Cultivation knows no day or night, but ever since the young apothecary from the medicine hut became a regular at the Sword Tomb, Lin Bugui's world began to gain color.
Su Manman always brought strange and unusual things: sometimes glowing spirit mushrooms, hanging from the withered trees of the Sword Tomb like stars scattered on the ground; sometimes newly refined pills, always carrying a faint peach blossom fragrance when she put them into Lin Bugui's mouth.
"Senior Brother Lin, why do you insist on carrying this armor?"
Su Manman rested her chin on her hand, watching Lin Bugui practice his sword under the moonlight.
His swordsmanship was extremely simple, without any fancy moves; each strike seemed like an instinctive act for survival. The black armor rose and fell with his movements, and Su Manman vaguely seemed to see a flash of golden light beneath the armor plates.
"Because it's my only thing," Lin Bugui sheathed his sword, his breathing steady. "It saved my life, and it also bound it."
"What if one day, it's no longer a burden, but your wings?" Su Manman stood up and walked to him.
She wore a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) today, standing out like a vibrant flame in the cold, desolate Sword Tomb. Suddenly, she reached out and placed her hand on Lin Bugui's chest.
Through the thick armor, Lin Bugui seemed to feel the warmth of her palm.
"Senior Brother Lin, I've discovered a secret," Su Manman said in a low voice, a hint of childlike smugness in her tone. "Your armor isn't just scrap metal. It's alive. It thirsts for blood, for the aura of the strong. But more importantly, it thirsts for repair." Lin Bugui's pupils contracted slightly.
Just then, a piercing sound of air being torn apart came from the outer perimeter of the Sword Tomb.
"Lin Bugui! Come out and face your death!"
It was Zhao Heng. He had brought his older brother, Zhao Meng, who was in charge of the outer sect, seeking revenge. Zhao Meng was at the early Foundation Establishment stage; the moment he stepped into the Sword Tomb, the immense pressure caused the surrounding broken swords to vibrate and hum.
"What kind of skill is it to hide behind a woman?" Zhao Meng sneered, unleashing a yellowish-brown sword aura from his heavy sword, aiming straight for Lin Bugui's face.
Lin Bugui instinctively tried to push Su Manman away, but Su Manman gripped his armor tightly.
"Don't be afraid, Senior Brother Lin." She closed her eyes, a point of exquisite emerald life force gathering at her fingertips. "I'll open the door for you!"
The spiritual fire within Su Manman erupted instantly—a rare "Longevity Flame," flowing down Lin Bugui's back and into the Myriad Dragon Armor like a torrent.
"Boom—!" The black armor, previously as still as stagnant water, burst forth with a dazzling azure light!
The originally heavy armor plates emitted a joyful rhythmic sound, and dragon-scale-like patterns appeared on the surface. Lin Bugui felt an immense surge of power coursing through his body. Facing the Foundation Establishment stage sword aura, he didn't even draw his sword.
He simply took a step forward.
"Thud!" The sword energy struck the azure light barrier, vanishing instantly like a mud ox entering the sea.
Behind Lin Bugui, the faint silhouette of a blue dragon appeared, its eyes slightly open, exuding a domineering majesty.
"This...what kind of monster is this!" Zhao Meng was terrified.
Lin Bugui raised his eyes, and in that instant, his eyes were no longer misty, but filled with an extremely sharp, cold light. He casually picked up a broken sword from the ground and swung it.
Sword energy, like a rainbow, pierced the night.
That night, the useless disciple of the Guixu Sword Tomb was defeated by a single sword strike at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Behind this earth-shattering sword strike, Su Manman collapsed, exhausted, into Lin Bugui's arms. Her face was pale, but she smiled brightly: "See... I told you... it wanted to fly..." Lin Bugui held the petite girl tightly in his arms, looked down at the slightly warm dragon scale on his chest, and the iceberg in his heart that had never melted for thousands of years finally cracked a crack.