My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

After demonstrating this move, Meng Qing explained, "What I'm about to use is the 'Mountain Without a Ridge' move you were going to use. Yours is a powerful and unrestrained move, while my 'Mountain Without a Ridge' move is a dangerous one. You'll see..."

Meng Qing changed direction, aiming at the woods, and swung her longsword again. This time, however, she thrust the sword at an angle, shooting out a barely perceptible beam of cyan light formed from sword energy. As soon as it touched the trunk of the large tree, the sharp sword energy cleaved the trunk from the inside out. In an instant, the cyan beam pierced through the middle of seven or eight thick trees.

Lin Ran stepped forward and looked inside the "tree hole," which was filled with sawdust and was a complete mess.

The first move, "Mountain Without a Peak," is a combination of two sword techniques. One is wide and sweeping, while the other finds an opening and delivers a fatal blow. The real killer move is actually the latter. The impressive momentum of the first move is merely a prelude to this one.

This makes one marvel at the talent of the Azure Spirit Sword Saint and his wife; their first move was already so powerful, one can only imagine how formidable their subsequent attacks would be.

"I understand now, let me try it!" Lin Ran understood the two moves Meng Qing used immediately and volunteered to show Meng Qing her understanding.

Of course, sometimes just because your mind knows something doesn't mean you can use it effectively. Your mind may understand and comprehend it, but your body may still tell your mind what it should be like and what it should be like.

The sweeping and powerful move "Mountain Without a Peak" actually involves a great deal of skill, requiring extremely delicate and ingenious control of sword energy. However, the move Lin Ran used did indeed slash out, but it was like wielding a kitchen knife to chop pork indiscriminately, resulting in slashes everywhere.

If Meng Qing's move, "Mountain Without Peaks," could be executed with such smoothness, as if lightly drawing a stroke on the sea, creating a channel, and the sword energy could be concentrated on that single strike to maximize its power, then Lin Ran's move would be like sword energy splashing everywhere, like a child playing in the water, splashing around haphazardly.

This sight made Meng Qing's vision go black, and she quickly chanted a calming mantra in her mind to stabilize her state of mind.

The Pure and Tranquil Sutra she cultivated required a heart devoid of emotion and desire, without sorrow or joy. This is why Meng Qing always had that calm and indifferent expression; even when she smiled, no one could sense any joy in her expression.

This is why she wasn't angry even when Lin Ran looked at her body and even touched her inappropriately. She didn't know what anger was, nor did she know what love was.

Her elders told her to remain chaste, and that if any man had seen or even touched her body, she must make that man disappear from the world forever, no matter the reason.

However, since she can't beat Lin Ran now, she will definitely kill Lin Ran herself once she successfully breaks through to the Spirit Core Realm.

Furthermore, she hadn't yet cultivated the Tranquility Sutra to the Ice Heart Realm. During her time with Lin Ran, she had used the Tranquility Technique countless times to calm her mind. She had a strange premonition that this detestable fellow would cause her cultivation to break down, ultimately leading to a qi deviation...

……

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Guy Who Plays Matchmaker

On a high mountain, the Azure Spirit Sword Saint looked down at the two people practicing their swordsmanship on the beach below, a faint smile on his lips, as if a scene from the past flashed before his eyes.

He and his wife used to practice swordsmanship in the same way. Each move of the Autumn Rain Sword Technique contained a romantic story, which was about his and his wife's loving entanglement. It was truly a romantic and enchanting story.

He wanted the two of them to practice the Autumn Rain Sword Technique and successfully pass the test using this technique. He also had some selfish motives. Besides wanting the sword technique to be passed down, he also wanted to create a perfect couple.

Back then, he was about the same age as Lin Ran when he met a young, beautiful, and aloof woman who cultivated the Pure Serenity Scripture. She immediately attracted him, a man who was both dashing and arrogant at the time. The two overcame many difficulties and finally got together. They enjoyed a long period of blissful days as a loving couple. The Autumn Rain Sword Technique was also created by the two of them during that time to commemorate their experience together.

Unfortunately, a subsequent disaster separated the two. In order to find his wife and leave behind a legacy in this world, he ascended to heaven and left. It is unknown whether he has found her or not, since what exists in his legacy space is only a soul avatar.

The present inheritor is unusual in that two of them come before him together, and one of them happens to be a girl who cultivates the Pure and Tranquil Scripture, which reminds him of the past.

