Xiao Yan

"Lin Changqiang wins!"

"Ding, congratulations to the host. Side Quest One has been completed. Reward: Honor Broadcast—Overbearing Path of Action."

Though the outcome had long been apparent, thunderous applause still erupted from the arena. After all, the battle had truly been an eye-opener for them.

At the edge of the arena, Xie Yingying watched Lei Li lying unconscious on the ground, looking utterly miserable. Her expression shifted uncertainly before she finally waved over two younger members of the Xie Family and had them carry Lei Li back to the spectators' seats.

"You really defeated Lei Li? That's way too amazing!" Wu Yun rushed to Lin Changqiang's side in delight. Though he had already suspected it, seeing it happen for real still left him immensely excited. Lin Dong followed close behind and said with a smile, "Changqiang, well done."

"Of course I did." Lin Changqiang stretched lazily, took the cub from Lin Dong's arms with a grin, and headed for the spectators' seats without looking back. "I'm out of stamina, so I won't be taking part in the rest of the matches. Lin Dong, I'll leave the task of bringing home the championship to you~"

Under Lin Dong's helpless gaze, Lin Changqiang left with the cub in his arms and headed straight back to the Lin Family's seats. The moment he returned, everyone in the Lin Family, even Lin Zhentian, hurriedly stood and surrounded him as though protecting some priceless treasure.

"Changqiang, get some proper rest first. Leave the remaining matches to Lin Dong." After pressing Lin Changqiang into a chair, Lin Zhentian patted his shoulder and smiled warmly.

Being surrounded by so many relatives for the first time, Lin Changqiang was unusually restrained. He hurriedly nodded with an awkward laugh. Lin Hong and the others also gathered around, curiously eyeing the cub in his arms.

"Old Lei, we truly have to thank you for your generous gift this time. I hope the handover of Ironwood Manor can be completed as soon as possible. I've always had considerable faith in the Lei Family's credibility. You won't disappoint me, will you?" Lin Zhentian turned toward the Lei Family, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Hmph!" Hearing Lin Zhentian's laughter, Lei Bao's aged face turned livid. He rose with a dark expression, glanced at Lei Li being carried back, and could not stop the corners of his mouth from twitching.

"Let's go!" The countless gazes around him made Lei Bao feel as though needles were stabbing his back. He shot Lin Changqiang a vicious glare before turning and walking out of Beast Horn Arena. The members of the Lei and Xie Families could only hurry after him. This time, they had truly learned what it meant to lose both the wife and the army.

"Congratulations, old Lin." Under Luo Cheng's lead, the people from Mad Saber Martial Hall also came over. He cupped his hands toward Lin Zhentian, then looked at Lin Changqiang behind him in amazement. His voice was full of envy. "For the Lin Family to have Lin Changqiang and Lin Dong is its greatest fortune."

At those words, Lin Zhentian beamed with delight. Stroking his beard, he began chatting merrily with Luo Cheng.

Though the hunt had not yet ended, everyone knew that the championship was already in the Lin Family's pocket.

As the Hunting Competition came to an end, Qingyang Town returned to its usual peace once more.

One morning, in the mist-shrouded Back Mountain behind the Lin Family estate, Lin Changqiang lay basking comfortably in the sun with a scarlet sage flower between his teeth, like a salted fish being cured.

In a clearing nearby, three humanoid wooden targets stood in a straight line. Before them, Lin Dong narrowed his eyes, pressed his index and middle fingers together, and struck one of the targets with lightning speed.

Bang!

Brilliant Yuan Power erupted from his fingertips. The incredibly sturdy wooden target instantly exploded into a cloud of splinters!

Bang! Bang!

Two more blasts rang out, and the targets on either side cracked apart as well. Wood chips shot everywhere, scattering across the ground.

"Huff..." Lin Dong calmed the Yuan Power within his body and let out a long breath.

"Awesome, awesome~" Hearing the explosions, Lin Changqiang turned his head to glance at Lin Dong and gave a thoroughly perfunctory round of applause. "As expected of my brother, Lin Changqiang's brother. You really are a martial arts prodigy!" With that, he yawned.

"If you're bored with nothing to do, you can spar with me a little longer." Lin Dong rolled his eyes irritably. Only when he saw the other man silently turn his back did he let it go.

Maybe this was what a genius was like. Lin Dong looked at Lin Changqiang with considerable envy. During the month after the hunt, he had cultivated diligently every day, sparred, familiarized himself with martial arts, practiced cultivation techniques, and absorbed Yin Fiend Qi without missing a single thing. Of the twelve hours in a day, he spent nearly eleven cultivating.

Yet even so, he had only fully mastered the Fourth-grade martial art Pure Yuan Finger today, and his cultivation was still at the early Earthly Yuan Stage. But what about Lin Changqiang?

Every day, Lin Changqiang either lay there sunbathing while watching him cultivate, or wandered into the Back Mountain to admire flowers and catch fish, claiming it was all for the sake of searching for Spiritual Medicine. He spent less than two hours a day cultivating and sparring.

Yet Lin Changqiang, despite being like that, had long mastered Pure Yuan Finger to perfection! What left Lin Dong even more helpless was that Lin Changqiang's cultivation had also drawn extremely close to the late Earthly Yuan Stage. Sometimes, Lin Dong even wondered whether this guy cultivated while lying around in the sun.

"If I didn't have the Stone Talisman's help, perhaps I'd never be able to catch up to Changqiang." Lin Dong shook his head and whistled toward the forest.

The whistle had barely faded when a fiery-red figure darted out of the woods and leaped into Lin Dong's arms. That crimson figure was a little tiger about the size of a corgi |ω).

The little tiger was fiery red all over, like a burning flame, and looked utterly adorable. Yet the python-like tail coiled behind the cub gave him an added touch of mystery. Of course, in Lin Changqiang's words, he was simply very cute.

This little tiger was the Fire Python Tiger cub Lin Dong had chosen a month ago, named Xiao Yan. After being fed for some time, Xiao Yan's growth had been astonishing. According to the two of them, he was probably now comparable to Body Tempering Stage Five.

At that moment, Xiao Yan lay affectionately in Lin Dong's arms, rubbing his little head against him. The first person Xiao Yan saw when he opened his eyes was Lin Dong, while Lin Changqiang had been the second. Over the past month, Xiao Yan had come to regard Lin Dong and Lin Changqiang as the people closest to him. Naturally, if both were present, he was always closer to Lin Dong, since Lin Dong was usually the one who fed him.

Just as Lin Dong was feeding Xiao Yan Ancestral Stone Spirit Liquid, a pair of evil hands stealthily reached for the little tiger. Grabbing him, Lin Changqiang gave him a thorough rubbing, making Xiao Yan purr in comfort.

After feeding Xiao Yan, Lin Dong placed him on his shoulder. He exchanged a glance with Lin Changqiang, and the two nodded before slipping into the small forest together to begin absorbing that day's Yin Fiend Qi.