Chapter 1219
The Tomb Keeper, A Grand Gift for Ascension
"stop!"
Lin Shan ordered all his men to stop for the moment, then turned around and looked at the newcomer with a wary expression.
This man had an ordinary face, no different from any other tomb keeper in the mortal world. He wore a straw hat, rolled up his trousers, and walked barefoot toward a thatched hut next to him.
His cultivation level is unfathomable; at least for now, neither Lin Shan nor Jian Guhan can see through it!
"Who is your Excellency?"
"Ask the kid next to you. He came by a while ago, and I, the old man, opened the door for him."
Jian Guhan shook his head at Lin Shan.
He secretly told him that the old man claimed to be the tomb keeper of the ancient ruins. He said that he had been wandering around outside for several days without finding anything, and then he happened to meet this old man and he brought him in.
He didn't know the other party's cultivation level, but he felt that the other party's swordsmanship was even higher than his master Ma Yuanjue's!
Lin Shan immediately sobered up upon hearing this.
If someone's swordsmanship surpasses Ma Yuanjue's, then they must be at least at the Void Transformation stage or higher. It's unbelievable that there's such a powerful figure hidden in the lower realm.
"Then why did he let you in?"
"How would I know? Maybe it's because I have a connection with the Sword Dao Era."
Jian Guhan lowered his head slightly, looking somewhat guilty, which Lin Shan easily noticed. This kid was definitely hiding something from him!
A short while later, the old man who guarded the tomb came out of the thatched hut, took a small table and stools and set them down, and brewed a pot of old tea while wiping a few yellowed cups.
"Sit down. It's been a long time since anyone's come over. Let's have a drink and chat."
Lin Shan and Jian Guhan sat down as instructed.
Watching this old man slowly rinse his cup, then toss it aside after he's done, suddenly a cry of "Ouch!" comes from a nearby grave mound!
"Um???"
The two quickly turned around and looked, only to find nothing there, but the tea water had mysteriously disappeared from the ground.
The old man guarding the grave didn't turn around, but smiled and said:
"What's wrong, Mad Sword Immortal? Is this tea too hot?"
The mound rippled slightly, as if in gentle response.
Lin Shan and Jian Guhan stared wide-eyed, looking as if they had seen a ghost!
"Hehe, never mind him, let's have our own drinks. Try the camellias I grew this year, do they taste as good as the ones you had last time?"
Jian Guhan had no doubts, took the drink and drank it all in one gulp, then sat up straight and closed his eyes to savor it.
Lin Shan raised an eyebrow slightly, took the device, and scanned the enhancement panel:
【古明】
Quality: Rank 7 Spirit Liquid
Introduction: This is a tea drink with an improved recipe from the guardian of the Kendo Era Ruins. Drinking it will allow you to randomly comprehend the true meaning of Kendo, depending on your affinity for Kendo.
Enhancement required: 512 points
Well, no wonder Jian Guhan didn't hesitate at all; he must have tasted the sweetness of success last time.
Seeing that there was no danger, Lin Shan tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp!
Soon, fragments of information began to flash through his mind. As various pieces of information converged, he vaguely saw a person dancing with a sword amidst a storm and thunder. When he focused his mind to observe more closely, he realized that the person was actually himself!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh~
Each sword light was like a flying silver waterfall, shimmering with blue-green silhouettes, accompanied by a raging wind and thunder, guiding a force of heaven and earth to twist and turn.
Just when he was engrossed in observing it closely, he suddenly snapped out of it!
When his eyes regained focus, he saw that the old man guarding the grave had already taken the teapot and was grumbling as he watered each grave mound. Only Jian Guhan was left sitting beside him, smacking his lips, still lost in thought.
"That's the feeling! If I could drink a few more sips, I could also comprehend the Sword Domain and step onto the threshold of the Void Realm sooner!"
Sword Domain?
Lin Shan immediately realized the gap between himself and others.
What he just saw in the slides was the sword stance part, which belongs to the sword path derivative of the Nascent Soul stage. It can be seen that, in terms of both skill level and compatibility, his connection with the sword path civilization is indeed not significant.
"Senior brother, this old man is incredibly powerful. He told me last time that if it weren't for the limitations of the lower realm, he would be fully capable of cultivating immortal tea and brewing a true immortal beverage!"
Jian Guhan looked on with envy.
"This is the true spirit plant master. If I could learn this skill and make myself tea every day, wouldn't my swordsmanship cultivation skyrocket?"
Lin Shan nodded to encourage him, "If you have this idea, why not stay and learn?"
Seeing that the old man guarding the tomb was quite lonely, he probably wouldn't mind giving pointers to the younger generation of swordsmen. Although spiritual plants are not one of the traditional six arts of cultivation, they are still a remarkable skill. It's just a pity that the cultivation and improvement cycle is too long, and I don't have the time to mess around with them.
Jian Guhan sighed, his head drooping.
