A majestic aura erupted from Lin Qingfeng!
Once again, his Cultivation skyrocketed in a way that Su Ling'er couldn't possibly comprehend.
[Follow-up task unlocking.]
[Progress: 0%]
[Progress: 1%]
[Progress: 2%]
...
Having completed the task, Lin Qingfeng was ecstatic.
Any semblance of a profound expert or a Grandmaster's demeanor was tossed to the wind.
'This Daoist master has done it again! HAHAHAHA!'
His laughter echoed through the Sword Mausoleum, growing more uninhibited and smug.
But to Su Ling'er's ears, it was no less than the victory cry of a Nine Nether Demon God.
She watched, wide-eyed, as Lin Qingfeng's Cultivation surged once more without any warning.
This time, there was no epiphany, no heavenly treasures, not even a single pill. Even that vicious Demonic Contract from before hadn't appeared.
He had just taken her on a tour, telling a bunch of stories that sounded completely fabricated.
And then.
He broke through?!
'What is going on?!'
'Could it be... this Sword Mausoleum is also some kind of Evil Cultivation Array?'
'Did he bring me here just to use me, a new disciple, to activate some evil array in the Sword Mausoleum?!'
'Was every word he said, every step I took, part of completing the ritual?'
'But why me?'
'What's so special about me?'
'Could it be... because I just received the reward from the Asking Dao Ladder?'
'Judging by the looks of those other disciples, it seems no one has ever climbed a hundred steps...'
'Is it because I climbed a hundred steps that I met some requirement for their ritual?'
'Or, just as the other Senior Brothers were plotting, is this all just a prelude to sacrificing my blood to forge a sword?'
Su Ling'er's face turned deathly pale in an instant.
She fought the urge to turn and flee, asking with a tremor in her voice:
"S-Senior Brother, you... what happened to you?"
"Did you have an epiphany? How... how did you suddenly..."
Lin Qingfeng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his joy.
He glanced at the next task that was activating. 'There should be enough time.'
'What will the next task be?'
'Never mind. The most important thing now is to put on that act with Junior Sister and Zhan!'
So, he adopted his aloof and nonchalant demeanor again, tilting his head to gaze at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
"That's right. I was careless and broke through again."
"After all, for someone of my talent, breakthroughs are as common as eating and drinking. It's nothing to speak of."
"It's just a pity that if talent like yours isn't cultivated... alas! A pearl will eventually be covered in dust."
Su Ling'er knew immediately what he was getting at.
'Isn't he just trying to bring up the Sword Refining Skill?'
'Isn't he just implying that someone with terrible talent like me can't break through as easily as eating and drinking, so I have to practice that Sword Refining Skill?'
'Besides, who has talent this ridiculous?'
'Breaking through just by walking around, and he calls it "nothing to speak of"?'
'Like hell I believe you!'
'Your skin is so thick, I bet not even the sect's Mountain Protection Array could break through it!'
However, this only confirmed her suspicions.
'In the storybooks, only those heretical demons who devour souls for a living would call this kind of sudden power gain a "common occurrence."'
Just as Su Ling'er's thoughts drifted to whether she was about to be sucked dry by the array beneath her feet,
An overwhelmingly domineering aura descended from the sky!
"Lin Qingfeng! Come out and face your death!"
The newcomer roared, his figure plummeting from the sky wrapped in an unstoppable aura!
BOOM!
He smashed heavily into an open space in the Sword Mausoleum, kicking up a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, a burly figure stood proudly. He carried a greatsword on his back that was completely out of proportion to his body, and a menacing aura radiated from him.
It was Zhan, and he had arrived!
Before the words faded, the greatsword was drawn with a CLANG, its ring like a dragon's cry!
He seemed to have no intention of giving Lin Qingfeng a chance to react. His body became an afterimage as he raised the greatsword and brought it down on Lin Qingfeng's head!
"Look out!"
Su Ling'er shouted instinctively, but her thoughts raced even faster.
'What's happening? Did Senior Brother's enemy come for him?'
'That makes sense. He casually killed two fellow disciples right after joining the sect. It's only normal that he'd have countless enemies within the sect.'
'And this guy didn't even say a word, just went straight for a killing blow. Just what you'd expect from a demonic, evil sect!'
'The killing intent in that greatsword is absolutely real!'
Although she still didn't understand how a demonic sect with such extreme infighting could have survived this long.
