I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

After taking this bowl of medicine, he felt that his Qi cultivation had broken through a lot, and the warm current in his abdomen was still surging out in waves.

"What is this medicine made of?"

He asked out of curiosity, and Jiang Linglong replied, "It's not some rare medicinal herb. It's a five-thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum and a three-thousand-year-old blood ginseng. It should be able to replenish your depleted qi and blood."

Lin Yi: "..."

Is this what it's like to be friends with a rich woman?

Lin Yi then realized that he had underestimated Jiang Linglong.

She's not only powerful, she's also very wealthy!

Lin Yi felt his face getting hot and even a little sleepy. He knew this was the effect of the medicine; his body was absorbing its effects, which naturally made him sleepy.

But he had to manage his time and had to say goodbye in a hurry.

After leaving the Crystal Palace, I ran wildly across the shore, working up a sweat that made me feel incredibly refreshed. It felt like I had an inexhaustible supply of energy, ready to be released, but there was also a fire burning within me that running alone couldn't dissipate.

Lin Yi had a slightly uneasy feeling, but just then, they arrived at the agreed-upon place, where Qu Jing was already in the pavilion...

Chapter 73 Introductory Test

Qu Jing had been waiting in the pavilion for quite some time, and she sensed Lin Yi's arrival as soon as he arrived.

As a person of great stature, one should naturally look up at the stars.

The moon was also very kind tonight, round and big, and she looked ethereal in her white dress bathed in its bright light.

Seeing such a beautiful view, Lin Yi couldn't bear to disturb it, so he stood ten feet away from the pavilion.

This puzzled Qu Jing somewhat.

Since we're already here, why aren't we moving?

How can she continue like this?

After gazing at the moon for a long time, Qu Jing felt the action was increasingly foolish, and finally couldn't help but speak first: "Since you're here, why don't you show yourself?"

Lin Yi replied from the shadows, "Having caught a glimpse of the beautiful scenery, I dare not be rash, lest I offend the beauty."

Qu Jing frowned slightly. This guy was glib and good-looking; she wondered how many women he had deceived.

"Come here."

Qu Jing's voice was cool and clear, yet it possessed a special charm in this context. Lin Yi admired it, and felt his body heat up even more.

This state is somewhat like being drunk; the head is hot, but the mind is very clear.

The effects of the medicine had subsided, and Lin Yi, breathing normally, walked into the pavilion.

Qu Jing turned to look at him, scrutinized him for a long time, and then said, "Your physical strength is very powerful, but your Qi Refining realm is improving very slowly. Do you know the reason for this?"

As the saying goes, a true expert's skill is immediately apparent, and her words demonstrated her keen eye.

Lin Yi, of course, immediately chimed in: "I don't know, what's wrong?"

"Qi cultivation is the process of refining essence into qi. Originally, those with abundant essence and blood would cultivate qi more quickly. However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Your qi and blood are too strong, and low-level qi cultivation methods cannot fully mobilize your qi and blood. Suddenly, it will consume your mental energy. If you continue to cultivate, it will actually harm your body."

"I see!"

After a brief explanation, Lin Yi immediately understood. No wonder he always felt exceptionally tired when practicing Qi; it was like a small engine pushing a large cart, lacking sufficient power.

“I know that you are practicing the low-level techniques of the Jingye Division. If you become my disciple, I can teach you the Heavenly Heart Sword Manual, which will be enough to unleash your talent. In time, your achievements will surely surpass mine.”

Lin Yi quickly seized the opportunity, bowing and saying, "Disciple greets Master!"

"Don't rush to call me master, I have three conditions."

"Please speak, Master."

Qu Jing remained expressionless and said, "The first condition is that my sect has a blood feud with the Ten Thousand Demon Alliance. Since you have joined my sect, you should inherit this hatred and be determined to exterminate the demon race."

Lin Yi: "..."

"The second condition is that neither Senior Brother Guan nor I have any children or successors. From now on, you will be the sole successor of the Heavenly Heart Sword Sect. You should do your best to carry forward the glory of our Sword Sect."

Lin Yi wanted to complain: "You and Guan Buping are just sitting around doing nothing, leaving me, a disciple, to carry on the Sword Sect's legacy?"

This is outrageous!

"The third condition."

Qu Jing paused for a moment before saying, "This is my personal request. When you have completed your studies, please help me kill Lord Dongting."

"Lord Dongting, who is that?"

"The water demon that has been entrenched in Dongting Lake for a thousand years devoured my father and brothers. This is an irreconcilable hatred, but with my strength, there is no way I can kill him. If you can help me, I am willing to do anything for you."

A thousand-year-old demon is equivalent to a human cultivator at the second or third rank. Since the two sides have different measurement standards, only a rough conversion can be made. When converted to the same realm, the powerful physique of the demon race must also be taken into account. Therefore, when the strength is similar, the demon race has a greater chance of winning.

In normal cultivation, Lin Yi would need to reach the second rank, and even then, a mid-level second rank, to kill such a powerful demon. The difficulty of this requirement is self-evident.

These three conditions constitute Qu Jing's test.

The first test is Lin Yi's stance; the second is Lin Yi's sense of responsibility; and the third is Lin Yi's courage and resistance to female allure.

Qu Jing would certainly not use her looks to seduce Lin Yi. What if they really became master and disciple in the future? Wouldn't that be awkward?

She was testing whether Lin Yi could make a rational judgment when faced with a request from a beautiful woman.

She believed Guan Buping's judgment. Lin Yi was kind-hearted, but sometimes, when faced with a beautiful woman, men often lose their wisdom. In order to impress a beauty, they often pretend to be something they're not. If Lin Yi was like that, she would not regard him as her successor.

