Chapter 54 A Mortal Scholar? He Shattered a Top-Grade Spiritual Weapon with Chopsticks!

Shenhuang Continent, Eastern Wasteland.

At the foot of the Taixuan Mountain Range, there was a bustling giant city stretching for hundreds of miles named "Qingyun City."

This was the external hub for the Taixuan Dao Sect. Within the city, there were not only Mortal nobles and wealthy merchants but also a mix of countless Loose Cultivators from all walks of life and young geniuses who came to the Taixuan Dao Sect to seek the Dao. The streets were crowded with people and carriages, the sounds of hawking and the roars of Spirit Beasts intertwining to create a rich atmosphere of the Mortal World.

"Candied haws! Candied haws made from hundred-year-old Crimson Spirit Fruits!"

"Fine Hundred-Refined Steel Swords, cutting through iron like butter, for only ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

At noon, an extremely eye-catching young man walked along the busiest Central Avenue of Qingyun City.

He wore a moon-white Mortal scholar's robe, had a slender build, and a handsome face that even a painter could not capture a ten-thousandth of its charm. With his hands behind his back and a tattered iron sword whose scabbard was covered in rust hanging casually at his waist, he strolled slowly down the street like a poor scholar going to the capital for an examination.

This person was none other than Lin Yuan, who had just wandered down from the Taixuan Back Mountain.

Under the perfect concealment of the "Great Dao Return to Mortal Art," there wasn't a single trace of Spiritual Qi fluctuation on Lin Yuan's body. Even if an old monster at the Mahayana Stage used Divine Sense to scan him from head to toe, the only conclusion would be—this was a pure Mortal, so weak he couldn't even truss a chicken.

"I've been on the mountain for so long, drinking immortal tea and eating spirit fruits every day, that my mouth is practically tasteless. As expected, this Mortal World's atmosphere smells much better."

Lin Yuan took a deep breath of the aroma of grilled meat wafting from the street and patted his stomach with great satisfaction.

He looked up, his gaze landing on an extremely grand five-story restaurant in the center of the street. Three large, flamboyant characters were written on the restaurant's plaque—Zuixian Tower.

"This is the one."

Lin Yuan walked into Zuixian Tower with leisurely steps.

"Oh, guest, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?" The waiter was a very clever Qi Refining Stage Cultivator. Seeing Lin Yuan's extraordinary temperament, he hurried forward to greet him. However, when his Divine Sense habitually scanned Lin Yuan and found that he was just a Mortal with no cultivation and a broken iron sword at his waist, the enthusiasm on his face immediately faded by thirty percent.

In Qingyun City, although there were many Mortals, in a gold-consuming place like Zuixian Tower, Mortals usually only sat in the most remote corners of the first floor.

"Arrange a good seat by the window for me, and bring out all your signature fine wines and dishes."

Lin Yuan seemed not to notice the waiter's neglect. He naturally reached into his robe and casually pulled out a red gold ingot the size of a fist from the Storage Pouch given to him by the old man of the Heavenly Dao, slapping it onto the counter with a "thud."

Although this ingot of gold wasn't a Spirit Stone, its purity was extremely high, emitting the tempting luster of precious metal.

The waiter's eyes instantly went straight. Such a large ingot of red gold was enough to buy a large mansion in Qingyun City!

"Right away! Sir, please take an elegant window seat on the second floor! I'll bring your food immediately!" The waiter's attitude instantly did a 180-degree turn, bowing and scraping as he invited Lin Yuan to the best spot on the second floor.

Before long, a table full of Mortal delicacies with excellent color, aroma, and taste, along with a jar of aged wine, was placed before Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of shiny braised pork into his mouth.

It was fatty but not greasy, melting in the mouth, and a rich savory aroma exploded on his taste buds.

Lin Yuan picked up his wine cup and drained the slightly cloudy but spicy and pungent Mortal wine in one gulp.

The moment that mouthful of Mortal wine entered his throat.

A mysterious ripple flashed through Lin Yuan's deep eyes. His peerless Comprehension Ability naturally began to operate the moment he tasted the Mortal World's flavors.

In Lin Yuan's perception, this mouthful of cloudy wine turned into thousands of strands of Mortal World Qi. Birth, aging, sickness, death, love, hatred, joy, sorrow, and the hustle and bustle of the marketplace... the short yet brilliant life of a Mortal was condensed within this insignificant wine and meat.

[You quietly savor the Mortal wine, gaining insight into the Mortal World and the myriad states of living beings.]

[You have comprehended a supreme state of mind method—"Great Dream of the Mortal World Art"!]

A lazy smile played at the corners of Lin Yuan's mouth.