“If I didn’t have a master, it would be fine for me to become a disciple of this senior, but we already have a master, and it would be a big taboo for us to seek another master.”
To put it bluntly, these kinds of special skills can only be taught by a direct disciple. If you refuse to become a disciple, why should someone teach you?
Lin Shan immediately understood. So this kid was worried about this. He only came with him to freeload some tea, otherwise he would feel embarrassed to come back.
"Is there no other way?"
"Yes, he also got me to join the gravedigger faction."
Jian Guhan shook his head.
He said that the kendo tomb guardians have an ancient origin and a long history, and a broad future prospect, but they cannot leave the world and need to stay here to guard the tomb.
“My master said that he doesn’t want me to follow his old path and not get too involved with the ancient era of swordsmanship. It would be best if I followed the path of the current immortal civilization. So I naturally have to listen to my master.”
"Besides, I will ascend to the Immortal Realm to find my master in the future. How can I just stay in the mortal world and live in anonymity for the rest of my life?"
At this point, Lin Shan understood.
It turns out the two of them had talked for so long!
The old tomb keeper actually took a liking to Jian Guhan and wanted the young man to succeed him, but was rejected. It seems they were not destined to be together.
"Did you ask what exactly the great gift Master said he left for us to ascend to immortality was?"
"Not yet, we're waiting for you to come and ask together."
Jian Guhan is quite loyal and doesn't have the idea of keeping everything to himself, which shows that the young man is honest and upright, and his character is truly impeccable.
The two waited there for half an hour.
The old man who guarded the tomb slowly returned carrying a teapot.
"Well, kid, have you thought it over? As long as you join the old man's tomb-guarding sect, you'll have this kind of ancient tea every day, and you can drink as much as you want, just like water!"
Jian Guhan swallowed hard, resisting the temptation and refusing again and again.
“Senior, I already have a master, and I have failed to live up to your expectations. I brought my senior brother with me here to retrieve the great gift of ascension that my master left us.”
"Yes, the old man knows. You mean Ma Yuanjue, right?"
"That's right!"
The old man guarding the tomb sighed, picked up the table and horse-shaped pile and went back to the thatched hut. Inside, it was dilapidated and full of old objects that had been there for many years.
He looked around and walked to a corner to rummage through it.
Underneath a pile of messy furniture, they finally found a broken umbrella and a sack of grass, which they threw to Lin Shan and Jian Guhan respectively.
"You two take these two and go."
"???"
The two were immediately dumbfounded, not understanding what this meant.
"Senior, is this what my master left behind?"
Jian Guhan looked at the sack of grass and exclaimed in disbelief, feeling that it was not what he had imagined. What was Sword Saint Ma Yuanjue up to?
To everyone's surprise, the old man guarding the tomb let out a cold laugh.
"Who told you this was left by him? It's just some junk I didn't need before, so I'm just giving it to you two kids to make use of."
Waste utilization?
Seeing the two's dumbfounded expressions, the old man inexplicably revealed a smug and sinister smile.
"Hmph, I lost my bet and owe Ma Yuanjue a favor. That kid actually used it to help his two disciples ascend to immortality. Isn't that simple? I can easily get rid of him with some junk, without even having to spend a lot of money. This deal is too good to pass up, ahahaha!" "???"
Seeing the old man laughing wildly, the two men were at a loss for words.
It turns out the Sword Saint didn't leave anything behind; he only left his kindness to his disciple!
With the old man's abilities, I believe he can definitely help his two disciples ascend to immortality.
But the old man guarding the tomb didn't say how to use it. Instead, he honored his bet and returned the favor, then went into the house, closed the door, locked the two of them outside, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Listening to the long, drawn-out snores, and seeing themselves left out in the cold, Jian Guhan was at a loss for what to do.
"Senior brother, is this old man just going to get rid of us like this?"
Lin Shan didn't speak at this moment, but stared intently at the tattered umbrella in his hand.
[Broken Umbrella]
Quality: Wooden props
Introduction: The ordinary oiled paper umbrella with a wooden handle that the old tomb keeper once wore out has been given special supernatural powers, which can effectively resist the spying from the celestial realm.
(Note: Only once)
There are no enhancement options, so it's clearly just an ordinary thing, only it's been given the blessing of supernatural power.
The old man guarding the tomb was clearly no ordinary person. He saw through all of Lin Shan's trump cards at a glance, and thus knew what he needed on his path to ascension, and provided the corresponding deceptive items!
As for Jian Guhan's straw bag, seeing that he couldn't figure it out no matter how many times he turned it over, Lin Shan simply took it and looked at it.
The enhancement panel provides an explanation:
[Lawn Bag]
Quality: Woven props
Description: The woven bags discarded by the old man who guards the tomb have been given special powers, allowing them to conceal valuable items and prevent outsiders from peeping.
