Maybe it was because his mind was clear, or maybe it was sudden enlightenment but Lin Jin’s cultivation of the Carrier Cloud had gone smoothly this time. Several hours later, Lin Jin had comprehended a lot. Lifting an arm to make a beckoning gesture, a cloud came floating down from the skies.
Possessing no specific form, the cloud changed at will. It came like a strand of ribbon before gathering into a disc shape. The cloud was dexterous and charming as a lively rabbit.
However, a cloud was still just a cloud. It only behaved this way because Lin Jin controlled it so.
Lin Jin’s comprehension deepened. Extending an arm to make a pulling gesture, another large piece of cloud came swooping down this time. After a thought, Lin Jin stepped onto the cloud. As his mind focused, the cloud elevated thirty meters above the ground. However, Lin Jin suddenly descended quickly, almost falling over.
‘Insufficient spirit energy!’
He immediately noticed the problem. He had been cultivating and strengthening his veins all this while. Based on the Friar Association’s evaluation method, his current spirit energy volume must have exceeded fifty stones by now, increasing by one fold since he left Maple City.
Compared to other blood contract cultivators, this was considered a huge improvement. He might even be on par with some of the experienced mentors, maybe stronger.
However, compared to authentic immortality cultivators, this was much too inferior.
For example, this ancient immortal technique, the Carrier Cloud, Lin Jin could only use it to travel three feet.
To think after learning a skill, he couldn’t use it. Only Lin Jin himself knew how depressing this felt.
Still, he was smart enough to know that he could gradually increase his spirit energy volume. But even if he further improved up to achieving a hundred stones, what then?
Could he drive the cloud up to a distance of a hundred feet?
How useful was that?
Compared to the immortals he read about in books, their differences were too great.
Having insufficient spirit energy was akin to a family being poor. To live, they would have to be careful with their spending. After all, be it a lavish lifestyle or a modest lifestyle, it was still life.
To Lin Jin, immortal cultivators were like wealthy folk. After living a life of lavish spending, they wouldn’t be able to survive after becoming poor. Yet, the poor had their own methods to survive.
Lin Jin sat in deep thought for the longest time before a brilliant thought flashed in his mind.
He got up and lifted up a foot as if there was a platform before him. A cloud condensed below his foot like a tiny step, allowing Lin Jin to climb on.
After the first step, the consequent steps became easier.
Next, step by step, Lin Jin continued to climb above until he simply reached the skies about a thousand feet from the ground. Hu Yuzhen’s jaw dropped at this sight.
Although she was skilled in Wind Manipulation, Mr. Lin’s cloud stairs were on an entirely different scale and level.
Putting it in a different perspective, emerging from a gust of dark wind wasn’t cooler than floating over effortlessly.
After Lin Jin made her wait here, Hu Yuzhen dared not move about. Although she was curious about what Lin Jin would do up there, she knew not to ask what didn’t concern her. She just had to wait obediently.
Back to Lin Jin. He wasn’t trying to show off his newly learned skill by climbing up the stairs and into the sky. Instead, he wanted to use this opportunity to look at the words up above.
By now, he had reached a suitable height. Looking up, he could see a scroll of words above his head.
From this distance, he could see every word clearly.
“Divine Blade Scroll!”
Lin Jin read it out loud.
So that was it!
Lin Jin had been curious as to where the Sword Energy came from. After looking at this scroll, he came to realize that it wasn’t Du Li who wanted to kill Hu Yuzhen prior to this. If it had been Du Li, even Lin Jin wouldn’t be able to stop him.
Back then, the Sword Intent on this scroll must have sensed Hu Yuzhen’s demonic aura so it launched an automated attack. After Lin Jin interfered, the Sword Intent stopped.
In other words, this scroll had a spirit of its own.
If that was the case, Lin Jin shouldn’t act rashly. Standing on the cloud stairs, Lin Jin saluted.
“My name is Lin Jin. I’ve sensed the sharpness of your Sword Energy earlier so I’ve come to pay a visit.”
One could never go wrong by being polite.
What happened next was truly strange. The blade scroll floated closer to Lin Jin as the words on it became increasingly vivid. Stunned, Lin Jin then realized its intention.
The blade scroll had approved of Lin Jin studying this blade technique.
Lin Jin smiled and bowed again before taking a closer look.
Lin Jin read quickly this time but he didn’t necessarily comprehend it at once. Mainly because he was a thousand feet above the ground and relying on the cloud stairs. Although by using this trick he had saved up on a lot of spirit energy, he still had to exhaust some nonetheless. Hence, it was better if he sped things up or Lin Jin might just fall to the ground.
Fortunately, there weren’t too many words on the scroll, just a few hundred. After reading it several times, Lin Jin memorized it. At his level of cultivation, memorizing a few hundred words in a short time wasn’t too much of a challenge.
About a hundred breaths long later, Lin Jin saluted the blade scroll after he memorized it and then hurried back down.
Halfway down, Lin Jin’s spirit energy was completely spent. However, this height was no longer a problem to him as he landed with ease. Closing his eyes, Lin Jin recited the blade scroll several times over in his mind to strengthen his memory of it.
“What an amazing blade scroll!” Lin Jin inadvertently gasped when he opened his eyes again. He meant it from the heart. The blade scroll didn’t mention sword skills and techniques as it wasn’t about swordplay. Instead, it was about a mysterious Sword Intent.
A swordsman could definitely tell if this was a good or bad technique.
Ever since Lin Jin witnessed the Sword Energy, he had been impressed and fearful. After he merged with Xiao Huo into one, with the added enhancement to his being, Lin Jin was able to comprehend artistic concepts better.
However, he hadn’t completely comprehended the blade scroll. He only knew a tiny fraction but that was enough to surprise him.
It was great stuff.
And great stuff must be learned.
Lin Jin had reaped tons of benefits this time. Not only did he learn the Beastmaster Fourth Scroll, but he also learned the Carrier Cloud. He even met Du Li’s remnant soul, slew his demon, and began materializing the Demon Slayer.
Finally, he got to memorize the blade scroll. Once he was done deciphering it, this might perhaps be the greatest acquisition in this encounter.
There was nothing else left here.
Calculating the time, Lin Jin had been inside this Unending Nature Landscape for several days now and he knew he should be getting out. However, due to Du Li’s request, there was something Lin Jin needed to clarify before he left.
He sat down to regulate his breath. After recovering his spirit energy, Lin Jin used the cloud stairs to return to the gates where General Lion was standing guard.
General Lion was visibly startled to see Lin Jin again.
This General Lion was a beast that Du Li took in and enlightened. Lin Jin passed on Du Li’s message and even conveyed a few edicts that only Du Li would know of. Suspecting him no further, General Lion immediately knelt in respect.
“General Lion, continue guarding this place and stop bringing people into the Unending Nature Landscape. I have something I must attend to and once I’m done, I’ll come back and retrieve the painting,” Lin Jin instructed.
He clearly couldn’t say that he was incompetent right now and didn’t know how to put this Unending Nature Landscape away.
General Lion didn’t doubt him too and just acknowledged his orders.
After that, Lin Jin took Hu Yuzhen and White Ape who was carrying the coffin out of this painting.
When the white fog cleared away, revealing that abandoned mansion once more, Lin Jin realized it was now daytime a few days later.