This "Great Dream of the Mortal World Art" was not a technique for slaughter, but an extremely profound method for cultivating the state of mind. It allowed Lin Yuan's state of mind to completely merge with the Mortal World Qi of this world. At this moment, he was no longer that high and mighty Demon God; he was a most authentic diner in the Mortal World.

Under the washing of the Mortal World Qi, his Physical Body became more harmonious and flawless, and the violent aura of those hundred thousand Dragon Elephant particles was concealed to an absolute, perfect extreme.

"Good wine," Lin Yuan exhaled a breath of wine contentedly.

However, just as Lin Yuan was preparing to feast, an extremely discordant and piercing voice interrupted his mood.

"Bang!"

A large foot wearing Yao Beast leather boots stomped arrogantly onto the bench opposite Lin Yuan, causing several small dishes on the table to spill their sauce.

"Hey, you poor scholar."

The newcomer was a burly man with a face full of flesh, dressed in embroidered silk clothes. He was followed by several fierce-looking lackeys. The aura on this man was extremely arrogant; he was actually a Cultivator who had already formed a Golden Core.

In Qingyun City, although the Golden Core Stage wasn't considered top-tier, it was definitely a local tyrant-level existence.

The burly man was named Zhao Biao, the Young Lord of the "Mad Blade Sect" in the city. He had seen Lin Yuan casually pull out such a large ingot of red gold on the first floor and immediately became greedy.

A Mortal scholar with no cultivation, not even a Storage Pouch, and only a broken iron sword, carrying such a huge sum of money—he was simply a walking piece of fat meat!

"This Young Lord has taken a fancy to this window seat. If you're smart, leave all your gold and valuables behind, take your piece of scrap metal, and get out through that window."

Zhao Biao pointed arrogantly at Lin Yuan's nose and said with a sneer, "Otherwise, this Young Lord will show you today what the methods of a Cultivator are!"

Seeing this, the surrounding diners were so scared their faces turned pale, and they hurriedly paid their bills and left, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

The originally noisy second floor of the restaurant instantly became deathly silent.

Only at a table in the corner sat a grey-robed elder wearing a bamboo hat, slowly drinking tea. A subtle, restrained fluctuation of the Soul Transformation Stage emanated from him; he was clearly a hidden expert passing through.

The elder glanced at Zhao Biao, then at Lin Yuan, and shook his head helplessly.

"An ordinary man is innocent, but harboring wealth makes him guilty. A Mortal daring to show off wealth in a Cultivator's territory is truly seeking death." The elder sighed inwardly but had no intention of stepping in to help. The cultivation world was one where the strong preyed on the weak; he had seen too much of it.

Faced with Zhao Biao's provocation and threats.

Lin Yuan didn't even lift an eyelid.

He was just extremely focused on using his chopsticks to pick up a fried peanut, unhurriedly putting it into his mouth and chewing with a "crunch, crunch" sound.

"These peanuts are fried well, the heat was just right," Lin Yuan commented to himself.

Complete disregard!

Seeing that this Mortal scholar actually dared to treat him as if he were air, the anger in Zhao Biao's heart was instantly ignited. As the dignified Young Lord of the Mad Blade Sect, he usually walked sideways in Qingyun City; when had he ever been so ignored by a Mortal?!

"You death-seeking thing! Since you're unwilling to get lost, this Young Lord will send you on your way!"

Zhao Biao roared and suddenly drew the large saber at his waist.

"Clang!"

An extremely crisp sound of a blade echoed through the restaurant. The large saber emitted a deep blue light, and Spiritual Qi flowed along the edge; it was actually a priceless, Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact that could cut through iron like butter!

"Die for me!"

Zhao Biao held the saber with both hands, the Golden Core spiritual power in his body frantically pouring into the blade. He slashed down ruthlessly, intending to split both the table and Lin Yuan's head in half!

The sharp blade wind instantly locked down all of Lin Yuan's retreats. The sharpness of that Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact even made the Soul Transformation Stage grey-robed elder in the corner frown slightly.

"Within the Golden Core Stage, I'm afraid no one can take this hit head-on. This scholar is dead." The elder shook his head and picked up his teacup, preparing to close his eyes.

However.

Just as that Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact saber, emitting a deep blue light, was less than an inch away from the top of Lin Yuan's head.

Lin Yuan sighed with extreme impatience.

"It's so noisy just to have a meal. Young people nowadays really have no manners at all."

Accompanied by this light complaint.

Lin Yuan's right hand, which was holding the chopsticks, was raised extremely casually, one might even say slowly.

He didn't draw the sword at his waist, nor did he release any earth-shattering cultivation fluctuations. He just used those two most ordinary Mortal bamboo chopsticks in his hand, as if picking up a peanut, and reached out extremely lightly toward the air.

"Snap."

An extremely faint yet incomparably clear sound.

The scene froze in an extremely eerie manner at this moment.

