Successfully Winning Over Qing Tan

On the way back, the four of them were still discussing Lei Li and Xie Yingying.

"Brother Lin Yun, how strong is Lei Li? Are you confident you can beat him?" Lin Dong asked curiously.

In the battle just now, Lin Yun and Lei Li had fought to a standstill, seemingly evenly matched. However, Lin Dong knew that Lin Yun still had many methods he had yet to use.

Still, Lei Li was no weakling. He had the advantage in cultivation level and abundant Origin Power. Lin Dong felt that if he faced Lei Li himself, he would not be certain of victory.

Lin Xia and Qing Tan also looked at Lin Yun.

They had undoubtedly offended Lei Li beyond reconciliation now. When the Hunting Event came around, Lei Li would definitely look for an opportunity to retaliate.

"When the Hunting Event arrives, it shouldn't be a problem," Lin Yun said modestly.

It was settled!

Hearing Lin Yun's answer, the three of them smiled in relief.

After spending this time together, they had come to understand Lin Yun somewhat. When it came to strength, they had never seen him pushed to his limit.

Whether after sparring or breaking through successfully, Lin Yun would always say it was luck, barely enough, or that he had been fortunate.

Yet in the end, they were always completely handled by Lin Yun.

If he said it shouldn't be a problem, that meant there was no problem at all.

In truth, Lin Yun had been confident he could defeat Lei Li, despite Lei Li being a full realm above him.

But he had not done so.

Always keep something in reserve; never let others know all your trump cards... that was his style.

If he had defeated Lei Li, would he not have become Qingyang Town's number one genius?

The tallest tree in the forest catches the strongest wind.

The Hunting Event was approaching. If he displayed the strength to defeat Lei Li with certainty, it would mean that the Lei and Xie Families had no chance of gaining any advantage at the Hunting Event. Driven to desperation, the two families might very well strike at him ahead of time.

To the Lei and Xie Families, killing someone in the Body Tempering Realm was not difficult at all.

When dealing with people and matters, the most frightening thing was leaving no hope.

Lin Yun had deliberately remained at a disadvantage in his fight against Lei Li, making Lei Li feel as though he had come just a little short of defeating him. That gave Lei Li hope and made him believe he could overcome Lin Yun himself, without relying on his family's power to crush him from a higher level.

Lin Yun's approach was like deliberately controlling his exam scores!

As long as he had the ability, it did not matter what score he got normally. All that mattered was achieving his goal.

By the time the Hunting Event arrived, Lin Yun's strength would have improved again. Then, he could pretend to barely defeat Lei Li, continue concealing most of his strength, and avoid having to worry about retaliation from the Lei and Xie Families.

When they returned to Lin Yun's courtyard, Lin Xia and Qing Tan were like two considerate young wives, helping Lin Yun tidy up his room. The two of them had bought him quite a few things today.

Only after they left did Lin Yun begin sorting through today's gains.

First were the mission rewards.

"Two bottles of Fourth Grade Origin Qi Pills."

They had come from Xie Yingying and Lei Li respectively.

Then there were the fifteen Third-Grade Spiritual Medicines and two Fourth-Grade Spiritual Medicines he had received through trading.

Lin Yun took out the Divine Alchemy Furnace and tossed all seventeen spiritual medicines into it, allowing Chi Ling to automatically combine them and refine them into pills.

Chi Ling did not need pill formulas to refine pills. Based on the spiritual medicines available, she could extract and fuse them to refine spiritual pills of a higher grade than the medicines themselves.

Before long, the pills emerged from the furnace.

There were thirty-two pills in total.

Among them were twenty-two third-grade pills, nine fourth-grade pills, and one that barely reached the fifth grade.

The pills Chi Ling refined, like those rewarded by the system, were all supreme-quality pills. They contained no impurities and caused no side effects after absorption.

Besides, even if there were side effects, there was no need to worry.

The Divine Alchemy Furnace had another function: it could be used for cultivation.

He could enter the alchemy furnace directly and refine himself like a spiritual medicine. The Pill Fire could extract the impurities from Lin Yun's body, making his Physique purer.

