"when are we leaving?"
Inside Yuan Jin's thatched hut, Yuan Jin looked at Zeng Fan, his face full of eager anticipation.
"Tomorrow! The others need to go back and make some preparations too." Zeng Fan smiled warmly. With Yuan Jin's breakthrough and the alliance with these people, dealing with those two Body Tempering Bones would definitely be no problem. They would soon be able to vent their anger, so his mood was naturally excellent.
"I can hardly wait to go over and teach those two bastards a lesson!" Yuan Jin ground his teeth. The way he had been suppressed a few days ago made him feel stifled whenever he thought about it. Every day of delay made him increasingly irritable.
"The others need to make preparations too. Don't worry, we'll get our revenge," Zeng Fan said, patting Yuan Jin on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. I'll deal with that fatty tomorrow. After breaking through, I'm confident I can take him down. I've even mastered the Five Kill Force." Hearing Zeng Fan's reassurance, Yuan Jin nodded before speaking to him.
The Five Kill Force Yuan Jin cultivated could form five waves of force to strike an enemy. In the past, because of his cultivation limit, Yuan Jin could only unleash three waves. After this breakthrough, with his higher realm and his frustration over having his Spirit Stones stolen, he had actually comprehended the Five Kill Force completely. His current strength was far beyond what it had been before.
I can start cultivating martial arts too. Hearing Yuan Jin's words, Zeng Fan remembered the Fish Dragon Fist he cultivated. It also contained a killing move, seemingly called the Fish Dragon Dance. It could only be cultivated after reaching the Body Tempering Muscle Realm, but he would have to wait until this matter was settled. Zeng Fan shook his head, gave Yuan Jin a few more instructions, then returned to his residence to await the next day.
Outside the Disciple Hall, two figures—one fat and one thin—were waiting nearby. The thin man was speaking. "Why hasn't anyone new come to collect their stipend today? The Spirit Stones we've snatched these past few days are still a little short. After handing them over to the boss, we won't have much left. How could that be enough for cultivation?"
They were precisely the fat-and-thin pair who had stolen the Spirit Stones before. The thin man was complaining, and from his tone, it seemed that gathering Spirit Stones was not merely for their own cultivation. They also had to hand some over to someone else.
The fat man's face also turned bitter when he heard this. "Let's work harder these next few days. If it really doesn't work out, we can only hand them over to the boss first." The thin man was about to say something else when his expression suddenly changed.
"Who's there?" the thin man shouted sharply.
A voice rang out. "I'm a little short on cash lately, so I came to borrow some Spirit Stones from my senior brother. Once I have time, I'll... even when I have time, I don't feel like paying them back!" The voice had been calm at first, but by the time he finished the last word, it carried a surge of anger. Yuan Jin stepped out from behind the building, with Zeng Fan following behind him. The gazes of the four men collided.
"Phew~~~ So it's the two junior brothers. What? Didn't you get beaten enough a few days ago? Is your skin itching again?" The thin man had sensed danger approaching and thought something had happened. Seeing that it was the two of them, he immediately relaxed, though he still found it somewhat strange. With the cultivation of these two, they could not possibly threaten him.
As he spoke, his eyes narrowed slightly. He noticed that the fluctuations around both men were far stronger than they had been a few days ago. "So you broke through. No wonder you had the nerve to come back. But with one newly advanced Body Tempering Bone and one Body Tempering Muscle, you think you can make us spit out what we swallowed? If there were two Body Tempering Bones, it might be worth mentioning, but junior brothers these days really can't hold their tempers!"
As his words fell, the thin man and the fat man beside him circulated their spiritual power. The cultivation of the Body Tempering Bone Realm radiated from them, faintly pressing toward the two men.
Yuan Jin gave a cold laugh, circulated his Body Tempering Bone cultivation, and smiled at the fat man. "You fat bastard, come have another round with your Uncle Yuan. I'll beat the shit right out of you!"
The fat man's expression gradually turned ugly. "Don't get too arrogant, brat. You just entered the Body Tempering Bone Realm and already think you can beat me? Let me properly teach you what respect for a senior brother means." His figure blurred as he charged toward Yuan Jin. Yuan Jin said no more, and the two men collided fiercely, spiritual power surging around them.
The thin man looked toward Zeng Fan. "Body Tempering Muscle? That's what gives you confidence? You're looking down on me far too much. I'll deal with you quickly this time. I can't let the two of you off so easily again, or you'll never learn your lesson, will you?" The thin man was decisive as well. He stopped wasting words with Zeng Fan and circulated his spiritual power, preparing to attack.
