Chapter 9

Struck on the head by the Beast Summoning technique, the fallen saw-toothed tiger's vitality quickly faded away.

Lin Yun, drenched in sweat, felt an indescribable sense of relief, but his face showed a hint of confusion.

He had practiced the Beast Summoning technique in private before.

Today's Beast Summoning technique left him somewhat puzzled. It was clearly a powerful fist technique, but when he executed it, he felt as if he was not throwing punches but swinging a sharp sword, unmatched in its sharpness!

Fist technique? Sword technique?

Was it because of that painting? The mysterious painting with the words, "A fierce tiger, gently sniffing the roses."

In the depths of his heart, Lin Yun felt that the Tiger Fist he practiced had already deviated greatly from its basic form.

To uncover the mystery, he would have to study the painting more upon his return.

The tiger in the painting, upon closer reflection, seemed even more mysterious.

Facing the saw-toothed tiger, which had already developed demonic aura, he had no chance of winning without the tiger's spirit in his mind.

Invisibly, it helped him neutralize the saw-toothed tiger's demonic aura; otherwise, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared and disappeared.

Lin Yun敏锐地捕捉到这抹光芒，转身看去，却是锯齿虎的胸口有微光透体而出。

"An inner core?"

Inner cores only form within demonic beasts, and not all demonic beasts have them.

But once an inner core is formed, the demonic beast can break through its own limitations and advance continuously, just like a martial artist.

For example, the saw-toothed tiger, no matter how powerful, was only at the fifth level of the Martial Path.

If it had an inner core, it would be extraordinary, capable of breaking through to the fifth, sixth... even the tenth level of the Martial Path.

Lin Yun drew a sharp breath and said in a deep voice, "If I hadn't killed this saw-toothed tiger today, a demonic king might have been born in the Hengyun Mountains in the future!"

The saw-toothed tiger must have swallowed the spirit fruit, which led to the rare formation of an inner core.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lin Yun's heart couldn't help but race.

Even if it was just the inner core of a semi-demonic beast, its value was immeasurable.

The materials from the demonic beasts he had obtained in the past three days were worthless compared to this inner core.

Without hesitation, Lin Yun took out a dagger and cut open the saw-toothed tiger's chest to retrieve the inner core.

After the inner core left the body, the light disappeared, and it looked somewhat ordinary.

But when Lin Yun held it in his palm, he could clearly feel the surging spiritual energy it contained.

Carefully storing the inner core, Lin Yun did not rush to deal with the saw-toothed tiger's corpse.

He walked to a tree a hundred meters away and looked at the old sword stuck in the tree, his face showing a hint of shame.

As a sword practitioner, not being able to hold a sword was the greatest humiliation.

Huff! Huff!

Just as he sheathed the sword, Lin Yun heard a series of hurried footsteps.

Judging from the footsteps, there were many people coming.

Thinking of the inner core hidden in his chest, Lin Yun inwardly thought it was not good; if it were discovered, he would be in trouble.

Whoosh!

Before Lin Yun could react, the group rushed over, all wearing the attire of the Qingyun Sect.

After a quick glance, Lin Yun recognized one of them.

He remembered, it was Chen Xiao, an outer sect disciple, whose sword he had maintained in the past.

"Is it really a demonic beast? Judging from the cuts on the body, there must be an inner core."

Chen Xiao had good eyesight and could tell from the cuts that the saw-toothed tiger had an inner core.

What surprised Lin Yun was that after the group arrived, they glanced at him and then ignored him.

Chen Xiao scanned the area and said, "It seems this person was seriously injured. After taking the inner core, he didn't even want the valuable demonic beast's corpse."

"Senior Brother Chen, should we chase him?"

"The chances are slim. Let's ask first."

Chen Xiao's gaze fell on Lin Yun, as if noticing him for the first time, and he asked directly, "You came early. Did you see anyone?"

Lin Yun was slightly taken aback but quickly understood.

It seemed Chen Xiao never thought that he could have killed the demonic beast.

That made sense; in his eyes, Lin Yun was still a sword slave and could not possibly be a match for the saw-toothed tiger.

"None."

Lin Yun answered calmly, showing no signs of panic.

"A useless one, get lost."

Seeing that Lin Yun had no value, a look of disdain flashed across Chen Xiao's face, and he waved his hand to dismiss him.

Lin Yun was more than happy to leave. Chen Xiao alone had the cultivation of the fifth level of the Martial Path, and the others were at least at the fourth level.

Against this group, Lin Yun had no chance of winning.

