Chapter 3

Zhou Ping, lying on the ground, looked at Lin Yun with an extremely incredulous gaze and muttered, "You, a mere sword slave with such dull talent, how could you possibly reach the third level of Martial Dao!"

The miscellaneous servants in the courtyard, who were busy with their tasks, found it even more unbelievable and could not accept this outcome.

Reaching the third level of Martial Dao meant one could become an outer sect disciple of the Green Cloud Sect, which would elevate the sword slave's status far above theirs.

Lin Yun looked at Zhou Ping without a word and turned to walk towards the Sword Washing House.

Zhou Ping wanted to chase after him, but seeing Lin Yun enter the Sword Washing House, he reluctantly gave up, angrily punching the ground.

The Sword Washing House, a solitary pavilion, was a forbidden place.

Neither outer sect disciples nor miscellaneous servants could enter, as it was responsible for cleaning and maintaining the inner sect disciples' swords, all of which were exquisite or even higher-level mystic weapons.

The maintenance methods were beyond the understanding of these ordinary servants, and tampering with them would damage the swords.

The only person who could enter this place was Lin Yun, and even Zhou Ping did not dare to enter.

"Senior Brother Zhou, are you alright?"

"Senior Brother Zhou, Lin Yun, the sword slave, has turned his fate around. From now on, he will soar to the sky, and no one can stop him."

"Trouble, we've always mocked this guy. From now on, we're in for some trouble."

"Everyone, talk less. This guy only reached the third level of Martial Dao by relying on the elixirs bestowed by Senior Sister Su. It's not that easy to become an outer sect disciple!"

Being punched away by Lin Yun, Zhou Ping was extremely不服 (unconvinced), thinking he had merely been careless.

Now, Lin Yun had made him lose face in the Sword Washing House. If he couldn't turn the tables, no one would respect him in the future.

He glanced coldly at the Sword Washing House and quickly turned to leave.

"Lin Yun is in trouble. Zhou Ping's father is an elder of the outer sect, and his elder brother is a skilled outer sect disciple. He's in for a rough time."

"The sword slave has such a temper. He's been suppressed too much, and now that he has some strength, he's become arrogant, even daring to hit Senior Brother Zhou Ping."

"But to be fair, Senior Brother Zhou was quite embarrassed just now. This guy hasn't caused us much trouble, so Lin Yun has also helped us vent some anger."

After a brief discussion, the over a hundred miscellaneous servants returned to their tasks, beginning to maintain the swords of other outer sect disciples.

Inside the Sword Washing House, as Lin Yun pushed the door open, he immediately felt a chill.

The chill came from a cold water pool in the center of the hall.

The surface of the pool was icy, with floating ice and about ten precious swords placed in it.

Fused with the original owner's memories, Lin Yun knew that this cold pool was quite mysterious. The floating ice in the pool was even colder than the thousand-year-old ice from the Star Moon Lake in the Heavenly Water Kingdom, and few within the sect knew its secrets.

On the other side of the cold water pool, an old man was polishing a sword, making a hissing sound.

Next to the whetstone, there were ten different colored spiritual liquids. The old man was skilled, occasionally taking out various liquids, either mixing them together or applying them separately to the whetstone.

Lin Yun remained silent, watching the old man polish the sword. When the old man finished and gently wiped the sword, Lin Yun respectfully clasped his hands and said, "Old Master Hong, this junior Lin Yun has reached the third level of Martial Dao and will soon leave the Sword Washing House."

This old man was the true leader of the Sword Washing House, but he disliked interfering, which gave mediocrities like Zhou Ping a chance.

Lin Yun's advanced sword maintenance techniques all came from this old man. It was because of Old Master Hong that he had the qualifications to enter this Sword Washing Pavilion and the ability to maintain the swords of some inner sect disciples.

Old Master Hong was slightly surprised and sighed softly, "As expected, your bones are poor, but with so many elixirs bestowed by Su Zhirao, breaking through is normal."

"However... the path of Martial Dao truly begins at the innate realm. With your bones, the journey will be extremely difficult, and it will ultimately be a dead end."

"You have a connection with swords and can communicate with mystic weapons. If you were outside, old man could help you find a path as a mystic master. Reaching the pinnacle, you could still make even the greatest powers vie for your favor."

Lin Yun didn't understand many things in Old Master Hong's words, like what a mystic master was, or why the innate realm was the true beginning of the Martial Dao path.

