......
Yu City.
Five hundred miles away.
An inn.
Late at night, a woman in a white palace dress of breathtaking beauty stood on the second floor, gazing in the direction of Mu City, lost in silence for a long while.
"Princess, you've been standing here for an hour already. It's late — please come rest in your room!"
At that moment, a slender maid of about seventeen or eighteen stepped forward and bowed.
"Mm."
Yu Wenjing sighed silently and turned back to her room.
......
Lonely Wolf Mountain.
On a narrow mountain path.
"Someone actually disturbed Gao Yang's grave!"
"Could it be Ling Ziyu found his way here?"
Lin Chang'sheng stood at the spot where Gao Yang had been buried, his brows furrowed.
But Ling Ziyu had already been killed by him and couldn't have known.
Now, the tombstone where Gao Yang had been buried was tossed aside; the burial mound exposed, faint traces of white bone visible. Lin immediately struck the ground with an empty palm, blasting out a heap of earth to re-bury Gao Yang. Flexing his fingers like a sword, he found a long rock and set it upright.
He carved upon it — Tomb of Gao Yang.
After all was done, Lin Chang'sheng spoke in a low voice. "Brother Gao, I'm leaving Mu City. On my way, I'll let the Gao Family Manor know what happened to you. What I've promised, I will keep!"
With that, Lin Chang'sheng vanished in an instant, employing Fleeting Shadows.
Meanwhile.
Lin Chang'sheng checked his status screen.
[Great Dao is Simple: Level 1]
[Lin Chang'sheng: 17/55]
[Cultivation: First-class (11125/12500)]
[Cultivation Technique: Sun and Moon Breathing Technique (Perfection), Golden Bell Shield: Broken Fifth Level (Perfection)]
[Martial Arts: Nine-Star Linked Beads (bow/hidden) (Perfection), Iron Sand Palm (Perfection), Fleeting Shadows (Perfection), Cyan Snake Sword Technique (Perfection), Thunder Shock Slash (Entry Level 0/1000)]
[Alchemy: Qi Replenishing Pill (Perfection)]
[Consume certain silver taels to simplify cultivation techniques, martial arts, etc.]
[Status: Yin Qi Invasion (Weakened)]
"Before I head out, I'll buy a rattle and grind out some Thunder Shock Slash experience on the way!"
Lin Chang'sheng made up his mind. He'd return, take out all his gold and jade artifacts, exchange them for silver, and stock up on Qi Blood Pills.
From what he knew—
Mu City's West City had a shop selling musical instruments.
Lin Chang'sheng gathered all his gold and jade artifacts, wrapped them up in a bundle, and dealt with them all in West City. With his current strength as a first-class expert, nobody dared covet them.
Zhen's Music Shop.
Lin Chang'sheng walked inside and saw a variety of instruments displayed.
There were erhu, high hu, bass hu, song hu, pipa, guqin, drums of all kinds, cymbals, big gongs, small gongs, and clappers, just about everything.
"Hello, what kind of instrument are you looking for?"
An elder of about fifty with a short mustache came forward and asked.
"I'd like to buy a drum."
Lin Chang'sheng scanned the shop with his gaze and replied.
"We've got all sorts of drums here. Take a look — which one do you prefer?" The short-mustached elder was very polite and introduced the various drums to Lin Chang'sheng.
Lin Chang'sheng saw big drums, small drums, medium drums, and the tiniest of all — the rattle. His heart stirred. "Thunder Shock Slash just needs me to beat a drum to gain experience. Didn't specify big or small... I wonder if a rattle counts?"
He was about to head for Gao Family Manor; lugging a big drum around would be a hassle.
If this rattle worked for experience, that would be perfect.
He could just shake it along the way and rack up experience; by the time he hit Gao Family Manor, Thunder Shock Slash might be at perfection!
"Dong dong dong!"
Lin Chang'sheng picked up the rattle and shook it in his hand, and right away, saw his Thunder Shock Slash experience tick upward at the edge of his vision.
[Thunder Shock Slash (Entry Level 3/1000)]
"The rattle works, just as I thought!"
Seeing it worked, Lin Chang'sheng's eyes lit up and he asked, "I'll take this rattle!"
"Alright!"
