[Twelve-Link Docks · Xuanwu River]
[Remaining Fortune:]
[Introduction: A certain section of the Xuanwu River relied upon by the Twelve-Link Docks, once bustling with heroic figures upon its waters.]
Compared to the cliffside pool of the Martial Arts Alliance, the fortune offered by the Xuanwu River was vastly inferior.
However, since he had already made the trip, Shen Han could not be bothered to rush all the way back to the Martial Arts Alliance today just to fish.
"I wonder what kind of legacy is hidden within these waters of the Xuanwu River?"
Snow fell silently. Sitting on a raised pavilion beside the river, holding a green bamboo fishing rod, Shen Han cast his line early into the water, which dropped ten feet below.
And now, the time of a stick of incense later.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the Xuanwu River legacy!]
[You have learned the cultivation technique "Flawless Glazed Sword"!]
If anyone present possessed strength matching Shen Han's, they would have been able to notice that the moment Shen Han mastered the Flawless Glazed Sword, his body flickered with a brilliant, multicolored, glazed radiance for a fraction of a second.
If one were to carefully pierce through the heavenly secrets, they could even catch a glimpse of a towering, resonant sword cry echoing across the sky!
"Flawless Glazed Sword."
Even though in the past year or so Shen Han had already acquired quite a few peerless cultivation techniques—ranging from the supreme Ten Thousand Swords Return to One learned at the very beginning, to the Formless Divine Art acquired later—any single one of these techniques, if brought out into the world, would be utterly invincible.
Yet the Flawless Glazed Sword obtained this time was distinctly different from all previous techniques.
It was not merely a supreme divine art.
The Flawless Glazed Sword was divided into two modes of operation: orthodox practice and reverse practice.
When practiced conventionally, the seven-colored glazed soul trembled, launching its primary assault on the opponent's heart, eyes, and spirit.
When practiced in reverse, it actually condensed a glazed sword within one's own body to attack oneself—meaning one fought against oneself right inside one's own flesh and blood!
Using the heart as a sword, and the will to fight against it!
"Quite an extraordinary cultivation technique indeed!"
Shen Han felt a relaxed satisfaction; combined with Ten Thousand Swords Return to One, the effects of the Flawless Glazed Sword were monstrously powerful.
However, Ten Thousand Swords Return to One remained far too formidable for the present.
Even though he had already reached the Postnatal Second Tier, it was still entirely out of the question for him to fully wield the sword within his body.
Just as Shen Han's thoughts wandered and he quietly cultivated, a voice rang out.
"Who goes there, sir?"
Before Lin Yi's question fully left his lips, a servant beside him had already hurried up to Shen Han.
Seeing Shen Han open his eyes, the servant lowered his voice and urged, "Friend, this is the River-Gazing Pavilion built by the Lin family of Xuanwu River City. This is private property; you cannot fish here."
Shen Han slowly nodded. "My apologies for the intrusion."
He truly had not known, merely finding this small pavilion by the river rather elegant and refined, and thus coming here to fish while waiting for someone.
Since it belonged to someone else, he had no intention of forcefully seizing it.
As Shen Han prepared to leave, Lin Yi stepped forward with a smile.
He was a scholarly and amiable young man. "No harm done, no harm done. Since you are also someone who loves fishing, how could I drive you away?"
With that, walking toward Shen Han, he displayed the fishing rod in his hand, inlaid with pearls and precious gems. "Lin also enjoys fishing."
Shen Han nodded.
One of Lin Yi's guards, however, looked rather uneasy.
Xuanwu River City was a bustling place with many eyes, and his master needed careful protection.
To now sit and fish by the river alongside an unfamiliar martial artist was simply too dangerous; after all, if the other party harbored any hostile intentions, he might not be able to react in time.
Understanding the guard's predicament, Shen Han smiled. "Brother, why don't you stay a little further from me? There is plenty of space here."
He proactively moved to the northern side of the pavilion.
The guard immediately felt a surge of gratitude.
Lin Yi felt somewhat ashamed, but accepted the arrangement. He remained ten feet away from Shen Han, separated by several guards and the captain of the guards.
The guard captain felt much more relaxed now.
If they were shoulder-to-shoulder, it would be difficult for him to respond in time, but with this much distance, there would surely be no problem.
Lin Yi did not dwell on the matter too much. Being able to slip out of the estate for a breath of fresh air today was already satisfying enough.
As he baited his hook and cast it into the river, maintaining a distance of over ten feet, he muttered to himself, "With the weather so cold these days, and large boats constantly shuttling back and forth on the river, catching some fresh fish is truly difficult."
