194: Give sword

Nine Leaf City is divided into four districts: the East City and North City are reserved for the Spirit Beast Sect, while the South City and West City are commercial areas. The East City and North City are located at the foot of Nine Leaf Mountain.

The legendary White Fir Divine Tree is also on Nine Leaf Mountain.

The East City houses the Immortal Caves for the Spirit Beast Sect's Disciples, while the North City is where the Spirit Beast Sect entertains distinguished guests and offers temporary Immortal Caves for rent.

Lin Shiming walked through the North City, marveling at Nine Leaf Mountain and the rows of Immortal Caves. The Spiritual Vein on Nine Leaf Mountain is a fifth-tier Spiritual Vein, and since the Spirit Beast Sect's headquarters are not here, the Cultivators cannot fully saturate the Spiritual Vein. Renting Immortal Caves to Loose Cultivators and Cultivators from other Sects also brings in a substantial income for the Sect.

Some Loose Cultivators even rent Immortal Caves to Breakthrough when they encounter a Bottleneck in a major Realm.

As an ally of the Spirit Beast Sect, Zi Xuan Sanren naturally has a designated Immortal Cave in the North City.

After a moment of silence, Lin Shiming saw a Cultivator in a green robe descend on his sword:

"Junior Brother Lin, Revered Master requests your presence!"

"Thank you for informing me, Senior Brother!" Lin Shiming repeatedly expressed his gratitude, then entered Zi Xuan Sanren's Immortal Cave and found Zi Xuan Sanren in a brightly lit, spacious stone chamber.

At this moment, Zi Xuan Sanren was still clad in his purple robe, looking exceptionally ethereal. On the table beside him, a teapot was brewing spirit tea, with wisps of Spiritual Qi-infused mist rising gracefully.

"Shiming greets Revered Master!" Lin Shiming stepped forward and bowed repeatedly.

"Not bad, you've reached Foundation Establishment Middle Stage so quickly!" Zi Xuan Sanren was pleasantly surprised to see that Lin Shiming had indeed broken through to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, just as Xie An had said.

"I heard you encountered Chen Yunlai from the Heavenly Demon Sect and even managed to kill him?"

"It was just a stroke of luck, and largely thanks to Senior Brother Xie!" Lin Shiming replied humbly. He dared not take credit in front of Zi Xuan Sanren, especially since it was Xie An who had consumed an overdrafting Medicinal Pill to hold back the Nether Tiger Heavenly Demon Banner; otherwise, none of them would have escaped.

"Xie An also reported to me. You don't need to be overly modest; young people should have some spirit!" Zi Xuan Sanren drank a cup of tea, then stared intently at Lin Shiming.

"Thank you for your guidance, Revered Master. Shiming will remember it!" Seeing Zi Xuan Sanren staring at him, Lin Shiming was somewhat confused and could only lower his head and admit his 'mistake.'

"You have already Cultivated the Grass Character Sword Art, haven't you? How is your progress?" After a polite show of concern, Zi Xuan Sanren asked again.

Zi Xuan Sanren's tone was noticeably urgent in this sentence. At this moment, Lin Shiming even felt that the Sword Qi on his body, and even the 'grass seed' of the Grass Character Sword Art, had been discovered by Zi Xuan Sanren.

What made him ponder even more was that Zi Xuan Sanren had not summoned Lin Xianzhi. One should know that Zi Xuan Sanren used to value Lin Xianzhi more.

Perhaps Zi Xuan Sanren already knew that Lin Xianzhi did not have much lifespan left.

"Replying to Revered Master, the sword forms of the Grass Character Sword Art should have reached the introductory level, but I still don't fully understand the true meaning of the Sword Art!" Lin Shiming replied honestly, and upon hearing Lin Xianzhi's words, Zi Xuan Sanren also lowered his head.

Then, Zi Xuan Sanren pondered for a moment before speaking again:

"Oh, what don't you understand? I, your Revered Master, will clear your doubts!"

Seeing this, Lin Shiming also voiced his doubts about Cultivating the Grass Character Sword Art. Of course, many of these doubts had already been corrected by the System, and he also brought up a few correct points to inquire about.

