Told You I Can Turn Back Time
Chapter 293 - 230: Whirlwind (13)

Chapter 293: Chapter 230: Whirlwind (13)

Xuanyin Taoist was a middle-aged Taoist who appeared to be in his fifties.

His black and white Daoist robe seemed impeccably clean, and the bun atop his head was put together meticulously, with not a hair out of place; even his goat beard was evidently well-trimmed, exuding an air of earnest seriousness.

At this moment, as he arrived at the battleground for martial demonstrations, many reminders and memories flashed through his mind.

"Xuanyin, the Earth Veins within our sect have already been distributed."

"Starting from your generation of disciples, the sect will no longer assign you Earth Veins."

"You may rent Earth Veins together from the seniors within the sect, or borrow land from the sect to cultivate..."

At the age of seven, Xuanyin Taoist was picked up and became a menial disciple of the Ming Mountain Sect.

Through diligent effort and outstanding talent, he gradually rose from a menial disciple to an Outer Sect Disciple, Inner Sect Disciple, and finally, ascended as a True Disciple, having been imparted the highest teachings of the Ming Mountain Sect.

Amongst the entire Ming Mountain Sect, Xuanyin was absolutely one of the top genius disciples.

Many outsiders believed it was only a matter of time before he would inherit the third legacy of the Ming Mountain Sect, becoming yet another unparalleled expert in the world.

However, having struggled within the Ming Mountain Sect for half his life, Xuanyin Taoist understood that things were not so simple.

The Daoist arts of the Ming Mountain Sect involved celestial patterns and Earth Veins; starting from the first legacy, it required daily gathering of the essence of the sun and moon and extraction of the energies of heaven and earth to progress.

Although the essence of sun and moon and the energies of the Big Dipper were difficult to collect, Xuanyin Taoist was not without means.

It was the malevolent energy of the Earth Veins that needed sustained occupation and refinement, which demanded extremely high financial and familial background.

In the past, the Ming Mountain Range where the Ming Mountain Sect was located was not only brimming with spiritual energy and crisscrossing Earth Veins but also sparsely populated. Each generation of the sect would designate Earth Veins for cultivation to exceptional disciples, thus attracting numerous talents and cultivating many experts, making monumental contributions to the growth of the Ming Mountain Sect.

However, after generations of proliferation, the various mountain cities and fortresses throughout the Ming Mountain Range were now thriving, and all the Earth Veins had been divided and occupied by the descendants of various families.

Starting from the first legacy, Xuanyin had always been renting Earth Veins for cultivation purposes.

Until now, although he had mastered the second legacy for many years and the Ming Mountain’s Ultimate Skill "Transference of Stars and Day" for several years, he had only achieved minor success.

This was because to fully master this ultimate skill to its greater potential, one had to refine an entire Earth Vein.

Yet his generation of Ming Mountain Disciples no longer had the rules of assigned Earth Veins within the sect.

He tried to buy Earth Veins from other families within the sect, but found that the price for every one of them was astronomical, far beyond what he, a commoner of refugee origin, could afford.

Although Xuanyin had struggled for many years, most of his savings had already been spent on the cultivation of Daoist arts and renting Earth Veins.

Xuanyin also tried to sell his future combat capabilities to borrow money from within the sect to purchase Earth Veins, but he hesitated at the debts that would require him to serve for forty or fifty years.

Such debts had long been a practice within the Ming Mountain Sect, and nearly every generation had seen young experts who, for the sake of cultivating resources, established such debts by selling off decades of their future combat capabilities.

Moreover, one had to take a Blood Oath, and once sworn, even if Xuanyin Taoist advanced to the third legacy, he could not renounce it.

To think of how he had painstakingly strived throughout his life, shunning feminine company, wealth and luxury, avoiding indulgence in food and drink, and practicing cultivation every day as though treading on thin ice. Having finally had the chance to break through to the third legacy, yet in the coming decades, he would have to serve those who simply warmed their seats with no real contribution to the sect.

Thinking of how many of them had Earth Veins from birth and could command the combat capabilities he had arduously cultivated, despite their inferior realms, a strong sense of unwillingness flashed in Xuanyin’s heart.

Just as Xuanyin’s frustration grew and he began to consider marrying into one of the major families within the Ming Mountain Sect, an opportunity arose.

"Xuanyin, this time in the secret realm, try to nurture Earth Veins. As long as you work hard for a year, when you return, I will approve a ten-year debt for you, which you need for the breakthrough of the third legacy."

Xuanyin agreed without hesitation, which led to his presence at this conference between two realms, as well as today’s martial demonstration.

"To cultivate Earth Veins in this secret realm, one must first buy land."

"To successfully purchase land in White Eagle Country, and then cultivate Earth Veins, one needs sufficient influence and the support of the local government office and other major sects."

Xuanyin looked at Lin Xing in the distance, a glint of cold light flashed in his eyes, and he thought to himself, "I must buy the sect’s Earth Veins and break through the third legacy."

He spread open his hands as if unfolding a scroll.

In the next moment, the scenery within his sea of consciousness projected right in front of Xuanyin.

The original scenery, filled with magnificent landscapes, was suddenly replaced by the image of a desolate wasteland spanning thousands of kilometers.

The projection on the barren land was incredibly detailed, clearly depicting every grass and sand within a radius of kilometers, as though it were a video shot from high above the martial demonstration.

