Villains: Starting with the Landlady

When he left the Huashan Sect and arrived in a city near Huashan, he suddenly saw a muscular man staring at him with his arms crossed.

"Young man, are you feeling lost about your future and unsure where to go next?"

Upon hearing the man's voice, Ling Yun turned around and looked at him. He stopped in his tracks at just one glance.

[Name: Half a Bottle of Immortal Vinegar]

【Age: 30】

[Protagonist's Fate: A forthright and resolute individual who enjoys making friends. The master of Juxian Manor and the creator of the game *Jin Yong's Heroes 3*, possessing the powerful ability of resurrection, capable of instantly restoring full health when on the verge of death. Proficient in various martial arts and internal energy cultivation techniques, extremely powerful, ranking among the pinnacle of this world, and cannot be mentally controlled by targets with lower combat strength. Special Ability: Resurrection]

[Recent opportunities: None]

【Luck: 3000】

[Combat Strength: S+]

[Affection: Admiration (or Love)]

Ling Yun raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting to actually encounter the creator of the original game.

In the original game ending, after defeating a host of powerful enemies, you would need to fight a fully-powered Half-Bottle Immortal Vinegar in a one-on-one duel. Even if you were at max level and proficient in all the powerful martial arts, one hit from him could still take away a quarter of your health. If you didn't have enough potions, you would most likely lose in the final step.

Moreover, it attacks extremely fast, has a lot of health, and now has the special ability to revive. It truly is a big boss!

Even so, Ling Yun was not afraid at all. Perhaps he was still no match for him now, but a year later, it would be a matter of how many moves it would take to win.

More importantly, Half-Bottle Immortal Vinegar will appear when the player leaves the sect and take you back to his Juxian Manor. He will provide food, drink and lodging for you, all without costing you any money. He will also give you all sorts of tasks to help you improve yourself. You can also spar with him and learn various martial arts skills.

However, there is no rumor of "half a bottle of divine vinegar" in the martial arts world, which may be because the original author deliberately omitted this aspect.

Chapter 228 Juxian Manor

"My name is Ling Yun. May I ask who you are?"

Ling Yun knew who he was, but pretended not to, since directly pointing out his name might backfire.

"My name is Half-Bottle Immortal Vinegar, I'm a few years older than you, just call me Brother Vinegar." Half-Bottle Immortal Vinegar walked up to Ling Yun. "Little brother, you haven't answered my question yet!"

"I don't know my own background, so I came down the mountain this time to find my identity information. I wonder if Brother Vinegar can lend me a hand. I will definitely repay you handsomely in the future."

"Haha, no need for thanks. I just hope that after you achieve great success, you can grant me a small favor."

Half-bottle of divine vinegar narrowed his eyes, seemingly seeing through some of Ling Yun's background.

As Ling Yun had predicted, he was invited to stay at Juxian Manor. This Juxian Manor was not the Juxian Manor where Qiao Feng fought against the martial arts masters in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," but rather a name created by Banping Shenxiancu.

"My place was originally called 'Vinegar Immortal Abode,' but people mistook it for a vinegar shop, so I had to change the name. I hope that in the future, all the friends I make will live in my manor, which will add a bit of fun to my life."

Having said this, Half-Bottle Immortal Vinegar waved to a white horse not far away. The horse, as if understanding human nature, walked towards Ling Yun: "Young brother, this horse is named [Lightning]. Traveling thousands of miles a day is no problem for it. If you want to go anywhere in the Central Plains, it can reach you within a day!"

Traveling thousands of miles a day?

In the game, to save time traveling, you can simply tap to reach your destination. But the world can't possibly be that magical, otherwise it would be spatial displacement technology.

"This horse is for you." Half-Bottle Immortal Vinegar mounted another black horse. "Let's go back to Juxian Manor!"

The two rode fast horses and galloped all the way, arriving at Juxianzhuang, a thousand miles away, in no time.

