Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 293 - 286: Cave Heaven Part 2

Chapter 293: Chapter 286: Cave Heaven Part 2

Several servants who wanted to scold their counterparts dared not speak out, for all around lay moaning people with injured knees. This scene revealed that the other party was not one to suffer in silence, hence, everyone remained quiet.

A healthy servant who wanted to demonstrate his merit also caught Rong Wan’s attention and was promptly stopped. It’s different being outside than at home, better to cause less trouble.

Li Guanglu was a spoiled rich young man, but he seemed to have a fairly decent heart. Seeing blood all over the ground, he ordered a few servants to step forward and apply medicine and bandage the wounded.

After the people on the ground slowly got up, and after the leader had answered Lin Xin’s questions, they thanked Li Guanglu and limped away.

Lin Xin had not struck them hard; though it looked bloody, it was just to scare them. These ordinary folks only had a little foundation in external skills. Killing them would not aid him and might even worsen the severity of his illusion corruption.

Although he currently suppressed it with that silver fruit, he still worried that excessive slaughter might weaken its effect. Thus, he tried to avoid killing as much as possible.

After the group left, the ruined temple grew much quieter.

Lin Xin moved the immobilized person aside, sat down cross-legged himself, and began to meditate.

Meanwhile, Li Guanglu, Rong Wan, and others made a fire, cleaned the floor a bit, which made it somewhat cleaner.

Suddenly, heavy rain started outside, striking the broken temple doors with sharp, staccato sounds like rain beating on banana leaves.

The servants carefully cleaned up the black dog’s blood spilled on the floor with water and then threw it outside to be washed away by the rain.

The other young masters and mistresses sat down, chatted and laughed on the spread fragrant carpet, eating snacks and fruits. Several layers of curtains were draped around, concealing Lin Xin’s view from outside.

Both parties spent the night without incident.

The group chatted and laughed for a long while before settling down to sleep in their respective tents, set up within the spacious temple. Despite setting up four small tents, they only occupied a small part of the space.

The bonfire they had lit slowly dimmed as the voices quieted, leaving behind glowing coals flickering bright and dim with the wind.

Lin Xin used his Inner Vision to re-examine his cultivation, discovering that his level had significantly increased after killing many from the Red Clothes Cult; his Foundation Establishment had progressed past half of the Third Layer. The Return to Origin technique might take a long time, but its gentle and steady progress is unrushed.

’Return to Origin - Foundation Establishment Stage Third Layer. (Completion 54%) (Damage +21, Constitution +21,) ’

"Once I channel my energy, both my damage and constitution will instantly increase by 21 attributes. No wonder high-rank cultivators, despite not having impressive physiques, can exhibit power far beyond their normal capabilities when they burst forth with spiritual energy," Lin Xin reflected thoughtfully.

Glancing at where the others rested, he slowly closed his eyes and reentered his meditative state.

Both parties remained uneventful until morning arrived.

Cries of birds gradually filled the air as dawn broke with a fish-belly white hue. Shifts of gatekeeping servants began to change. A maid had already started boiling the morning tea broth.

Rong Wan woke early, unable to sleep. She always placed great importance on propriety between men and women. So, in such an insecure environment, she felt unsettled and had decided to get up early.

She changed into a tight-fitting riding outfit, the black attire snug, revealing the private curves of her chest and lower body. She checked her reflection with a copper mirror, tying her hair up and into a high ponytail that curled boldly behind. The reflection showed a lady with fair skin and beautiful, watery eyes, almost brimming with tears, inspiring pity. Yet, the high ponytail added a touch of heroic spirit to her. To prevent exposure, she covered her legs with a pale yellow silk skirt.

Upon leaving the tent, Li Guanglu was already up and energetically directing the servants in preparing things.

Dishes and drinks were neatly arranged on the portable folding table; Rong Wan glanced at the injured Jianghu folks who had passed by. By now, it was light, and the middle-aged man was still sitting cross-legged, motionless as if asleep.

"Bring that gentleman some morning soup and a few side dishes," Rong Wan thought for a moment then called a maid to order.

"Yes."

Lin Xin had just opened his eyes when he saw before him two plates of appetizers and a small bowl of meat soup made of unknown ingredients, steaming hot and gradually emitting a delicious aroma, seemingly enriched with many precious herbs.

The side dishes were exquisitely prepared green bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat and an unidentified yellow bean, paired with tomato and green onion, looking delectably inviting.

"Sir, please do not be so formal with us, daughters of Jianghu," said one of the young ladies from the four, who approached slowly. She was the more innocently charming girl, her black hair tied into a high ponytail and dressed in a short skirt with long black riding pants that resembled short skirt and black stockings, inadvertently provoking imagination.

"Thank you for the gesture, but I am preparing to depart soon. You should take your dishes back," Lin Xin replied indifferently.

He felt her examining him closely, yet he wasn’t annoyed; he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, concluding his meditation. He had reached a stage where his Inner Breath was calm and undisturbed. Unlike during his Qi Cultivation stage, there was no mist of white air enveloping him.

"Are you heading to Naxi?" the woman asked again, her expression gentle.

"I am going to the Heavenly Dao Sect," Lin Xin responded indifferently.

