Relics of a Champion

The scorching sensation became increasingly intense. Lin Mu Yu tightly clenched his teeth and tried his hardest to not scream out in pain. In reality, from the moment he had started the training up until now, he had not voiced a single sound of pain. He had been born a proud person, so there was no way he could not withstand this little bit of pain!

……

Under the high temperature of the cauldron, even the outer layers of Lin Mu Yu’s clothing were slowly falling apart and were about to burst out in flames. Similarly, Lin Mu Yu felt like every cell in his body was evaporating into nothingness. This kind of pain was definitely something that an average person would not be able to endure.

Nearby, Tang Xiao Xi was covering her mouth, unable to look. She had seen Qu Chu use the Flame Cauldron on other people, but those were all bandits. They were killed with the cauldron’s fire, leaving nothing but ashes in the end. Lin Mu Yu would not suffer the same fate as those bandits, right?

Lin Mu Yu knelt on one knee with both arms planted on the ground. Although he had not fallen to the ground under the Flame Cauldron’s intense roasting, the high temperature had nearly robbed him of his will and thought. And it was right at this moment that an electronic tone sounded in his mind as an illusory gate was unlocked. Following that, a delicate voice called out, “Uwa. Too hot, too hot…”

Turning to look, he saw a tiny fairy flying back and forth in his mind, and even crossing over into the real world. Fluttering behind him, she called out, “Big bro, what are you doing? Quickly ask that old man to stop! He is going to burn both of us to death!”

This fairy was about 20cm tall and wore a set of green pixie attire. Although she only had a 20cm tall body, she still had her share of long slender legs and well-endowed bosom. Her face had a delicate and familiar look. Lin Mu Yu took another look and his jaw was about to drop to the floor. Isn’t this the system fairy Lulu? Why was Lulu from the game in this world?

“Lulu!”

Lin Mu Yu realized that he could telepathically communicate with the system fairy, while Qu Chu and Tang Xiao Xi were seemingly unable to see Lulu. Could it be that Lulu only existed in his mind? But now was not the time to think about such things as he was about to be roasted alive. He quickly asked, “Lulu, Elder Qu wants to force my martial spirit out of my body. What is my martial spirit? Can you randomly take something out  to at least hold him off for a short while?”

Flapping her wings, Lulu frowned at Lin Mu Yu as she endured the scorching heat. As if scolding him, she complained, “Big bro, you sold everything that you could sell and deleted everything that you could delete. What else could I possibly pull out? Wait… it seems like there was still something in your alchemy cauldron…erm, it’s a junk gourd. It was the leftovers from when you alchemized the Seven Heart Lotus. It that ok?”

“Whatever is fine!” Lin Mu Yu didn’t have the mind to care at all since he was going to die otherwise.

The next moment, a cool energy rushed out from his body. With a shout, Lin Mu Yu forcefully released this “martial spirit” from his body, only to see an adorably tiny green gourd revolving in front of his chest. Wrapped in a faint green l.u.s.ter, the gourd looked pretty…but no matter how hard he tried, it didn’t look the least bit intimidating…

Lin Mu Yu finally understood what the martial spirits of this world were. Basically they were just items born from the user’s life force that helped the user with attack and defense.

……

“Oh, it appeared!” Tang Xiao Xi chuckled.

Qu Chu also nodded with satisfaction, “So it was just a green gourd spirit; that’s why this kid was so skilled in medicinal alchemy.”

The Flame Cauldron dissipated, leaving behind a patch of scorched earth around Lin Mu Yu. The system fairy Lulu had once more fallen into a deep slumber and he did not know when she was going to awaken again. Reaching out to touch his martial spirit, the green gourd slowly rotated in his palm. Having a connection with his soul, it was as if Lin Mu Yu could feel liveliness from the spirit gourd as it pulsed with life energy.

