Chapter 108: The Martial Saint Borrows a Blade

Lin Fan lifted his blade and walked toward the snowman. The first step was casual, like a stroll through a garden. Yet, with every step, his pace quickened. After ten steps, Lin Fan was sprinting. After twenty, his figure had become a blur. A momentum began to rise within him, gestating and growing stronger with every passing second.

By the thirtieth step, Lin Fan was no longer visible; there was only a piercing ray of light charging forward. That light was as sharp as a blade, as unstoppable as a green dragon. The ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, as if struck by countless blades, and the very air around the light began to warp.

This momentum was irresistible. This was the blade’s intent! An infinite intent!

The human body has its limits, but human will has none.

Lin Fan had finally earned the recognition of the Green Dragon Blade. At this moment, the blade trembled in his hands, and for the first time, Lin Fan felt its resonance.

"Lad, take the blade!"

A laugh that had traveled across a millennium rang out. The edge of the Green Dragon Blade, hidden for a thousand years, was now fully revealed. The will concealed within the blade fused with Lin Fan—the will of the Martial Saint, Guan Yu.

At this moment, Lin Fan was like a green dragon, roaring as he charged at the snowman. Behind him, the phantom of the Martial Saint, Guan Yu, grew more solid, charging forward with a blade in hand just as Lin Fan did. He raised his blade and laughed!

He had once ridden a thousand miles alone and passed through five gates, slaying six generals. Back then, he did it to defend the Great Han. And now, the youth he recognized was slaughtering a snowman across a thousand miles to defend the Great Xia.

"Roar!"

The snowman, which possessed the body of a god, looked at the youth charging toward it with horror in its eyes; it dared not strike first! Its instinct told it only one thing: "Death!"

Not until Lin Fan was upon it did it snap out of that instinctive fear. Suppressing the terror in its heart, it let out a thunderous roar. "Roar!"

Its thick, powerful legs surged with strength, its beast-like muscles exploding as it lunged at Lin Fan like a fearless predator. Its sharp claws raked toward his face.

At the same time, Lin Fan, who had become one with the blade, leaped high into the air.

"Roar!"

The Green Dragon Blade hummed violently; the clear sound of the steel became a dragon’s roar—a dragon’s roar of the Great Xia! The blade swung down, slashing fiercely toward the lunging snowman.

Man and beast collided. It was a clash of will against bestiality, a decisive battle between humanity and barbarism.

Lin Fan had no thoughts in his mind, only one word: "Kill!"

This will was more frantic and purer than any bestial instinct. Lin Fan’s silhouette merged with the blade’s light, as if he had transformed into a green dragon. The moment he made contact with the leader of the snowmen, the dragon roared and passed straight through its body.

The next moment, Lin Fan appeared behind the snowman and landed steadily. The snowman stood frozen, its eyes filled with confusion. It did not know what had happened; it only saw a green dragon roaring toward it, and as the dragon grew larger in its vision, it suddenly transformed into a piercing, blinding blade.

A long blade, expanding rapidly in its sight. A blade of the Great Xia. A blade from a thousand years ago.

"Drip."

A drop of blood hit the ground. Lin Fan’s blade was bleeding.

"So-called bestiality, so-called instinct—they can never conquer true will."

Lin Fan turned to look at the snowman. The creature stood there blankly until, suddenly, its confused eyes widened. Its ugly face twisted in terror as if it had finally felt the pain. It understood what had happened. Desperate, it tried to roar, but before it could open its mouth, the sound vanished in its throat.

"Snap."

Its massive, sharp claws fell to the ground.

"Boom!"

A line of blood appeared at the top of its head and traced all the way down. The snowman’s massive body split in two from the crown and collapsed with a crash, blood spreading across the snow. The expression of despair slowly froze on its face.

The air fell silent. The phantom of the Martial Saint behind Lin Fan began to fade. Lin Fan suddenly turned to look at it.

"Swish!"

Lin Fan bowed deeply, his blood-stained face no longer cold, but filled with immense reverence and gratitude.

"I, Lin Fan, thank the Martial Saint for lending me his blade!"

Lin Fan’s voice trembled; it was a reverence from the depths of his soul. After all, this was the Martial Saint! Guan Yu, a household name in the Great Xia. His reputation for loyalty had spanned the ages. His deeds were legendary—slaying Hua Xiong while the wine was still warm, executing Yan Liang and Wen Chou... but most remembered was his journey through five gates and slaying six generals to support the Han Dynasty.

There was no other reason than loyalty. Though Guan Yu’s martial strength was immense, his heart of loyalty far surpassed it. And just now, a wisp of his soul and power, left within the Green Dragon Blade, had recognized Lin Fan. He had lent Lin Fan a strike! He had granted Lin Fan a blade intent he had never possessed in his previous life—the Blade Intent of Loyalty! It was so powerful that it could even wound a god.

If Lin Fan said he wasn't grateful, it would be a lie.

Guan Yu, watching the youth bow before him, said with a huff, "Too weak, far too weak. A mere display of posturing, nothing but common dogs. With such strength, you only soil the blade. Back then, I served my elder brother, slaying Yan Liang and Wen Chou, passing five gates and six generals... You are simply too weak. How are you even fit to be my successor?"

Guan Yu looked arrogant. After all, in the legends of the Great Xia, while the Martial Saint was loyal, he was also prideful—a pride that eventually led to his death, losing Jingzhou to carelessness and falling at Maicheng.

Listening to the Martial Saint’s rebuke, Lin Fan wanted to argue, but then he thought... it was true. Lin Fan had once been fortunate enough to see the Martial Saint in the future. To cover the retreat of the people of the Great Xia, this newly awakened legend had fought the sun god, Apollo, single-handedly! An eighteenth-tier god, radiating divine golden light, had nearly been cut down by this man! Guan Yu, the Eastern Martial Saint, truly lived up to his name.

Unable to refute the criticism, Lin Fan whispered, "You are right, Master of the Long Beard."

At the mention of "Master of the Long Beard," the once-disdainful Martial Saint paused, a faint smile touching his lips as if he had heard something he truly liked. He instinctively stroked his long beard.

His tone softened as he looked at Lin Fan. "However... although you are weak, your spirit is exactly like mine when I swore to support my elder brother and the Great Han. From this day forward, you are my successor. If we are fated to meet again, bring this blade to the place of my slumber, and I shall grant you a greater destiny."

Lin Fan smiled. "Three strikes of the Martial Saint, a slash while the wine is warm?"

The air went silent. Guan Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You... how do you know—"

"I was fortunate enough to fight alongside you," Lin Fan sighed. "It is only a pity that, at the time, I was not strong enough... I could only watch you..."

"I can feel that encroaching malice," Guan Yu said, his voice complex. "So, when I awaken in the future, even I will be unable to protect the Great Han from those invading gods... is that it?"

"I have returned to change all of that," Lin Fan said softly.

Guan Yu was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Hahaha! Indeed, change it all! A great man does what he knows must be done, even if it seems impossible. What does it matter if a man dies for the Great Han?"

"You are worthy of being my successor!"

Just then, Guan Yu’s phantom began to dissipate. The towering figure looked down at Lin Fan, his phoenix-like eyes filled with approval. "Lad," he said, as if entrusting a task to a junior, "this wisp of my soul cannot teach you much. But as my successor, I have two things to tell you."

"First, you must protect this Great Han! Second... be careful, be cautious, and be prudent. Never be prideful, never rely on luck, for I once lost everything due to my own arrogance and carelessness. I disappointed my brother and destroyed the Great Han..."