Chapter 59

Lin Fan was very polite and bowed, saying, "I have seen the Sect Leader."

"En!" Qianyu Zhenren’s gaze remained on Wu'er: "Wu'er, since San San Zhenren has taken you in, no matter what, you are a disciple of Yunqing Sect."

"Yes... Sect Leader." Wu'er replied.

Qianyu Zhenren said, "But due to the sect rules, Zhengyi Sect cannot temporarily take in female disciples. This is Miejue Zhenren, the leader of Zizhulin Sect. You will go to Zizhulin."

Wu'er replied, "Unless the leader agrees, Wu'er dares not make the decision on my own."

Qianyu Zhenren said, "I am the Sect Leader, and this is decided."

To everyone's surprise, Wu'er was very insistent: "Unless the leader agrees."

Miejue Zhenren asked, "Why?"

"The leader is very kind to me." Wu'er replied.

Wow, your standards are really low, Lin Fan said, "Wu'er, it's fine, go ahead."

Wu'er asked Lin Fan, "Really?"

"Really." Lin Fan said, "Don't you see that Zhengyi Sect only has me as a disciple? You can tell how lazy the leader is. One more person means one more task."

"Humph!" Miejue Zhenren snorted coldly, most annoyed by San San Zhenren's attitude, which lacked the demeanor of a sect leader.

Wu'er nodded, "Yes!"

Qianyu Zhenren said, "Then go with Miejue Zhenren first."

"Yes!" Wu'er looked at Lin Fan with some reluctance. She knew that Zizhulin was a better place for her than Zhengyi Sect, but after leaving the Misty Swamp, Lin Fan had been her mental support.

"I will come to see you when I have time."

Miejue Zhenren said in a low voice, "Entering Zizhulin without permission, eighty lightning whips, and six months of hard labor."

No wonder my leader calls you Miejue Shrew, Lin Fan lowered his head and said nothing. Wu'er and Miejue Zhenren left. At the entrance of the main hall, Wu'er still looked at Lin Fan with reluctance. Turning her head, her nose tingled, and tears fell. Miejue Zhenren said indifferently, "Why are you crying? There will be a chance to meet again."

"Yes!" Wu'er replied.

Inside the main hall, Qianyu Zhenren asked, "Tell me about what happened in Zixiao Hall, in detail."

Zixiao Hall? Lin Fan recounted his encounter with Zhang Tongyuan and the detailed account of the Zixiao Hall leader's favoritism. After listening for a long time, Qianyu Zhenren was silent, muttering to himself, "The chaos of the Twelve Continents will start with Zixiao. Lin Fan, your leader is used to being idle and hasn't tested your studies. If you have any questions, you can come to me directly."

"Thank you, Sect Leader." Lin Fan hesitated, "That... Sect Leader, what does it mean to have a complete Foundation Establishment?"

Yesterday, Lin Fan asked San San Zhenren, who replied: Whether it's complete or not, how the lotus seed grows, it's already unchangeable. Why think so much?

After hearing Lin Fan's description, Qianyu Zhenren placed his hand on Lin Fan's palm, and after a divine consciousness probe, he frowned in anger: "Ridiculous, you haven't completed your Foundation Establishment, yet you practice Buddhist heart methods. Fortunately, your Daoist true qi is pure... En, a blessing in disguise. Although the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord's Purple Lightning almost killed you, it helped you complete your Foundation Establishment. The idea of life and death trials in the Demon Sect to seek breakthroughs seems to have some merit. Lin Fan, why do some people fly fast and others fly slow with the same Wind Control Technique? Why can some people's protective true qi block heavenly thunder, while others can only block wind and snow?"

"Different realms, perhaps?" Lin Fan was unsure.

"Of course, it's the realm. But Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Yuan婴 are all personal characteristics. Your lotus seed of Foundation Establishment is broken and rebuilt, so its light is inward, making it defensive. It gathers inward, and when it erupts, it is astonishing." Qianyu Zhenren saw that Lin Fan didn't quite understand and explained simply, "Your characteristic is strong defense and powerful attack, which is quite rare in the righteous path. In the Demon Sect, only those who have experienced life and death trials can achieve this. What you have learned is too diverse, from talismans, lightning spells to the Five Elements Escape Techniques, and even the Eight Trigrams Escape Techniques... Your leader is not incompetent, but he is lazy. Not guiding you to specialize in one area is his fault."