Lin Shan stroked his chin, trying to decipher the meaning behind it. He would occasionally stare at Jian Guhan from head to toe, and only after the intrusive gaze made Jian Guhan feel cold did he return the gaze to him.
“Junior brother, your ancient sword from the Sword Dao Era might cause some unnecessary trouble in the future. It’s safer to put it in this bag.”
Upon hearing this, Jian Guhan removed the iron sword from his back. This sword was left to him by the Sword Saint Ma Yuanjue before he left. It had never been sheathed, and now it was wrapped in a burlap sack so that others could not see the sword's uniqueness.
Then they walked around.
As the old man who guarded the tomb had said, he activated a certain technique within himself with all his might, and sure enough, he received a call from the corresponding grave mound!
Lin Shan used the "Red Sky Star Ash Scripture" and found a slightly low burial mound.
After a slight hesitation, I started digging and unearthed a stone slab with the following inscription:
"The cenotaph of Xing Yiyuan, the Star Sword Immortal, died in the second year of the Great Calamity of the Era."
Who is this guy? He died in the second year of the Great Calamity? So weak?
Lin Shan didn't take it seriously, casually tossed the stone slab into the ground, and ordered the evil spirits to rebury the grave mound, just to have some fun.
Just as he was about to leave, a voice suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Hey~ I didn't expect to be noticed for the first time after sleeping for so many years. Where are you headed, young man?"
The voice was soothing and alluring, with a stimulating electric current, swirling around his ears and making his heart itch.
Who?
Instinctively, he immediately activated his divine energy barrier to protect himself, looked around, and then fixed his gaze on the grave that had just been dug up.
"Xing Yiyuan?"
The voice was giggling and sweet, as if a beautiful female swordswoman was flirting with her.
"Why are you calling me?"
"."
Lin Shan composed himself and looked around.
The ancient ruins are desolate and ancient, with sandstorms blowing everywhere and the sky pitch black, not even a single star can be seen. It is unknown how long they have been isolated from the world.
He cleared his throat and asked in a deep voice:
"Didn't the senior die in the second year of the Great Cataclysm? Is he dead or alive now?"
"you guess."
"."
The owner of that voice was quite playful, having the time to flirt with him like that. Lin Shan, who hadn't dealt with women in a long time, couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
Why did I feel a connection with this grave mound? What is the state of this woman? Why has the Sword Dao Tomb been set up for so long?
Of course, he could ignore all of this, since he didn't practice swordsmanship.
"Get to the point, or I'm leaving."
He pretended to leave, and sure enough, a voice came from below telling him to stop.
"Oh dear~ Who told you to leave, you rascal? Don't you want to see what I look like?"
Lin Shan ignored him, took a few more steps, and then spoke to him properly.
"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. Actually, I can be considered a half-star cultivator. Your 'Crimson Star Ash Scripture' is a cultivation method I compiled!"
what?
This is the technique that the enhancement panel gave me, how did it become your technique?
"Would you like the sequel to this cultivation technique?"
Lin Shan stopped, turned around, and asked with narrowed eyes.
"You have?"
"Of course, I have not only the cultivation techniques of the Sword Venerable realm, but also those of the Sword Emperor and Sword Immortal realms!"
The voice seemed to realize something was wrong and quickly changed its tune:
"In your immortal civilization, it should be called the Void Realm or the True Immortal Realm. However, the Star Cultivation System has existed independently in every era. It is the only system that can be perfectly integrated into all cultivation civilizations, so it is not a problem for you."
Oh?
Star cultivators exist in every era!
This was a major secret, and Lin Shan immediately realized its significance.
He cultivated both Star Essence and Star Essence during the Immortal Era, something that even the strongest figures of the Sword Era could do; this is what the two have in common.
What do you want?
Between the strong, there is only an exchange of interests. If the other party throws out bait, then he has to consider whether he can take it.
The mound in front of him swayed slightly, and a languid, seductive female voice breathed into his ears.
"This era has reached its zenith and is about to decline. I want you to take my robes and go out to see it."
"With your proper attire?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Shan immediately shook his head. A man dressed as a woman? A cross-dressing master?!
I won't do that. Let whoever wants to do it do it. I'd have to be crazy to wear your clothes.
The other party seemed to realize that he had misunderstood and quickly explained and clarified.
"I'm not asking you to wear it, but rather for you to bring it out. I can naturally possess other people, but don't worry, I won't possess you."
What should I do?
"You've dug my grave to the bottom!"
Lin Shan had never heard of such an outrageous request in his life.
He immediately ordered his spirit pets to do as he was told, and before long they dug the grave to the bottom, and a blue star dress appeared before them.
Before any of the spirit pets could react, the star dress leaped up and directly encased Jian Guhan, who had just arrived!
Jian Guhan was shocked and before he could break free, he was forcibly locked up by the man!
"what is this?"
"Hehehe, this young man is not bad. Interested in inheriting my mantle as the Star Sword Immortal?" (End of Chapter)