Congyun Mountains.
Roar—
A giant roar of savage anger and brutality sounded from the dense mountain forest.
A massive creature, covered in black barbs and resembling a giant porcupine magnified hundreds of times, crawled out of the cave.
Its crimson eyes stared at the tall figure ahead, and the next moment, it charged straight towards the opponent like a land tank, the ancient trees and rocks blocking its path as fragile as white paper, shattering upon contact.
The tall human figure appeared incredibly small before such a behemoth.
However, facing such a giant creature, the figure's face not only showed no hint of panic but instead revealed a trace of excitement.
Before the giant porcupine could get close, the figure had already vanished from the spot instantly.
The sudden change caused intense brutality to show in the porcupine beast's crimson eyes.
Its massive nostrils twitched forcefully, and soon, as if sensing something, it suddenly turned around, displaying agility that was extremely inconsistent with its size.
It opened its bloody maw and bit towards its side.
"Decent reaction speed."
Lin Sheng's figure appeared, and looking at the bloody maw biting towards him, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
A dense azure halo appeared on his palm, and he pointed a finger at its lower jaw.
Poof—
A large amount of blood spurted out, the porcupine beast's entire lower jaw exploded, and the violent bursting force caused its massive head to tilt backward.
However, the intense pain instead completely stimulated its ferocity.
Its body vibrated rapidly, and in an instant, the sharp spines on its body shot out in all directions, like sharp spears tearing through the air, producing dense airburst sounds.
"Going all out?"
Seeing this scene, Lin Sheng's expression was calm, as if he had known this move would come. Azure halos emerged on his hands, shattering the spears shooting towards him one by one.
Then, his figure flashed and appeared on the back of the porcupine beast.
Without giving it a chance to resist, he pointed a finger at the center of its head.
The energy penetrated its head, and the porcupine beast let out a tragic roar towards the sky, struggling incessantly as if insane. Unfortunately, it was useless. After more than ten breaths, its massive body heavily crashed to the ground, its vitality already dissipated.
Lin Sheng appeared in front of the porcupine, extended his palm, and placed it on the wound.
A string of information quickly appeared on the panel.
【Beast Name: Corrupted Marsh Black Mane (Spirit Beast)】
【Body length several zhang, shaped like a giant porcupine, covered in sharp spines, containing virulent poison corrosion, and a brutal temperament. This is an adult Corrupted Marsh Black Mane, which can be classified as an Elementary Level Spirit Beast.】
【Integration Requirement: Agility Boost 5】
【Integration Effect: Strength Boost 6, Constitution Boost 5, Poison Corrosion Buff 5】
【Talent: Poison Corrosion Infusion】
Sweeping over the panel information, Lin Sheng did not hesitate and directly chose to integrate.
Although he had never seen a Spirit Beast like the Corrupted Marsh Black Mane before, he generally knew its information.
He just didn't expect such a large Spirit Beast's talent to be related to toxicity.
"Although the attributes are average, it's still a Spirit Beast, so it's not bad."
Feeling the blood mist in his consciousness space becoming denser, a smile appeared on his face.
This Corrupted Marsh Black Mane was a Spirit Beast near their temporary station.
Two days ago, when a Sect Disciple went out to gather resources, he discovered the existence of this big fellow.
After reporting this matter back, he voluntarily came to handle it.
With his strength, an Elementary Level Spirit Beast posed no threat at all.
Even facing some weaker High-Level Spirit Beasts, he might not be without the power to fight now.
It must be admitted that the number of Spirit Beasts in the Congyun Mountains is indeed large.
Since arriving in the Congyun Mountains, he had mainly focused his energy on cultivation and had not deliberately explored the Congyun Mountains. His activity range was basically limited to the vicinity of the temporary station.
But even so, he had already integrated with three Pseudo-Spirit Beasts, as well as the Spirit Beast in front of him.
And this was only the outer area of the Congyun Mountains, without venturing too deep. If he were to explore deeper, who knows how many powerful exotic beasts there would be.
"Perhaps I can cultivate all seven True Arts of the Seven Forms Sect here."
He thought this to himself.
The Seven True Arts of the Seven Forms Sect each correspond to an ancient exotic beast.
Although these exotic beasts have long been extinct, integrating with compatible Spirit Beasts can still meet the integration requirements.
With the abundance of exotic beasts in the Congyun Mountains, it is undoubtedly extremely suitable for cultivating multiple True Arts.
However, because the changes in the Seven Forms Sect happened too suddenly, only the Spirit Snake, Qingniao, and Golden Yuan Yards among the seven major yards were preserved. It is unknown whether the Seven True Arts are still complete.
"Never mind, I'll know once I go back and ask."
Having thought this, he was already dragging the corpse of the Corrupted Marsh Black Mane back to the temporary station.
Inside the mountain hollow, in a spacious stone house.
"Senior Brother Yuan and I have already compiled the statistics these past few days. The Sect has suffered heavy losses. Only the two of us remain among the heads of the seven major yards. Therefore, out of the original seven True Arts, only five are relatively complete now. The cultivation methods of the Earth Dragon and Caifeng Yards are missing."
