In his courtyard, Lin Mo practiced his sword techniques, channeling his energy smoothly.
With his newfound Sword Heart Clarity physique, he had decided to focus on sword cultivation as his primary path.
With a flick of his wrist, he gathered fallen leaves into a pile, then dispersed them into the air using his spiritual energy.
In a fluid motion, he twirled his wooden sword, forming a beautiful sword flower.
Sharp sword energy shot out, precisely slicing through each and every floating leaf.
Looking at the neatly bisected leaves scattered on the ground, Lin Mo felt something was still missing.
“It looks impressive, but it lacks brutality.”
To be fair, the power wasn’t bad—after all, he was only using a wooden sword.
Being able to execute the first layer of a Profound Rank, lower-grade sword technique—‘Three Thousand Sword Art’—with such force already proved his talent.
Status Panel
Host: Lin Mo
Bloodline: Human
Physique: Sword Heart Clarity
Aptitude: Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Roots
Cultivation Level: Late Foundation Establishment
Techniques:
- Profound Rank, Upper Grade – Spirit Green Art (Lv.3)
- Profound Rank, Middle Grade – Rejuvenation Art (Lv.3)
- Profound Rank, Lower Grade – Three Thousand Sword Art (Lv.1 → Lv.3)
- Yellow Rank, Middle Grade – Golden Light Barrier (Lv.1)
Skills:
- Cooking: 5.1
- Planting: 1.3
- Formation Arts: 1.5
- Alchemy: 1.4
- Go (Chess): 0.8
- Soap-Picking: 1
Regret Points: 870
…That soap-picking ability was really an eyesore.
[Ding! The ‘Soap-Picking’ skill has been hidden. Note: The skill still exists but will no longer be displayed on the host’s panel.]
At last, the system showed some humanity.
“System, upgrade ‘Three Thousand Sword Art’ to the third level.”
[Ding! Consumed 400 Regret Points. ‘Three Thousand Sword Art’ has been upgraded to Level 3.]
As soon as the system prompt faded, Lin Mo clearly felt a surge in his mastery of the sword technique.
With a casual swing of his wooden sword, a streak of sword energy pierced straight into the sky.
…Even though both were at the third level, this lower-ranked sword art seemed far more destructive than his upper-ranked spiritual technique.
And this was with just a wooden sword…
Now that he had fully embraced the sword path, how could he not own a proper sword?
With this thought in mind, Lin Mo decided to go down the mountain.
Just as he stepped out of Qingzhu Peak, a slightly excited female voice called out to him.
“Senior Brother, are you heading out for training?”
It was Jia Ling, the head cook of Qingzhu Peak’s cafeteria.
Before Lin Mo could answer, Jia Ling—a plump, round-faced girl—hurriedly spoke again.
“Senior Brother Lin, if you’re going to the Dazhou Mountain Range, could you bring back some ‘spirit beast meat’ and ‘spiritual herbs’ like before?”
The Dazhou Mountain Range was home to numerous beasts but also abundant resources.
Great danger and great opportunity coexisted there.
Even the original Lin Mo had only dared to venture into the outskirts, never deep inside.
That said, even the outer areas contained valuable spiritual herbs and beast materials.
In the past, Lin Mo selflessly used these resources to support Qingzhu Peak’s disciples, covering their food, clothing, and expenses.
Naturally, Jia Ling was thrilled—every time Lin Mo collected resources, she took a hefty cut, reselling the materials for hundreds of low-grade spirit stones in profit.
So, the moment she saw Lin Mo leaving, she rushed over with high hopes.
Lin Mo saw right through her.
He cast a disinterested glance at Jia Ling and spoke coldly.
“I’m not going for training. I’m just heading down the mountain to buy something.”
Why should he keep playing the role of the ‘self-sacrificing senior brother’ and serving this pack of ungrateful people?
Besides, he was well aware that Jia Ling often prepared special meals for Ye Kai, using the best-quality spirit beast meat.
Meanwhile, the food Lin Mo himself ate was often of much lower quality.
Ye Kai was far better at winning people over.
Jia Ling, though displeased, didn’t dare show it too openly.
She simply muttered softly, “Then, Senior Brother, be careful on your way down the mountain.”
However, the emphasis she placed on those words was slightly… odd.
Lin Mo heard it loud and clear.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Was that a warning?
Descending from Qingling Sect, Lin Mo arrived at Yunxi City, the largest city near the sect.
The city was bustling with activity—merchants shouting their prices, street vendors peddling their wares, and cultivators moving about, searching for treasures or cultivation resources.
After wandering through the city for a while, Lin Mo stepped into Treasure Pavilion.
