Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 466 - 460 Start 1

Chapter 466: Chapter 460 Start 1

"How are Ji Lu and You Xuan doing? Are they still on the mountain? Do you want to see them?" Dugu Lin asked casually. She was just asking out of politeness; given the dire situation of the Pine Sword Sect at present, it would be best for Lin Xin with his level of cultivation to stay away."

"Go, why not go," Lin Xin responded indifferently, "My mentor has helped me several times, and his kindness is not forgotten. It would be inappropriate not to visit after such a long time. Moreover, my Spirit Heart Villa is closely connected to the Pine Sword Sect, so it is only natural that I assess the situation."

Furthermore, if he didn’t go, where else could he easily find the location of Sun Spring?

"As you wish."

"By the way, what about the other Foundation Establishment Guest Elders of the villa?"

Lin Xin suddenly asked.

"They started leaving one after another, half a year ago, following the departure of Senior Porcelain King," Dugu Lin mentioned offhand, "The reasons are unknown. But it is likely nothing more than flocking to power and influence. Now only a few remain."

"Let’s not dwell on that, when do we depart for the birthday banquet?"

Lin Xin asked with a lowered voice.

"A few days of preparation should suffice. I won’t be joining you, as I’m leading the team this time."

"Good, that works out for me too. I can use this opportunity to properly assess the cultivation of the youngsters in the villa."

Lin Xin didn’t use any sound transmission for this statement but looked directly at Lin Zhen and the others.

A chill ran through them, and they quickly bowed their heads.

Following the high-level villa meeting, Lin Xin went to the inner courtyard to visit his family and friends.

Over the past few years, many relatives from the outside had hurried to seek refuge in the villa, including Lin Xin’s numerous aunts and even far-removed relatives of Lin Xinyuan some he hadn’t seen in decades who had the audacity to come.

The Lin Family had grown into a power that rivaled local noble families, with hundreds of direct descendants alone. All those with even a slight blood relation had been gathered.

All Lin Family relatives were given allowances based on whether they were adults or minors.

Cultivation and martial arts were assessed periodically, and accordingly, different cultivation paths were provided.

"If there are family disciples worth cultivating, the clan will directly grant them treatment corresponding to their talents. If they achieve good results in the clan competition, they can further gain more resources and opportunities for promotion," Lin Zhen explained clearly, being in charge of clan management.

A group accompanied Lin Xin as they inspected the Lin Family’s inner courtyard training grounds.

Behind the villa, a vast area of dozens of miles was entirely occupied by the Lin Family, where they built a huge accommodation area and training grounds.

All Lin Family disciples resided within this district.

At this time in the afternoon, all the disciples were gathered at the largest parade ground, neatly dressed in white clothing.

Instructors barked loudly from above, dividing them into small combat formations and directing them to different practice platforms, where different teachers offered guidance.

"Who organized this system? It’s quite good," Lin Xin commented quietly.

"It was Sister Duan’er," Lin Zhen replied with a smile, "Because Duan’er cannot practice martial arts, she excels in medicine and miscellaneous studies. She organized the villa’s affairs smoothly. Several supervisors we hired couldn’t compare to her talent. Eventually, we simply handed over those management responsibilities to her."

"Indeed, sister’s talent in that area far exceeds us," Lin Luo, who usually preferred silence, also chimed in with a nod.

"Their Essence Qi is not bad," Lin Xin observed as he scanned the crowd, noticing many Lin Family disciples had reached the internal stages of cultivation, with a ratio of about four to five out of a hundred.

It seemed the Spirit Gathering Array he had designed for the villa was indeed effective.

They continued along the pathway, soon entering the villa’s most privileged enclosed training field within the inner courtyard.

Lin Xin stood to the side, while Lin Luo and Lin Zhen made their way lightly onto the stage from two sides.

"They’ve both made rapid progress, and they might catch up to your current level soon," Dugu Lin commented with a laugh, "Before long, you might even lose your rights to assess them."

"We’ll just have to see about that," Lin Xin glanced at her. "I’ve also made a breakthrough; I’m not at the level you knew before."

"Really?" Dugu Lin looked skeptical.

The two men on the stage had already begun exchanging formal salutes.

"Please be gentle, elder disciple brother," Lin Zhen said solemnly.

"I’ll give you one hand," Lin Luo replied even more directly.

"Well then, I’m taking you at your word!" Lin Zhen was unconcerned about any loss of face, his eyes lighting up with anticipation.

"Of course."

Lin Luo nodded.

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, the two collided.

Lin Zhen used his arms and legs in a continuous chain of strikes, with elbows, knees, and shoulders, bombarding Lin Luo like a series of relentless spikes.

With every motion, his body emitted a faint white light, as if his entire being were dipped in a layer of color.

The white seemed to have an accelerating effect, and in just a short time, Lin Zhen’s speed became faster and more intense.

The sounds of their exchange almost merged into a continuous buzz.

Lin Luo, however, managed to block with just one hand, his arms slashing like a machete, effortlessly deflecting Lin Zhen’s rapid attacks.

Their movements revealed a practiced ease, clearly indicating they had sparred with each other quite often.

"Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer?!" Dugu Lin smiled in satisfaction, "All that effort of coming to me for cultivation tips wasn’t in vain. He’s made a breakthrough."

Naturally, she was referring to Lin Zhen. As for Lin Luo, since he had not yet shown his full strength, his cultivation level remained unclear.

Lin Xin also nodded slightly.

He knew that when he left the manor, Lin Zhen was only at the First Layer of Qi Cultivation, and now he had indeed improved so much. Besides arduous training, the accumulation of a large number of resources and his own diligent study and hard work were also necessary factors.