Although Lin Ran cultivates the Azure Emperor's techniques, the Azure Emperor's techniques and the Pure Tranquility Scripture are quite related. It is quite suitable for him to cultivate the Autumn Rain Sword Technique with Meng Qing. He had seen some scenes of the two of them working together to unlock the bronze gate, and they seemed to have a good understanding and a connection. Therefore, he wanted to bring the two of them together, which is why he put forward this test.

As for Lin Ran having a wife and children, that's no big deal. How many men don't have multiple wives and concubines? He had quite a few female confidantes back then. As long as you're strong enough, who dares to gossip? Your wife has a temper? Just be tough and show your masculine prowess, what temper can a woman have?

"Kid, seize this opportunity! If you can really win this girl over, your cultivation technique might have a chance to evolve." The Azure Spirit Sword Saint thought to himself as he looked at Lin Ran, who was being severely criticized by Meng Qing below.

Some things were too long ago, and his memory of them was hazy. He only remembered that the Azure Emperor's Nine Heavens Azure Dragon Technique seemed to require certain conditions to unleash its true power.

But he didn't know the specifics. He only knew that the faction that inherited the Qingjing Sutra seemed to know the relevant methods, which is why he said that Meng Qing was an opportunity for Lin Ran.

Perhaps if Lin Ran truly activates the Nine Heavens Azure Dragon Technique, he will be able to go even further in the future.

Whether these two can be together, and whether Lin Ran can seize this opportunity, depends on their own fate.

……

Linshan City, Lin Family, Clan Chief's Training Ground.

On the fighting arena in the training ground, a girl wearing a light blue elegant dress is sparring with a boy who looks to be about sixteen or seventeen years old.

The girl moved nimbly on the stage, not dodging the boy's attacks, but cleverly deflecting them, and occasionally giving instructions. It was less of a sparring match and more of the girl instructing the boy.

After sparring back and forth for half an hour, Lin Hongjia stopped his leaping movements and suggested to the boy opposite him, "Brother Lin Chong, let's stop sparring here for today. The main problem is that you haven't practiced any martial arts techniques, so sparring won't help. Just spar a little every day to maintain your fighting spirit!"

"Yes, I was too hasty!" Lin Chong was panting heavily, his training clothes were filthy with sweat and dust from the ground. He lay down on the arena, looking at the blazing sun in the sky, and couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder when Father will finally get me some martial arts techniques!"

"Brother Lin Chong, do you know where Uncle Lin Ran went?" Lin Hongjia took a towel and a water bottle from the pavilion, handed them to Lin Chong, and then asked.

"Thank you, Jia'er!" Lin Chong picked up the water bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls. After wiping the water from the corner of his mouth, he said with a puzzled look, "Father left suddenly. When I went to the study to look for him, he was nowhere to be found. Later, I asked the elders in the family and learned that Father had left Linshan City to take care of some things, but I don't know where he went."

"I hope nothing bad has happened!" A hint of worry appeared on Lin Hongjia's beautiful face. If it weren't for the fact that it was difficult to use the family's methods, she probably would have already started investigating Lin Ran's location.

It's all that awful Lin Ran's fault. She should have just told her what she was going to do so she could have been at ease and wouldn't have to live in such fear like she does now.

"There shouldn't be any problems. Father is a powerful cultivator at the Spirit Pill Realm, so he must have many ways to protect himself!" Lin Chong was quite confident in his father.

In his view, if his father hadn't been taking care of him and Jia'er, he would definitely have continued to train outside, and his future achievements would certainly have been even greater. He also needed to continuously strive in his cultivation to repay his father's kindness in raising him.

Lin Hongjia was not as optimistic as Lin Chong. Even in the Li Dynasty, those at the Spirit Core Realm were not invincible. The Southern Wilderness Mountains also had many dangers that even Spirit Core Realm experts could not handle.

Thinking that he hadn't seen Lin Ran for a long time and had no accurate news about her, Lin Hongjia's mood also dropped a bit. He greeted Lin Chong and was about to leave the training ground when...

Lin Chong quickly stood up, even using his battle aura, making him even faster than during battle. He left behind afterimages and arrived in front of Lin Hongjia in an instant. He scratched his head and chuckled, "Jia'er, how about we go for a stroll around Linshan City later?"

"Shopping? But I..." Lin Hongjia wasn't really keen on going shopping, but then she suddenly remembered something and said sweetly, "Brother Lin Chong, why don't we go buy some groceries, and I'll cook for you when we get back!"

