Chapter 4

"An illusion, an illusion, it must be an illusion!"

Staring at his arm in a daze for a moment, Lin Dong suddenly closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. When his heart gradually calmed down, he tentatively touched his arm again with a trembling hand.

Wherever his hand passed, a hardness akin to a layer of keratin was felt. Although it was not as hard as wood or stone, it was clearly several times harder than Lin Dong’s skin had been just a moment ago.

This was indeed a sign of approaching the fourth level of Body Tempering. As long as his skin hardened a bit more, he would truly reach the fourth level of Body Tempering!

However... Lin Dong opened his mouth, his face full of disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost. He had only just reached the third level of Body Tempering today, and in less than half a day, how could he be on the verge of the fourth level?

The sudden good fortune left Lin Dong dazed. His face flushed, he paced back and forth beside the stone pool. If he could really progress at this speed, what would the top three in the clan competition mean? Even the Lin Family’s ten-year clan gathering wouldn’t make him fear at all.

"But... how is that possible?"

Although he was overwhelmed with joy, Lin Dong was more mature and soon regained his composure. Frowning, he began to recall the events, but there was nothing unusual in the cave, so his gaze eventually settled on the stone pool.

"Is there really something strange about this stone pool?"

Lin Dong looked astonished, then shook his head. He had soaked in this stone pool countless times since he was young, but this was the first time such a situation had occurred!

What on earth was going on?

It couldn’t possibly be the effect of the Red Ginseng. It was just a first-grade spirit medicine, and the fact that it had helped him reach the third level of Body Tempering in ten days was already the best it could do.

"There must be something different."

Lin Dong tightly pursed his lips, a stubborn look appearing on his face. He understood the importance of this matter. If he could discover the secret, it would be incredibly significant for him.

"Today was more tiring than usual... but this isn’t the only time... sleeping here? I’ve done that before..."

Squatting beside the stone pool, Lin Dong frowned deeply. As he pondered, his hand unconsciously rubbed his arm. After a moment, his hand suddenly stiffened, and his gaze slowly focused on his arm, where there were originally many bloodstains...

"Blood?"

Lin Dong’s eyes flickered. Suddenly, he reached into a crevice in the rock beside the stone pool and pulled out a small dagger. This was something he had left here before.

The dagger lightly grazed his fingertip, and a drop of bright red blood immediately appeared. Hesitating for a moment, Lin Dong carefully dripped it into the stone pool.

"Drip!"

The sound of the blood drop hitting the stone pool echoed clearly in the quiet cave. Lin Dong’s eyes were fixed on the spot where the blood drop fell.

The blood drop created ripples in the stone pool, and the red color slowly spread. Then, to Lin Dong’s shock, the calm water of the stone pool quickly began to bubble, and faintly, a light red liquid could be seen moving within the bubbles.

Lin Dong’s throat moved, and he trembled as he extended his hand into the pool water. The bubbles burst immediately, and threads of light red liquid adhered to his hand, then seeped into his pores.

As the light red liquid seeped in, Lin Dong’s hand suddenly felt hot, just like when he had woken up earlier. This time, he could clearly feel the light red liquid seeping into the muscles and skin of his hand, making the skin on his hand increasingly hard.

"Indeed, it’s like this!"

Noticing the change in his hand, Lin Dong’s face was filled with joy. His guess was correct; the water in the stone pool needed to be stained with blood to become special!

Lin Dong clenched his hand. The skin on this hand was clearly much harder than other parts, and this was the effect of the brief soaking just now. This effect was miraculous. According to Lin Dong’s estimation, even the expensive third-grade spirit medicines sold in Qingyang Town could not achieve such an effect!

"But why does the water in this pool have an effect that even third-grade spirit medicines can’t match?"

Lin Dong rubbed his forehead and sighed. Over the years, he had already explored the water in the stone pool, which seeped out from the rocks. It was just ordinary mountain spring water, slightly cool, but Lin Dong was certain that this mountain spring water had no special effects. So, how could this happen to his body?

Lin Dong rubbed his forehead and sighed. The strange stone pool had left him emotionally agitated, and he lay down beside the pool. Even if he couldn’t discover the reason for the stone pool’s miraculous effect, it might still be a great benefit for him.

Due to his injuries, Lin Xiao needed to constantly take spirit medicines to recover. Spirit medicines were expensive, and his extremely stubborn personality made him refuse any assistance from the Lin Family. So, on ordinary days, he could only go into the mountains alone to hunt fierce beasts or rely on luck to find some spirit medicines. The income from this was clearly not enough to give Lin Dong the same cultivation conditions as his peers in the Lin Family.

At such a time, the role of this stone pool became even more important for Lin Dong.

"The effect of the stone pool must be kept secret!"

Lin Dong clenched his small fist. This was not only because he needed to use the stone pool for cultivation, but also because he understood that if this news got out, it would cause a great stir. Even the other forces in Qingyang Town would be envious, and the Lin Family might face a significant disaster.

An ordinary person is not guilty, but one who possesses a treasure is.

Although Lin Dong was young, he understood this principle.

Lin Dong tightly pursed his lips and made up his mind. Just as he was about to get up, his gaze suddenly paused, and he let out a light exclamation. His eyes were fixed on the top of the cave above the stone pool, where a faint light had just flashed.

Under normal circumstances, Lin Dong wouldn’t have paid much attention to such a situation, but now that he was focused on the stone pool, he was very serious about anything in the cave.

Lin Dong’s gaze locked onto the spot where the faint light had flashed, and he didn’t blink. Under his intense gaze, the light flashed again, this time more urgently. Then, a thin beam of light fell directly into the stone pool below.

The surface of the pool water rippled slightly due to the falling light.

Lin Dong stared blankly at the spot where the light had fallen into the pool, then swallowed. When the light had fallen, he had vaguely seen a drop of deep red liquid, which was identical to the light red liquid he had seen after dripping his blood into the pool.

"It seems the secret is up there..."

Lin Dong’s eyes brightened, and he looked up at the top of the cave above the stone pool, muttering to himself.

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