Chapter 11: An Accidental Twist of Fate

On his way home, Lin Yang suddenly heard the sounds of battle outside the marketplace. There were flashes of fire and the noise of many people clashing. He considered going to take a look, but recalling his own lack of strength, he decided against it.

Returning home, Lin Yang shut the door behind him and went straight to his cultivation room. These days, cultivation had largely replaced sleep for him.

He took out his longsword and looked it over. “I feel this Flame Sword just doesn’t suit me,” he mused. The Flame Sword was a mid-grade first-tier blade, found in an ancestral storage pouch. It earned its name from its ability to unleash flames with the infusion of spiritual energy—a simple, direct weapon, aptly named.

“A remarkable man like myself ought to have a sword that’s dazzling and colorful,” he thought. “Once I gather the right materials, I’ll forge a new one. Dazzle is a must.” Lin Yang put away the Flame Sword and began to cultivate.

Deep in his practice, Lin Yang was suddenly startled awake by the sensation of someone scaling his garden wall, triggering his perception barrier. He opened his eyes, stood, and pressed a Vajra Talisman to his chest. He cushioned his steps with spiritual energy, moving silently toward the door.

Reaching outside, he connected with the barrier and pinpointed the intruder’s location. It was Cheng Kun, who, upon seeing Lin Yang, began frantically pleading for help.

“Young man, save me! If you save me, everything I have is yours!” Cheng Kun’s strength was fading fast—a gaping wound had blown open his waist, and he was barely clinging to life.

“Fool, if you die, your things are mine anyway,” Lin Yang thought.

Still, Cheng Kun begged for his life. Even as he breathed his last, his will to live was formidable.

Cautious, Lin Yang watched Cheng Kun, then swiftly brought his sword down, cleaving the man in two. Only then did he approach boldly. The wounds crisscrossing Cheng Kun’s body were appalling—dozens of injuries, each more grotesque than the last, a testament to his suffering.

After searching Cheng Kun’s corpse, Lin Yang took his storage pouch. With a Fireball Spell, he reduced the body to ashes, then summoned a gust of wind to dispel the lingering stench.

Back in his cultivation room, Lin Yang expanded his perception barrier to its fullest and began to rummage through the pouch, hoping to find a Foundation Establishment Pill.

He took out all the small jade bottles and checked them one by one. To his astonishment, he found two Foundation Establishment Pills. Only now did he understand why Cheng Kun had been so confident about his breakthrough—he already possessed one of these precious pills.

“What a windfall! I must leave this place at once—there are no secrets that last forever.” Lin Yang packed his belongings, affixed a Lightfoot Talisman to himself, altered his appearance with a disguise technique, and left Tai’nan Valley at top speed.

At the exit, several cultivators stood guard. As Lin Yang sped toward them, they shouted, “Who dares trespass in the territory of the Lu family of Yue?”

“Stop right there!” they threatened.

Lin Yang did not hesitate. He hurled a bundle of Fireball Talismans ahead, causing a violent explosion that shattered their formation. Shielded by his Vajra Talisman, he passed through the flames and escaped.

Even after fleeing twenty or thirty miles, Lin Yang didn’t dare stop. A Foundation Establishment cultivator—one of the furious Li family sentinels of Tai’nan Valley—was in hot pursuit. Only by relying on Speed Talismans could Lin Yang barely keep pace. He had no choice but to throw Fireball Talismans behind him now and then, gradually widening the gap.

In the end, Lin Yang’s relentless use of talismans drained the pursuer’s spiritual power. When the Foundation Establishment cultivator saw he could no longer catch up, he finally gave up.

After a day of circling to ensure his safety, Lin Yang perched atop a towering ancient tree to rest and meditate, restoring his energy. Then, consulting his map, he set off for the nearest gathering place of cultivators.

Three years passed.

By now, the youthful look on Lin Yang’s face had all but faded. He wore a white robe, his skin fair and rosy—a result of countless body-refining sessions through cultivation. He stood at one meter seventy-five. The sword at his waist was no longer the Flame Sword, but a vibrant, multi-colored blade he had whimsically named Sovereign Sword.

