At dawn, in the Lin Family plaza behind the mountain, hundreds of outer Disciples practiced swordplay and danced under the guidance of the drillmaster. From afar, their movements were uniform, possessing a certain Ancient rhyme reminiscent of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
However, upon closer inspection, their movements were loose, and their limbs stiff, clearly indicating that everyone was slacking off.
Lin Shan, who arrived late, curled his lips. This was basically no different from the broadcast calisthenics of primary and secondary school students in his previous life.
The drillmaster was merely retired, working for money, and not teaching seriously. The swordplay was only basic swordplay; you'd be better off doing a slide tackle if you expected it to be useful in combat!
Moreover, the Disciples had grown up in the Lin Family since childhood and had never experienced any real fighting, so they naturally lacked motivation.
Lin Shan squeezed into his spot in the sword practice team, just about to pretend to slack off, when he heard his fellow Disciples whispering beside him:
A: "Hey, have you heard? Lin Fan, from our outer compound, was reportedly admitted to the inner compound as an exception last night."
B: "How is that possible! The inner compound is only for direct descendants; how can an outsider get in?"
C: "What if I told you that Second Elder insisted on taking Lin Fan as his adopted son and even plans to marry off his daughter to him?"
B exclaimed in shock: "What! Second Elder's daughter, Lin Shanshan, is my goddess; how can she be married off so rashly?"
C: "It's said that Lin Fan's inheritance is extraordinary; it's the true Inheritance of the Innate Grandmaster Overlord Blade from back then. Moreover, he has already reached the Viscera Refining stage before coming of age. In terms of strength, he has long surpassed the inner Disciples."
A: "It's said that last night, to compete for Lin Fan, the Elders of various lineages went crazy fighting over him."
D: "Hiss~ How terrifying!"
A: "The waves behind push the waves ahead!"
B: "Yes, yes, Lin Fan has the potential of a Great Emperor!"
C: "This child must not be allowed to live."
"Hmm???"
Everyone stopped their movements and looked at that person in unison, with expressions of "You're not right."
C: "Uh, well, I've been staying up late reading too many novels recently, don't take it seriously."
Lin Shan also looked over in surprise, only to see that the young man's dark circles under his eyes were as dark as a national treasure's, and his whole body exuded a weakness, like a "Frail Young Master."
At this moment, he was repeatedly pleading with those around him not to spread rumors.
And some who wanted to take shortcuts secretly calculated, their eyes flickering, wondering what they were thinking.
...
After the small interlude, Lin Shan drew his personal sword, just about to do some calisthenics to stretch his muscles. Suddenly, the transparent panel in front of him reappeared:
[Iron Sword]
Quality: Common Iron
Description: An ordinary sword
Enhancement cost: 2 points
...
Lin Shan was stunned for a moment, suddenly remembering that after he enhanced the Medicinal Pills last night, he was focused on breaking through the Post-natal Realm. Then, he spent his sleep pondering how to obtain Ancient rhyme, without much thought for anything else.
Only now did he realize that since Medicinal Pills could be enhanced, other items might also be. After all, the cheat system had only been activated yesterday, and he still needed to explore it slowly.
However, this sword was uniformly issued by the Lin Family to its Disciples, and one couldn't expect much from wholesale items. The description "ordinary" was quite perfunctory, Lin Shan secretly complained.
"Common iron, to what extent can it reach after enhancement?
Yesterday, the Qi Gathering Pill was only low-grade, and after 2 points of enhancement, it became a Meridian Opening Pill, corresponding to the Post-natal Martial Artist level.
This sword is clearly also low-grade, and it only requires 2 points for enhancement. Compared to the Meridian Opening Pill..."
Lin Shan recalled the powerful effect of the Meridian Opening Pill last night, which directly pushed him, someone who hadn't even perfected Qi Gathering, to break through to the Post-natal Qi Exchange Realm.
Then this sword, perhaps it could directly become a divine weapon in the martial world?
Cutting metal and breaking jade, slicing iron like mud?
As he thought, Lin Shan looked at the iron sword in his hand as if it were a peerless divine weapon. In the future, he would become a peerless swordsman in the martial world, drinking wine and dancing with his sword, striking the oar in midstream. With a flourish of his sword, all the figures before him would fall, with no one able to withstand a single blow.
"But... wouldn't this be too high-profile?"
Lin Shan hesitated, carefully analyzing the consequences.
"I'm just a rookie who just entered the Qi Exchange Realm. Possessing a divine weapon is very likely to attract others' covetousness, and Lin Fan and Executive Lin last night were an example."
But the difference is that Lin Fan has already refined his viscera and is about to step into the Transformation stage.
Not only did he inherit the martial arts of an Innate powerhouse, but he also showed unique potential in the Lin Family.
Therefore, the higher-ups were willing to win him over and cultivate him. Although he was still considered outstanding in the outer compound, there were quite a few direct descendants in the inner compound who had entered the Post-natal Qi Exchange Realm.
Moreover, as far as he knew, he hadn't heard of any Elders in the Lin Family possessing divine weapons or treasures.
Having transmigrated for ten years, Lin Shan had long seen through this world: the strong prey on the weak, and there were no real rules or regulations.
Might makes right!
Last night, Executive Lin wanted to openly embezzle Lin Fan's Opportunity, and no one from the clan came forward to criticize him; everyone had long gotten used to it.
After a while, when the sun rose, the drillmaster shouted for dismissal.
Lin Shan suddenly thought, if Medicinal Pills and weapons can be enhanced, what about martial arts manuals?
No sooner said than done!
Lin Shan, among the crowd, put away his sword and was the first to rush home.
Seeing this scene, the drillmaster couldn't help but shake his head and sigh that this batch of outer Disciples was not easy to lead, each generation worse than the last, wondering when they would be able to stand out in front of the direct descendants.
He couldn't help but vaguely recall that he too was once an outer Disciple in his youth, and even after venturing into the martial world and achieving Viscera Refining, he still couldn't be accepted by the direct descendants.
The Bloodlines of aristocratic families were strict; it wasn't something one could join simply by working hard. But somehow, he thought of Lin Fan from last night again.
"He really is a lucky junior."
...
Lin Shan hurried home and grabbed the old book that had been flipped through countless times on his bedside table.
Sure enough, the panel appeared as expected:
[Qingfeng Swordplay]
Quality: Low-grade
Description: Basic sword moves, not very practical in combat, only for viewing, slight body-strengthening effect.
Enhancement cost: 2 points
...
Bah! I knew this crappy swordplay was useless! Wasting ten mornings of this Young Master's life, wouldn't it have been better to just sleep in!
Lin Shan angrily threw the sword manual on the ground and picked up the second book.
[Pine Crane Art]
Quality: Post-natal Cultivation Method
Description: The Lin Family's unique internal cultivation method. Innate True Qi has slightly low destructive power, with an added healing effect. After mastering, it has a slight effect of prolonging life, and can be cultivated up to the Post-natal Perfected Realm.
Enhancement cost: 4 points