Yang Gang Qi

Watching Lin Xiao fly into a rage, Lei Yi and his men were also furious, but the moment they recalled Lin Xiao's Mid Heavenly Origin Stage strength, they quickly calmed down.

"Heh, since your Lin Family cares so much about this Ironwood Manor, we'll just give it to you. But mark my words... the Lei Family will be back!"

Before his words had even faded, Lei Yi waved his hand and turned away, leading his men as they fled the scene like the wind.

"Dong, congratulations to the host. The Side Quest has been completed. You have received three Lottery Draw Opportunities."

Lin Changqiang stared at his total of eight Lottery Draw Opportunities, his heart burning with excitement. It took all his effort to hold back from using them.

"Those bastards!" Lin Ken's face was ashen, and Lin Xiao was no better. "First, let's inspect Ironwood Manor and see the extent of the damage."

"Yes, sir!"

The guards replied in unison, then quickly dispersed and charged into the ironwood forest. It wasn't until half an hour later that they returned one by one to report their findings to Lin Ken and Lin Xiao.

As the guards finished their reports one after another, Lin Xiao and the others' expressions grew darker. Lin Dong also furrowed his brow. Inside Ironwood Manor, there were still some mature ironwood trees left, but the soil had been severely damaged. It was uncertain whether ironwood could still be planted there.

Lin Changqiang, however, couldn't care less. He was even thinking about heading off on his own to find the Yang Yuan Stone Mine Vein.

But then he remembered that he didn't have Qing Tan's "Samoyed Body" or Lin Dong's Ancestral Stone. Finding the Yang Yuan Stone in such a vast manor would be no easy task.

And even if he did find it, he wasn't sure he could beat the two Heavenly Yuan Stage demonic beasts there. At the Heavenly Yuan Stage, relying on the first two layers of Fire Dance Whirlwind to deal with opponents stronger than himself was already a stretch.

"Sigh, we'd better tell Father about this. The old man's going to be furious." Lin Xiao let out a helpless sigh. Lin Ken nodded, his smile more bitter than a cry.

When the news reached the Lin Family, Lin Zhentian personally led a large group of men, racing all the way to Ironwood Manor. He gazed at the devastated forest, his face dark and terrifying.

Lin Changqiang, Lin Dong, and Qing Tan, who had just arrived at Ironwood Manor, sat on a slope, looking down at the house below with lingering fear. From inside, Lin Zhentian's roars rang out continuously, a clear sign of his extreme anger.

"So scary." Qing Tan gently nudged Lin Dong's arm. "This is the first time I've seen Grandpa this angry."

Lin Dong sighed and stood up. "Let's take a walk around. Grandpa's anger won't cool down anytime soon anyway. Let Dad and the others take the heat."

"Who's the real child between you and Qing Tan?" Lin Changqiang stared at Lin Dong with feigned suspicion.

"You are, alright." Lin Dong rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"??? Lin Dong, you've changed. You weren't like this before. When did you learn to talk back?" Lin Changqiang's eyes went wide. He could hardly believe his ears.

Qing Tan, watching them, stifled a laugh. Her beautiful, clear eyes curved into crescent moons, and for a moment, time itself seemed to freeze...

Ironwood Manor covered a vast area and was quite scenic. Unfortunately, the entire manor now carried a faint smell of medicinal liquid.

"The unique Black Soil of Ironwood Manor is essential for growing ironwood. Legend has it that long ago, this place was a volcano, and the Black Soil was spewed from deep underground during the eruption."

"Now the volcano is gone, and the amount of Black Soil is limited. On top of that, the Lei Family destroyed a good chunk of it this time. That's why Grandpa is so angry." Walking through the quiet forest, Lin Dong spoke calmly, though a trace of worry lingered on his face.

"I see." Qing Tan nodded absently, her eyes darting around. Then she frowned in confusion. "Brother Lin Dong, Brother Changqiang, don't you think it's really hot here?"

"Huh? Is it? I don't feel it." Lin Changqiang's eyes lit up. The Yang Yuan Stone Mine Vein he'd been waiting for was finally coming!

Lin Dong paused, then seemed to remember something. He suddenly crouched down, grabbed a handful of Black Soil with his right hand, and felt it.

"There's a trace of Yang Gang Qi in this soil!"

"Follow me." After a moment, Lin Dong led the two deeper into the forest for several hundred meters, then grabbed another handful of Black Soil. "The deeper we go, the more Yang Gang Qi there is in the soil."

"Why would Yang Gang Qi be mixed into the soil? Could it be... there's some rare object underground, constantly releasing Yang Gang Qi, which has seeped into the soil here?!" Lin Dong's heart pounded. He felt like he'd stumbled onto an incredible secret.

Lin Changqiang watched Lin Dong lost in thought and couldn't resist the urge to scare him.

"Lin Dong, how did you sense the Yang Gang Qi in there? I can't feel a thing." He deliberately furrowed his brows, tilted his head, and looked at Lin Dong with feigned suspicion.

In that instant, Lin Dong felt his heart skip a beat. He realized he'd been too obvious. He quickly made up an excuse: "I've been different since I was a kid. My perception of Yuan Power has always been like this."

"I see!" Lin Changqiang was holding back his laughter so hard his eyes were watering. He smacked his right fist into his left palm, putting on a look of sudden realization. "Just like how I was born a Martial Arts prodigy, right? |ω)"

"...Yeah, yeah, you're right." Lin Dong replied with a face full of black lines. He then grabbed Black Soil from four different directions and tested it. "It seems the soil to the north has the most Yang Gang Qi."

With that, he waved his hand and led the two, along with the tiger, northward.

A large part of Ironwood Manor was covered in primitive forest. Clearly, the Lei Family had only focused on the areas where ironwood could grow, paying little attention to the rest.

Every time they moved a certain distance, Lin Dong would stop, grab a handful of Black Soil, and test its Yang Gang Qi content before continuing deeper. This went on for nearly half an hour before he finally came to a halt.

"Brother Lin Dong, Brother Changqiang, it's so hot here!" Qing Tan sat on Xiao Yan's back, her delicate, picture-perfect face flushed and covered in fine sweat. The moment they arrived, she felt like she'd run dozens of miles in the middle of summer, unbearably hot. If Lin Dong hadn't insisted on going deeper into the forest, she would have wanted to go back long ago.

Lin Changqiang looked at the panting Qing Tan and felt a bit awkward. He'd been so focused on searching for the Yang Yuan Stone Mine Vein with Lin Dong that he'd completely forgotten about her.

"Is this better?" After smoothly switching his Equipment Slot to two Thunderclap Blades, Lin Changqiang silently released his Yuan Power. A wave of cold Yuan Power, unique to the Earthly Yuan Stage, spread out, enveloping the three of them and the tiger.

"Mm, much better. Thanks, Brother Changqiang!" In that moment, Qing Tan's brows curved like crescent moons, and her smile bloomed like a flower.