Chapter 132: Chapter 127: Journey to Yan Province

Silvery strands of light floated in the air, coalescing into the shape of a swallow.

The Spirit Beast Scroll in his mind trembled, and the square containing the Lark began to flash.

’Good. This Essence Soul can be used for an upgrade.’

Zhao Lin thought to himself as he absorbed the Essence Soul into his body.

The Essence Soul first circled his chest and back. Finding that his physical body needed no further strengthening, it transformed into twelve halos of light and entered his acupoints.

The twelve acupoints on his chest and back—six pairs in total—once again endured the agonizing pain of being carved by knives and chiseled by axes.

’Grit your teeth, take a few more lashes. All for two taels of cotton and five feet of fine cloth...’

Zhao Lin knew the Essence Soul was widening his acupoints, so he simply gritted his teeth and endured in silence.

A moment later, the Essence Soul withdrew from the acupoints and re-entered the twenty-four that the Lark had previously transformed.

’Huh? It’s going to transform them again?’

Zhao Lin was baffled, unsure of the Essence Soul’s intentions. The moment the thought crossed his mind, a tearing pain erupted from his acupoints.

It felt as if a rasp was relentlessly grinding against the inner walls of his acupoints.

Fortunately, the process lasted only a few breaths. The Essence Soul re-formed into a single mass and flew back into the Spirit Beast Scroll, making no further attempts to forcibly reshape Zhao Lin’s bones.

Then, the Spirit Beast Scroll flashed, and the portrait of the Lark in the fourth square was replaced with that of a White-throated Needletail.

"Finally, it’s done!"

Zhao Lin let out a long sigh of relief. He stood up, stretched his limbs, and moved his body around.

Seeing that he was alone in the desolate wilderness, he circulated his vital force, pushing it toward the newly expanded acupoints on his back.

He always wore simple clothes to make flying easier, so the force sprayed out from his acupoints unimpeded.

"Such immense power!"

Zhao Lin immediately felt a propulsive force far greater than before. Despite being prepared for it, he still had to take a step forward to steady himself.

Moreover, as the force surged out, he could clearly feel that the walls of the acupoints were no longer smooth. Instead, they now had spiraling, outward-facing grooves.

’Is this the result of that second transformation?’

Zhao Lin focused his thoughts for a moment, then tried pushing his vital force outward, following the direction of the grooves. He discovered that as the force left his body, it was spinning.

Spiral force!

Zhao Lin gasped. The White-throated Needletail hadn’t just widened his acupoints; it had carved rifling into them.

When the force was expelled along this rifling, it didn’t increase its power, but it became far more stable and easier to control.

After a few repeated tests, Zhao Lin quickly developed a new method of flight.

By shooting the spiral force upward, it was like he had attached several propellers to his body. He gained lift, slowly rising from the ground.

This was the complete opposite of his old flying method. Before, he used recoil for propulsion; now, he was being pulled by the lift generated by the spiral force.

Previously, blasting force downward was difficult to control, causing him to speed up and slow down erratically. Now, he could fly with stability, even having enough control to spare for other tasks.

After practicing for a while, Zhao Lin gradually mastered the new method of flight. A new thought occurred to him: ’My Turtle Shell Force also originates from these acupoints. I wonder if I can apply the spiral force to it?’

At this thought, he circulated his Turtle Shell Force, allowing the energy to spread across the surface of his skin.

SWISH!

Layers of spiral force stacked and interlinked, forming a sheet of armor that resembled fish scales.

’Fish Scale Armor?’

Zhao Lin knew that historically, Fish Scale Armor offered excellent protection against sharp weapons like arrows and spears. He pressed a finger against it; the armor’s thickness hadn’t changed, but its hardness had increased considerably.

He threw a punch at it. The force immediately dispersed across the nearby scales, and his body barely felt the impact.

’Based on the force of the blow,’ he estimated, ’if an ordinary martial artist at the First Layer of the Qi Realm hit me with Stone Roar Fist, they probably couldn’t even make me flinch.’