However, Lin Yun's body could not yet withstand the Pill Fire. He needed to reach the Core Formation Realm first.

For now, Lin Yun could swallow pills and cultivate without restraint, without worrying about taking too many pills and suffering side effects.

There were only a little over four months left until the Hunting Event.

Lin Yun's next goal was to break through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer and charge toward the Earthly Yuan Realm.

Now that he had an ample supply of pills, Lin Yun could cultivate without reservation.

In the blink of an eye, more than a month passed.

Under Lin Yun's tireless cultivation, the Origin Power Seed within his meridians grew increasingly powerful and condensed, beginning to strike against the barrier of his Dantian.

The Body Tempering Ninth Layer required Origin Power to break open the Dantian.

After repeated attempts, Lin Yun could vaguely sense that the sturdy barrier around his Dantian was beginning to tremble, on the verge of collapse.

After taking that nearly Fifth-Grade Pill, Lin Yun finally pushed through in one burst.

He entered the Body Tempering Ninth Layer!

The Origin Power Seed surged into his Dantian. It was as though a parched pond had been irrigated; Lin Yun could feel his body undergoing a transformation, spreading outward from its very depths.

The feeling was like a hidden dragon soaring into the heavens, a fish returning to the sea! Task: Break through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer. Reward: Physique +2, Root Bone +2. Completed. Claim reward?

"Claim!"

Physique 13 (Outstanding) - Physique 15 (Outstanding).

Root Bone 21 (One in a Hundred) - Root Bone 23 (One in a Hundred).

The energy from the increased attributes merged into his body, bringing Lin Yun to another minor peak.

In just over a month, he had risen from the Body Tempering Eighth Layer to the Ninth Layer. Such rapid cultivation progress was not solely due to Pills. The biggest reason was that Lin Yun's various attributes were all exceptionally high, especially his Root Bone attribute, which represented his talent for cultivating Origin Power. Having reached "One in a Hundred," it was already beyond the comparison of ordinary geniuses.

Lin Yun set another task and continued cultivating.

Task: Break through to the Earthly Yuan Realm. Reward: Root Bone +2, Comprehension +2, peerless Cultivation Methods manual, "Dragon Elephant Prajna Art."

"This reward... a Cultivation Methods manual!?"

Lin Yun's eyes lit up. A Cultivation Methods manual was no trivial thing.

One needed to enter the Earthly Yuan Realm before being able to cultivate it.

Cultivation Methods manuals differed from martial arts. Martial arts could maximize the power of Origin Power, while manuals could fundamentally enhance Origin Power itself.

It was the difference between external cultivation and internal cultivation.

Martial arts were divided into Grades One through Nine.

Cultivation Methods were divided into third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate.

The entire Lin Family possessed only one Cultivation Methods manual, and it was merely a third-rate manual.

Yet the reward was actually a peerless Cultivation Methods manual. There was no need to think about it—it was definitely above first-rate.

If Lin Yun mastered it, dominating all of Qingyang Town would be no problem at all.

This gave him even greater motivation to cultivate.

His Pills were nearly used up, so Lin Yun went to the Underground Exchange again. He first used his savings to purchase a batch of First- and Second-Grade Spiritual Medicine, then had Chi Ling process them into Pills before trading them for Third- and Fourth-Grade Spiritual Medicine.

Fourth-Grade Spiritual Medicine was still too scarce. Lin Yun visited several exchanges and only managed to obtain three stalks.

However, with Chi Ling around, quantity could make up for the lack of quality.

As long as he had enough varieties of Third-Grade Spiritual Medicine, Chi Ling could combine them in her refining and still produce quite a few Fourth-Grade Pills.

Besides Pills, he also had the Yin Pearls he had harvested from Qing Tan.

Yin Pearls contained extremely pure Innate Yin Sha Qi. Because their cold energy was too powerful, Lin Yun had been unable to absorb them before. Now that he had reached the Body Tempering Ninth Layer and was preparing to charge into the Earthly Yuan Realm, the Yin Pearls could finally be put to use.

