Chapter 10

Watching the two figures of Lin Hong and the other person disappear into the distance, Lin Xia finally approached Lin Dong and a few others, smiling, "Cousin Lin Dong, are you alright?"

"Thank you, Sister Lin Xia." Lin Dong nodded. Lin Xia and her father had always been quite good to him since he was young, so their relationship was relatively good. However, in recent years, Lin Xia had been busy with cultivation, and their interactions had decreased significantly compared to when they were young.

"I saw you fight with Lin Shan just now. You must have reached the fourth level of the Body Tempering stage, right?" Lin Xia said with some surprise. She knew that Lin Dong had been cultivating for less than a year, and to reach the fourth level in less than a year was already quite fast.

"Just lucky, I guess." The fourth level of Body Tempering was not easy to hide, as it was manifested on the surface of the body. So, Lin Dong did not hide it and nodded.

"It seems you've inherited your father's talent for cultivation." Lin Xia giggled, then turned serious, "However, you still have a big gap compared to Lin Hong. From what I know, he probably reached the sixth level of the Green Body stage three months ago, and has already generated a Primordial Force seed in his body. So, try not to confront him directly, or you might suffer a loss."

"Understood." Lin Dong did not pretend to be strong. He indeed was not yet a match for Lin Hong, but he was confident that he would surpass him.

"Hehe, then you need to work hard. I have to go back now. The clan competition is coming up in half a year, and you need to put in more effort. Your father places great importance on this clan competition." Lin Xia giggled, patted Lin Dong's head, and then greeted Qing Tan and the others before turning around and walking away with her ponytail swaying.

"Hehe, Sister Lin Xia is so impressive. Even Lin Hong doesn't dare to be arrogant in front of her. Grandpa likes her a lot and sometimes even teaches her martial arts personally." Looking at Lin Xia's slender figure, Lin Changqiang said enviously.

"It's just because you're lazy." Lin Dong rolled his eyes and then, without lingering any longer, led Qing Tan away. Lin Changqiang ran a short distance, but as the sky grew dark, he had to leave with some reluctance.

"Brother Lin Dong, I'm sorry. I won't secretly go to gather herbs again..." As they walked on the mountain path back home, Qing Tan tugged at Lin Dong's sleeve and said pitifully.

"It's okay. Once I get stronger, no one will dare to bully you anymore." Lin Dong, who had intended to scold her, saw the pitiful look on the girl's face and his anger subsided. He shook his head helplessly and then patted his chest, smiling.

"I want to cultivate too." Qing Tan suddenly said, lifting her nose.

"Didn't you say you were afraid that cultivation would make you ugly?" Lin Dong laughed.

"Of course not. Look at Sister Lin Xia; she's still so beautiful. If I could be like her, then Lin Hong wouldn't dare to bully Brother Lin Dong anymore." Qing Tan stuck out her pink tongue, looking very cute.

Lin Dong laughed and shook his head, then tapped Qing Tan's smooth forehead, saying, "Don't mention today's incident when we get back, okay?"

"Okay..." Qing Tan pouted, her voice drawn out, echoing on the mountain path.

...

Although Lin Dong and Qing Tan did not mention the afternoon's events, it was clear that they had not successfully kept it a secret.

"Did you fight with Lin Shan's group again this afternoon?" At dinner, Lin Xiao put down his chopsticks and said calmly.

Hearing this, Lin Dong and Qing Tan, who was sitting beside him, immediately tensed up. Liu Yan, who was also at the table, shook her head helplessly and gave them a reproachful look.

"Father, it's not Brother Lin Dong's fault, it's me..." Qing Tan said timidly.

Lin Xiao glanced at the two of them, his face showing no significant change. He only stared at Lin Dong and asked, "I heard you defeated Lin Shan?"

Lin Dong scratched his head and could only laugh awkwardly and nod.

"Show me your hand." Seeing Lin Dong nod, Lin Xiao's eyes showed a flicker of surprise. He extended his large hand and directly grasped Lin Dong's arm, giving it a light tap. A hard-to-conceal look of joy finally appeared on his usually calm face. "Fourth level of Body Tempering?"

"Yes." Lin Dong nodded again, his face stiff.

