Immortal Refiner

The New Year had passed, and winter gave way to spring.

The temperature remained cold, and the snow showed no signs of melting.

Li Qing, now eighteen years old, dressed in new clothes, paid visits to his neighbors.

Due to his martial arts training, his physique was robust, and his face appeared slightly more mature, making him look nothing like an eighteen-year-old.

Of course, this might also be related to the fact that Li Qing had spent a year in the World of Eternal Night. In reality, his physical age was already close to nineteen.

The turmoil at Small Jade Ridge had completely subsided a few days ago, but the specific details had not yet spread.

So, in recent days, Li Qing had been frequenting the tavern, gathering information.

Finally, on the first afternoon of the New Year, someone brought specific news about Small Jade Ridge to the tavern.

”It’s madness. The entire Small Jade Ridge is littered with corpses, and the ground is stained red with the blood of martial arts masters.”

”Hiss!”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the tavern collectively gasped, as if they could see the snow-covered Small Jade Ridge dyed red.

”It’s truly bizarre. What kind of martial arts master’s tomb could provoke such a fierce struggle?”

”Exactly. It’s just the tomb of an Inner Strength martial artist from the previous dynasty, not the legacy of a Grandmaster.”

”Even if it were the legacy of a Grandmaster, why would the Nine Lotus Sect go head-to-head with Prince Yu? The sect leader of the Nine Lotus Sect is already a Grandmaster himself.”

”...”

A Grandmaster! Hearing these words, Li Qing’s heart slightly tightened, and his drinking motion became somewhat unnatural.

In the martial world, a Transformed Strength Grandmaster is considered the pinnacle of the Martial Path, revered by thousands.

Such individuals, as long as they don’t wish to die and are determined to escape, are nearly impossible to kill, even if surrounded by an army of ten thousand.

Thus, even the imperial court is reluctant to provoke a Grandmaster-level expert, as the retaliation from such a person could be catastrophic.

Not only Li Qing, but everyone in the tavern also showed expressions of envy and reverence upon hearing the word ”Grandmaster.”

However, another well-informed person in the tavern sneered.

”Ha, what do you all know? Compared to that person’s legacy, even the martial arts of a Grandmaster might not hold much appeal.”

The speaker was a carefree man sitting in the corner of the tavern. He had one leg crossed over the other, comfortably resting his feet on the table, while holding a jug of wine.

”Brother, may I ask what kind of legacy it is? How could it surpass even the secret teachings of a Grandmaster?”

”Yes, please tell us. We’ve been speculating for days about what exactly is buried in that tomb at Small Jade Ridge.”

”Brother, this round of drinks is on me.”

A generous patron declared boldly.

The carefree man had a handsome face, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his facial features as distinct as if carved by a knife.

He chuckled lightly, elegantly raised the wine jug, and took a swig.

”Ha, the owner of that tomb is named Lin Yi!”

Clang!

Upon hearing this name, someone in the tavern dropped their wine cup to the floor.

Li Qing narrowed his eyes. The name was unfamiliar to him, but judging by the reactions of others, this Lin Yi must be quite famous.

”Lin Yi... it’s actually him.”

”That’s right, I should have thought of it earlier. Among the Inner Strength experts of the previous dynasty, only Lin Yi could have such allure.”

”Hiss! That can’t be. Didn’t they say Lin Yi disappeared in the end? How could he possibly be buried in Small Jade Ridge?”

”It’s said that Lin Yi, the martial arts expert of the previous dynasty, though only an Inner Strength practitioner, even Grandmasters couldn’t keep him.” Besides, there were some people in the tavern, like Li Qing, who were just starting out and didn’t know the significance of the name Lin Yi.

”Excuse me... who is this Lin Yi? Is he very powerful?”

Someone quickly answered his question.

”This Lin Yi, in his first year in the martial world, wasn’t even an Outer Strength practitioner and was quite unknown.”

”In his second year, he reached the level of an Outer Strength expert.”

Achieving Outer Strength in a year is indeed fast, but some martial prodigies could also manage it.

However, the next sentence made those who didn’t know Lin Yi, including Li Qing, gasp in shock.

”In his third year, Lin Yi was already an Inner Strength expert.”

”By his fourth year in the martial world, his Martial Path realm was approaching that of a Grandmaster!”

That’s too exaggerated!

Only those who have personally practiced martial arts know how difficult it is to make progress on this path.

Even those once-in-a-generation martial geniuses couldn’t go from not even being an Outer Strength practitioner to an Inner Strength expert in just three years.

Anyone with half a brain could tell that this Lin Yi clearly had some secrets.

Indeed, the martial arts experts of the previous dynasty thought the same. Even some Grandmasters at the time were intrigued and wanted to uncover the secrets he held.

Thus, the martial world at that time was thrown into chaos, with people from all over the world mobilizing just to hunt down this martial artist named Lin Yi.

Once this hunt began, it was endless.

Because everyone knew that if Lin Yi was given another year, by the fifth year, he might very well stand at the Grandmaster level.

Inner Strength in three years, Grandmaster in five... you’d think this was the college entrance exam!

Li Qing’s mouth twitched involuntarily as he internally complained.

A Grandmaster in five years—anyone hearing this would feel dizzy. No wonder even the Grandmasters of that time couldn’t hold back.

In comparison, they had trained their whole lives to reach the Grandmaster level, while someone else could achieve it in just five years. How could they bear it! Later, Lin Yi vanished amidst the entire martial world’s pursuit.

Some said he was captured alive by a Grandmaster, others claimed he finally reached the Grandmaster level and swept across the land, and some believed he fled to another country and lived under an assumed name.

No one knew his exact whereabouts, and it became a great mystery at the time.

Now that his tomb has surfaced, it’s no wonder the entire martial world of Maple Country is in an uproar, and even a prince can’t sit still.

”Phew!”

”So, what happened to Lin Yi’s tomb? Who got the inheritance?”

”Yeah, is the tomb real? Could there really be a martial arts inheritance that allows someone to reach Inner Strength in three years?”

Whether it exists or not, it must be a very hot potato. Even if someone got it, they probably couldn’t hold onto it for long, not even Prince Yu.

Li Qing thought to himself.

Bang! Someone who knew the recent happenings at Small Jade Ridge put down his wine cup and sneered:

”It’s fake! It’s said to be fake! Prince Yu and the Nine Lotus Sect gained nothing, they all returned in defeat, and a bunch of people died for nothing!”

”The tomb was very deep. After digging it open, they found it wasn’t a coffin inside, but a Tomb Mansion. It seemed like someone had been living there in recent years. Even if there was any inheritance, it was probably all taken away.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

It turned out to be a fake tomb, yet so many people died. It was simply terrifying!

In the corner of the tavern, a handsome and dashing man shook his head disdainfully, wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth, and murmured softly, ”Heh, fake, huh?”

(End of the Chapter)

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