Chapter 47

"Qingqi Realm experts as bodyguards, this little girl is not an ordinary person," Lin Xi thought to himself.

The man in the green robe was clearly protecting the little girl. With his strength, even if Lin Xi didn't act, he could still manage to rescue her in time. Therefore, the man obviously didn't appreciate Lin Xi's help.

"Miss, it's time to go. You forgot, Uncle and the others are still waiting," the man in the green robe said. His gaze was on Lin Xi, and his demeanor was distant.

"This guy seems to have misunderstood," Lin Xi glanced at the fallen sword. The man's attitude was clearly due to this sword. However, Lin Xi was also a proud person. Although Qingqi Realm experts were hard to come by, Lin Xi was confident that with his cultivation speed, reaching the Qingqi Realm was just a matter of time.

"Um, okay," the little girl tilted her head in thought for a moment, then suddenly took something out and stuffed it into Lin Xi's hand. "Big brother, thank you for saving me. This is my token. If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just tell me, and I'll teach them a lesson."

Lin Xi looked down and saw a dark golden token with ancient patterns carved on it, and the word "Xian" (Immortal) on one side.

Lin Xi originally wanted to refuse, but seeing the little girl's expectant face, he couldn't bear to disappoint her. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded. "Okay, little sister, I'll take it."

Beside them, the man in the green robe's face changed dramatically when he saw the little girl give the token to Lin Xi. "Miss!!..."

"Enough, no need to say more. I've already given it away. Senior Brother, if you stop me again, I'll be upset," the little girl pouted, looking very angry.

The man in the green robe hesitated for a moment and finally nodded. "Okay. But you can't stay here anymore. Let's go."

The man in the green robe didn't pay any attention to Lin Xi, picked up the little girl, and leaped into the air, turning into a black dot that drew a huge arc in the sky and landed in the distance.

"Truly an unusual pair," Lin Xi shook his head, looked at the dark golden token in his hand, and shook his head again before putting it away.

The man in the green robe and the innocent little girl didn't even give their names or explain where they were from. Even if the token had some use, Lin Xi couldn't use it, so he could only smile wryly.

"First, I need to collect the beast core," Lin Xi quickly put the strange little girl out of his mind, picked up the sword, and quickly cut open the body of the Golden-Backed Peng Bird, extracting a core from inside.

The core of a ninth-level fierce beast was as red as fire, like burning flames. The core of a tenth-level fierce beast, however, was dark red, reflecting a deep crimson color on his palm.

This was the core of the Golden-Backed Peng Bird!

Fierce beasts of the avian type were light and swift, making them hard to deal with. However, because of this, they were relatively weaker compared to other types of fierce beasts.

This Golden-Backed Peng Bird had a strength of about 100,000 pounds, which was quite weak in the core of the Fierce Beast Mountain. Its core was not as powerful as those of top-tier fierce beasts with millions of pounds of strength. However, for Lin Xi, it was sufficient.

This was the first tenth-level beast core he had obtained.

Sss!

A wisp of smoke rose, and Lin Xi quickly absorbed the core and the flesh of the Golden-Backed Peng Bird.

"Hmm, not bad, increased by 20,000 pounds of strength," Lin Xi nodded in satisfaction.

A Golden-Backed Peng Bird with 100,000 pounds of strength increasing his strength by 20,000 pounds was already quite terrifying. This was mainly because it was the first time Lin Xi absorbed a tenth-level fierce beast's core. If he absorbed a second or third one, the effects would gradually diminish.

Gathering his thoughts, Lin Xi continued toward the core of the Fierce Beast Mountain.

Lin Xi didn't venture into the deepest core, where fierce beasts with millions of pounds of strength were beyond his capabilities. However, the "ordinary" fierce beasts on the periphery were still within his reach.

For three consecutive days, Lin Xi lingered at the edge of the Fierce Beast Mountain. In three days, he finally hunted a 100,000-pound Blood Python, a 120,000-pound Golden-Crowned Snake, and a 200,000-pound Flame Lion Bull.

The battle with the Flame Lion Bull was the most arduous, lasting half a day. Lin Xi used the "Three Consecutive Strikes" technique to finally kill the Flame Lion Bull.

The three tenth-level cores of the Thundering Power fierce beasts greatly enhanced Lin Xi's strength, increasing it at an incredible speed.

By the third day, Lin Xi finally felt that his strength had reached a limit.

"150,000 pounds of strength, I've reached my limit. I can't increase it any further."

Lin Xi felt he had reached the peak of the ninth level of Dragon Power, with every cell in his body saturated with energy.

This was the bottleneck in martial arts!

To increase his strength further, Lin Xi needed to advance to the tenth level of Thundering Power.

In the first nine levels of martial arts, the focus was on absorbing a large amount of energy from the outside, whether through herbs or beast cores, to incorporate the elemental energy into the body.