Hearing Lin Sheng ask, Xie Qingyun sighed lightly and said softly. As if worried that Lin Sheng might overthink, she quickly added.
"However, Sheng'er, you don't need to worry. The cultivation methods of the Earth Dragon and Caifeng Yards' True Arts before Bones Transformation are still complete, which is enough to meet the requirements for the final Seven Forms Fusion."
"Seven Forms Fusion?"
Hearing this somewhat unfamiliar term, Lin Sheng's heart stirred.
Seeing that Lin Sheng was interested, Xie Qingyun smiled slightly and continued to explain.
"Seven Forms Fusion is the key to the Peerless True Art of the Sect. For example, our Qingniao Yard's Qingniao Chasing Star Finger, although it can also become a True Art, is still far from being a Peerless True Art. Even among True Arts, it can only be considered average."
"After all, the upper limit of the Chasing Star Finger cultivation method is only Bones Transformation Fifth Layer."
"After cultivating the Chasing Star Finger to the highest Realm, if you want to further improve your cultivation Realm, you need to start cultivating a second True Art. Just like my Bai Xiang Zhen Yue Gong (White Elephant Mountain-Suppressing Skill), after cultivating this skill to its upper limit, I can use Seven Forms Fusion to break through to Bones Transformation Sixth Layer. To break through to Bones Transformation Seventh Layer, you need to cultivate another True Art to its upper limit and perform Seven Forms Fusion."
Speaking of this, Xie Qingyun paused, revealing a look of emotion.
"As for breaking through to the Divine Transformation Realm, you need to cultivate at least four True Arts to their upper limit, while the other three True Arts also need to reach the Peak of Blood Transportation before performing Seven Forms Fusion again. After successful fusion, you can step into the Divine Transformation Realm."
"So that's how it is."
Hearing what Xie Qingyun said, an enlightened expression appeared on Lin Sheng's face.
This also explained why, apart from Sect Leader Ouyang Bing, the strongest among the heads of the seven major yards in the Seven Forms Sect were only Yuan Zhongfei and Lu Gang at Bones Transformation Fifth Layer.
Because the difficulty of breaking through to Bones Transformation Sixth Layer is extremely high, requiring starting from scratch and cultivating another True Art to Perfection.
He had not cultivated other True Arts, but he thought they shouldn't be as difficult as those of the Seven Forms Sect.
However, thinking carefully, high cultivation difficulty doesn't necessarily come without benefits. Cultivating multiple True Arts simultaneously, one's combat power would definitely not be low.
Ouyang Bing is a good example. One must know that he is known as the top expert in Wanhua City, and his high-level combat power is probably not much inferior to that of someone like Wu Xing Sword Shi Hui, who comes from a major Sect of a prefecture.
"How many True Arts did Sect Leader cultivate when he attempted Seven Forms Fusion?"
Lin Sheng asked with some curiosity.
"Sect Leader Ouyang had cultivated four True Arts to Great Completion and three to Minor Completion, meeting the necessary conditions for breaking through to the Divine Transformation Realm. It's just a pity that Sect Leader he had bad luck and failed both times he attempted to break through. Otherwise, our Seven Forms Sect wouldn't have ended up like this."
Hearing this, Lin Sheng's heart stirred, and he continued to ask.
"If all seven True Arts are cultivated to Great Completion before performing Seven Forms Fusion, what kind of effect will that have?"
"Well, only the founding ancestor managed to cultivate all seven True Arts to Great Completion back then. It is said that the founding ancestor once sparred with the Sect Leader of the Tianxiang Sword Sect and ended in a draw."
Xie Qingyun thought for a moment and said, then shook her head slightly.
"Although cultivating the seven yards' True Arts to Great Completion is extremely powerful, the difficulty is simply too high. You must know that Sect Leader Ouyang is already a rare Genius. Although his Bloodline potential is not top-tier, it is among the best of the high-tier. But even so, it took him over sixty years to cultivate four True Arts to Great Completion."
"I understand."
Lin Sheng nodded.
He was still a little surprised when he heard what Xie Qingyun said.
"I didn't expect the founding ancestor could fight to a draw with the Sect Leader of the Tianxiang Sword Sect at that time. This shows that the Peerless True Art of the Seven Forms Sect is actually not as weak as Wan Yanbei said it was. If cultivated to its limit, it can actually be comparable to the Peerless True Arts of major Sects like the Tianxiang Sword Sect."
"Sheng'er, these next few days, I will transcribe the Sect's True Arts and the secret method of Seven Forms Fusion. I will give them to you to examine then." Seeing that Lin Sheng didn't speak, Xie Qingyun said with a smile.
"In that case, thank you, Master." Lin Sheng cupped his hands in a salute.
"No need for formalities. The future of the Seven Forms Sect rests on you."
Ever since Lin Sheng displayed overwhelming strength, she had the intention of treating him as the new Sect Leader.
For this, she had discussed it with Yuan Zhongfei more than once, and the latter had no objections.
