Chapter 3. The Protagonist with a Peach Blossom Face

Chapter 3. The Protagonist with a Peach Blossom Face

Lin Nuo had countless black histories; the most recent was just yesterday when he sent flowers to Qin Shili, but received no response in return—essentially being ignored.

Qin Shili was a renowned cold and beautiful ice princess of the Xuanyun Sect, finishing conversations with fellow disciples in less than five sentences.

The flower-sending incident had become a laughingstock for him, magnified to infinity.

The disciples of Xuanyun Sect liked to mock him, driven merely by jealousy.

Of course, it wasn’t jealousy over strength, since he didn’t have any to brag about.

In Lin Nuo’s lineage, there were five individuals: his master plus four disciples, all beautiful females aside from him. Qin Shili was the Second Martial Sister, while the protagonist Su Kexin was the Fourth Martial Sister; he ranked third.

However, when it came to strength, he was at the bottom.

If he had strength, people would have nothing to say, but being a cultivation waste stuck at the second stage of the Spirit Realm after five years of training? How could anyone respect him?

Why should they?

Lin Nuo walked past the crowd, ignoring them, his ears automatically filtering out their laughter.

Mental victory technique; it wasn’t that everyone was watching a single monkey, but that he was observing a bunch of monkeys.

As a world-destroying villain, how could he lower himself to deal with such a group of monkeys?

……

After walking for a long time, Lin Nuo finally found an uninhabited place, where heavy rocks piled up, perfect for practicing his swordsmanship.

He gripped the longsword he had brought from the Lin family, which was of medium quality in terms of material and spirit at Xuanyun Sect.

“Not sure if it’s still usable.”

In front of him stood a weirdly shaped hard boulder, suitable for a practice target.

Taking a deep breath, he dashed around the odd rock at high speed.

Racing like the wind, leaves spiraled in the air, his speed increasing to the point of creating two Lin Nuos, then three, then four…

In an instant, ten illusions of Lin Nuo appeared, racing around the strange rock.

Draw the sword!

All ten phantoms swung their swords in unison, striking the boulder.

The combined swords shattered the rock instantly.

“Thank goodness.”

Then the ten shadows merged into one, and Lin Nuo efficiently sheathed his longsword.

“Looks like it’s just my spirit strength that has weakened; the swordsmanship is still usable, just not as powerful as before.”

The Ghostly Shadow Sword Technique—this technique creates numerous illusions through rapid movement after gathering energy, confusing opponents, and at the moment the illusions unite, it can greatly enhance the sword’s lethality.

In his previous life, he could summon hundreds of illusions, but now at the second stage of the Spirit Realm, ten was his limit.

His cultivation had regressed, but the sword techniques were still usable, though significantly weaker.

Currently, Lin Nuo held a low cultivation level but had learned high-level skills ahead of time; with insufficient spirit strength, his power was naturally weakened.

If he went to kill Su Kexin with this power, he’d probably be wiped out by her in one blow after using his skills.

“Let’s try again.”

Lin Nuo fixed his gaze on a boulder one mile away, navigating through numerous thickets of trees, choosing the nearest large tree.

Taking a deep breath, he concentrated all his spirit energy into his fist.

Punch!

His fist struck the tree violently.

The tree stood unmoved, completely unharmed.

Meanwhile, over by the boulder, two disciples approached.

“Junior Brother, the essence of palm techniques lies in inner strength. Today I’ll try to shatter the boulder using my inner strength, so watch carefully.”

A tall disciple began gathering energy within his palm.

However, just as he was about to strike, the boulder suddenly shattered.

“Wow, Senior Brother, you’re amazing! You didn’t even strike, and the boulder is already broken!” the junior brother exclaimed.

The senior brother was at a loss.

He hadn’t even punched yet! How did the boulder break?

Could it be that my realm has reached such heights that I can crush boulders with mere energy?

“Ha ha, Junior Brother, that’s a palm technique of a higher realm; no strike was needed, the enemy was defeated first, relying solely on inner energy. Come, Junior Brother, practice along with me.”

