Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 182 - 175: Promotion Part 2

Chapter 182: Chapter 175: Promotion Part 2

This was a pair of Demon Talisman Seeds with which he was most familiar.

Enwrapped by vines, they seemed like hands offering them up to him.

"Well done," Lin Xin praised it and took the Demon Talisman Seeds.

Both Talisman Seeds were smeared with lots of fresh blood, clearly having been obtained through some struggle.

Quickly starting a bonfire, Lin Xin found the previous three Demon Talisman Seeds and tossed them all into the fire.

Wisps of red mist turned into red lines and wafted towards him, burrowing into his nostrils.

Three Free Attributes were infused, and Lin Xin turned his gaze to his attributes.

"The killing power is sufficient, what I’m lacking now is physique, and if I’m not mistaken, it should be...."

He recalled his previous predictions and analyses, having conducted detailed testing on each attribute point.

Specially the evasion and physique which he had always overlooked.

"... It should determine the body’s recovery and Innate Physique, where Innate Physique could be the key that potentially impacts one’s lifespan. It’s a pity that now with the enhancement in cultivation level, there are no Free Attributes left." Ever since not long ago, he had felt that each level up in the Return to Origin technique didn’t bring any leftover attribute points, but he didn’t know why.

Lin Xin’s brows furrowed slightly, and he carefully dispersed his Spiritual Energy throughout his body to sense the changes, then allocated all three attribute points to physique.

His physique soared from two points straight up to five.

Standing in the shadowy courtyard, at first, he didn’t feel any significant changes. But after a short while, he began feeling a faint warmth within his chest.

The most heat emanated from his chest, where it felt like a fire was subtly burning. His muscles and bones felt as if they were soaked in warm water, extremely comfortable.

Hiss!

Yin Mantuo reacted even before he did. It had previously devoured a great amount of flesh and essence, even from a Golden Core Realm Demon King; now it gained a sudden boost of three points to its physique from Lin Xin.

All of its branches and leaves slowly inflated and spread out, as if a coiled ball of black yarn slowly unfolded, becoming a pool of black substance, like a puddle of black hair with fibers tumbling about, a huge blood-red eyeball resting at its center.

Yin Mantuo slowly tumbled, all its vines and leaves began to show a faint silver luster, changing from their original black to a silvery-gray color, as if they were dusted with silver powder.

Its size grew increasingly larger, expanding to more than twice its original size. Continuous hissing sounds were emitted.

Another part of the vine slowly grew a small flower bud.

The flower bud was initially the size of a fist but under Lin Xin’s watchful eye, it swelled rapidly at a visible rate, soon growing to the size of a human head. Its surface was covered in a layer of leather-like gel substance, semi-transparent, revealing faint blood vessels underneath the skin.

"This is...." Lin Xin frowned as he watched the scene, feeling as though he had encountered such a growth phenomena in ancient books before.

Yin Mantuo seemed to resemble a type of Demon Crown Flower mentioned in rumors.

Yin Mantuo’s consciousness kept transmitting feelings of joy and delight; it hungered desperately, seeking more flesh and more souls, an abyss-like greed with seemingly no limits.

The flower bud continued to grow, quickly expanding from a human head to the size of a basin and then even further, growing into a huge flower ball nearly two meters in diameter.

Rip!

The silvery-gray flower ball suddenly split open from the middle, and a spray of transparent, foul-smelling slime burst forth, followed by rows of sharp teeth resembling those of a crocodile, extremely sharp, with gooey strands of mucus dangling between them.

The sprayed slime landed on the ground, rapidly corroding the soil and emitting green smoke.

"Ha?" The flower bud shook its large mouth towards Lin Xin, emitting a sour stench.

Lin Xin asked, puzzled.

"Are you Yin Mantuo?"

"Ha?"

Boom!!

With an expressionless face, Lin Xin deflected the open mouth with his sword, creating a thunderous noise.

"Don’t point that stinking mouth at me."

"Ha..."

Yin Mantuo’s mouth was swollen from the blow; it staggered to its feet from the ground and followed Lin Xin like an eager puppy.

"I thought it was a split offspring, but it turned out to be an extra head that’s grown." Lin Xin said with some speechlessness. Now Yin Mantuo had truly become a Man-Eating Flower, no longer relying only on its original spikes to suck the enemy, but now also able to directly devour opponents.

"What’s the use of the mouth you’ve just grown?" Lin Xin sent out a questioning thought.

"Ha..ha...haha...."

"....."

Lin Xin smacked it away with his sword in vexation.

"Speak human!"

"Eat...eat...eating can, feedback...to you..."

"Like this?" Lin Xin was startled, "What kind of feedback?"

"Purify...essence...upgrade...."

Yin Mantuo’s consciousness seemed muddled, almost like that of a small child, with an imperfect capacity for speech.

"Is that so?"

Lin Xin was slightly moved. To tell the truth, Yin Mantuo had been severely wounded in many battles, but he had never bothered about it; plant-based summoned creatures have a strong regenerative ability, not just boasting. Each time it was re-summoned, Yin Mantuo would appear good as new.

But he hadn’t expected that after adding three points to its physique, it would undergo such a substantial change.

Sitting down cross-legged, Lin Xin didn’t probe further; issues with Yin Mantuo could naturally be experimented with and understood later in the secluded manor. He still needed to continue his previous explorative research.

"The influence of physique attributes is now almost fully in effect," he observed, feeling the subtle changes in his body. Streams of attribute energy permeated his entire being, spreading to his muscles, bones, and internal organs.

