"Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother."
Lin Yun gave a dry laugh and bowed to Xiao Pingtian.
Watching the handyman disciple's retreating figure, Xiao Pingtian furrowed his brow. He didn't know why, but after seeing Lin Yun just a few times, he felt an unexplainable emptiness, as if he had lost something without realizing it!
"I must be tired from all the recent sect missions."
"I'll go kill a fish later to relax!"
...
On the way to the Internal Affairs Pavilion, the corners of Lin Yun's mouth were stretched so wide they could touch the sky!
First, he had taken care of Zhao Yuhu.
Then, he had managed to leech off Xiao Pingtian.
It was truly perfect!
Don't be fooled by the profound and mysterious act he put on for Qin Xiyan. In reality, his heart was pounding.
That was Zhao Yuhu! His brother, Zhao Yulong, was rumored to be one of the best among the inner-sect disciples. Given Zhao Yuhu's personality, he would definitely go crying to Zhao Yulong to get even.
Lin Yun had been worried that he might be targeted by Zhao Yulong.
But now, things were great. As long as he snatched this heaven-defying opportunity from Xiao Pingtian, then what did some Ah Hu or Ah Long matter?
If one came, he'd cut one down!
Of course, Lin Yun didn't get carried away. He understood the essence of pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.
For now, he would lay low!
Once he was strong enough, he'd be outrageously arrogant!
Soon, he arrived at the Internal Affairs Pavilion. The two disciples guarding the gate shot him a sideways glance, a hint of contempt on their faces. To have only just barely qualified for the inner-sect assessment at his age. They had no idea what this kid was so happy about.
Lin Yun was used to such looks and paid them no mind.
Just as he was about to step inside, he heard a voice from behind.
"Get out of the way, you dog handyman!"
Then, Lin Yun was suddenly shoved aside.
He stared at the doorway, which was a full three meters wide, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
Dude, are you out of your freaking mind? The door is this wide, and you just had to push me out of your way?
Just as a stream of curses was about to erupt from his mouth, Lin Yun got a clear look at the newcomer's panel.
[Name]: Zhang Renfeng [Realm]: First Level of Nascent Yuan [Destiny]: Martial Arts Family (Blue) [Fate]: Unyielding (White), Simpleton (Purple) [Martial Arts Family]: Comes from a prominent family, increasing the cultivation speed of martial arts techniques. [Unyielding]: An extreme egoist who never considers others. [Simpleton]: Greatly reduced appearance value, but extremely high comprehension of cultivation techniques, with a chance to become a martial arts fanatic. [Outcome]: Embarks on the path of cultivation in the Flowing Cloud Sect. Although selfish, he has no friends or family to distract him. Immersed in martial arts, he eventually becomes a Sword Fanatic of his generation! [Recent Turning Point]: Successfully broke through to the Nascent Yuan Realm and will discover a palm technique manual, "Cloud-Probing Hand," in the Internal Affairs Pavilion.
Wait a minute!
There's something wrong with your panel!
Lin Yun saw the problem at a glance.
This kid gets a palm technique!
But ends up becoming a Sword Fanatic?
He hadn't thought much of it at first, but now it seemed... there was definitely something fishy about this opportunity!
He had to snatch it!
Zhang Renfeng was tall and burly, standing at a full two meters. He was stout and fat, looming over Lin Yun like a black tower. He stopped and looked at Lin Yun provocatively. "What, you got a problem?"
Lin Yun glanced at the guards. The two of them were staring at their noses, acting as if they saw nothing.
So you're doing this on purpose, huh?
He sneered inwardly and, taking advantage of a moment when one guard wasn't looking, he sent out a burst of yuan energy.
Slap!
The storage pouch at the guard's waist fell to the ground. Spirit stones scattered everywhere.
Lin Yun said, "Brother, you dropped something."
When Zhang Renfeng saw the scattered spirit stones on the ground, a grin split his face. "You little piece of trash, you know your place."
He stepped forward and picked up the storage pouch.
The guard whose pouch it was ground his back teeth in fury.
