133: Chapter 133 Entering the Mountains

For those few days, Lin Tian shut himself in his courtyard. Apart from eating and sleeping, he spent all his time practicing the Flying Knife in the Sleeve.

The knife marks on the old pine tree had increased from dozens to over a hundred, dense and packed like a sieve. The courtyard walls were also covered in small pits gouged out by the flying daggers, and a thin layer of gravel had accumulated at the base of the wall.

He became obsessed with his practice. He practiced during the day and at night.

When the moonlight was good, he practiced by its light; when it wasn't, he lit an oil lamp and practiced against the shadows cast by the flame. On the night his Flying Knife in the Sleeve broke through from the Proficient Realm to the Minor Achievement Realm, he unleashed a single strike. The flying dagger grazed the flame of the oil lamp, and the wind from the blade forced the flame to shrink back violently.

But after the flying dagger passed, the flame stood upright again without even flickering. The strength was controlled with ease, and the force of the wind did not leak out; this was the Minor Achievement.

Upon reaching the Minor Achievement Realm, the speed and penetrating power of the flying dagger had stepped up to a new level.

Before, a single strike could pierce an iron wood post; now, a single strike left not just a knife hole, but a hole the size of a fist—the flying dagger spun as it passed through, and the hidden force on the blade shredded a large area of the wood.

If this were to hit a person, it wouldn't just be a matter of piercing a hole; it would directly shred their internal organs.

Lin Tian was very satisfied with this power. Having practiced Flying Knife in the Sleeve to Minor Achievement, he now had an extra trump card that could truly take a life. So what if it was a Fourth-Rank Warrior?

Caught off guard, a single strike to the throat, and even an immortal couldn't save them.

Just as he was contemplating whether he should go get a bow to improve his Meteor Arrow Technique as well, the area outside his courtyard suddenly became lively.

A flurry of chaotic footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by the sounds of chattering.

Lin Tian put away his flying daggers and walked out of the courtyard, seeing seven or eight people walking towards him.

Walking at the front was Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun, followed by Senior Brother Li, and behind them were the siblings Zhao Mingyang and Zhao Mingyue, along with several other new Disciples who had gone to Wanbao Pavilion last time.

These people had previously been indifferent to him. On Zixia Peak, Lin Tian's reputation was not good; he was someone the Peak Master had personally called "mediocre in Aptitude," so no one wanted to associate with him much.

Lin Tian was happy to have the peace and quiet; with no one disturbing him, it was perfect for focusing on his Cultivate. However, after he revealed his wealth at Wanbao Pavilion last time, their attitudes had changed.

On the way back, they started taking the initiative to strike up conversations with him. Although their topics were forced, their enthusiasm was genuine.

He hadn't expected them to come knocking on his door now.

Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun walked at the front, and seeing Lin Tian standing at the courtyard gate, she smiled and greeted him: "Junior Brother Lin, it's good that you're here."

Lin Tian glanced at the group: "Senior Sister, what is it?"

"We've accepted a mission and wanted to ask if you'd like to go." Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun walked closer and briefly explained the mission. It was to go into Taixuan Mountain to pick Spirit Medicine.

This time was different from usual; they had information provided by a herb gatherer and knew the general location of the Spirit Medicine, so they didn't need to search blindly all over the mountain. Moreover, they could go as a team, and there was safety in numbers.

Zhao Mingyang added from the side: "All of us new Disciples are going. Senior Sister Zheng and Senior Brother Li are leading the team."

Zhao Mingyue also nodded. Although the expression on her face was still that reserved look, it was a world of difference compared to her previous attitude of not even giving him a straight glance.

That group of people who went to Wanbao Pavilion together last time had become much more familiar with each other after that trip.

Walking together on the road, eating together, strolling through Wanbao Pavilion together, and chatting the whole way back—their relationship had naturally grown closer.

When they accepted this mission, they had gathered together first, and only then did they remember that one person was missing—Lin Tian.

After hearing this, Lin Tian's first reaction was that he didn't want to go.

He had been practicing the flying daggers smoothly these past few days, having just broken through to the Minor Achievement Realm, and he wanted to strike while the iron was hot to push his proficiency higher. A mission would take several days back and forth, delaying his Cultivate.

However, he didn't voice his refusal, but instead asked casually: "What kind of mission?"

Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun repeated the mission and added at the end: "This time we have information from a herb gatherer, so the chance of finding Spirit Medicine is much higher than usual. Besides, there are many people going, and the split is fair, based on contribution. If we're lucky, each person can get a decent amount of silver."

Silver.

Hearing these two words, Lin Tian narrowed his eyes.

He was indeed short on silver. Last time at Wanbao Pavilion, he had thrown away twelve thousand taels to buy the moyuan flying dagger, and his savings had suddenly hit rock bottom.

Now, his entire net worth added up to just over two thousand taels; he couldn't even afford a decent bow.

The cold moon bow cost four thousand taels, and he was still two thousand taels short. Moreover, while flying daggers were useful, they were close-range hidden weapons; he still needed a bow and arrow for long-range.

His Meteor Arrow Technique was already at the Proficient Realm, but without a bow, he could only practice with empty hands. Not only was the proficiency growth slow, but when the time came to actually use it, he wouldn't be able to.

With information from a herb gatherer, the probability of finding Spirit Medicine was high. Finding Spirit Medicine meant splitting silver. Splitting silver meant he could buy a bow. This logic chain was very clear.

Lin Tian nodded: "Fine. I will go with you."

The few new Disciples immediately showed joy. Zhao Mingyang also smiled as if relieved. Although Zhao Mingyue didn't smile, she nodded slightly.

Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun clapped her hands: "Then it's settled. We depart in three days, gather at the mountain gate at the Hour of the Dragon."

The group dispersed, and the small courtyard returned to silence.

Lin Tian returned to the courtyard, glanced at the dense knife marks on the old pine tree, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Three days was enough for him to further stabilize the Minor Achievement Realm of his Flying Knife in the Sleeve, and incidentally, improve his other martial arts as well.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the third day, the sky wasn't fully bright yet; a line of fish-belly white had just appeared on the eastern mountain ridge.

Lin Tian stood in the courtyard, finished his cultivation, and brought up his proficiency panel.

Name: Lin Tian. Cultivation: Fourth-Rank Early Stage.

Martial Arts — — Purple Qi Diagram, Minor Achievement, 330-1000. Xiaguang Sword Technique, Minor Achievement, 211-1000. Cloud Shadow Step, Minor Achievement, 390-1000. Flying Knife in the Sleeve, Minor Achievement, 6-1000. Meteor Arrow Technique, Proficient, 10-500. Great Strength Vajra Palm, Proficient, 100-500.

Every martial art had improved. The Purple Qi Diagram increased by thirty points, the Xiaguang Sword Technique by eleven, and the Cloud Shadow Step by fifteen. The Meteor Arrow Technique and Great Strength Vajra Palm had also advanced a bit; although it wasn't much, it was steady progress.

The greatest improvement was in the Flying Knife in the Sleeve — — it had already broken through the Proficient Realm and officially stepped into Minor Achievement.

Although the proficiency for the Minor Achievement Realm was only six points, the improvement in Realm was a qualitative leap. The power difference between a flying dagger at the Proficient Realm and one at the Entry Realm was more than double.

Lin Tian opened his eyes and flexed his wrists. Thirty-two moyuan flying daggers were neatly attached to the inside of his forearms, cool to the touch, like a thirty-third bone growing on his body.

With a casual flick, a flying dagger slid from his sleeve to his fingertips, and in the next instant, it vanished. On the old pine tree in the courtyard, a pine branch at the very top broke off silently; the cut was smooth, as if it had been sliced by a sharp blade.

The sound of the pine branch hitting the ground was very light, as light as a leaf falling in the wind.

Lin Tian didn't go to pick up that pine branch. He pushed open the door and walked out.

At the mountain gate, Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun and Senior Brother Li had already arrived. The Zhao siblings had also come; the pair wore the precious swords they had bought last time at Wanbao Pavilion at their waists, their scabbards gleaming with a faint light in the morning sun.

The other new Disciples arrived one after another; some were yawning, while others still had dry rations in their mouths.

Seeing Lin Tian walk over, Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun waved at him. Zhao Mingyang also nodded. Zhao Mingyue glanced at him, her gaze lingering on his sleeves as if remembering something, but she quickly looked away.

Everyone was here. Senior Brother Li counted the number of people, nodded, and said: "Let's go."

The group walked into the morning light, heading towards Taixuan Mountain.