In the righteous path, forget Inner Sect Disciples, even outer sect disciples would never dare use such lethal force in a spar.
Every disciple was an investment of the sect's resources. Even the outer sect disciples could do chores, run errands, or give massages to the inner sect disciples.
Pointless infighting was absolutely forbidden by the higher-ups, but here, it seemed to be the norm.
Faced with this sudden attack, Lin Qingfeng simply stood with his hands behind his back.
He even struck a more dashing pose, watching the approaching sword light. He focused his qi in his Dantian and bellowed in that direction:
"Slow!"
???
A series of question marks instantly filled Su Ling'er's mind.
'What's happening?'
'The guy's sword is about to split your head open, and you're telling him to "Slow"?!'
'Is he really going to listen to you and just stop?!'
'Last time in the Demon-Locking Tower, that demon beast was about to crush me, and you yelled "Stop!"; this time someone's about to chop you to death, and you yell "Slow"?!'
'Do you think that in a life-or-death situation, if you don't shout and try to reason with your opponent, you won't feel important?'
'It's over, it's over, Senior Brother is about to be cleaved in two by his fellow disciple! Will that Evil Cultivator kill me too?'
'At least before Senior Brother turns me into his "sword," he should still be able to protect me...'
'But if he dies, I'll probably be next!'
However.
Upon hearing the shout, the disciple with the greatsword actually... paused his attack!
The massive sword blade stopped dead, a mere three inches from Lin Qingfeng's head!
"Senior Brother, what is it?"
Su Ling'er: "???"
She was even more bewildered!
'Wait, you really stopped? Are all Evil Cultivators this obedient?'
Before her thought could fade, the situation changed abruptly!
PUCHI! With no warning.
A phantom gleam of light, moving at incredible speed, shot out from the Sword Mausoleum behind the disciple!
It was launched second but arrived first.
The phantom light drew a straight black line through the air, ignoring distance, ignoring his Protective Gang Qi, and pierced directly through his chest!
A direct shot through the heart!
Warm droplets of blood splattered across Su Ling'er's face, and she froze completely.
She slowly raised a hand to touch her cheek; the sensation was warm and sticky. She looked down at her hands and clothes, which were covered in glaring bloodstains.
Her mind went blank.
'What happened?'
'Killed... he just killed him?'
'The guy actually stopped when he heard "Slow," so why did you kill him?'
'How... utterly despicable!'
The disciple who had been run through the chest wore a look of utter astonishment.
He looked down at the ancient sword in his chest, then back at the nonchalant Lin Qingfeng.
"Holy shit..."
A mouthful of blood sprayed from the corner of his mouth.
"Lin Qingfeng! You sneaky bastard! Since when did you get a 'Slow Sword' in addition to your 'Stop Sword'?!"
While spitting blood, he struggled to form a hand seal for a Technique, and a faint light landed on the ancient sword.
"HISS— An ancient sword from the mausoleum acknowledged you as its master?! I'm so jealous it's killing me!"
Su Ling'er: "..."
In an instant, her chaotic mind sorted through all her previous doubts.
'Stop...'
'Slow...'
'In the Demon-Locking Tower, he yelled "Stop." The demon beast's attack didn't stop, but I was saved.'
'Here in the Sword Mausoleum, he yelled "Slow." The disciple's attack was forcibly halted, and then he was pierced through the heart by a sword.'
She understood!
'"Stop" wasn't telling someone to stop, and "Slow" wasn't telling someone to slow down!'
'Those weren't commands for others at all, but... the names of his artifacts! The names of his Divine Swords!'
Su Ling'er's gaze fell upon the ancient longsword still embedded in Zhan's body, its blade dripping with blood.
'He hides all his killing intent within these seemingly placating words, delivering the fatal blow the moment his opponent hesitates!'
'Despicable! Shameless! This truly is the classic style of an Evil Cultivator from the demonic path!'
'Senior Brother... is truly terrifying!'
However, another thought popped into her head.
'This method... actually seems pretty useful...'
'In the future, should I name my artifacts "Slow"? Or "Stop"?'
'Or maybe... "Senior, please hear me out"?'
Meanwhile, Lin Qingfeng was frantically giving signals to Zhan, who was still "green with envy," while sending him a private message.
[Lin Qingfeng: Hurry up and say your lines before you "die!"]