Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 169 - 162: Repair and Recovery

Chapter 169: Chapter 162: Repair and Recovery

With a tall and well-proportioned figure, his demeanor was gentle and composed, as if he were always brimming with confidence. His eyes were somewhat deep, revealing at a glance that he was not one of those shallow thinkers.

If encountered outside, he might just appear as a junior with decent temperament—a dime a dozen within the sect—yet here and now, coupled with his ability to miniaturize Third Grade formations.....

Liu Chuanlong found himself admiring the young man more and more.

"Young man... from which clan or sect do you hail?"

"Elder, let’s first address the issue of formation repair," Lin Xin said with a smile. "I am responsible for the miniaturization of the formation patterns, while the elder is responsible for the spiritual construction of the formation. Is that acceptable?"

"Young friend...." Liu Chuanlong took a deep breath, feeling as if he had stumbled upon a treasure... "Young friend, are you suggesting that etching miniaturized formations does not consume energy?!!"

He found it hard to believe and focused all his attention on Lin Xin so intensely that he almost couldn’t resist turning around to stare at him.

"There is some consumption, but it’s minimal," Lin Xin replied with a subtle smile through a voice transmission.

Although Liu Chuanlong had somewhat anticipated this based on Lin Xin’s composure, he was still half-doubtful and half-shocked when he heard these words. "Young friend, don’t lie. If one truly starts etching, it requires an uninterrupted flow. Any disruption could likely result in a backlash from the formation. I’ll be fine, but your cultivation might shatter completely, and years of hard work would go down the drain! Do not underestimate this!"

He warned earnestly.

"Don’t worry, elder," Lin Xin answered with a serious tone. As he spoke, he casually etched a miniaturized Third Grade formation pattern. This Third Grade pattern, devoid of the spiritual component, was even easier for him to handle than a Second Grade pattern. He certainly wasn’t lying.

Liu Chuanlong saw his effortless technique and couldn’t help but swallow hard several times.

He, too, couldn’t resist and began to etch with his fingers.

His index finger’s movements were pitifully slow compared to Lin Xin’s—like a snail’s pace....

Looking over at the young man, who was nearly done with his fifth formation....

A thousand metaphorical grass-mud horses seemed to stampede through his heart. Watching the other’s skilled fingers and relaxed expression, he couldn’t help his eyes from moistening...

"Could it be... have I really grown old..." A sense of a hero in twilight unwittingly surged through him...

"Grandpa... Grandpa, what’s wrong with you?" Lost in his reverie, Liu Chuanlong suddenly heard his granddaughter’s continuous calls.

He snapped back to reality.

"What... what’s wrong?"

He steadied his thoughts.

"Grandpa... you were zoning out, and that dead old man was talking to you," Liu Xian said with an annoyed expression.

Liu Chuanlong then realized that the old man with the tiger mask had started to make a racket again.

"Heh heh heh, you good-for-nothing old man, if you can’t handle it, just go home. Distracted while studying formations, I haven’t had such an incident in many years. If those disciples of your sect saw you now... tsk tsk... you really are too old. You should just go rest!" the man with the tiger mask said loudly without a shred of courtesy.

Liu Chuanlong got angry, knowing that the old scoundrel was concerned about him and suggesting he rest, but his tone was like a slap in the face! What did he mean, ’too old’...

"Too old? Come on then! Let’s see who’s older, you or me! I’ve finally found the key to my Round Gold Formation! My distraction just now... that... that was inspiration!!"

Liu Chuanlong was livid, and several ideas flashed through his mind. His eyes suddenly brightened, and a defiant remark slipped out, "If you dare, let’s compete to see who can repair faster!!"

"Huh?" the tiger mask man was also taken aback.

He extended his finger, pointing at Liu Chuanlong. "What did you just say? My ears are bad, I didn’t hear clearly..."

Being pointed at like this, Liu Chuanlong’s face turned red with anger, especially with everyone watching. This damn immortal had the nerve to point at him!?

"Just answer, do you dare or not!?" At times like this, there was no room to back down!

"Heh heh, you’re asking for it!" The tiger mask old man’s famous saying nearly made Lin Xin, who was at the side drinking water, spit it all out.

Just as he swallowed the water, he saw the two old men on the other side, like fighting cocks, begin to prepare their work.

Then, he immediately heard the hunchback old man’s voice transmission.

"Young friend, see that detestable old man? Normally, defeating him would be effortless for me, but..." the hunchback old man began righteously, "after seeing your talent in miniaturization, I think this is an excellent opportunity to foster your abilities! All you need to do is construct a bit of the miniaturized formation units on the side, and I’ll demonstrate how to combine spiritual power and formation patterns. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for your future development."

Lin Xin: "....."

This old man had no shame to a certain extent...

"How about it? If it were anyone else, I would definitely not give them this opportunity, but I see you have extraordinary talent..."

"Enough, enough, elder, just tell me straight, what do you want me to do?" Lin Xin had achieved his goal, and although the process was somewhat unexpected, the outcome was satisfactory.

"It’s simple, you handle the formation patterns, and I’ll do the spiritual construction!" Liu Chuanlong said with a red face, getting straight to the point.

Lin Xin approved of the plan.

