Trading Fair

In the dense forest, although Lin Yan did not know exactly what changes had occurred in his body, he guessed they were most likely related to the strange fire within him.

However, although he now understood the original story, he still could not figure out what exactly was happening to him, so he set the matter aside for the time being.

Leaping down from the stone pedestal, Lin Yan stood as straight as a spear, his expression solemn as his hands slowly formed a complex seal before him.

As one seal after another took shape, a Flame Giant Wolf several zhang in size vaguely appeared above his head.

Lin Yan's hand seals changed rapidly. In just a few breaths, he formed several complex seals in succession. As his seals shifted, the Origin Power Seed within his meridians began to release streams of Origin Power, which swiftly surged toward his palms.

"Wolf Thrust!"

As the Flame Giant Wolf's glow grew increasingly brilliant, a wolf howl suddenly erupted from its mouth. Under Lin Yan's control, it fiercely lunged forward.

"Bang!"

Where the Flame Giant Wolf struck, the dense forest instantly exploded apart. Stone fragments flew in all directions, leaving devastation behind.

A glimmer of delight appeared in Lin Yan's eyes. After advancing to the Body Tempering Eighth Level, the first level of the Fire Departure Skill had indeed grown three parts stronger.

Even the Eight Desolations Fire Palm was far from comparable to such power. A third-grade martial art truly was extraordinary!

He withdrew his palms and stood still, feeling a slight weakness rise within him. Even with his current strength, using Wolf Thrust once nearly consumed half the Origin Power stored in his Origin Power Seed. Fortunately, that kind of power was worth the expenditure.

"The Origin Power Seed can't store much Origin Power. If I reach the Body Tempering Ninth Level, things will be much better..."

At the Body Tempering Ninth Level, one could open the Dantian. Its capacity was naturally far beyond that of an Origin Power Seed. By then, he would have the capital to spend Origin Power freely.

"During this period of training, I've slaughtered seventy to eighty percent of the beasts below the Earth Origin Realm around the outskirts of the Back Mountain's depths. Deeper in are powerful beasts at the Earth Origin Realm and above..."

At the thought of training, Lin Yan frowned. A month and a half had allowed him to reach the eighth level, but the price he had paid was not small. He had killed dozens of powerful beasts, nearly wiping out all the beasts that held territory in the depths of the Back Mountain. More importantly, with his current strength, beasts below the Earth Origin Realm no longer had much effect on his continued breakthroughs. Only powerful beasts comparable to the Earth Origin Realm could allow the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire to continue growing.

Although Lin Yan was confident that, at the Body Tempering Seventh Level, he could deal with opponents at the eighth or even ninth level, challenging powerful beasts comparable to the Earth Origin Realm with the strength of the Body Tempering Eighth Level would be courting death.

The gap between the Body Tempering Realm and the Earth Origin Realm was practically a threshold for martial artists. Such a disparity could not be erased by a third-grade martial art.

"Looks like I'll have to find another way..."

Lin Yan let out a soft sigh, his face thoughtful. Although the strength he had displayed was now enough to earn him some resources from the Lin Family, and he could even ask Lin Xiao to help him kill some Earth Origin Realm beasts, the secret of the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire would be difficult to conceal if he did so. Though Lin Xiao was already his future father-in-law, Lin Yan would not choose that method unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Brother Lin Yan."

As Lin Yan was fretting over the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire's future growth, a sweet voice suddenly sounded from outside the forest. Qingtan then darted in like a butterfly, her little face flushed red and full of delight.

"Qingtan, you're here." Seeing the lively and adorable girl, Lin Yan's earlier worries instantly vanished, and he could not help but smile.

Ever since Lin Xiao proposed a marriage alliance that night, although Lin Yan had not agreed immediately, his relationship with Qingtan had already begun to take shape.

From then on, Qingtan came to see Lin Yan many times. Although the youth was usually occupied with cultivation, the girl never showed the slightest displeasure. Instead, she quietly watched from the side, obedient and understanding, because she knew that the reason the youth before her cultivated so diligently was to grow stronger and help her resolve the pain of her cold aura outbreaks.

"Brother Lin Yan, you don't have to work so hard. Tan'er has endured for more than ten years already. I'm not in a rush. I can wait for you."

