Chapter 94 – Martial Intent Reappears
Chapter title is a spoiler, highlight it to read it now, or see it at the bottom.
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Of course this was great. Their Lin Family had always been pressured by the Zhu Family, and even the younger generation was being pressured by Zhu Yan. Now Lin Ming was able to mercilessly get justice for them, and even challenge Zhu Yan at spear point. To overturn this mountain that had always been suppressing the younger generation of the Lin Family, how could he not be feeling great?
There that night, 12 more long range sound transmitting talismans were used in succession to return news to the Sky Fortune City Lin Family branch. The instructions the Lin Family Head gave were, “Do not hesitate to use all supplies available to support Lin Ming. We must create the best and most ideal conditions for Lin Ming, so that he can defeat Zhu Yan one month from now.”
So today, because of the instructions from the Head of the Lin Family, the Lin Family branch sent Lin Wu to bring Lin Ming resources to support him.
“This is…” Lin Ming looked at a small porcelain bottle and a small jade box in Lin Wu’s hand.
“The Head of the Lin Family sent an urgent message through 12 long-range sound transmitting talismans to the family branch. He wants you to train well, and try your hardest to defeat Zhu Yan a month from now.”
Lin Ming took the porcelain bottle and the jade box. He opened the porcelain bottle. Inside were ten pills. They were lustrous and round, with a delicate and gentle fragrance. As soon as one saw these, it was easy to tell they were superior medicines.
“High-level Soul Gathering Pellet?”
The main ingredient of an ordinary Soul Gathering Pellet was a 100 year old Yuan fruit. Its value was no less than a 100 year old Blood Lingzhi.
But a high-level Soul Gathering Pellet was made from a 300 year old Yuan fruit. Its value was at least 7 times more than an ordinary Soul Gathering Pellet. Moreover, it was not easy to buy!
A Soul Gathering Pellet could not directly increase a martial artist’s strength, but it could enhance a martial artist’s ability to condense true essence and thus increase their cultivation speed. Although these types of pills’ effects of increasing strength were slow, they did not have any side effects, and one could take them constantly.
Because of this, of all the pills that martial artists had, the consumption of Soul Gathering Pellet was the highest. This bottle that the Lin Family gave of high-level Soul Gathering Pellets was worth nearly 20,000 gold taels.
The family had really used all their resources.
Lin Ming looked at Lin Wu and then opened the jade box. After opening it, he saw neatly placed inside were two layers of crystal clear stones that looked as if they were carved from ice. True essence stones!
Lin Ming could see with one sweep of his eyes that this box held 30 true essence stones!
30 true essence stones was not a small number! And these true essence stones were glittering as if they were carved from translucent glass. If compared to those given by the Seven Profound Martial House, they were somewhat purer.
These true essence stones; their value was also not low!
Seeing this bottle of Soul Gathering Pellets and this box of true essence stones, Lin Ming understood that if he received this great gift, it was equivalent to his tacit approval, and that he was willing to become a direct descendant of the Lin Family.
Lin Wu realized that Lin Ming’s look had changed, and he faintly guessed in his mind what he was deliberating. He said with some embarrassment and a hint of apology, “Young Cousin, I know that this icing on the cake is not of a timely nature to truly help. I know that when you first came down to Sky Fortune City, not even a shadow of the family was here to help or assist you. Now that Young cousin has become a dragon among men, the family only then delivers medicine and true essence stones. It really does not honor you or do you justice, but there is also a reason we do the things we do. The family’s resources are limited… there are just too many children of the Lin Family. If each generation equally divided the family property, then the Lin Family would have already disappeared.”
Lin Ming understood what Lin Wu meant. Lin Ming’s own great grandmother was the matriarch of the family office, Madam Fang. This relation was passed down to Lin Ming. The children of a large family tended to have many wives, and thus they flourished. The number of heirs and descendants exponentially increased with each new generation. The property had to be concentrated together in order to ensure that the family traditions could continue.
The family gave some businesses to the branch family juniors to manage, and to let these distant families earn a salary. This was already a kindness to the branch families. In fact, this was very generous. If it wasn’t for Lin Ming practicing martial arts, his family’s life could also be very wealthy.
To the Lin Family with which he shared the last name, Lin Ming felt a little thanks, but he did not have any real sense of belonging to them. But Lin Ming knew that his parents had very traditional and serious mindsets, and they had always dreamed that one day they could return to the main family. In his parents’ eyes, recognizing their ancestors and returning to the main family was the orthodox.
This was because his parents’ status in the family would rise, and they would even receive the respect and veneration of the family head!
To the parents, this was a glory, and this glory would be brought because of him. Which parents did not hope for their children to have great accomplishments in the future, and return home with riches and honor? Lin Ming was a rare talent that had never been seen in the last hundred years of the Seven Profound Martial House. His rising star was enough to bring honor to his ancestors, and to give shade to his descendants.
Thinking this, Lin Ming accepted the pills and true essences stones, and said to Lin Wu, “Thank the family head for me.”
“Young Cousin is too humble. The Lin Family thanks young cousin, and we hope you win for us.” Seeing Lin Ming accept these gifts, Lin Wu relaxed and let loose a deep breath. He also had feared that Lin Ming had a cold and lonely heart towards the Lin Family.