This was infuriating! He couldn't afford to provoke Zhang Renfeng, but just as he was about to take it out on Lin Yun, the kid had already vanished.
...
While Zhang Renfeng's attention was diverted, Lin Yun quickly entered the Internal Affairs Pavilion.
The Flowing Cloud Sect was known as a sect of the sword dao, but not everyone was qualified to study swordsmanship. Only those with superior talent had a chance of being noticed by the elders. Only then would they have a tiny chance to learn a high-grade sword technique.
For someone like Lin Yun, even if he passed the outer-sect disciple stage, he would only be able to pick a random manual from the Internal Affairs Pavilion to practice. Any future achievements would depend on his own abilities.
After entering, Lin Yun saw an old man with the face of a youth and a head of white hair, reclining on a grand master's chair. Hearing the commotion, a sharp gaze landed on Lin Yun.
"Nascent Yuan Realm?"
"Go on in!"
As he spoke, a jade talisman landed in Lin Yun's hand.
"You may choose any manual inside. If you find one you like, use the jade talisman in your hand to break the seal. You have one hour."
"If you haven't chosen by the time your hour is up, you won't get another chance!"
After speaking, the old man lazily closed his eyes and paid him no more attention.
"Many thanks, Senior."
Lin Yun bowed and entered the library with the talisman.
Tsk, tsk. As expected of a renowned and orthodox sect. This library probably contained all the manuals under the heavens; he couldn't see the end of it.
However, for the sake of convenience, the various manuals for blades, swords, staffs, fists, movement techniques, and so on were all sorted and arranged, which made it easy for Lin Yun to search.
Lin Yun made a beeline for the fist technique bookshelf and began his search.
"Thousand Buddha Palm," "Crimson Flame Palm"—the manuals were countless.
As time ticked by, Lin Yun started to feel anxious. Just then, he saw a dusty manual: "Cloud-Probing Hand."
This is it!
No wonder no one read it. The name alone made it sound like a technique only a thief would learn.
Lin Yun raised the jade talisman and immediately broke the seal on the manual.
At that exact moment, Zhang Renfeng arrived.
When Lin Yun looked again, the guy's life panel had already changed.
[Name]: Zhang Renfeng [Realm]: First Level of Nascent Yuan [Destiny]: Family in Decline (Gray) [Fate]: Unyielding (White), Simpleton (Purple) [Family in Decline]: Once had a prominent family background, but due to a lack of ability, the family has fallen into ruin, making him more susceptible to setbacks in cultivation. [Unyielding]: An extreme egoist who never considers others. [Simpleton]: Greatly reduced appearance value, but extremely high comprehension of cultivation techniques, with a chance to become a martial arts fanatic. [Outcome]: Embarks on the path of cultivation in the Flowing Cloud Sect. Due to his selfish nature, he makes many enemies. After failing to find a suitable manual in the Internal Affairs Pavilion in time, he spends the rest of his life in mediocrity... [Recent Turning Point]: In half a month, he will suffer from cultivation deviation, leaving him severely injured and bedridden.
Looking at the two drastically different life paths, before and after, Lin Yun couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.
Still, if this kid really became a Sword Fanatic, how many innocent bystanders would he kill on his cultivation journey?
It was precisely with this in mind that Lin Yun decided to take this opportunity for himself!
What was this called?
This was called acting for the sake of the common people, for the sake of righteousness!
While lost in thought, Lin Yun walked up and patted Zhang Renfeng's shoulder. "No need to rush, Junior Brother. Take your time, you'll definitely find something suitable."
"You think you're worthy of being my Senior Brother? I will become the world's number one in the future. Get lost! You stinking handyman," Zhang Renfeng cursed, completely ungrateful.
Lin Yun just smiled, waved his hand, and swaggered out of the Internal Affairs Pavilion.
Not long after Lin Yun left!
The old man who had been lying on the grand master's chair suddenly snapped his eyes open and sucked in a cold breath.
"Hiss..."
"After all these years, someone actually chose the thing that old fellow left behind?"