Upon arriving at Juxianzhuang, Banpingshenxiancu introduced the services he could offer Lingyun for free, which were almost identical to those in the original game.

"By the way, I also have a group of spies scattered throughout the martial arts world. They update the martial arts rankings every month, so you can see what major events are happening and choose whether to participate. Rewards and risks go hand in hand. Some major events require testing your qualifications in a certain area, otherwise I won't allow you to go!"

Ling Yun nodded. This is also a kind of indirect protection mechanism to prevent some people from being ignorant of their own limitations and rashly going to the point of bloodshed in the martial world.

However, he was confident in his outstanding combat strength, coupled with the Dugu Nine Swords and the Meteor Blade Technique, and believed that apart from the top few, probably no one could defeat him.

"Alright, young brother, take a look at this month's martial arts rankings first. See if there's anything you like. Maybe you can find out about your background through this."

Ling Yun looked at the notice board in the middle of the manor, and after looking around, chose one of them.

【The Battle of the Poison Kings】: Near Wuliang Mountain in Dali, two of the world's most potent poisons—the Manggu Toad and the Golden Snake—are vying for supremacy. Young hero, you may travel to this place and choose to help one or remain neutral.

This mission isn't actually that difficult. The two poisonous creatures aren't very strong, but if you get poisoned, it's still quite dangerous.

More importantly, it is located in Wuliang Mountain, Dali. If you go there early, you might be able to take the two martial arts manuals in the cave before Duan Yu does.

After accepting the mission, Half-Bottle Immortal Vinegar repeatedly warned Ling Yun to be careful, but seeing that he didn't take it seriously, he was afraid that his first friend would die tragically in the martial world, so he had no choice but to give him two bottles of antidote.

"Hey, look at how careless you are, I've really gone to all this trouble!" He shoved the bottles into Ling Yun's hands. "These two bottles contain my specially made antidote. Even if you get bitten ten or eight times, as long as you still have a breath left, I can save you!"

"Thank you, Vinegar Bro!" Ling Yun took the bottle and put it away.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and go, lest those two poisonous creatures escape if you're too late."

Ling Yun nodded and rode his flying electric horse towards Dali.

Lingyun can ride horses. After all, his family is so well-off that he can do many things, but he's not that good at them.

It was all thanks to him; anyone else riding the Flying Electric would probably have been thrown off by the horse long ago. According to his estimation, the Flying Electric's speed reached at least 500 kilometers per hour!

It's already difficult for an ordinary person to see clearly when riding a horse. The horse is galloping wildly, and passersby can only see a whirlwind flash by, but nothing else.

However, Hiden is timid by nature. If he wants to fight someone, he will run away in a flash and will not help you fight at all. He will come back to check on you after you have finished fighting.

In the afternoon, Lingyun arrived in Dali. After entering the city, he could no longer ride at full speed and could only dismount and lead his horse slowly.

The Dali Kingdom has always maintained a neutral stance and good social relations with the Qing Dynasty and other countries. In addition, there are several peerless masters stationed there, so the Qing Dynasty did not think that it was necessary to take it down.

Although the accent of the Dali people sounded a bit strange, the common language of this world was not much different from Ling Yun's previous life, so he could at least understand it. But the Dali people could tell at a glance that he was not a local.

When he brushed past a beautiful Taoist nun dressed in white robes, Ling Yun didn't react, but the woman turned to look at him.

"What a handsome young man..."

The nun was beautiful and had a graceful figure. She looked only about 30 years old, but her true age was unknown.

Ling Yun quickly disappeared into the crowd. The Daoist nun came to her senses, frowned, glanced at the Dali Royal Palace, but did not continue forward. Instead, she turned back to her Jade Void Temple.

The young man was unaware of what he had missed. His mind was filled with thoughts of the Langhuan Paradise, and he secretly hoped that Duan Yu wouldn't get there first.