In fact, anyone with discerning eyes could see that in the current situation of the Seven Forms Sect, Lin Sheng was the only hope.
Coming out of the room, Lin Sheng was still thinking in his heart.
"Of the Seven Great True Arts of the Seven Forms Sect, only five are relatively complete now. The other two being incomplete is a problem."
With his ambition, if he were to cultivate, he would naturally want to achieve Great Completion in all seven True Arts.
He would have to find a way to complete the two missing True Arts in the future.
"I just don't know if the heads of the Earth Dragon and Caifeng Yards are still alive."
While thinking, he quickly shook his head slightly again, letting out a wry smile.
"Never mind, it's too early to think about these things now. Even the Qingniao Chasing Star Finger hasn't reached Great Completion. Five True Arts are enough to cultivate for a long time. As for the matter of the other two True Arts, it's not too late to talk about it later. The most urgent matter is still to improve my strength as soon as possible."
Having thought this, he had already returned to the cave and began his spiritual refinement.
Late at night, Lin Sheng sat cross-legged on the cliff face on one side of the mountain hollow.
In the sky, the full moon hung high, casting a soft glow.
He held the Lengshuang Sword, its blade constantly sweeping, and a large bluestone in front of him had already taken on a human form.
This was a sculpture of a middle-aged man with a somewhat scholarly aura, none other than the Seven Forms Sect Leader Ouyang Bing.
Suddenly, the movement of the Lengshuang Sword in his hand stopped, and he turned his head to look at the dark mountain forest behind him.
"Since you're here, come out."
"As expected, nothing can be hidden from Lin Xiong."
A light chuckle came from the mountain forest, and the next moment, a figure with a sword on his back stepped out from the mountain forest.
The figure with the sword on his back had a smile on his face. When his gaze fell on Lin Sheng, a hint of inexplicable emotion flashed, especially when he saw the long sword in his hand, his gaze paused.
"Lin Xiong, every time I hear news about you, I feel quite surprised."
"The famous sword Lengshuang Sword, four chi long, imbued with ice, ranked 7th among the eight famous swords of the Tianxiang Sword Sect. It is a rare good sword."
Wan Yanbei spoke softly, directly revealing the details of the Lengshuang Sword.
"It seems you know quite a bit. If you're interested, I'll give it to you, considering it repaying your favor."
Lin Sheng pointed his long sword, adding the final stroke to the sculpture. Only then did he turn his gaze to Wan Yanbei and speak indifferently.
"The sword is a good sword, but it's not suitable for me. If it were before, perhaps I would have agreed, but now, Lin Xiong's favor holds more and more weight in my heart."
Wan Yanbei smiled and shook his head, his gaze also moving away from the Lengshuang Sword.
"Sell it to you for one million taels?"
Lin Sheng gently flicked the sword body, emitting a crisp dragon's cry.
"If the Tianxiang Sword Sect knew that one of their eight famous swords was only sold for one million taels, they would probably be so angry they'd spit up three liters of blood."
"What? Afraid of the Tianxiang Sword Sect, don't dare to take it?"
"Although the Tianxiang Sword Sect is strong, my Reverse Tenth Floor is not necessarily afraid of them. If Lin Xiong is interested in joining my Reverse Tenth Floor, I can protect your Seven Forms Sect."
Wan Yanbei suddenly spoke seriously.
"No need. If you came to find me just to say this, then you'll be disappointed."
Lin Sheng shook his head.
Seeing the other party refuse him, Wan Yanbei didn't show anything on his face, but instead revealed a smile.
"Lin Xiong really hasn't changed at all. Since that's the case, I won't force you, but there is indeed something I need your help with."
Hearing this, Lin Sheng's gaze fell on Wan Yanbei's face.
"Speak."
"I want to ask Lin Xiong to help me kill a few people."
"Where are the people?"
"Right within the Congyun Mountains."
Hearing this, Lin Sheng's fingers gently stroked the sword body. After a while, he slowly nodded.
"Okay."
"In that case, thank you, Lin Xiong." As the words fell, Wan Yanbei's figure had already disappeared from the cliff face.
Watching the other party's figure disappear, the light in Lin Sheng's eyes flickered. Finally, he withdrew his gaze and began carving again.
*
"How was it? Did he agree?"
A thousand li away from the Seven Forms Sect temporary station in the Congyun Mountains, atop a low Peak.
The one-eyed old man with a head full of white hair and an ancient robe, his gaze falling on Wan Yanbei beside him, spoke slowly.
"No, this person has a firm character and seems to be somewhat wary of me."
"What a pity. How about I just take action and capture him, or threaten him with his Sect?"
The one-eyed old man thought for a moment and spoke again.
Wan Yanbei, however, shook his head slightly.
"Elder Tong, this person acts decisively and is definitely not someone who can be threatened. Acting like this might be counterproductive. If I want him to become my shadow, he has to be willing."
Saying this, a cold smile appeared on his face.
"I already have arrangements for this. No matter how strong his talent and potential are, he hasn't fully grown yet. Now, the entire Linjiang Prefecture is hunting him. As long as I push him, he'll have no choice but to join us."