Chapter 14: A Marvelous Cultivation Art, The Hunt Begins!
Lin Dong took out a small porcelain bottle and handed it to Lin Fan. "Today I traded for five Rehmannia Fruits using spiritual liquid from the talisman and refined them into ten pills. These five inside the bottle are for you, Lin Fan-ge."
Every time Lin Fan obtained third-grade spiritual herbs, he would ask Lin Dong to refine them into pills with his stone talisman, and they would split the results evenly.
So this time, after refining the Rehmannia Fruits, Lin Dong didn't hesitate at all to set aside five pills for Lin Fan.
"Heh, we're like brothers. No need to be polite," Lin Fan said with a laugh as he reached out to accept the bottle.
Seeing Lin Fan take the pills, Lin Dong visibly relaxed and smiled brightly. "You're right, Lin Fan-ge."
"I've got a Rehmannia Fruit too. Since you're already here, might as well refine it as well," Lin Fan added, remembering the one he had obtained earlier as a reward.
"Sure," Lin Dong replied without hesitation.
Lin Fan opened his door and brought Lin Dong into the room, handing him the herb.
With the help of the talisman, the fruit was soon refined into two smooth, round pills. As usual, one went to each of them.
"I'll head back and rest, then," Lin Dong said once they had divided the pills.
"Go on," Lin Fan nodded, then reached into his robe and pulled out a book from his system space, handing it to Lin Dong. "Take this with you and study it carefully."
"What's this?" Lin Dong asked curiously.
"Just a palm technique. The grade's decent," Lin Fan replied casually.
What he had given Lin Dong was the manual for the Seven-Grade Martial Art: Five Element Seal.
"Thanks, Lin Fan-ge," Lin Dong said gratefully, storing the manual away.
He didn't decline or play modest—he had already made up his mind to share fortune and hardship with Lin Fan from now on.
After Lin Dong left, Lin Fan didn't immediately rest. Instead, he took out the cultivation technique Mystic Profound Art, which he had obtained earlier from touching Qingtan.
Having just broken through to the Earth Origin Stage, Lin Fan was in dire need of a cultivation technique to accelerate his progress. He was quite eager to see what level this new art might be.
Cultivation techniques were essentially methods to guide and temper Yuan Power.
Lin Fan remembered that in the world of Martial Universe, techniques were classified as third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate, with higher grades allowing cultivators to open more meridians during training.
He slowly opened the Mystic Profound Art and carefully studied each line.
After all, cultivation techniques were no trivial matter—one misstep in their practice could lead to disastrous consequences.
Nearly an hour later, Lin Fan finished reading the manual, his face filled with joy.
Training with this technique could unlock 108 meridians!
What's more, it could form Yuan Power cyclones beneath the skin, which, once activated, would naturally draw in energy from the heavens and earth!
A technique that opened 108 meridians and generated countless Yuan cyclones—just imagine the speed of cultivation!
Of course, he would first have to open all 108 meridians recorded in the manual.
"This Mystic Profound Art… it surpasses even so-called first-rate techniques. This is a treasure! Qingtan really is my lucky star!"
Taking a deep breath, Lin Fan closed the manual, his heart full of excitement.
Feeling too exhilarated to cultivate and noting the late hour, Lin Fan stored the manual in his system space and went straight to bed. He planned to start cultivating it the next day.
…
Over the days that followed, Lin Fan immersed himself once again in cultivation.
He was keenly aware that the current peace of the world was nothing but an illusion.
Countless terrifying Yimo demons lurked in the dark, waiting to unleash chaos upon the land.
And when that time came, the weak would perish.
Only by growing stronger could Lin Fan hope to survive—and maybe even strike back.
Any enemy that stood in his path would be crushed.
Time flowed quietly as Lin Fan focused on his training.
Before long, the end of the year approached. A layer of snow blanketed the land of Qingyang Town.
The dead of winter could not quell the fervor of the people.
Because today marked the start of the triennial Qingyang Town Hunting Tournament!
This grand event drew not only the town's major factions but also forces from surrounding regions.
Crowds gathered like rivers, flowing into the Beast Horn Arena, which buzzed with excitement.
Lin Fan arrived with the Lin family and stood atop a high platform, surveying the arena from above.
After four months of intense cultivation—augmented by Yin Pearls and refined spiritual pills—Lin Fan had advanced from early to late Earth Origin Stage, now only one step away from the Heaven Origin Stage!
Many of the pills used during this time came from herbs Lin Dong had exchanged for with spiritual liquid and refined using his talisman.
During this period, Lin Fan had also passed on the Five Element Seal to Qingtan and Lin Xiao.
After some discussion, Lin Xiao had submitted the technique to Lin Zhentian, who declared it the Lin family's new signature martial art.
In return, Zhentian generously gave Lin Fan several more third-grade herbs.
As for the Mystic Profound Art, Lin Fan shared it only with Lin Dong and Lin Xiao, instructing them to keep it secret.
They were his most trusted companions, and he hoped they would grow stronger alongside him.
Qingtan, still at the Body Tempering stage, couldn't train in it yet, and Liu Yan lacked the talent for cultivation, so he didn't pass the arts on to her—at least for now.
"Lin Fan-ge, this place is so lively!" Qingtan's crisp voice pulled Lin Fan from his thoughts.
He smiled. "Of course. It's the biggest event in Qingyang Town every three years. With this many people, of course it's lively."
Lin Dong suddenly pointed to a dense forest below the platform. "Is that where the hunt begins?"
Lin Zhentian nodded slightly and explained, "That's right. That forest connects directly to the deep mountains, where many fierce beasts roam."
"Each participant will be given an identity token and then thrown into the forest. From there, it's up to them to survive."
Lin Fan added with a smirk, "But that's not all, right? If I remember correctly, contestants also need to collect tokens from others—at least ten—to qualify for the central platform."
"Indeed. The hunt is not just about beasts, but people too. That's the real challenge," Lin Zhentian said with a satisfied smile, clearly pleased with his grandsons.
Lin Dong's eyes sharpened—he hadn't known about that part of the rules.
But Lin Fan had long anticipated it, so he showed no surprise.
At that moment, Lin Ken joined in. "Father, you're forgetting how strong Lin Fan and Lin Dong are now. Gathering ten identity tokens? I doubt that's a challenge for them!"
Not long ago, both had publicly acknowledged reaching the Earth Origin Stage—something the Lin family core already knew.
"Hahaha!" Lin Zhentian laughed heartily, clearly in high spirits.
"Heh, Zhentian, what's with all the laughing? Worried you won't be smiling after the tournament ends, so you're getting it out of your system early?"
A sharp voice cut through the air from not far away…
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