Chapter 3

Zhou Ping, standing on the ground, revealed an extremely incredulous look in his eyes and muttered, "You, a mere sword slave, with such dull talent, how could you possibly reach the third level of Martial Arts!"

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 Arts meant becoming a disciple of the outer sect of the Green Cloud Sect, which would immediately elevate the status of the sword slave far above theirs.

Lin Yun looked at Zhou Ping without a word, then turned and walked towards the Sword Washing House.

Zhou Ping wanted to chase after him, but seeing Lin Yun already enter the Sword Washing House, he reluctantly gave up, feeling frustrated, and punched the ground in anger.

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

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

The methods for maintenance were something these ordinary servants did not understand; tampering with them would only damage the swords.

The only one 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, this sword slave, Lin Yun, has turned his fortune around. From now on, he will soar to the sky, and no one can stop him."

"Trouble, we have always mocked this guy. From now on, we will have a lot of trouble."

"Everyone, talk less. This guy only reached the third level of Martial Arts 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, believing that he had only 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 Sword Washing House from now on.

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

"Lin Yun is quite formidable. Senior Brother Zhou's father is an elder of the outer sect. His eldest brother is also a skilled disciple of the outer sect. There will be a lot of trouble ahead."

"This sword slave has such a temper. He has been suppressed too much in the past. With a bit of strength, he has become arrogant, even daring to hit Senior Brother Zhou."

"But to be fair, Senior Brother Zhou looked quite embarrassed just now. This guy hasn't caused us much trouble, and Lin Yun just 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, the moment Lin Yun pushed the door open, he felt a chill rush towards him.

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 swords were placed in it.

With the memories of the original owner, 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 Tian Shui Kingdom, and few people in 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 spirit liquids. The old man's technique was proficient, occasionally taking out various spirit liquids, either mixing them together or applying them individually 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 Arts and will soon leave the Sword Washing House."

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

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

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 Arts truly begins at the innate realm. With your bones, the journey will be too 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, this old man could help you find a path as a mystic master. Reaching the pinnacle, you could still make even the greatest experts vie for your favor."

Lin Yun did not understand many things in Old Master Hong's words, such as what a mystic master was, or why the innate realm was the true beginning of the Martial Arts path.

However, he could clearly feel the concern and worry in the old man's words.

And the first sentence, even Old Master Hong said it, indicating that Lin Yun had indeed received many favors 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 Arts is, I will walk it. 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 and rebirth, had a clear understanding of many issues.

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

His words were left hanging, but he did not say more.

"From a sword slave to the third level of Martial Arts, it is a great leap, worthy of celebration. It's rare that you still remember this old man. I have nothing else to give you, but this painting has been with me for many years. Take it."

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

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

Old Master Hong had a favor towards him, and he could not take away 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 to this place. Once you leave here, no matter what others think, you, Lin Yun, will no longer be a Green Cloud sword slave!"

The last sentence, spoken with emphasis, 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 respectfully, and then left.

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

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

Everyone knew that no matter what Lin Yun would become 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 and wrote something.

One hundred health elixirs, twenty qi and blood elixirs, various amounts of money totaling three hundred gold pieces...

Indeed, 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, with the original owner's bones and comprehension, he would have been stuck at the third level of Martial Arts for life.

No matter how persistent he was, he could not break through.

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

Even the reasons why Su Zhirao needed sword maintenance and the specific times and weather were remembered clearly.

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 actions. The rewards given were just formalities, not even polite, and were given with complete indifference.

The word "emotion" was truly incomprehensible.

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. Lin Yun looked at the paper, seeing Su Zhirao's indifferent expression, feeling 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 withdrew his gaze, murmuring to himself. After a long time, he carefully put the paper away.

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

Lin Yun couldn't laugh; such infatuation was for what?

If there is a next life, I hope you will not be a love fool.

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