Strolling the streets of Tai’nan Valley, a roguish smile lingered on his face. Tomorrow would be the Ascension Gathering.

Over these three years, Lin Yang traveled constantly between the marketplaces of Yue and Yuanwu, selling his talismans and elixirs everywhere.

He had no fixed residence, wandering aimlessly—sometimes not even knowing his next destination, letting fate decide. With his system-enhanced professions, he adopted countless identities, selling pills and talismans and amassing a fortune in spirit stones.

Though he kept his sales modest in each place, over the years, the prices of pills and talismans in Yue had dropped by half a tier, thanks to him.

His caution kept him from attracting the attention of truly powerful individuals. Even so, numerous ill-intentioned people targeted him; he’d survived over a hundred robbery attempts, each one adding to his wealth. At present, Lin Yang was likely the richest among all Qi Refining cultivators.

Of course, he was no match for someone like Han Li with the Heaven-Taming Gourd, who could ripen a spiritual herb for hundreds or thousands of spirit stones at a time.

Lin Yang rented a room and stood by the window, gazing at the Ascension Platform being constructed outside.

“Just on my way here, I saw at least a hundred late-stage Qi Refining cultivators and many scions of noble families,” he thought, never having witnessed such a spectacle before.

“Well, of course—this is a turning point for many destinies.” He’d even spotted a dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators in the area.

“But I’m not worried. My hard skills alone are enough to get by, not to mention all my soft assets.” By “soft assets,” he meant his many talismans, pills, and treasures. With these, he was confident of passing with ease.

Status Panel

Name: Lin Yang
Age: 14/120
Cultivation: Qi Refining, Level 11 (3564/15000)
Technique: Longevity Art (Expert, 5200/20000)
Skills:
- Sword Control (Mastery: Flight speed +100%, sword technique speed +20%, experience maxed out)
- Soul-Calming Mantra (Master, 4250/10000): Can instantly unleash three waves of spiritual sense attack, striking or intimidating all within five zhang.
- Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery, 8000/100000—limitless): Increases learning speed of all sword arts by 30%, allows condensation of sword intent.
- Jade-Gold Body: Body-refining technique (Expert, 6000/20000): On par with peak Qi Refining body cultivators, greatly speeds up recovery of wounds and stamina.

Jade-Gold Body was the best body-refining technique Lin Yang had found; he’d not discovered a superior one. Perhaps this was the plight of a rogue cultivator.

Main Profession: First-tier, top-grade Alchemist (Qi Refining limit reached)
Sub-professions: First-tier, top-grade Talisman Master, Formation Master, Artifact Refiner, Beast Tamer
Available Attribute Points: 200

Inventory:
- 3,700 spirit stones
- Two Foundation Establishment Pills
- 300 top-grade first-tier Vajra Talismans
- Over a hundred top-grade first-tier Ten Thousand Sword Talismans
- Dozens of bottles of various alchemy pills for auxiliary cultivation
- 35 storage pouches (thanks to many generous fellow cultivators)
- A needle-shaped spiritual tool for attacking divine sense
- A beast pouch

Inside the beast pouch was a panda. Since Lin Yang rarely relied on spirit beasts in combat, he kept this national treasure as a companion to relax and unwind.

Though the panda’s bloodline was unremarkable, under Lin Yang’s force-feeding, it had reached top-tier first rank—its fur was glossy and soft, perfect for petting. Lin Yang had named him Panpan, a tribute to a cherished memory.

Lin Yang took out some spiritual bamboo from his storage and fed it to Panpan, letting him munch away contentedly.

He sat back on the bed and began cultivating again. The Longevity Art at expert level produced a verdant green spiritual energy—powerful in its own right. Even a touch of it could make withered wood sprout.

With spiritual energy like this, Lin Yang’s reserves were continuously replenished, inexhaustible. Unless engaged in prolonged, intense combat, he would always emerge the victor. This self-assurance was one of his greatest strengths.