"Alas, the concept of realms is meaningless! Don't you understand the true worth of being the Martial Champion of the Five Branches?"
"WHIMPER, WHIMPER. Another day, another dream of being Eldest Senior Brother's cultivation cauldron~~~"
"I'm afraid that after returning from the Sword Tomb, one will probably be picturing Eldest Senior Brother while resorting to some... 'handiwork' again, sigh."
At this moment, the admiration in all the junior sisters' eyes had reached its peak!
Hmm, this is unfolding exactly like the plot of the novel.
A monster beast at the peak of the Dharma Appearance Realm, and that's all it took?
Lin Xiao, however, was unfazed. He squatted down, began to extract the Beast Core from the Three-eyed Demon Wolf, and said, "The best Spirit Iron here isn't underground, but behind the rock wall where this Demon Wolf appeared. Junior Sisters, you can mine to your hearts' content."
"Understood, Eldest Senior Brother!"
The disciples, naturally, had complete faith in their Eldest Senior Brother's words. They surged forward and carved a large opening into the rock wall!
Dazzling rays of metallic spiritual light emanated from within!
Everyone focused their gaze and immediately began to dance with joy at the sight!
"Heavens! It's Penglai Iron Essence!"
"According to the atlas, this is even Third Grade Penglai Iron Essence! If we use this material to forge a sword, we could at least create a Ground Rank Spirit Sword!"
"Our Eldest Senior Brother even possesses such foresight! It's truly miraculous!"
"From now on, we must cling tightly to Eldest Senior Brother's thigh! Only then can our path of cultivation be smooth!"
Feeling the reverent gazes of everyone present, Lin Xiao remained unfazed.
He had merely preempted the protagonist Ye Chen's storyline.
Nevertheless, at this moment, he felt quite pleased.
A high-quality Spirit Sword could dramatically enhance a Sword Cultivator's combat power!
And currently, within his Divine Phoenix Peak branch—setting aside the four Direct Disciples—the overall strength of the inner sect disciples was the weakest, due to Master Xiao Hongling's lax supervision.
In the original novel, during the invasion by the Eight Great Demon Sects, the junior sisters of Divine Phoenix Peak suffered the most devastating casualties.
Therefore, he planned to seize this Sword Tomb trial as an opportunity for his junior sisters to grow stronger and secretly gain some levels!
It had to be known... once the Sword Tomb plotline concluded, the timeline of Yuanyi's rebellion would immediately follow!
When that time comes, a great storm will be brewing, and blood will flow like rivers!
Lin Xiao could only do so much for disciples from other branches, but as for his Divine Phoenix Peak's harem... oh, no, his junior sisters—not a single hair on their heads could be harmed!
Thinking of this, Lin Xiao gritted his teeth, his eyes glinting with resolve.
For the first time in his life, a sense of responsibility as Eldest Senior Brother welled up within him.
Lin Xiao was contemplating the upcoming plot.
A well-toned, slender long leg appeared in his field of vision.
"Why aren't you picking out Iron Essence? You'll need it for sword forging later."
Lin Xiao patted his junior sister's small face.
"Eldest Senior Brother... here!" Guo Yourong presented an ingot of deep purplish-black Iron Essence exuding a rich spiritual aura. "The other junior sisters can be a bit thoughtless. Fortunately, I was sharp-eyed and quick enough to find this Second Grade Penglai Iron Essence!"
Warmth filled Lin Xiao's heart. He smiled, shook his head, and said, "That's very thoughtful of you, Yurong."
"You keep this for yourself. As for me... um, I have my own great opportunities."
"Ah? Could there still be Iron Essence in the three layers beyond this one?" Guo Yourong asked, blinking her eyes.
"Good girl, don't ask. You'll find out when the time comes."
Lin Xiao looked ahead, his gaze profound.
He was now completely following the protagonist Ye Chen's path.
According to the novel's plot, only after establishing a connection with Zhu Wanning could he frequently visit Phoenix Caw Peak and interact with her master, the widow Su Mei!
Only in this way could he deal the greatest blow to Ye Chen's luck!
Yes, it's purely to suppress Ye Chen!
As for any Dual Cultivation plotlines...
He'd leave that to fate!
Lin Xiao closed his eyes and meditated for a good while.
The sound of soft footsteps came from the entrance.
It was Zhu Wanning, the second in sequence, leading the disciples from Phoenix Caw Peak.
Lin Xiao thought for a moment, then decided to extend a simple courtesy. He said to his junior sisters, "There's an abundance of Penglai Iron Essence in this cave, more than we can use. Be sure to leave some for Senior Sister Zhu of Phoenix Caw Peak."
With that said, he led a few of the stronger junior sisters into the second layer ahead of the others.
"Senior Sister Zhu, there are seventy-two pieces of Penglai Iron Essence here in total. This includes thirty Seventh Grade pieces, fifteen Sixth Grade pieces, and several more of grades lower than seventh."
"These are the best raw materials for sword forging on this first layer of the Ten Thousand Treasures Sword Pavilion!"
"By our Eldest Senior Brother's order, we specifically stayed behind to hand these over to you, Senior Sister Zhu!"
Guo Yourong waved her hand, and a few female disciples immediately stepped forward, carrying over the prepared Iron Essence.
"This... is your Eldest Senior Brother's intention?"
At this moment, Zhu Wanning, who usually wore an expressionless face, found her lips slightly parted, a trace of disbelief flashing across her rosy cheeks!
In her mind, an image involuntarily surfaced: that night, on the tower in Luoyue Town, that silhouette in snow-white robes, like a Fallen Immortal from the Moon Palace.
Senior Brother Lin's way of handling things... he's a bit too gentle...
Sigh, even as an outsider, being cared for by him brings such joy. If I were fortunate enough to become his...
Looking at Guo Yourong before her, a sudden sense of shame washed over Zhu Wanning, and she quickly suppressed her wandering thoughts.
"Junior Sister Guo, please be sure to thank Senior Brother Lin for his kindness on my behalf."
As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed a huge monster beast's corpse lying in a corner, its foul blood splattered everywhere!
Its skull was shattered, its abdomen disemboweled, and the Beast Core had already been extracted.
"Three-eyed Demon Wolf?"
"This... how could this great monster beast of the Dharma Appearance Realm appear here on the first layer?"
Seeing this scene, even Zhu Wanning, with her usually calm disposition, was utterly horrified!
Guo Yourong said, "Yes. Eldest Senior Brother also asked me to inform you, Senior Sister Zhu, that the Sword Tomb has undergone an unexpected change. Many powerful monster beasts and fiends that were sealed within have been released. You must be extremely careful."