Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 101 - 100 Summoning Part 2

Chapter 101: Chapter 100 Summoning Part 2

"Man-Eating Flower?" Lin Xin felt a tinge of disappointment in his heart, as the Man-Eating Flower was merely a common species, a living vine that thrived by devouring the corpses of creatures, mainly attacking from underground and using its huge, barbed roots to pierce its prey and suck their flesh and blood.

As one of the hundred most meticulously recorded creatures of the Outer Regions by cultivators, there was a lot of information on the Man-Eating Flower. Its advantages lay in stealth and decent strength, but its flaws were quite evident. It only had pure physical attacks and was very weak against fire, limited to a fixed range of activity, unable to move. Thus, it was one of the weaker beings of the Innate level in the Outer Regions, easily eliminated by an ordinary Innate with some caution.

"Forget it, I summoned it with a magic artifact, and even if it’s fixed in range, I can shift it with the Red Flower Sword, it’s not a big problem.... Since it can contend with the other two, this Man-Eating Flower might have its formidable aspects."

"Once the Sacrificial Fire Sword Charm, the Red Flower Sword, summons a creature, it can only remain within a certain range due to the nature of the Man-Eating Flower. Each time the Sacrificial Fire is summoned, it consumes a large amount of Inner Strength and requires a great deal of blood offerings, so one must not summon it lightly." Having confirmed the way to use the Red Flower Sword, Lin Xin slowly sheathed it. He slapped on a Sweet Dew Talisman to cleanse the remaining blood qi from it.

The Man-Eating Flower’s name was Yin Mantuo, and it wasn’t very intelligent, only capable of displaying simple emotions.

Towards Lin Xin, it conveyed a very satisfied feeling. Its senses were also very sharp, as it seemed to detect something on Lin Xin that was beneficial to its power, so it showed no intention of resistance whatsoever. This was the only relief for Lin Xin.

Standing in front of the workbench, Lin Xin regulated his breathing for a moment and closed his eyes to start choosing how to distribute his attribute points.

"The Man-Eating Flower is strong, but not very fast, and naturally weak against fire. It doesn’t greatly amplify my strength, but extends my range of attack.... Resistance is determined by my constitution; to enhance its fire resistance, I need to add attributes to my constitution.... But that doesn’t seem worth it."

He glanced at his remaining attribute points, three free attributes to be precise.

"I still have two Demon Talisman Seeds left, which means I can get two more points... When I broke through the Fifth Layer, I added attributes directly to Defense. Now my Defense is at 5 points... According to the data I’ve previously calculated and compared, for a normal person, including cultivators, the average body data should be between one and five points. Around five points is the strongest, as recorded in the Sect’s archives for those with Innate Divine Strength who can break iron barehanded, and that’s the level equalling top-tier External Skills...."

"So if I break past five points in my attributes, my body should undergo a qualitative change."

He had long been refining the correlation of attribute points with their real-world effects, and the conclusion he reached was that five points was the limit for all people, at least all the cultivators and mortals he had encountered thus far. Even the Sect’s library had no records of surpassing the physical level of Innate Divine Strength.

Looking at the three points of attributes on the attribute bar.

He still chose to add them to Defense.

As he assigned all three points at once, Lin Xin immediately felt a subtle swelling sensation in his body, his Qi-Blood roiling and causing his head to slightly throb.

He stepped out of the area enclosed by black cloth and called Lu Suo and the others to clean up the traces on the workbench.

"Master Villa," a subordinate emerged from the woods as they were on their way back and reported with a bow, "An alarm has been sent from the City Lord’s mansion."

Lin Xin rubbed his temples, easing the slight throbbing headache.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A patrol team has gone missing at the edge of the music residence, not far from our Lin Family villa," the subordinate quickly replied.

Lin Xin pondered for a moment.

"Are there any other details?"

"No."

"We’ll ignore it for now," he said casually, "Without clues, we can’t do anything."