"Want to...cook?" Lin Chong's smile vanished abruptly. He had originally planned to go shopping with Lin Hongjia in the afternoon, have a meal out, and then go see some song and dance performances recently organized by the Jinling Chamber of Commerce, which had been quite lively in Linshan City.

But since Jia'er is going to buy ingredients to cook, won't his plan fall through?

"Jia'er, why don't we eat out? Cooking is too much trouble. We can also see Linshan City at night. It's been very lively there lately." Lin Chong tried to persuade him, thinking that going out to play was more interesting than buying ingredients and cooking.

Lin Hongjia shook his head and chuckled, "Could it be that Brother Lin Chong dislikes my cooking and doesn't want to eat it?"

"No, no, Jia'er, your cooking skills are just as good as your father's!" Lin Chong wasn't just flattering her; Jia'er had indeed become quite skilled at cooking because she cooked with her father every day.

"Then I'll go back and wash up first, and then go to the market in the afternoon!" Lin Hongjia's face was filled with a joyful smile, and her previous gloom was somewhat relieved.

The two walked side by side within the clan compound. Some members of the Lin family would glance at them as they passed by, something that would have been met with disdain and ridicule in the past.

But now those gazes are full of respect and flattery. Having experienced three years of setbacks, Lin Chong has long seen through the true colors of these people. No matter what they do, it has nothing to do with him, Lin Chong.

Now his only goal is to continuously cultivate his skills, repay his father's kindness in raising him, and...

Lin Chong looked at Lin Hongjia, who was the same height as him, standing next to him. She was smiling as she talked about what dishes to cook that night, what ingredients to buy, and what cooking methods he preferred.

At this moment, Lin Chong realized what happiness and joy truly meant. He couldn't help but recall the night of the clan's grand competition, the scene of him having dinner with Jia'er and his father. Those were the most important people in his life, and also the happiest and most joyful moments of his life.

He wanted to gain Jia'er's approval and the approval of the forces behind Jia'er, so he had to constantly work hard to cultivate. In this dog-eat-dog world of Kyushu, only with strength can one have dignity and obtain what one wants.

"Jia'er!" Lin Chong suddenly called out as they approached the courtyard gate.

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Lin Hongjia stopped and turned to look at Lin Chong. When she saw that Lin Chong was not speaking and was just staring straight at her, her gaze became even stranger. She said softly, "Brother Lin Chong, what's wrong?"

"Huh? I... um..." Startled awake, Lin Chong blushed and scratched his head awkwardly before finally saying, "Jia'er, do you... do you think we can still spar and cultivate together, and eat with Father together in the future?"

"Of course, Brother Lin Chong, what are you saying!" Lin Hongjia said softly.

"I mean...the future. I heard my father mention it before. Are you going back?" Lin Chong had been wanting to ask this question for a long time, and he finally asked it today.

Upon hearing Lin Chong's words, Lin Hongjia stared at him with wide eyes, her face slightly pale. She pursed her rosy lips and after a long while, she sighed softly and said, "My family is putting pressure on me. I will go back before my coming-of-age ceremony."

Before Lin Chong could speak, Lin Hongjia looked at him seriously and said earnestly, "Brother Lin Chong, there are some things that are not good for you to know too much right now. I will tell you when you become truly powerful."

"What truly defines strength?" Lin Chong clenched his fist, his eyes resolute as he looked at Lin Hongjia, and asked, "Is it the Dragon Transformation Realm, the Undying Realm, or the Saint Realm?"

Lin Hongjia didn't answer the question. Instead, with a gentle and kind smile on her face, she stood on tiptoe and patted Lin Chong's head, laughing, "Alright, alright, let's leave this topic behind. Don't bring up these unhappy things again. Let's think about what to eat tonight, okay?"

Lin Chong felt somewhat disheartened, but he didn't show it and nodded anyway.

Lin Hongjia walked into the courtyard, greeted Lin Chong, and then returned to his room. As soon as he closed the door, he couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "You stinky Lin Ran, you're really awful!"

Lin Hongjia hadn't expected this to happen. Lin Ran had even told Lin Chong about it. Considering Lin Chong's recent strange behavior and Lin Ran's sudden departure, Lin Hongjia suspected that this was all planned by the father and son.

"I only see Lin Chong as an older brother. That wretched Lin Ran, how am I supposed to reject her!" Lin Hongjia pulled at her hair in distress. She wasn't entirely sure if Lin Chong liked her before, but his behavior today made it clear.

