Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 595 - 590 Joining the Sect 2

Chapter 595: Chapter 590 Joining the Sect 2

Lin Xin reached out with his senses but couldn’t feel the elder’s presence at all. Instead, a chill ran down his spine as if he might face a great threat at any moment, and his heart suddenly tightened.

"I’m not sure why the elder graces us with their presence, what guidance do you have?"

Although he had some guesses, he still asked respectfully with a cupped-fist salute.

The elder was none other than Elder Qing Shan, who had separated from his two disciples and was looking for potential seeds on his own.

He had detected a trace of pureblood aura on his way, which drew him closer to this location.

Unexpectedly, he really stumbled upon someone with pureblood lineage.

’A pureblood of the Chanting Star Clan? Forbidden power, huh... This force is too domineering; the road ahead will be difficult...’ He saw through the young man’s potential with just one glance and frowned slightly.

With a thought, he turned to Lin Xin with a pleasant expression and asked,

"Passing by, I saw the purity of your swordsmanship and your exceptional talent, and I couldn’t help but come over to admire it," he said, pausing for a moment.

"I didn’t expect that on this trip to Green Lake Mountain, I would have the fortune to encounter such a promising seed."

The pureblood of the Chanting Star Clan is still a pureblood, no matter what. Earth Level First Grade talent—if this had been in the past, I definitely wouldn’t have taken him, as all purebloods face a significant problem: they are too rigid and have weak growth potential.

Indeed, they are born with terrifying strength, and upon reaching adulthood, they become Human Immortals, but this also means that it is extremely difficult for them to pursue other paths.

Their inherent bloodline framework grants them the power to ignore all bottlenecks, achieving the status of a Human Immortal upon maturing.

However, it is this very framework that restricts them much more than other cultivators.

For an average sect, such a person might be considered a precious talent, since a Human Immortal is a strong pillar of a sect’s middle or high rank.

But for Green Lake Mountain...

Exhaling, Elder Qing Shan felt somewhat regretful. Just now, during the boy’s sword practice, the invisible spiritual energy was comparable to that of a Spirit Vein level genius.

However, the pureblood lineage turned out to be a shackle that restricted his growth.

"I see you have not practiced any core cultivation methods." Elder Qing Shan pondered for a moment, "This object and you, if you can make it shine and dissolve, then you will have a fate with me. I must take you as a disciple."

He raised his hand and threw something, which flew straight into Lin Xin’s hands.

Then, with a whoosh, he disappeared with a gust of wind.

"So fast!"

Lin Xin’s heart trembled.

He had always been known for his speed, but the speed of the other party still shocked him.

It was like a person beyond the Polar Region watching someone within it; the figure vanished before his eyes, and he couldn’t even react in time.

And he faintly felt that although the elder was standing right in front of him, he seemed to be nothing more than a void shadow, untouchable and unreachable, somewhat like flowers seen in a mirror or the moon’s reflection on water.

He looked down at the object in his hand.

It was a token made of a material that looked like neither gold nor wood, with an ancient character for "B" written on it in Ancient Spirit Script.

The north side was a landscape painting shrouded in clouds and mist.

The edge of the token was very sharp, like a blade.

And strangely, Lin Xin felt that if he tried to cut something with the edge of the token, it would definitely not cut anything at all.

It looked sharp, but that was his feeling.

"It seems we’ve encountered an expert, young master." Captain Lin Shengqu said with a frown in a low voice.

"It’s fine; let everyone relax and continue moving forward," said Lin Xin with a slight nod.

"All as usual."

Lin Shengqu acknowledged and began to arrange for the crew and sailors to return to their positions.

However, since everyone had witnessed the recent scene, and although they were all subordinates of the Lin Family, people are inherently curious. Now several of them were quietly discussing about the elder they had seen, speculating about his level.

But their own levels were too low, and the highest speculation they could make was not beyond Yuan Jing.

Lin Xin shook his head slightly upon hearing them.

He gripped the token, knowing this was Elder Qing Shan’s entrance examination. If he couldn’t pass, no matter how good his potential, it would be hopeless.

"Young master, this is a great opportunity, if that expert just now could take you as a disciple..." Lin Youke and the others hurriedly came and spoke in a low voice.

"Without even knowing which sect the other party belongs to, it’s too early to say anything," Lin Xin said indifferently.

"Yes, yes, yes..." Lin Youke obviously had eyes filled with envy, curiosity, and excitement.

But she also knew that such an opportunity, even if given to them, would bear no fruit. They couldn’t withstand it.

"This is the Ascension Road..." Some crew members also whispered with envy.

With the token in hand, Lin Xin went back to his cabin and began to study it closely.

The sharp sides of the token seemed to be separated by an invisible force field.

He touched it with his hand and then slowly connected with it using his spiritual power.

Suddenly, dozens of different swirling force fields became clearly visible to his senses.

In an instant, every force field the size of a soybean sent back a piece of information to him. All the information combined formed a sentence.

’Unravel the spiritual locks and you will become a disciple of my Qing Shan, entering the gate of Green Lake Mountain.

Each spiritual lock requires thorough comprehension, a transformation of one’s spirit to unite with it, and finding the nexus before it can be unlocked.’

"Is this the spiritual lock that Xia mentioned?"

Lin Xin closed the door, set up an array plate to prevent disturbances.

These spiritual locks consisted of dozens of different styles of fragile chains of spirit.

