Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 140 - 134: Taking a Disciple - Part 2

Chapter 140: Chapter 134: Taking a Disciple - Part 2

"Majestic?" Lin Xin was speechless, yet he didn’t expect this youth to be such a simple-minded person. "Then who is your master? Is it him who gave you this golden lock?"

He picked up the golden lock that was placed on the desk.

"My master said the golden lock was naturally on me from birth, that I was born with it," the young man said loudly. "As for who he is, I don’t know. He only took me for three years."

"Was your master covered in bandages all over?" Lin Xin asked again.

"Yes! He was a strange man," the young man nodded.

Lin Xin immediately understood that this youth was very likely the promised one mentioned by that peculiar man.

"What else did your master say?" he asked again.

The youth was startled, seemingly not expecting him to ask that question.

He thought for a moment. "My master also said, yes, a phrase he often mentioned. Cultivating for longevity, divine skills contesting. Two months ago, he abandoned me and left on his own, then I came here following the note he left."

Lin Xin slightly furrowed his brows. "Cultivating for longevity, divine skills contesting..." He paused, sorting out his thoughts.

"Then, has he taught you any skills? You must have some capabilities to enter the Benevolent Hall."

"He didn’t teach me anything..." At this, the young man suddenly looked downcast. "However, I was born with my own abilities!" he declared, lifting his head proudly again.

"He didn’t teach you, so where do your abilities come from?" Both Lin Xin and Gongsun Li were astonished.

The youth just chuckled, glancing around and seeing no one else nearby.

"I will show you, but don’t be afraid!"

Lin Xin was astonished. What kind of ability could make even him afraid?

"Just go ahead and show us," he said, somewhat speechlessly. Perhaps the youngster hadn’t seen much of the world. If that peculiar man had taught him, it would have been one thing, but since he hadn’t, what could a child of merely twelve or thirteen years old be capable of?

The youth’s eyes darted around, and then, right in front of the two of them, he began to take off his shirt.

His waist was somewhat thick, but as he took off his shirt, Lin Xin and Gongsun Li were taken aback.

Wrapped around the youth’s waist was a pale human arm!

The arm, like a belt, encircled the youth’s waist and was attached at the base to his right ribs. It looked very strange.

"I was born with a third arm under my ribs, highly perceptive. From a young age, everyone around me was scared of me. After I learned some family martial arts, no one could defeat me anymore. Later, my master came and took me away," the young man declared proudly.

Lin Xin closely examined his arm, only to see the arm loosen from his waist and move freely: now fetching some coins from within the belt, now patting the young man’s own shoulder. Eventually, he crossed his arms, the third arm naturally slipping into the space below his crossed arms, looking quite harmonious.

"A third arm born under the ribs... to think there is such a person..." Gongsun Li’s face became grave, looking to Lin Xin to see how he would decide.

Having seen and known much, Lin Xin was simply astonished for a moment before calming down. He pondered for a while before asking.

"What is your name?"

The youth was startled, then his face lit up with joy. "Nan Shunqing!"

"Surname Nan... that’s quite rare," Lin Xin stroked his chin. "Whether you truly possess a unique talent, we still need to verify."

He gestured for him to put his shirt back on, returning to his previous state.

Nan Shunqing did as instructed.

Lin Xin clapped his hands, summoning a servant, and whispered a few instructions. The servant left. Soon an imposing man, about two meters tall with a thick waist and burly arms, entered the study.

The brawny man was dressed in a red vest and bore fine iron arm guards, with bushy eyebrows and big eyes, walking with a vigorous stride.

"Villa Master, you called for me?"

"This is Xiahou Zheng from my Manor, best at fist techniques. He will perform a set of fist techniques. See if you can understand them," Lin Xin pointed at the formidable man and smiled.

Nan Shunqing nodded vigorously.

Though Xiahou Zheng was just an ordinary skilled man in the Manor, rarely getting a chance to exhibit his skills in front of the Villa Master, he became excited, positioning himself in an open area of the study. He bowed to Nan Shunqing.

"I am proficient in thirty-seven different fist techniques; I will perform a simple one," he said modestly, yet his heart was set on performing the most difficult one to showcase his excellence. The Villa Master’s discerning eyes would surely recognize his talent.

"Hooking Dragon Fist," he sank into a horse stance.

Boom!

A muffled sound rang out, and his fists immediately transformed into a series of hook punches. Xiahou Zheng suddenly seemed like a giant catching a dragon’s chin, his fists striking ferociously one after another.

The entire Hooking Dragon Fist consisted of various hooks: simple ones, chain ones, combination ones. These hook punches, combined with a peculiar stepping pattern, conveyed a majestic and imposing aura.

After one round of the fist technique completed.

Nan Shunqing had not even waited for Lin Xin and Xiahou Zheng to speak, before he too began to punch on his own.

Watching his momentum and posture, it was surprisingly similar to Xiahou Zheng’s Hooking Dragon Fist!

Hu hu!

Amidst the whistling of the fist wind, there was faintly the same aura as Xiahou Zheng had just displayed.

"This...!" Lin Xin was somewhat astonished as well.

