Revelation 2

The next day, as dawn broke, Lin Sheng walked out of his room.

Last night, he hadn't continued cultivating. Instead, he had stayed in his room, focusing on the Compendium of Herbs until late into the night before finally falling asleep. He could now recognize most of the common plants.

Perhaps it was due to his two lives, but he found his memory to be quite good. While not photographic, it was much better than in his previous life.

He stretched his muscles in the courtyard and then remembered there was still someone else in the yard.

He scanned the yard but didn't see the stray dog. However, he had secured the yard gate yesterday, so the dog definitely couldn't have gotten out.

He searched more carefully and indeed found the stray dog in the woodpile, with only its tail sticking out.

He grabbed its hind legs and pulled it out. Amidst a series of piercing yelps, Lin Sheng felt a warmth spread through his hand.

Lin Sheng frowned, already having a bad feeling. When he pulled the stray dog out of the woodpile, he saw a long wet patch on the ground, or rather, a urine stain.

"This beast actually peed!"

Lin Sheng's brows furrowed into a single line. Looking at the yellowish stain on his hand, he unhesitatingly dropped the stray dog on the ground.

A foul, pungent odor filled the air.

The stray dog curled up on the ground, trembling, and continued to let out pitiful cries as if it were suffering greatly.

Lin Sheng was speechless at its pathetic state. If someone didn't know the situation, they would think the stray dog had been subjected to some terrible treatment just by hearing its cries.

Was this dog's courage really that low?

Ignoring the continuously yelping stray dog, Lin Sheng walked to the water basin and carefully washed the dog urine off his hands.

The stray dog's cries grew louder, irritating Lin Sheng. He frowned and shouted.

"If you keep crying, I'll stew you!"

As soon as he spoke, the stray dog flinched, and its cries stopped.

Lin Sheng raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise on his face, but he didn't pay it much mind. He walked over, kicked the stray dog, and lifted it up.

Sizzle... sizzle...

As soon as he lifted it, another stream of liquid shot out from beneath the stray dog. Fortunately, Lin Sheng was prepared this time and grabbed it by the neck; otherwise, he might have been hit again.

This dog's timidness was even greater than the pet puppies he had seen in his previous life that were afraid of strangers.

Seeing that the stray dog had finished urinating, Lin Sheng brought it to his eyes and examined it from all angles.

"Hmm, it looks fine. It seems much more energetic than yesterday. It looks like the Blood Cultivating Pill should be okay."

He thought to himself and casually tossed the stray dog aside.

Since the Blood Cultivating Pill showed no abnormalities, it could be taken normally.

However, before that, he still needed to visit the Beast Hunter Hall.

It had been a while since he arrived at the Beast Hunter Hall, and it was time to show some of his talent again.

Ninth Squad's encampment.

"What? You've cultivated the Raging Bull Fist to minor completion??"

Wang Sanyang's eyes widened, his face filled with surprise as he looked at Lin Sheng.

"Yes, thanks to that Blood Nourishing Pill, I managed to break through last night."

Lin Sheng nodded and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Wang Sanyang didn't speak. Instead, he raised his hand and threw a palm strike at Lin Sheng, moving with considerable speed and creating a whistling sound.

Lin Sheng reacted extremely quickly, raising his fist to meet the attack.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Lin Sheng retreated a few steps before stopping himself.

"It's actually minor completion. How long has it been since he started Body Tempering?"

Wang Sanyang stopped his attack and muttered to himself, but soon his face broke into a smile.

"Lin Sheng, wait here for a moment."

After saying that, Wang Sanyang quickly walked away.

In less than fifteen minutes, he returned with Tian Hu.

As soon as Tian Hu entered, his gaze fell upon Lin Sheng, and he sized him up. Then, like Wang Sanyang, he threw a punch at Lin Sheng.

Lin Sheng once again swung his fist to block. After the exchange, Tian Hu's eyes lit up.

"I didn't expect your talent, Lin Sheng, to be much higher than I imagined. It's only been less than a month since I taught you the Yak Circle, and you've already broken through to the Body Tempering realm."

"It was mainly the Blood Nourishing Pill that greatly helped me, otherwise, I wouldn't have broken through so quickly."

Lin Sheng said earnestly.

The easiest way to improve his status in the Town Mountain Tower was to increase his strength.

This mission had a Blood Nourishing Pill as a reward, and he could use it to showcase his progress in mastering the Raging Bull Fist.

Even so, his cultivation speed was still a bit too fast, but revealing some of his cultivation talent was not a bad thing.

