Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 392 - 386 The Path to Ultimate Strength Part One

Chapter 392: Chapter 386 The Path to Ultimate Strength Part One

He finally looked at the rapidly approaching breath in the sky.

"Let’s go."

He strode rapidly towards the distance.

Behind him, the fatso and Fei Pengzi directly picked up Qing Xiuzhen from the ground and also sped up to follow him away.

The three people’s presence, like stones dropped into water, quickly disappeared into the air without a trace.

Approximately ten breaths later, a beam of white light suddenly descended from the sky, and as the light dissipated, it revealed a middle-aged man in white robes. His body was sturdy and well-proportioned, not deformed to the same extent as others.

But his fingers on both hands shone with a faint metallic luster, like steel.

"Inspector Huang! The Branch Chief has been kidnapped!"

The deputy branch chief from the Lion Fist Sect’s division, who was rushing down behind him, shouted urgently while holding his abdomen.

"I know," the middle-aged man said with a stern face. "The fact that they dared to come and provoke us so brazenly, and even kidnapped our Branch Chief, shows that they have ill intentions. Good intentions would not have led them here. Have you checked if Xiuzhen has made any enemies recently?"

"Impossible! The Branch Chief has been cultivating in the deep mountains recently, eating and drinking through others’ assistance. She only returned not long ago; there’s simply no way she could have made any enemies!"

The deputy branch chief explained.

"Anyway, first investigate the appearances of those three people, and then we’ll make a decision," Inspector Huang said coldly. "The fact that they did not kill means they do not intend to make a deadly enemy of our Lion Fist Sect; perhaps they really are just supreme experts passing by, testing martial arts."

"If that is really the case, then they will definitely come back soon because the branch simply doesn’t have a match for them," said the woman in a tight outfit with a ponytail, speaking with some difficulty due to the internal injuries inflicted during their retreat.

"Correct... I will mobilize the Lion King Squad to fully investigate. With the Branch Chief being kidnapped at such a critical time, it’s hard to say if the shadows of those two colossal entities are involved..." Inspector Huang nodded, gazing in the direction where Lin Xin and the others had left, pensive.

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

In the inn.

Qing Xiuzhen was tied up tight with a glowing magic artifact rope, sitting on a chair, unable to move.

Lin Xin sat quietly in front of her, wiping the Red Flower Sword and carefully applying maintenance oil to it.

Fei Pengzi and the fatso stood by his side, both with shame on their faces.

"Your Highness, we have embarrassed you this time."

The fatso said in a low voice.

"Not allowing you to use your signature magic artifacts or unique moves, under such circumstances, doing so much is already commendable," Lin Xin said, shaking his head.

"The most powerful part of the Intent Level is the Martial Dao itself. To reach this level without using your sharpest weapons, there’s no need for such shame."

"Alright, your name is Qing Xiuzhen, right?"

He turned to look at the robust woman tied up by his side.

"What are you trying to do?" Qing Xiuzhen glared coldly at him. "I am the Branch Chief of the Lion Fist Sect. You should know that breaking into a branch and abducting a Branch Chief is tantamount to the greatest provocation against the entire Lion Fist Sect."

"Of course I know," Lin Xin said calmly. "But I have no ill intentions. As long as you spar with me and let me experience the martial intent of the Lion Fist Sect’s cultivation technique, I will naturally let you go."

"Comprehend martial intent?" Qing Xiuzhen was taken aback. She had never heard of anyone talking about comprehending martial intent as such a trivial, obvious matter.

"That’s all I want. Just spar with me and I won’t make things difficult for you. It won’t be long before I let you return to your sect," Lin Xin explained.

"Stop talking nonsense. State your real purpose. To comprehend martial intent...even an excuse should be more convincing," Qing Xiuzhen snapped back, smirking.

She had been defeated before she had even had a chance to use her own martial intent. She was mentally prepared for the strength of the opponent; such a person, for such an utterly unbelievable reason, would become an enemy of the massive Lion Fist Sect. Only a madman or a fool would do such a thing!

"That is my purpose. Think about it," said Lin Xin, ignoring her, standing up and quickly leaving with Fei Pengzi and the others. Before leaving, he closed the door, which flickered with a faint light, evidently sealing it with some unknown talisman.

After instructing the innkeeper not to disturb the room at the far end, Lin Xin and the others turned a corner and headed toward their own quarters.

They had rented a large suite to facilitate discussion and arrangement among themselves.

Upon entering, Wang Peng and Rongyan were not inside; only Qiuling was listlessly fiddling with a pot of small red flowers on the window ledge.

"Where’s the little one?" The fatso immediately looked for Shasha, who they had left in the inn, upon entering the room.

"She ran away," Qiuling quickly stood up upon seeing the three returning. "She was already gone when I came back."

"Your Highness, are we just letting her go?" Fei Pengzi was now feeling a sense of belonging. He looked at Lin Xin’s profile.

"She won’t get far. I placed eighty-one restrictions on her; the farther she gets from me, the more pain she’ll feel," Lin Xin said casually. "Don’t worry about it."

"Alright...." The chubby man seemed to be quite concerned about Shasha, "I didn’t know you could impose a banishment spell, Sir. You never mentioned this before."