The short-mustached elder seemed a little disappointed. He'd hoped to sell a big drum but this young man ended up buying a kid's toy…
"Hm? Chen Ling got caught — someone from Min Nan City showed up?"
Lin Chang'sheng stepped out of Zhen's Music Score and saw on the street a dozen soldiers escorting a prison cart out the East Gate.
At this moment, Chen Ling—
Disheveled hair, wearing prison clothes, eyes vacant.
"He brought all this on himself. Looks like he's finally getting what he deserves."
Lin Chang'sheng murmured to himself, turned, and left.
.......
"Time to go. No telling when I'll be back."
Lin Chang'sheng turned, looking back at his little three-room tile house where he'd lived half a year. His cultivation had reached the first-class expert realm; now he had to step out into the world.
Shouldering his bundle, the Iron Embryo Bow, and the Dawn Blade, clutching the rattle, Lin Chang'sheng's gaze was determined as he set out for Lonely Wolf Mountain. He planned to take the narrow path to Cyan Yang City, two hundred miles away.
"Chang'sheng, you're leaving. You planning to sneak away behind my back?"
Lin Chang'sheng had just stepped out the street corner when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
The tone was touched with sorrow.
"Sister Zhen… I…"
Lin Chang'sheng looked at Yan Zhen, at a loss for words. He was leaving to seek the Dao, to master sword control, to roam beneath the heavens—by the time he returned, the whole world might have changed!
"A real man should go wherever his heart leads. Where are you headed? Any idea when you'll be back?"
Yan Zhen smiled radiantly and asked.
"Sister Zhen, I honestly don't know when I'll come back."
Lin Chang'sheng stared at Yan Zhen, unsure what to say.
"Take care of yourself out there. Be safe, alright?"
Yan Zhen stepped up, tidied Lin Chang'sheng's hair, his collar, and straightened his clothes. She took a deep breath and said, "Give me your house key. I'll clean up for you often, so when you return you'll have a place to stay."
"Mm."
Lin Chang'sheng thought for a moment, took out his key and handed it to Yan Zhen. "Sister Zhen, I'm heading off. You take care too!"
"Mm!!"
Yan Zhen looked at Lin Chang'sheng, biting her lip.
Lin Chang'sheng glanced at her, turned away, and used Fleeting Shadows, vanishing dozens of feet away!
"Chang'sheng, you have to take care of yourself!"
Yan Zhen watched his retreating figure and called out.
Right then, her nose tightened, tears slid down her cheeks, her voice catching.
She knew, with Chang'sheng's strength, he would soar high—the tiny Mu City couldn't keep him.
In the distance,
Lin Chang'sheng's figure paused, then disappeared into Lonely Wolf Mountain.
"Chang'sheng… You saved my life. If I could, I'd give myself to you. Too bad… I'm just not worthy…"
Yan Zhen watched him go until her vision blurred.
After a long time, she sighed, clutched the key tight, and turned to open Lin Chang'sheng's door.
........
Cyan Yang City stands by the Grand Canal.
Thirty miles from Cyan Yang City.
Lin Chang'sheng, carrying the Iron Embryo Bow and Black Blade, stood by the Grand Canal and glanced at his status screen.
[Thunder Shock Slash (Perfection)]
"Not bad at all—just kept shaking the rattle along the way and Thunder Shock Slash is perfected."
"Let's see what kind of punch Thunder Shock Slash packs!"
Lin Chang'sheng's eyes gleamed with expectation as he slowly drew the Dawn Blade.
"Thunder Shock Slash!"
Lin Chang'sheng gripped the Dawn Blade and roared, slashing toward the surging yellow waters!
In his dantian, torrents of true qi surged through his meridians into the Dawn Blade, blasting out a semi-transparent arc of sword qi nearly twenty feet long, tinged faintly with the sound of thunder, cutting across the Grand Canal!
Rumble—!
Where Lin Chang'sheng's blade struck, it was as if thunder detonated. Within twenty feet, his qi force blasted up over a dozen waves, each five stories high!
"No wonder it's called Thunder Shock Slash. With the power I've got now, I could split Situ Zhan in half with a single swing!"
"If I can advance to Martial Arts Grandmaster, Thunder Shock Slash will be even more formidable!"
Lin Chang'sheng's eyes shone with hope.