Master Lin

The next day.

Li Tao got up from the back mountain early in the morning.
She wanted to rush straight to the First Peak, but as luck would have it, she ran right into Ji Xin, who was out for a walk.

The two looked at each other, surprise evident in their eyes.

“Go back,” Ji Xin said, flicking his horsetail whisk, looking somewhat annoyed.

“Li Tao, you have never defied your punishment before, but now Master realizes that you have changed!”

Li Tao wanted to explain, but no words would come out.

“Return to the back mountain and come out tomorrow,” Ji Xin snorted coldly.

“Considering that what you did yesterday was quite satisfactory to me, I will not add any further punishment.

I hope you will behave yourself in the future.”

Li Tao was stunned upon hearing this.

What did he mean by what she did was quite satisfactory to Ji Xin?

Yesterday… she had only beaten up Qin Shan out of frustration.

Could it be that Master had also disliked that kid for a long time?

As she harbored this suspicion, Ji Xin’s voice sounded again,

“Also, remember to get to the Purple Forbidden Hall as early as possible tomorrow.”

“Disciple obeys.
But may I ask why?” Li Tao said hesitantly.

Could it be that the sect had some matter for her to handle?

“Hmph, you would never guess,” Ji Xin revealed a mysterious smile.

“Master actually managed to persuade your Senior Brother to hold a sermon, to preach and resolve doubts for the entire inner sect!”

Li Tao was instantly shocked.

Senior Brother was actually willing to do something like preaching and resolving doubts?

He was clearly the kind of selfish and self-serving villain who would even snatch away a junior brother’s opportunities for his own advancement!

Had Senior Brother really changed into a different person?

Was he alright?

Had he been possessed by a heart demon?

Or was it because he had someone he liked, so he wanted to appear gentler?

Thinking of the third possibility, Li Tao grew a little anxious.

“Alright, go back, go back,” Ji Xin waved his hand.

“We will see each other tomorrow.”

Lin Huaian awoke with a start from a dream.

He sat up, only to find himself lying in bed.

The curtains and windows were tightly shut, and everything was as quiet as a fairyland.

The last thing he remembered was being too tired and resting on his desk.

Why was he in bed now?

Just as he was thinking this, a soft moan came from beside him.

Lin Huaian turned his head and saw a sleepy-faced Su Yuan hugging his waist tightly from behind.

Her two slender, smooth legs were locked firmly on Lin Huaian’s thigh before slipping down a bit.

Seemingly affected by Lin Huaian’s movement, a few tired tears flowed from the girl’s eyes, as if she were having a nightmare.

Had she carried him from the study to the bed?

Lin Huaian nodded slightly and reached out his hand, gently stroking Su Yuan’s head.

But just as he was about to wipe away her tears with his index finger, a memory suddenly burst forth.

Lin Huaian’s finger hastily stopped in mid-air and then retracted.

He felt extremely lucky, thinking how fortunate it was that he hadn’t reached out.

He had almost forgotten that Su Yuan’s heart was completely filled with that benefactor.

That was a close call.

That immortal was already so powerful three years ago.

He might be the Holy Son of some Holy Land.

There was no reason for him to make enemies recklessly.

Perhaps they were a match made in heaven, deeply in love with each other.

What did it have to do with a good-for-nothing like him?

He managed to struggle free from Su Yuan’s embrace.

The latter, in her dream, felt a sense of loss and could only hug the quilt tightly.

Lin Huaian, draped in a cloak, walked into the study.

He looked at the improved mental method he had spent all night organizing.

After reading it from beginning to end, he breathed a sigh of relief and then waved his hand, tearing it all into pieces and putting it into the furnace.

The original manuscript of these things could not be kept.

Otherwise, if it were accidentally exposed, he might end up being wanted by the entire Sacred Word Dynasty.

And since he could recite the entire text without missing a single word, there was naturally no need to go to great lengths to hide these records.

Yes, Lin Huaian had always been such a genius since he was a child.

Not only did he have a photographic memory, but his comprehension ability was also far superior to his peers.

So much so that after spending three days in the private school, all the teachers in the entire private school had to bow and call him “Teacher” when they saw him.

Lin Huaian began Qi Refinement at the age of eight and reached Foundation Establishment at ten.

It seemed like he had spent two years to advance to the tenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage, but in fact, during these two years, Lin Huaian had been studying and cultivating at the same time.

Unlike other sect masters, Ji Xin’s approach to cultivating Lin Huaian was to teach him literature first, then morals.