At the Earthly Yuan Realm, one needed to fuse the Origin Power within one's body with Innate Yin Sha Qi, making that Origin Power stronger. At this stage, the most important thing was absorbing Innate Yin Sha Qi from heaven and earth.

Innate Yin Sha Qi also varied in quality.

The Innate Yin Sha Qi in the world was divided into nine ranks, with the first rank being the weakest and the ninth rank the strongest.

Even among Earthly Yuan Realm cultivators, the better the Innate Yin Sha Qi one absorbed, the stronger one would be.

Most people cultivated normally, absorbing ordinary Innate Yin Sha Qi from heaven and earth.

Such ordinary Innate Yin Sha Qi could only reach the first or second rank.

The Yin Pearls absorbed from Qing Tan's body, however, were all above the fifth rank.

Innate Yin Sha Qi of such quality might not be found even in Yancheng, let alone Qingyang Town.

Lin Yun swallowed a Yin Pearl and began cultivating.

As the Yin Pearl entered his body, Lin Yun's body stiffened almost instantly. Icy cold air spread wildly through him, and specks of frost covered his skin.

He experienced the suffering caused by Qing Tan's cold energy as well.

However, this cold energy was only a portion of what Qing Tan leaked out, so its power was not great.

Moreover, Lin Yun's Physique was not weak. Refining the Yin Pearl was somewhat painful, but he could endure it.

As the Innate Yin Sha Qi entered his Dantian, it slowly fused with his Origin Power.

After successfully refining it, Lin Yun's Origin Power gained

traces of extremely faint Innate Yin Sha Qi.

"As long as I keep strengthening the Innate Yin Sha Qi within my Origin Power, I'll be able to break through to the Earthly Yuan Realm."

Lin Yun's face was full of confidence. Next, he just needed to have more in-depth exchanges with little Qing Tan and strive to obtain more Yin Pearls.

"Speaking of it, this Yin Pearl is such a great opportunity. Now that I've obtained it, can Lin Dong still break through to the Earthly Yuan Realm smoothly? I wonder how many Yin Pearls he saved from Qing Tan before. Hopefully, it's enough for his cultivation."

Lin Yun felt sorry for Lin Dong for one second before putting it out of his mind.

In any case, there was no way he would give Qing Tan to Lin Dong.

It was one thing that he had failed to seize the opportunity of the Ancestral Stone before, but for the opportunities that came afterward, whoever obtained them owned them.

If Lin Dong fell behind because of this, it was fine—Lin Yun had him covered.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

Lin Yun had refined nearly all of his Pills and Yin Pearls, reaching the Body Tempering Ninth Layer Peak. The Yuan Power within his Dantian also carried a powerful Yin Sha aura. He was only missing an opportunity to break through into the Earthly Yuan Realm.

Today, Qing Tan came to find Lin Yun again.

"Brother Lin Yun, I feel like my cold aura is about to flare up again. I'll stay with you for the next couple of days."

"Qing Tan, your cold aura is flaring up more and more frequently, and it's getting stronger each time. Just how much energy is hidden inside that tiny body of yours?" Lin Yun said, rubbing Qing Tan's little head.

Over this period, he had obtained quite a few Yin Pearls from Qing Tan, and he could tell that her cold aura was becoming increasingly severe.

"I don't know why there's so much of it either." Qing Tan pouted, looking aggrieved... Without Brother Lin Yun's help, she would have suffered herself to death.

"But with Brother Lin Yun's treasure, no matter how much energy there is, it can suppress it."

The lively Qing Tan quickly broke into a smile and spoke optimistically.

"You only ever think about my treasure!"

Lin Yun said fondly.

After helping Qing Tan for so long, and with them being alone inside the Alchemy Furnace each time, their relationship had grown very close. They could occasionally exchange intimate words and make intimate gestures.

On the second day Qing Tan stayed with Lin Yun, her cold aura flared up.

With practiced ease, Lin Yun covered Qing Tan's eyes, then carried her into the Alchemy Furnace.

"Master, I can draw out more of the Yin Sha Qi within her body. Once it is refined, I can guide it into your body, and you can use this opportunity to break through into the Earthly Yuan Realm," Chi Ling suddenly transmitted.