However, he could clearly feel the concern and worry in his words.

And the first sentence, even Old Master Hong said it, indicating that Lin Yun had indeed received much from Su Zhirao.

"Thank you for your concern, Old Master Hong. Lin Yun has already made his decision. No matter how difficult the path of Martial Dao is, I will walk it to the end. In this life, I do not seek fame and glory, but only to be at peace with my conscience, to live freely and contentedly."

Lin Yun, having lived two lives and experienced death, had a clear understanding of many issues.

Old Master Hong was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, "To be at peace with your conscience, to live freely and contentedly, is that so?"

His words were filled with unspoken meaning, but he did not elaborate.

"From a sword slave to the third level of Martial Dao, it's a great leap, congratulations. It's rare that you still remember this old man. I can't give you much, but this painting has been with me for many years. Keep it."

Saying this, Old Master Hong handed Lin Yun a rolled-up painting.

Lin Yun was taken aback. He knew this painting; it was Old Master Hong's treasure, which he often took out to admire.

Old Master Hong had done him a favor, and he couldn't take his beloved item, so he politely declined.

"Back in the day, I became a cripple for this painting and never understood its mysteries. Now, half of my body is in the grave, and I could die at any moment. If I keep it, it will just be buried with me."

"If I remember correctly, you practice the Fierce Tiger Fist... Regardless, this painting will be of some use to you."

Without giving Lin Yun a choice, Old Master Hong forcefully handed him the painting and waved him off, "Go, go. Don't come back here. Once you leave, no matter what others think, you, Lin Yun, are no longer a Green Cloud sword slave!"

The last sentence, emphasized by Old Master Hong, made Lin Yun's spirit vibrate. Yes, from now on, no matter what others think, I, Lin Yun, must not look down on myself.

He took the painting, bowed deeply, and then left with a respectful gesture.

Old Master Hong watched Lin Yun's back and sighed softly, feeling a sense of regret.

Exiting the Sword Washing House, the group of miscellaneous servants in the courtyard looked at Lin Yun with strange expressions, a mix of jealousy and admiration.

Everyone knew that no matter what happened to Lin Yun in the future, he would never have to return here.

Zhou Ping had already left, not blocking his way, which surprised Lin Yun. After a brief pause, he left without looking back, heading towards his small wooden house.

The wooden house was simple and located in a remote area, barely noticeable in the vast Green Cloud Peak.

In the simple room, Lin Yun held a brush, writing something.

One hundred health elixirs, twenty blood qi elixirs, a total of three hundred gold coins...

Yes, what he was writing was the total amount of elixirs and money Su Zhirao had bestowed upon him over the past two years.

Lin Yun's sword maintenance skills were good, and for a long time, Su Zhirao's sword had been maintained by him. Over the two years, the scattered rewards added up to a considerable amount.

As others said, without these rewards, the original owner, with his poor bones and low comprehension, would have been stuck at the third level of Martial Dao for life.

No matter how persistent he was, he could never break through.

Lin Yun had a good memory, but he didn't need it. The original owner remembered every reward from Su Zhirao clearly.

Even the reasons why Su Zhirao needed the sword maintained and the time and weather of each day were remembered.

As soon as he recalled, all the details about Su Zhirao would appear in his mind.

Lin Yun didn't understand why the original owner, who was not stupid and had great perseverance, couldn't see through Su Zhirao's true intentions. The rewards were just formalities, not even polite, but cold and indifferent, given without any care.

The word "emotion" was truly unsolvable.

Thinking of Su Zhirao, the indifferent expression while wiping the sword, Lin Yun shook his head, not wanting to think about it, and continued writing.

After finishing, he blew gently to dry the ink, then placed it in front of him. Seeing Su Zhirao's indifferent expression, he felt a sense of helplessness for the original owner's infatuation.

The original owner's strong obsession still influenced Lin Yun.

"Rest assured, once I join the outer sect and achieve some success, I will repay her tenfold."

Lin Yun retracted his gaze, muttered to himself, and after a long time, carefully stored the paper.

With these words, the obsession in his mind clearly weakened, replaced by a sense of gratitude.

Lin Yun couldn't help but laugh. Such infatuation, for what?

If there is a next life, I hope you won't be a love fool.

[Everyone, please help by favoriting, giving recommendations, and monthly votes. The new book needs your support. At 1:30 PM, I will upload two more chapters. At that time, there will be a new book event on Zongheng, and everyone can participate.]

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