"Wait!"

Just as he took two steps, Chen Xiao called him back and threw his sword to him.

Thud!

The scabbard landed firmly on the ground, and the sword blade trembled slightly.

Chen Xiao said bluntly, "Since you're here, you might as well take good care of my sword. I don't want to make another trip to the Sword Washing Pavilion."

"Sorry, I am no longer a sword slave. Please understand, Senior Brother Chen."

"Don't talk so much nonsense. I won't let you do it for free. I'll give you some of the demonic beast's remains later."

Lin Yun was slightly angry. The saw-toothed tiger was killed by him, and the materials should have been his. Chen Xiao was truly overstepping.

"Hehe, this sword slave is getting a bit too cocky. Senior Brother, should we give him a beating?"

"Back in the Sword Washing Pavilion, he was like a grandson. Now he really thinks he's turned the tables."

"Hehe, I bet if this were Su Zhirao's sword, this little sword slave would be kneeling and licking it."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Lin Yun's secret love for Su Zhirao was well-known in the sect, and now it was brought up.

It had always been the biggest joke in the sect.

Mentioning Su Zhirao, everyone present laughed in unison.

Chen Xiao teased, "Lin Yun, be a good boy. I don't have the habit of bullying people. Beating you up would ruin my reputation. Take care of my sword, and I'll say a good word for you to Senior Sister Su in the future."

"Ha ha ha!"

Another burst of laughter. Looking at the faces of those laughing, Lin Yun remained expressionless.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

Lin Yun took two steps forward and pulled out Chen Xiao's sword with a clang.

Swoosh!

The sword blade trembled, and a scent of blood followed. The sword, two fingers wide, had a wavy cloud pattern, clearly a fine piece of craftsmanship.

The notches on the blade were likely from recent battles but did not diminish its sharpness.

Occasional flashes of cold light made one's heart race.

What a fine sword!

This sword was several levels better than the blue steel swords provided by the sect, not quite a mystic weapon, but close.

"Be careful. My sword is very precious. It took me more than half a year to save up and get it..."

Talking about his sword, a look of pride appeared on Chen Xiao's face, his eyes burning with passion.

Crack!

Before he could finish, the sword in Lin Yun's hand suddenly shattered, breaking into large and small pieces.

Chen Xiao's smile froze, as if a piece of his heart had been torn out, and he couldn't speak from the pain.

The other outer sect disciples were also stunned, their eyes wide with shock.

Indeed... the consecutive breaking of three swords in the Weapon Pavilion was no coincidence.

"Senior Brother, it seems the sword you bought with more than half a year's savings is a fake."

Lin Yun held the bare hilt, a look of regret on his face, and said sincerely.

"My... cloud... pattern... sword!"

Chen Xiao screamed, his eyes bloodshot, as if he wanted to eat Lin Yun alive, his lips trembling.

This sword was as dear to him as a piece of his heart.

It took him more than half a year to save up and buy this cloud pattern sword.

To be precise, he had only had it for less than half a month.

Seeing it shatter in Lin Yun's hands, the pain was unimaginable.

"I'll kill you, you sword slave!"

Chen Xiao, enraged, took a step toward Lin Yun, the aura of the fifth level of the Martial Path surging like a fierce wind.

Lin Yun was slightly startled. Chen Xiao's strength was indeed formidable.

Judging from his aura, he was likely at the peak of the fifth level, just one step away from the sixth level.

But Lin Yun was not panicked, silently counting in his mind.

Roar!

When he counted to three, a deep roar came from the distance. With the roar came a thick demonic aura, which formed a strong wind, battering the surrounding trees.

"Demonic beast!"

Chen Xiao and the other outer sect disciples' faces changed instantly. The thick demonic aura clearly indicated a demonic beast.

Damn!

It must be the saw-toothed tiger's corpse that attracted other demonic beasts. To them, it was a great supplement.

It was all the fault of this sword slave, not only destroying his precious sword but also delaying him from taking the saw-toothed tiger's corpse in time.

"Little sword slave, I'll let you off today."

Chen Xiao left a message and hurried away, not daring to risk his life fighting the demonic beast.

"Senior Brother, your sword."

Lin Yun extended his hand and threw the bare hilt to Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao caught it out of habit, but seeing it, he was so angry that he almost fell over.

Driven by rage, he wanted to turn back, but his rationality made him hold back.

[Thank you, fashionc, for the generous donation of 100,000 panda coins. I'll add an extra chapter tonight. Please continue to support and vote for the monthly ticket.]

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