He stood carefully to one side, close to the hunchback old man, and the two exchanged voice transmissions continuously. Liu Chuanlong strove to ensure the secrecy of Lin Xin’s participation. Understanding his intentions, Lin Xin didn’t expose the ruse, and after some bargaining with the old man, they managed to gain some advantages.

A serial compound formation, of the second grade, and while not particularly powerful, it had a remarkable feature: the ability to compound sword arrays in series, linking multiple sword blades into a unified force with overlapping power.

Ordinary sword arrays would at best only increase the overall strength, but this sword array was different in that it could be used individually, and the more blades that were added to the stack, the greater the strength of each individual blade became.

Lin Xin had always wanted a set of sword arrays like this, but he couldn’t find such a type within the Sword Sect. All he found were arrays that formed a whole, where if one part moved, the entire set would follow.

But now, after haggling with this Formation Path Master, he had obtained a formation that satisfied him.

After communicating and exchanging ideas, they swiftly dove into the main topic.

Many people around were drawn by the competition between the two masters. Lin Xin started his work inconspicuously in a corner, going unnoticed by anyone.

The master was indeed a master, concealing the oscillations of their whispered exchanges while maintaining an appearance of total concentration, perfectly synchronizing the construction of the spiritual power as well.

To be able to multitask to this extent, truly worthy of being called a master.

Lin Xin looked towards the other with admiration, then continued with his own work.

Formation patterns began to emerge on the walls, one after the other, as gears within the formation slowly began to light up with complex symbols, with white and red glows gradually brightening.

The two elderly men were going all out on their respective steps.

As time slowly passed, Lin Xin alternated between writing and stopping, continuously searching for gaps in the formations on the surrounding walls. It seemed as if he was acting on his own, but in reality, he was meticulously completing various formation patches under the hunchbacked elder’s guidance.

"Hey! While the two masters are repairing the formation, could you stop messing around? What if you interfere with the master’s work, can you afford that responsibility?" An Array Master, unimpressed with his pretense of busying himself, couldn’t help but reprimand him.

Lin Xin didn’t respond, having promised the elder to keep their work a secret. He only smiled and moved on to continue elsewhere.

After miniaturizing the formation. Because it was composed of spiritual energy, then merged by the elder’s spiritual power into the formations, it penetrated directly into the walls, finding the points to repair.

So there was no need for specific points, because the elder was in charge of the guidance work.

Having consumed food several times, it was unclear how much time had passed.

Finally, with a hiss, a white light flared. Countless formation patterns on the walls lit up all at once.

The hunchbacked elder let out a wild laugh.

"Hahahaha! You undying old man, are you convinced now!?" He suddenly straightened his back as if rejuvenated, his face glowing with triumph and overwhelming pride!

The old man with the tiger mask just stood there dumbfounded, his hands still trying to complete the heart’s formation that he hadn’t finished. His grandson was calling him from beside, but he still looked dazed.

"How is this possible..."

Those few words kept repeating from his mouth.

"My Round Gold Formation is all-encompassing, how could your mere Ruoshui Formation win against it?" The hunchbacked elder gloated, his face flushed with a taunting glow.

The tiger mask elder found himself speechless, his once straight back now seeming to bend a little. Yet his gaze was still carefully studying the opponent’s Round Gold Formation. However, no matter how much he observed, he couldn’t identify any flaw; he simply could not see how the other had repaired it.

"Never mind then..." He waved his hand, his enthusiasm waning. "Old Liu, you really have made a breakthrough... I can’t even understand the formation anymore..."

"Grandpa..." The young man called out, his tone filled with sympathy. "Victory and defeat are common for soldiers..."

"The problem is, I’m not a soldier!" The tiger mask elder suddenly burst out in anger, "Damn it, do I need your comforting, you little shrimp?!"

After saying this, he turned to Liu Chuanlong, pointing his finger.

"You undying old man, just wait for me. You’re laughing mightily now, but later I’ll make sure you cry just as miserably!"

"Come on, come on, if you’re brave enough then come at me!" Liu Chuanlong shouted back furiously, nearly leaping up, "If I don’t make you cry, I might as well not be named Liu!"

"Wait for it!!" The tiger mask elder roared with rage, but his grandson managed to lead him away with just a gentle tug. As he was being pulled out, he still yelled and shouted.

The voice faded in the distance... The array masters were left speechless.

If that old man really didn’t want to leave, could his grandson’s cultivation really have prevented him from staying?

It was well known in their circle that these two old men were particularly prideful.

Seeing his opponent walk away, the hunchbacked elder’s face burst into a satisfied smile, and when no one was paying attention, he winked at Lin Xin.

Lin Xin understood the gesture. Their collaboration had been a success, and they both had smiles on their faces.

Then, the elder started to latch onto each Array Master one by one, offering advice as if he were enlightening them.

Each Array Master he critiqued was flattered, and it wasn’t long before he came to Lin Xin.

"Grandfather, this guy’s just a profligate." Unexpectedly, before the elder could speak, his granddaughter voiced her disgust, "He was just standing behind me, his fingers tracing in the air... It’s utterly revolting!"

Liu Chuanlong’s granddaughter, Liu Xian, furrowed her brows and showed her distaste.

Liu Chuanlong’s expression froze, and Lin Xin’s face also stiffened.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for the recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)