Chapter Nineteen: The Transformation of the Dao Fruit, A Genius for the Ages

Lin Qingyin’s voice held a trace of fear, blending with the chill of a spring rain, lending the scene a cold and lonely air.

The man wearing a bamboo hat and rain cape, a woodcutter’s knife at his waist, slowly lifted his head, revealing a strikingly handsome face beneath the brim. His nose was high and straight, his brows sharp as if carved by a blade, and his deep-set eyes seemed to contain the boundless night sky.

The man was so handsome it bordered on excess. Even An Le, who considered himself quite good-looking, could not match the mature charm this man possessed.

“So it’s you, Ninth Sister…”

Fourth Master Lin’s voice was somewhat hoarse. He glanced at Lin Qingyin. With his cultivation, he had naturally overheard her earlier words, but he was long accustomed to such things and took no offense.

“Fourth Uncle, please forgive me,” Lin Qingyin quickly bowed, embarrassed to have been caught gossiping behind his back—a shameful act under any circumstance.

“It’s fine. Everything you said is true; there’s nothing wrong with talking about it. Since I was willing to return from the Yuanmeng imperial capital to Lin’an—a life in hiding—I was prepared for the world’s scorn.”

The man smiled gently, a relaxed and carefree air about him.

Then his gaze shifted to An Le. He paused at the sight of An Le’s refined features, as if seeing his younger self in the boy.

“So you’re the painter my sister-in-law personally intervened to save?” Fourth Master Lin asked.

An Le held his oil-paper umbrella in one hand and saluted with the other. “I am An Le, greetings to Fourth Master.”

Fourth Master Lin nodded, raindrops weaving a beaded curtain before the brim of his hat.

“It was that young fellow, Luo Qingchen, who made a move, wasn’t it? With the Qin family behind him, he naturally has no fear of our Lin family. Back when my seventh brother killed the Qin family’s second son outright on the martial stage, a grudge was formed that lasts even now.”

“You’re being targeted now. It would be wise to stay on your guard,” Fourth Master Lin advised.

Hearing this, An Le couldn’t help but feel moved by the Lin family’s kindness.

“Thank you for the warning, Fourth Master. I will be careful. But since I’ve entered the Lin family’s service, I can no longer stand aloof—come wind or rain, I must face it head-on.”

Lin Zhuifeng grinned and chimed in, “Fourth Master, Madam said as long as she’s in Lin’an, she’ll ensure Young Master An’s safety.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Fourth Master Lin’s face at these words, and he gave An Le a searching look.

“That’s a vow of protection.”

“If my sister-in-law has spoken such a vow, you can rest easier…”

Still, Fourth Master Lin had heard the deeper meaning in Lady Hua’s words.

“In that vow…there’s a hint she intends to leave Lin’an. Why? Is it because the Emperor is using Eldest Brother’s ‘Song of Still Winds’ as a prize for the Hall Examination?”

A frown creased his brow, and a trace of worry glimmered in his eyes.

“Fourth Master, now that you’ve returned, why not let Young Master An paint your portrait?” Lin Zhuifeng suggested after a moment’s thought.

Fourth Master Lin snapped back to himself, his expression returning to normal. He gently shook his head. “No need. With my status, the court won’t and dares not employ me; instead, I’ve become a burden to the Lin family. Since I no longer go to war, there’s no need for a commemorative portrait…”

“I’ll speak to the Grand Madam. You all may go.”

With that, he said no more, striding off into the misty rain, his figure soon lost to the haze as he headed toward the Clear Breeze Pavilion.

An Le stood holding his umbrella, eyes following Fourth Master Lin’s departing form.

On Fourth Master Lin, the aura of time was extraordinary—hundreds of strands wound and coiled about him. In number, perhaps only Lady Hua surpassed him.

After a moment’s hesitation, An Le couldn’t resist. With a thought, the light screen’s “Aura of Time” indicator flickered, and he managed to draw a single strand from Fourth Master Lin.

Unfortunately, the aura did not turn to flowing gold, leaving An Le with a sense of regret. He did not attempt to draw a second strand.

He had a premonition that the remaining energy in the light screen would not suffice to extract another strand from Fourth Master Lin—but perhaps it could be done with someone else.

To draw aura of time from the strong, if the aura did not turn to gold, it was a loss for An Le. Yet sometimes, one had to try; who could say when the golden aura might be obtained and the Dao Fruit of Time condensed?

There is a pattern to every gain and loss.

Naturally, An Le’s desire to grow stronger only increased, for with strength, he would be able to draw aura of time more freely.

…

…

Luo Qingchen walked on, bedraggled, his spirit dazed.

His Dao heart had once more gathered dust. When Lady Hua Jie Bing of the Lin family intervened—her soul forged into a sword, sword qi cascading like a waterfall—the force was so overwhelming that every fiber of his being trembled. Faintly, he recalled that scene years ago in the cottage, when a man seized him with five fingers and slammed him face-first into the snow.