He tried to use knowledge to reform the profligate Lin Huaian of that time.

Unfortunately, the final result was only a profligate son who was eloquent and had the air of a scholar.

Suddenly, Lin Huaian remembered that he was supposed to give a sermon tomorrow, but he still had no clue what to do.

After all, he had never done this kind of thing before.

He watched the paper manuscripts turn to ash in the furnace and sighed.

He decided to wait and see what would happen.

Instead of worrying about such things, he might as well consider what to have for lunch.

Walking out of the study, the garden was full of autumn scenery.

The maple forest was fiery red, and water flowed over the stone mountains.

A gust of cold air blew towards him.

Faced with such a refreshing view, Lin Huaian closed his eyes and suddenly felt a sense of defeat.

He was truly a complete waste.

It was one thing that he couldn’t absorb spiritual energy, but now he couldn’t even create a new method of cultivation.

Others, no matter how bad they were, could at least cultivate.

He couldn’t even cultivate.

“Sigh,” Lin Huaian shook his head, not caring how many cultivators would be scared to death if this thought of his were exposed.

He turned and walked towards his bedroom, preparing to kick Su Yuan off the bed and go back to sleep.

“Life, indeed, is sometimes easy to fall into a dilemma from which one cannot escape.”

But he wasn’t worried, because the best way to overcome difficulties is to face them.

Persistence is victory!

Go for it!

He put on his velvet-collared, black scholar’s cloak.

The autumn scenery was abundant along the way, and the jade pendant at his waist rose and fell with his movements.

Sacred Word Dynasty, the capital city, the Holy Court.

The man in the dragon robe had been particularly troubled recently, as too many things had happened.

The phenomenon at the Tianming Sect that day was astonishing—a Grand Dao True Immortal had been reincarnated.

What concerned him more was that he had received news yesterday that the reincarnated True Immortal was actually the son of the Si family’s concubine.

A full ten elders from the Tianming Sect had escorted the child named Si Qingxue back to the capital.

They had not yet come to pay their respects to him for the sole reason that they did not dare to leave the Si family for even a moment, fearing that something might happen to Si Qingxue.

It was said that the head of the Si family had rounded up all the servants and clansmen who had ever bullied Si Qingxue overnight and made them kneel and admit their mistakes in front of her.

No one could have imagined that Si Qingxue, who had low talent and could only enter the inner sect through family connections when she left, would suddenly awaken the Innate Sword Sect Body.

The emperor, however, had gotten some wind of it earlier.

It was said that the Senior Brother of the Tianming Sect, Lin Huaian, had sacrificed all the sword intent he had accumulated since birth to help Si Qingxue complete her awakening, becoming a peerless sword cultivator with innate sword intent.

The price was that he might have to spend another twenty years to re-condense his sword intent.

To be honest, this matter sounded quite touching, but it didn’t quite match the rumored image of that Lin Huaian.

Who in the entire Sacred Word Dynasty didn’t know of Lin Huaian’s world-famous good looks, and who didn’t know of Lin Huaian’s bad temper that made everyone lament?

Any woman would lose her appetite for tea and rice upon seeing Lin Huaian, feeling that she would marry no one else.

And those who had met and talked with Lin Huaian would be greatly angered by his arrogant and conceited personality.

Some were even completely shattered of their confidence by Lin Huaian’s attitude and talent.

Could it be that after experiencing destruction and rebirth, he had really changed?

The man in the dragon robe dared not agree.

Thus, he had to reminisce about the young man who had once graced the entire Confucian Dao Conference with his world-shaking talent and captivated all beings.

“Sigh, Teacher Lin,” he sighed, his tone heavy with grief.

“Why did you choose to live in seclusion in the deep mountains?

Could it be that even you have become disappointed with this cultivation world?”

He closed his eyes, sighing once more.

Indeed, only Teacher Lin possessed great wisdom and great character.

Because he was unwilling to face the true nature of this world, he wore a mask all year round, not revealing his true face, thereby numbing himself.

Because he was disappointed with the world and powerless to change it, he ultimately chose to retreat to the mountains and forests, punishing himself with endless loneliness for his inability to change the world.

It was a pity that he could not cast off this responsibility, otherwise, he would definitely follow Teacher Lin!

The man in the dragon robe opened his eyes.

Within those weathered pupils was a deep nostalgia for Teacher Lin.

“Teacher Lin,” he took out a jade pendant and sighed softly.

“If you were still in the capital, I wonder how you would help me, and how you would view Lin Huaian?”