Superior cultivation talent would undoubtedly earn more preferential treatment within the Beast Hunter Hall.

The more talent he revealed, the higher his standing in the Beast Hunter Hall would become, making it difficult for Ma Long to do anything to him.

In fact, even without Ma Long's threat, he had planned to reveal some of his talent in a few days. After all, he couldn't suppress his strength forever.

Rather than constantly suppressing it and risking exposure, it was better to reveal his talent. This way, he could gain resources and establish himself as a martial arts prodigy.

However, Ma Long's threat had accelerated this plan, forcing him to take some risks. But it was still better than being completely exposed under Ma Long's targeting.

As the captain of the Third Squad in the Beast Hunter Hall, his strength was even greater than Wang Sanyang's. Doing anything to him would be incredibly easy.

"Even with the effect of the Blood Nourishing Pill, there's no way my cultivation speed would be this fast."

Hearing Lin Sheng's words, Tian Hu shook his head slightly. He looked at Lin Sheng, who seemed to be deep in thought, and then his eyes lit up as if he had figured something out.

"Although the Blood Nourishing Pill accelerates Body Tempering cultivation, it can't achieve this level. The main reason you could enter the Body Tempering realm so quickly is you yourself."

"It seems your talent is exceptional. The reason you didn't reveal it before was likely due to your fragile physique back then. Irregular meals couldn't satisfy your body's needs. Even with great talent, it would be buried. This Blood Nourishing Pill just happens to heal your depleted body, allowing you to enter Body Tempering so smoothly."

Before Lin Sheng could say anything else, Tian Hu had already reached his conclusion.

Wang Sanyang, standing nearby, clicked his tongue in amazement and nodded.

"Examples like this are not uncommon. Many ordinary people from poor backgrounds see an improvement in their aptitude after entering the martial arts path and no longer worrying about food and clothing.

I remember a particularly typical case from a few years ago in the county yamen. He was just a temporary bailiff, but after achieving some merit and receiving rewards, his talent began to show. Later, a constable from the prefectural city noticed him and brought him to the prefectural city."

Listening to their words, Lin Sheng felt a sense of oddity. He had originally intended to explain further, but now it seemed unnecessary.

With such examples, it was all the better.

"Old Wang, you're talking about Liu Tianci, aren't you? Speaking of which, Liu Tianci is quite a legendary figure in our Lin'an County. Before the age of 17, he was unremarkable and useless, but after 17, he suddenly awakened, and his strength advanced by leaps and bounds."

At this point, Tian Hu continued, a hint of emotion on his face.

"After Liu Tianci's talent was ignited, he entered the Body Tempering realm in five days and the Muscle Forging realm in a month. His cultivation speed was truly inconceivable. Two years ago, he had already achieved great success in Blood Circulation, and his current strength has likely reached a terrifying level."

"Entered Body Tempering in five days, Muscle Forging in a month?"

Lin Sheng was also somewhat surprised.

Such a cultivation speed could definitely be considered that of an unparalleled genius.

Even after integrating the Iron Yak, his aptitude for the Raging Bull Fist was extremely compatible, yet his cultivation speed wasn't much faster. This showed that Liu Tianci's talent was indeed terrifying.

"That's right. Were you shocked?"

Tian Hu chuckled and shook his head.

"I heard that Liu Tianci experienced unusual phenomena when he awakened, indicating he was no longer an ordinary person."

"However, such situations are rare. There are only a few in an entire prefecture."

Tian Hu didn't say any more and shifted his gaze back to Lin Sheng.

"Now that you are a Body Tempering martial artist, your treatment will naturally improve compared to before. You don't need to worry about this."

"The Ninth Squad suffered heavy losses this time. Several squad captains, including Zhang Ding, were severely injured and have retired. You will take Zhang Ding's place. If you need anything, just find Wang Sanyang."

"Thank you, Hall Master."

Upon hearing this, Lin Sheng cupped his hands in acknowledgment.

When he emerged from the station, he held a book in his hand.

It was none other than the complete continuation of the Raging Bull Fist cultivation method.

His stipend in the Beast Hunter Hall had also increased to ten taels of silver, which was slightly higher than Zhang Ding's previous amount. Furthermore, Tian Hu had shared all his insights on cultivating the Raging Bull Fist with him.

He also promised that he could consult him or Wang Sanyang anytime if he had any problems with his cultivation in the future.

Their change in attitude towards him indicated that Tian Hu now saw him as one of his own after he had demonstrated his value.

