Chapter 69: Clothes Seen, But Not the Person.
Zhu Shiyao’s words made Lin Zijian so scared his pants almost fell. Compared to the geniuses from other prominent families, he was only at Core Formation Rank 6. How could he have caught the eye of this ‘female demon’? He couldn’t understand it, and neither could anyone else. With Lin Zijian’s mediocre cultivation level and talent, why would Zhu Shiyao approach him and initiate a greeting?
“Zhu… Daoist Friend Zhu.” Seeing Zhu Shiyao slowly walking towards him, Lin Zijian’s speech became hesitant, and his legs started to tremble. He had been beaten by Zhu Shiyao before. He vividly remembered how, after being beaten so badly he couldn’t get up, Zhu Shiyao had simply shrugged and left, saying, “You can’t get up already? How boring.”
The reason he couldn’t get up at the time was: ‘You broke both my leg bones and didn’t even spare my ten fingers or toes.’ ‘How could I possibly get up?’
However, that was the only time he was beaten. Perhaps she found his strength lacking, and since then, Zhu Shiyao had never sought out the Lin family again. But the impact on him was significant. Her not seeking out the Lin family meant his strength was insufficient, yet if she approached him, he feared his legs would be broken again. Years later, upon seeing Zhu Shiyao again, the long-buried shadow in his heart was instantly reawakened. Thinking she might want to spar with him again, his legs trembled even more violently.
In reality, however, he was overthinking. Zhu Shiyao brushed past him without even glancing his way and then turned towards Lin Mo. This outcome was something no one present had expected.
“Daoist Friend Lin, it’s been a while. You’ve already reached Core Formation!” After a slight bow, Zhu Shiyao beamed with joy upon seeing Lin Mo had reached Core Formation.
“It has indeed been a long time!” Lin Mo smiled calmly. Times had changed. With his current strength, he likely wouldn’t be at a disadvantage if he were to fight Zhu Shiyao head-on.
‘Quick, quick, return Little Li to Master Shiyao!’ ‘Wuwuwu, Master Shiyao, Little Li misses you so much.’ ‘Please, if you return Little Li, Little Li will be eternally grateful.’ The Liuli Sword Spirit was incredibly excited, and Lin Mo felt the Liuli Sword on his waist vibrating like an electric motor.
Noticing the new sword hanging from Zhu Shiyao’s waist, which was also of exceptional quality, Lin Mo’s heart stirred. He handed over the Liuli Sword, “Miss Shiyao, the Liuli Sword misses you. Why don’t I return it to you then?” He said this deliberately, confident that Zhu Shiyao would never take the Liuli Sword back.
Upon hearing Lin Mo’s words, the Liuli Sword was moved to tears. ‘You, you are truly a great person. Little Li wronged you before. If there is an afterlife, Little Li is willing to be your Sword Spirit.’
Facing the offered Liuli Sword, Zhu Shiyao’s eyes revealed gentleness and affection. She lightly caressed the sword’s body and communicated mentally, “Little Li, be good. Young Master Lin is a very good person. Following him, you will surely make a name for yourself.”
‘Wuwuwu, Master Shiyao, are you abandoning Little Li now?’ The Liuli Sword Spirit understood Zhu Shiyao’s meaning and began to weep.
“No, it’s just that Young Master Lin is more suited for you.” After communicating, Zhu Shiyao hardened her heart and ceased further communication with the Liuli Sword, though her eyes were filled with reluctance.
It wasn’t a coincidence that Lin Mo had won the Liuli Sword from her. After all, who would have thought that a chance encounter with a passerby would lead to a contest of sword intent? And that the Liuli Sword would become the stake? She was indeed heartbroken after losing the Liuli Sword then.
After informing her master, she expected punishment. However, her master, after hearing the explanation, did not get angry. Instead, she said, “Everything is fate. You are already the top figure among the younger generation in swordsmanship, undefeated at the same cultivation level. This young cultivator you happened to meet has defeated you in your forte, which indicates the Liuli Sword has a greater destiny with him.” “There are no coincidences in this world; there are only inevitable outcomes.”
After much thought, Zhu Shiyao still couldn’t fully comprehend her master’s words. However, she understood that the Liuli Sword had no destiny with her. Pushing the Liuli Sword toward Lin Mo, Zhu Shiyao slowly said, “Daoist Friend Lin, since you won the spar, the Liuli Sword naturally belongs to you. There’s no need to return it.” Zhu Shiyao’s statement stunned everyone present. Initially, none of them had expected that the ‘Daoist Friend Lin’ Zhu Shiyao addressed was Lin Mo. Now, hearing that this ‘female demon’ had lost to an unknown cultivator like Lin Mo, how could they not be astonished? Especially the young prodigies present, who were accustomed to being tormented by Zhu Shiyao. Didn’t they know how terrifying the strength of this ‘female demon’ was?
The most surprised was Jiang Yanran. She couldn’t fathom why Lin Mo would have any interaction with Zhu Shiyao, let alone win against her. Regarding Lin Mo, her former fiancé, she was relatively aware of his capabilities. Lin Mo only had Dual Spirit Root potential and cultivated a health-preserving technique. Zhu Shiyao, on the other hand, was undeniably a heavenly prodigy who specialized in swordsmanship. Even if Lin Mo cultivated for another fifty years, he wouldn’t be able to defeat Zhu Shiyao.