Hearing the girl say, "I can wait for you," what man could remain unmoved? Lin Yan rubbed Qingtan's adorable little head and said with affection and a trace of resolve, "Don't worry, Tan'er. I won't make you wait too long. When that time comes, you'll be my woman. I, Lin Yan, won't let you suffer any more pain."

Hearing the determination hidden in the youth's words, Qingtan smiled. Then she wrapped her arm around his, a look of joy appearing on her delicate little face.

Though it had begun as a matter of her parents' wishes, Qingtan initially felt only a slight fondness for Lin Yan. But when the youth said that night that he would help her resolve the suffering caused by her cold aura, her heart had fiercely trembled. Lin Yan's words had been plain, yet they gave Qingtan, who had endured torment for more than a decade, a ray of hope.

And since childhood, the girl had always been extremely serious about matters of the heart. For this lifetime, she had set her heart on him.

Qingtan held Lin Yan's arm, seemingly recalling something. She then gave a mischievous smile. "Oh, right, Brother Lin Yan. I came to tell you that I've cultivated Origin Power. Don't let me catch up to you when the time comes."

Upon hearing that, Lin Yan's hand froze atop the girl's head. He then gave a bitter smile, remembering the terrifying cultivation speed of the Fiend Devil Body. It seemed he had one more reason to cultivate diligently. If Qingtan really caught up with him someday, that would be rather embarrassing.

As complicated emotions crossed Lin Yan's face, Qingtan extended a jade-like hand. A faint glow flowed across it—it was Origin Power. The girl's cultivation had astonishingly reached the Body Tempering Sixth Level.

"Brother Lin Yan, when I woke up this morning, my body felt a little strange. Then I found this..." Qingtan stuck out her little tongue and said sweetly.

Lin Yan naturally knew that this was caused by Qingtan's physique, but he did not tell the girl before him. The Fiend Devil Body was mysterious and unfathomable. By now, the great powers of the Northern Xuan Region had likely taken notice of it, and this was also Qingtan's opportunity.

Although Lin Yan wished for the girl to grow up happily, this world was ultimately cruel. Without strength, there was no hope of happiness. The journey to the Northern Xuan Region would be fraught with hardship and danger for the girl, but it would also be an essential step for her to break from her cocoon and become a butterfly. Moreover, with Lin Yan's current strength, he had no ability to stop it. Those mighty figures could kill him as easily as crushing an ant.

At the same time, Lin Yan became anxious. His growth was still far too slow. To the peak experts of this world, he was nothing more than a weak ant.

However, Lin Yan was also a man of unwavering will, and he soon composed himself. He possessed a strange fire—so long as he was given enough time, he would surely stand at the peak of the continent!

"Other than Uncle, Auntie, and Cousin Lin Dong, don't tell anyone about this..." Lin Yan pondered for a moment and decided not to make it public. After all, apart from those people from the Northern Xuan Region, who knew whether anyone else might set their sights on the Fiend Devil Body?

"Mm." Qingtan nodded obediently. She also knew the strangeness of the matter. If word spread, it might bring some kind of trouble.

"Brother Lin Yan, it's the end of the month, and the Trading Fair in Qingyang Town is especially lively. Shall we go take a look?" Qingtan gazed at Lin Yan with a trace of pleading in her clear eyes, her face full of expectation.

"The Trading Fair?"

Lin Yan was taken aback. Such fairs were generally jointly organized by several major merchants in Qingyang Town. All sorts of goods were sold there, making them extremely popular. In a sense, it was one of the liveliest places in Qingyang Town.

"Mm, yes, yes! Brother Lin Dong and Sister Lin Xia have both gone too..." Qingtan nodded repeatedly. The girl was lively by nature and quite liked such places. Moreover, Lin Yan rarely accompanied her because he was always cultivating, so she wanted to take this chance to go out and have fun together.

Lin Yan murmured to himself, but his heart suddenly stirred. A Trading Fair—wasn't that the perfect place to pick up overlooked treasures? And even if he did not have the luck of Lin Dong Ge or Xiao Yan, accompanying his girlfriend while she shopped was still an essential rule for any good man...