Gained a Yang Spiritual Root

Gained a Yang Spiritual Root

Lin Le began burying the corpses. By the time the sun rose, he had buried them all.

After sprinkling some Pure Yang Virgin Boy Urine to suppress the yin, Lin Le looked at the stone slabs in the courtyard, which sat slightly higher than the surrounding ground, and could not help muttering, "I hope the next owner of this house won't mind too much."

Shrugging, Lin Le prepared to go out for breakfast. Just then, a ray of sunlight fell upon him.

Hm?

Lin Le's body abruptly stiffened. He sensed something growing within him, yet his body seemed unable to retain it.

Though he did not know what it was, the warm sensation made Lin Le certain that it would benefit his body.

Lin Le began practicing his fist techniques.

After running through a set, Lin Le frowned. The fist technique had been useless.

A flash of inspiration struck him, and Lin Le assumed the stance of the Tongbei Fist.

His blood surged like a river. With his keen senses, Lin Le realized that the things he could only call yang qi were gradually merging into his flesh and blood.

He held the stance for over two hours, stopping only when his stomach began rumbling like thunder.

Throwing a punch, Lin Le's eyes filled with astonishment and delight. In such a short time, he had gained two or three jin of strength.

Looks like I really did grow a spiritual root. It seems to be the rare Yang Spiritual Root—I just don't know how many segments it has. Lin Le judged.

Because his father had been a teacher in this life and had read widely, Lin Le had heard about spiritual roots through constant exposure.

Spiritual roots had twelve segments, with every three segments constituting one grade. They were divided into four grades: supreme, upper, middle, and lower. The most common were the Five Elements spiritual roots—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—while rarer ones included derivative or mutated attributes such as wind, lightning, and ice.

The Yang Spiritual Root was a mutated fire attribute, and it could only appear in men. It could truly be called rare.

Those with Yang Spiritual Roots were the apple of every demoness's or witch's eye. Wait!

Lin Le suddenly fell silent. Did that not mean he possessed the so-called Cauldron Body?

Shaking his head, Lin Le cast that thought aside. At least for now, having a Yang Spiritual Root was a good thing. It would let him advance toward the Martial Master realm faster.

As for changing his cultivation path? The moment the thought surfaced, Lin Le rejected it. What he needed was immediate fighting power, not the strengthlessness to truss up a chicken.

Besides, Lin Le estimated that his Yang Spiritual Root was probably only one segment. The time needed for Hundred Days Foundation Establishment would likely be quite long.

But slow, plodding cultivation did not suit his current situation. Nurturing battle with battle was the path he should take.

At the stall he had frequented these past few days, Lin Le said, "Two bowls of wontons, with extra pickled vegetables."

"Coming right up," the stall owner answered.

While he waited, Lin Le sensed someone watching him. Turning his head, he saw a boy.

When the boy saw him turn around, he bolted into a nearby alley like a startled rabbit.

The child from last night?

Lin Le turned back and paid it no mind. Wang Hu's death could not possibly be concealed. According to the testimony of those two hooligans from a few days ago, Brother Wang had more than a dozen men under him. With so many people and no detailed addresses, Lin Le had not had time to assassinate them all.

So if the Evil Wolf Gang wanted to investigate, they would definitely trace it back to him.

The time they needed to react and investigate would be enough for him to reach the limits of an ordinary person and become a Martial Master.

When the wontons arrived, Lin Le added a little vinegar and began wolfing them down.

After eating and paying, Lin Le stepped over a patch of dark-red blood on the street. It had been left by the last hooligan from last night.

Just as Lin Le did not care about that bloodstain, few others cared about it either.

In this world where people ate people, murders, robberies, and other incidents broke out at every moment. A bloodstain was nothing unusual.

At the White Ape Martial Arts School, Lin Le began practicing with the spear. The nine echoes of the White Ape Shoulder-Hunching Fist could not be exposed, while two or three echoes did nothing to alter his Bone Structure, so he might as well practice spearwork instead.

However, while Lin Le practiced the spear, someone was somewhat dissatisfied. Hou Guang walked over. "Junior Brother Lin, how has your Tongbei Fist been progressing lately?"

"I just reached three echoes yesterday, Senior Brother Hou." Lin Le threw a punch, producing three sharp crack crack cracks.

The instant those three echoes rang out, Hou Guang's eyes flew wide, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

It had not even been ten days, and he had already reached three echoes. What monstrous comprehension!

Hou Guang glanced around, then immediately pulled Lin Le aside. "Junior Brother Lin, there's a great fortune here. Do you want it?"

"What fortune?" Lin Le asked.

"Marrying into a wife's family," Hou Guang said. "There's a wealthy household in the city with an only daughter. But she has a birthmark on her face and looks fierce and ugly, so families of matching status do not want to marry her, much less marry into her family. They can only look lower down."

"But not just any toad can leap into the household. So that family has entrusted people like me to find gifted but poor young talents for them to assess."

"No." After hearing this, Lin Le refused outright.

With the mindset from his previous life, he was not particularly resistant to marrying into a wife's family. If he had belonged to an ordinary household, he might even have given it a try. But in this life, he had a sea of blood and deep hatred to avenge. It was clearly impossible for him to start a family at such a time.

Besides, he was only fourteen—far too young.

"Don't refuse so quickly. Even if you don't make it, there are benefits!" Hou Guang grabbed Lin Le. "That household has set four trials. You get a sum of tea money for each one you pass, so your trip won't be for nothing. This much."

Hou Guang spread five fingers.

"Five taels?" Lin Le guessed.

"Right." Hou Guang nodded.

Lin Le was tempted. Passing three trials meant fifteen taels, enough for him to buy better pills and greatly shorten the time needed to become a Martial Master.

"Then what do you get out of it, Senior Brother Hou?" Lin Le asked. "How many shares of my five taels do I give you?"

"No need for that." Hou Guang waved a hand. "If you pass the first trial, I get one tael. If you pass the second, I get five taels. If you pass the third, I get fifteen taels. If you pass the fourth, I get five hundred taels!"

By the end, Hou Guang could not help feeling his heart surge like the tide, and his voice grew louder. Clearly, five hundred taels was no small sum even to him.

"What are the four trials? At least let me prepare myself," Lin Le said.

"No preparation needed. Other than the special fourth trial, the other three will not be difficult for you, Junior Brother Lin." Hou Guang waved his hand.

"Still, tell me about them." Lin Le insisted. He did not want those fifteen taels to fly away.

"All right." Seeing Lin Le persist, Hou Guang said, "The first trial is the easiest. They check whether you're healthy and free of illness—especially whether that thing works. Parents can't possibly make their daughter live as a widow with a living husband."

"The second trial tests your talent. I can't say for certain what that entails; it seems to change according to the household head's wishes. But with your comprehension, Junior Brother Lin, you should have no trouble passing it."

"The third trial tests your literary talents. Music, chess, calligraphy, painting—anything will do. With your arithmetic skills, Junior Brother Lin, you'll definitely pass this one too."

"The fourth trial is whether you catch her eye. It depends on whether the daughter likes you." Hou Guang looked Lin Le over. "That household's daughter is already twenty-four. She probably won't fancy a half-grown boy whose hair hasn't even fully come in, so you won't need to make yourself look ugly that day."

Lin Le rolled his eyes. "Then you'd better figure out how to persuade that wealthy household to let this half-grown boy through the door."

"Don't worry. Your senior brother has quite a bit of experience with the art of the tongue." Hou Guang laughed heartily.