Chapter Thirteen: Courting Trouble

Although the other side had the advantage in numbers and were all disciples in blue robes, Lin Cheng was not someone easily cowed, even as a mere menial servant. The blood in his veins would not let him back down.

The red-haired youth stepped forward again, his gaze icy as he looked at Lin Hu.

“Hahaha, and who made the rules here? I’m telling you now, you damned fatty, I make the rules... If you don't want a beating, then get lost right now...”

Lin Hu spat back, cursing him in rage, and swung his fist first at the red-haired youth.

A look of disdain flashed in the red-haired youth’s eyes as he leaned back, neatly dodging Lin Hu’s punch. He grabbed Lin Hu’s arm with a swift twist, easily lifting him off the ground.

With a cold, mocking smile, he was just about to smash Lin Hu into the ground. Zhang Bao and the others behind watched, grinning broadly.

Just then, a figure burst from the crowd.

“Who gave you the guts to lay a finger on my brother?!”

Before the words had fully landed, Lin Cheng’s fist crashed down on the arm holding Lin Hu. The red-haired youth felt a jolt of pain like an electric shock and hastily let go.

Seizing him by the throat, Lin Cheng effortlessly lifted him into the air.

“Feels good, doesn’t it, bullying others with numbers? Come on, I’m itching for a fight—try me!” he said coldly.

The suffocating grip made the red-haired youth’s heart turn cold, but he still flushed with anger and threatened, “My brother is a direct disciple of Azure Sun Peak! If you so much as harm a hair on me, he’ll never let you off...”

Lin Cheng patted his face and sneered, “So what if he’s a direct disciple? I am too. If you’re not convinced, go fetch your brother to deal with me.”

Only then did the red-haired youth catch a glimpse of Lin Cheng’s black robe out of the corner of his eye—a direct disciple. The realization exploded in his mind.

Panic finally set in. Even though he knew his brother wouldn’t let him be bullied, if the other party was also a direct disciple... he suddenly lost all confidence.

Zhang Bao, in the background, could not contain his jealousy. “Lin Cheng, so what if you had a stroke of luck and became a direct disciple? With your barely initiated cultivation, any inner disciple could flatten you. What are you so proud of?”

Lin Cheng shot back, “Not convinced? Come at me.”

As he looked at the red-haired youth in his hand, already turning blue from lack of oxygen, Lin Cheng tossed him casually to the ground.

“Since my brother wasn’t hurt, I’ll let you off this time. Now get out of my sight.”

Zhang Bao and the others hurriedly hauled up the red-haired youth and quickly retreated through the crowd. As he left, the red-haired youth couldn’t resist tossing back a cold threat: “Just you wait.”

Once the troublemakers were sent packing, Lin Cheng and Lin Hu exchanged a grin and embraced each other.

This scene made the disciples of Azure Sun Sect who had gathered to watch the spectacle look on with strange expressions.

“Two days apart and you’ve already gotten stronger,” Lin Hu said.

Lin Cheng replied, “It’s nothing... How are things on Funiu Peak?”

Lin Hu shrugged. “About what you’d expect. The old man from Funiu Peak took me in as a registered disciple. Mostly, I’m learning about herbs, cleaning the furnace, running errands...”

“No one’s been giving you trouble there?” Lin Cheng asked.

“Not really. You remember Pang Bo? From Azure Sun Town? He’s now an inner disciple at Funiu Peak. He’s actually looked after me quite a bit. Here, this is from him...”

As he spoke, Lin Hu produced a yellow-rank, lower-grade martial manual titled “Threefold Summer Staff” from his storage pouch.

“You’ve got a storage pouch too? Looks like the Daoist from Funiu Peak treats you pretty well,” Lin Cheng observed. To be so generous with a disciple whose spiritual root was incomplete was already quite rare.

“The old man’s not all bad,” Lin Hu conceded.

Flipping through the manual, Lin Cheng saw it contained not only a complete staff technique but also cultivation methods for the Qi Refining Realm.

He had originally planned to give Lin Hu his own “Sword Cleaning, Wind Listening” manual, but on second thought, Lin Hu wasn’t suited for swordsmanship. The staff seemed to fit him quite well.

Silently, Lin Cheng resolved to find him a higher-grade martial technique in the future.

“Not bad at all. Staff techniques suit you. I’ll help you find a good staff later,” Lin Cheng said, patting his shoulder as he handed the manual back.

“No need, really. This staff’s just right for me.” Lin Hu pulled out the black iron staff Lin Yi had given him back in Lin Family Village. One end was clearly chipped and broken.

“That old thing from Lin Yi? There’s nothing special about it. I’ll find you something better,” Lin Cheng insisted.

Lin Hu shrugged. “Up to you, but I like this one. I’ve been practicing the staff techniques these days, but because my spiritual root’s incomplete, I can’t open my dantian or cultivate any real energy. I’m just learning the outer moves to bluff people, really...”

Though Lin Hu acted unconcerned, Lin Cheng could see the glimmer of disappointment deep in his eyes.

“If his spiritual root is incomplete, then I’ll just have to reshape it for him...” As Lin Cheng racked his brain for a way to comfort Lin Hu, a voice sounded in his mind—the white-robed sword cultivator.

Hearing this, Lin Cheng was overjoyed. “Senior... Er, uncle, did you just say... reshape his spiritual root?”

“For others, it would be impossible. But for you, not only could you restore his fire root, you could give him all five elemental roots if his body can withstand it. It’s just a matter of time,” the sword cultivator replied.

Lin Cheng’s eyes went wide. He knew the sword cultivator did not make empty promises.

He hurriedly asked, “Uncle... Am I really capable of that?”

“Remember the chaotic world you saw within your body?” the sword cultivator said. “That is the primordial chaos, home to the ancestral energies of the five elements—the source of all things. That chaos is sealed within your life-mark by the sword seal, making you one with it. You were born with all five elemental roots and can withstand their ancestral energies.”

“And what does that have to do with helping Lin Hu?” Lin Cheng pressed.

The sword cultivator raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious? With the ancestral energies of the five elements, you can reshape another’s spiritual root—assuming they can endure it. You could even bestow all five roots... But with his constitution, two attributes is likely the limit.”

Lin Cheng was delighted. “Uncle, what should I do?”

“At your current level, you can’t do anything,” the sword cultivator said bluntly. “You’re nowhere near able to manipulate the ancestral energies, let alone reshape a spiritual root. You can’t even draw out the basic five elemental powers yet.”

“Unless... you find the Five Elemental Spirit Beads. With their power, you might be able to extract a hint of ancestral energy to reshape his root.”

Lin Cheng rolled his eyes, nearly coughing up blood in frustration.

“So you’re telling me all this for nothing?”

The sword cultivator made as if to smack him. “Hey, you brat! At least now you know there’s hope for him.”

“Your top priority is to strengthen yourself. Once you reach the Sovereign Realm, you’ll be able to wield the five elemental powers with ease—and then, maybe, you’ll have a chance to draw out the ancestral energy for him.”

Lin Cheng fell silent.

The Sovereign Realm!

Damn!

Here he was, still struggling to break through the Qi Refining Realm, and this guy was talking about the Sovereign Realm...

Though helpless, Lin Cheng’s eyes shone with unwavering resolve.