Chapter 38

Lin Xuan leaned against the stone stele, sitting on the ground.

The Longevity Formula surged within him, quickly breaking through the fifth spiritual meridian. His aura instantly soared, and an invisible wave of energy swept in all directions.

The Longevity Formula was very special. After Lin Xuan cultivated it, the spiritual energy in his body became exceptionally robust. His current spiritual energy was no weaker than that of a Sixth Stage Condensation Meridian cultivator. If he truly broke through to the Sixth Stage Condensation Meridian, he could probably sweep away all Sixth Stage cultivators with one hand.

Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes. His narrow pupils occasionally flickered with a sharp light, and a lazy smile hung on his face.

"My cultivation has improved, but I've only found one stone. I need to hurry up!" Lin Xuan was full of enthusiasm.

"I want a spirit root!" Old Drunkard called out at this moment.

"I want a treasure sword!" Lin Xuan, not to be outdone, shouldered the fine steel sword and walked inward.

He hadn't walked far when a faint mist appeared ahead. Lin Xuan felt dizzy from a distance.

"Bad, it's poisonous!" He quickly retreated. The Instant Shadow Step was now at a minor level, and the speed was absolutely impressive. Leaving a series of afterimages on the ground, Lin Xuan instantly reached a safe place.

Going deeper was not feasible; it seemed he could only go outward. Lin Xuan made up his mind and dashed toward the outside.

The further he went outward, the more alarmed Lin Xuan became. As soon as he approached the outside, he felt his spiritual energy rapidly depleting, which alarmed him greatly.

"Damn! It's dangerous inside, and it's dangerous outside. Only the middle is safe. What a messed-up place!" Lin Xuan looked helpless.

Unable to think of a solution for the moment, he could only stay near the stone stele.

Night fell, pitch black.

Lin Xuan chopped some black trees to use as firewood, but he soon realized he had caused trouble.

From the places where the trees were cut down, a black whirlwind rose, sweeping toward Lin Xuan. The newly lit fire was instantly extinguished, and a powerful suction force pulled at him.

Lin Xuan's body glowed, and a layer of green spiritual energy formed a film around him to resist the black wind, which was like a mad blade. At the same time, he planted his feet in the ground and resisted with all his might.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Before long, black whirlwinds came from all directions, quickly moving toward Lin Xuan. At this critical moment, a black spiritual energy surged within him. His half-body was covered with black lotus patterns, and two black lotus leaves enveloped Lin Xuan, blocking all the small black whirlwinds outside.

After a moment, all the black winds disappeared, and the lotus patterns on Lin Xuan's body vanished. He felt the mysterious black spiritual energy gradually fade, and his expression became very serious.

In the past, this power had hindered his cultivation, but now it was protecting him, which left Lin Xuan momentarily confused.

"Huh? Xiao Xuan, there are quite a few brown stones behind you!" Old Drunkard's voice interrupted Lin Xuan's thoughts.

Old Drunkard's state could not provide Lin Xuan with any substantial power, so he couldn't intervene in the previous situation. Lin Xuan knew this, but the old man's reluctance to mention the black lotus made him somewhat irritated.

He turned his head helplessly and was instantly startled.

Seven or eight brown stones were scattered on the ground, the largest as big as a millstone, and the smallest as big as a fist.

"So many?" Lin Xuan was slightly stunned. "They must have been blown here by the strange wind earlier."

He used the light of his spiritual energy to gather the stones and then lit the fire again.

Fortunately, no black wind appeared this time. Lin Xuan struck the stones, preparing to cut them open one by one. His palm acted like a knife, slicing down and cutting open the brown stone.

In the end, out of seven stones, he only found two things.

One was the spirit root Old Drunkard needed, and the other was a black, palm-sized tile.

Old Drunkard smiled and collected the spirit root, while Lin Xuan, with a dark face, put the black tile in his pocket.

"What about the treasure sword?" Lin Xuan angrily pounded the nearby stone stele.

Boom! Half of the stone stele collapsed, startling Lin Xuan.

"Is it so fragile?" Lin Xuan muttered.

"Alright, Xiao Xuan, since you've helped me find the spirit root, I'll give you a sword," Old Drunkard suddenly said.

"What? You have a treasure sword?" Lin Xuan was so angry he jumped up and down. "Why didn't you give it to me earlier..."

"Young man, you're too impatient!" Old Drunkard said calmly. "It's a bit of a stretch to give it to you now. Don't believe me? Try it."

As he spoke, a black vortex appeared in front of Lin Xuan, and a dark red large sword flew out, embedding itself in the ground with a clank.

Unlike a regular three-foot sword, this was a large sword. The blade was wide but not thick, and the hilt was long enough for Lin Xuan to hold it with both hands without any difficulty.

Lin Xuan looked at the dark red large sword, which was covered in rust, and his lips twitched. Although he liked the look of the large sword, it was too old, with many places rusted, clearly an ancient relic.

"Is this the treasure you're giving me?" Lin Xuan asked worriedly. "It won't break as soon as I use it, will it?"

"Hmph, it won't break even if you do!" Old Drunkard snorted. "I originally planned to give you this large sword when you were stronger. Giving it to you now is a bit of a stretch."

Lin Xuan was不服: "What do you mean by a stretch?" He walked forward and reached out to grip the hilt.

Comfortable, very comfortable! Lin Xuan didn't want to let go once he held it. The feeling was like holding a goddess's hand, incredibly satisfying.

He applied a little force, preparing to pull out the dark red large sword to practice the Thunder Movement Sword Technique.

However, the dark red large sword didn't budge.

"Hmph!" Old Drunkard snorted and then said, "Indeed, you're too young..."

Lin Xuan's face turned dark, and he pulled with all his might, but the sword still didn't move.

He was stunned, let out a low shout, and used all his strength. Finally, the dark red large sword slowly rose, gradually leaving the ground.

"Damn, so heavy, what material is it made of?" Lin Xuan couldn't help but curse.

"Not bad, you can lift it with just your muscle strength. It seems you're stronger than I thought," Old Drunkard said without hesitation.

Lin Xuan's face turned dark. He finally understood why Old Drunkard said it was a stretch. He activated the Longevity Formula, and green spiritual energy surged out, a powerful force surging from within him.

His arms finally stopped trembling, but even with the support of spiritual energy, he still felt very heavy. Lin Xuan tried to swing it a couple of times and found that the spiritual energy was consumed very quickly.

Clank!

Lin Xuan planted the dark red large sword in the ground and stood holding it.

"Old Drunkard, are you deliberately messing with me? How can I use the Thunder Movement Sword Technique with this sword?"

Old Drunkard took a sip of wine: "You'll get used to it. Conquering it will definitely bring you unexpected benefits. Think about it, if you can wield such a heavy sword as easily as a needle, how strong will you be?"

Lin Xuan, of course, knew this. He was just complaining. Ever since he held the sword, he had fallen in love with it.

"From now on, my path of martial arts will be with you!" Lin Xuan whispered. "I'll call you Red Flame."

He infused the green spiritual energy into the sword, and the next moment, red light flickered beneath the rust on the blade, and strange runes became faintly visible, incredibly mysterious.