Wuliang Mountain is occupied by the Wuliang Sword Sect, but the sect's martial arts are mediocre, and its leader is only a second-rate nobody.

Ling Yun ignored them and went straight to the cliff. He looked around, told Fei Dian to go play by himself, and then slowly jumped down the protruding cliff face.

This place is extremely steep; anyone with poor martial arts skills would probably fall to their death. I really don't know how Duan Yu survived in the original story.

As soon as he reached the bottom, he heard a cow mooing!

The Manggu Zhuha is a red toad whose croak sounds like a bull, hence its name. Lingyun followed the sound and found it confronting a golden snake. Neither attacked rashly, seemingly waiting for the other to make the first move.

Since you won't do it, then I will!

At the Huashan Sect, besides learning some swordsmanship, Ling Yun also learned the hidden weapon technique of "Rain of Flowers" from Mu Renqing. He had a pile of iron pellets lying in his spatial storage. With a flick of his fingers, taking advantage of the moment when the two poisonous creatures weren't paying attention to him, countless iron pellets hurled themselves at them!

The toad was smashed into a dried-up toad by the iron ball. The golden snake reacted faster, but its body was still broken and it rolled on the ground.

Ling Yun swiftly rushed forward and pierced its head with a single sword strike.

The two venomous creatures died tragically. Ling Yun suppressed his nausea, grabbed the dried toad and the dissected snake gall, and swallowed them directly.

"vomit!"

After finishing his meal, Ling Yun felt nauseous, but Xiao Na's notification sound made him feel a little better.

[Congratulations, Master, on achieving the "Immune to All Poisons" achievement! You are now immune to toxins of SS level or higher! You are also rewarded with milk addiction—everyone who's tried it raves about it!]

Chapter 229 Langhuan Blessed Land

"This taste is really not something that most people can accept."

Ling Yun was still a little shaken. He was already disgusted by things like toads, and to be forced to swallow one whole was a huge concession.

But the effect was also obvious: there was nothing in this world that could poison him.

He had originally brought some modern antidotes with him in the space, just in case, but now he has saved them all.

Looking at the corpse of the golden snake on the ground, Ling Yun still felt nauseous. He immediately took out a bottle of beverage and drank it down to suppress the taste in his mouth.

After doing all this, he turned to look at the bottom of the cliff and, using his X-ray vision, found a blessed land hidden by a large rock.

The stone was very light and seemed to have some kind of mechanism. He just pushed it gently to the side, and the large stone rolled away on its own. Even a child with no strength could do that.

"This is the blessed land of Langhuan."

Ling Yun glanced around the entrance area and then looked to make sure no one was on the cliff top before walking in with peace of mind.

It's clear that someone lived there; there are still some remaining traces, but it seems no one has been here for many years.

Upon entering, Ling Yun did not see the so-called fairy sister's jade statue, but only a beautiful woman's statue, who looked to be in her early thirties. It was so lifelike that at first glance it resembled a living person.

"Have I gone to the wrong place?"

Ling Yun was a little confused; the differences from the original plot left him somewhat bewildered.

The bottom of the stone statue still has a row of small characters engraved on it, but the content of the characters has changed.

"If we kowtow a thousand times, we will meet again by fate."

Ling Yun was even more puzzled, but he would never kowtow to a jade statue. Without saying a word, he grabbed the prayer mat on the ground and violently tore it apart.

A martial arts manual and an internal energy cultivation book fell out of it; they were the "Lingbo Weibu" and the "Beiming Divine Skill".

These two techniques may not be the world's top-tier movement and internal energy techniques, but they are certainly quite overpowered.

The Lingbo Weibu (Lingbo Steps) does not require a great deal of internal energy to operate; as long as one follows specific steps, one can master this highly evasive lightness skill.

The Northern Darkness Divine Art is even more remarkable, as it directly absorbs the opponent's internal energy and converts it into one's own, but the prerequisite for learning it is to dissolve one's original internal energy.

