Chapter 331: Beginning to Understand
When Lin Yan and Jiang Hao agreed on the date for their battle, Lin Yan first went to find Wu Dao. After all, Wu Dao had promised to take him to the Martial Arts Hall of the Desolate Mansion today.
Seeing Wu Dao, Lin Yan bowed to him.
"I never thought that you, little one, could absorb all the Qi from the Dan River so quickly. Your achievements are even better than Senior Brother Zhou Tong's back then..." Wu Dao slowly approached, his eyes lingering on Lin Yan's young face as he sighed softly, his expression complicated.
"But what surprises me the most is that you've already reached the Great Perfection of the Profound Life Realm. I remember that just before coming here, you had just entered the Profound Life Realm..." he said in amazement.
"This kind of achievement, even Master Chen Zhen and I might not necessarily achieve..." Wu Dao reflected.
Lin Yan smiled slightly and responded modestly, "It's not a big deal. I've just had some luck making these advancements."
Hearing this, Wu Dao laughed and said, "You are so modest. However, sometimes being too modest can cause you problems... like in your upcoming battle with Jiang Hao in five days."
Hearing this, Lin Yan was a bit surprised. He didn't know that Wu Dao was already aware of his fight with Jiang Hao.
Then, he smiled wryly and said, "Master, you're right. But I can't avoid fighting Jiang Hao. After all... he just doesn't like me."
Wu Dao patted Lin Yan's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I won't blame you for anything. I just hope that in the fight, you'll be merciful and not hurt that boy too much."
Lin Yan nodded, and then Wu Dao continued, "But talking about this now is pointless. Come, I'll take you to the Martial Arts Hall of the Desolate Mansion. As a disciple of the Desolate Mansion, it's important for you to become familiar with the martial arts of the Desolate Mansion."
With that, Wu Dao stopped lingering and moved forward. Lin Yan quickly followed.
The Martial Arts Hall of the Desolate Mansion was extremely vast, with dozens of peaks reaching towards the sky, shrouded in mist like a paradise. From those peaks, one could hear the sound of martial arts practice, a vigorous energy filling the sky.
Guided by Wu Dao, they arrived at a peak near the center of the Desolate Mansion and stopped. At the top of that mountain, there was a huge, ancient stone tower.
Around the stone tower, there were cobblestones and scattered stones, forming paths that extended across the mountain peaks. At this moment, there were also many disciples of the Desolate Mansion moving around here.
When these disciples saw Wu Dao and Lin Yan descending, they all hurried to greet them, and then their curious gazes fell on Lin Yan, who had now become a kind of celebrity in the Desolate Mansion.
Wu Dao nodded slightly towards these disciples, and then led Lin Yan directly towards the ancient stone tower. As they approached, Lin Yan could feel the majesty and history of the tower. Although the passage of time had left its marks, it only made the ancient and venerable atmosphere even more intense.
Lin Yan looked at the tower with eager eyes. He was extremely anxious to learn the martial arts of this powerful place.
Lin Yan's eyes descended from the tower and landed on the stone door. At that moment, he saw an old man dressed in a gray robe, holding a broom as he gently swept the dry leaves from the ground.
The old man's face was extremely wrinkled, with furrows like grooves. And what surprised Lin Yan the most was that the old man's eyes were grayish, without pupils, appearing blind.
However, what surprised Lin Yan even more was that he couldn't sense any energy fluctuation from this blind old man.
Wu Dao, obviously, also noticed Lin Yan's gaze, but said nothing more. He stepped forward and addressed the blind old man.
The old man did not react and continued to focus on sweeping the dry leaves.
"I've brought you here to the Martial Arts Hall. The martial arts are vast as the sea, and what you choose depends on your own luck. I can't give you much advice on this," said Wu Dao without surprise, turning to Lin Yan.
"But no matter what martial arts you practice, remember not to abandon the essence of our Desolate Mansion," Wu Dao continued with his hands behind his back.
Lin Yan was slightly surprised and remained silent for a moment before murmuring, "The essence of the Desolate Mansion?"
Wu Dao nodded slightly and said, "In the Martial Arts Hall, there is a Desolate Stone. All disciples of the Desolate Mansion gain their strength there. This strength will make your martial arts even more powerful."
"I understand," Lin Yan said, nodding his head, feeling curious about this so-called essence.
"Go ahead, enter," said Wu Dao with a gesture of his hand. Lin Yan did not hesitate any longer and bowed slightly to Wu Dao before moving forward. As he passed by the blind old man, he also bowed in a gesture of respect before entering the stone tower.
Wu Dao watched as Lin Yan's figure slowly disappeared and exhaled softly. Then, he looked at the blind old man and whispered, "This is the young man who surpassed Senior Brother Zhou Tong during the Dan River baptism."
"Not only that, after absorbing the entire Dan River in seven days, his cultivation directly advanced to the Great Perfection of the Profound Life Realm..."
Gasping, the old man who had been sweeping all along finally stopped his broom.
"When Senior Brother Zhou Tong sat in front of the Desolate Stone for three days, he obtained the Desolate Force. I have no idea what kind of performance Lin Yan will have this time."
"Maybe he is the most promising disciple in a hundred years in the Desolate Mansion. Senior Brother, if you're interested, you could pay a little attention to him," Wu Dao said to the blind old man in a low voice.
The old man remained silent for a moment, said nothing, simply picked up his broom slowly and walked towards the stone tower with slow steps.
Seeing this, Wu Dao breathed a sigh of relief in secret.
After all, Wu Dao knew the old man quite well. Seeing his behavior, it seemed that he was also beginning to take an interest in Lin Yan...
Once the old man entered the tower, Wu Dao looked up and gazed inside, murmuring softly:
"Boy, obtaining the Desolate Force is only the first step to understanding the Great Desolate Book... If you can easily surpass it, then, you will receive guidance from this old man..."
After saying this, Wu Dao turned around, sighed softly, and flew back to the great hall.
When he arrived at the great hall, he found Chen Zhen and said, "Ah, it seems that Jiang Hao, that boy, is in trouble..."
Hearing this, Chen Zhen smiled slightly and asked, "Why do you say that, Wu Dao?"
After Wu Dao mentioned the battle and the bet between Jiang Hao and Lin Yan, Chen Zhen was stunned for a moment. But then he said, "No matter, Lin Yan will be able to handle it. Let him study in the Martial Arts Hall of the Desolate Mansion for now." (End of the chapter)
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