It would be fine to teach him some cultivation methods, but the Heavenly Heart Sword Sect is nearing its end, so choosing a successor should be done with utmost care.

Of your three requests, I can only grant two.

Upon hearing Lin Yi's answer, Qu Jing was overjoyed. This was the standard answer. Lin Yi should have agreed to the first two answers immediately, but he should indeed consider the third one and not agree to it immediately.

Qu Jing was naturally satisfied that Lin Yi could be so rational when facing her, and nodded, saying, "I don't expect you to agree to that condition now. After all, slaying a thousand-year-old demon is indeed not a difficult task. We can talk about this later."

"Uh, that's not what I meant. I mean, I'm afraid I can't accept the first condition."

Why is that?

Qu Jing's face was frosty, but Lin Yi remained unmoved and said calmly, "If I encounter an evil demon, I will naturally draw my sword and kill it. If it has not done anything evil, why should I kill it?"

"Foolish! There is no demon in this world that does not harm people! Do you know that those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts!"

"Then I kill the demon only because it harms people, not just because it is a demon."

"Even if you might lose the divine skill you've acquired for it, don't you regret your persistence?"

Having said that, Lin Yi was naturally not going to back down.

He wasn't particularly concerned about cultivation techniques; having them was a bonus, but not having them wasn't a big deal.

He didn't necessarily want to argue with Qu Jing about right and wrong. As she said, there are no demons in the world that don't harm people. Demons harm people, and people kill demons. There's nothing to say about it.

But the world is a vast place, and there are always exceptions. Lin Yi knew that if he encountered such a case in the future, he would definitely not be able to bring himself to kill the person in question.

Therefore, from the very beginning, do not make promises that are destined to be broken.

This is a small matter, but it is also a matter of principle.

"No regrets."

Lin Yi answered calmly, and Qu Jing stared at him for a long time before suddenly smiling: "Senior brother is right. You have indeed not lost your childlike heart. Passing on the Heavenly Heart Sword Manual to you is perhaps the most suitable thing."

"Uh, was that all a test just now?"

Lin Yi felt like he was being manipulated. He saw Qu Jing looking expressionless, but he never expected her acting skills to be so superb. Before this, Lin Yi had no idea that she was testing him.

"Not entirely. I do hate demons to the bone and will kill any demon I encounter, but you don't have that hatred. I won't force you to do anything. I'm pleased that you're willing to fight for my principles, even if it means giving up readily available benefits. From now on, you are my disciple."

Qu Jing extended her hand to Lin Yi. When accepting a disciple, the most important thing is character, and physical talent is secondary. But now that she has accepted a disciple, she should at least touch him.

She reached out, wanting to touch Lin Yi's wrist.

However, Lin Yi grabbed her hand.

Although it was strange that this etiquette existed in ancient times, Lin Yi still responded subconsciously.

Otherwise, that would be very impolite!

I must say, Master's little hands are really soft.

Lin Yi smiled and looked up, while Qu Jing's eyes seemed to shoot out sword energy...

Chapter 74 Heavenly Heart Sword Manual

Under Qu Jing's piercing gaze, Lin Yi quickly let go of her hand. Qu Jing didn't argue with him, but grabbed Lin Yi's wrist with her other hand and squeezed it tightly for several breaths before letting go. Her gaze towards Lin Yi also became quite strange.

"His blood and qi surged like a mighty river flowing eastward, a constitution I've never heard of before."

Qu Jing finally understood what Guan Buping meant by "exceptional aptitude." This wasn't just exceptional; it was absolutely superb.

No wonder he sent three letters to invite a disciple to come down the mountain. If he missed this disciple, he might never find a better one in his life, not to mention that this girl's temperament is also very compatible with their sect's techniques.

"I will now teach you the general principles of swordsmanship. Listen attentively."

Qu Jing was eager to teach this disciple, wishing he could graduate in three days. Seeing Lin Yi sit down in the pavilion, she took out her treasured sword and planted it outside the pavilion. After the sword flashed, she spoke: "The heart is the source of qi and blood, the beginning and end of all meridians, the reliance of the six spirits, and the foundation of life. Since the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, there has never been anyone who has attained the Great Dao without cultivating the heart."

People all know the importance of cultivating the mind and seek ways to strengthen it. Some refine elixirs and ingest mercury to strengthen their heart and blood, some practice abstinence and concentrate their qi to strengthen their spirit, and some worship heaven and offer sacrifices to seek divine protection. These are all misguided attempts to neglect the essential and pursue the trivial.

If one desires to strengthen the mind, then the mind will naturally strengthen itself; wherever the mind goes, the Way will follow…

Lin Yi initially thought that this kind of secret manual would be some kind of mysterious thing that he couldn't quite understand, but he didn't expect it to be explained so clearly.

The gist is that the mind is a very important thing, everyone knows that, but the methods others use to strengthen their minds are all wrong. Only I have found the right path: cultivating the mind, and this is how to cultivate it...

After listening to Qu Jing's explanation of the general outline, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel that the outline was a bit too idealistic.

The message it conveys is that as long as your mind is strong enough, you are invincible.

It has a very inspirational feel to it, and there's some truth to it, but it's not objective.

The Heavenly Heart Sword, derived from this theoretical foundation, also possesses these characteristics.

The Heavenly Heart Sword Manual emphasizes the sword heart. As long as one's heart is strong, one can believe that one can kill the opponent and be invincible when drawing the sword.

This description is obviously exaggerated. If you are a ninth-rank swordsman, and you learn the Heavenly Heart Sword and have a sword heart, are you sure you can kill a first-rank swordsman?

This is clearly unreasonable.