Chapter 32: To Cultivate or Not to Cultivate—That Is the Question

Chapter 32: To Practice or Not to Practice, That Is the Question

Inside the Buddha hall, Lin Zhennan's face was deathly pale, devoid of any trace of color. The item that had always been kept atop the beam in the shrine had vanished without a trace.

"This... this..." Lin Zhennan was so shaken that a surge of blood rushed up his throat and spilled from his mouth, staining his chest.

Lin Pingzhi was startled. "Father, father, what's wrong?"

Seeing this, Zuo Lengchan understood immediately. The real sword manual had indeed been kept here, but the Huashan Sect had secretly taken it, and even the Lin family had no idea. How had they discovered its hiding place?

"Fortunately, I had Lao Denuo infiltrate Huashan early on. Otherwise, if Yue Buqun, that hypocrite, obtained the manual, he would be a grave threat indeed..." Zuo Lengchan mused. He believed that if Yue Buqun got the sword manual, he would be ruthless enough to mutilate himself—a judgment based on his understanding of Yue Buqun.

"Senior..." Lin Zhennan finally regained his composure. Ignoring the blood on his lips, he struggled to explain himself to Zuo Lengchan, even changing his address to "Senior."

Zuo Lengchan knew well that the true sword manual was now in his possession at Songshan, but he showed nothing on his face and spoke with a sinister tone, "Chief Lin, do you take me for a three-year-old child, trying to trick me with such clumsy lies?"

Lin Zhennan felt as if he could never clear his name, no matter how hard he tried. He hurriedly insisted, "Senior, it's true! It's true! The Lin family sword manual was always kept here. It was our ancestor's dying wish that no descendant should ever read it. I have strictly followed his instruction, never approached or even mentioned the location of the manual..."

Zuo Lengchan remained noncommittal. "Oh? Why did Lin Yuantu forbid you from reading the sword manual? Is there some deeper reason?"

"Because... because..." Lin Zhennan faltered, ashamed to speak.

Zuo Lengchan had already deduced most of the truth and pressed, "Because of what? Speak!"

Lin Zhennan had no choice. "Our ancestor's last words stated that this sword technique is too sinister and poisonous. Anyone who practices it will be doomed to lose all heirs. Our ancestor was a monk; after practicing it, he realized it was wholly unsuitable, violating the compassion of the Buddhist path. As secular people, we must never practice it..."

Zuo Lengchan now fully understood. "You say Lin Yuantu was once a monk?"

Lin Zhennan nodded, seeing that there was no point in hiding anything further.

Zuo Lengchan pieced everything together. He was a brilliant man; by now, he realized that Lin Zhennan's father could not have been Lin Yuantu's biological son, but was adopted to cover up the truth. The reason was simple: Lin Yuantu, being a monk, could not have offspring, and after castrating himself to practice the sword, it was even more impossible.

"So, the manual Denuo stole is genuine..." Zuo Lengchan's last doubts evaporated. He had uncovered the secret of the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" and felt his journey well rewarded.

At this point, Zuo Lengchan no longer cared for the father and son. He snorted coldly, "Consider yourselves fortunate. I intended to kill you to silence the secret, but seeing your honesty, I will spare you this time..."

Though ruthless, Zuo Lengchan possessed a grand ambition. Only the likes of the Sun Moon Sect's Invincible East, its former leader Ren Woxing, and the heads of Shaolin and Wudang were worthy of his attention; the rest were insignificant.

As for the Lin father and son, he couldn't even be bothered to kill them. Having obtained the secret and confirmed the authenticity of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, Zuo Lengchan was preoccupied with the ultimate dilemma: to practice or not to practice. He ignored the two and drifted out of the shrine like a cloud, vanishing swiftly into the deep night.

At that moment, Lin Zhennan felt all his strength drain away and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, as if he had narrowly escaped death.

Truthfully, he had not expected to survive the night, but the mysterious man had indeed spared them, filling Lin Zhennan with unexpected joy.

"Father..." Lin Pingzhi likewise felt as if he had been given a second chance at life. Now that things had calmed, countless questions arose in his mind. For the first time, he realized how many secrets his family harbored, secrets he knew nothing about.

"Ping'er, don't ask. The affairs of the martial world are beyond one's control. I kept these things from you for your own good..." Lin Zhennan sighed.

"Father, why don't we practice our ancestor's sword manual? Only then will we have the power to protect ourselves!" Lin Pingzhi was unwilling to let the matter drop. Tonight, he had witnessed the strength of true masters, and his heart now longed for such power—the ability to control life and death, to wield absolute authority.

"No! Absolutely not! That is our ancestor's command. Any Lin family descendant must never violate it!" Lin Zhennan insisted firmly. Lin Pingzhi did not know the full truth, but Lin Zhennan did. He had once been as eager as his son, but when his own father lay dying, he revealed the secret to him, and Lin Zhennan had honored it ever since.

To ensure the continuation of the Lin family bloodline, Lin Zhennan would never allow Lin Pingzhi to practice the true Evil-Repelling Sword Technique—never, under any circumstances.

"Father..." Lin Pingzhi was furious, and for the first time in his life, he considered leaving home. If he could not learn the family sword technique, he could at least join a great sect to learn martial arts.

...

Having grasped the secret, Zuo Lengchan traveled through the night back to Songshan, but his heart was anything but calm. Instead, he was beset by an even greater internal struggle.

Previously, when the authenticity was uncertain, it mattered little. But now that he knew the sword manual was real, Zuo Lengchan truly felt the agony of decision.

If he chose not to practice, the memory of his humiliating defeat at the hands of Ren Woxing, leader of the Sun Moon Sect, gnawed at him like a persistent maggot. Though he had cultivated the "Cold Ice True Energy," even so, he knew it was uncertain whether he could surpass Ren Woxing. And now, the one atop Blackwood Cliff was the undisputed number one in the world; to overcome that person, neither the Cold Ice True Energy nor the Songshan Sword Technique would suffice, not even with the Great Songyang Divine Palm.

If he chose to practice, he would have to wield the blade upon himself, forever losing the mark of manhood—a pain Zuo Lengchan found equally unbearable.

Tormented by this dilemma, even upon returning to Songshan Sect, he could not make up his mind.

In the secret chamber, Zuo Lengchan stared at the monk's robe inscribed with the sword technique, his face twisted. He had tried to practice the sword without mutilating himself, but each attempt left him burning with uncontrollable desire, nearly driven mad. Only his deep internal strength allowed him to suppress it, but he could not continue.

To progress, he must mutilate himself.

To practice or not to practice, that is the question!

...

Second update delivered—votes requested.

(End of chapter)