“What’s the matter?” asked Lin Yun.
“Nothing, I’m just asking,” replied Li Wuyou.
Lin Yun pondered briefly before replying in a deep voice, “He can easily kill us with one finger.”
Lin Yun was exaggerating. He couldn’t tell anything from the old man’s aura at all. Although the Sword Firmament Pavilion’s elders were terrifyingly strong, he could sense that this old man was a lot stronger. This old man was on a whole new level compared to someone like Bei Ting and Luo Feng. Lin Yun couldn’t sense how strong the old man was due to the vast gap between their cultivation.
Squatting on the stone platform, Li Wuyou revealed an unnatural smile. Inside the bamboo building were messed up boxes, open cabinets, and things scattered on the ground. It seemed as though someone had raided this place.
However, there were no changes to the old man’s face when he saw this. He walked over to an ordinary bronze mirror. Looking at the mirror, pictures started to appear. The old man saw how Lin Yun comprehended the complete sword intent and how Li Wuyou charged into the building and ransacked the place.
When the old man saw Lin Yun comprehend the complete sword intent, he fell into deep thought and muttered to himself, “How rare for someone to be acknowledged by the Sword Burial Woods.”
After a while, the old man reappeared before Lin Yun and Li Wuyou after he found out what had happened. The old man gave Lin Yun a nod before turning to look at Li Wuyou. He suddenly spoke out, “I was the one who planted these woods.”
Li Wuyou was dumbfounded as guilt filled his heart. He knew that the old man found out about what he had said.
The old man continued, “This bamboo building belongs to me. I also heard you calling me a poor bloke.”
Caught red-handed, Li Wuyou awkwardly tried to explain himself as he chuckled, “Senior, there must be a misunderstanding somewhere…”
“Don’t move.” The old man gently tapped Li Wuyou, who was trying to stand up. Lin Yun raised his brow when he saw this scene. He could sense a trace of sword intent pouring into Li Wuyou’s body.
Li Wuyou’s face suddenly froze. He couldn’t move at all. Bursting into tears, he begged, “Big brother… ouch! Big brother, save me!”
“May I ask how I should address you, senior?” asked Lin Yun.
“Just call me Thirteen,” he responded.
Cupping his hands together, Lin Yun continued, “Lord Thirteen, Wuyou spoke without thinking because he was anxious to save me. I can assure you that he didn’t intend to insult you.”
“I’ve killed god knows how many people just like him. If it wasn’t for the fact that he still had some loyalty in him, do you think he would still be standing here?” Lord Thirteen replied coldly.
“You’re acquainted with spiritual runes?” The old man suddenly popped a question.
Spiritual runes…? Lin Yun had no idea what the old man was saying.
Upon seeing this, the old man ignored Lin Yun. He took out a hatchet and left. It didn’t take long for him to return with a pile of bamboo. He took a few fish from his basket and started to prepare them.
When Lin Yun saw this, he immediately went up to offer his assistance. The old man only took a glance at Lin Yun, but he didn’t stop Lin Yun when he saw that the latter knew what he was doing. Then, the old man stopped what he was doing and watched Lin Yun roast the fish.
“Interesting, you’re using the Violet Sacred Flame to grill fish.” Lord Thirteen touched his beard and revealed a smile for the first time.
Lin Yun responded with a smile. It wasn’t the first time he had done this, so he was familiar with what he was doing. After a while, a fragrance drifted out from the fish.
“Lord Thirteen, here you go.” Lin Yun handed a grilled fish to the old man.
The old man smiled and received it. Lin Yun then took another fish and handed it to the Dragon Blooded Horse. As for Li Wuyou, who was still frozen, he could only stare at Lin Yun with puppy eyes. When Lin Yun saw the old man eating the fish in a good mood, he smiled, “Senior, what do you think?”
“Not bad. Your skills are better than mine,” replied Lord Thirteen.
“Then my friend…” Lin Yun trailed off.
Lord Thirteen waved his hand and released Li Wuyou. When Li Wuyou fell to the ground, he ignored that he was covered in dust and ran over, taking a grilled fish from Lin Yun. Lin Yun only prepared three fish, so when he wanted to take another fish from the basket, he noticed that it was empty.
“The Snowdragon Carp can only be caught by breaking the ice in winter. Catching it depends entirely on luck.” The old man smiled while looking at Lin Yun. The old man had been observing Lin Yun secretly and was finally satisfied with the latter.
In the last few decades, no one had managed to comprehend the complete sword intent in the Sword Burial Woods. Everyone who came had no patience for the old man and only thought about gaining opportunities. Furthermore, there was no respect in their words. For those people, the old man had simply killed them and tossed them into the lake to feed the fishes.
As for Lin Yun, the old man could see his character from how he grilled the fish. Lin Yun gave him the first fish, the Dragon Blooded Horse the second, and the third to his friend. He placed himself last. Moreover, Lin Yun had done it naturally without any pretense.