During his time in the Beast Hunter Hall, he had also understood that it wasn't a monolithic entity but was divided into factions.

The Ninth Squad was backed by Deputy Hall Master Tian Hu.

In reality, he didn't care much about these matters, as long as he had cultivation techniques. Given time, his martial arts cultivation would steadily advance.

Now that he had revealed that he had entered Body Tempering, and with Tian Hu and Wang Sanyang supporting him, Ma Long would have to be more cautious if he truly wanted to do anything to him.

"There shouldn't be any trouble in the short term. I'll take advantage of this time to cultivate the White Ape Leg Technique to great success and enter the Muscle Forging realm. Ideally, I should also improve the Raging Bull Fist."

Lin Sheng had already planned his next steps in his mind.

He was still in the Body Tempering realm. Even with the integration boost from the Tusk Mountain Boar, he could contend with ordinary early-stage Muscle Forging cultivators, but he wasn't a true Muscle Forging martial artist. He didn't have much confidence in fighting against a genuine Muscle Forging martial artist.

Moreover, Ma Long's strength was considered quite high among early-stage Muscle Forging cultivators, as he had not only cultivated the Raging Bull Fist to great success but also possessed a second-rate martial art.

To deal with him, his current strength was still insufficient.

However, once he entered the Muscle Forging realm, combined with the integration boost, he believed it should be enough.

Upon returning to his courtyard and entering the door, he saw the stray dog he had picked up dart into the pile of firewood.

Lin Sheng ignored it and began to cultivate on his own.

Another two days passed in the blink of an eye.

"You're saying that kid broke through Body Tempering?"

At the Third Squad's base, Ma Long frowned as he looked at his subordinate.

"That's right. The kid got lucky. With the help of the Blood Nourishing Pill, he successfully entered the Body Tempering realm two days ago,"

one of the Third Squad's small captains said respectfully.

"Furthermore, I heard that Deputy Hall Master Tian personally appointed that kid as a small captain of the Ninth Squad. Deputy Hall Master Tian seems to value him quite highly."

"Hmph."

Upon hearing this, Ma Long snorted coldly, his frown deepening.

If he remembered correctly, that kid hadn't been practicing martial arts for very long.

It hadn't even been a month, and he had already broken through to Body Tempering.

Even with the assistance of the Blood Nourishing Pill, this progress was still a bit too fast.

"It seems that kid's talent is even better than I imagined."

Ma Long's expression turned somewhat grim.

Several days had passed, and there was still no news of Ma Qiang. He had completely given up hope.

He had originally planned to find an opportunity to deal with Lin Sheng in a few more days.

He hadn't expected this sudden turn of events.

"So, Captain, what's the next move? Now that the kid has become a Body Tempering martial artist, a Ninth Squad captain, and is favored by Deputy Hall Master Tian, it won't be as easy to make a move,"

the small captain also asked at this moment.

"Not as easy?"

Ma Long let out a cold laugh.

Given his temperament, he naturally wouldn't allow such a threat to exist.

He hadn't paid much attention to this mere hunter before, but now the talent the other party displayed made him feel threatened.

With such talent, reaching the late stage of Muscle Forging wouldn't be a problem, and even the Blood Circulation realm was a high possibility.

Since he had already offended the other party, he had to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots, dealing with him before he could grow.

Having reached this point, he was certainly no saint. The number of lives he had taken was at least dozens, if not hundreds.

How could a single Tian Hu make him back down?

"We won't rush the matter of this kid for now. Send people to buy two more Blood Cultivating Pills in the city for me. Also, send a few experts into the city to keep an eye on the kid's parents."

"Yes, Captain."

The small captain immediately nodded and hurried away.

Watching his subordinate leave, Ma Long's expression returned to calm.

A genius who hasn't grown up is not a true genius.

He had decided to focus on his cultivation during the upcoming period, striving to break through as soon as possible.

Once he broke through to the late stage of Muscle Forging, the first thing he would do was to eliminate Lin Sheng.

At that time, even if Tian Hu intervened, he wouldn't be afraid. Even if the kid had some defenses, by using his parents as leverage, he wouldn't be able to play any tricks.

In fact, he had considered finding an opportunity to personally deal with Lin Sheng in the past two days.

However, considering the current situation and the fact that Tian Hu was always in the town, if he were to be tricked by that kid, the loss would outweigh the gain. After all, no matter how big the matter, it wasn't as important as his own breakthrough.

With that thought, he put away his distractions, closed his eyes, and sank back into his cultivation.