The moment he stepped inside, a beautifully dressed woman greeted him with a charming smile.
“Welcome, young master. How may I assist you today?”
Lin Mo took a glance at the woman—her face and figure were both exquisite.
This was one of the unique selling points of Treasure Pavilion—as the largest trading business in Yunxi City, they exclusively employed attractive female attendants.
This was one of the reasons why so many noble families and sect disciples loved coming here.
“I’d like to buy a sword,” Lin Mo replied calmly.
“Oh? Just call me Xiao Zi,” the woman smiled sweetly. “What grade of sword are you looking for?”
Lin Mo paused for a moment. The higher the grade, the better—but that required money.
Currently, he wasn’t exactly rich.
After draining Qingzhu Peak disciples for Regret Points, he had only a handful of mid-grade spirit stones left.
Of course, the original Lin Mo had never been short on money. However, his foolish generosity led him to squander all his resources on those ungrateful disciples.
And now, he was broke.
But before coming here, he had prepared in advance.
Taking out a bundle of fruits from his storage ring, Lin Mo asked, “How much can I exchange these for?”
Xiao Zi’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Ice Spirit Fruits!”
As an experienced Treasure Pavilion attendant, Xiao Zi immediately recognized the high-grade spiritual fruit in Lin Mo’s hands.
“Young master, are you sure you want to sell these? These are extremely valuable!”
Ice Spirit Fruits were incredibly rare, and even Treasure Pavilion only saw them once every few years.
Not only could they be used as alchemy ingredients, but they also provided significant cultivation boosts for Golden Core cultivators and below.
It was, in short, a perfect cultivation treasure.
Lin Mo nodded. “Sell them.”
These Ice Spirit Fruits came from the Ice Spirit Tree in Qingzhu Peak’s spirit fields—a tree that Lin Mo had personally transplanted years ago.
To be honest, the original Lin Mo had pretty good luck when it came to treasure-hunting.
Xiao Zi carefully counted the fruits. “There are 78 Ice Spirit Fruits in total. I can offer 100 mid-grade spirit stones per fruit. Is that acceptable?”
As she spoke, she carefully observed Lin Mo’s expression.
If he seemed dissatisfied, she was prepared to raise the price further.
After all, these fruits were priceless, and their rarity made them nearly impossible to obtain.
“Additionally, if young master sells the fruits to us, I can offer you a Treasure Pavilion VIP card, which grants an automatic 20% discount on all purchases.”
In reality, if the spirit field caretaker Yuan Li had actually done his job properly, the yield should have been over 100 fruits.
Still, Lin Mo was satisfied with the price. And a VIP discount? Even better.
Just as he was about to accept the deal, two annoying voices interrupted.
“Senior Sister, isn’t that Ice Spirit Fruit?”
“It does seem like it…”
Two white-robed female cultivators suddenly stepped in front of Lin Mo.
The shorter girl’s eyes lit up with excitement as she saw the bundle of fruits in Xiao Zi’s hands.
“Senior Sister, it really is Ice Spirit Fruit!”
The other girl was taller, more refined, and clearly of higher status. Her eyes gleamed with admiration.
“Yes… that’s indeed Ice Spirit Fruit!”
The shorter girl frowned when she noticed Lin Mo standing nearby. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Why are you standing so close? It’s crowded here! Don’t you know that men and women shouldn’t casually mix?”
She crossed her arms. “We’re here to buy things. Move aside!”
Lin Mo’s lips twitched.
Are you kidding me?
You two suddenly barged in and now you’re blaming me for standing too close?!
Before he could even say anything, the shorter girl completely ignored him and turned back to Xiao Zi.
“Miss Xiao Zi, how much for all these Ice Spirit Fruits? We’ll take them all.”
Xiao Zi’s expression turned awkward.
Just as she was about to finalize the deal with Lin Mo, these two interfered.
The taller girl, who the short one had called “Senior Sister”, finally spoke up.
“Miss Xiao Zi, we’ve known each other for a while. I understand how rare these fruits are. Name your price—we’re willing to pay whatever it takes.”
Lin Mo scoffed internally.
“Such arrogance. ‘Willing to pay whatever it takes’? You must be rich, huh?”
Xiao Zi, however, remained professional. She pointed to Lin Mo and explained:
“Miss Susu, Miss Shiyao, actually… these Ice Spirit Fruits belong to this young master. He was just about to exchange them for a sword.”
Although Xiao Zi’s words were polite, she had already seen Lin Mo’s willingness to sell.
If not for the sudden interruption, the deal would have been finalized already.
Now, things had become complicated.
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow—he was in no rush.
If these two wanted to play games, he could wait and see how things unfolded.