Qu Chu calmly stated, “Although it is a 10th rank martial spirit, with enough additional training, it should be of some use to you. At least it will be enough to take care of a superfluous show-off like Hua Wan.”

“10th rank martial spirit, is that strong?” Lin Mu Yu carefully asked.

Tang Xiao Xi covered her mouth but could not hide her giggle. Qu Chu also smiled, “Martial spirits are split into ten ranks. My Flame Cauldron is a 4th rank. Princess Xi’s Firefox is a 2nd rank. Your Green Gourd is a 10th rank, so what do you think?”

“In other words, this Green Gourd is the worst?” Lin Mu Yu asked with a petrified expression.

“That’s right!”

“Ha…” Lin Mu Yu was crying deep inside. This gourd was the leftover waste from alchemy. If he didn’t sell off all of his saint tier items like the Seven Star Lamp, Mystic Spirit Staff, or the Nine Day Demonic Lotus, probably any one of those items would have been a first rank or second rank martial spirit in this world. There were no words to describe the amount of regret he felt at that moment.

Tang Xiao Xi was a kind-hearted girl. Thinking that Lin Mu Yu had to be quite sad at that moment, she comforted him, “Mu Mu, don’t be sad. Even a 10th rank spirit can have the chance to evolve into a 9th rank, or even an 8th or 7th rank spirit. You shouldn’t be so depressed, you’ll have a chance.”

“Is it possible to evolve into a first rank martial spirit?”

This time Tang Xiao Xi was unable to hold back her laughter, “Stop daydreaming…”

Looks like her comforting skill wasn’t that great, but Lin Mu Yu didn’t bother to retort back. Right now, his mind was thinking of another method of progression. He was someone who had the mastery of alchemy techniques under his belt. If he had sufficient materials, he could definitely refine this green gourd into a top-notch magic tool. If nothing else, he still had confidence in his alchemical skills.

……

Qu Chu stoically stood by his side and mused, “A martial artist’s life revolves around bettering his or her martial spirit. The stronger one’s spirit becomes, the greater one’s strength in both offensive and defensive power. This is because a martial spirit will give you the pool of energy from which to utilize battle techniques. Do you understand?”

“Yeah. I understand. Thank you, Elder Qu.” The shadow of doubt in Lin Mu Yu’s heart was gone in a sweep.

Qu Chu nodded with satisfaction and continued with a smile, “The green gourd is a plant type martial spirit, excelling in healing, binding, and defense. Thusly, this should be your direction of development. In the future, you could be a support type warrior, so you should never be at the front line in a battle. You should be fine just by knowing this much.”

“Okay!”

Let us continue on our way since your power is still in its chaotic state. We’ll hunt for a spirit beast of at least 200 years of age for you to absorb. Let’s see how much it can improve your personal strength.”

“Yeah.” Lin Mu Yu smilingly nodded, “Thank you Elder Qu.”

Qu Chu stroked his beard and laughed, “Don’t thank me. It’s not that easy. Every martial artist will need to experience the hards.h.i.+p of life. Once we find an appropriate spirit beast, I won’t offer my aid. You will have to kill it with your own hands, or else you won’t be fit to absorb that beast’s spirit. Do you understand?”

Lin Mu Yu was taken slightly aback. He could not help but feel like this old fellow had no regards for his life. Isn’t that just outright inhumane? A 200-year-old spirit beast is about the same strength as a level 20 Battle Spirit. Whether or not he could even kill it would have to depend on his good fortune.

……

Suddenly the sky darkened as a slight rain fell upon the land. After descending the mountain and finding their horses, the three riders sped through the forest. Wearing a suit of light green attire, Lin Mu Yu was matchless in his handsomeness. By his side, as the rain fell onto Tang Xiao Xi’s cheeks, her flame red dress with her exquisite cloak was reminiscent of a spring shower splattering onto pear flowers. It was a mysteriously intriguing feeling.

