Chapter 12: The Sword Manual

“Come to my room to sleep?!”

“No way.”

“Xiao Chan won’t approve!”

“Fine.”

Lin Ci nodded.

However, considering Xiao Chan’s bad mood, he decided not to refuse her this time.

“Hehe~ Senior Brother is so nice.”

……

Night.

Wenxuan Peak, Chief Disciple Lin’s private chambers.

After hanging up the Spirit Stone Lamp, Lin Ci sat at his desk under its gentle glow, holding the Heavenly Book and a Cultivation Technique Manual, flipping through them nonstop.

As for Xia Xiaochan, she was lying quietly on the bed, wearing a thin blouse.

A flash of her fragrant shoulder peeked from beneath the blanket, her skin fair and delicate like jade.

“Senior Brother, Chan’er is going to sleep now…”

“Mm, go to sleep.”

Lin Ci’s attention was fixed on the pages. Without even looking up, he turned a page and replied.

“Then, Senior Brother… when will you go to bed?”

“After you’ve fallen asleep.”

Lin Ci answered matter-of-factly.

If Xia Xiaochan weren’t here tonight, he would have planned to stay up all night cultivating. But with his junior sister keeping him company, that was impossible.

His self-created Heart Law’s cultivation speed was only triple that of the original, far from the thousandfold he’d boasted about.

“Then… okay.”

Not quite disappointed, but not fully satisfied either, Xiao Chan let out a barely perceptible sigh.

Before she came in, she’d had a vague thought: would something happen between her and Senior Brother tonight?

Though mentally prepared, she had no clear understanding of what might happen or its consequences, being young and inexperienced.

After a while, the wind outside began howling fiercely again.

Xiao Chan curled up slowly, burying herself under Lin Ci’s blanket, feeling warm and safe. The day’s troubles seemed like the cold wind—blocked and unable to enter.

Senior Brother sat beside her, expressionless, flipping through his book. The soft light outlined his sharp jawline, giving him an ethereal kind of handsomeness.

Xiao Chan felt her cheeks flush. Not wanting Senior Brother to notice, she shrank further into the blanket.

“Senior Brother’s blanket smells so nice…”

Looks like tonight, she’d sleep very well.

……

The third watch.

Xiao Chan lay on the bed, breathing evenly, already asleep.

Lin Ci rubbed the bridge of his nose. Only now had he finished reading one Cultivation Technique Manual, but hadn’t found anything useful.

The manual was titled Wuxiang Jian Xin Jue, originally cultivated by the previous owner.

By comparing each character with the Heavenly Book, Lin Ci could roughly recognize the words.

But the problem was, these words—

【The heart is the root of myriad phenomena, thought is the bridge of all methods. One thought births and destroys calamities, ten directions of falsehood dissolve into the void?】

【Spirit and Dao merge, eternal and unchanging. Tracing back the Dao’s pivot to glimpse the Great Mystery, only then know that ‘I’ is ‘no self’?】

What? What does all this mean?

Who could understand these writings?

Cultivating a Heart Law was extremely precise; even a slight misinterpretation could lead to derangement.

Lin Ci couldn’t understand a single passage.

If only he could find a master to teach him step by step, maybe he’d grasp it, but obviously, he couldn’t do that.

He shook his head. Looks like switching to Heart Law cultivation had to be postponed.

Although slow, he had to keep practicing the Nine Revolutions Heaven-Burning Technique.

He then picked up other books.

Earlier that day, before burying the bookstall owner’s corpse, Lin Ci had searched him and found a few Spirit Stones and a valuable Refining Manual, which he took along.

Refining was the art of forging magical treasures.

A mature cultivator needed to master at least one or two among Refining, Pill Refining, Talismans, and Formation Arrays, and have a basic understanding of the others.

But for now, none of these were urgent.

He needed to stick to the original plan and understand the Sword Manual first.

Lin Ci extinguished the Spirit Stone Lamp and glanced at the spot on the bed Xiao Chan had left for him.

After a moment’s thought, he lay down wearing his outer clothes, not slipping under the covers.

In her dreams, Xiao Chan seemed to sense his body heat. She stirred and turned, burying her face into Lin Ci’s chest. He reached out, resting a hand gently on her slender waist, softly patting her.

……

The next day.

Wenxuan Peak, back mountain.

The back mountain was desolate, with steep cliffs and dangerous paths; no one usually came here.

Lin Ci had arrived early and used his Flying Sword to clear a space, preparing to practice the Mortal Sword Manual.

After buying the Mortal Sword Manual from the bookstall, Lin Ci had flipped through it the night before. It was indeed much simpler than the Cultivation Sword Manual used on Wenxuan Peak.

At least, following its instructions wouldn’t cause him injury.

However, he didn’t intend to practice the sword techniques as they were since the moves were unimpressive. Showing them to someone experienced would quickly expose him.

So, he planned to modify the manual.

His idea was to integrate the magnificent, eye-catching sword moves from the Cultivation Sword Manual into the Mortal Sword Manual to make it more impressive.

Alright, let’s get to work!

Over the next five days,

Lin Ci found an excuse for Xiao Chan to train alone and consolidate her cultivation. He spent day and night on the back mountain, surrounded by piles of Sword Manuals and writing materials, continuously revising and practicing.

After five days, the patched-up Sword Manual finally took shape.

Lin Ci performed a few sword swings. Though he didn’t yet feel the power of the new manual, it at least looked promising.

From now on, if Xiao Chan begged to learn sword techniques, he wouldn’t be at a loss.

Time to head back.

Lin Ci recalled his Flying Sword and walked back up the mountain.

After a while, upon returning home, he found a figure standing gracefully at the courtyard gate, seemingly waiting for a long time.

“Brother Lin!”

The man saw Lin Ci and cupped his hands, smiling warmly.

Lin Ci stopped and looked at him without revealing any emotion.

The man looked about the same age, his hair neatly combed, dressed impeccably like a scholar from the mortal world, holding a folding fan.

At his waist hung a Chief Disciple jade pendant identical to Lin Ci’s!

This man was also a Chief Disciple.

Lin Ci thought for a moment.

He didn’t recognize this man, but since he was brazenly waiting at the gate, they must have been acquaintances before.

If not, he would have only stayed at the peak entrance, not come inside.

The main problem was, the original owner’s diary never mentioned this person, and Lin Ci didn’t know his name…

But judging from the original owner’s personality, he probably didn’t usually call others by name.

“He’s here.”

Lin Ci nodded, expression indifferent.

“Hahaha, long time no see, Brother Lin, but you’re still so cold. It truly breaks my heart.”

The disciple tapped his chest with the fan, feigning disappointment.

“Is there something you want?”

Lin Ci’s words were as brief as possible.

“I do, but why don’t we talk inside? I rarely come here, Brother Lin. Surely you won’t refuse a cup of tea.”

“……”

Lin Ci was about to find an excuse to get rid of him when Xiao Chan walked out of the courtyard:

“Senior Brother! You’re finally back. This is Zhuge Cai, Chief Disciple Zhuge, and he’s been waiting for you for a long time.”

Zhuge Cai…

Lin Ci finally learned his name.

Sounds like a clever guy… this might not be easy to deal with.