Chapter 322 - 210: Blood Lingzhi, Examination

Chapter 322: Chapter 210: Blood Lingzhi, Examination

By the next day, Xie Yuan had already left the Situ Mansion, departed from Yunzhou Prefecture, and was nearly at Cloud Mountain Town.

A smile still lingered on Xie Yuan’s lips.

He looked utterly blissful, a faint smile gracing his features from time to time. If anyone else had been on the road with him, they would have thought something was wrong with him.

In his current state, Xie Yuan’s portrayal of Zhang Shan was perfect—simple and dazed. He embodied the role in both form and spirit; it was a natural performance.

’So, what does this make us?’

Xie Yuan couldn’t help but wonder. ’Our relationship had already surpassed mere friendship. Have we finally broken through that last barrier?’

Recalling the affection she had shown last night and this morning, Xie Yuan felt euphoric. He was completely overjoyed, feeling like he was back in his school days—that giddy excitement of discovering your secret crush likes you back.

’Then again, at my age, aren’t I basically still a teenager? I just turned eighteen after the New Year, after all.’

He took a breath to calm himself, recalling the promise Situ Qin had made as they reluctantly parted that morning:

"Tai Bo and Aunt Hong gave me permission to go out on my own! Once you reach the Second Transformation Realm, we can go on an adventure together and see the world."

’The Second Transformation? What’s so hard about that? It won’t take long at all!’

Feeling the heavy weight of the items in his bag, Xie Yuan was filled with confidence.

However, his elation vanished the moment he saw the gates of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect. The blissful expression on his face collapsed, and he could no longer keep his cheerful grin.

It felt just like going back to school or work after a long vacation... and his boss’s mood was unfathomable, something he still couldn’t figure out.

Xie Yuan adjusted his demeanor and reverted to being Zhang Shan—though he wasn’t sure if he was just fooling himself, he knew he had to keep up appearances.

He made his way back to the Inner Sect on Ruyun Peak without any trouble. Walking into his small courtyard, Xie Yuan set down his things and let out a sigh of relief.

’Everything’s just as I left it. It’s like everyone’s pretending nothing ever happened.’

He was just about to take a short rest and prepare to cultivate when a loud KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK sounded at his door.

"Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Zhang!"

Xie Yuan opened the door to find the Lin siblings standing outside, looking as if they’d finally tracked him down.

"Senior Brother Lin, Senior Sister Lin, what’s wrong?"

"What’s wrong? You have the nerve to ask what’s wrong!"

Lin Cheng, making himself right at home, barged in and exclaimed:

"I haven’t seen you at all since we came down from Sword Peak! I’ve been bursting with questions for you! Then you just disappeared down the mountain again. I thought you’d skipped town. You’re finally back!"

Xie Yuan understood at once. They had all ascended Sword Peak together, but he had stayed the longest by far. His fellow disciples were probably dying of curiosity.

But hearing the words "skipped town," Xie Yuan gave a dry laugh.

"You must be joking, Senior Brother. Why would I skip town? I can’t get enough of our Sect."

’I don’t know if anyone is listening in,’ he thought, ’but I have to make my loyalty clear first.’

"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, please, come in and have a seat."

Lin Cheng didn’t need to be told twice. He and Xie Yuan had been roommates for several months, seeing each other day in and day out, so they were quite familiar. Lin Zhen, however, remained standing silently at the door, so Xie Yuan extended a polite invitation to her as well.

Besides, Xie Yuan already had a deep connection with them. Their journey to the West Desert alone, where they had faced life and death together, had forged an uncommon bond. The moment he saw them appear over the sand dunes while he was trapped in the basin, Xie Yuan had truly accepted them as his fellow disciples.

Lin Zhen accepted with a polite nod. As Xie Yuan turned to lead the way, she quietly studied his back.

Lin Zhen was no longer the spoiled young lady she once was. Her delicate, oval face now held a hint of determination and sharpness. Her large eyes reflected Xie Yuan’s back as she seemed to be lost in thought.

After seating the siblings in the living room and brewing a pot of tea, Lin Cheng couldn’t wait any longer and asked:

"Junior Brother Zhang, how did you manage to stay on Sword Peak for so long?"

Lin Zhen’s expression also grew keen, and she widened her eyes, not wanting to miss a single word of his explanation.

Xie Yuan sighed inwardly. ’Probably every disciple in the Inner Sect is wondering about this,’ he thought. ’But since I’m still new here, only these few know me well enough to ask directly. It would be too awkward for the others.’

"I think it’s because I took an unknown Spirit Pill in the ruins, which strengthened my constitution..."

Xie Yuan repeated the story he had told Li Xingtuo—or rather, the story Li Xingtuo had instructed him to tell.

He attributed everything to innate talent and the mysterious ancient ruins, leaving it at that.

However, seeing their utterly confused expressions, Xie Yuan pondered for a moment before adding slowly:

"The Sword Intent on Sword Peak is incredibly dense. The peak itself is unique, shaped like a natural manifestation of the world’s sword-force. But it also contains a legacy of Sword Intent, accumulated by generations of our Sect’s predecessors and sages. This time, I was able to comprehend some of that ancestral Sword Intent and became completely immersed in it, which is why nine days passed in a flash. Compared to trying to grasp the peak’s overarching sword-force, I personally feel it’s easier to start by comprehending the sword marks left behind by our predecessors. Starting there makes it easier to gain insights and touch upon the Great Dao within Sword Peak. Just something for you two to consider."

’The Cloud Mountain Sword Sect’s own theory is that Sword Peak is special because it’s a natural manifestation of the world’s sword-force, and they’re not far off,’ Xie Yuan mused. ’After all, this page of the Black Celestial Book likely represents the very progenitor of all worldly Swordsmanship.’

Xie Yuan figured the two of them might get another chance to enter Sword Peak, so he decided to give them a hint. Although the Sword Intent on the peak has merged into a single whole, it can actually be divided into two sources. If they were to go again, starting with the ancestral Sword Intent would be much easier.

The Lin siblings were stunned. They had already figured that Xie Yuan must have gained some profound insights during his nine days on the peak.

But for him to have developed a systematic method on his very first visit and then begin to instruct them... it left them completely dumbfounded. ’Wait... who’s the junior brother and who’s the senior here?’

But... what he said actually seemed to make a lot of sense.

Lin Cheng pondered for a moment, then suddenly drew in a sharp breath.

"So the Sword Intent is split in two—one part easy, one part difficult, and the easy part can be used as a stepping stone to the difficult one... It works like that? Junior Brother Zhang, how did you figure this out? Your perception is incredible! No wonder you could stay on Sword Peak for so long on your first try and make such huge gains!"