Lin Mu Yu could not help but secretly praise this little princess. Having that kind of mindset at her young age was definitely quite a feat. If it were any other n.o.bles’ daughters, they would have been busy looking for a shelter from the rain, rather than continuing to speed through it.

Not long after, dark clouds completely covered the sky. The Seven Star Forest was as dark as night. Flashes of lightning slashed down in the air like blades of sharp knives falling into this patch of ancient forest.

Lin Mu Yu was calming down his mount so as to help it not be scared by the lightning. Qu Chu also steadily lowered his speed for he had to take care of Tang Xiao Xi, especially since training Princess Xi was this journey’s most important goal.

Looking at the sword and longbow on Lin Mu Yu’s back, Qu Chu couldn’t help but laugh, “Youngster, what are you carrying around a bow for?”

“This is my stealth weapon.”

“Stealth weapon?” Qu Chu laughed aloud once more and asked, “And what’s the use of this stealth weapon?”

Lin Mu Yu responded seriously, “Although I am far weaker in terms of martial arts training, I also know that different weapons will be effective at different ranges. If an enemy is meters away, I will use a bow and arrows. If he is at close range, I’ll use the sword. If I didn’t have a bow, the time during which he is approaching will be wasted. If I can kill the target from many meters away, then there would be no need for him to come close, isn’t that right?”

Qu Chu was stunned for a moment and couldn’t help but nod in praise, “That was definitely sound logic. However…that longbow is too eye-catching, so it can’t be considered a true stealth weapon. If you really want a weapon like that, I actually have just the right gift for you.”

“Oh? A gift?” Lin Mu Yu unable to hide his euphoria as he was overcome with curiosity.

Qu Chu reached down at the bag mounted on the horse’s rump and took out a cloth pouch. Catching Qu Chu’s toss, Lin Mu Yu opened up the pouch to find a set of 4 exquisite throwing knives. The curved outlines of the blades were sharp and reflective. Even in this darkness, he could clearly see the blades’ sparkling edges.

“This is the weapon that Feng Yi Cheng had left behind. He was a skilled user of throwing knives, capable of taking lives from a distance of over a hundred meters. These 4 blades can be thrown separately, or be combined into a single boomerang blade. However, you’ll need to work hard if you want to become an expert at using this stealth weapon.”

“Right, thank you Elder Qu!” Lin Mu Yu smiled.

The nearby Tang Xiao Xi blinked her sparkling eyes as she asked, “Feng Yi Cheng? You mean the famous general who safeguarded the southern plains for nearly twenty years?”

“Right, that’s him. It’s a shame that in the end he died at the hands of bandits.” Qu Chu spoke with a hint of regret and continued, “Although he was not born of a royal bloodline, he was a worldly talent and one of the twelve commanders of the Empire. It was truly a shame.”

Tang Xiao Xi muttered, “It has been at least a decade since Feng Yi Cheng died in combat, for Old Qu to have his relic is quite interesting.”

Qu Chu responded, “He was an old friend of mine. He had entrusted someone to send the blade to me before he died.”

Lin Mu Yu was taken aback and the value of this set of 4 throwing knives suddenly became much greater. He raised his head and looked at Qu Chu with thankful eyes, “Thank you so much, Elder Qu…”

This time he had thanked him from the bottom of his heart, but Qu Chu only faintly smiled, “Luckily for you, I’m not very apt at using hidden weapons, or else it would have never been your turn to use a master cla.s.s weapon like this.”

Frankly, the craft of this blade was definitely greatly refined. Each blade had its own ventilation slots as well as a rotary design. This meant that each knife would return every time it was thrown. If Lin Mu Yu wanted to use this kind of stealth weapon effectively, he would have to practice the skill of throwing and catching the blade. That was quite a big hurdle since if he was to miss the catch, perhaps it might even end up costing him his hand. The throwing blade was simply too sharp.

Putting the throwing knives back into the pouch, Lin Mu Yu thought to himself: Let’s slowly practice with these later.