"Heavenly Dao Sect? That is a coincidence. My cousin has a clan brother serving in the Heavenly Dao Sect, and the Li Family has a significant connection with the Immortal Slayer Alliance, which can be described as having numerous ties. If you need anything, you can ask me, and that will save you from taking some detours," she said.

Lin Xin just glanced at her briefly and had already figured out why this girl had come over to strike up a conversation.

Had he truly been a casual wanderer of Jianghu, his demonstration of exceptional skills earlier would assuredly classify him as a Heart Level master, and such masters were priority recruitment targets for many forces.

Thus, it was understandable that this woman had approached him with good intentions to recruit him.

"May I ask what your intentions are in going to the Heavenly Dao Sect? As far as I am aware, the Heavenly Dao Sect has recently opened a new round of Outer Sect Guest Elder recruitment. This move has attracted many Loose Cultivators. I suppose that’s also your purpose for coming, isn’t it? Speaking of which, I do have a good channel that could save you a lot of effort to smoothly obtain a Guest Elder position," she said.

Her eyes flickered, and she seemed not as innocent as she appeared.

Lin Xin remained composed and did not reveal his own purpose, simply continuing with the other party’s guess.

"What channel?" he asked.

"Clan quota," she replied.

"Clan quota?" Lin Xin repeated.

"Exactly, the assessments for this quota are much simpler than regular ones, and it’s easier to succeed. My cousin has already given our family’s guest elder quota to the elder members of our family, so I can’t help there. But my Rong Family, although somewhat weaker, has the same number of quotas, and we are currently openly recruiting capable masters to join as Guest Elders. I, Rong Wan, as the second daughter of my family, happen to have a recommendation quota available for you, sir. As long as you..." Rong Wan said with a smile, yet she did not finish.

"That sounds good. As long as I join your Rong Family and participate in the clan assessment under the name of your family, it will reduce the difficulty, right?" Lin Xin continued her words.

"Exactly," Rong Wan said, smiling as she looked at him. "Not to hide from you, sir, but in the recent period, all the towns around the Heavenly Dao Sect have been like this. Whenever a slightly stronger master appears, someone immediately recruits him. But now it is a bit late. Only my Rong Family still has quotas unfilled, mostly because my sister came back late, started the recruitment late, and there were some issues at home..."

"Is the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect currently at the sect?" Lin Xin suddenly asked an unexpected question.

"Err... He has already gone to the Pigeon Cave, where the primary site for the Guest Elder assessment is prepared; it’s said to also involve entering a Cave Heaven for trial."

"Oh? Cave Heaven?!" Lin Xin was momentarily taken aback.

"You don’t know about Cave Heavens? It’s also understandable, as the Heavenly Dao Sect hasn’t been prominent for very long, and it’s quite normal that not many people know," Rong Wan generously explained, having a folding stool brought over for her to sit and slowly continue.

On the other side, Li Guanglu noticed the commotion here and frowned slightly. He and Lin Xin hadn’t gotten along well earlier, and now his cousin was proactively cozying up to someone.

"No wonder the Rong Family declines with each generation; its decline is quite expected," the beautiful woman, Feng Yuenni, standing behind him, said with a light laugh. "However, given sister Wan’s beauty and talent, perhaps marrying a son from a major clan could reverse the current downturn of the Rong Family."

"My cousin is just too proud and arrogant. She does have extraordinary abilities, and my sister is also incredibly gifted. Unfortunately, the old patriarch of our family is nearing his demise, and changing the main support of the Rong Family is not so simple," Li Guanglu casually replied, while his hand nonchalantly began to wander up Feng Yuenni’s leg from behind.

"Oh... where are you touching~~," Feng Yuenni teased coyly, shifting slightly to one side, not escaping completely but instead maintaining a distance that allowed him to touch without letting him get too carried away.

As these two were playfully teasing each other, Rong Wan was introducing Lin Xin to the matters of the Cave Heaven on the other side.

"Cave Heaven is also referred to as Cave Mansion. It’s what ancient cultivators used their divine skills for—expanding, building, and decorating the cave mansions where they practiced cultivation until they formed a complete dwelling. Simply put, it is the house where cultivators live. The Heavenly Dao Sect came into prominence so rapidly because they obtained a mysterious Cave Heaven decades ago, and now they dominate the entire surrounding region," she explained.

"I see," Lin Xin nodded, understanding what she was talking about.

Cave Heavens, as described, differ from common cultivation sites. Only places that have a complete living system built by cultivators qualify as Cave Heavens.

He had encountered such records before in his idle time and had even briefly categorized some components of it.

There are four aspects in total: living system, defense system, communication system, and circulation system.

These were all secondary, and unrelated to his investigation into the Heaven’s Will Saber; but most importantly, he feared encountering a spatial Cave Heaven, known here as Kun Cave.

Such Cave Heavens exist in another space, only discernible when opened. If closed, without understanding the space, one could never enter, making it the perfect sanctuary for hiding and escape.

"It is said that the Cave Heaven obtained by the Heavenly Dao Sect years ago is indeed a mysterious Cave Heaven independent from the Underworld’s land, and its key is in the hands of the Sect Master, who alone can freely open and close the entrance," Rong Wan’s subsequent remarks confirmed Lin Xin’s suspicion.

Kun Cave!

Indeed, it was Kun Cave.

This could be troublesome...

Lin Xin felt a prickling sense of difficulty. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)