“It looks like you still remember me.” The middle-aged man smiled.
“How can I possibly forget you when it’s just recently?” Lin Yun replied. He now figured out many things. When the elder saw him, the first thing he asked was who gave him the Overlord Sword. Lin Yun didn’t pay much attention to that question back then, but now that he thinks about it again, the Overlord Sword should be placed in a secretive location in the third level.
“May I ask how do I address you?” Lin Yun asked cautiously.
“I haven’t used my name for a long time. I go by a one-word name now, Plum. You may call me Mister Plum.” The middle-aged man paused briefly before he smiled, “Perhaps you’ve heard of me…”
Lin Yun instantly felt that a bolt of lightning struck him. There were four Guardians beneath the Pavilion Lord, Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum. Those four held high positions in the Sword Firmament Pavilion, and they held the highest position in the Sword Firmament Pavilion, second only to the Pavilion Lord himself.
But the Pavilion Lord rarely shows himself, so the four Guardians practically managed the Sword Firmament Pavilion. Seeing how Luo Feng was respectful to this middle-aged man, this man must be Guardian Plum. This made Lin Yun even more curious. There was a huge difference in their status, so Lin Yun wondered why Guardian Plum was interested in him.
“You must be curious why I gave you the Overlord Sword, right?” Before Lin Yun could reply, Guardian Plum continued, “Because I know that you have a chance in learning it since you grasped your sword intent in the Sword Burial Woods. The sect doesn’t lack geniuses, but do you know why only a few managed to learn the Overlord Sword? That’s because they did not grasp their sword intent in a life and death situation, and they still don’t understand the true fangs of the sword. So how can they possibly control the dominance in the sword?”
He turned around and looked at Lin Yun, “I’m not lying to you, right? It’s a sword, not a move.”
“Indeed. It’s a sword, not a move.” Lin Yun nodded.
“Go back.” Guardian Plum was satisfied with Lin Yun’s reply.
Lin Yun was instantly stunned. He had no idea why Guardian Plum wanted to dismiss him off so quickly.
Lin Yun fell into deep thoughts before he replied, “I understand.” No matter what Guardian Plum said, the reason why Guardian Plum wanted to meet him was to show a stance that the Sword Firmament Pavilion valued Lin Yun greatly. People would have to reconsider if they wanted to take action against him.
“I like the strong and people who are loyal. I personally admire you, and I’ll give you a surprise if you can get the Overlord Sword to greater mastery,” said Guardian Mei. “As for right now, there’s nothing much I can give you right now. Cultivate well. In the path of cultivation, you have to rely on yourself.”
“Thank you for your teaching!” Lin Yun was grateful that Guardian Plum, the head of the Guardians, would say so much to him. Furthermore, Guardian Plum had already helped him greatly by giving him the Overlord Sword back in the Martial Hall.
“You can leave now.”
“I’ll be taking my leave then.” Lin Yun turned around and left with a smile on her face. He knew that he had finally gained a footing in the Great Qin Empire starting today. And shortly after Lin Yun left, three people appeared. They were two men and one woman.
“Big Brother Plum, he really looks like you when you’re young.” The woman sighed, looking at Lin Yun.
“He’s young and frivolous, yet he’s also loyal and righteous… But his composure seems lacking.”
“Big Brother, are you trying to get him to complete what you’ve failed? But that seems a little too far away…”
Guardian Plum sighed, “It’s indeed far away. But there’s still hope. No matter what, he’s worthy of the Sword Firmament Pavilion to groom him.”
Lin Yun did not return to the Locket Mountain after leaving and headed to the Martial Hall instead. He came in a hurry previously and only picked a sword technique. But now that Ye Liuyun was dead, it was time for him to ponder about his cultivation.
He already had a sword and fist technique, so he still lacked a movement and body-refining technique. It wouldn’t be easy to find a decent body-refining technique, but he urgently needed a new movement technique.
“Lin Yun!” Many people recognized him the moment he entered the hall.
“He recovered in just three days? Wang Yan suffered greatly this time. I heard that his limbs were broken, and he’ll have to spend the next few months on the bed.”
“The Sword Firmament Pavilion values him greatly, so Wang Yan naturally suffered greatly.”
“He’s simply a monster!”
“Well, you will also be valued by the sect if you have the talent and strength. Even someone like Wang Yan can only suffer.”
Many people were whispering among themselves while looking at Lin Yun with reverence. Many people at the bottom of the food chain saw Lin Yun as a beacon of hope. He wasn’t afraid of power, and he managed to gain a footing in the sect relying on himself.
Lin Yun quickly came to the third level. He came with a clear objective this time and looked through the jade tokens. The Great Goose Art was no longer enough for him, and any single token here could greatly boost his strength.
“I have to find a movement technique that goes well with the Dragon-Tiger Fist. So I don’t need a movement technique with many changes. I just need one that’s fast and ferocious.” Lin Yun kept to his standard and swiftly eliminated tokens after tokens… The Fallen Leaf Steps, Wind-borne Art, Lightcloud Soar…
“The Fierycloud Steps, an advanced profound martial technique. At greater mastery, you will be as quick as a bolt of lightning, soaring through the clouds like a fireball…” Lin Yun made up his mind and went down to the first level without any hesitation. He handed the jade token over respectfully, “Elder, I wish to have this Fierycloud Steps.”
Lin Yun was respectful to this responsible elder. When the elder took the token, he gave a deep look at Lin Yun, which made the latter felt uncomfortable. The awkward silence lasted for a long time before he asked, “You really managed to learn the Overlord Sword?”
“It’s only a fluke. I can barely swing out this sword.” Lin Yun nodded.
“A hero emerges while he’s young. I nearly ruined you.” The elder sighed.
“Elder, please don’t say that,” said Lin Yun.
“The Fierycloud Steps? This is compatible with the Dragon-Tiger Fist, but it’s ultimately still an advanced profound martial art. Let me give you another movement technique. It’s similar to the Fierycloud Steps, and consider it my compensation to you.” The elder handed another token to Lin Yun instead.
“The Seven Profound Steps, a transcendent profound martial technique. In ancient times, people created the Divine Sunchasing Art by observing the Golden Crow. But this martial technique was ultimately lost and became lacking, and the later generations created many movement techniques based on the incomplete Divine Sunchasing Art. The Seven Profound Steps was one of them.” Lin Yun’s face changed when he saw the Seven Profound Steps. It was a transcendent profound martial technique!
It was something that you could only obtain by going on the fourth level. But his Sword Firmament Token was only in the third grade, and it shouldn’t be possible for him to have this martial technique logically speaking.
“The Seven Profound Steps is extremely difficult to cultivate, and it’s not easy to reach greater mastery with it. It might be a transcendent profound martial technique, but it’s on the fifth level, together with other spiritual profound martial techniques,” said the elder.
Lin Yun’s brows twitched. The fifth level of the Martial Hall had utterly exceeded his expectation. “Senior, this…”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re fully worthy of the Seven Profound Steps since you’re a monster who learned the Overlord Sword. I made you suffer a month ago, making you bleed from your seven orifices. If it weren’t for your powerful physique, that alone would’ve left you lying on the bed for a month,” said the elder.
“Thank you, Senior!” Lin Yun thanked solemnly.