At the tenth level of Thundering Power, the focus was no longer on absorbing a large amount of energy but on refining and purifying the existing energy within the body, striving for excellence in quality, and cultivating Thunder Power within the body, making every movement as powerful as a thunderclap.

Reaching the tenth level of Thundering Power, a martial artist's physical body would reach a state of great perfection, requiring patience and meticulous refinement.

"The time has come, I need to go to Liyang Mountain for the appointment!"

A bright light flashed in Lin Xi's eyes, piercing through the night.

It had been half a month since the challenge letter was issued, the time agreed upon in the letter.

Lin Xi stood up, his gaze piercing through the layers of space, looking toward Liyang Mountain.

"Aunt, I'm here to take you."

Bang!

The air exploded, and Lin Xi immediately leaped up, rushing toward Liyang Mountain in the darkness.

...

On the 15th of August, Liyang Mountain was bustling with people.

The towering mountain, like a giant beast squatting, was dotted with halls like a beehive. Flags and banners were everywhere, and golden flame patterns shimmered in the sunlight, reflecting brilliant light.

Compared to this, the Five Thunder Sect seemed like a humble thatched hut.

The Liyang Sect had nearly ten thousand disciples, making it a giant among the southeastern sects. Today, it was even more crowded than usual.

At the entrance of the Liyang Sect, carriages lined up, and many carriages with various banners appeared on Liyang Mountain, such as the Dragon and Snake Sect, the Five Kill Sect, the Demon Subduing Sect, the Wind and Cloud Sect, the Tide Watching Sect, the Azure Dragon Sect, and many others. Almost all the prominent sects in the southeastern region were present.

The head of the Liyang Sect was a Thundering Power expert who had reached the tenth level nearly twenty years ago and hadn't shown his skills for over a decade.

Among the leaders of various sects, the head of the Liyang Sect, Chilian, was always ranked first or second in terms of prowess. There were even rumors that he was close to breaking through to the Qingqi Realm.

His reputation was formidable.

Now, someone was personally challenging Chilian, which was a significant event in the sect world. Whether to see Chilian's current prowess, to curry favor with the Liyang Sect, or to see the young challenger, everyone flocked to Liyang Mountain to watch the battle.

The Liyang Sect didn't mind and set up pavilions on the mountain to entertain the experts from various sects.

As the sun rose higher, Lin Xi still hadn't shown up, and the experts on Liyang Mountain were gradually losing patience.

"Is the new leader of the Five Thunder Sect afraid and not coming?"

"It's hard to say. Young people are impulsive and lack consideration. He's probably regretting it now. A Thundering Power expert is not someone to be challenged lightly."

"Hmph! The challenge letter was issued, but the person didn't show up. Isn't this a joke? If the Five Thunder Sect really does this, we from the Demon Subduing Sect won't let them off."

"Right. No matter how powerful they are, a few words from us will make the Five Thunder Sect have nowhere to hide."

...

On Liyang Mountain, people were discussing, and those who came were all prominent figures from various sects, mostly elders, and even some sect leaders.

When they spoke, they had an air of superiority, as if a few words could truly destroy the Five Thunder Sect.

However, at that moment, someone suddenly spoke up.

"Everyone, look, someone is coming."

The mountain fell silent, and everyone looked in the direction of the voice. They saw a rider galloping down the official road to Liyang Mountain, dust and sand swirling around him. On the horse, a young man in brocade robes sat tall and steady.

In the young man's right hand, a makeshift banner fluttered in the wind, with the two large ink characters "Five Thunder."

"It's someone from the Five Thunder Sect!"

In the pavilions, people exclaimed in surprise, and many immediately headed toward the mountain gate.

According to rumors in the sect world, the challenger to Chilian was the son of the late leader of the Five Thunder Sect, Lin Xiong, who was only seventeen or eighteen years old, matching the description of the young rider.

"It's the leader."

Not far from Liyang Mountain, many disciples of the Five Thunder Sect, disguised as ordinary people, were mixed in the crowd. Seeing Lin Xi riding toward them, they were all very excited.

Neigh!

The horse neighed, and Lin Xi leaped off, landing gracefully. He threw the banner, which flew out like a sword and planted itself firmly at the entrance of the Liyang Sect.

"The new leader of the Five Thunder Sect is here, Chilian, come out!"

A thunderclap seemed to echo in the clear sky, and Lin Xi's voice was clear and resounding, echoing through the heavens and earth.

At this, everyone had no doubt that the young man at the gate was the one who issued the challenge.

"He really came!"

Everyone was moved and rushed out.

At this moment, the disciples of the Liyang Sect also recognized the identity of the challenger and immediately surged forward like a tide, surrounding the young man and his horse at the gate.