Traversing the path of life and death

Chapter Four: The Mysterious Old Man

Lin Yu glanced around. There was no sound. Everyone was looking at him with strange eyes, filled with curiosity and mockery. Lin Yu didn't care about their gazes. Instead, he looked towards the front of the training ground, in the direction of his father.

At this moment, Lin Qingyun was looking at him with a gentle gaze. Lin Yu looked into his father's eyes and recalled what his father had said to him. He then took a firm step and stepped into the center position.

"The crimson sky is full of charm and mystery. You look at it and gaze at it every day. Why is that? Everyone has a reason for doing something. I think you have a reason too. Since you have a reason, I won't object to you doing it. On the contrary, I will encourage you to try to pursue it and not give up, no matter what." These words were spoken by Lin Qingyun to Lin Yu. This is a father's trust in his child. He always believed in his child.

A short white robe tightly wrapped around Lin Yu, his black hair fluttering in the wind. His gaze was fixed on the detection stone, and his young face appeared particularly solemn.

"Lin Yu, extend both hands and place them flat on the detection stone. Be clear-headed and do not think about anything else. Do you understand?" It was the same sentence again and again for the person being tested, without showing any sign of getting tired.

Lin Yu took a deep breath and stretched out his hands, pressing them firmly against the detector stone.

The detector stone did not emit a light like Lin Feng's, nor did it exhibit any unusual phenomena like Lin Bing's. Instead, the detector stone was evenly divided into five parts, perfectly aligned without any deviation, with five different colors representing the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth arranged on it.

Upon seeing the scene on the detection stone, everyone couldn't help but sigh slightly.

Seeing this, Butler Lin shook his head helplessly and then announced Lin Yu's test results.

Lin Yu, the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) are all average.

Lin Yu did not feel despair upon hearing what the old steward said. Instead, he maintained a calm expression. Lin Yu had already anticipated this outcome. What he did not expect was why his heart still ached slightly upon hearing the result.

When the Lin family heard about Lin Yu's innate attributes, a murmur of discussion arose among them, and they quietly pondered it in the training ground.

When Lin Qian, the patriarch of the family, saw the changes in the detection stone, he knew that Lin Yu's innate attribute was gone. A trace of regret was revealed in his heart. Looking at the middle-aged man next to him, who was standing there so calmly, he wondered what he was thinking. So Lin Qian did not know how to persuade him.

The innate attributes are divided into five levels. Level one is the ultimate attribute, like Lin Feng and Lin Bing, who possess a single attribute and have extremely high talent in cultivation. Level two is like Lin Yang, who possesses two attributes and whose talent in cultivation is second only to those with the ultimate attribute. Next are levels three and four, who possess three or four attributes. These people are the most common, and their cultivation level is also average. To put it simply, the ultimate attribute is one in ten thousand, the dual attribute is one in a thousand, and people with three or four attributes can be described as being everywhere.

The fifth level is the Five Attribute People. Although these people have mediocre talents, the probability of them appearing is even lower than that of the Ultimate Attribute People. Ancient books record that the Five Attribute People shone brightly in ancient times, but with the passage of time, these people have long been forgotten, and even if they appear, they will be buried by history.

The Lin family has produced two individuals with exceptional attributes and another with dual attributes. Under this enormous halo, Lin Yu's five attributes seem so insignificant. Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Lin Yu walked out of the trial grounds, his slender figure appearing so lonely in the setting sun.

Lin Yu's father, standing on the bleachers, watched Lin Yu walk out of the training ground with unwavering eyes. As someone who enjoyed reading ancient books, Lin Qingyun naturally knew how rare the Five Elements were, but he also knew that the cultivation of them was indeed extremely difficult. He murmured, "If you can't even handle a small setback, how will you achieve great things in the future?" Then he turned his gaze elsewhere.

Everyone only saw the five colors on the detection stone, but not the five points of dazzling purple. Even Lin Yu did not notice them.

Lin Yu had already returned to his small house and was lying silently on his bed, staring intently at the ceiling. Thinking of Lin Yang, whom he had encountered when he left, he gritted his teeth, clenched his small hand into a hammer, and slammed it hard on the bed, thinking fiercely, "Lin Yang, I will not let you off easily next time we meet."

"It's better to do something than to do something else. If you haven't taken action by today, I think next time it won't be you beating him up, but him dealing with you," the old man's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, startling Lin Yu so much that he quickly jumped out of bed.

"Who are you? Where are you?" A series of questions came from Lin Yu's mouth.

“Little one, are you asking me? Actually, I’ve always been by your side, you just haven’t noticed,” the old man replied.

Hearing that the ring had been beside him all along, Lin Yu suddenly looked at his right index finger. This ring had been with him for five years and was the only item he had brought with him from another world. At this moment, Lin Yu felt extremely shocked and terrified.

"Little one, don't be afraid. Actually, we've met before, in another world..." Before the old man could finish speaking, Lin Yu interrupted, "Could you be the old man from that wooden house? Then why are you here too?" How could one not be happy to meet someone from the same world in another world?

Hearing Lin Yu's words, the old man sighed and said, "I was originally from this world. My soul returned to its homeland. I came to your world by chance, but my time was up. Only my soul remained in this ring. I never expected that fate would play tricks on me and I would come back, and even inhabit the body of a little guy."

Lin Yu longed to return to his own world. Upon hearing that the old man could go to his world, he anxiously asked, "Then how did you get there?"

The old man smiled and said, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."

After hearing this, Lin Yu stopped asking questions. Since the old man was unwilling to talk, he couldn't force him. If he wanted to talk, he would definitely do so. At this moment, Lin Yu was thinking about something else.

"Excuse me, were you the one who saved me in the valley?" Lin Yu asked.

When the old man heard Lin Yu say this, he did not deny it. "I saved you within a limited time. After that, my soul went into hibernation. I don't know what happened after that. Until today, I felt the fluctuation of the elements. My soul woke up from hibernation. I didn't expect to see this scene as soon as I woke up."

Lin Yu heard the old man say that he had saved him, but when he woke up, a long time had obviously passed. So how long had he been unconscious? Moreover, the old man's words were so puzzling that Lin Yu was filled with confusion. How could something like time travel happen to him?

"Can you help me improve my strength?" Lin Yu asked the old man, who smiled and replied, "Yes."

Then Lin Yu closed his eyes, knelt down, and cried out, "I hope you will accept me as your disciple."

The old man's laughter echoed in Lin Yu's mind.