"So... we’ll reply to the City Lord’s mansion like this?" the subordinate asked softly.

"Just say that," Lin Xin waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

"Master Villa, should I take some people to check it out?" Taoist Lu Suo offered.

"No need to bother with it, the City Lord’s mansion will come to us if they can’t handle it," Lin Xin said indifferently, "Demon Sect fiends have been rampant lately, such incidents happen all the time, as long as we make sure our defenses are tight."

"Understood," Taoist Lu Suo nodded. "But I’m worried, as the Master Villa’s wedding is not too far off. Any unexpected events... could disrupt the arrangements..."

"Don’t worry, with Brother Huang here, even if the fiends come, I’m not afraid," Lin Xin said calmly. Having adjusted for a while, he could already feel his body as if covered in a layer of tough old cowhide, his sense of touch from the skin becoming much duller.

"Three points to Defense, directly up to eight points, should have an adaptation period. Five points is the limit for normal people, eight points, I wonder what effect it will have..." a tinge of anticipation flashed in his heart.

But for some reason, he suddenly thought of An Ying.

He sighed heavily, a complex stream of emotions flowing through his heart. However, with Xiao Lingling’s deep affection for him, he couldn’t let her down.

********************

Time flew, and half a month later.

White Jade Peak, Plum Blossom Sect

In front of the snowy white Taoist Palace, to the right, inside a small, exquisite spire, more than a dozen disciples in white stood in line, awaiting their task rewards.

"An Ying, this is yours." The wrinkled old crone’s expression was wooden as she placed a jade box into the hands of the girl in front of her.

The girl’s face was marred with scars, and her arms were covered in deep, bone-showing cuts; half of her white clothes were soaked in red. She hastily took out a white waist token inscribed with the name ’An Ying.’

After showing the waist token to the crone, she happily reached out to receive her task reward, the small, delicate white jade box.

"Inside is a White Jade Pill from the Golden Jade Sect, a fine product that consolidates dozens of heavenly and earthly treasures into a pill that can directly elevate your cultivation by one to two layers. However, the pill’s power is so strong that an ordinary white jade box might not contain it, so I advise you to consume it quickly to rapidly increase your cultivation level. Otherwise, the power will slowly dissipate," the old crone said curtly.

"Understood, thank you granny," An Ying chirped cheerly, yet she immediately opened the box to peek inside before quickly shutting it again, and then she swiftly pulled out a long strip of white cloth from her waist pouch to wrap the box up tightly.

"Saving it for your big brother again?" the old crone asked, seeing her actions and shaking her head slightly.

"Yes, big brother’s gifts need a bit more preparation. When I meet him, he can continue to be my big brother," An Ying replied, her eyes curving like crescent moons with her smile.

The old woman shook her head, "If you had used these task credits for yourself, perhaps you’d already have entered the Inner Hall by now."

"It doesn’t matter. What’s mine is his." An Ying said with a smile and didn’t mind the old woman behind her shaking her head in regret. She turned around and walked away, leaving the small tower.

Along the way, other disciples who were lined up saw her and all bowed their heads, their expressions showing some fear.

Two of them, not knowing why, noticed that the surrounding disciples seemed somewhat afraid of An Ying and were puzzled.

"What are you afraid of? She’s just an Innate disciple."

"Quiet!"

One of them pressed down on his shoulder.

"That’s the notorious Snow Shadow Sword An Ying! She took on tasks beyond her level five times, and I heard that just last month she slew the Silver Cave’s thirteenth-ranked swordsman from Void Sword Cave! All the senior brothers and sisters involved in the task died, only she survived..."

"She’s insane!" another female disciple said in a trembling voice, looking at An Ying’s departing figure. Her face turned somewhat pale. "After suffering eighteen cuts and twenty-one strikes, she still killed ten protectors and sword slaves from the Void Sword Cave... If it weren’t for Master Uncle arriving in time, she would have even killed her own people! You didn’t see that scene...."

