Chapter 45

A rainbow streaked across the sky, splendid like a bolt of silk.

When they reached the airspace above a deep, ancient forest, the rainbow abruptly halted and transformed into a flying carpet about ten feet in diameter!

The surface of this flying carpet was inscribed with intricate spirit patterns, shimmering with a lustrous glow, as if it possessed a soul, constantly absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, displaying an extraordinary aura.

This flying carpet was clearly an extremely precious flying spirit artifact!

At this moment, a man and a woman stood on the flying carpet.

"Eldest Young Master, why have we stopped here?" the woman asked, puzzled. She wore a black dress, with a slender waist and a graceful, alluring figure. Her face was bright and beautiful, with straight eyebrows, but her expression carried a sharp, blade-like aura.

She was like a wild rose with thorns, beautiful yet dangerous.

If any of the prominent figures from Donglin City were present, they would certainly recognize her as Mu Wansu, known as the "Black Rose"!

She was also the head of the Donglin City branch of the Shidingzhai, the first commercial guild in Donglin City.

Shidingzhai was one of the top commercial guilds in the Ziyao Empire, with its influence spanning the vast territory of the empire. It had many branches distributed throughout the empire, making it incredibly wealthy.

The mysterious owner of Shidingzhai, known as the "Wealth God Shi," was a legendary figure in the empire. It was rumored that his wealth was astronomical, even the most powerful members of the imperial family could only envy him.

For Mu Wansu, the "Black Rose," to become the head of the Donglin City branch of Shidingzhai, it was clear that she was no ordinary person.

Yet, at this moment, she stood there with a slight air of respect, her words and tone subtly revealing a hint of admiration for the man beside her.

"Didn't you notice? There must have been a great battle here not long ago," the man said, looking down with his hands behind his back.

He stood tall and imposing, with broad shoulders and a rugged, well-defined face. His eyes, when opened, exuded a deep, commanding aura.

Just standing there, he gave off a sense of overwhelming presence, making him seem incredibly intimidating.

"Battle..." Mu Wansu's beautiful eyes narrowed as she examined the area below, and indeed, she noticed that the forest had clearly been ravaged by a terrifying force, with visible signs of battle everywhere.

"Eldest Young Master, your keen eyesight is impressive!" Mu Wansu exclaimed in admiration.

The man, referred to as Eldest Young Master, paid no attention to such flattery and continued, "If my guess is correct, it was the ninth son of the Xie family from the capital's Wuyi Alley who was involved. However, his opponent is intriguing."

"The ninth son of the Xie family?"

Mu Wansu's mind flashed with the image of a man in a green robe, gracefully wielding a sword.

She exclaimed in surprise, "Is it the ninth young master of the Xie family, who has recently gained fame in the empire and is known as the 'Little Sword Lord'?"

"Who else could it be? Only Xie Yutang could wield the '纵横剑经' (Zongheng Sword Canon). This sword canon has a significant history. It is said to be just a fragment, yet even so, it possesses the power to shock the heavens and subdue ghosts and gods."

As he spoke about martial arts, a fierce light flashed in the Eldest Young Master's eyes. "Unfortunately, we arrived too late. Otherwise, we could have witnessed the power of the Zongheng Sword."

His voice carried a hint of regret.

Mu Wansu was stunned, her heart filled with waves of emotion. It was really the "Little Sword Lord Xie Yutang"...

The Ziyao Empire was vast, and the capital, "Zijincheng," had a famous alley called Wuyi Alley.

Almost all the powerful and influential families in the empire were based in Wuyi Alley.

The Xie family was a thousand-year-old martial arts family that had long been rooted in Wuyi Alley.

As a descendant of the Xie family, "Little Sword Lord" Xie Yutang was already famous for being a top-notch cultivation genius. When he successfully mastered the ancestral "Zongheng Sword Canon" last year, it caused a sensation in Zijincheng, and his fame soared.

The "Zongheng Sword Canon" had not been mastered by anyone in the Xie family for nearly a hundred years.

Although Mu Wansu was not from Zijincheng, as a head of Shidingzhai, she had heard of this, which was why she was so shocked now.

"So, the ninth young master of the Xie family came to these Three Thousand Mountains before us?"

Mu Wansu, having regained her composure, quickly realized the key issue.

"Indeed," the Eldest Young Master nodded. "Everyone in Zijincheng knows that the Celestial Altar's high priest observed a celestial phenomenon in these Three Thousand Mountains, suggesting the possible emergence of a supreme treasure. Xie Yutang must have come for that."

He frowned and continued, "I'm just curious who Xie Yutang fought here."

Mu Wansu thought for a moment, took out a map, and pointed to a distant area, saying, "About fifty miles from here, there is a village called Feiyun Village. Perhaps we can investigate there."

