Chapter 13: Heading to the Sect

After considering for a moment, the short-haired woman spoke.

"I'll give you 50,000 each for the Iron Fist Gloves and the Bronze-Headed Blade. How about that?"

Lin Jichen nodded in agreement.

Not every piece of equipment could sell for 500,000 like the Green Serpent Bow.

First of all, the Green Serpent Bow was the first item in the auction, and with its poisoned arrows, it was an excellent beginner's weapon.

On top of that, the short-haired woman had deliberately raised the price, pushing it to 500,000.

If Lin Jichen truly believed that any random beginner's white-grade equipment could sell for 500,000, he would be dreaming.

The actual value of the Green Serpent Bow was at best 50,000.

Moreover, the attributes of the Iron Fist Gloves and the Bronze-Headed Blade couldn't compare to the Green Serpent Bow with its poisoned arrows—there was a huge gap.

Getting 50,000 for each was already an overpay, so Lin Jichen had no reason to be dissatisfied.

"As for this spirit-grade equipment, to be honest, this is our guild's first spirit-grade piece, and its attributes are excellent. How about this—I'll offer you 500,000 more, making it a total of 600,000. What do you think?"

After speaking, the short-haired woman looked at Lin Jichen somewhat nervously.

If he showed any dissatisfaction, she had already decided to increase the offer slightly.

It wasn't just about buying these pieces of equipment; she also wanted to win over this expert for her boss.

Anyone who could solo the Wild Boar King was nothing less than a top-tier expert!

Even though they couldn't recruit him into their guild—since Moonshadow Guild only accepted women—it didn't mean they couldn't build a good relationship with him.

If they ever encountered a difficult boss in the future, they could always ask for his help.

The short-haired woman was ready to raise the price further, but Lin Jichen showed no dissatisfaction and simply nodded decisively.

"Alright, 600,000 it is. Transfer the money quickly—I have things to do."

Lin Jichen wasn't uninterested in negotiating for more, but time was of the essence. The heavenly tribulation was coming soon.

Besides, he found haggling bothersome. As long as he had enough cash, that was enough for him.

Seeing Lin Jichen accept so readily, the short-haired woman quickly transferred 600,000 to him.

After confirming the funds had arrived, Lin Jichen handed over the equipment and left without looking back.

"Hey!"

"What now?" Lin Jichen asked impatiently.

The short-haired woman was speechless. Normally, young men who saw her would be utterly captivated.

Most would try to stick around, eager to exchange a few more words to win her favor.

But Lin Jichen? He was like a block of wood. Not only did he never take the initiative to talk to her, but he also seemed somewhat disdainful of her presence.

This was the first time she had encountered such treatment.

"Let's add each other as friends. If you have any more equipment in the future, you can sell it to Moonshadow Guild. I guarantee fair prices."

She sent a friend request to Lin Jichen.

Lin Jichen nodded and accepted, officially adding her as a friend.

Afterward, the short-haired woman glanced at his name.

Lin Jichen? That sounded pretty nice—probably not his real name, though.

Lin Jichen also looked at her name: Su Wanling.

With that done, he immediately left, disappearing into the Wild Boar Forest without looking back.

Su Wanling found Lin Jichen to be a strange person.

It was as if staying even one extra second around a group of beautiful women made him uncomfortable.

Could he be... gay?

After leaving the Wild Boar Forest, Lin Jichen sprinted toward the village's outskirts. The dark clouds in the sky followed closely behind him.

Given his current strength, trying to resist the heavenly tribulation would be like an ant trying to shake a tree—pure suicide.

So he had to run!

Of course, he knew he couldn't outrun lightning.

His goal was to reach the teleportation array!

The Sword Sect Letter given by the blacksmith had marked the location of a teleportation array.

Thanks to his Qi Refining attributes and the Iron Plate Boots, while others still had only 1 point in speed, Lin Jichen already had 23 points.

The difference was like comparing someone strolling leisurely to someone galloping on horseback—at full speed.

The other players could only see a shadow streak past them.

If this were real life, even Usain Bolt would have retired in tears on the spot.

With three minutes left before the tribulation struck, Lin Jichen finally found the teleportation array near the village.

An elderly white-haired man sat beside it, puffing on a pipe.

"Young man, you want to use the teleportation array? It's been out of order for years. Unless you have ten spirit stones to repair it, it's useless. But if you do fix it, you'll have free teleportation in this village forever. What do you say?"

Giving away ten spirit stones for free to benefit others? Normally, Lin Jichen wouldn't be such a good Samaritan.

Even if teleportation fees were waived, it wouldn't be worth it. Who in their right mind would keep coming back to the beginner's village?

He could just walk out of the village if needed.

But right now, he had no time—he had to escape immediately!

Gritting his teeth, he handed over the ten spirit stones dropped by the Wild Boar King.

The old man beamed with joy upon receiving them and promptly repaired the teleportation array.

[Ding! You have selflessly repaired the village's teleportation array, benefiting others. Reputation +20.]

A free reputation boost? Not bad—it made the expense slightly more worthwhile.

"The teleportation array is fixed. Young man, where do you want to go?"

"Heavenly Origin Sword Sect."

"No problem. The Heavenly Origin Sword Sect is a great place for seeking the Dao. Elder Qingsong is the most patient mentor there—his disciples benefit immensely."

Lin Jichen hadn't expected such a valuable recommendation from the old man.

It seemed fixing the teleportation array had granted him an extra benefit.

"Much appreciated."

Deciding to apprentice under Elder Qingsong, Lin Jichen figured it was a good choice.

This was his first time playing as a sword cultivator—he had no idea which NPCs were the strongest.

Stepping onto the teleportation array, a pillar of light surrounded him, and he vanished from the beginner's village.

Lin Jichen's true path to cultivation had officially begun.

The Heavenly Origin Sword Sect was located in the Taiyin Mountains of Muxian Province.

As the largest sword sect in Muxian Province, it was a dream destination for many sword cultivators seeking a mentor.

Now standing at the sect's entrance, Lin Jichen looked up at a massive diamond stone.

Carved onto it were four bold, calligraphic words: Heavenly Origin Sword Sect

The characters didn't seem carved—they exuded an overpowering presence, their strokes as sharp as sword slashes.

Such a hard stone—ordinary carving tools could never achieve this effect. Clearly, some powerful sword cultivator had written it using their blade.

Upon closer inspection, each character radiated a sharp sword intent, as if an invisible sword was slashing toward the viewer.

Lin Jichen found himself momentarily lost in the sensation, nearly forgetting about the impending heavenly tribulation.

[Comprehended the Heavenly Origin Sword Intent. Sword Technique Aptitude +5%.]

Snapping back to reality, Lin Jichen realized that merely looking at those four words had allowed him to grasp sword intent.

Sword Technique Aptitude differed from innate talent—the higher it was, the faster one could master sword techniques.

Just by glancing at the inscription, he had gained this benefit. That was the advantage of having max comprehension.

In his previous life, he had visited the sect's entrance multiple times and seen this stone inscription often—yet he had never gained anything from it.

Later he planned to explore the entire sect. Who knew what other insights he might gain?