That nightmare still haunted him.

Unconsciously, he wandered to the Qin Manor.

Within its walls, many greeted him respectfully. After all, Luo Qingchen was now a favored confidant of the Young Lord of Qin.

He made his way to the lakeside pavilion, where the spring rain veiled the scenery, water flowing between artificial hills and winding creeks.

Inside the quiet pavilion, a young man in elegant robes sat studying a chess manual, setting pieces on the board.

Each time a piece was placed on the sandalwood board, a crisp sound rang out, louder than the patter of rain.

“Young Master.”

Luo Qingchen stood in the rain, bowing with clasped fists.

The youth continued to play, not even looking up. “You crossed swords with Hua Jie Bing? What did you think?”

“Unfathomable. A genius on par with Li You’an himself,” Luo Qingchen replied with a sigh.

Once, when he left Qingzhou, Luo Qingchen’s ambition soared as high as the immortals. But in Lin’an, he’d been defeated by the legendary top scholar Li You’an in a single blow, his Dao heart left scarred ever since.

It was then he learned the world had many geniuses—Luo Qingchen was not yet among them.

“Hua Jie Bing studied under the wife of the First Lord of Sacred Mountain and inherited the legacy of Gan Ye Temple. Her cultivation of the spirit is profound. Still, there’s some gap between her and Li You’an, the legendary scholar—Li You’an is a rare genius praised even by the Sage himself.”

The young man stopped playing, rose, and walked to the edge of the pavilion, gazing at the endless spring rain.

“Your aura is unsettled, your mind perturbed. Go rest. The Heart-Sword of the Jade Guanyin is famed throughout Lin’an. If you don’t soon dispel its influence, your next breakthrough may be hindered.”

Luo Qingchen nodded, hesitated, then asked, “What about that young painter…”

“Hua Jie Bing’s intervention today has made her stance clear. If I were to send another powerful cultivator after a mere novice, it would be shameful. Besides, Hua Jie Bing would not show mercy again. For a so-called useless painter who only began at eighteen, losing a true expert would not be worth it.”

“Besides, the Spring Examinations are at hand. That youth is a candidate. There’s no reason to stir up trouble now. The Hall Examination is also coming up—His Majesty is using ‘Song of Still Winds’ as a prize. That alone is enough to unsettle Hua Jie Bing. Now is not the time to provoke her.”

“Once the Spring Examinations are over and the Hall Examination concluded, we’ll settle accounts.”

“By then, that young painter will surely regret ever joining the Lin family.”

With a flick of his hand, the young man caught a drop of spring rain, smiling carelessly.

Luo Qingchen frowned slightly. He wanted to say that the youth was different—after all, he’d opened his meridians overnight. Perhaps he was not the useless talent everyone believed him to be.

But in the Young Master’s eyes, anyone who started late and had low cultivation was not worth a second glance—a useless talent all the same.

Since the Young Master had made up his mind, Luo Qingchen said no more and took his leave.

The young man in the pavilion watched Luo Qingchen go, shaking his head.

“Last time, the Eastern Sea’s Heart-Cleansing Pearl helped you dispel the dust from your Dao heart. But this time, the shadow of the Jade Guanyin’s Heart-Sword can only be driven out by your own efforts, Luo Qingchen.”

“If you can dispel it, there’s hope for progress.”

“If not… your value will be greatly diminished.”

…

…

Lin Residence, Martial Hall.

It was An Le’s first time meeting all the young masters of the Lin family.

Vitality and spirit interwove, the air was electric with intensity. On the training ground, shirtless youths wielded long spears, moving like dragons, their shouts and roars echoing as if they stood on a battlefield, facing the enemy!

Lin Zhuifeng and Lin Qingyin were used to the sight, but it made a deep impression on An Le.

After all, among the Lin family’s third generation, the youngest looked no more than seven or eight, yet they too gripped eight-foot spears, practicing with shouts and thrusts.

“These are the third-generation young masters of the Lin family, mostly my peers—I’m ninth among them, so they call me Ninth Sister,” Lin Qingyin said with a smile.

An Le nodded, eyes shining as he looked at the young masters and the aura of time swirling faintly around each. None held much on their own, but with so many present, their numbers made up for it.

With a thought, An Le activated the light screen again, drawing from two sparring young masters and gaining four strands of aura of time.

With those, his total rose to five.

Without hesitation, he channeled two into the Dao Fruit of Time, “Genius in Cultivation,” bringing the total to a perfect ten and completing it.

In that instant, a rush of clear energy surged from the soles of his feet into his mind, bursting out through his crown!

It was as if his spirit had shot to the heavens.

Everything became crystal clear.

“The Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two. Time waits for no one, the seasons flow by. When the Dao Fruit is complete, it transforms.”

“Genius in Cultivation, now a Talent for the Ages.”

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