Then, with one hand forming a Taoist Formula and the other stirring in the air above the depiction, thunderous clouds began to crazily roll over the battlefield. Bolts of lightning flickered within, resembling dragons.

This was indeed the Ming Mountain Sect’s Ultimate Skill "Transference of Stars and Day." With minor proficiency, one could manipulate the weather and stir the clouds.

Rays of lightning tore through the sky, blanketing Lin Xing’s position with a dazzling white light.

...

Seeing Lin Xing suddenly covered by a dense mesh of lightning, numerous spectators were startled.

Hui Ling was slightly agitated as she explained, "This is the Ming Mountain Sect’s ultimate skill titled ’Stellar Shift and Solar Swap.’ It allows the manipulation of celestial phenomena to enact deadly assaults and is considered one of the most destructive ultimate skills among the second heirloom transmissions."

"Senior brother, do you think Lin Xing will be able to withstand Master Xuanyin’s onslaught?"

Du Kong shook his head and said, "To be honest, I’m not very optimistic about Lin Xing lasting very long."

"Xuanyin is one of only three competitors in the martial arts demonstration who doesn’t use modern firearms, which shows his confidence in his own strength."

"Indeed it is so; under the assault of the celestial phenomena, the vast majority of the second inheritance powerhouses are utterly helpless to retaliate."

...

On the other side of the battlefield.

Bai Yiyi was gritting her teeth, her face filled with worry as she watched the live broadcast.

The thought of having borrowed so much money to bet on Lin Xing’s victory had Bai Yiyi’s heart fluctuating wildly at this moment.

She thought to herself, "Lin Xing shouldn’t lose, right?"

But seeing the surging lightning, Bai Yiyi’s anxiety resurfaced, "Xuanyin is so ruthless, to unleash so many bolts of lightning in one breath?"

"Damn it, when I watched Lin Xing and Great Bright Buddha fight, I wasn’t this nervous."

She continuously reassured herself, "After I win this bet and pay back the money, I’ll never gamble again."

...

On the battlefield.

A series of twelve bolts of lightning struck towards the location where Lin Xing stood.

Amid the burst of lightning filling the sky, Lin Xing’s figure had been completely engulfed.

When the brilliance of the lightning had faded, layers of sand and soil were seen piled up in front of Lin Xing, shielding him from the recent lightning strikes.

However, under the bombardment of the thunder, those layers of sand and soil had turned charred and cracked, gently crumbling away with the breeze.

Seeing that Lin Xing had blocked his attack, the Xuanyin Taoist had already anticipated this, having witnessed Lin Xing’s ability to command the sand to resist lightning.

He stirred the rolling black clouds in the sky while saying loudly, "Lin Xing, you have now witnessed my Taoist Formula."

"The might of heaven and earth is not something you can contend against, this round you are already doomed to defeat. I do not wish to harm you, so you better concede early."

Lin Xing looked around, examining as he said, "No problem, keep it up."

The Xuanyin Taoist frowned upon hearing this, continuing to speak, "Lin Xing, do not think that just because you blocked the lightning you can compete with me. To be frank, some people have asked me to avoid injuring you, so I have already been merciful."

Lin Xing said with a calm face, "I was also being merciful. I let you take the first move, instead of going all out and killing you right away,"

He explained carefully, "To tell you the truth, the most common fight I’ve been in is a life and death battle, where I normally finish off the opponent with all my might right from the start. I’m not quite accustomed to holding back in a fight like today’s demonstration."

"Moreover, my ultimate skill has only recently become modestly complete, and I’m not very proficient with it yet, so it wouldn’t be good if I killed you with my first move."

"Go ahead and make your move, I need to adapt a bit more."

Watching Lin Xing earnestly explain, a flicker of anger appeared in the Xuanyin Taoist’s eyes, "Such an ignorant fool, you’re asking for what’s coming to you if you end up crippled or worse because of your arrogance."

With those words, a strong intent to kill descended from the sky, and the Xuanyin Taoist was about to make another move, deploying his Taoist Formula.

Just then, Lin Xing suddenly shouted, "Wait a second."

Hearing the shout, the Xuanyin Taoist sneered, "Kid, ready to admit defeat?"

Just then, Lin Xing, who had been looking around, now picked up a strand of Wind-Rolling Grass and nodded with satisfaction, "Now, with this, I shouldn’t have to worry about accidentally killing you."

The Xuanyin Taoist, upon hearing this, flew into a rage, "You little thief! You’re courting death!"

Then, the Xuanyin Taoist blew a breath toward the scene in front of him, and a fierce wind began to howl across the battlefield, whipping up a storm of sand and dust.

In an instant, countless grains of sand shot towards Lin Xing like bullets.

At the same time, the Xuanyin Taoist opened his mouth and a spray of water doused the landscape before him.

The next moment, a torrential downpour immediately began to lash the battlefield.

Heavy rain poured down, each droplet hitting the sandy ground like bombs, creating huge splashes. In the blink of an eye, the parched land began to moisten, turning into small streams.

The desert that was just now bone-dry was transformed into a water world in an instant.

But it didn’t end there, as with the successive casting by Xuanyin, gusts of cold wind cropped up on the battlefield, and the temperature began to plummet rapidly.

The sky flashed with lightning and thunder, heralding a new round of thunderstorms in the making.

In a very short span of time, extreme temperatures, lightning, fierce winds, flying sand, and snow... various extreme weather conditions played out one after another, and the whole world seemed to be attacking Lin Xing at the same moment.