Lin Yue carried the thing called a “heavy sword” but was actually just a “raw iron pillar,” leaving deep footprints with each step as he returned to the outer sect dormitory area.
Even though he was dressed like a refugee tenant farmer, the pitch-black iron pillar in his hands was far too eye-catching.
As he passed the willow tree at the dormitory entrance, Lin Yue distinctly felt several malicious gazes sweeping over his back.
“Well, if it isn’t the hero who harassed the head senior sister!”
A few outer sect disciples were squatting under the tree picking their teeth.
The leader was named Zhang San, nicknamed “Big Mouth Zhang.”
He was the outer sect’s notorious gossipmonger and a die-hard follower of Zhao Hu.
Lin Yue ignored him.
His mind was completely occupied by the wildly fluctuating numbers in the mental sea’s ledger of karmic debt, and the faint, ticking-time-bomb-like “Heart-Linking Talisman” on his chest.
“Lin Yue, I’m talking to you! What the hell is that on your shoulder? A stepping stone from a latrine pit?”
Big Mouth Zhang, seeing Lin Yue ignore him, felt his pride pricked.
He stood up and blocked the path.
Lin Yue stopped and planted the heavy sword on the ground.
Thud!
The ground trembled, kicking up a circle of dust.
Big Mouth Zhang jumped back half a step in fright.
He glanced at the dark iron lump, then at Lin Yue’s face, which was clearly screaming “stay away from me,” and sneered.
“What are you trying to prove? Tomorrow is the practical demonstration for the outer sect’s major class. Senior Brother Zhao has already said he’ll make you pay back yesterday’s debt on the training grounds. Did you drag this iron pillar back so you can publicly swallow an iron ball?”
“I’ll swallow your mother’s head.”
Lin Yue tossed out the retort, hoisted the heavy sword, and shouldered past Big Mouth Zhang.
When he returned to the cramped little dorm room where four people squeezed together, Wang Pangzi was on his knees, rummaging for something under the bed.
Hearing the heavy footsteps, the guy jumped in fright and smacked his head against the bed board, howling in pain.
“Yue-ge! You’re finally back!”
Wang Pangzi clutched the back of his head as he bounced up, staring in horror at the thing on Lin Yue’s shoulder.
“What… what is this? Did you dig up a tombstone from the back mountain?”
“A sword,” Lin Yue said succinctly.
“A sword?” Wang Pangzi circled the iron pillar three times, his face scrunched up in pain.
“Yue-ge, did Senior Sister Chu’s palm strike scramble your brains? This thing doesn’t even have a point! You’d struggle to kill a pig with it! And… why does it smell so strong?”
Wang Pangzi sniffed, his expression turning strange.
“Why does it have this… fresh dirt smell? Where were you demolishing things in the middle of the night?”
“Shut up and go to sleep.”
Lin Yue shoved the heavy sword under the bed.
The heavy iron lump made the bed board let out a creak.
Lin Yue was even worried the flimsy bed might collapse in the middle of the night.
Lying on the hard wooden plank, Lin Yue sank his consciousness into his mental sea.
“Hey, Ledger, how do I remove this Heart-Linking Talisman?”
Lin Yue asked irritably.
In the mental sea, the tattered ledger lazily flipped a page.
“Remove? Why remove it? This is a token of your junior sister’s affection. Besides, when you trampled all over her like grass in your past life, did you ever think about ‘removing’ things? Now she just wants to install a monitor in your heart, and you’re getting all fussy.”
“A monitor? This is a damn remote-controlled bomb!”
Lin Yue gnashed his teeth.
“Relax. As long as you don’t go flirting with other girls or develop any thoughts of killing An Xiaoxiao, this talisman is just a decoration,” the ledger said with a mocking tone.
“Actually, that ‘Black Iron Heavy Sword’ in your hands… Steward Sun spent a fortune back in the day to get it from the black market. It’s not sharpened, but it’s mixed with ‘Mystic Lodestone,’ specifically effective against all sorts of flashy spiritual energy attacks. Paired with your newly opened third hidden meridian, the effect is outstanding.”
