9

[Name: Lin Kai]

[Age: 16/66]

[Realm: Ist Step Condensation (1/100)]

[Skills: Minor Breathing Technique (460/500), Bitter Earth (uninitiated )(1/100), Farming (10/100)]

"Hiss..." The moment Lin Kai looked at the changes in the panel, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes. When he bought the Bitter Earth technique, he himself wasn't expecting much from it. After all, the requirements were pretty simple yet impossible to fulfill.

But looking at it now... Lin Kai almost wanted to laugh out loud.

"Doesn't it mean I can practice any skill without any limitations?"

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't control his emotions. Just this skill 'Bitter Earth' could increase his lifespan by thousands of years. He could only imagine the effects of many 'useless' skills like this one.

If not for the fact that he didn't have any money, he would have rushed out to look for more skills like this.

It took him a while to control his emotions before Lin Kai once again began to practice. He wanted to step into the first layer of the Bitter Earth technique as soon as possible. And for that, Lin Kai was willing to put the matter of cultivation aside.

--------------

While Lin Kai was engrossed in his practice, a different scene was playing out inside Old Xu's house.

At that moment, Old Xu was sitting like usual in front of his house on the bamboo chair just like he did in the noon. The only difference was... instead of Lin Kai, he was now being accompanied by a woman.

The woman seemed to be in her early thirties with fair skin and a gentle expression. She wasn't exceedingly beautiful, but her presence was rather calming. She was one of those pleasant-looking people whose charm would increase the more one sees them. 

Wearing long, loose robes with a golden token on her waist, she was sitting on the bamboo chair while looking at the farms in the distance with a solemn expression. Beside her, Old Xu sat in silence as if thinking about something. 

"So... You are not going to change your mind?" It wasn't until a few more minutes passed that the woman finally looked away from the scenery in front of her and asked the old man. 

"No." It was a firm reply that left no room for discussion.

"I will still advise you to reconsider this decision." With a frown, the woman tried to persuade him. "Though there is a great fortune in the ruins, it is equally dangerous. For someone like you, who has only condensed the third step... Going there is equivalent to death."

With a sigh, she once again advised Old Xu not to go there. Others might not know, but she was extremely clear about the dangers lurking inside the ruins. She didn't want the old man to die in vain.

"Heh." The old man suddenly let out a chuckle. "You know my talent is limited right?" There was a hint of mockery in his voice, but it was directed towards himself. As if he was laughing at his pitiful fate.

"Without any opportunity, I would at most live three or four more years. I just don't want to die so soon. There are still many things that I need to do. Even if I were to die, I would prefer to die on my own terms."

Looking at the old man who had already made up his mind, the woman just let out a sigh. After years of being acquainted with this stubborn old man, she knew there was nothing that could change his mind now. Briefly, her eyes flashed with sadness, but soon it was hidden deeply.

"If you have any last wish, you can tell me." Neither she nor Old Xu himself believed that he was going to come back alive. 

"Hmm..." Old Xu thought for a moment before giving her a nod. "I do have. But before that..." He walked inside his house and came back with a long piece of paper. "This is the monthly report."

The woman took a cursory glance before placing it inside her robe. 

"Other than this report, there are a few more things that I didn't have time to write." With a brief pause, Old Xu spoke further.

"Some farmers were approached by the independent cultivators and asked to plant for them."

"Also, there is some restlessness amongst the fishing community. You might want to check there too."

"OH! I almost forgot... Fatty Lu is still asking money from the newcomers for seeds provided by the sect. He is even charging them interest."

"Snort." The woman let out a snort after she heard the third sentence. "He really has a death wish."

As soon as she said these words, Old Xu let out a smile. With her assurance, he already knew the miserable fate of the fatty.

"I do have a rather selfish request." It was only now that the old man spoke with a sigh. With only a few years to live and no family left, there weren't a lot of things that required his attention. Except for one...

"Go on. I will see what I can do." The woman didn't promise him immediately. As long as the request was reasonable, she was willing to lend a hand. 

"Do you still remember the boy I told you about?" Old Xu spoke with a smile.

"The one you found in the forest?" if not for the fact that this incident took place just a few months ago, the woman would have forgotten about it.