"Oh? If I were alone, I really wouldn't have had the confidence to come here. But who told you... that I was alone?" Zeng Fan smiled, but his smile was somewhat cold.
The thin man's pupils shrank, and he was just about to attack directly when it was already too late. Whooshing sounds rang out as more than a dozen figures surrounded Zeng Fan and the thin man. The thin man's expression turned ugly.
Damn it, how did all these people we robbed before come together? Is it because of these two? The thin man's mind raced. With his Minor Accomplishment in the Body Tempering Bone Realm, he might have been able to handle four or five people, but there were more than a dozen here! Even a master would fall beneath a storm of wild punches. He could not win. However, if the fat man could quickly deal with Yuan Jin, there might still be a chance!
The thin man abruptly turned his head, intending to tell the fat man to finish the fight quickly.
"Five Kill Force!"
With a loud shout, the thin man's hopes shattered. A massive figure spat blood and flew backward, while Yuan Jin grinned viciously at the thin man.
"Were you waiting for me?"
The thin man's heart turned cold. He had just opened his mouth when—
"Everyone, attack!" Zeng Fan was already laughing as he struck out, and the others followed him into battle.
A chorus of shrieks rang out, accompanied by the sounds of fists and feet pounding into flesh.
After an unknown amount of time, Zeng Fan, Yuan Jin, and the others had already returned to their residence. The Spirit Stones that had been stolen from everyone had all returned to their owners. They expressed their thanks to Yuan Jin and Zeng Fan one after another, saying that if the two ever needed anything, they should ask without hesitation. This was an unexpected delight, and naturally the two agreed. The more friends one had, the more paths one had; perhaps one of them would be able to offer help someday.
In another residence, two men with swollen, bruised faces were also chatting. They were precisely the two who had just been beaten black and blue.
"Do you think we should tell the boss?"
"Not for now. Once our injuries heal, we'll go gather some more Spirit Stones. Those two bastards even took the Spirit Stones that originally belonged to us! The boss is in seclusion for the Body Tempering Realm Competition. To take first place in the Body Tempering Bone division, he deliberately suppressed his breakthrough. We absolutely can't go disturb him. Once the Disciple Competition ends, those two bastards and all those other people won't escape a single one!"
"Body Tempering Realm Disciple Competition?" Zeng Fan asked curiously.
"A disciple just told me. The sect holds a Body Tempering Realm Disciple Competition once every three months. The disciples compete separately in four minor realms, and the top ten in each minor realm receive one chance to soak in the Quenching Body Pool." Yuan Jin stroked his chin as he spoke.
"What's the Quenching Body Pool?" Zeng Fan asked in confusion.
"It's a reward the sect provides to encourage Body Tempering Realm disciples to cultivate. Soaking in the Quenching Body Pool can raise one's cultivation faster, and it can also dissolve some hidden injuries left behind from previous cultivation. It's a wonderful thing." Yuan Jin chuckled.
"This is troublesome. We've both just broken through, so how are we supposed to compete with those at the Great Perfection stage? And those Earth Veins will participate too, right?" Zeng Fan felt regretful. If he had learned of this news earlier, he would have suppressed his cultivation and waited to vent his anger later, in order to compete for a ranking in the Body Tempering Skin division.
"There's still some time. Why are you in such a hurry? Besides, we only need to make the top ten. If we give it our all, we might have a chance." Yuan Jin rubbed his fists, eager to try.
"That's true. Then I'll properly cultivate the killing move during this period and make more preparations for the competition." After hearing Yuan Jin's words, Zeng Fan nodded as well. He had to give it a try. If he happened to make the top ten, it would benefit his cultivation too.
Yuan Jin got up and left to prepare for the upcoming competition. Zeng Fan also began considering which aspects of his strength could still be improved before the competition.
"In the short term, I probably won't be able to raise my Body Tempering Muscle cultivation any further. Then I can only cultivate the killing move in the Fish Dragon Fist. Once I master this killing move and combine it with my cultivation, I'll see whether I can place higher in the competition. Even if I fail, I won't lose anything." Having decided on his next plan, Zeng Fan no longer hesitated. He took the Jade Slip containing the Fish Dragon Technique out of his Storage Ring and read the information inside about the killing move.
A stream of information entered Zeng Fan's mind. He opened his eyes and muttered to himself,
"Fish Dragon Dance?"
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