When he saw the robust Dragon Blooded Horse, the old man knew that Lin Yun must’ve been treating it well. Furthermore, Li Wuyou was a fool, but he would risk his life charging into the Sword Burial Woods to save Lin Yun without any hesitation.
“The Snowdragon Carp!” Li Wuyou’s eyes lit up. “This is the king of fishes. Not only is it delicious and boneless, but it’s also a natural tonic. A Snowdragon Carp is enough to drive Violet Palace Realms insane!”
“You know quite a lot. Also, you’re eating the last one,” said Lord Thirteen.
Wiping his mouth, Li Wuyou smiled, “Sorry about that, big brother. I ate the last one.”
Lin Yun couldn’t be bothered with this brat. Li Wuyou looked happy and he didn’t look like he felt any guilt.
“I’ll go cultivate first. I can’t suppress the spiritual energy in my body anymore.” Li Wuyou’s body was permeated with spiritual energy. His face had turned red from the fish. He instantly understood the wondrous effect of the Snowdragon Carp and immediately circulated his cultivation technique.
Li Wuyou couldn’t take any pellets while cultivating the Astral Star Art, so his cultivation was slow. So it was natural that he was overjoyed at the sight of a Snowdragon Carp. He didn’t want to let it go to waste.
As the night grew older, Li Wuyou continued to cultivate while the Dragon Blooded Horse was deep asleep. Li Wuyou’s aura was surging violently and his cultivation was increasing at a staggering speed. One Snowdragon Carp was actually bringing him to the pinnacle of the seventh orifice Xiantian Realm.
Lord Thirteen placed his hands that were filled with calluses over the fire. He suddenly turned to look at Lin Yun before he got up and walked towards the cold lake.
“This is…” Lin Yun immediately followed the old man.
When they arrived at the lake, the old man spoke out, “What do you think of the Sword Burial Woods?”
“At first, I thought that there was a legacy left behind by a senior and that receiving the Sword Burial Woods’ acknowledgment would provide an opportunity. However, now it’s clear that this is just your place of solitude,” Lin Yun said after a little thought.
“Legacy? That’s not an entirely incorrect way to think. But it’s not easy to receive my legacy. Over the past few decades, a total of 96 people have come to this place. Except for three of them, the rest were all thrown into the cold lake to feed the fish.”
Lin Yun was shocked when he heard this. So this was why Wang Ning and the others did not dare to step into the Sword Burial Woods.
“You entered here because you were being chased, right? Tell me about it,” requested Lord Thirteen.
Lin Yun did not dally and briefly explained his conflict with the two Wang brothers, along with what he encountered in the forest. As he spoke, Lin Yun recalled the indifference and contempt on the faces of Wang Yan, Wang Ning, Huangfu Jingxuan, and the others. He recalled how he was forced into a dead-end with over nine thousand new disciples watching.
No one could understand what he felt. Lin Yun thought that he was calm enough, but after sharing it with Lord Thirteen, the murderous aura within his heart began to overflow.
“You have to test your aptitude just because you’re a sword slave? And you’re even forced to abandon the qualification to be a seeded candidate? It seems that the Sword Firmament Pavilion has gone downhill.” The old man spoke indifferently, but there was a cold chill in his voice. When he spoke, his voice even contained murderous intent.
“Do you hate them?” he asked.
“I do. But I’m too weak to do anything about it,” replied Lin Yun.
“Good. You have a good cultivation technique and a sturdy foundation, not to mention that you even grasped the complete sword intent. So, where are you lacking?” Lord Thirteen asked.
“Cultivation,” replied Lin Yun with bright eyes.
“Then, I’ll bestow cultivation upon you!” Lord Thirteen waved his hand. The cold wind began to blow from the cold lake. The majestic Yin energy had formed into a tornado, leaving Lin Yun stunned when he realized that the Yin energy here was stronger than the Yin Wind Stream.
Without any changes on his face, Lord Thirteen continued, “The predecessors set up an array here, transforming the Yin energy. As for how much you can absorb, that will depend entirely on your fortune.”
“Why are you helping me? With my talent and aptitude, I shouldn’t have caught your attention…” asked Lin Yun, suppressing the stirring in his heart.
Lord Thirteen turned around and removed his headscarf, revealing a mark on his forehead that left Lin Yun stunned.
“Lord Thirteen, you…” said Lin Yun.
“Do you know why I’m helping you now?” Putting his headscarf back on, Lord Thirteen continued, “Talent? The world doesn’t lack geniuses and I’ve seen a fair share of them myself. Only those who caught my attention are considered geniuses. As for the rest, they’re just garbage. Since you have hatred planted in your heart, then take your revenge. Otherwise, what is the use of grasping sword intent? How are you any different from garbage if you don’t take your revenge? You’re not welcomed in my Sword Burial Woods if you ever go against your heart!”
Lin Yun could feel his blood boiling. He replied, “Senior, I swear that I will not disappoint you.”