EFB Chapter 55 Breakthrough in Bottleneck, Level Up Again
Chapter 55 Breakthrough in Bottleneck, Level Up Again
"Senior brother, you've been shot with an arrow! And it's poisoned!" Shu Yuliu was terrified and completely lost his composure.
"It's nothing." Lin Zhu waved his hand. The poison had entered his body and was beginning to take effect. It was the poison of lovesickness, and the pain was unbearable. However, he could still talk and laugh as if nothing had happened. "Help me pull the arrow out."
Jin Xiaohu ran over to check on the situation and said, "Quickly search for the antidote."
Shu Yuliu found some porcelain bottles on Cui Luoyan's body, but they had no labels or stickers, so he couldn't tell whether they were poison or medicine.
Qingde and Tie Yingjie were equally shocked. The former took out the antidote pill made by the White Egret Sword Sect from his pocket and gave it to Lin Zhuo. Even if it didn't cure the disease immediately, it could at least delay the poisoning and buy time for treatment.
"Let's go back to the courtyard first." Lin Zhuo's muscles began to spasm from the pain, but he didn't show it on his face.
Qingde and Tie Yingjie were left to clean up the battlefield, while Shu Yuliu helped him up and used his lightness skill to quickly take him back to his residence.
Zhu Baixuan was waiting there and had already lit the incense burner. Strangely enough, on such a rainy day, the courtyard was completely dry, with not a drop of rain falling into it.
Lin Zhu greeted the giant panda that had transformed into a black and white child, but did not ask for any antidote. He then sat cross-legged on the Dharma seat.
He picked up the wine jar under the osmanthus tree, tilted his head back and took a big gulp. The strong liquor made him grimace slightly, and the faint bluish-black tinge on his face dissipated.
Taking advantage of the surge of spiritual energy after consuming the spirit wine, he closed his eyes, concentrated, and began to circulate the "Marrow Refining and Blood Transformation Longevity Method".
He had already mastered this internal skill to the point of near perfection, and was only one step away from breaking through the bottleneck to unlock the second type of energy circulation effect.
Although the pain from the longing in his tassels caused his muscles to twitch incessantly, Lin Zhuo didn't care about the discomfort. As long as the pain wasn't so severe that it made it difficult to stay conscious, it wouldn't affect his ability to circulate his inner energy.
"Is Master Lin's injury that serious?" Wei Xiaowan, who had been staying in the courtyard, was also shocked to see him return covered in blood. "Why haven't Brother Fan and the Taoist priest returned? Are they badly injured?"
"They only have minor injuries. It's nothing serious," Shu Yuliu explained casually, his eyes never leaving Lin Zhuo for a moment, his hands clenched into fists in his large jacket pockets.
On the banks of the Qingshui River, Tie Yingjie and Qingde discussed how to dispose of the corpses. Considering that these Night Rain Pavilion assassins were shady characters from the martial arts world, each carrying a bounty, bringing them back to the Righteous Hall to verify their identities would be a meritorious deed.
"I won't accept this credit," Tie Yingjie shook his head. "I was able to survive this time entirely thanks to Hero Lin and the others, as well as your righteous help, Daoist Master."
"The Tie family of Fengjianlou, one of the twenty-four seats in the martial arts alliance in the past, was pure, aloof, and outstanding, with a long-standing reputation for chivalry. If their descendants were to regroup and rebuild their strength, it would be a joyous occasion for all righteous people in the world," Qingde advised.
The Wind Sword Tower has only one Tie family, with a small population. Each generation has at most two or three disciples who have completed their apprenticeship. However, they have established themselves in the martial arts world with their swordsmanship, subduing all the major and minor sects in Xiaoshui Prefecture and becoming the most prestigious martial arts force in the area. In just two generations, they have successfully secured a seat in the Martial Arts Alliance Council.
Tie Yingjie grew up listening to family legends, but he never witnessed its glory firsthand. He only saw the moment the Tie family declined and perished. It was like a beautiful fairy herb or exotic flower in a fairy tale, praised and longed for by everyone, but how come in his hands all that was left was a withered stem?
"The Tie family? Where is the Tie family now? There's only Mu Xiaofan and the Rain Blade Hall that won't let me go."
"You're using the Tie family's Wind-Riding Flower-Sweeping Sword Technique. As long as your sword isn't broken and you still have a breath left, how can the Tie family ever be extinct?"
Qingde spoke with a solemn tone and spoke eloquently.
"Fengjianlou was originally a small lineage within a large sect. In the past, our ancestor, Lian An, single-handedly defeated 14 of the 24 leaders of the Martial Arts Alliance with his sword, sweeping across the northern martial arts world. Even my Bailu Sword Sect's grandmaster had many words of praise for Lian An."
"Later, in Hexi County of Xiaoshui Prefecture, Lian An Gong could not bear to see the suffering of the people. He joined forces with the heroine Qi, who was known as Bishui Shenhua, to enter Cangcheng and overthrow the rampant Ba Dao Hall. After the two heroes eliminated this great threat, they fell in love and got married, which can be called a beautiful story. They even created the Wind-Riding Flower-Sweeping Divine Sword together, which laid the foundation for the Tie family's business for generations."
Tie Yingjie remained expressionless; he had heard these words before.
"I have not mastered the complete Wind-Riding Flower-Sweeping Sword Technique. Nor can I bear the heavy responsibility of revitalizing my family. My only wish in life is to grow old hand in hand with Wan'er."
Upon hearing this, Qingde stopped trying to persuade him and only said, "Zhengqi Hall has reserved an iron plaque for you. You can come and get it anytime you think it over."
