"Boom!"
True qi surged within the Dantian, and the Qi mechanism between the meridians erupted instantly. At that moment, Lin Zhao, who had just stepped into the third realm of a martial artist, had his robes swirling around him, as if a powerful vortex of force had unfolded between heaven and earth, pressing down the surrounding river water. The small boat also sank slightly. The true qi was so immense that it forced the fish in the water to leap out, their mouths agape as if seeking a breath of fresh air.
Concurrently, a pleasant bell sound rang in his ears, exceptionally melodious.
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations on successfully entering the Martial Artist **Qiang Gu Jing**, gaining the following effects: Movement Speed +30, Stamina +60, Resilience +30, Health Recovery +20%, Critical Hit Resistance +5%, Physical Damage Effect +10%, and converting 10% of damage taken when attacked into health!
...
The third realm not only increased movement speed, stamina, and resilience but also enhanced health recovery, critical hit resistance, and physical damage effects. This was remarkably heaven-defying, as the flying sword attacks of a sword cultivator were ultimately physical attacks. Therefore, the damage-increasing effects gained by a martial artist could also be enjoyed by a sword cultivator. In this way, the overall combat power of a martial artist combined with a sword cultivator was not simply 1+1=2.
"Oh?"
Chi Zhongyu narrowed his eyes and smiled, "A martial artist breaking through?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile, "But it's merely a mere third realm."
"This aura doesn't seem like just a simple third realm martial artist..." Chi Zhongyu's gaze was complex as he said, "Besides practicing swordsmanship, you also practice fist arts. Don't you find it tiring? How can ordinary cultivators possess such immense mental fortitude and energy?"
"I've been doing it since I was young, so I'm already used to it."
Lin Zhao once again assumed a boxing stance, his body flowing with martial intent, continuing to practice his fist arts to quickly consolidate his third realm martial artist cultivation.
Liu Liying squinted her beautiful eyes. In her eyes, Young Master was becoming increasingly formidable.
The small boat continued downstream, steadily approaching Jiangzhou Prefecture.
A short while later, Lin Zhao sat cross-legged at the bow of the boat, beginning to nurture his sword intent. In the center of the boat, Chi Zhongyu also began to meditate to heal his injuries and nurture his sword intent. As for Liu Liying at the stern, as a spirit blessed by heaven and earth, she did not need to deliberately cultivate. She simply knelt there, her beautiful eyes gazing at the river scenery, scouting the waterway ahead for Lin Zhao.
Late at night.
Only the sound of waves lapping against the boat could be heard in the river. The starlight was faint, and the night wind was gentle. Suddenly, Lin Zhao, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and frowned, "Has the boat's speed increased?"
"Mm."
Chi Zhongyu suddenly stood up and looked eastward, frowning, "The flow of the Lingze River in this area is northward. Why does it feel like we're heading east now?"
Faint thunder rumbled in the air, and dark clouds churned, signaling an approaching heavy rain.
"This is not good."
Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat instinctively. "The river embankment has broken!"
"What should we do?"
Liu Liying raised her hand and conjured a wisp of ethereal spiritual energy. "Young Master, should we continue upstream, or...?"
"Let's go with the flow and see."
Lin Zhao narrowed his eyes. "Let's see what has happened downstream."
"Yes!"
Soon after, the rain poured down. Lin Zhao and Chi Zhongyu each erected a sword aura, isolating the falling rain several meters away from themselves. Liu Liying, on the other hand, waved her fan, and a wisp of spiritual energy enveloped her delicate body as she also set up a barrier, preventing herself from getting drenched in the downpour. At this moment, the small boat suddenly lurched, leaving the Lingze River and heading east along the massive current.
"The river embankment has been breached."
Lin Zhao frowned. "The embankment has collapsed for over a thousand meters, and with this heavy rain, it's like adding frost to snow. Young Master Chi, what is the area to the east? Are there people living there?"
"..."
Chi Zhongyu's face turned extremely pale. "That area contains the people of several counties under Jiangzhou Prefecture, numbering at least several million people. This... the Lingze River embankment was repaired with a large sum of money allocated by the Ministry of Revenue just three years ago, and it was personally supervised by personnel from the Ministry of Works. Logically, there should be no reason for the river embankment to break..."
"Then it was man-made."
Lin Zhao gritted his teeth. "Let's go and save people downstream. This embankment breach will surely drown many."
"Ah?"
Chi Zhongyu and Liu Liying were both startled. Natural disasters and man-made calamities, the lives and deaths of the common people in the mountains were seen by cultivators on the mountains as the workings of heaven, and there was no need to save them, nor was it necessary to intervene. The world of the mountains, which had always followed this principle, now regarded such ideas as gospel. Yet, Lin Zhao seemed indifferent. He felt they should be saved.
In an instant, Chi Zhongyu and Liu Liying felt a sense of clarity. Hadn't Lin Zhao always been like this on their journey? He roamed the martial world with a warm heart, helping good people and killing bad ones. This was Lin Zhao's own code. Although it differed from the principles of the mountain world, what was wrong with it?
"Liying."
Lin Zhao floated up, looking at Liu Liying. "You pilot the small boat, while Chi Zhongyu and I will go save people."
"Mm!"
In the darkness, Liu Liying steered the small boat eastward through the surging floodwaters, while Lin Zhao rode his sword and shot straight towards a village ahead. In the dim light, people were gathered on the rooftops of houses, many commoners wailing for help in the downpour, and in the water, there seemed to be figures of many commoners being swept away by the flood.
