Chapter 29 - The Four Realms of Martial Arts

The young man was none other than Tian Jie, whom Lin Xuan had frightened away in Leyang City that day.

Tian Jie lay on the ground, looking at Lin Xuan in a dejected manner, and for some reason, the image of a black robed man suddenly appeared in his mind.

Thinking of this, he shivered all over.

Lin Xuan gave him one cold look, then turned around and left.

Behind him, a young girl scolded, “Tian Jie, you are a waste.

You screwed up the task my brother entrusted to you, and now you even let go of the person bothering me, you useless garbage!”

Lin Xuan paid no more attention to the two; instead, he stopped in front of a room marked ’95’.

Unlocking the door, Lin Xuan pushed open the heavy iron door and entered.

The interior was simple, featuring only a stone bed, a stone table, and a Golden Bamboo Guard standing aside.

There was nothing else, but the space was large, ample enough for Lin Xuan to stretch his arms and legs.

Lin Xuan walked up to the Golden Bamboo Guard, inserted a low-grade spiritual stone, and immediately its eyes flashed red, and its body gradually awakened.

The strength of this Golden Bamboo Guard ranged between the Fifth and Sixth Rank of the Mystical Realm.

Inserting one spiritual stone equated to the strength of the Fifth Rank of Mystical Realm, and inserting two meant the Sixth Rank’s strength, each session lasting only two hours.

Lin Xuan, just starting to practice the Instant Shadow Step, chose the strength of the Fifth Rank for the Bamboo Guard.

A few moments later, the guard fully woke, wielding his bamboo sword, and thrust it towards Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan’s figure swayed, executing the Instant Shadow Step, and began to dodge the attacks of the Bamboo Guard.

The Instant Shadow Step had two characteristics, speed and sticking to an opponent like a shadow.

Lin Xuan moved around the Bamboo Guard, continuously dodging, each movement precisely calculated to avoid the bamboo sword without wasting any effort.

This proximity step technique necessitated fine control power from a martial artist; otherwise, getting so close to an enemy could lead to a complete disaster.

Thus, Lin Xuan made use of the Bamboo Guard to train the Instant Shadow Step, alternating it with training in the Golden Jade Body Tempering Technique, and whenever his spiritual power was depleted, he would cultivate the Longevity Technique.

Three days passed in a flash.

The heavy iron door slowly opened, and a tall figure emerged from inside; it was Lin Xuan.

Over these three days, he had cultivated the Instant Shadow Step and the Golden Jade Body Tempering Technique to the Basic Realm, and next, they needed to be advanced through real combat.

In martial arts, the realms are divided into four levels: Basic, Small Success, Great Success, and Perfection, each realm producing drastically different effects.

For instance, the same martial art technique at the Small Success Realm would totally outperform the Basic Realm, and the Great Success Realm could overwhelmingly surpass the Small Success Realm.

It was said that above the Perfect Realm, there exists another realm named the Mental Realm, but it is seldom mentioned.

As for the movement technique, he was still a way off from Small Success, and the Golden Jade Body Tempering Technique also required purchasing some medicinal materials for cultivation.

Most importantly, he still needed a sword!

Lin Xuan rubbed his forehead, planning another trip to Leyang City.

Outer Door residential area, Lin Xuan’s small hut.

A beautiful figure sat alone, her long, graceful legs displaying perfect curves, her clear black and white eyes intermittently glancing towards the door.

When she saw Lin Xuan’s figure entering, the young girl huffed.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Lin Xuan had just entered the cabin when he saw Tang Yu propping her chin with her small hand, lost in thought.

“Heh, did you miss me?” Lin Xuan grinned mischievously.

“I wish you’d drop dead!” Tang Yu rolled her eyes at him, huffing and puffing, “Come with me to a place.”

Lin Xuan, eyes still fixed on those long, beautiful legs, suddenly paused, “You broke through?”

“Is that so surprising?” Tang Yu pouted, “So are you coming or not?”

