Success

As Lei Li and his group shot forward, Lin Dong let out a low shout, stamped his foot against the ground, and burst forth, directly blocking Lei Li, while Lin Changqiang unhesitatingly charged toward Xie Yingying and the others.

"Lin Dong, Lin Changqiang!"

The sudden turn of events startled Lei Li, and when he saw who stood in his way, his expression darkened.

Lei Li let out a cold laugh, stomped his foot, and launched himself upward, then descended to punch at Lin Dong from above, the blow whistling through the air.

"You came at me yourself, so don't blame me!"

Lin Dong looked up at the rapidly approaching figure. From the sheer force of that punch, he knew Lei Li had indeed broken into the Earthly Yuan Stage. Even someone at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering would be severely injured by such a blow. But Lin Dong neither dodged nor flinched. Expressionless, he locked his eyes on Lei Li, clenched his fist, and threw it out in an instant, meeting Lei Li's punch head-on.

Meanwhile, Lin Changqiang had already activated the Five Fireball Technique, sending basketball-sized fireballs hurtling toward Xie Yingying and the others.

Of course, he deliberately weakened his Yuan Power output to control the fireballs' power. He didn't want Lei Li to back out of the bet with the Lin Family due to his overwhelming strength, which would cost the Lin Family a Yang Yuan Stone Mine Vein and slow down both his and Lin Dong's cultivation speed.

Not only that, but Lin Changqiang didn't even bother aiming precisely. He just occasionally blasted the ground in front of Xie Yingying and the others with fireballs, driving them back and keeping them at a distance. This made it seem like his fireball technique had decent range but poor accuracy.

At the same time, Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha had already scaled the cliff wall and were charging straight for the cubs.

A loud "bang" rang out as Lin Dong and Lei Li's fists met and separated. But unexpectedly, Lin Dong stood firm, while Lei Li stumbled back to the ground, staggering several steps and nearly falling.

Lei Li was the one pushed back!

Xie Yingying stared in disbelief, her steps faltering. Lei Li, who had entered the Earthly Yuan Stage, had been knocked back by a single punch from Lin Dong!

Just as he steadied himself, Lei Li jerked his head up, staring at Lin Dong in shock. "You've also reached the Earthly Yuan Stage? How is that possible?!"

Lei Li's words rang out like a thunderclap in everyone's ears, even making Lin Changqiang wonder if the guy had used a Little Trumpet from the system.

"If you can, so can I," Lin Dong said with a faint smile, looking at Lei Li's horrified expression. He was grateful that Lin Changqiang had only shown the strength of the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, or else Lei Li might have had a crisis of confidence.

"You!"

Lei Li's face twitched, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He had started training three years ago, and with the Lei Family's abundant resources, he had only barely broken into the Earthly Yuan Stage two months ago. And Lin Dong? As far as he knew, the latter had only been training for about a year!

"Impossible!"

Lei Li's face shifted through several expressions before he finally mustered his Yuan Power again and strode toward Lin Dong with a savage look.

"Brother Lei Li, they're trying to steal the Fire Python Tiger Cubs!" Just as Lei Li's mind churned with shock, Xie Yingying suddenly spotted Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha on the cliff wall. Her expression changed, and she wanted to rush over to stop them, but she was wary of Lin Changqiang's fireballs and dared not advance, so she could only shout a warning to Lei Li.

Hearing this, Lei Li snapped back to reality. Seeing the two already climbing the cliff wall, he flew into a rage. Dense Yuan Power erupted from his body, faintly carrying a chill. It seemed he had also absorbed Yin Fiend Qi and merged it with his Yuan Power.

But judging by the intensity of the chill, it was likely just the most ordinary natural Yin Fiend Qi from the world.

"Lin Dong, no matter how you raised your strength, you're not qualified to step on me!"

Yuan Power surged within Lei Li, and feeling this abundant strength, his confidence swelled once more. Right, earlier he had simply been caught off guard, never expecting Lin Dong to also be at the Earthly Yuan Stage. That was why he had lost!

With a sharp shout, Lei Li shot forward like an arrow from a bow. His palms curled slightly, sharp as an Eagle Claw, as he lunged at Lin Dong.

But just then, Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha had already reached the three cubs. They quickly took out a cloth, wrapped up the three Fire Python Tiger Cubs, and leaped down from the cliff wall.

Wu Yun let out a whistle to alert Lin Changqiang and Lin Dong, then dashed into the jungle with Mu Lingsha, disappearing from sight.

Seeing this, Lin Dong stopped trying to fight Lei Li head-on. After trading a palm strike, he used the force to leap backward. Lin Changqiang also launched five more fireballs, briefly holding back Lei Li and the others, before he and Lin Dong slipped into the jungle.

Lei Li, furious beyond measure, roared with a twisted face, "Lin Dong, Lin Changqiang, I'll kill you!"

Running through the dense jungle, Lin Changqiang heard the roars behind them and couldn't help but curl his lip in disdain. "Does Lei Li really think he can take us on?"

Lin Dong couldn't help but smile. "Well, neither of us went all out."

The two moved like agile monkeys through the thick foliage, finally stopping under a large tree a few minutes later.

Not long after, rustling leaves sounded nearby, and Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha appeared before them.

"Haha, that went smoothly!" Wu Yun couldn't help but laugh as soon as he appeared, then looked at the two with envy. "We really picked the right partners. But you two, your cultivation speed is insane—jumping to the Earthly Yuan Stage in about a year."

"Just luck," Lin Dong said with a smile, not elaborating, which made Lin Changqiang twitch his lips, reminded of those top students back in his past life who always said they just got lucky.

"Let's split the spoils first." Wu Yun laughed, untying the cloth bundle from his back and carefully laying it out on a nearby rock.

Inside the cloth, three cubs, still stained with a bit of blood, wriggled occasionally. Their tiny forms were quite endearing.

"As agreed, you pick first." Wu Yun stepped aside with a smile, and Mu Lingsha nodded seriously beside him.

"Lin Dong, you choose. I'm not really into tigers with snake tails," Lin Changqiang said, making up an excuse to push Lin Dong forward.

Lin Dong didn't refuse. He reached out his right hand and gently touched the three little beasts. Feeling the touch, they curled up slightly, letting out soft squeaks.

Lin Dong's hand swept over the three cubs one by one, finally stopping on the leftmost one. He stared at it, a glint flashing in his eyes, then picked it up. "We'll take this one."

"This... Brother Lin Dong, this one looks the weakest of the three. It might even be hard to keep alive. Are you sure?"

Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha were both taken aback by his choice.

"It's fine, this one's fine." Lin Dong shook his head with a smile. He wasn't being generous for show. When he had touched each cub with his right palm, only the leftmost one had caused the Mysterious Stone Talisman in his palm to tremble slightly.

His stone talisman was usually very quiet and rarely stirred, but every time it did, it meant he had encountered something extraordinary.

Lin Dong looked down at the cub in his arms, its eyes still closed. As sharp as his eyesight was, he couldn't see anything special about this little beast, but he still chose to trust the talisman. After all, it was the foundation of his strength.

Beside him, Lin Changqiang smiled with satisfaction. At last, the brothers were all together—though one was still unconscious, and the other had yet to grow up.

"Dong, congratulations to the host. Main Quest Part One is half complete. Reward: three Lottery Draw Opportunities."