120: Six-Turn Sword Grass

Su Wan Yue once gave him a copy of "Jinghong Sword Notes," and the author was none other than the Jinghong Swordsman!

Back in the day, he was a legendary Sword Cultivator who shook the Canglan Realm.

He was of the same generation as Qingfeng Swordsman and the Azure Blade Fairy, all of whom were representative figures of the Sword Pavilion at that time.

"Has the Jinghong Swordsman already passed away?" he muttered to himself.

The Jinghong Swordsman was a figure from a thousand years ago.

Although a thousand years is a long time, for someone of his stature, it was nothing.

The Lifespan limit of a Mortal is two sixty-year cycles.

The Lifespan limit of a Refining Qi Realm Cultivator is three sixty-year cycles, which is 180 years.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator has a Lifespan of five sixty-year cycles, roughly 300 years.

The Lifespan limit of a Purple Mansion Cultivator is 500 years.

The Lifespan limit of a Golden Core Cultivator is 800 years.

The Lifespan of a Nascent Soul Cultivator reaches over a thousand years.

When the Jinghong Swordsman wrote "Jinghong Sword Notes," his cultivation was in the Nascent Soul Realm.

For someone of that caliber, with a few more years of persistence, he would surely have broken through to a higher Realm; living to the present day really shouldn't have been a problem.

But Lin Yan saw his tombstone here.

And looking at the state of the tombstone, it had been here for quite some years.

"Perhaps, this is fate!"

Although the Jinghong Swordsman's tomb looked very simple, lacking the grandeur of other predecessors.

But Lin Yan had already made up his mind.

Entering the Sword Tomb not only had a time limit, but there was also a limit to the number of trials one could undergo; each person could only obtain one Opportunity.

He straightened his robes and bowed to the Stone Gate: "Junior Lin Yan, admiring the demeanor of Senior Jinghong Swordsman, wishes to enter the tomb to seek guidance."

Before his voice had even faded, the Stone Gate creaked open slowly.

Behind the door was a secluded path, with countless tiny Sword Qi embedded in the stone walls on both sides, flowing like stars.

The moment he stepped into the tomb, Lin Yan felt his spiritual power being pulled by an invisible force, and as the light and shadow shifted before his eyes, he found himself in a peach blossom forest.

It was identical to the peach blossom forest at the entrance, but with an added air of killing intent.

Lin Yan looked around and suddenly saw a water mirror floating in the open space ahead, reflecting his image.

Beside the mirror stood a jade stele, inscribed with: "First Stage, verify Aptitude, observe potential."

"Verify Aptitude and potential?" Lin Yan took a deep breath and walked slowly toward the water mirror.

The surface of the mirror rippled and transformed into a voice, clear as the ringing of a sword: "To inherit the Jinghong Sword Dao, first prove your own Foundation. Display your Dao Foundation and Spiritual Root, and let me see if your sword heart is compatible."

Lin Yan immediately sat cross-legged and circulated his spiritual power.

In his Dantian, his Sixth-Grade Dao Foundation rotated slowly, emitting the mysterious fluctuations unique to a Dao Foundation.

At the same time, the Wood Spiritual Root within his body suddenly lit up, its emerald radiance rippling like water.

Just then, a green phantom quietly appeared above Lin Yan's Dao Foundation.

It was a slender, flexible willow branch, with the edges of its leaves gleaming with a metallic cold light; it was the phantom of the Azure Blade Willow.

"Eh?" The voice in the water mirror wavered for the first time: "The phantom of the Azure Blade Willow... Are you the successor of the Azure Blade Fairy?"

Deep within the tomb, a spiritual sword sealed on a jade platform suddenly emitted a faint hum.

The sword spirit's consciousness awakened from its slumber, its gaze piercing through layers of obstacles and landing on Lin Yan.

The voice in the water mirror sounded again, this time with less mechanical tone and becoming more spirited: "No... you also have the aura of Qingfeng Bamboo on you..."

"Interesting, truly interesting." The voice became complex, filled with both surprise and nostalgia: "Sixth-Grade Dao Foundation... top grade Wood Spiritual Root, your talent meets the requirements."

"First Stage trial passed, bestowing upon you the "Startling Swan Sword Art"."

Before the voice finished, a Jade Slip fell from the air, and Lin Yan reached out to catch it.

The moment the Jade Slip touched his hand, countless pieces of information flooded into his mind.