Tie Yingjie gathered the usable loot from the corpses, wrapped it in a cloth, carried it on his back, and went to find the other players. Qingde went to the Righteous Hall to gather manpower, as they needed a cart to move the corpses.
Before long, Tie Yingjie stepped back into the courtyard of Sishui Guitang. There, he saw that the place was shrouded in mist and smoke, and Lin Zhuo, covered in blood, sat quietly in the mist and smoke, motionless.
He was invigorated by the fragrance, embraced and smiled with Wei Xiaowan who rushed over, exchanged a few words, and then inquired about the condition of Master Lin's injuries.
Shu Yuliu frowned frequently, unable to express her feelings clearly, but she could only pray softly, hoping that her second senior brother would be alright.
Players in the cross-platform naturally don't worry about death; death simply means leaving the instance. But even if it's a separation in life, it still makes these team members, who have only spent a short time together, reluctant to part.
In this battle, Tie Yingjie also suffered some injuries. He borrowed a place from the host family, boiled hot water, cleaned his wounds, applied medicine, and bandaged them.
No one crowded in the courtyard, afraid of disturbing Lin Zhuo's internal energy to expel the poison. Only Zhu Baixuan stood with his hands behind his back, guarding the incense burner. His posture was calm and his demeanor was composed, like a stabilizing force that put everyone at ease.
Jin Xiaohu wanted to share its gains after completing the mission, but seeing that Shu Yuliu was not interested, it couldn't speak. Feeling uncomfortable, it paced around the hall, trying to attract attention.
But Wei Xiaowan, an outsider who knew nothing about martial arts, was bored because she couldn't understand the situation, so she just kept watching the cat.
Jin Xiaohu walked to the door, stood up, and imitated the panda boss by putting his paws behind his back, looking like a weathered old man.
"Huh? Ah? The cat... the cat stood up?" Wei Xiaowan was dumbfounded.
Tie Yingjie and Jin Xiaohu had fought together before, so he was used to it and immediately explained, "It's a guardian spirit beast of the mountain. It's not an ordinary fox."
"Oh, oh, I see..." Wei Xiaowan nodded, feigning ignorance, "So, does that mean I can't touch it?"
Tie Yingjie nodded and said, "We must respect the guardian beasts of the mountain."
Wei Xiaowan stared at Jin Xiaohu's twitching ears, feeling an increasing itch in her heart.
A short while later, Qingde visited again, bringing a reward and collecting the players' righteous iron plaques, intending to have them engraved to commemorate their merits.
The bounty on these Night Rain Pavilion assassins would, on average, allow each of them to earn three merits for every one of their attacks.
Zhu Baixuan's brewing recipe includes some ingredients that need to be exchanged from the Martial Alliance Treasury, so accumulating merits is never a bad thing. In addition to exchanging for physical rewards, merits from the Righteous Hall can also be used to apply for orders from skilled craftsmen to help players forge weapons and equipment.
Qingde also noticed Lin Zhuo's condition and asked in a low voice, "Why don't you go and call a doctor?"
Tie Yingjie raised his chin, gesturing for him to look at the black and white boy beside the incense burner. "With their sect's senior brother here, what need is there for a physician?"
"Brother Tie, do you know anything about this person?"
"How can sparrows understand the winds of the heavens? How can fish and turtles comprehend the waters of the void? I see that one as unfathomable; how could he possibly understand anything?"
"Perhaps he is a grandmaster whose achievements have enabled him to regain his youth," Qingde murmured to himself. "This sect can understand the past and present and calculate the secrets of heaven, so it is not surprising that they have such an unparalleled master."
Zhu Baixuan, who was being secretly talked about, suddenly turned around and casually raised his hand to greet them, "It's getting late, let's go eat."
Shu Yuliu hurriedly asked, "Is Second Senior Brother alright?"
"He's alright now. Let's feed ourselves first, and then bring some back for him."
Although the group was still somewhat hesitant, they followed his advice, tidied themselves up, and went out to the street in high spirits.
Lin Zhuo was left alone in the courtyard. He breathed in and out, and the bluish-black poison on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a bright and clear complexion. The wounds on his body closed tightly, and a little dark blood seeped from the tips of his ten fingers, dripping to the ground. He exhaled a few breaths of grayish-turbid air, and then everything returned to normal.
A moment later, he opened his eyes.
Ding--
[Network notification: The bottleneck of the skill [Marrow Refining and Blood Transformation Longevity Technique] has been broken, and the cultivation progress limit has been unlocked.]
[Marrow Refining and Blood Transformation Longevity Method (Medium Grade, White)]
Learning progress: 50% (Base multiplier × 1)
Current effects: Significantly increases the efficiency of life force generation, greatly increases the speed of mental energy refining, and significantly enhances the power of all true energy; immune to all diseases and toxins caused by illegal spells and supernatural effects, and greatly reduces the duration of all health-related debuffs.
(When your profession level reaches Lv3 and your learning progress reaches 99%, you can try to break through the bottleneck and unlock the next effect.)
After breaking through the bottleneck, one's internal energy cultivation reaches a new level, and what follows is the need for a higher level to break through the next barrier.
However, Lin Zhuo has absolutely no need to worry about this.
[Network Notification: Mission Completed - Old Grudges Remain, Rain of Blades Leads to Death (Hard)]
[Quest Rewards: 240 Disaster Coins, 1500 Universal Experience, "Jianghu Recipe: Spicy Fish" (gray), "Wasp Sting" (white), Infantry Armor: Torso (white)]
Occupation: Qigong Master Lv2 (2150/900)
Upgrade requirements have been met.