Struggle

In the end, the Rune before Lin Dong was still not fully formed. Just as it had condensed halfway, a piercing pain erupted in his mind.

Lin Dong snapped back to his senses, drenched in sweat and utterly horrified. Clearly, he had no idea what had just happened.

At the same time, the Gray-robed Elder dozing in a corner of the hall suddenly awoke, his tightly shut eyes flying open.

His gaze shifted and froze on Lin Dong. With a shocked expression, he muttered, "What powerful spiritual talent!"

Lin Dong looked at the Cosmic Bag in his hand, his heart still pounding. Thankfully, Spiritual Power was invisible and colorless, so no one had seen the Rune he had formed earlier.

"Are these pills yours?"

Just as Lin Dong breathed a sigh of relief and put away the Cosmic Bag, preparing to leave, a woman's voice suddenly sounded beside him.

Hearing this, Lin Changqiang snorted inwardly and looked over together with Lin Dong.

Beside the counter stood a girl in a light red gown, waving the bottle in her hand at Lin Dong.

The girl had red lips and pearly teeth. Though she was not as beautiful as Qing Tan, she was still quite lovely, drawing heated looks from many men in the building. However, the air of wealth and status in her every gesture kept them from approaching.

A solemn-faced middle-aged man followed behind her. Though he said nothing, he faintly exuded an oppressive presence. He was clearly her guard.

"Yes, they're mine. Is there something you need?" Lin Dong asked helplessly. He had not expected that merely standing here for a moment would immediately attract someone's attention.

"These pills have very mild medicinal properties and are especially suitable for those in the Body Tempering Stage. My younger sister happens to need them as well. If you have any left, you can sell them all to me. As for the price, I certainly won't disappoint you."

Qing Xu glanced at Lin Dong and Lin Changqiang. They both seemed entirely ordinary, so she assumed they were not from any major force in Flame City. This gave her much greater confidence.

"Sorry, I just happened to find these pills by chance. There aren't any left." Lin Dong spread his hands. These pills had all been refined from Third-grade Spirit Medicine; he did not even have enough for his own cultivation, so how could he possibly spare many for others?

Besides, a common man was innocent, but possessing a treasure invited disaster. If he took out another pile of pills, would he not be openly telling everyone that he was wealthy? He would probably not live to see the next day.

Qing Xu's brows furrowed slightly. Clearly, she thought Lin Dong was brushing her off. How could such pills possibly be picked up so casually?

"Qing Xu, if you want pills, why not just ask Brother Liu? Why bother buying them from someone else?" Just as Qing Xu grew dissatisfied, hearty laughter rang out. Then everyone saw a man in brocade robes slowly approaching while fanning himself.

Lin Dong shook his head at the sight and turned to leave. But the moment he turned around, a figure abruptly blocked his path. Looking closely, he saw that it was the guard standing behind Qing Xu.

"A good dog doesn't block the road!" Lin Changqiang raised his brows, directly equipped himself with three Thunderclap Blades, then shouted as he stepped forward and stretched out his right hand to shield Lin Dong behind him.

"Miss, what do you mean by this?" Lin Dong's face darkened as he looked displeasedly at Qing Xu.

"I think you still have the pills I want." Qing Xu looked at Lin Dong indifferently, her tone certain.

"So what if I do? So what if I don't? Are you planning to force a sale?" Lin Dong sneered. Although the other party's guard clearly was no ordinary man, before Lin Changqiang, who had already broken through to the Heavenly Origin Stage, the guard had no chance of winning unless he was at the Late Heavenly Origin Stage.

"I said the price isn't a problem. I won't let you suffer a loss." Qing Xu's delicate brows knit together. She did not understand why Lin Dong refused to sell to her.

"Heh, friend, since Qing Xu has taken a liking to your things, you'd best sell them to her. Have you heard of the Liu Family of Flame City?" Seeing Qing Xu insist on buying Lin Dong's pills, the brocade-robed man approached with a smile and spoke confidently.

"I obtained those pills by accident. I can't produce any more." Lin Dong shook his head, ignored the three of them, and turned toward the entrance.

"Stop right there!" Seeing that Lin Dong had not given him any face, the man's expression darkened. He shouted and reached for Lin Dong's shoulder.

"Get lost!" Even a clay figurine had some temper, let alone Lin Dong. Feeling the gust of force behind him, Lin Dong grew angry. Vigorous Yuan Power rapidly gathered in his right hand, and he spun around with a punch that collided with the man's claw.

Bang! The forceful wind surged. Lin Dong's shoulder trembled slightly as he dispersed the force, while the other man was knocked back several steps.

"What a flimsy Earthly Yuan Stage." Lin Changqiang looked disdainfully at the brocade-robed man. "You spend all day thinking about seducing others. Did you cultivate all your strength by harvesting yin to replenish yang?"

At that moment, the guard at the side suddenly circulated his Yuan Power, his large hand clawing toward Lin Dong like an eagle's talon. Judging from those fluctuations, he was unmistakably a Heavenly Origin Stage expert!

"I was waiting for you!" Knowing that the manager would stop the fight as soon as he arrived, Lin Changqiang stopped wasting time and immediately unleashed his strongest move yet: Fire Cloud Art!

Don't ask why he didn't shout Jetting Flames. The name was simply too lame.

Under the guard's horrified gaze, Lin Changqiang drew both hands back to his waist in the stance of a Turtle Style Ki Blast. Dazzling red light bloomed from his palms, and in the next instant, a thick Fire Pillar blasted forth!

Caught completely off guard, the guard did not even have time to use a martial skill to defend himself before a shockwave nearly half a meter wide struck him square in the face!

Boom—bang bang bang bang—

Several explosions rang out. Amid everyone's stunned gazes, the guard was directly driven backward by the Fire Pillar and slammed onto the wall of the Curio Building.

Not only that, the Fire Pillar did not lose momentum. It drove the guard straight through the wall and sent him flying nearly twenty meters before finally dissipating! Fortunately, no one else was affected.

Only then did a figure arrive belatedly. "Fighting is forbidden in the Curio Building. Could it be that you people...???" The sight before him left the newcomer somewhat dumbfounded. Looking at the huge hole in the wall and the unconscious Liu Family guard outside, he was rendered speechless.

The figure was an old man dressed in gray. Upon seeing him, the brocade-robed man, who had been so terrified that he stood frozen and trembling, and the Red-clad Girl beside him, whose face had gone pale, both seemed to find a pillar of support.

They immediately ran respectfully before the old man and bowed to him.

"Greetings, Master Yan!" "Master Yan, Qing Xu was disrespectful just now. I hope you will forgive me!"

The Gray-robed Elder merely waved his hand casually at the respectful pair and ignored them. His gaze remained fixed on Lin Dong and Lin Changqiang before finally settling on Lin Dong. After a moment, he suddenly extended a withered finger and pointed it at Lin Dong's brow!