Clearly, he could sense minutely fine adjustments in his body’s structure. These changes were indescribable; they were felt but could not be put into words.

Some hidden injuries he had suffered before were also slowly healing under the enhancement of his physique attributes...

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

The lamplight flickered like a soybean.

In the room, Hua Yaozhu leaned slowly into Lin Zhen’s embrace, her bewitching eyes like silken threads, her upper garments half undone, with Lin Zhen’s hand reaching in and gently kneading.

"What do you think father came for today? I’ve been training hard under Sister Hong’s tutelage and seldom get to see him," Hua Yaozhu whispered.

"I don’t know... Dad must have his reasons for doing this, but the events of that day... the events of that day... don’t think about them," Lin Zhen said, avoiding the subject as a shadow flickered across his eyes.

"It’s fine, it was just a test from dad, he must have..." Hua Yaozhu murmured softly, the more she spoke, the more a strange color surfaced in Lin Zhen’s eyes.

"Don’t worry... Zhu’er, I will protect you... definitely," he held Hua Yaozhu tightly, his expression firm. But he was unaware that streams of his pure cultivation were slowly flowing into Hua Yaozhu’s body.

Dark circles faintly emerged under his eyes, a sign of extreme fatigue and exhaustion.

"Mhm."

With a soft moan from Hua Yaozhu, the lamplight cast both their shadows onto the paper screen, blending slowly together. Soon, their clothes were fully removed, and they slowly fell together.

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

"Villa Master, the matter concerning Hua Yaozhu has been thoroughly investigated."

Inside Lake Heart Pavilion, Lin Xin sat where Xiao Lingling used to sit, with her favorite Black Phoenix Zither set out before him.

Several leaders of the manor’s Hidden Guards stood in front of him, bowing their heads and reporting respectfully.

The Hidden Guards were orphans Lin Xin had started training early on, brainwashed from a young age, and soaked their bodies in concentrated medicinal liquids to practice various external skills and lethal techniques.

Initially, the team was comprised of hired assassins, but it had now become a mixed force, with more of the manor’s own Dead Soldiers being cultivated. They were utterly loyal, ready to die for the manor if necessary. This loyalty was deeply rooted in Lin Xin fulfilling their various desires and the indoctrination they received from childhood.

Their sole life consisted of missions, rest, missions, rest.

There were three leaders of the Hidden Guards: Qing Zhu, Mo Zhu, and Snow Bamboo. Snow Bamboo was an Innate expert recently recruited; after Lin Xin had the Radiant Sun Sect avenge her, she sold her life to Lin Xin.

"What are the specifics?" Lin Xin didn’t look at the three, simply gently caressing the zither strings.

Snow Bamboo, the only woman among them, wore a veil, her petite body dressed in a white gown. Her eyes alone exuded an irresistibly enchanting allure.

She was only eighteen, the most radiant time for a woman.

"After investigation, Hua Yaozhu is found to go to a place called Bright Mirror Temple at the end of every month, meeting someone in the clothing forest behind it," she said with her soft, sweet voice, reminiscent of a charming, naive young girl.

"Bright Mirror Temple..." Lin Xin’s eyes drooped. "And?"

"And..." Mo Zhu said in a low voice, "we’ve identified the person she meets with; it’s Yao Xue, a courtesan under the Demon Ling of the Red Chamber."

"The Red Chamber?" Lin Xin drew in a breath softly. "Where is she now?"

"She’s on her way to Bright Mirror Temple."

Lin Xin fell silent for a while, saying nothing.

The wind blew across the lake, creating ripples and causing the fallen leaves on the water to flow gently with the waves.

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

In the dense forest, the tall and straight trunks stood like pencils, buried in the earth.

On a winding gray path in the forest, travelers passed by without cease.

A young woman in red garments and a red veil carried a small basket, slowly walking along the path.

"Hey, your liquor smells fragrant—how much per catty?" she called to a man passing by her with a jug of liquor.

"Miss, this liquor is brewed with care from a hundred kinds of flowers and herbs; if it’s not fragrant, you don’t have to pay," replied the man cheerfully.

"But to me, it smells like it’s made from ordinary sorghum?" said the woman quietly with a puzzled expression.

"It may seem so, but it certainly is not. Today’s supply is sold out. You should head back earlier. Come again tomorrow, and I might be able to save some for you," the man answered with a grin.

The woman glanced at the jug in his carrier, where she could vaguely see the liquor swaying. Her expression changed in an instant.

"Thank you, I will surely come again tomorrow," she said and quickly turned to depart. Her pace was hurried, her expression grave. Although Bright Mirror Temple lay only a few hundred meters ahead, she left immediately without pausing.

Just as she was stepping out of the forest and onto the main carriage road, about to hail a passing carriage,

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a whirl descended from above, and several gray-clad, masked men swooped down, landing lightly around her.

Their piercing eyes and bulging temples signaled they were top-notch external martial artists.

"Miss Yaozhu, by order of the Villa Master, please come with us," one masked man said in a low voice.

Onlookers quickly retreated to avoid getting involved, and some youngsters dressed as Jianghu folk seemed eager to approach and inquire. However, seeing the Spirit Heart Villa emblem on the masked men, their expressions shifted, and they refrained.

The crowd dispersed rapidly, leaving a large empty space.

This location was usually busy, being the main access road to Bright Mirror Temple, but it abruptly became desolate and empty. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)