Chapter 5

"What is this thing?"

Lin Dong looked at the object in his hand with a puzzled expression. It appeared to be a stone about the size of two fingers, light gray in color. However, when he held it in his palm, it felt strangely soft, a texture that was neither stone nor jade, nor wood.

It was neither stone nor not stone, neither jade nor not jade, neither wood nor not wood.

This was the object that Lin Dong had gone to great lengths to climb to the top of the cave and find in a hidden crack there. The source of the liquid that had dripped earlier seemed to be this object.

In the dark area of the cave top where this object was embedded, there was a very clear palm print, even the fingerprints were clearly visible. Seeing this mysterious palm print, Lin Dong realized that someone must have come to this cave a long time ago.

"A strange thing."

Lin Dong muttered. On this stone, which was about the size of a thumb, faint, intricate patterns could be seen, resembling a magical rune.

Rune patterns covered every part of the stone, making it look more like a mystical stone rune.

Apart from the intricate and profound runes, the stone rune itself did not seem particularly unusual. However, Lin Dong knew that the red light spot liquid he had seen earlier was not an illusion.

"The ability of the stone pool must be due to this stone rune..."

Lin Dong's face was filled with deep thought. He had seen the light spot fall into the stone pool earlier, and this was the only explanation for why the stone pool had such a miraculous effect.

"Thud!"

While Lin Dong was deep in thought, the sound of rolling stones came from outside the cave. He quickly put the stone rune in his inner pocket, close to his chest.

"Brother Lin Dong, hehe, I knew you were here."

As Lin Dong put away the stone rune, a figure like a butterfly appeared at the cave entrance. It was a girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing a simple light-colored dress. Despite the simplicity of her attire, it could not hide the liveliness on her small face. Although the girl was still young, her face was already quite delicate, and her big eyes twinkled, making her look very cute.

Seeing the girl, Lin Dong secretly sighed with relief. The girl was not a member of the Lin family but an infant that Liu Yan had adopted from the snow shortly after Lin Dong's birth. She was a little younger than Lin Dong, and they had grown up together, like brother and sister, with a very close relationship. Because she was an orphan, she did not take the Lin surname, so Liu Yan gave her a beautiful name, Qing Tan, which suited her, as she was filled with a lively aura, like sandalwood.

"Brother Lin Dong, it's almost dark, Mother has been calling you for a long time."

Qing Tan giggled and came up to him, naturally holding Lin Dong's arm and dragging him out, muttering as they walked, "It's dark, and the stone path can't be seen. Do you want to sleep in the cave again like last time?"

Looking at Qing Tan, who chirped like a lark, Lin Dong couldn't help but smile. He then lightly touched his chest, where the stone rune, which was close to his heart, seemed to emit a faint coolness.

Although he did not understand the origin of the stone rune, his intuition told him that it was quite extraordinary.

...

Night fell, and the cool moonlight bathed the earth, washing away the remaining heat.

In the room, Lin Dong lay asleep with his eyes closed. Moonlight streamed in through the window, some of it illuminating his body. Suddenly, the moonlight rippled like water, and a strange scene unfolded. The cool moonlight began to gather at Lin Dong's chest, emitting a faint light. In the center of the light, a stone rune with an ancient appearance could be seen.

When the stone rune began to glow, Lin Dong, who had been asleep, opened his eyes slightly. However, before he could fully open them, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness from the depths of his mind. Then, he was shocked to find himself in a pitch-black space.

There was no light, it was silent, and cold.

The sudden change made Lin Dong feel afraid. After all, he was only a fourteen-year-old child.

"Whoosh!"

While Lin Dong was afraid, a faint sound suddenly echoed in the silent, dark space. Then, a figure of light appeared in front of him. Upon closer inspection, the figure looked exactly like Lin Dong, but its face was devoid of any vitality, appearing numb.

"What's going on..."

Lin Dong stared blankly at the figure of light that looked exactly like him, his mind filled with fear at this strange scene.

