Chapter 045: Manifestation of True Qi

Everyone was shocked by what they saw. No one expected Lin Le to leap into the ten-meter-deep well without hesitation.

Judging by his martial cultivation, Lin Le was now at the peak of Internal Force, just a step away from breaking through to the Transformative Realm. Compared to ordinary martial artists, and even to Gu Huaishan and Guo Zhao, who had only reached the Minor Achievement of Internal Force, Lin Le was fundamentally different. The degree to which his body had been strengthened far surpassed what normal people could imagine. Many feats that were impossible for regular martial artists were feats Lin Le could accomplish with ease.

And this was only the peak of Internal Force. If Lin Le managed to reach the Transformative Realm, his progress would be nothing short of a leap. Dropping dozens of meters, or even a hundred, would pose no challenge at all. Martial artists at the Transformative Realm possessed the foundations to extend their lives through martial practice; their bodies were tempered to the utmost limits of human potential, no longer measurable by ordinary standards.

This realm was precisely what Gu Huaishan had been pursuing all along. Now, seeing the signs of breakthrough in Lin Le, he could not help but feel a surge of envy.

At this moment, Lin Le reached the bottom of the well, enveloped in utter darkness. He took out his phone and switched on the flashlight, illuminating the space before him.

Lin Le could already sense the thick spiritual energy in the well, indicating that he was very close to whatever was buried beneath. Using his earth-listening technique, he probed again, and sure enough, the object's presence was clear—just under two meters below his feet.

"Well then, let me see what you really are!"

With that, Lin Le channeled his true energy. Under the influence of the dense spiritual aura, his inner power surged, stronger than ever.

Then, with a sharp shout, he raised his palm and struck the ground below with force. A fierce stream of true energy shot forth like an invisible arrow, piercing into the earth.

For Lin Le was not, in essence, a pure martial artist, but a cultivator. Thus, his martial prowess could not be measured solely by martial standards. Even at the peak of Internal Force, he could accomplish feats reserved for experts of the Transformative Realm—such as materializing true energy.

The true energy from Lin Le’s palm, following his will, reached the object underground and transformed into a snare, wrapping itself around the item.

"Up!" Lin Le shouted, exerting all his strength.

A muffled "pop" sounded as the object, enveloped by powerful true energy, broke through the earth and flew straight into Lin Le’s hand.

The moment it touched his palm, Lin Le felt an overwhelming surge of power emanating from the item.

"This is the power of magical force!" Lin Le marveled inwardly.

It seemed his previous guess was correct—this was no ordinary object, but a magical artifact from the world of cultivation!

Moreover, drawing from the memories of the Emperor of Lingxiao, Lin Le could sense the artifact’s rank with precision. If magical artifacts were graded from one to nine, this one was at least a fifth-grade tool, possibly even higher!

Lin Le was overjoyed. Though he possessed the Emperor’s memories and the Lingxiao Technique, the decline of spiritual energy on Earth had made it impossible to craft high-grade artifacts. Unexpectedly, thanks to the abandoned villa Gu Huaishan had given him, Lin Le had stumbled upon such a treasure!

Truly, what is sought in vain may be found by chance!

As Lin Le pulled the artifact from the earth, a seven-colored spiritual rainbow streamed out as well, filling the bottom of the well with dazzling, dreamlike light.

By the glow of the rainbow, Lin Le saw that the object in his hand was an ancient, elegant longsword!

Its design was distinctly different from any sword commonly seen on Earth; rather, it resembled the sword-forging styles prevalent in the otherworldly realms from the Emperor's memories.

"Could this longsword truly come from the world beyond?" Lin Le’s heart raced with excitement.

If so, its power would far exceed his imagination. Yet one thing puzzled him: how could a sword from another world end up here, on Earth, atop Dragon’s Breath Mountain? The mystery was baffling.

But now was not the time to ponder. Lin Le slung the sword over his back, then leapt up more than three meters, clinging to the well wall. With another push, he sprang up again, crossing to the opposite wall.

This was the martial technique known as the Gecko’s Wall-Climbing Art.

Above, Gu Huaishan, Gu Ya, and the others waited anxiously. Suddenly, with a whoosh, Lin Le shot out of the well.

At the same time, a thunderous roar erupted, as a torrent of seven-colored light burst forth from the well, like a vast fountain, following Lin Le’s ascent.

The spectacle was simply astonishing!

Gu Huaishan and Liang Qiuyang let out cries of astonishment, while Gu Ya stared with wide eyes, as though witnessing a miracle.

When Lin Le landed, the seven-colored fountain spread outward, forming a circular halo that enveloped the entire villa. This time, the halo was even more magnificent than before.

Gu Huaishan and his companions were so stunned that they were speechless for a long time.

After a while, they snapped out of their shock, all eyes settling on the sword in Lin Le’s hand.

"Lin… Lin, my young friend, is this the thing that was buried underground?" Gu Huaishan asked incredulously.

If it had been an ordinary object, it would have decayed long ago. Yet the sword in Lin Le’s hand was perfectly preserved, not a speck of dust on it. It was truly astounding.

"Mr. Lin, is this… could this be a magical artifact?" Liang Qiuyang, being an apprentice cultivator, immediately sensed the unusual aura emanating from the sword.

"That’s right. It is this artifact that suppressed the spiritual energy on Dragon’s Breath Mountain," Lin Le replied calmly.

In truth, the sword was suppressing not just the mountain’s spiritual energy—Lin Le suspected its true purpose was to act upon the grand formation formed by the seven peaks.

"A magical artifact? It’s actually a magical artifact!" Gu Huaishan could not help but exclaim.

The highest level of internal martial arts, the Profound Realm, was about entering the path through martial arts and achieving enlightenment. In some sense, martial and spiritual cultivation were two paths to the same goal. Thus, as an inner disciple, Gu Huaishan had heard tales of such legendary artifacts.

"Do magical artifacts truly exist in this world?" Gu Ya murmured dreamily.

Had someone told her this before, she would have dismissed it as fantasy. But now, surrounded by these surreal rainbows, she could no longer doubt.

Guo Zhao, standing aside, was utterly dumbfounded.

Though also an inner disciple, his experience and knowledge were far inferior to Gu Huaishan’s. He had little understanding of magical artifacts and couldn’t grasp their significance.

Having witnessed Lin Le’s strength and insight, Guo Zhao recollected his own foolishness in daring to challenge Lin Le when they first met. Now, he realized just how vast the gulf between them truly was.

"Mr. Lin, could you draw the sword for us? We’d love a chance to broaden our horizons!" Liang Qiuyang asked eagerly.

As a fellow cultivator, his curiosity toward the sword was even more intense.