallow amount of God-Slaying Blood-Drinking, he would still be fodder if he went up. Therefore, he had to stack it as high as possible. In Lin Zhao's mind, he needed to stay online and stack God-Slaying Blood-Drinking for at least 24 hours to truly achieve a qualitative leap in his attributes. Only then would he have a chance to solo that Ghost God-level Boss. So, he would take it slow and accumulate more!
One man, one sword, plus nineteen flying swords, he roamed freely in Hundred Flower Valley as if in an unpopulated realm.
And as Lin Zhao was engrossed in grinding monsters, a figure appeared on a peak within Hundred Flower Valley. It was a woman dressed in colorful attire, with an exceptionally beautiful appearance and a graceful figure, her slender waist barely graspable. She gently leaned against a mottled rock wall, and the colors of her colorful long skirt slowly shifted, merging with the color of the rock wall. Even when viewed up close, it was almost impossible to discern her figure.
This was a Star River realm Butterfly Spirit, just one step away from touching the legendary upper five realms. As the leader of the spirits in Hundred Flower Valley, when she saw Lin Zhao killing her kin, her heart was filled with rage. Flames erupted from her beautiful eyes, and she wished she could rush down immediately and tear that brat into pieces.
"Hateful!"
She gritted her teeth, and waves of killing intent began to emanate from her body. But at a certain moment, her heart suddenly trembled with fear, and she looked up. She saw a scruffy man in a gray short shirt with a long sword on his back squatting on a low pine tree overhead. He was holding a bowl of noodles, slurping them noisily, and watching her.
This person, despite his scruffy and ugly appearance, possessed a killing intent and a profound sword intent that almost caused the Star River realm Butterfly Spirit's dao heart to collapse on the spot.
"Don't even think about it."
Tang Guangjun looked at the Butterfly Spirit with pity and said, "That is my Mountain Master. You'd best not harbor any murderous intent. This Hundred Flower Valley is overrun with spirits. What's wrong with my Mountain Master killing a few? If you continue to harbor murderous intent, don't blame me, Tang Guangjun, for being impolite. You have worked hard to reach the Star River realm, but in my eyes, it's just a matter of a single sword strike."
The Butterfly Spirit trembled and said softly, "Immortal Master, you are..."
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself."
Tang Guangjun grinned and said, "I am Tang Guangjun, a Military Strategist Sword Cultivator, at the twelve realms. I currently serve under the Mountain Master, holding the position of Commander of the Southern Heavenly Gate Guards of Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. Furthermore, I am a non-chief honored guest at Mountain Peak Villa. Oh, and I am still a single cultivator. Butterfly Fairy, what do you think of me, Tang Guangjun?"
The Butterfly Spirit's expression turned apprehensive. "Immortal Master is naturally a dragon among men."
"Then..."
Tang Guangjun smiled. "Fairy, would you be willing to become my Dao Companion?"
"Immortal Master, please don't joke..."
The Butterfly Spirit's body was almost trembling. "This humble one is merely a middle-five-realm spirit. How dare I aspire to be with Immortal Master? I only beg Immortal Master to spare the living beings of Hundred Flower Valley. Let that Mountain Master Sword Immortal kill if he wishes; he cannot kill them all. If Immortal Master were to draw his sword, I fear the spirit race of Hundred Flower Valley would be completely eradicated..."
"Mm."
Tang Guangjun looked a little sad. "You keep calling me Immortal Master, yet you refuse to share a river of love with me. Alas, it makes one so melancholic. The flowing water and falling flowers depart with spring, in heaven and on earth..."
The Butterfly Spirit's beautiful eyes widened. This Military Strategist Sword Immortal seemed quite poetic. She asked timidly, "Immortal Master... you won't capture me and take me back to the mountain, will you?"
"Hmph!"
Tang Guangjun straightened up proudly, his gaze sweeping over the stunningly beautiful Butterfly Spirit. He smiled. "Do you think I, Tang Guangjun, am that kind of person?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Lin Zhao, who was grinding monsters in the valley.
Alas, if it were the old him, encountering such a beautiful and captivating spirit, he might have been moved and taken her as his own. But now, that was absolutely out of the question. Tang Guangjun knew the Mountain Master's temperament. If he discovered that Tang Guangjun had acted wickedly again, in a fit of rage, the Commander of the Southern Heavenly Gate Guards of Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, Tang Guangjun, might cease to exist in this world.