Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

While waiting for the artifact to be refined, Lin Ze was not idle.

He sat on the ground, closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing rhythm, and recovered his over-consumed physical strength and true energy as quickly as possible.

The Qilin lay quietly beside him, like a silent mountain. Its sharp eyes were like lightning, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, not missing any slight movement. Every falling leaf, every crawling insect, could not escape its keen perception, just to ensure that no other uninvited guests would suddenly break in and disturb the master's peace.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and everything around seemed so quiet and peaceful. He didn't know how long it had been, so long that Lin Ze almost forgot where he was. At this moment, he suddenly felt a very slight vibration coming from the artifact in his hand, like the low hum of a long-sleeping beast awakened. Although this subtle vibration was short and weak, for Lin Ze, who had been concentrating and waiting, it was like a ray of dawn that broke through the dark night sky.

He immediately understood that this meant that the tempering was nearing its end. Sure enough, not long after, the artifact that had sunk to the bottom of the water and was dull and gloomy began to slowly surface. As the artifact gradually rose, the surrounding water seemed to be pulled by some mysterious force, forming circles of tiny whirlpools. Finally, the artifact completely left the water surface, and what appeared in front of Lin Ze was no longer the inconspicuous item before, but a brand new peerless divine weapon that exuded a powerful aura that made people's hearts flutter!

The artifact was gleaming with dazzling light, like a star falling to earth; its surface was engraved with ancient and mysterious runes, as if it contained endless wisdom and power. Lin Ze stared at the artifact in his hand, his eyes revealing an unconcealable surprise and satisfaction. He could clearly feel the surging energy coming from the artifact, which was like a torrent surging through his body, making him excited.

Looking at the divine weapon in his hand that had become even more powerful after being tempered, Lin Ze couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. This smile contained both the satisfaction of finally getting a reward for his hard work and the confidence in the future. Then, he slowly stood up and gently brushed off the dust on his body, his movements graceful and calm. Then, he turned his head to look at the Qilin who had always been guarding him, and said softly: "Let's go, we should go back."

When Qilin heard the call from his master, he immediately stood up and shook off the water droplets on his body, then walked to Lin Ze with vigorous steps. The man and the beast walked side by side, and their figures gradually went away. They were about to embark on their journey home, but the road ahead was still long and full of unknown difficulties and obstacles. But at this moment, Lin Ze, holding the artifact in his hand, was full of confidence. Because he knew that no matter what difficulties and challenges he faced, as long as he had this peerless magic weapon by his side, he would have enough courage and strength to overcome all difficulties and write his own legendary chapter...

Just after walking a short distance, Lin Ze suddenly felt a strong malice coming. Qilin also stopped vigilantly and let out a low roar. In front of him, smoke and dust rolled, and a group of mysterious people in black robes appeared. They exuded a strange aura, and it was obvious that they had bad intentions.

The leader raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a sinister smile, followed by a creepy sneer: "Lin Ze, Lin Ze, be smart and hand over the artifact quickly! Otherwise, today will be the end of you!" After that, his eagle-like sharp eyes stared at Lin Ze, revealing a hint of murderous intent.

When Lin Ze heard this, he not only did not retreat at all, but instead tightly grasped the artifact in his hand that was emitting a mysterious light. His eyes were as cold as a thousand-year-old ice, and he responded coldly: "Humph! You want my artifact? That depends on whether you have the ability!" Before he finished speaking, he flashed and rushed towards the enemy like an arrow.

At the same time, the Qilin that had been accompanying Lin Ze was not to be outdone. It raised its head and roared, emitting dazzling golden light all over its body. Then it opened its bloody mouth, and with its four hooves flying, it pounced straight at the group of guys in black robes like a flash of lightning.

In an instant, a thrilling battle began. Lin Ze waved the artifact in the air, drawing colorful rays of light. These rays of light rushed out like sharp arrows, and the black-robed people were terrified wherever they passed, and fled in panic to avoid the attack. However, the strength of this group of black-robed people should not be underestimated. Seeing how powerful Lin Ze was, they quickly stabilized their position and organized an effective counterattack. For a while, all kinds of strange and powerful spells swept towards Lin Ze like an overwhelming force.

Although the Qilin was extremely brave and good at fighting, it gradually felt a little overwhelmed by the large number of powerful opponents. At this critical moment, Lin Ze took a deep breath, forced himself to concentrate, and poured all the true energy in his body into the artifact without reservation.

The artifact suddenly emitted a loud and earth-shattering sound, followed by an extremely bright and dazzling light. A powerful wave of force surged out with overwhelming force, instantly knocking the surrounding black-robed people flying backwards. Taking advantage of this fleeting opportunity, Lin Ze turned around and left quickly with Qilin without hesitation.

He knew very well that this fierce battle was just the beginning, and there would definitely be more and more forces with ill intentions who wanted to get their hands on this artifact. However, Lin Ze was not afraid at all, because he firmly believed that as long as the artifact was still in his hands, no matter how rough and thorny the road ahead was, he would be able to move forward bravely and be invincible!

Lin Ze and Qilin ran all the way until they entered a secret valley and stopped. Lin Ze knew that they had to find a way to increase their strength. He began to carefully study the runes on the artifact, trying to gain more power from it.

A few days later, when they set out again, Lin Ze found that he could better control the power of the artifact. On the way, he met an old beggar who blocked his way. Lin Ze was alert, and Qilin was ready for battle. But the old beggar laughed and said, "Don't panic, young man. I know your situation and I'm here to help you." Then he took out a tattered ancient book and handed it to Lin Ze.

Lin Ze flipped it open and found that it was a long-lost technique that could improve strength and hide the aura of a divine weapon. Lin Ze was overjoyed and immediately thanked the old man. After practicing the technique for a period of time, the aura of the divine weapon was indeed hidden, and his strength increased greatly.

When he met covetous people like the black-robed man again, Lin Ze no longer had the same difficulty dealing with them as before. He relied on his own strength and the secret power of the artifact to repel the enemies again and again, and finally successfully returned, becoming a person respected by everyone, and ushered in his glorious era.