But she didn't like Lin Chong; she liked...

"No, when Lin Ran comes back, I must have a good talk with him. He has to solve the trouble he caused..." Lin Hongjia thought to himself. If it weren't for this hateful guy's love of playing matchmaker, would this have happened?

Meanwhile, Lin Ran, who was suffering, sneezed a few times while swinging her sword, causing the sword energy to scatter everywhere.

Seeing Meng Qing not far away, he couldn't help but press his forehead against his hand and recite a calming mantra to avoid breaking his defenses.

……

Chapter Thirty-Four: A Crushing Defeat in the First Test (Please Add to Your Favorites)

"Alright, let's leave it at that. Let's rest for a bit, and then we'll go in and try it out later!" Meng Qing said with a straight face.

She felt that if she didn't do something drastic, her swordsmanship practice would probably stay stuck indefinitely. So she decided to go in and use the puppets to practice her moves. In a life-or-death situation like that, she figured she could definitely learn something.

"Should we just go in and start fighting? But I..." Lin Ran knew that her talent and comprehension were rather worrying. She had been practicing very seriously, but after practicing for so long, she had only barely reached the edge of proficiency.

It's an improvement over before. Now there is some damage, but not much, because he can't control the sword energy to such a subtle degree, and he can't concentrate the sword energy on a single point.

Meng Qing held the Autumn Rain Sword in his arms, glanced at Lin Ran, and said indifferently, "Your comprehension is too poor, so I'll force you to learn through combat. It might be faster than me teaching you."

Lin Ran:......

That's a really high EQ statement. Doesn't that just mean he's too stupid?

After recovering most of her strength, Meng Qing headed straight for the edge of the forest, with Lin Ran following closely behind.

The moment the two stepped into the forest, a chill ran through them. A dark shadow suddenly flew out from a bush and aimed directly at them.

Lin Ran subconsciously gathered spiritual energy in her right hand, intending to use other martial arts techniques, but Meng Qing, who was standing to the side, saw this and couldn't help but scold, "Idiot, you can only use a sword here!"

If Meng Qing hadn't mentioned it, Lin Ran would have truly forgotten. He hurriedly swung his Autumn Rain Sword to block the sudden attack. The powerful force was transmitted through the Autumn Rain Sword to Lin Ran, causing his hand holding the sword to go numb and his body to be knocked back several steps.

Lin Ran stared blankly at the dark figure in front of him. He hadn't expected that the puppet the Sword Saint had mentioned would be a humanoid puppet made entirely of brown wood, with its fingers and even joints meticulously crafted. It also had profound runes on its body and emitted a deep blue light when it moved.

"This is a spirit puppet driven by a spirit array. The standard for defining a spirit puppet is basically determined by the materials used in its creation, the spirit array technology, and the crafting techniques. The spirit puppet in front of us, which is at the first or second level of the Spirit Core Realm, looks ordinary in terms of materials, but its spirit array technology and crafting techniques are far beyond our current era," Meng Qing said softly.

"So where is this guy's weakness?" As soon as Lin Ran asked this question, the spirit puppet in front of her bent slightly and charged towards Lin Ran like a mad bull.

Lin Ran, who could only use swordsmanship to deal with the attack, hurriedly tried to block the attack with the Autumn Rain Sword. However, the spirit puppet seemed to see through Lin Ran's intention and actually slammed its left hand into the ground to forcefully stop its forward momentum. Then, it kicked Lin Ran's base with a whip kick.

The fierce force caused Lin Ran, who had no time to defend herself, to experience intense pain in her left leg. Lin Ran couldn't help but cry out in pain as she lost her balance.

The spirit puppet seemed to know this was the perfect opportunity. The deep blue patterns on its body shone brightly, and it clenched its wooden fist, about to smash down on Lin Ran with a surging fist wind. At this moment, a delicate shout rang out.

"call out!"

Meng Qing appeared above the spirit puppet, his powerful azure sword energy carrying the momentum to shatter mountains and rivers, slashing straight at the spirit puppet's head. The spirit puppet's body was instantly torn to shreds by the sword energy. The "Mountain Without Peaks" sword still crashed into the forest with terrifying momentum, and it happened to hit another spirit puppet that came to chase after it. In the instant of contact, it was torn into dust by the sword energy.

Where the cyan sword energy passed, a deep trench was carved into the ground, like a beautiful straight line, and the surface of the trench was smooth and flat.