"Clap!"

While Lin Dong was in a daze, the figure of "Lin Dong" suddenly moved. It flashed, extended its fists, and performed a set of boxing techniques that Lin Dong was familiar with.

"Is this... the Tongbei Fist?"

Seeing the boxing technique performed by the figure, Lin Dong's eyes widened in surprise. Then, a strong sense of shock appeared in his eyes. He realized that the Tongbei Fist performed by the figure seemed even more fluid and... perfect than when Lin Xiao performed it!

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

In the pitch-black space, the figure moved swiftly, its fists swinging like a monkey stretching its limbs. The feeling was even more lively than when Lin Xiao performed it.

Nine claps!

Lin Dong watched the figure that looked exactly like him with a sense of awe. When the figure performed the Tongbei Fist, he clearly heard nine crisp sounds!

"Nine claps..."

Lin Dong muttered, but just as he was amazed, another faint sound came from his arm after the figure finished the set of boxing techniques!

"This..."

The sound was extremely faint. If it weren't for the silence of the space and Lin Dong's focused mind, he probably wouldn't have heard it.

Ten claps!

Lin Dong stared at the figure in a daze. The Tongbei Fist, which was supposed to have only nine claps, had a tenth clap when performed by the figure!

Lin Dong was very sure that even his father, Lin Xiao, could not perform the tenth clap.

"What's going on?"

Lin Dong was in a daze for a long time before he gradually came to his senses. He frowned and thought deeply. Although he had only watched once, Lin Dong had a strange feeling that the Tongbei Fist performed by the figure was more natural and lively, or rather, perfect, than when Lin Xiao performed it.

However, why the figure had such a unique ability was beyond Lin Dong's understanding. But he had a vague feeling that perhaps he had encountered a treasure this time.

While Lin Dong's thoughts were racing, the figure, having finished the set of boxing techniques, did not disappear but instead moved again, starting the same Tongbei Fist from the beginning.

Watching the lively figure, Lin Dong was somewhat lost in thought. The initial fear had gradually dissipated, and he focused all his attention on the figure, his face filled with deep thought. He watched the figure's boxing techniques over and over, even carefully memorizing the subtle arcs.

After watching for a long time, Lin Dong finally spread his legs, took a stance, and began to mimic the figure, slowly performing the Tongbei Fist.

"Clap!"

In the pitch-black space, two identical figures, one human and one light, began to perform the boxing techniques tirelessly, and the sounds of claps echoed continuously. However, almost all the sounds belonged to the figure.

Lin Dong was not discouraged by this. His face was filled with seriousness. As he performed the boxing techniques, he began to make subtle changes according to the figure's movements.

These changes, though small, seemed to have a miraculous effect, like the finishing touch on a painting. Small changes brought unexpected results.

"Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!"

His fists and arms moved like a monkey, flexible and agile, and four crisp sounds echoed in quick succession. Lin Dong's fist wind also brought a breeze.

Four claps!

Lin Dong's eyes became exceptionally bright. He hadn't expected that such minor changes would make the Tongbei Fist so easy to practice!

The feeling was like having an unparalleled teacher guiding him step by step, and this teacher's level was simply terrifying.

Such a harvest made Lin Dong extremely happy. If Lin Xiao knew that he could practice the Tongbei Fist to the point of four claps in just one day, he would be shocked speechless. Lin Xiao had taken nearly a month to reach this speed, while Lin Dong had surpassed him by dozens of times!

With such a harvest, Lin Dong's spirit seemed to become much more vigorous. Instead of resting, he continued to practice the Tongbei Fist over and over, striving to make his boxing techniques as identical as possible to the figure's.

In the pitch-black space, time seemed to stand still. Lin Dong continued to mimic the figure, and with his sweat, his boxing techniques became more and more like the figure's.

In the pitch-black space, the figures of light and human moved like two lively monkeys, their fists and palms breaking the wind with each movement.

(Strongly requesting favorites and recommendations~~~)