"Doesn’t the family have any Cold Dew?"
"There isn’t enough Cold Dew."
Lin Shouyuan shook his head. "The family only produces a few drops of Cold Dew per year. Breaking through from the Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation to the True Gang Realm requires three to ten drops, and that’s if everything goes smoothly. After you enter the True Gang Realm, opening a single Gang Acupoint won’t be possible with just a few drops. You’d need dozens. You have to continuously absorb the same type of Heaven and Earth Energy, and the further you progress, the more you’ll need..."
Hearing his master’s words, Lin Yan instantly grasped his meaning.
With the Lin Family’s resources, cultivating Martial Artists in the Blood Exchange Realm was manageable. But cultivating those in the True Gang Realm above that would be a significant strain.
"Throughout all of Shandong Dao, it’s not just our Lin Family. All the other families, and even the Profound Celestial Sect from your home in Deng State, share a common understanding. The younger generation can rely on the resources of their Sect or family before reaching the True Gang Realm, allowing them to focus solely on their cultivation. But once they reach the True Gang Realm... they’re on their own for the road ahead."
Lin Yan fell into deep thought. The words from Uncle Qi and his master were all telling him the same thing. ’You’re an adult now. The family has helped you as much as it can. If you want to continue on the path of Martial Arts, you’ll have to rely on yourself from now on.’
"Master, then what path should I take in my Martial Arts after I reach the True Gang Realm?"
"You follow the Sword Dao, so naturally, you should go to the North Sea Lineage. Its territory is vast, and Treasures of Heaven and Earth are far more abundant there than in our Shandong Dao. Not to mention its two top-tier Sects, the Celestial Sword Sect and the Taiyi Sword Sect. If you could join either of those two powers, you wouldn’t have to worry about the resources needed for your cultivation in the True Gang Realm."
Celestial Sword Sect!
Lin Yan’s expression remained unchanged, but a chill rose in his heart.
He hadn’t forgotten the sword strike that had lashed out from the crack in the black Sword Stele at the Sword Inquiry Stone.
’If it weren’t for the Martial Arts Tree, I would have been crippled.’
’That person who attacked... he was addressed as "Eldest Brother." He had to be from the Celestial Sword Sect.’
"Your Sword Dao aptitude was tested as Rank B at the Sword Inquiry Stone, which doesn’t meet the entry requirements for the Celestial Sword Sect. As for the Taiyi Sword Sect, you’d either need Middle Rank A or Upper Rank A aptitude... or you’d have to be an Innate Sword Heart. Otherwise, you can’t join the Taiyi Sword Sect directly."
Hearing his master’s words, Lin Yan once again fell silent.
’Go get tested at the Sword Inquiry Stone again?’
’What if I run into that person again? That path is too risky.’
’But if I can’t get Middle or Upper Rank A, I can’t join the Taiyi Sword Sect...’
Lin Yan began to hesitate. Back in Guangping County Town, when he was just an ordinary person, only he knew the hardships he had endured to progress from the basics to the third stage of Skin Smoothing.
By contrast, since coming to Qing State and having the backing of his family, his cultivation had been incredibly smooth, with almost no setbacks.
Before he’d enjoyed the benefits of having his family’s backing, it hadn’t mattered much to Lin Yan. But now that he had experienced the advantages of having a powerful supporter, he really didn’t want to go back to braving the path of Martial Arts all alone.
"Master, what about the other Sword Sects?"
’If I can’t get into the two strongest Sword Sects, I can settle for the next best thing.’
"As for the next best options, that’s what I called you here to talk about." Lin Shouyuan stroked his beard. "Do you remember me saying that I attended the Chengyi Sword Institute back when I was in the North Sea Lineage?"
"Yes, I remember."
Lin Yan nodded. He recalled his earlier snarky thought that his master couldn’t have possibly gone to some place like Jingda Cyan Bird.
"The Taiyi Sword Sect doesn’t recruit outsiders unless they are geniuses with an Innate Sword Heart. However, they have a recommendation system. Any Sword Institute with ties to the Taiyi Sword Sect is qualified to recommend disciples, and in fact, most of the Taiyi Sword Sect’s disciples get in through recommendations from these lower institutes."
A recommendation system?
Lin Yan’s expression was a little strange. His earlier sarcastic thought hadn’t been wrong after all. Compared to the Taiyi Sword Sect, the Chengyi Sword Sect really was the equivalent of a preparatory school for Taiyi University.
"So, Master, you mean for me to join the Chengyi Sword Institute."
"Yes. Join the Chengyi Sword Sect. If you get the opportunity to secure a recommendation, you can enter the Taiyi Sword Sect. If you fail to get one, the Chengyi Sword Institute isn’t a bad place to be. I was only able to join the Chengyi Sword Institute myself back in the day due to a stroke of luck. Once you enter the True Gang Realm, I will write a letter to your grandmaster, and you will take it with you when you go to the Chengyi Sword Sect."
As Lin Shouyuan saw it, his own Sword Dao talent hadn’t been sufficient when he joined the Chengyi Sword Institute; he had gotten in by a stroke of sheer luck. His disciple’s talent, however, was more than enough. He wasn’t writing to his old master to ask him to open a back door for Lin Yan, but rather so that with this connection from their shared lineage, Lin Yan would have a powerful supporter within the Chengyi Sword Institute.
Seeing Lin Yan lost in thought, Lin Shouchen smiled. "We’re telling you all this just to give you time to prepare. For now, your priority is to focus on breaking through to the True Gang Realm. Since you placed in the top three this time, the family will reward you with five drops of Cold Dew. Our Third Branch will contribute another two, and your master will also give you two. Nine drops of Cold Dew should be enough for you to make a push for the True Gang Realm."

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