The Eldest Young Master was surprised, "There are still people living here?"

Mu Wansu smiled, "Before we set out, I gathered information about the Three Thousand Mountains and learned that a small Feiyun copper mine was discovered here years ago..."

As she spoke, the two of them activated the flying carpet and flew toward the distant area.

On the way, Mu Wansu introduced the history of Feiyun Village, which helped the Eldest Young Master understand the situation.

A short while later, they appeared above Feiyun Village.

"No wonder these villagers can survive; they have cultivated spirit fields," the Eldest Young Master observed, looking at the spirit fields below.

Then, his gaze paused, and he pointed to the east of the village, saying, "There is a spiritual energy fluctuation there; it must be where a cultivator lives. Let's go and take a look."

...

As dusk fell, Lin Xun had prepared dinner, with six large bowls of fragrant beast meat and a pot of white spirit rice.

Lin Xun and Xia Zhi sat at a table under a willow tree in the courtyard, eating attentively.

There were only three days left before the "Heavenly Secret Realm" challenge, and Lin Xun had decided not to further temper his body. He planned to use these three days to rest and prepare for the challenge.

"I have summarized the '分筋错骨术' (Fenjin Cuogu Technique) into five key points: 'Shock,' 'Twist,' 'Lock,' 'Drill,' and 'Collapse.' Of course, this is just a preliminary summary. In the future, as I develop more combat skills, I will further refine this combat technique."

Lin Xun spoke quickly while eating.

Xia Zhi, seemingly unaware, focused on her meal, as if the food was more attractive than Lin Xun's words.

Lin Xun didn't seem to mind, continuing to speak. Learning and summarizing were habits he had developed from a young age, influenced by Mr. Lu.

Mr. Lu never explained anything; Lin Xun had to understand, learn, and summarize everything on his own.

Although martial cultivation was different from spirit patterns, the principles were the same.

As he spoke, Xia Zhi suddenly stopped eating, raised her small face, and looked toward the distant sky. Her black, gem-like eyes flashed with a hint of seriousness.

"Someone is coming."

Lin Xun's heart tightened. Normally, if it were a villager, Xia Zhi wouldn't react this way.

This could only mean one thing: outsiders had arrived in Feiyun Village!

"Continue eating."

Lin Xun thought for a moment and decided to remain calm.

Xia Zhi responded with an "Oh" and continued eating.

"Smells good."

Moments later, a tall, imposing figure entered uninvited, followed by a woman in a black dress. It was the Eldest Young Master and Mu Wansu.

The Eldest Young Master's gaze swept over the "beast meat" and "beast skins" hanging on the walls before settling on the young boy and girl at the stone table in the courtyard.

"May I ask who you two are?"

Lin Xun stood up, bowed, and asked, inwardly surprised by the overwhelming aura of the man and woman, which was deep and unfathomable, clearly indicating their formidable strength.

Just facing them made Lin Xun feel a wave of pressure.

"Oh, we are just passing through," the Eldest Young Master said, approaching the stone table and looking at the six bowls of beast meat. "Green Vine Python, Blue Feather Mountain Mink, Striped Tiger... The dishes are quite varied. It's been a long time since I've had such a feast. No wonder it smells so good."

Lin Xun narrowed his eyes and then smiled, "If you don't mind, you are welcome to join us."

"I won't be polite then," the Eldest Young Master smiled, sat down, and began eating without any hesitation, as if he were at home.

Even Mu Wansu, who followed him, was slightly surprised. She couldn't understand why the Eldest Young Master would be interested in such a meal.

What rare delicacies hadn't he tasted?

Mu Wansu glanced at Lin Xun, seeing that he was just a young man at the True Martial Third Level, and relaxed.

Although Lin Xun was also curious about their purpose, seeing that they had no ill intentions, he felt somewhat relieved.

However, he remained cautious until he understood their intentions.

"I'm going to sleep," Xia Zhi suddenly stood up and walked away.

At some point, she had covered her face with a hat, not drawing much attention from Mu Wansu, who only saw her as Lin Xun's sister.

Only the Eldest Young Master glanced at Xia Zhi's back, seemingly noticing something, his brows slightly furrowing, but he shook his head and continued eating.

Lin Xun noticed these small details and felt relieved when Xia Zhi showed no unusual reaction.

"Little brother, would you like a drink?" The Eldest Young Master smiled, holding a wine bottle, the aroma of the wine filling the air.

"I won't be polite then," Lin Xun smiled and sat down, appearing relaxed and at ease.

Mu Wansu, seeing this, couldn't help but look at Lin Xun with surprise. Few could remain so calm in the presence of the Eldest Young Master.

Especially a young man from a remote village, which made him even more remarkable.