Zi Xuan Sanren answered them one by one, and Lin Shiming listened with exceptional seriousness. However, Zi Xuan Sanren was clearly not as precise as the System's prompts; many sword moves still had slight flaws.

However, Lin Shiming performed extremely well and did not reveal anything. Once the questions were finished, Zi Xuan Sanren's brow furrowed, clearly concerned about Lin Shiming's Comprehension Ability.

"Is there a problem with the third form of the Sword Art?"

Zi Xuan Sanren then continued to interrogate Lin Shiming about his Sword Art. To Lin Shiming's alarm, Zi Xuan Sanren's questions this time included both correct and incorrect points.

And there were five consecutive questions.

Clearly, at this moment, Zi Xuan Sanren already suspected that he was deliberately concealing something. Fortunately, every time Lin Shiming made a mistake, the System's prompts corrected him. This time, his answers were based entirely on his own understanding before the System's prompts.

Zi Xuan Sanren frowned and pondered for a moment, then spoke:

"Go find your Senior Brother and have him give you the information on your competitors for this time. The Nine Leaves Enlightenment Platform is a good opportunity for you. You are my Named Disciple, so you also have a chance!"

After Zi Xuan Sanren finished speaking, he picked up his teacup, gently brushing the lid and blowing away the steam.

"Additionally, this top-grade Magical Artifact sword, Zilai Sword, carries the meaning of 'purple Qi coming from the east.' It is no longer of much use to me, so I will give it to you!"

Lin Shiming was somewhat stunned at this moment. He had not expected Zi Xuan Sanren to ask him to participate in the Nine Leaves Enlightenment Platform competition, vying for the only two spots, and even give him a top-grade Magical Artifact sword.

Lin Shiming took the top-grade Magical Artifact sword. It was a purple sword, brimming with purple Qi. Its sharpness was self-evident; even among top-grade Magical Artifacts, it was a rare treasure, far more powerful than the Lai Yun Sword he had seized from Lu Changming.

Moreover, currently in the Spirit Beast Sect, he dared not use either the zijin gourd or the Lai Yun Sword.

Otherwise, if the Lu Family came looking for trouble, Lin Shiming would inevitably be held accountable.

"Thank you, Revered Master. Shiming will go find Senior Brother Xie now!"

Lin Shiming put away the Zilai Sword, then cupped his hands and excused himself.

Since Zi Xuan Sanren requested his participation in the Nine Leaves Grand Competition, it was useless for Lin Shiming to try and avoid it.

And if he was going to participate, Lin Shiming would naturally aim for one of the two Enlightenment Platform spots.

Of course, he was curious whether the System's prompts would bring him unexpected gains.

The images of his comprehension of the Sword Dao from the Grass Character Sword Art were still vivid in his mind.

As a Sect Disciple, Xie An also had a temporary Immortal Cave in the North City, though its location was closer to the foot of the mountain, and the Spiritual Qi was noticeably different.

Lin Shiming used a sound transmission talisman, and the latter had just finished Cultivating. Seeing Lin Shiming outside his Immortal Cave, he quickly invited Lin Shiming inside.

Compared to Zi Xuan Sanren's Immortal Cave, Xie An's Immortal Cave was simpler. Of course, this wasn't because Xie An was more frugal, but rather because the Spirit Beast Sect's arrangements were simply like that.

"Shiming, please sit!" After experiencing a life-and-death battle, Xie An was more familiar with Lin Shiming.

Xie An quickly took out a teapot and poured Lin Shiming a cup. The spirit tea was light and fragrant, gathering without dissipating. Just smelling the mist of the spirit tea had a refreshing and invigorating effect.

It was the mingxin tea that Lin Shiming had given Xie An last time.

"Shiming, this is the information Revered Master asked me to find for you. You have many strong competitors this time..." Xie An took out a Jade Slip, but after speaking, his brow furrowed.

"Three people successfully comprehended the Dao in the last decade, directly grasping the prototype of a Minor Divine Ability. After Breaking Through to Purple Mansion, they even condensed a Minor Divine Ability, far surpassing ordinary Purple Mansion Cultivators. Senior Brother only found this out this time!"