Lin Fan Breaks Through, Cave Heaven Realm Combat Power!

"Still, this is wonderful~!"

"The more trump cards you have, the stronger I become after sharing them."

"In this state, whether it's setting formations, deducing and divining, or those esoteric techniques, I'm all above Fan Jianqiang..."

Although Lin Fan knew he ought to stay calm, he still couldn't help baring his teeth in a wide grin.

"After all, once we share, my cultivation is higher, so these methods become more powerful in my hands as well."

"But if we really fought one-on-one, there's an eighty or ninety percent chance I'd be the one hanging."

"After all, he's Gou Sheng. Until the very moment he dies, who knows how many trump cards he still has?"

But Lin Fan knew very well that this was only temporary.

After all, every Gou Sheng was formidable—this was inevitable. And with a teeny tiny bit of trump-card support, fighting above one's realm was standard fare. Or rather, for all protagonists, fighting above one's realm was standard fare.

But~

He was not limited to sharing the combat power of just one person.

Even if he took in more disciples later, there was still Xiao Ling'er!

Before this, Xiao Ling'er might have had her cultivation progress dragged down by the 'Old Man in the Necklace,' leaving her at merely the sixth layer of the Core Condensation Realm.

But as long as she was given time, she could absolutely catch up from behind and become 'version T0.'

Version T0!

Put in more cultivation-world terms, she possessed the bearing of one invincible among her generation—a peerless prodigy with the potential to suppress an entire era, and no small chance of doing so!

Once she developed, she might not be weaker than Fan Jianqiang even in a one-on-one fight!

Besides, wasn't there himself?!

His own talent was indeed nothing to speak of. He did not know how to play it safe, nor did he possess the burning passion of the Flame Emperor Template. But as long as he shared the talents of those two...

Then shared their combat power as well~

In the end, his realm would surely crush Fan Jianqiang's. By then, under the crushing pressure of absolute strength, that 'teeny tiny bit' of trump cards might not be able to accomplish much.

The Protagonist Template was indeed powerful, but that did not mean absolute invincibility.

At the end of the day, it merely gave one the bearing of being invincible among one's generation. And strictly speaking, ahem ahem.

He was their elder!

"So, I need to play it safe."

"At present, the greatest crisis may arrive in as little as three to five days, or as late as ten days to half a month, right?"

"Before then, I have to cultivate diligently and strive to break through as soon as possible!"

"If I can gain Fourth Realm combat power, and the First Elder successfully breaks through to the Fifth Realm, then we'll have a great chance of weathering this crisis!"

"Besides, we have Gou Sheng, that cautious fellow. His earlier initiative in proposing feng shui surveying was surely preparation made for the sake of 'stability.'"

"As for Xiao Ling'er... unless it comes to a life-or-death moment, it's best not to count on her. We have no idea how much the Old Man in the Necklace has recovered—perhaps not even one ten-thousandth. Don't let him fall asleep again."

After counting things over on his fingers for a moment, Lin Fan settled his mind.

Just as he was about to cultivate, Xiao Ling'er came to seek an audience outside his door.

"Master."

"Come in."

Lin Fan waved his hand, and the door opened by itself without wind.

"Master."

Xiao Ling'er bowed respectfully, then presented a jade bottle. "These are the Profound Origin Pills this disciple refined during the alchemy competition."

"They are ninth-grade pills. This disciple has no use for them now, so I leave them for Master to handle."

Lin Fan accepted it, turning the jade bottle over in his hand as he pondered. "I won't speak hypocritical words. Master greatly needs these pills at present, and our Moon Embracing Sect has a powerful enemy looming before us..."

"But I will remember this kindness in my heart, and I will never let you down."

He truly wanted them.

But he did not want to act one way while pretending to be another, so he simply accepted them.

Trading sincerity for sincerity—at least where the 'Flame Emperor' was concerned, there could be no mistake in that.

"Master overstates it. The sect's kindness toward this disciple is as weighty as a mountain. This disciple is not some heartless wolf or dog, so naturally I must consider the sect! Besides, it is not that this disciple is being arrogant."

Seeing Lin Fan accept them, Xiao Ling'er was extremely happy. Smiling, she said, "If I give it my all, ninth-grade Profound Origin Pills are no difficult matter for this disciple."