Shen Han looked at him—swathed in thick winter clothing, with his neck tucked in and clutching a hand warmer.
The man had no cultivation.
A mere mortal.
To come to the riverside to fish in the dead of winter—this perseverance was truly remarkable.
Seeming to notice Shen Han's gaze, Lin Yi smiled cheerfully. "Haha, when I walked over from afar just now and saw you sitting here so quietly, I figured you must be someone who truly loves fishing."
Shen Han smiled. "Indeed."
Sighing over the freezing weather, Lin Yi looked out at the large cargo boats navigating the distant river. "Those boatmen probably won't return to Xuanwu River City until the spring flowers bloom; they travel much too far."
"Where do they usually go?" Shen Han asked.
"Everywhere. Wherever there are people, there are large boats from Xuanwu River City," Lin Yi replied. Then he added, "Of course, brother, if you ever wish to develop your career in Xuanwu River City in the future, you can come to my Lin family."
Shen Han thanked him for his kind offer.
Him?
He was still confined on an Isolated Island and could not leave for too long; he would likely be departing in the next few days.
Peering curiously around the gap between the guards to look at Shen Han's relaxed, martial-artist attire, Lin Yi asked, "So, brother, are you heading to Xuanwu River City next?"
"No, I'm just here waiting for someone," Shen Han answered.
"Ah, waiting for someone, I see," Lin Yi said, understanding. "Still, I think you really ought to seriously consider what I just said. I can sense that you must be a cultivation practitioner."
"If you reach the Innate First Tier Great Perfection, our estate can offer you a monthly stipend that will cover all your needs!"
The guard captain also smiled and chimed in, "Indeed, brother. The businesses run by our Lin family are all legitimate enterprises, but legitimate businesses inevitably breed jealousy. So if you truly want to make a name for yourself in Xuanwu City, come to our Lin family!"
He spoke with considerable confidence.
"My current strength is at the Innate Second Tier Qi Condensation Realm Great Perfection. Though it wouldn't be appropriate to reveal the exact amount of my monthly stipend, the feeling of being respected within the estate is simply wonderful!"
The other guards readily agreed.
In the entire Xuanwu River City, the Lin family was a top-tier existence. Although they still had to answer to the Twelve-Link Docks, beneath the Docks, there were basically only a few great clans like them.
Even without knowing Shen Han's exact strength, joining the Lin family would certainly never leave him at a disadvantage.
Shen Han could naturally feel the goodwill of these men.
With a smile, he retracted his fishing rod, slung it over his shoulder, and cupped his fists in a salute to them. "Perhaps there will be a chance in the future. Now that the person I am waiting for has arrived, I will take my leave."
With that, he looked toward a few figures approaching from not far away, especially the burly, broad-shouldered man among them.
Shen Han took a step forward on his tiptoes, and when his feet touched the ground again, he was already standing by the riverside a hundred paces away.
"Let's talk elsewhere."
"Lead on."
Zou Lingyi pressed down on his nine-ring broadsword, and the group vanished from the spot in a blur.
After they departed, Lin Yi, who had previously been shivering with cold, suddenly felt an unbearable wave of heat wash over him. His heart hammered wildly in his chest, and his teeth felt sore.
"Heavens... who on earth was I just talking to?"
"Who is that person?"
"That man just now... was the Master of the Twelve-Link Docks!!"
Among the families of Xuanwu River City, the Lin family ranked as a first-tier clan.
Yet in the eyes of the Twelve-Link Docks, Xuanwu River City was nothing more than a first-tier city!
No matter how much the Lin family exaggerated their influence, they were definitely no match for the Twelve-Link Docks!
As for the young man who had just been here—how was he connected to the Grand Master of the Twelve-Link Docks?
This!
This!
It was utterly unimaginable!
After all, how could a terrifying existence like that be fishing alone by the river?
Shouldn't such a formidable person be indulging in luxury and pleasure in houses of wine and song?
This!
This made no sense!
Meanwhile, the hair on the arms of the nearby guards stood on end. Their perspective was entirely different from Lin Yi's.
Lin Yi saw the status.
They saw the strength.
When Shen Han took that single step just now, they had failed to detect the slightest trace of movement before he was already a hundred paces away!
What kind of terrifying power was that?
They couldn't even begin to guess his true level of cultivation!
Thinking back, they had actually stood between the two of them with resolute confidence, expecting to protect their master!
Looking at it now, how could that have been anything other than a joke? A colossal joke.
If the other party had genuinely wanted to kill their master, there would have been no need to even strike; a single breath from him probably would have turned them all to ash and dust.
"There is a true master by the river!"
In the minds of everyone left in the pavilion, only this single sentence remained.