"Is she not afraid of being left with crippling hidden injuries?"

"Even the Void Sword Cave has put out word that they want to skin her alive and hang her at the entrance to Silver Cave. Do you think she’s afraid?"

The group of disciples whispered among themselves.

An Ying, however, couldn’t care less. Leaving the Taoist Palace, she followed the winding mountain path toward the back of Snow Peak.

"An Ying." A short and stout figure suddenly blocked her path.

"What? Your brother died, and you can’t wait to follow in his footsteps?" An Ying coldly sneered at the sight of the man, not mincing her words.

"Hmph, if it weren’t for lack of evidence, based on your previous performance of wanting to kill even your own people, you could be facing a heavy sentence in the Cold Region!" The short stout man’s face flashed with anger.

"With trash like you?" An Ying slightly lifted her chin, "Do you want me to help you out right now, send you to meet your brother?" She gripped her white longsword on her back, her eyes revealing a cruel intent to kill.

"Don’t go too far!" The stout man took a step back, fear evident in his eyes, and he quickly raised his hand, throwing out a white piece of paper. "Here is the official disciple bulletin you asked for, besides Void Sword Cave, there are also updates from other sects recently... I’m warning you! Don’t even think about plotting against Xue’er! I’ve done everything you asked of me!"

An Ying caught the paper and glanced over it. After getting what she wanted, she casually continued to read and suddenly her brows arched.

"The eldest senior brother actually became an official disciple?"

"Can I go now?" The short stout man huffed.

"You’re no longer needed." An Ying waved him off impatiently.

Ignoring the man’s departure, she held the paper and hesitated for a moment.

"Unexpectedly... the White Jade Pill has finally landed in my hands; it would be perfect to take it to the eldest senior brother, he will definitely love it."

Remembering her past times together with Lin Xin, her originally stern features gradually softened.

"What if when we meet, the eldest senior brother straightaway proposes to me?"

Suddenly, her mood turned hesitant, and her cheeks flushed as she covered her face.

"Should I agree or not?"

"We haven’t even kissed yet, haven’t they said you have to kiss before getting engaged... otherwise what’s it called an engagement..."

"What if he wants to kiss me? Ah, it’s so annoying..."

"If I agree..."

"Will it be too soon?"

Her heart fluttered like a pounding deer. Overcome with embarrassment, she held her face in her hands. Every time she remembered the eldest senior brother stealing glances at her body with his lecherous eyes yet pretending to be calm, her heart would race.

"I’ll rest from the mission this time; it’s a good opportunity to go see him..."

"Little Ying, what are you standing here spacing out for?" At this moment, a few white-robed disciples approached from up the mountain path.

One of them had a calm demeanor, around thirty years old, exuding an air of composure.

"Is something troubling you? If you need anything, just let me know." The man’s eyes showed a glint of admiration the moment he saw An Ying.

"It’s Lin Senior Brother, huh." An Ying came back to her senses and greeted him politely. "No trouble, just a little tired and spacey after completing a mission. I appreciate your concern." She responded with courtesy and respect, but her tone was not as usual; instead, it had a subtle touch of detachment.

"Tired, huh? If you’re tired, you should head back and rest early. Don’t worry about the situation with Void Sword Cave; although Silver Cave is formidable, they aren’t about to turn the world upside down just because they lost someone ranked thirteenth." The man named Lin reassured her gently, his eyes warming considerably at the sight of An Ying, almost unable to hide his feelings.

"I’m not worried." An Ying said indifferently, "Then I’ll be heading back now."

"Yes, go ahead." The man didn’t mind her dismissive demeanor in the slightest.

An Ying knew his intentions. He had made his pursuit abundantly clear over the past six months, and he had even helped subdue the negative impacts of her recent missions. But her heart already belonged to someone else, and she had no choice but to reject his advances with a clear stance.

She had made up her mind to go down the mountain to find Lin Xin immediately. (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)