Azure Yuan Art

Early the next morning, while dawn was still dim, Lin Changqiang dragged the unwilling Lin Dong to find Lin Zhentian and showed him that they had both reached the Earthly Yuan Realm. Lin Zhentian stared at them in stunned disbelief, his lips trembling nonstop.

It was not that Lin Changqiang particularly enjoyed showing off in front of others. He had finally gained the ability to cultivate a technique, so he did not want to keep scraping by on handouts. The sooner he got it, the sooner he could cultivate it. Wasn't that better?

Although he did not know why, in the original story, Lin Dong had not told anyone after breaking through to the Earthly Yuan Realm or immediately asked for the Azure Yuan Art, it probably came down to four words: showing off and slapping faces. Naturally, Lin Changqiang had no qualms about selling Lin Dong out as well.

Even after the two hurried out of the backyard carrying an ancient-looking yellow book, Lin Zhentian was still chuckling merrily to himself, enough to make anyone who saw him shudder.

The Lin family's back mountain, veiled in a thin mist, once again welcomed its old friends.

In a clearing amid the dense forest, Lin Changqiang flicked his hand and casually tossed the Azure Yuan Art into Lin Dong's arms. "Ladies first. Lin Dong, you read it first. Don't be polite with me."

Yet, contrary to his expectations, Lin Dong did not react at all this time. He simply ignored him and began flipping through the Azure Yuan Art with a look of earnest study, leaving Lin Changqiang strangely unaccustomed to it.

A cultivation technique was, in essence, a method of guiding and tempering Yuan Power. The Lin family's Azure Yuan Art, for instance, could open four meridians. Of course, after being perfected by Lin Dong's ancestral stone, that number had become seven.

These seven meridians led directly to the skin. When cultivating, one merely had to activate the technique to absorb Yuan Power from heaven and earth through them directly. The speed was obviously much faster than relying only on one's breathing.

It was said that most first-rate manuals could open dozens of meridians. Some even more miraculous manuals could form an endlessly cycling vortex within the body through special methods. At that point, even when one was not cultivating, those vortices would continuously draw Yuan Power from heaven and earth to temper the body and replenish the dantian.

Ding, congratulations to the host for achieving the achievement: First contact with a Yuan Power cultivation technique. Reward: two lottery chances.

Looking at the seven lottery chances displayed in the message, Lin Changqiang became indecisive. Should he hoard them like he had when playing games before, or should he be the type who drew whenever he got one?

"System, do you have any events like a ten-pull giving Demon Guan Yu, or a guaranteed epic in ten pulls?"

Ding, in reply to the host: There is no difference between single draws and ten-pulls.

"Tsk, fine. You won't even give me a reason to hoard." Lin Changqiang took a deep breath and rubbed his face. "System, use all lottery chances!"

Thinking about it carefully, each breakthrough into a major realm would grant several lottery chances, on top of all sorts of quest and achievement rewards. Lottery chances were not actually that difficult to obtain. Besides, after the hunt ended, the Lei family would surely start causing trouble again. He should strengthen himself first.

Ding, seven lottery chances successfully used. Congratulations, host, on obtaining:

One Small Horn,

Two Intimacy Roses,

Two Double Experience Cards,

One Double Gold Card,

Nuwa's Third Skill—Command: Leap.

Command: Leap: Consumes Yuan Power to condense a circular magic formation five meters in diameter beneath the user's feet. After five seconds, it teleports any person or object designated by the host within the formation to a designated location.

If the location is outside the host's field of vision, someone within the formation must have previously visited that location. If it is within the host's field of vision, there are no restrictions.

Lin Changqiang's eyes lit up. At that moment, he felt that he could go anywhere under heaven.

"Lin Dong, if you ever get into trouble outside, just come back and find me. Your big brother will make sure you get away safe and sound!" Lin Changqiang happily patted Lin Dong on the shoulder, interrupting his thoughts.

"Who are you calling your little brother? Don't forget, I'm older than you." Lin Dong helplessly pushed Lin Changqiang's hand away and continued studying the technique.

"In martial arts, seniority does not matter. Whoever is more accomplished is the big brother~" Lin Changqiang carelessly lay back on the grass, but the moment he did, he remembered the costume lying in his inventory. He immediately called out in his heart without changing his expression. "System, when Lin Dong absorbs Yin Fiend Energy, can I gain an additional thirty percent?"

Ding, in reply to the host: No. However, when Lin Dong absorbs Yin Fiend Energy, he will gain Earthly Yuan Realm experience, and the host can receive thirty percent of that experience.

"That's not bad either." Lin Changqiang's eyes lit up. He immediately scrambled up with a delighted expression, grabbed Lin Dong, and ran down the mountain. Although he could take the costume directly from the system right now, explaining it would be far too troublesome. "Lin Dong, I've got something good in my room. I'll take you to see it!"

"Something good? A new martial art?" Lin Dong frowned slightly.

"What new martial art? It's even more exciting than martial arts! And it can make you stronger too~" Lin Changqiang wore a mischievous smile. He knew that as long as Lin Dong heard it could make him stronger, he would definitely be interested.

Sure enough, Lin Dong's eyes lit up as soon as he finished speaking. "Make me stronger?"

"That's right. Come on, you'll know once you see it!"

"Wait, Changqiang, the Azure Yuan Art!"

"Bring it, bring it. Come on, come on."

Time flew like an arrow, and years passed like a shuttle~ Who would have thought that, in just a few short minutes, a few short minutes had passed, and Lin Changqiang and Lin Dong had arrived at Lin Changqiang's home?

"Ta-da-da-da! Ta~ da~ da—" Mimicking the sound effect Doraemon made when taking out a gadget, Lin Changqiang reached beneath the bed and pretended to pull out the Ghost Captain costume. He even gave it a name more fitting for the Tianxuan Continent: "Yin Fiend Ritual Garb!"

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Lin Changqiang sometimes felt that his mentality had grown younger along with his body.

"To be honest, I picked up this Yin Fiend Ritual Garb from the owner of a clothing shop who didn't know its value. It can continuously gather ninth-grade Yin Fiend Energy and help Earthly Yuan Realm cultivators train. We were only at the Tempered Body Realm before, so I wasn't in a hurry to tell you."

Lin Changqiang nodded and earnestly fooled Lin Dong. "Now that we've finally reached the Earthly Yuan Realm, and seeing as you're my little brother, I'll generously allow you to cultivate with me~"

"Who needs your generosity?" As he looked at Lin Changqiang's kindly gaze, the gratitude Lin Dong had not yet had time to feel instantly vanished into thin air.

"If you're going to make up an excuse, at least make a better one. This treasure is obviously extraordinary. How could the clothing shop owner fail to recognize it?"

Lin Dong helplessly shook his head, yet did not expose him aloud.

"Changqiang is willing to share such a treasure with me without the slightest guard up. So what if he really has some secret? Everyone has secrets of their own. Haven't I also never told anyone about my stone talisman?"

Ding, detected that Lin Dong's favorability toward the host has risen to seventy.

Lin Changqiang blinked and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Sharing the Ghost Captain with Lin Dong had not been a spur-of-the-moment decision; it had been carefully considered.

Unlike the selfish protagonists in certain works, Lin Dong had always lived by the principle that if others did not offend him, he would not offend them. He was also exceedingly generous and responsible toward his own people. In the original story, he had even risked himself to save companions he had only known for a short time, much less someone like him.

Of course, the most important point—and the one that put him most at ease—was that he could see other people's favorability! As long as he watched the changes in their favorability, he could tell whether they had developed harmful intentions toward him.

Clearly, this time, he had bet right.