"Once we weather this crisis, as long as there are suitable materials, this disciple can refine them easily and in batches! Even ninth-grade Cave Heaven Pills may not be impossible..."

"You have a good heart."

Lin Fan smiled. "Master naturally believes in your talent for alchemy."

"Our sect's pills will depend on you in the future. When the time comes, do not grow tired of it."

"This disciple never will!"

Xiao Ling'er puffed out her chest.

Although Lin Fan's words would bring her plenty of trivial matters to handle, she did not resent it in the slightest. On the contrary, she felt immensely happy, filled with a sense of accomplishment!

After chatting idly for a while, Xiao Ling'er left, wholly satisfied.

She feared nothing else—only that her master would refuse the pills.

Fortunately, Lin Fan was not as "concerned with saving face" as the First Elder, which made Xiao Ling'er exceedingly happy.

And she had once again gained her master's approval. At this moment, she felt brimming with motivation.

"Other than the 'Old Man in the Necklace,' she's kept almost nothing from me?"

Watching Xiao Linger's receding figure, Lin Fan was quite pleased.

Xiao Ling'er had clearly been "laying her cards on the table" just now!

And unless it was someone she trusted absolutely, why would she reveal such things?

"That does remind me—I can share her pill-refining techniques. I can refine these pills too~, it's just that I don't have a pill furnace or spiritual herbs."

Lin Fan smiled faintly. "Besides, if disciples can refine pills for me, why should I do it myself? Wouldn't it be better to focus on cultivation?"

As a sect master, how could he personally handle every little thing!

He had to know how to use people~!

At that moment, Lin Fan suddenly recalled a news story from his previous life...

A young wife had been married for seven years and always thought her husband couldn't cook, because that was what he had always told her. Then one day, while cleaning the house, she found a master chef certificate—her husband's~!

Ahem.

"Scumbag~"

Wait, wouldn't that be insulting myself?

"The only regret is that the pill-refining techniques of the two of them can't be 'stacked.'"

Pill-refining techniques were different from cultivation.

Strong was strong; weak was weak.

If someone was two stages stronger than you, then they were stronger than you in almost every respect.

If the two were merged, the weaker one would almost entirely be overwritten, rather than stacked.

Therefore, Lin Fan's pill-refining skills would likely only ever be comparable to Xiao Ling'er's in this lifetime, making it difficult for him to surpass her.

But not necessarily. If he encountered some fortuitous opportunity one day, it would not be impossible.

"Xiao Ling'er's temperament, character, and feelings toward the Moon Embracing Sect are no longer a concern, but Fan Jianqiang still needs some guidance."

"Let's wait... until after this battle."

Lin Fan was certain that the Moon Embracing Sect would face a battle afterward—perhaps even... several battles.

"Take pills, cultivate!"

"The more strength I have, the better my odds of victory~!"

"Besides, with Gou Sheng's methods, I can hide my cultivation level too."

Lin Fan smiled, no longer hesitating. He took pills and cultivated.

Boom!

The Ninth Grade Profound Origin Pill was packed with medicinal power and had no "drug resistance." Even someone at the Mysterious Origin Realm Ninth Level would benefit greatly from taking it, while Lin Fan was merely at the Mysterious Origin Realm First Level.

The pill entered his stomach, and its medicinal power instantly erupted!

Lin Fan immediately felt intense swelling pain in his dantian, as well as in the Mystic Gates and meridians throughout his body.

His cultivation also soared as though he had activated some kind of cheat...

By midnight, the medicinal power of one Ninth Grade Profound Origin Pill had been completely exhausted.

Lin Fan did not hesitate in the slightest and took another.

At dawn, Lin Fan opened his eyes.

He... had broken through!

Mysterious Origin Realm, Second Level!

"Sure enough, Fan Jianqiang's talent is not the least bit inferior to Xiao Ling'er's. Adding their talents together, along with that tiny, insignificant bit of talent of my own..."

"However, the most important thing was still eating Ninth Grade Profound Origin Pills like candy. Two in one night were what allowed me to break through overnight."

"Wonderful~!"

Lin Fan was thrilled.

"Combat Power, merge!"

Boom!

An even more astonishing aura spread through the cave dwelling.

"Fourth Realm, Grotto-Heaven, achieved!"