"Yes... Exactly." Old Xu let out a sigh of relief. "I want you to pass on my position to him."

"HUH!?" As soon as Old Xu spoke, the woman narrowed her eyes. She was expecting a lot of things that the old guy might request. What she wasn't expecting was this seemingly bizarre request of his.

"Is it not possible?" Noticing the change in her expression, Old Xu felt a thump in his heart. 

"It's not entirely impossible." There was still a frown on her face when she spoke. "It's just that... He is a newbie and rather young. Once exposed, it would do him more harm than good."

"Also... I am not sure I can trust him."

There was a brief silence after her statement. 

"He'll do just fine." Old Xu's voice was full of assurance. Even though the time he spent with Lin Kai wasn't much, it wasn't in vain. 

"I have left my diary here and recorded a few things about him. Feel free to browse through it if you ever feel the need to."

"I'll see what I can do." Even though she didn't want to, she could only promise the old man. This was his last wish and she was going to respect it. 

After giving him her words, the woman couldn't help but ask. "Why are you so confident in him?"

She still couldn't understand what was so special about the boy that the old man was willing to ask a favor from her. 

"Let's just call it a hunch." The old man just smiled with no intention of answering her. Taking a deep breath, his eyes flashed as he thought about his first meeting with Lin Kai in the forest.

"Forget it." Since Old Xu wasn't willing to answer her, she wasn't going to waste her time asking about it.

The two of them chatted for a long time. Sometimes they would laugh and sometimes they would just sit there in silence. 

Forty years ago, both of them came to this sect in hopes of pursuing power and fame. One accomplished it while the other fell short. 

Thinking about how ambitious they were in their youth, both of them couldn't help but smile. 

It wasn't until it was morning that the woman left quietly. However if one were to observe her carefully, one would notice a teardrop rolling down her cheeks that shone like a pearl under the hazy morning sunlight.

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"Ugh... This is going to take a long time." Opening his eyes after a long and tiring night of practice, Lin Kai shook his head in disappointment. After he saw that he could practice the technique without the need for the blood of an extinct animal, he was ecstatic. And in his excitement, he didn't think it would be hard to practice it. But to his dismay, the practice was harder than he initially thought. 

Occasionally, he would perform the wrong set of breathing methods, making the entire process chaotic. There were even a few times when his aura was almost out of control. Thankfully, no major accident happened. But if it were to repeat a few more times, Lin Kai wasn't sure if he was going to be unscathed. 

The only thing he could do now was to practice patiently. As for how much time it was going to take... he didn't have the slightest clue.

"Forget it... Let's just focus on the farming first." Knowing that he could practice any skill without the need for the specific material, Lin Kai was dying to learn a few more skills. 

But looking at his empty pockets, he couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. He needed to make money to get those skills. And to make money... the only thing he could rely on right now was farming.

"Sigh." With a heavy sigh, Lin Kai walked outside his house and began to work on his farm. He needed to uproot the weeds, tilt the soil, plant the seeds, and then water them regularly. Unlike Old Xu, who could do this easily, he needed to do it by hand. And it was going to take a lot of his time. 

Unbeknownst to him, the figure of Old Xu was watching him from the distance quietly. At first, he thought about bidding him farewell. But looking at Lin Kai busy in his fields, he ultimately decided against it. Sometimes it is better to just leave than to bid farewell. He didn't want to leave with a heavy heart. 

Looking at Lin Kai's figure that son blurred before being replaced by the figure of his young son; Old Xu held his breath.

With a smile, he relaxed his shoulder and muttered in a voice that only he could hear. 

"I wish you a long, happy, and fulfilling life." 

It was as if he was talking to his son instead of Lin Kai.

With a sigh, he turned around and headed back home. 

After taking out two thin books from his robe, he carefully placed them under a small cloth bag and a note.

After doing all this, Old Xu looked at the farm and the house that had accompanied him for more than forty years and bowed one last time. It was a heartfelt gratitude towards the sword sect that took him in and taught him everything. It was his farewell to the place that fed and sheltered him for so long.

With one last look, he picked up his bag and soon disappeared into the horizon, leaving behind another tale of a man pursuing his dreams and ambitions...