Lin Yue touched his chest.
A faint flow of spiritual energy was already circulating in the third hidden meridian.
This was the benefit of repaying debts.
Although the process was mortifying and the tasks bizarre, this kind of solid cultivation improvement was faster than three years of bitter training in the outer sect.
“Will Chu Wanning come to tomorrow’s major class demonstration?”
This was Lin Yue’s biggest concern.
“If she doesn’t come, who’s going to watch you make a fool of yourself?”
The ledger let out an extremely lewd chuckle.
“But a hint for you: An Xiaoxiao will also be there tomorrow. Your fellow transmigrator is really looking forward to watching you use her stolen goods to smash people.”
Lin Yue sighed and closed his eyes.
….
Early the next morning.
The atmosphere at the Nine Heavens Sect’s outer sect training grounds was even more restless than yesterday.
The outer sect major class was a monthly instructional demonstration that all outer sect disciples had to attend.
It was called a demonstration, but it was essentially a chance for these energetic youths to legally brawl, glorified as “practical sparring.”
When Lin Yue appeared carrying the iron pillar, the entire grounds fell silent for three seconds before erupting into roof-shaking laughter.
“Hahahaha! Lin Yue! Did you bring the Sea-Calming Needle?”
“Wrong, it looks more like an oversized poker!”
“Oh my god, I’m dying! Yesterday he snatched Senior Sister Chu’s Frost Chill in the square. Today he probably feels he’s not worthy of a sword and has switched to being a blacksmith!”
Lin Yue turned a deaf ear, walking straight toward a corner without looking sideways.
But sometimes, when you want to keep a low profile, someone just won’t let you.
The crowd suddenly parted on its own, making a path.
An Xiaoxiao, like an obedient little bunny, hopped over carrying a basket of fresh spirit fruits.
Her outfit today was particularly pink and cute.
Her round little face seemed like you could pinch water from it under the sunlight.
Those big, bright eyes blinked, causing the surrounding male disciples to lose their souls one by one.
“Senior Brother Lin!”
An Xiaoxiao ran over, slightly out of breath, and stopped directly in front of Lin Yue.
The previously noisy training grounds fell into dead silence once more.
An Xiaoxiao’s eyes, clear as autumn water, were now filled with admiration and concern.
She rummaged in her basket, pulled out a snow-white handkerchief, and ignoring the murderous glares around her, stood on her tiptoes to gently wipe away the non-existent sweat from Lin Yue’s forehead.
“Senior Brother Lin, is this… the ‘peerless divine sword’ you went to the back mountain last night to… comprehend?”
An Xiaoxiao’s voice was sickeningly sweet, but to Lin Yue, it sounded like the whisper of a devil.
Especially the words “back mountain.”
She emphasized them heavily.
Lin Yue’s entire body stiffened.
He felt the “Heart-Linking Talisman” on his chest warming slightly, as if reminding him: ‘Dare to say the wrong thing, and I’ll blow you to smithereens.’
“…Mmm. Junior sister has a good eye,” Lin Yue forced out an extremely ugly smile.
“Senior Brother, do your best! Xiaoxiao will be watching you the whole time.”
An Xiaoxiao made a cheering gesture with her small fist, then stuffed a spirit fruit into Lin Yue’s mouth before blushing and running off toward the spectator stands.
This scene completely detonated a sea of jealousy on the training grounds.
“My god… Junior Sister Xiaoxiao just wiped his sweat with her own hands?”
“She even fed him fruit!”
“Lin Yue! I’ll kill you! You beast! Harassing Senior Sister Chu wasn’t enough, and now you won’t even let Junior Sister Xiaoxiao go!”
Lin Yue mechanically chewed the spirit fruit in his mouth.
It tasted more bitter than bitter melon.
‘This little demoness, she’s absolutely doing this on purpose!
‘She thinks the hatred I pulled yesterday wasn’t enough, so she came today to add a “public enemy of the entire grounds” buff to me.’
On the spectator stands.