"Ha ha, good!" Lin Xiao finally burst into laughter, his voice filled with relief and joy.

Seeing Lin Xiao laugh so heartily, Lin Dong felt a weight lift from his heart. It seemed he wouldn't be scolded...

Liu Yan, seeing Lin Xiao's joyful laughter, couldn't help but smile, her eyes filled with affection as she looked at Lin Dong. She knew how much effort Lin Xiao had invested in Lin Dong. In his mind, he had lost a genius for the Lin family years ago, which had also buried the family's hopes. So, the stubborn Lin Xiao had been trying to produce another genius for the Lin family over the years, and the genius he most hoped for was Lin Dong.

"You only advanced to the third level about ten days ago, right? How could you advance so quickly?" Amidst his joy, Lin Xiao suddenly felt a bit puzzled. Advancing from the third level to the fourth level in just ten days was extremely fast. But without relying on any spirit medicines, how could Lin Dong have advanced so quickly?

"I don't know... Ever since I ate that Red Ginseng, I feel like my cultivation has been more effective." Hearing Lin Xiao's question, Lin Dong's heart skipped a beat. After hesitating for a moment, he finally lied without changing his expression. For some reason, he felt that the secret of the stone talisman should not be revealed casually, or it might bring great trouble.

"Oh?" Lin Xiao frowned. Red Ginseng was only a first-grade spirit medicine; how could it have such a significant effect?

"Perhaps it's because Dong'er's body has a particularly strong absorption of spirit medicines. I've heard that some people have a natural advantage, and their bodies can absorb spirit medicines several times more efficiently than ordinary people." Liu Yan said with a smile.

"Yes, perhaps that's the reason." Lin Xiao nodded. He had also heard of such cases. If Lin Dong really had such a unique constitution, then his cultivation speed would not be considered unrealistic.

"It seems I've been negligent. If Dong'er really has this talent, achieving good results in the clan competition is not impossible." Lin Xiao smiled in relief, then fumbled in his pocket and took out a cloth. He carefully unfolded it on the table, and a faint fragrance immediately filled the air. A withered branch, pale golden in color, appeared before their eyes.

The withered branch was entirely golden, but within the golden hue, a faint green liquid could be seen slowly flowing, like jade marrow.

"This is... a second-grade spirit medicine, the Golden Jade Branch?" Seeing the golden withered branch, Liu Yan covered her mouth in surprise.

"Is this a second-grade spirit medicine?" Lin Dong also looked curiously at the golden withered branch, then subtly frowned. Although it looked extraordinary, the spiritual energy it contained seemed to be inferior to the mysterious liquid that seeped from the stone talisman.

"Hehe, I went to the mountains yesterday and had good luck, finding this. Liu Yan, boil the Golden Jade Branch for Dong'er tomorrow." Lin Xiao smiled, but his face turned pale after a short while, and he coughed violently.

"Father, I don't need it. You should keep it to heal your injuries." Seeing this, Lin Dong quickly said.

"It's fine. I encountered a troublesome beast while gathering the medicine, which affected my qi and blood, but it's nothing serious. Besides, my injuries have been for so many years, and these spirit medicines are no longer very effective." Lin Xiao waved his hand and said, "There are only a few months until the clan competition. During this time, focus on your cultivation. I'll take care of the spirit medicines."

Seeing the usually stern Lin Xiao's smile, Lin Dong's eyes turned slightly red. He did not say anything more, just nodded lightly, and then muttered to himself, "Father, rest assured, I won't let you down."

"It's getting late. Go to rest now. You still need to cultivate tomorrow." Lin Xiao waved his hand and said.

"Okay."

Lin Dong responded, then got up from the table with Qing Tan. Even after they left the room, they could still hear Lin Xiao's hearty laughter, a sound they hadn't heard in a long time...

Gripping his fist lightly, Lin Dong turned to Qing Tan, intending to tell her to rest as well, but he saw that her delicate face had suddenly turned pale, and a visible cold aura was slowly seeping out of her body, causing the ground nearby to form fine ice shards.

"Oh no... The cold aura is flaring up again!"

Seeing Qing Tan's sudden change, Lin Dong's face also changed dramatically.