[Two secret manuals have been detected that are similar to the master's original abilities; they are currently being integrated...]

The fusion of "Lingbo Weibu" and "Fengchi Dianche" has been successful. Combining the strengths of both, it enhances speed while significantly increasing evasion. The new name is "Xiaoyao Yufeng," and it is currently at the minor completion stage.

[The "Qi Cultivation Technique" and the "Northern Darkness Divine Art" have been successfully fused. One can enhance their strength through breathing exercises and also absorb the opponent's internal energy for their own use. The new name is "All Rivers Run into the Sea," currently at the Great Perfection stage. The master's strength has increased to A+!]

The two manuals in his hands suddenly turned to ashes. Ling Yun exhaled a heavy breath, feeling much lighter. He lightly stepped forward and transformed into a phantom, rushing out of the cave.

He tested the two new abilities. Needless to say, the Free and Easy Wind Riding was incredibly fast, and the movement was so elusive that it was impossible for the opponent to keep track of it.

While retaining the advantages of both, the "All Rivers Run into the Sea" technique eliminates the original weaknesses of the "Northern Darkness Divine Art." If the "Northern Darkness Divine Art" encounters someone with stronger internal energy, the opponent, once they regain their senses, is highly likely to absorb your internal energy instead. Furthermore, the fusion of multiple internal energies can create conflicts within your body, ultimately leading to a violent death.

The current "All Rivers Run into the Sea" technique no longer has these drawbacks. As long as you grasp the opponent's corresponding acupoints, you can absorb their internal energy and launch a surprise attack when outsiders think your internal energy is depleted and they lower their guard.

Ling Yun returned to Langhuan Paradise, which was originally the library of the Xiaoyao Sect, but it had been emptied out. After thinking for a moment, he enchanted the Golden Snake Sword, destroyed everything inside, and then moved large stones to block it up before using his lightness skill to climb up.

Just as Ling Yun was about to leave after everything was settled, he suddenly saw a man and a woman running towards him.

Upon seeing Ling Yun, the two men immediately turned menacing and pointed their swords at him.

"who are you?"

Ling Yun smiled and waved his fan, saying, "Shouldn't we introduce ourselves first when we meet?"

The man and woman exchanged a glance, then drew their swords and charged at each other.

Ling Yun's face turned cold, and he subdued the two men with just a bamboo fan, breaking their legs in the process.

While pressing him for answers, he used his mind-reading ability to obtain the information he wanted.

It turned out that the two were Ge Guangpei and Gan Guanghao. A conflict had broken out between the Wuliang Sword Sect and the Shennong Gang, and a mysterious woman had interfered, eventually releasing a small ferret that bit several people. Because the ferret was poisonous, the group kidnapped the woman and demanded the antidote. They then learned that she was the sister of Zhong Wanchou, the Valley Master of Wanjie Valley, and sent the two men to find the antidote.

What the heck, Zhong Wanchou's sister?

Shouldn't it be Zhong Wanchou's daughter, Zhong Ling, who caused the trouble? Besides, neither of them mentioned Duan Yu.

Ling Yun frowned slightly, thought for a moment and then sent the two to their deaths. He then released the bodies of the bandits he had killed in Niujia Village and put their knives into their hands, creating the illusion that the bandits and the disciples of the Wuliang Sword Sect were fighting each other.

Feidian returned at this moment, and Lingyun mounted Feidian and sped towards the Wuliang Sword Sect.

Once outside, Ling Yun used his light-footed skills to climb onto the roof and saw a group of people facing off below.

The two sects were clearly distinct, facing each other with weapons in hand. Among them was a beautiful girl with a graceful figure.

The girl had very bright eyes and a genuine, straightforward personality.

Name: Zhong Ling

Age: 18, ☆

[Value: 162, D]

[Rating: 94]

[Combat Strength: C+]