The "Startling Swan Sword Art" emphasized sword momentum like flowing clouds unfolding; it appeared soft but contained the force of a thousand jun.

Each move and style emphasized the coordination of movement and Sword Techniques, like a startled swan skimming the water, fast yet not chaotic.

Compared to the "Yu Ling Sword Technique" he was currently cultivating, the "Startling Swan Sword Art" was much more profound; it was actually a fifth-tier sword technique.

"Not bad, this trip was worth it."

Lin Yan put away the Jade Slip and walked out of the peach blossom forest.

"The trials in the Sword Tomb are generally divided into multiple stages; there should be more ahead." he muttered to himself.

The Disciples entering the Sword Tomb varied in level.

To accommodate Disciples who were weaker or had poorer Aptitude, the trials and rewards set by the predecessors were divided into stages.

To avoid letting anyone return empty-handed.

Luo Haoyu and the others had obtained the rewards for this first stage.

The venue for the second stage trial was located in a spacious stone chamber.

In the center stood three mechanical Puppets, each a zhang tall, cast entirely from black iron, with blood-red crystals embedded in their joints, exuding a dangerous aura.

The walls of the stone chamber were covered with defensive runes, obviously to prevent damage.

"Second Stage, test strength, break the mechanism." The voice of the water mirror came from the top of the stone chamber: "According to your strength, all three Puppets have been adjusted to the Peak of the third level of the Foundation Establishment Realm; you must defeat them all."

Lin Yan took a deep breath and drew his qinggang sword.

"Yu Ling Sword Technique!" He shouted in a low voice, and three sword energies, condensed into substance, shot out in response.

A flash of brilliance appeared in his eyes, his internal Sword Intent surged, and the qinggang sword let out a clear, resonant hum.

In battles at the Foundation Establishment Realm, the power of the qinggang sword itself was hard to be of much help.

But as a carrier for spiritual power and Sword Intent, it was still usable.

The Wood attribute spiritual light on the sword surged, merging with the Sword Qi driven by the Yu Ling Sword Technique.

"Slash!" Lin Yan swayed his figure, drifting toward the Puppet on the left like a ghost.

The qinggang sword drew a graceful arc, the tip of the sword striking the joint of the Puppet.

The space here was too small to unleash Flying Sword Techniques.

In close-quarters combat, one needed to respond flexibly, and it was better to have the sword in hand.

The Puppet swung its fist, but he nimbly dodged to the side.

Employing the Eight Directions Sword Step, Lin Yan flashed behind the Puppet, a flash of sword light severed the energy conduit on its back.

"Boom!" The Puppet's movements immediately slowed down, and the light of its core crystal dimmed a bit.

Seeing this, the other two Puppets attacked Lin Yan simultaneously.

Lin Yan was unhurried, his Eight Directions Sword Step flashing frequently, his figure weaving between the Puppets like a ghost.

The sword moves in his hand were continuous like drizzle, each strike accurately landing on the weak points of the Puppets.

Soon, the sword light wove into a net, trapping the last Puppet within it.

"Break!" Lin Yan flicked his finger, and the qinggang sword shot out like a meteor, accurately shattering the Puppet's core crystal.

The last Puppet collapsed with a crash, turning into a pile of scrap iron.

"Not bad, Sword Intent condensed, Sword Techniques used appropriately." The voice of the water mirror carried approval: "Second Stage trial passed. Bestowing upon you a piece of Sword Grass, it can help you improve your Sword Intent."

A piece of Sword Grass drifted down, and Lin Yan reached out to catch it, feeling a pure Sword Intent emanating from it.

"It's sixth-turn sword grass!" Lin Yan couldn't help but show joy.

The source of Sword Grass was the Sword Tomb.

It was a specialty spirit plant nurtured by this special small world.

But it didn't mean that just by entering the Sword Tomb, one would definitely obtain Sword Grass.

In fact, most Disciples who came here failed to obtain Sword Grass.

This thing was also a rare item in the Sword Tomb.

Moreover, this was an extremely rare sixth-turn sword grass...

The spiritual sword spirit deep in the tomb silently observed all this, a flash of satisfaction passing through its eyes.

Having put away the Sword Grass, Lin Yan left the stone chamber.

The moment he stepped out of the chamber, Lin Yan was enveloped by a soft white light.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already in a bustling ancient city.