"Without the use of formations, you are no match for me," Lin Luo said indifferently at this time.

With a flip in the air, Lin Zhen landed lightly on a nearby platform.

Without a word, he raised his hand, and suddenly there appeared a white longsword in his grasp, the blade engraved with circular red formations of condensed Qi.

With a whoosh, a ring of scorching air spread out across the platform. Lin Zhen held his sword upright and thrust forward.

With a swish, the sword qi shot out, transforming into a fierce bird striking directly at Lin Luo.

Thud!

Lin Luo casually dispersed the sword qi, but Lin Zhen’s figure had vanished from sight.

"It’s over!" Lin Zhen appeared behind Lin Luo, his sword edge slashing toward Lin Luo’s neck.

"It is indeed over," Lin Luo said, allowing the sword to fall towards his neck as he reached backward with one hand.

Bang!

The two struck each other almost simultaneously.

Lin Luo acted as if nothing happened, while Lin Zhen was sent sprawling, clutching his stomach and unable to get up off the ground.

"Not bad, not bad," Lin Xin applauded lightly.

"Fancy a try?" Dugu Lin looked at him provocatively.

"Are you sure?" Lin Xin smiled. Although he couldn’t openly discuss his current level of cultivation to avoid having to explain such a startling rate of progress.

Even just hiding his true strength with other cultivation techniques, he was still far stronger than Dugu Lin.

After all, even without revealing the strong physique that his attribute points had created and without using the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique that reached the Yuan Jing realm, he was still a terrifying powerhouse who had unified a thousand hearts and comprehended a thousand different Taoist intents.

"How far have you progressed with your Return to Origin Technique? Have you reached the Foundation Establishment?" Dugu Lin immediately became curious.

The great Return to Origin Technique of the Pine Sword Sect entered a whole new world at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Foundation Establishment and not having reached it are naturally on two completely different levels.

In her understanding, Lin Xin had not yet reached Foundation Establishment when he left, but now, over four years had passed, he should be about to barely enter Foundation Establishment, which would be considered a rapid pace.

"As long as you’re aware. If you believe you can withstand a Third Grade Formation Talisman Sword, then by all means, take action," Lin Xin shook his head and chuckled.

His best cover, apart from the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique, was naturally his understanding of countless Taoist intents. With a thousand kinds of Taoist intent at his disposal, he could completely mimic a thousand different varieties of Taoist arts and martial arts.

"Then you’re not allowed to use Formation Talisman arts!"

Dugu Lin immediately chuckled. She knew that Lin Xin was skilled with micro formations, and once the Third Grade formations were piled up in quantity, even she would find them extremely troublesome. The combined power was not average at all.

"This is about evaluating cultivation, not testing the proficiency in Formation Talisman arts!"

"Formation Talisman arts are part of my strength. Wouldn’t it be foolish to not use them?"

Lin Xin didn’t bother with her.

"Here, take this."

He pulled a purple-gold tray that concealed its aura from his storage ring and tossed it to Dugu Lin.

She caught it, and just as she was about to speak, she immediately felt the extraordinary nature of the purple-gold tray and her expression subtly changed.

"Nice item!"

"Nonsense!"

Having killed a bunch of Golden Core Stage Dao Seeking experts, Lin Xin kept a few of the finest items for himself after selling part of the loot to the Desolate Jade Pavilion. These items were cream of the crop even among Golden Core Stage experts, so they were certainly precious to someone at the later stages of Foundation Establishment like her.

The outcome of the battle above was decided, and then it was Dugu Lin’s turn to evaluate Lin Luo’s level of cultivation.

It was revealed that Lin Luo was at the Seventh Layer of Qi Cultivation, with combat power equivalent to the Eighth Layer!

This rate of progress was truly terrifying.

He was practicing the Nine Heavens and Earth Extinguishing Great Law of the Evil Spirit Palace, a cultivation technique that involved self-harm and masochism to improve cultivation, extremely extreme. It consumed a large portion of one’s lifespan.

In just a short period of four years, he had reached this state. Although the manor’s extensive resources and the effect of the Spirit Gathering Array concentrating spiritual energy played a role, such a rate of progress was astonishing.

"Luo’er, this Nine Heavens and Earth Extinguishing Great Law has already consumed nearly half of your lifespan. Now that Han Xiaolong is dead, you must find a way to stop the technique," Lin Xin said seriously after checking Lin Luo’s condition.

The Evil Spirit Palace truly lived up to its mysterious reputation. This kind of technique was like an accelerating heavy truck, initially easy to brake, but now Lin Luo had reached an incredibly terrifying speed. As his lifespan was consumed faster and faster, the boost in combat power and cultivation he obtained became stronger and stronger.

Lin Xin calculated that when Lin Luo reached the end of his lifespan, it would be the time for him to step into the Foundation Establishment Stage.

He had dabbled in medical arts, but was not an expert and could not think of a way to contain it at the moment.

"There’s no way to stop it now. It’s already too late," Lin Luo shook his head slightly. "The technique is accelerating, and now I can’t stop it either."

"There will be a way," Lin Xin frowned slightly.

"It might be better to go to the Taikun Birthday Banquet this time. Honestly speaking, it’s no longer safe outside," Lin Xin said.

"Actually, it’s better to go. Truth be told, it has already become unsafe out there," Dugu Lin frowned and said.

Even though they were unclear about Lin Xin’s level of cultivation, it was evident that he could already freely use Third Grade formations. In such a case, even in a very adverse situation, there should be enough time to retreat inside the Sword Sect’s formation.

The safety of everyone in the manor had greatly increased.

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