Nangong Xu then added leisurely, “Perhaps the spar was in a talent-based category?” He had indeed witnessed Lin Mo’s talents at Jiangyue Building. He was more inclined to believe that Lin Mo had won Zhu Shiyao with his talent rather than defeating her through strength. No, to him, there was no need to consider the former; it had to be the latter.
Nangong Xu’s words indeed calmed the surrounding people. True, the ‘female demon’ only said she lost the spar, not what it was about. Thinking this, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Among the crowd, only the white-clad maiden Gu Qianxue had a general idea that Zhu Shiyao’s spar likely involved swordplay. While these juniors couldn’t sense Lin Mo’s contained sword intent, it didn’t mean she couldn’t. Honestly, she had envied Xuan Yi for taking such a talented disciple as Zhu Shiyao. However… she was now more curious about the secrets Lin Mo held. Judging by his performance at the Lin family a few days ago, combined with Zhu Shiyao admitting she lost a spar to Lin Mo, it was highly likely that Lin Mo had a powerful figure behind him, or he had accidentally inherited the legacy of some sword immortal, or, perhaps, the Lin family had been hiding his strength and talent all along. She found the former more plausible, as hiding one’s talent and strength was entirely unnecessary. In this world, the more talent you displayed, the easier it was to enter a Rank 1 Sect and obtain more cultivation resources. The Lin family had no reason to send Lin Mo to a Rank 2 immortal sect.
“Daoist Friend Lin, I didn’t expect you to be from the Lin family. Why didn’t I see you when I visited the Lin family before?” Zhu Shiyao asked curiously. Many years ago, she often sought opponents her age for a satisfying battle. She had visited the Lin family several times but had never seen Lin Mo, nor had she even heard of him.
“I joined the Azure Spirit Sect at the age of twelve.” Lin Mo put the Liuli Sword back into his storage ring. Ever since Zhu Shiyao refused to take it, the Liuli Sword had been crying incessantly. It was quite bothersome. He knew that Zhu Shiyao’s actions had greatly upset the Liuli Sword Spirit, and comforting it now might not only be ineffective but also have the opposite effect. The best approach now was to let the Liuli Sword calm down on its own in the storage ring for a while.
“Is that so?” Zhu Shiyao nodded. Although she didn’t understand why Lin Mo, with such sword talent, chose not to come to the Spiritual Sword Sect, it was his personal matter. What she wanted most now was to have a hearty spar with Lin Mo, a true exchange of swordsmanship.
Lin Mo noticed the excitement in Zhu Shiyao’s eyes and knew what she was thinking. He said helplessly, “We can talk about sparring after the Secret Realm ends.” If he were to truly fight this girl, Lin Mo estimated that without using the ‘Nameless’ sword technique, defeating her wouldn’t be easy and would undoubtedly consume a lot of energy.
Zhu Shiyao understood Lin Mo’s meaning and smiled, “Perhaps we can find an opportunity to spar within the Secret Realm too?” Lin Mo’s thoughts turned. That was indeed true. This was a Secret Realm; besides unique opportunities, the visible wealth within wasn’t for whoever saw it first, but for whoever had the stronger fist. The law of the jungle was the rule of survival in this world. If your strength was inferior to others, and your belongings were snatched away, it was perfectly normal.
If, within the Secret Realm, Zhu Shiyao desired something he had obtained, or vice versa, would they truly give way to each other? The outcome would naturally be a spar. However, Lin Mo feared that Zhu Shiyao might do something unscrupulous just to spar with him. This possibility was not small, as this girl was a genuine ‘battle fanatic’. It seemed he would have to avoid her once they entered the Secret Realm. As Lin Mo thought this, the Secret Realm opened with the arrival of noon. A dazzling light flashed before everyone’s eyes, and five entrances to the Secret Realm slowly appeared not far away, in the brightest spot illuminated by the sun.
Immediately, the crowd erupted in excitement. The leaders of various prominent families couldn’t wait to enter the Secret Realm. Nangong Xu, just before entering, cast a deep glance at Lin Mo again. Lin Mo met his gaze coolly; he knew Nangong Xu’s intentions. His thoughts were naturally the same as Nangong Xu’s: in this Secret Realm, people die for wealth and birds die for food. Even if one were beaten half to death inside, they could only blame their own inferior strength. If one had to kill another, one must cut the grass by the roots and leave no trace, to avoid instigating wars between families.
After reiterating the instruction that the accompanying Lin family members must bring Qu Ruyan back to the Lin family, Lin Mo slowly walked into the Secret Realm with the team. Just as they entered, a furry figure also slipped in as the Secret Realm was about to close.
“Huh? Where did that girl go?” The Lin family members turned around and instantly lost track of Qu Ruyan’s whereabouts. Someone pointed to a dress on the ground near the Secret Realm entrance. “Isn’t that dress the girl’s?” Clothes seen, but not the person; this left the Lin family members utterly bewildered.