’Excellent. With this armor, I won’t be afraid of an opponent at the Third Layer of the Qi Realm, even if I’m unarmed.’

...

The ground was carpeted with fallen blossoms, and the lush greenery seemed to stretch to the heavens.

「In the blink of an eye, it was mid-June.」 Zhao Lin finally embarked on his journey to Yan Province.

Zhu Huaishan had set aside his duties in the sect, leaving them in the care of his eldest disciple, Gao Yuan, so he could accompany Zhao Lin on the journey.

Seeing their master and Zhao Lin leaving together, the disciples speculated that Zhao Lin must be heading to a greater sect to further his training. None of them, however, could have imagined it was the renowned Xingyun Sect.

Such a long journey couldn’t be made on foot. Zhu Huaishan borrowed two palomino horses from an escort agency, and the two rode out from the city’s west gate.

"The road is long and treacherous, Brother Zhao! Take care!"

Liang Song escorted Zhao Lin all the way outside the city before finally waving farewell.

"Take care, Brother Liang!"

Zhao Lin gave a firm fist-and-palm salute before vaulting onto his horse.

The two had faced life and death together and shared a bond deeper than brothers. At their parting, little needed to be said. Everything was understood.

After riding for a couple of miles, Zhao Lin reined in his horse and looked back. He saw Liang Song still standing on the city wall, watching him from a distance. Zhao Lin couldn’t help but lower his head, raising a sleeve to wipe his eyes.

Zhu Huaishan watched with a look of approval. After a moment, he spoke. "Zhao Lin, I have a question for you."

"Please, ask, Master." Zhao Lin composed himself, nudged his horse’s flanks, and caught up to Zhu Huaishan.

Zhu Huaishan’s voice was grave. "Some people, in their quest to reach the pinnacle of martial arts, are willing to forsake all emotion to achieve absolute focus. What is your view on this?"

"I should add that such people are not rare. They are often called ’martial fanatics,’ and many among them have attained great heights on the path of cultivation."

Zhao Lin gave a slight smile. "Master, I don’t think that’s the right path. What makes us human is precisely that we are born with a full range of emotions and desires."

"To forsake emotion is like a bird choosing to walk instead of fly, or a beast of prey using its claws and fangs to dig for roots instead of hunting. It’s a complete perversion of one’s nature."

"To give up on being a proper human and become a walking corpse... such a ’pinnacle of martial arts’ is not one I would want."

Zhu Huaishan was clearly pleased with this answer. He nodded with a smile. "Well said. To be born with emotions is what makes us human. Remember that."

...

Instead of heading directly north, the master and disciple took a detour to Changliu City in Tai Prefecture.

"This property belongs to the Xinglong Escort Agency. It’s used for temporary lodging," Zhu Huaishan explained, leading Zhao Lin to a spot in the eastern part of the city and gesturing toward a seemingly ordinary courtyard residence. "Your parents and older brother are staying inside."

Zhao Lin knew it was thanks to his master that his family could live here. He gave his master a respectful bow before pushing open the courtyard’s main gate.

...

"Little Brother, this is your sister-in-law."

Zhao Shan rubbed his hands together, looking a bit sheepish as he introduced a comely woman in her early twenties standing beside him to Zhao Lin.

The family reunion was a whirlwind of tears and joy, the kind where you just hold each other’s hands and look on. But what truly caught Zhao Lin by surprise was that his older brother was now married.

"Sis... Sister-in-law."

Zhao Lin was a bit dumbfounded. He had been so worried his family was suffering, yet here his brother was, already married. It meant their lives must be going quite well.

"Greetings, Brother-in-law," the woman said, lowering her head in a small bow.

Zhu Huaishan walked over, chuckling. "I was afraid it would distract you, so I never mentioned it."

"Thank you, Master Zhu..."

Upon learning that Zhu Huaishan was Zhao Lin’s master, Zhao Lin’s father quickly brought the rest of the family over to pay their respects.