Lin Xin gave him a glance. "Actually, I only know one kind."

"What?"

"The Marrow-Extracting Vein-Sealing Finger...." Lin Xin admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed himself.

The chubby man felt his scalp tingle, and not just him—Fei Pengzi and Qiuling beside him also had their faces twitch.

No wonder that kid had only been out a short distance before coming back looking like he was ready to kill. Turns out it was this infamous banishment spell.

And it was a set of eighty-one of them....

Even when dealing with peerless talents of the Demon Path, there was no need to be so ruthless....

This was comparable to a top-grade torture of skinning and extracting marrow; one set could claim a life, let alone eighty-one sets....

"Alright.... Although I don’t know how His Highness managed to place so many, eighty-one sets in such a short time, this way she certainly won’t be able to escape."

The chubby man said helplessly.

"I had no choice—I don’t know any of the bigger ones, so I just used this one." Lin Xin shrugged. This was the truth; he had acquired this banishment spell from the Cultivation Technique given to him by Yuan Qiuque.

"Your Highness...." After sitting down for a bit, Qiuling leaned in and said to Lin Xin in a low voice, with a troubled look on her face.

"To be honest, on our journey, not only did we not help you, but we also held you back all the time. We caused you trouble, and Wang Peng and I discussed it. If you would allow us, we would like to use our specialties to their fullest and truly exert effort for Your Highness."

"Specialties?" Lin Xin also realized this point. He could not comprehend Wang Peng’s Taoist Intent, no matter what. It clearly required extremely harsh conditions. Therefore, keeping him around was not very meaningful and might even hinder his growth. It would be better to let him develop on his own as long as Lin Xin was there to back him.

Now that Qiuling brought it up, he didn’t need to bring it up himself.

"Indeed," Qiuling whispered, "I’m not good at fighting, but at cultivation. We’ve never had a fixed residence before, so I couldn’t use my skills. If I can settle down, I can manage the cultivation of a large quantity of Third Grade Level herbs and materials for Your Highness."

"Right. What about Wang Peng and the others?" Lin Xin nodded in agreement.

"Wang Peng has a lot of potential, which even Your Highness has praised. He had another breakthrough today, so Rongyan is accompanying him to change locations," Qiuling quickly said.

"Another breakthrough...." Lin Xin was surprised, "Is he breaking through frequently?"

"Well... about half a month ago he had a breakthrough. Now he’s in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. His Cultivation Technique is divided into many small stages, from the early stage to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, there are about five stages, and he’s just broken through the last one," Qiuling explained quickly.

Lin Xin felt a chill in his heart. That guy had not even been in the Foundation Establishment Stage for a year, and now he had entered the middle stage—Lin Xin had not misjudged him.

The guy’s talent and comprehension were both excellent. It was only because he had not been truly developed and stimulated before, a Treasure Bead covered in dust. But from the moment his Taoist Intent emerged, it rocketed skyward, unstoppable by anyone.

"Just like Qing’er back then...." Suddenly reminiscing about his time in the southern mansion, Lin Xin felt a pang of nostalgia.

Taking these people along had been a bit of a hassle. If they encountered strong enemies, he would have to look after the safety of the others, which could lead to a bad situation.

He pondered for a moment.

"Here’s what we’ll do—you take my Token and go to Yuan Dou Demon Sect to settle down. The Sect will have arrangements, and as my affiliates now, everything will be no problem," he said.

Ever since the Taoist Canon incident, True Monarch Huang Yuan, because of Lin Xin successfully resolving the plots surrounding the Underground Palace, generously granted him ownership of more than ten mines, including five of Spirit Jade. It was more than enough for the cultivation practice and day-to-day operations of the Crown Prince’s Palace.

"But what about you alone, Your Highness..." The chubby man hesitated.

Lin Xin said casually.

"Alone, I’m actually more flexible and free. Now is the time to employ people. You follow the arrangements and cultivate diligently. The palace rules will have managers inside to meet you," he instructed.

He knew that whether it was the chubby man or Wang Peng, they were willing to join him because of the Xian Sha Alliance and Yuan Dou Demon Sect behind him—after all, it was good to stay cool under a big tree. Only Fei Pengzi and Jade Fox had been practically forced to come with him.

With a squeak, Jade Fox also walked in at this moment. Seeing Lin Xin and the two others, she quickly paid her respects.

"You go back with them." Lin Xin said indifferently to her.

"Ah?" Jade Fox was clearly surprised—she had a life-and-death contract with Lin Xin, and if he died, she had to die too. Under such circumstances, she really didn’t want to leave his side no matter what.

"You staying by my side is just a burden now. It would be better to go back with them and assist the Crown Prince’s Palace. My territory is newly established, and there are many places that need to be managed. When you go back, you can carry my Token and oversee everything," Lin Xin explained, handing his Crown Prince’s Token to Jade Fox.

"But..." Jade Fox was clearly a bit dazed and slow to react.

"There are no buts." Lin Xin had had this idea for a while—after all, he could act more efficiently and decisively on his own, and it was easier to disengage.

Seeing his unequivocal stance, Jade Fox had no choice but accept the Token, as the contract was binding and she dared not disobey Lin Xin’s orders.