Lin Zhao wasted no time. Various Great Desolate Ancient Swords flew out of the Lingxu. He deliberately restrained their sharpness, making these Great Desolate Ancient Swords resemble giant green fish, plunging into the water. Following the auras Lin Zhao sensed, they rescued commoners, some of whom had already lost consciousness, and placed them on rooftops or trees nearby.
Before long, a deafening crash echoed from not far away. A thatched hut's roof collapsed under the dual impact of the heavy rain and floodwaters. An entire family on the roof fell into the water. The father struggled to paddle, but he couldn't grasp his daughter's hand, only watching helplessly as his daughter was swept away by the flood. In that moment, the father's eyes turned crimson. With a mournful cry, he unhesitatingly plunged into the surging floodwaters. Both were quickly engulfed and submerged by the great water.
"Dad!"
A boy, covered in rainwater, shouted hoarsely. Beside him, the mother, clutching a section of a broken beam, helped her children onto the debris and cried heart-rendedly towards the distant flood.
Just then, two beams of rosy light descended from the sky.
The current was too swift. A white-robed sword cultivator descended from the heavens and swung out a circular sword qi, encompassing the area where the father and daughter were. Immediately, two Great Desolate Ancient Swords, like giant green fish, lifted the father and daughter from the water. They immediately coughed up water, escaping their predicament.
Lin Zhao rode the two Great Desolate Ancient Swords to send the submerged people back. However, he looked at their location. The section of earth wall where they were would undoubtedly be washed away by the flood. Lin Zhao then looked into the distance and saw a small earth temple built with bricks and tiles. He turned to the family and said, "Grab onto my sword, and I'll take you to a safe place."
"Thank you, thank you..."
The mother's tears flowed uncontrollably. She wanted to kowtow, but her entire body was submerged in water, and she was unable to thank the Sword Immortal.
"It's alright."
Lin Zhao raised his hand, and five more Great Desolate Ancient Swords flew out from the Sword Lake, enveloping the entire family of seven. Then, riding his flying sword, Red Leaf, he rushed them towards the earth temple. He saw an old man leaning on a cane walking out of the temple. The water had already reached the base of the temple walls. He looked at Lin Zhao in the air and hurriedly said respectfully, "This humble deity greets the Sword Immortal..."
"As a deity of this area, it is your duty to protect the people, is it not?"
Lin Zhao placed the family down. "I'll leave them in your care."
"This humble deity knows what to do. Thank you, Sword Immortal, for your assistance!"
The Earth God tapped the ground with his cane. Immediately, streams of mountain and water fortune converged, shielding the earth temple within. From then on, not a single drop of floodwater could enter the temple's domain.
Lin Zhao turned back, his feet on his flying sword, and rode twelve Great Desolate Ancient Swords into the depths of the forest to rescue more people. Shortly after, the Earth God saw this Sword Immortal, whose cultivation was unfathomable, return with a small girl drenched in water in his arms, followed by over a dozen distressed commoners, and he had even used five immortal swords.
Thus, Lin Zhao made repeated trips, and in the blink of an eye, he had rescued hundreds of people and handed them over to the Earth God. The people of this village were basically all here. As for those who were missed or drowned, Lin Zhao truly could not do anything more. As he flew his sword over the floodwaters and saw corpses floating on the surface, his heart felt immensely heavy.
...
Early morning, the rain stopped.
The sky began to brighten. A fiery red sword light landed on the bow of the boat. Lin Zhao's face was slightly pale. He had not stopped all night and did not know how many drowning commoners he had rescued. He had maintained his sword-riding state the entire time, and his stamina had never exceeded 50 points, indicating extreme exhaustion.
"Young Master..."
Liu Liying stood up, fanning herself with her fan, and said softly, "Rest for a while."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath and sat at the bow to recover some stamina. Not long after, Chi Zhongyu also returned. His condition was even worse. He had been injured previously, and after a night of rescuing people, his wounds had begun to bleed again. He even swayed when he got off the boat. He frowned and said, "The villages to the north, most of the commoners drowned by the flood have been sent to higher ground by me. Even if the floodwaters rise a little higher, it will be fine."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Liying, pilot the small boat and continue downstream to see how many more villages have been flooded."
"Yes, Young Master."
...
The small boat drifted downstream. Soon after, the sky was completely bright, and the sun had even come out. On the water's surface, corpses lay scattered, a gruesome sight. In the distance, on trees and rooftops, commoners were still crying for help. Just then, official boats appeared in the distance. Soldiers lined the decks, and an official stood at the bow, ignoring the cries for help from the surrounding commoners. Instead, he was conversing cheerfully with a group of wealthy merchants behind him.
"The matter of purchasing fertile land in the western counties of Jiangzhou must have succeeded."
A wealthy merchant smiled. "Prefect, this remaining land, you must allow our merchant guild to purchase it first... And everyone, when setting prices, absolutely do not hold back, and absolutely no one should artificially inflate the land prices, otherwise we will be the ones to suffer in the end."
"Yes, yes, yes."
A group of merchants nodded in agreement.
...
"These beasts!"
Chi Zhongyu's sword brows furrowed. "They are in official boats, and not only do they not save people, but they are now calculating how to exploit the commoners. How can there be so many heartless wretches in this world!"