"Hm? That can be done?!" Lin Yun was slightly surprised.

But he still asked first, "Will this harm Qing Tan?"

"No, Master. It will only help her expel some of her excess cold aura ahead of time. At most, the next flare-up will be delayed."

Chi Ling added succinctly, "She won't be in pain, but you will."

"Then let's do it!"

It was only a little pain. He could endure it.

Chi Ling then began serving as a "conduit." Rather than condensing the cold aura Qing Tan released into a pill, she directly purified it through the Pill Fire and transferred it to Lin Yun.

Lin Yun sat cross-legged opposite Qing Tan as he cultivated. An icy blue aura emerged from Qing Tan's body, passed through the crimson domain of flames between them, gathered before Lin Yun, and was absorbed by him.

It was like an icy blue thread connecting the two of them.

As time passed, Qing Tan felt the cold aura in her body erupting in ever greater amounts.

She was a little afraid. This time, the amount seemed far too great—more than two or three times what it had been before.

"Brother Lin Yun, there's so much cold aura. I'm scared." Qing Tan was extremely nervous. Instinctively, she reached out to grab Lin Yun, wanting to touch him and find some sense of security.

However, when she caught Lin Yun's hand, she found it incomparably cold.

She was startled! The space within the Alchemy Furnace was filled everywhere with the aura of Pill Fire.

Chi Ling could control it with exquisite precision. She gave Qing Tan enough warmth, so no matter how much cold aura Qing Tan released, she would not suffer. But Lin Yun was the exact opposite. To make his breakthrough, he needed to absorb the cold aura. Chi Ling could not give him warmth, since the power of the Pill Fire would weaken the cold aura's effect. As a result, Lin Yun's whole body had become icy cold, just as Qing Tan's did whenever her cold aura flared up.

"I... I'm fine... Qing Tan... I-I'll be better... in a moment," Lin Yun said, trembling and stammering.

Qing Tan's cold aura was too powerful. He was truly freezing. The bone-piercing pain of the cold had made even his teeth hard to control.

Yet when that trembling voice reached Qing Tan's ears, it was like a bolt from the blue.

She knew that rhythm and tone all too well. When her cold aura had flared up before and she had been in unbearable pain, that was exactly how she had spoken.

In an instant, Qing Tan thought of many things.

She was not cold, but Lin Yun was.

She was not in pain, but Lin Yun was.

What did that mean? Brother Lin Yun's treasure must be able to transfer pain! It had transferred the pain she was meant to suffer onto Brother Lin Yun.

Qing Tan recalled many details.

Why had Brother Lin Yun never spoken before?

Why had he made her sit still and not touch anything around her?

Why had he made her cover her eyes? Wasn't all of it because he did not want her to find out?

Brother Lin Yun had shown no abnormalities before because her cold aura had not been that strong, and he had been able to endure it. But this time there was too much cold aura, and even Brother Lin Yun could not bear it.

Her covered eyes instantly grew wet.

"Brother Lin Yun, why... why are you doing this?" Qing Tan tightly gripped Lin Yun's icy hand. Her voice choked with sobs, and her heart was filled with emotion... Why are you so good to me? Since childhood, other than her family, no one had ever treated her so selflessly.

"Ah... Qing Tan... you, listen to me..." Lin Yun was a little flustered. He thought Qing Tan had noticed that he was taking in a large amount of cold aura and wanted to explain it clearly.

"You don't need to say anything, Brother Lin Yun. I... understand everything." Qing Tan suddenly interrupted Lin Yun, speaking in a tone that said she understood him.

He was not her family, yet he treated her so well. If he did not like her, what else could it be? "Wait until I grow up!" she added softly, her tone exceptionally gentle.

Just then, Lin Yun received a system notification. A mission had been completed.

Mission: Win Qing Tan's heart.
Reward: Charm +10, Innate Yin Sha Qi.
Completed. Claim reward?

Big chapter—please bookmark, recommend, and leave a good review! I originally wanted to split it up, but I felt that cutting it off would be bad for the readers' health, so I posted it all at once. What do you think? I'm a good person, right?

As the price, tomorrow's update will be delayed a little, hehe!