Zhao Biao's eyeballs, bulging from his grimace, instantly froze in their sockets. He discovered to his horror that his indestructible Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact saber, which gathered all his Golden Core cultivation, was actually being pinched precisely on the blade by Lin Yuan with two fragile bamboo chopsticks!

No matter how frantically he urged his spiritual power, the saber was like it had struck an immovable primordial divine mountain, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch further!

"This... how is this possible?!"

A storm of shock surged in Zhao Biao's heart, and a sense of trembling from the depths of his Soul instantly swept through his body.

Before he could react.

Lin Yuan's chopsticks, which were pinching the blade, gave a light, casual twist outward.

It was such a small, seemingly effortless movement.

"Crack—!!!"

An extremely piercing sound of metal bursting echoed through the entire second floor!

Under the ghostly gazes of Zhao Biao and his lackeys, that Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact saber, which had cost half of the Mad Blade Sect's foundation to forge, actually shattered inch by inch like fragile ice, centered on where the chopsticks were pinching!

Countless shards of deep blue refined steel instantly exploded outward!

"Puff!"

The weapon was destroyed, causing a backlash. Coupled with a trace of extremely subtle feedback force contained in Lin Yuan's twist.

Zhao Biao felt as if he had been struck by lightning, the bones in both his arms shattered in an instant. He sprayed out a large mouthful of blood, and his body flew backward like a tattered sack, smashing through the wooden wall of the restaurant and falling onto the street with a "boom," his life or death unknown.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Zhao Biao's lackeys were so scared their legs went weak, and a mess of yellow and white fluid flowed directly into their crotches. They scrambled and crawled down the stairs, not even daring to look back.

And in the corner, the Soul Transformation Stage grey-robed elder who was originally about to drink tea.

At this moment, the teacup in his hand had already fallen to the ground with a "clatter," spilling scalding tea everywhere, yet he was completely unaware.

The elder stared fixedly at the two undamaged Mortal bamboo chopsticks in Lin Yuan's hand, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets, his whole body trembling violently.

"No Spiritual Qi fluctuations... not a single trace of Spiritual Qi!"

"Using Mortal bamboo to shatter a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact... this... how is this possible?!"

After a very brief mental crash, the elder's brain instantly began an extremely frantic and logically self-consistent top-tier "over-analysis"!

"Returning to simplicity! This is the ultimate returning to simplicity!"

The elder roared frantically in his heart, "This is no Mortal scholar at all! This is absolutely a supreme Peerless Sword Immortal who has crossed the gap between immortal and Mortal and is experiencing the myriad states of the world in the Mortal World!"

"He doesn't use a sword because everything in the world can be a sword in his hands! Those two bamboo chopsticks were clearly endowed by him at that moment with a peerless Sword Intent that transcends the Laws of the Heavenly Dao! That's why they could easily shatter a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact!"

"Today, I... actually have the honor of witnessing a living legend of the Immortal Dao with my own eyes?!"

The grey-robed elder was so excited his whole body was shaking. He suddenly stood up and straightened his robes with extreme respect and humility.

Just as he was about to step forward and throw himself at Lin Yuan's feet regardless of everything to beg this "supreme sword immortal" for a word or two of guidance.

Lin Yuan threw the chopsticks in his hand onto the table with extreme distaste.

"My appetite was ruined by flies, how disappointing. The security measures in these Mortal restaurants are too poor."

Lin Yuan shook his head and stood up. He didn't even look at the Spiritual Artifact shards all over the floor, casually pulling out a piece of broken silver from his Storage Pouch and tossing it onto the table as payment for the wine.

Then, with his hands behind his back and the rusty iron sword hanging at his waist, he walked slowly down the stairs with leisurely steps.

It wasn't until Lin Yuan's back had completely disappeared at the end of the street.

That the Soul Transformation Stage grey-robed elder in the corner dared to breathe heavily.

He walked piously to the seat where Lin Yuan had just sat, looking at the two ordinary bamboo chopsticks on the table, and tucked them into his robe with extreme care, one might even say worship.

"Bamboo chopsticks used by a sword immortal... they must contain incredible supreme sword principles! If I can comprehend even one-ten-thousandth of it, I will surely be able to step into the Void Returning Stage!"

The elder took a deep breath, an extremely fanatical light flashing in his eyes.

He immediately took out a communication Jade Slip and issued a supreme death order to the high-level members of his Sect with extreme severity:

"Hear my decree! From now on, all Disciples of the Sect, when traveling in Qingyun City and throughout the Eastern Wasteland, must stay three steps away and perform the kneeling salute if they encounter a white-clad scholar carrying a rusty iron sword! Anyone who dares to be disrespectful will be immediately expelled from the Sect, executed on the spot, and their nine generations will be held responsible!!!"

"Remember! That is an... unspeakable Red Dust Immortal!"