"To think he mastered it after watching just once...." Gongsun Li was more familiar with the situation, knowing that this set of Hooking Dragon Fist was Xiahou Zheng’s most proud and intricate technique. Not only was it complex and difficult, but it had also been modified by Xiahou Zheng himself, making it different from the version of Hooking Dragon Fist that was publicly known. It was virtually another style of martial arts altogether.

But now, after having watched it only once, Nan Shunqing had already mostly mastered the technique Xiahou Zheng had spent over ten years perfecting.

He glanced at Xiahou Zheng beside him. The robust yet nuanced man was clearly stricken, his eyes brimming with a hint of shock and despondency.

After completing the set of punches, Nan Shunqing was neither flushed nor breathless, calm and collected.

"Big brother, this technique is very powerful! It’s even stronger than the martial arts I learned from my family before!" he admired Xiahou Zheng naturally.

"Powerful...?" Xiahou Zheng’s face grew somber.

"Xiahou, don’t mind it, Nan Shunqing is a real prodigy, let alone you, even I might not match up to this young fellow," Lin Xin said, comforting him.

Xiahou Zheng felt slightly better and bid his farewells to leave.

Lin Xin shook his head, observing Nan Shunqing, who was staring at him with bright, eager eyes.

"With such talent, why not cultivate your Inner Qi and enter the Immortal Sect?" he asked his final question.

"Immortal Sect? My master told me to follow you," Nan Shunqing scratched his head. "Master said everything is up to you to decide....whether to enter or not is for you to say!"

"Oh?" Lin Xin could already sense that this young man named Nan Shunqing might become a significant trouble. Or perhaps, a naturally extraordinary character.

But why would an exceptional person send him to follow me?

He couldn’t figure it out.

After pondering for a moment, he looked at Nan Shunqing, who was getting impatient.

"I need to send someone to check your background and situation. If it’s verified, you will become my fourth disciple."

Nan Shunqing was delighted, immediately knelt to the ground, and kowtowed thrice loudly.

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

In the following days, Lin Xin truly understood what it meant to have a prodigy.

Fist and palm techniques, blades, spears, swords, and halberds, any type of martial art became as easy as playing with mud in Nan Shunqing’s hands. Any advanced skill that he saw once, he could learn it mostly; by the second viewing, he would have mastered it decently; and after the third, he could perform it almost exactly like the original.

Having such a disciple was undoubtedly a relief but also somewhat helpless.

Because his ability to learn was so rapid that it reached a shocking level. This could make a master worry about being quickly drained of knowledge.

Fortunately, when he began teaching the inner aspect of accumulating energy, Nan Shunqing finally did not display any overly abnormal capabilities. If he could have also mastered Inner Qi in one day to become an adept, it would truly have made the Manor’s experts feel profoundly ashamed to death.

Meanwhile, he also formally held a relatively grand ceremony within the Manor to accept disciples.

He invited many dignitaries from the musical Realm to come and familiarize themselves with his disciples, facilitating their future journey through Jianghu.

Due to his talent and age, Nan Shunqing was ranked first. Lin Luo and Lin Duan were second and third, respectively, while Lin Zhen, being the last. As for Yaozhu, she didn’t yet qualify to become his official disciple, although he had agreed to take her under his wing, it was only nominally for now, pending further observation. Since her aptitude was extremely poor, even worse than Lin Xin’s own initial state.

Also nominally recognized was Gongsun Xue, who was pushed onto him by Elder Li.

Lin Xin naturally had to accept her as well.

His acceptance of disciples immediately stirred many forces in Jianghu, prompting local magnates who wanted to send their own disciples to try their luck, but Lin Xin politely declined each offer.

He then began formally teaching his disciples different cultivation techniques.

Tailoring his teachings to their talents, his elder disciple Nan Shunqing was impulsive, quick-tempered, and straightforward. Lin Xin thus taught him the Return to Origin mental method as his foundation, concentrating on the straightforward and lethal Sword Dao of Radiant Sun Sect. Although the simple principles of the Sword Dao were easy for Lin Xin to understand, it still required spiritual energy to operate and encompassed several realms, not even Lin Xin himself had reached them all, so even a prodigy like Nan Shunqing had to cultivate slowly.

The second disciple, Lin Luo, who grew ever more sullen and was adept at enduring, was arranged the Return to Origin mental method as a foundation, primarily focusing on the basics of the stealthy Void Mysterious Swordsmanship.

The third disciple, Lin Duan, unable to cultivate, is omitted.

The fourth disciple, his promising son Lin Zhen, was arranged the Return to Origin mental method as his foundation, mainly focusing on Talisman Formation Dao.

Although he also taught Yaozhu a cultivation technique, her progress lagged far behind the others, only slightly better than that of Lin Duan who couldn’t cultivate at all.

She indeed worked hard, but the effect was... Lin Xin had already decided that perhaps he could only resort to the Blood Pill method for her in the future.

As for the teaching qualifications within the Manor, at this point, not to mention that only the basic part was being taught, they already had the qualifications. Even if they didn’t, with all the deeds Lin Xin was currently doing, having killed even the cultivation masters sent from the Sect’s upper echelons, what was there to fear from this risk? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at QiDian.com and recommend it. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)