“Where to?”

“Leyang!

You country bumpkin, you’ve never been there, have you?” Tang Yu teased.

Lin Xuan: “…”

“I’m okay with going, but let’s discuss something first.” Lin Xuan smiled warmly, just like the sunlight outside the window.

It was the first time Tang Yu had seen such a warm smile on Lin Xuan’s face, which made her blush slightly.

“What, what are you going to do?”

Lin Xuan seemed not to notice Tang Yu’s demure pose, he leaned in close and whispered, “Well, could I borrow some Spirit Stones to spend?”

“You!

Go to hell!” Tang Yu thought Lin Xuan was going to say something touching, but it turned out he was just asking for money.

She immediately pouted her lips and threw a punch with her small, tender fists.

Lin Xuan dodged with a chuckle and clapped his hands, “Let’s go, Miss Tang family.”

Le Yang City was still bustling with people, but this time, Lin Xuan was not in a black robe, and instead entered this prosperous city as a disciple of the Xuantian Sect.

Lin Xuan had been considering whether to use the Purple Gold Card given by the Heavenly Fragrance Square.

However, Tang Yu had no intention of going there and dragged Lin Xuan straight to the Ten Thousand Treasure Tower.

After paying the entrance fee, the two walked in side by side.

Inside, the place was extravagantly decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and Lin Xuan curiously looked around.

“I’ll lend you a thousand Spirit Stones, remember to pay me back!” Tang Yu handed Lin Xuan ten spirit tickets and then cheerfully ran towards the counter.

Lin Xuan took the spirit tickets and tucked them into his pocket, then headed towards the weapons area.

All kinds of weapons were displayed on the wooden shelves, many of which Lin Xuan had never seen before.

He picked up a fine steel long sword and flicked it lightly, the blade immediately emitting a clear ringing sound.

Lin Xuan’s eyes lit up, as expected from the Ten Thousand Treasure Tower; even a random sword was of excellent quality.

He was born in the Sword Pond Prefecture and had grown up holding a long sword, so he was quite familiar with longswords.

“Pfft, too young indeed, getting so happy over an ordinary treasure sword!” the voice of the Lord of Wine echoed in Lin Xuan’s heart.

“Ordinary?

Why don’t you give me one then!” Lin Xuan retorted.

“Hehe, young man, you need to rely on yourself.

Don’t always think of fortunes falling from the sky!” the Lord of Wine said earnestly, “If you want good stuff, I can recommend a place to you.”

“You?” Lin Xuan was incredulous, “Do you know about some Ancient Treasure Cave?”

“Hehe, remember that kid who talked about the Demon Pit the other time?” the Lord of Wine reminded.

Lin Xuan blinked and then cursed, “Scam!

A Demon Pit, I’d rather die than go there!”

“Young man, where’s your spirit of adventure?

Don’t worry, with me here, I guarantee there’ll be no problem!” the Lord of Wine assured confidently.

Lin Xuan was somewhat tempted.

The Demon Pit was always shrouded in mystery, and there were even stones blown over from the depths of Taihang Mountain.

Maybe they really could find something good.

The Lord of Wine continued to tempt, “We’ll just stay on the outer edges, we won’t go deep.

I’ve calculated, and your opportunity lies there!”

“You and your opportunity, you just want me to fetch stones for you, right!” Lin Xuan bluntly exposed the Lord of Wine’s intentions.

“Hehe…” the Lord of Wine chuckled, “If you could really carve a treasure sword out of a rock, you’d make a fortune!”

Actually, Lin Xuan was not without ideas.

If a mere broken stone could contain a Spirit Root, who knows what else could be hidden in other stones?

Besides, despite Lin Xuan’s long sword looking shiny and impressive, he knew this quality of sword simply couldn’t withstand the use of the Thunder Move Sword Technique; it must be crafted from special metals and turned into a treasure to withstand that brutal power.