Chapter 11

Lin Xuan felt no remorse. If he didn’t kill, he would be killed. Moreover, the strange phenomenon of absorbing others' essence and blood from his body would surely lead to a manhunt if it became known.

Howl!

Wolf howls echoed around. The previous fight had already attracted countless beasts. Now, with blood covering the ground, these ferocious animals were even more stimulated.

Lin Xuan’s physical condition was not good. He quickly retreated, thinking that Zhang Bin’s body would likely be eaten, making it difficult to trace the murder back to him.

He darted through the forest, disappearing into the mountains.

Not long after Lin Xuan left, the hungry wolves pounced on Zhang Bin’s and the others' bodies…

When Lin Xuan returned to the sect, it was already evening. The sun was setting, and the afterglow spread across the land.

He dragged his exhausted body back to his room, fell onto the bed, and fell asleep immediately.

When he woke up again, the silver moon was high in the sky.

Lin Xuan carefully examined his body. The small glass-colored sword still hung there. The green spiritual energy flowed slowly, leaving a faint glow wherever it passed. However, the black mist and the black lotus that appeared during the day were nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it!" Lin Xuan stroked his chin, lost in thought.

The scene of absorbing someone’s essence and blood was truly shocking. A living person was drained in an instant. Such a thing had never happened before, and there had been too many strange events recently.

"What’s wrong with my body? Why did Father let me enter the ancestral land of the family?" Lin Xuan had many questions in his mind.

"Kid, your sword technique is pretty good!" At that moment, a voice reached Lin Xuan’s ears.

Lin Xuan’s muscles tensed. He cautiously looked around, his long sword ready to strike, but there was no one in sight.

"Come out quickly, or I’ll get angry!"

"Don’t look for me, I’m right here." The voice said lazily.

Then, Lin Xuan felt a dizzying sensation. The small wooden house in front of him disappeared, replaced by a gray and white land. In front of him stood a huge divine tree, but it was already withered.

Under the tree, a figure stood, with black hair flowing like a waterfall and a white robe fluttering. The figure faced away from Lin Xuan, making it impossible to see his face.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Lin Xuan calmed his fear and asked in a deep voice.

"Hehe, kid, not bad, you didn’t wet your pants from fear." The white-robed figure turned around upon hearing Lin Xuan’s words.

It was a middle-aged man, with a rather handsome face, but his scruffy beard and the red wine gourd in his hand ruined his image of a transcendent being.

"Hehe, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone. Seeing you feels really refreshing!" The middle-aged man in white swayed his gourd and said.

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" Lin Xuan was on high alert.

"Kid, don’t be so nervous. It doesn’t matter who I am; just know that I won’t harm you. As for this place, it’s inside your body."

"What? Inside my body!" Lin Xuan almost shouted, then he seemed to remember something, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Could it be that mysterious small sword?"

The middle-aged man in white took a sip from his gourd and smiled without a word.

"What about the lotus in my body? And what is this sword?" Lin Xuan pressed on.

The middle-aged man in white laughed and said, "Kid, you have a lot of questions. You’ll know these things in the future, but I can’t tell you now."

What about the blood absorption? Could it be you who did it? Lin Xuan thought of that terrifying scene.

"There’s a force in your body, but it’s very well hidden. It was this force that stimulated me, waking me from my slumber. As for what it is, I’m not sure." The middle-aged man in white’s expression was unusually serious.

However, he quickly returned to his lazy demeanor: "Don’t worry, with me here, that force won’t dare to come out!"

Lin Xuan knew he wouldn’t get any more answers, so he stopped asking. But letting this guy stay in his body wasn’t a solution; he had to find a way to get him out.

"Hey, you’re not planning to stay here forever, right? My stomach isn’t a hotel!"

The middle-aged man in white smiled, his voice enticing: "Do you want to become an inner disciple? Do you want to return to your family? Do you want to become powerful?"

The middle-aged man’s voice was filled with a magical charm, making Lin Xuan’s heart race.

"Without the black lotus restraining my meridians, with my talent, becoming strong wouldn’t be hard, right?" Lin Xuan was confident in himself.

"Your talent is good, but have you thought about how many years you’re behind others? What resources can you get now? Do you have the time to waste?"

"Do you have a way?" Lin Xuan’s face was uncertain. The Sword Pool Manor opens its ancestral land every ten years, and there were less than two years until the next opening. To enter the ancestral land, he had to be among the top three of the younger generation.

Before he left his family, some of the young disciples had already reached the Spirit Sea Realm, while he was only at the third stage of the Condensing Meridian Realm. The gap between them was like a chasm, hard to bridge.

Seeing Lin Xuan’s somewhat dejected face, the middle-aged man in white smiled: "What do you think of the Longevity Scripture?"

"That cultivation technique is from you!" Lin Xuan remembered the Longevity Scripture.

"Without the Longevity Scripture, could you have broken through to the third stage of the Condensing Meridian Realm so quickly?" The middle-aged man in white said, "Now, do you believe in my strength?"

"Why are you helping me so much? What do you want?" Lin Xuan asked cautiously, knowing there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"My request is simple. I’ll tell you when you’re strong enough." The middle-aged man in white looked into the distance, his eyes filled with沧桑 (cang sang, meaning沧桑 (cang sang, meaning "沧桑" (cang sang, meaning "weathered" or "time-worn")).

"Alright, deal!" Lin Xuan felt it was fine.

"Quickly help me reach the Spirit Sea Realm." He said casually.

Pfft! The middle-aged man in white spat out the wine he had just drunk: "I wish I could spit fire and kill you! Do you think cultivation is a joke? Wanting to reach the top in one step, dreaming!"

"Alas, what a waste of good wine!" The middle-aged man in white sighed.

Lin Xuan covered his face in pain. This guy looked like a drunkard, and he had a feeling he had been tricked.

"Call me Wine Master. I’ll brew some low-grade spirit wine for you first, so your meridians won’t be damaged."

"Brewing wine? Do you want me to drink to break through?" Lin Xuan felt like he was going crazy.

"What’s that look for?" Wine Master was unhappy, "Back in the day, how many powerful beings begged me to brew wine for them. Being able to drink my wine, you should be grateful!"

He didn’t care if Lin Xuan believed him and said directly: "Three snake-shaped fruits and one purple violet, bring them to me tomorrow, and I’ll brew the wine for you."

"What? Three snake-shaped fruits and one purple violet? Are you asking me to rob someone!" Lin Xuan shouted. He had seen the prices in the mission hall; one snake-shaped fruit required fifty contribution points, and he didn’t have that many points. Moreover, even if he had the points, he might not be able to exchange for these items.

"If you can’t get them, I can’t help. After all, it’s not me who’s in a hurry to level up." Wine Master yawned, waved his sleeve, and sent Lin Xuan flying out with a gust of wind.