Gou Refining Essence into Qi in the Dharma-ending Age

Chapter 53 The Heir

The Sword Sect's people arrived faster than expected.

That afternoon, someone came to visit Lin Yuan.

However, the person who came to visit Lin Yuan was quite unexpected.

The visitors were Chen Changming and a distinguished-looking middle-aged man.

Before Lin Yuan could even ask, Chen Changming said, "Lin Yuan, this is the sect leader of our Sword Sect."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan immediately said, "Disciple Lin Yuan greets Sect Master."

He still respected the sect leader very much. If it weren't for the Sword Sect, he wouldn't have been able to cultivate so quickly.

"Good child, no need for such formalities." The sect leader appeared very gentle, just like an ordinary elder.

Chen Changming then said, "Then, Sect Master, I will take my leave to investigate the situation of the Water Mansion."

The sect leader nodded slightly.

Lin Yuan was slightly taken aback, but then realized that the sect leader had come specifically to find him.

After Chen Changming left, he immediately invited the sect leader to sit down, poured him tea, and asked, "Sect leader, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, the sect leader smiled and said, "There's no other reason; I just wanted to come and see you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan was even more surprised.

"Among the peak of the Flame of Fire, besides Lin Chao and Wang Qiudao, you are the most talented. Even including the main peak, you can rank among the top five of your generation. As the sect leader, since you are here, how can you not care?" The sect leader seemed to have seen through Lin Yuan's thoughts. "You are too cautious. You don't trust anyone except yourself."

"You were very nervous when you knew I wanted to talk to you alone, weren't you? Afraid that I would discover your secrets, afraid that I would take action."

Lin Yuan remained silent, unsure how to respond.

"Actually, I just wanted to have a brief talk with you," the sect leader continued, then looked into Lin Yuan's eyes. "You've been hiding your true strength, haven't you?"

"Even though I couldn't see anything special about you standing right in front of me, your speed in clearing the Trial Tower shows that your combat ability is at least no weaker than Wang Qiudao's."

"There's no need to be nervous about this. It's perfectly normal to pay attention to every talented disciple."

It seemed that the sect leader had to explain every single thing he said.

Lin Yuan remained silent for a long time before asking, "Sect Master, what do you want to say?"

The sect leader smiled and said, "It's not that I want to say anything, but that you need to understand something. You learned about the Three Realms of Determination from Changming, and I heard that you even asked Wenyan about it."

"In your current state, you will never be able to enter the next realm. Entering samadhi, or rather, the initial samadhi, is your limit."

"If you treat everyone as an imaginary enemy, how can you achieve a state of equanimity, unaffected by external gains or losses? You are afraid of losing, thus suppressing your inner thoughts."

Lin Yuan was startled.

He always believed that as long as he maintained a calm attitude, neither rejoicing when he surpassed others nor feeling disappointed when others surpassed him, he would have opportunities.

But now it seems that I am still far from being good enough.

"Sect Master, shouldn't I be hiding my strength?"

"It seems you still don't understand." The sect leader slowly shook his head. "It's normal to hide your strength. Not only you do, but Lin Chao, Wang Qiudao, and even I do."

"The problem isn't about hiding your strength, but about what you want to do."

"I cannot teach you this; you must figure it out for yourself."

"Of course, there's one thing I'm sure I'm not wrong about: you're very suitable for the Sword Sect, and you definitely have a righteous heart."

After saying that, the sect leader drank the tea in one gulp.

"This tea isn't very good; it has no flavor. Let me give you some!"

After placing a neatly square tea packet on the table, the sect leader got up and left.

Lin Yuan sat in the chair, deep in thought.

After the sect leader left Lin Yuan's residence, Chen Changming immediately appeared and said, "Sect leader, there is a water palace beneath Falling Moon Lake. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be born on the night of the next full moon."

"Understood!" The sect leader nodded, then instructed, "Send the sect members here. This Falling Moon City will be quite lively then. We've finally managed to get some peace and quiet, so don't let it be disrupted."

"Yes, Sect Master." Chen Changming nodded immediately, then hesitated before saying, "Sect Master, that child Lin Yuan..."

"He is indeed a good child. If he can come to his senses, he will be the best successor," the sect leader said calmly, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

However, Chen Changming suddenly raised his head.

As a high-ranking member of the sect, how could he not understand the sect leader's meaning?

The sect leader is grooming Lin Yuan to be the next sect leader of the Sword Sect.

This is not something said casually.

It should be noted that he had discussed with the sect leader Lin Chao, the current top ten geniuses of the Xuanling Domain, Wang Qiudao, the second, Sun Minglong, the fifth, and many other geniuses and powerhouses of the Sword Sect.

But there has never been a single person who could convince the sect leader to become his successor.

"Sect Master, why... do Lin Chao, Wang Qiudao, and the others seem to have improved their cultivation levels even more?"

Upon hearing this, the sect leader smiled and said gently, "Changming, the successor of the Sword Sect needs strength, but it is definitely not just about strength."

"Lin Chao has a sense of justice, but it is not profound. If he were not in the Sword Sect, he would be no different from other sect disciples, at most he would not kill innocent people indiscriminately."

"Wang Qiudao is a deep thinker, and he is governed by the rules of the Sword Sect, so he seems like a righteous person. If he had not joined the Sword Sect, it would not be surprising if he had fallen into evil cultivation. Especially after he came out of the Great Cultivation Cave, he changed even more. There may be some problems, so we need to keep a close eye on him."

"For some reason, Sun Minglong seems determined to get entangled with Lin Chao. This sudden change makes him the third variable within the sect."

"Only Lin Yuan has a deep-rooted pursuit of order and justice. To be honest, I can't understand how he developed such a mindset in the Lin family."

After hearing these words, Chen Changming immediately understood why the sect leader had chosen Lin Yuan.

Rather than choosing a successor based on power, the sect leader prefers to choose a successor based on the Way.

The inheritor of his own swordsmanship.

This "way" is not a sword technique or supernatural power, but rather the path to follow.

This is also the key to the Sword Sect's development to its current state.

The sect leader succeeded to the position three hundred years ago. At that time, the Sword Sect was no different from the other three major forces in the Xuanling Domain.

Three hundred years later, the Sword Sect has undergone a complete transformation.

Even though the sect leader purged many people back then, in terms of foundation, the Sword Sect today far surpasses the Sword Sect of three hundred years ago.

Chen Changming didn't know how the sect leader made his judgment, but he trusted the sect leader's choice.

If it weren't for the sect leader, he wouldn't have been able to grow to where he is today.

Therefore, he said, "Sect Leader, I will follow your choice."

"Haha, I believe you," the sect leader said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Chen Changming smiled and said, "Sect Master, you are in the prime of your life and can nurture Lin Yuan yourself. There is no need for me to worry about it."