One bravely spoke while the other foolishly believed.

Then the two senior brothers spent a long time trying but couldn’t shatter the boulder…

At this moment, one mile away, Lin Nuo had already retracted his fist.

This technique allows one to reach the enemy by striking nearby objects, akin to a long-distance punch, achieving victory by surprise.

At his peak, he could kill enemies over a hundred people away.

Now, with about twenty trees in the way, he was already nearing his limit.

“It’ll get better if my cultivation rises.”

That was what he said, but he had no good methods.

His cultivation was elevated after falling into demonic paths; he couldn’t possibly advance before becoming a demon.

Of course, even if he elevated his cultivation, he couldn’t match Su Kexin head-on.

The avenger Lin Nuo had to take unconventional paths.

……

As the sun slowly rose in the east, the disciples finished their morning training and headed towards Hunyung Hall.

In front of Hunyung Hall was a wide open area, gathering over a hundred disciples.

These disciples were lined up, searching for their respective lineages and standing in rank according to seniority.

Within the Xuanyun Sect, there were five major lineages, and Lin Nuo’s lineage had the fewest members, the shortest lineup. His master, Han Fengxuan, a renowned Han Fairy, wore a light blue fairy gown and a thin veil, standing at the forefront.

Behind her was his senior martial sister Liu Shuqin, draped in a long white dress, with long flowing hair and elegant demeanor. Upon seeing Lin Nuo approach, she smiled warmly:

“Good morning, Junior Brother. How was your training this morning?”

Lin Nuo stopped, replying, “Not as good as before.”

Used to be able to destroy worlds, now I can only destroy stones, how could that be okay?

Liu Shuqin comforted him, “It’s no problem, Junior Brother. Cultivation isn’t achieved overnight; with persistence, you’ll surely break through the bottleneck.”

Liu Shuqin was the most caring person towards him in Xuanyun Sect, but she didn’t pay special attention; she was simply gentle and friendly to everyone.

The matter of cultivation was originally something his master, Han Fairy, cared about, but she seemed indifferent to it.

Guessing that she was letting him grow on his own.

“Su Kexin and Shili haven’t arrived yet.”

Just as Liu Shuqin finished her sentence, a girl dressed in light pink and white appeared from the left—long hair to her shoulders, pink hairpins on either side, eyes sparkling like water, a face blossoming like a peach flower, and her slender legs wrapped in white stockings looked even more charming and cute.

The girl, in the bloom of youth—Lin Nuo’s nemesis, Su Kexin—arrived.

With a lovely and pleasing smile that could heal hearts, except for Lin Nuo who felt depressed.

He had no interest in admiring her cute face; all he wanted was to take her down with one blow.

But realizing he couldn’t beat her, he just dropped it.

“Su Kexin, how was your progress this morning?” Han Fairy asked Su Kexin.

Su Kexin gave a slight bow, “Master, I’ve comprehended the fourth form of the Jade Spirit Sword Technique. I will now practice the fifth form.”

Han Fairy nodded with satisfaction, “Good, you’re progressing fast. Today is the half-year Spirit Realm assessment, let’s see if you’ve advanced to the third stage of the Spirit Realm.”

“Ah? It shouldn’t be that fast, right? I only reached the second stage of the Spirit Realm six months ago…”

Su Kexin had little hope for this assessment.

Lin Nuo listened to the exchange between this master and disciple.

No need to watch; she’ll advance. I’ll say it’s a ten to one bet.

Su Kexin stepped back from the front row and walked past Lin Nuo.

At that moment, their eyes met.

Lin Nuo stared intently at her, and she instinctively lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.

She retreated behind Lin Nuo, taking a deep breath.

Today, the Senior Brother’s gaze feels a bit strange…

She slightly lifted her head, realizing Lin Nuo was turning to look at her.

“What’s wrong, Senior Brother…?”

Lin Nuo didn’t respond and turned his head back to the front.

From then on, he would occasionally glance back at her.

Is this Su surname going to stab me in the back?