If any spirit was not assimilated correctly, it would cause the token to self-destruct, and the trial would end in failure.

Such a challenge would be extremely difficult for an average genius.

But for Lin Xin, who had once comprehended thousands of Taoist intents in the Underworld, it was child’s play.

In just one hour, he merged his spirit into each spirit, found the hidden pathways, and like untangling a ball of thread, he easily dissolved all the dozens of spirits.

At the moment the last spirit automatically dissolved,

The token suddenly shuddered, emitting a soft green glow.

"I’ve done it!"

Lin Xin put away the Array Plate, stepped back a bit, and watched as the Token automatically flew from his hand and hovered in midair.

Rip!

A sharp screech followed.

The Token suddenly exploded, turning into a bundle of green light, which melted away to automatically form a round-arched Light Gate just slightly taller than himself.

The eerie green fluorescent light dyed the entire room a ghastly hue. As the Light Gate vibrated, even the merchant ship seemed to tremble slightly.

"Young Master! Young Master, are you alright?"

Lin Youke and two others, who were guarding outside the room, pounded on the door and called out loudly.

It wasn’t just them; faint sounds of hurried footsteps approaching could be heard outside, clearly other crew members rushing over after hearing the commotion.

"I’m fine, I’m fine! Everyone go back!" Lin Xin immediately shouted loudly.

He looked at the Light Gate and understood that this must be the summoning gate specially made by Green Lake Mountain. Stepping forward through it would automatically decide his entry as a disciple of the Qing Shan Realm of Green Lake Mountain.

He reached out and gently touched the edge of the Light Gate.

The touch was elastic, like rubber, and as he made contact, a stream of information flowed into him.

’Duration: Thirty-six hours and ninety-seven minutes.

Age restriction: Below thirty.

Qualification Attributes: Positive.

Classification: Initial trial exclusive to the Qing Shan Realm.

Maximum companions allowed: Five.’

The countdown of the first item was continuously decreasing.

Lin Xin immediately understood that this was the Light Gate’s duration and if it surpassed this time, it would close automatically, deemed as giving up.

"Initial trial... So, this must be the first challenge. There will be more screenings to come."

After pondering for a moment, what he had always wanted was to find a stronger path, to uncover the foundations of the Underworld, and to fulfill the karma of being saved by Redleaf.

At this stage, his options were already limited.

Lin Xin’s eyes filled with recollections of Huang Yuan, the True Monarch from Yuan Dou Demon Sect, his last expression of madness and persistence mixed with helplessness.

He had placed all his hopes on Lin Xin, including his strongest obsessions.

"The strongest..." A cryptic expression appeared on Lin Xin’s face.

Ever since he came to this world, he had been struggling to control his own destiny.

He was not willing to accept his lack of aptitude, thus he took the Blood Pill path.

Unwilling to be unable to advance himself, he resolutely entered the Underworld.

Unwilling to be controlled by the Underworld, he struggled and slaughtered in madness.

Eventually, he was saved by Redleaf and others, escaping the vortex, but then fell under Xia’s control.

"Always, always drifting along, always just passively struggling. If only I were stronger, so strong that nobody would dare to point fingers at me,

strong enough that nobody could manipulate my path in secret. Perhaps everything would go as I wished,"

He thought of An Ying, Xiao Lingling, and remembered his subordinates, masters, and friends when he was in the Underworld.

He closed his eyes for a moment and sent a message out to the crew waiting outside.

Soon, Lin Youke and the other two entered the room and were taken aback by the sight of the Light Gate.

"Follow me."

Lin Xin dropped the line indifferently.

Then he resolutely stepped through the Light Gate.

A voice softly asked.

"Why do you cultivate?"

"To determine my own destiny."

Lin Xin’s expression was serene.

Before his eyes was a sea of emerald green light.

With a leap, he plunged directly into the sea of light, vanishing from sight.

Lin Youke and the other two exchanged glances, then simultaneously rushed towards the Light Gate, disappearing one after another, after which the Light Gate quickly contracted and disappeared into thin air.

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

"So soon, we have the first one already?"

The Elder of Qing Shan was slightly taken aback.

He was soaring midair, standing on a jade boat. His two disciples, each riding one of the two water dragons, were searching for candidates far and wide.

So far, he had thrown out twenty-three Tokens.

These Tokens, once their recipients comprehended the spirit locked within and unlocked the Tokens, would get the chance to enter the teleportation gate to Green Lake Mountain directly.

After that, they would undergo cultivation technique testing, foundation investigation, and other subsequent evaluations. If they passed each one, only then would he personally select them for entry, allowing them to become true core disciples.

"It seems this time there might be some good candidates," the Elder of Qing Shan thought with a slight premonition.

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

Qiushi Region.

Xia sat upright in a room dyed red with light and suddenly turned his head slightly, looking towards an unknown distance.

"The first step is passed, hehehe! The twenty-third seed..."

He flicked his finger, and a red light immediately appeared before him, eventually revealing a rather peculiar scene.

It was as if he was looking down upon the earth from above.

On the ochre-colored ground, three small figures were moving forward with difficulty, one step shallow and the next deep, against the sand and wind, stooping their backs.

If Lin Xin were here, he would recognize them at a glance. It was none other than the bearded Song Danhao, the young princess of the Gongshang House, Gongshang Baiyu, and another young and pretty girl.

"Soon... soon..." Xia focused on Song Danhao, emitting a low, indistinct chuckle filled with ambiguous meaning.