Lin Fan defended his leader, "The leader means for me to learn first and specialize in sword control in the future."

Qianyu Zhenren was puzzled, "You have excellent root bones, aptitude, and insight, making it easier for you to learn Daoist techniques, but sword control is not your strength. Why would your leader teach you this way?"

Lin Fan said, "Is it because sword control is simpler?"

"Haha, simple..." Qianyu Zhenren's smile was very beautiful, but he shook his head, "Not simple. Sword heart and spirit, man and sword as one, infinite changes, capable of both offense and defense, swift as lightning, steady as a pine. Sword control is simple in that you can find a sword with spirit and cultivate it. But the sword control technique varies with different swords, and no one can teach it, so sword control is the simplest and the most difficult. Since your leader has his reasons, I won't ask further. You may go. If you have any questions, you can come to me."

"Thank you, Sect Leader."

...

Lin Fan played for a few more days, easily refined the Qiankun Ring, and happily sneaked down the mountain. He went to the market and stuffed all kinds of delicious food into the Qiankun Ring, feeling very pleased on his way back to the mountain, no longer worrying about going hungry.

San San Zhenren had already returned. Lin Fan was not the first time to sneak down the mountain, so he didn't mind. He landed and went to fetch water, "Leader, a game?"

San San Zhenren shook his head and said, "Come here."

Lin Fan looked at San San Zhenren, who was unusually serious, and walked over to ask, "Leader, is it because Miejue Shrew took Wu'er, and you're unhappy?"

San San Zhenren didn't answer and looked at a cloth bag in front of him, "This is something left by your grandfather."

Lin Fan took the cloth bag, opened it layer by layer, and was surprised, "Embroidery needles?" He saw that the innermost layer was filled with embroidery needles, roughly two hundred in number. Lin Fan asked, "Does my father want to teach me to grind an iron rod into a needle?"

"Lin Fan, I'm being serious, can you cooperate a bit?" San San Zhenren was dissatisfied, "Sword control is not limited to swords. Knives, Zen staffs, rulers, and various strange weapons can also be used. And embroidery needles are one of them."

"Control... control... control needles?" Lin Fan was sweating, looking at the bag of embroidery needles, "These are just ordinary embroidery needles."

San San Zhenren couldn't help it and slapped Lin Fan on the back of the head, "Can you be serious? Besides the embroidery needles, didn't you see anything else?"

Lin Fan was puzzled, looked for a while, and shook his head, "No."

"Look..." The leader wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and flipped another layer of cloth, "Still can't see?"

"I see." Lin Fan didn't have time to settle accounts with the leader. He saw that the cloth was covered with writing, the first four large characters: Tianmang Heart Method.

"As soon as I returned, the Sect Leader summoned me and said that your Foundation Establishment is complete. I thought I should give this to you." The leader said, "The Tianmang Heart Method is a unique sword control heart method. It thrives in numbers, one plus one increases power, two plus two doubles the power. But you know, sword control is about sincerity. A strong person needs only one sword, but the Tianmang Heart Method is the opposite. According to records, the most swords controlled by one person is four, so the Tianmang Heart Method seems useless."

San San Zhenren continued, "The Blood Shadow Sect's Bamboo Sword Hall can control 108 bamboo swords. Remember, it's controlling, not sword control. I have always opposed you controlling swords because I was afraid it would hinder your sword control ability."

Lin Fan said, "Leader, just say it directly."

San San Zhenren said, "This is something left by your father or mother. You must practice it. You cannot control swords because they have spirit, but you can control needles. Needles and bamboo swords are both spiritless."

Lin Fan thought for a while, "Leader, are you setting a trap? I don't remember any records of controlling needles, and who are my parents?"

"How should I know? Just practice it." San San Zhenren said impatiently, "Remember, don't use the Tianmang Heart Method to control weapons with spirit. Stones, embroidery needles, bamboo, and wood are all fine. This time, I went down the mountain and bought you 5,000 embroidery needles. Practice slowly."

Lin Fan was half-believing, "Okay!" Practice is practice, no matter what.