It was only a few more months until the end of the year. Lin Ming was already calculating in his mind. There was a vacation period at the end of the Seven Profound Martial House school year. The Martial House disciples usually went home to celebrate the new year. He himself had to take advantage of this opportunity to visit his parents. His father and mother had worked hard enough for a lifetime; they deserved an easy and comfortable retirement in old age.
Bidding Lin Wu farewell, Lin Ming took the pills and the true essence stones with him, and carried Penetrating Rainbow to the Icy Pond Waterfall once more.
“Junior Apprentice Lin.” As soon as the deacon senior apprentice responsible for the Icy Pond Waterfall saw Lin Ming, his whole face had lit up with a welcoming smile. “Junior Apprentice Lin is truly basking in the limelight. But, ah, it is just too wonderful; Ranking Stone rank 62, terrific, terrific, and certainly unprecedented!”
Lin Ming smiled and didn’t respond. These last two days he had heard far too much similar flattery.
“What difficulty does Junior Apprentice Lin want?”
“Nine levels!”
The highest difficulty in the Icy Pond Waterfall array was the twelfth level. The deeper one went, the higher the level one went, the more difficult the array would be. The only person capable of just barely withstanding the twelfth level of difficulty was Ling Sen. Even he could only last for an incense stick of time, and then he too had to surface and meditate. Therefore Ling Sen only practiced at the eleventh level of difficulty.
In one month, Lin Ming had jumped two levels of difficulty, and gone from the seventh level to the ninth level. This was a truly unbelievable matter, but Lin Ming’s ranking spoke louder than words.
“Okay.” The deacon senior apprentice said without hesitation, and immediately opened the ninth level of difficulty.
Lin Ming swallowed a high-level Soul Gathering Pellet to help him increase his cultivation speed, and then he carried the Penetrating Rainbow with him as he dove into the icy pond.
As soon as he entered the icy pond, Lin Ming felt once more a bone chilling cold that was like tiny ice needles piercing him from all directions. The difficulty had kicked up a notch!
Of the Seven Profound Martial House’s resources, the Soul Gathering Pellets and true essences stones couldn’t be considered true treasures. Only these seven major killing arrays could be considered such. Each second and each minute was incomparably precious; he could not even waste a smidgen of time!
He only had two hours of time. Lin Ming stood on the big rock underneath the waterfall. He kept Penetrating Rainbow even and steady. In the ninth level of difficulty, the waterfall’s pulsing impact had increased tremendously. When Lin Ming had gripped his eight foot eight inch spear underneath the waterfall, he immediately felt the huge impact force of the waterfall, as if at any moment his arm would break under the weight.
Underneath the effects of the waterfall array, it was not easy to stand, and the water was also freezing cold. The unending flowing water constantly slicked off of the body’s heat. Adding an 820 jin spear that he kept horizontally underneath the waterfall, even with his own thick true essence and amazing strength, he could only support this consumption for a blink of an eye!
Even if it was Lin Ming, he had to absorb the true essence in a true essence stone to support himself.
“Mm? The absorption speed of true essence went up by 50%!” Lin Ming was startled, but he immediately understood. This was the effect of the high-level Soul Gathering Pellet.
An 1800 gold tael high-level Soul Gathering Pellet, eating one was a true treasure. The effects of this kind of luxurious and amazing pill were especially good!
By relying on the true essence stone and the high-level Soul Gathering Pill that was difficult to buy no matter how wealthy one was, Lin Ming was unexpectedly able to persist in this extremely violent situation!
Originally, Lin Ming had thought he could hold his breath for two quarters of an hour at most, but now, even though his true essence was depleted, he could still rely on the high-level Soul Gathering Pellet and true essence stone to supplement his body and barely continue.
Although Lin Ming felt that the pain was difficult to endure, he was still standing.
The advantages were immense in maintaining this condition. Not only did it rapidly enhance his spear skills, but it also tempered his body with true essence, and increased the synchronization of the tiny units in his body!
Each point of his muscles and organs independently absorbed true essence. His body continually resisted against the severe cold. When a common martial artist practiced martial arts, it was inevitable that their body would have a spot that they did not cultivate. But when every inch of the body was independently absorbing true essence, then this situation would not occur.
Lin Ming’s one breath had already lasted for half an hour!
Because of the biting ice-cold chill, Lin Ming’s body temperature had already dropped to an acutely low degree. An average man would have already died, but a martial artist relied on the protection of their true essence to maintain their blood flow.
Because of the long time he had been under this condition, Lin Ming’s consciousness began to fade away from his body. Slowly, the thunderous sounds of the waterfall began to fade away and vanish into nothing. Lin Ming’s mind entered a completely quiet and tranquil time and space. Here, it was as if he could clearly feel the flow and sound of each impact, and he could hear his own slow heartbeat as if it were frozen. This heartbeat beat with a rhythm of a booming drum.
At that moment, Lin Ming felt his soul leave his body once more. In his body, he once more felt that elusive state that he had been in before. Because he was unable to consciously control his body, the true essence in his body moved in accordance of its instincts. This sort of circulation route, compared to when Lin Ming was controlling his true essence himself, was far more perfect!
Lin Ming didn’t know, but this state was the rudimentary form of ‘Martial Intent’.