Borrowing Some Spirit Stones, Senior Brother

"When do we leave?"

Inside Yuan Jin's thatched hut, Yuan Jin looked at Zeng Fan, eager to go.

"Tomorrow! Everyone else needs to go back and prepare too," Zeng Fan said with a smile. With Yuan Jin's breakthrough and the support of these people, dealing with those two Body Tempering Bones would be no problem. They could finally get their revenge, and he was naturally in a good mood.

"I wish we could go right now and take care of those two bastards!" Yuan Jin gritted his teeth. The feeling of being suppressed a few days ago made him depressed every time he thought about it. Even delaying it by one day made him feel more agitated.

"Everyone else needs to prepare as well. Don't worry, we'll get this done," Zeng Fan patted Yuan Jin on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that fatty tomorrow. After my breakthrough, I'm confident I can take him down. I've also mastered my Five Kill Force," Yuan Jin nodded at Zeng Fan's comfort and then said to him.

The Five Kill Force Yuan Jin cultivated could unleash five streams of force to impact the enemy. The old Yuan Jin, limited by his cultivation, could only unleash three. After this breakthrough, coupled with his frustration over the stolen Spirit Stones, Yuan Jin had completely comprehended the Five Kill Force. He was now much stronger than before.

I can start cultivating martial arts too, Zeng Fan thought upon hearing Yuan Jin's words. He recalled the Fish Dragon Fist he practiced, which also contained killing moves. He thought it was called the Fish Dragon Dance? It required reaching the Body Tempering Muscle realm to cultivate, but he'd have to wait until this matter was settled. Zeng Fan shook his head, gave Yuan Jin a few more instructions, and then returned to his residence to await tomorrow.

At the entrance of the Disciple Hall, two figures, one fat and one thin, were waiting not far away. The thin one was speaking, "Why are no new disciples coming to collect their stipends today? We're still a bit short on the Spirit Stones we've robbed these past few days. After we hand them over to the boss, we won't have much left, and it won't be enough for cultivation."

It was the fat and thin duo who had robbed the Spirit Stones earlier. The thin one was complaining, and from his tone, it seemed they collected Spirit Stones not just for their own cultivation but also had to hand some over to someone.

The fat one also wore a bitter expression upon hearing this. "Let's try harder these few days. If we really can't make it, we'll just have to give what we have to the boss first." Just as the thin one was about to say something else, his expression suddenly changed.

"Who's there?" the thin one shouted.

A voice replied, "I'm a bit short on cash lately. I'm here to borrow some Spirit Stones from my senior brothers. When I have time, I'll... When I have time, I won't be returning them!" The voice started calmly but ended with a hint of anger. Yuan Jin rounded the corner from behind the building where the two were standing, with Zeng Fan following closely behind. Their eyes met.

"Hmph... So it's you two junior brothers. What? You didn't get beaten enough a few days ago? Are your skins itching again?" The thin one had sensed danger and thought something serious had happened, but he relaxed upon seeing the two. Still, he found it a bit strange, as their cultivation shouldn't be able to threaten him.

As he spoke, his eyes narrowed slightly, noticing that the fluctuations around both of them were much stronger than a few days ago. "So you've broken through, have you? No wonder you have the guts to come back. But do you really think one newly advanced Body Tempering Bone and one Body Tempering Muscle are enough to make us spit out what we've eaten? Two Body Tempering Bones would be one thing, but junior brothers nowadays really can't wait!"

As his words fell, the thin one and the fat one beside him circulated their spiritual energy, their Body Tempering Bone cultivation emanating outwards, subtly pressing down on the two.

Yuan Jin sneered, circulating his Body Tempering Bone cultivation. He looked at the fat one and laughed, "You dead fatty, want to fight your Grandpa Yuan again? I'll beat the shit out of you!"

The fat one's expression gradually turned hostile. "Don't be too arrogant, kid. You think you can beat me just by entering the Body Tempering Bone realm? Let me teach you what respect for your senior brothers is." His figure flickered as he charged towards Yuan Jin. Yuan Jin stopped wasting words, and the two collided fiercely with their spiritual energy.

The thin one looked at Zeng Fan. "Body Tempering Muscle? That's your confidence? You're underestimating me way too much. I'll finish you off quickly. This time, I won't let you two go so easily. Don't you learn your lesson?" The thin one was decisive and stopped talking nonsense with Zeng Fan, circulating his spiritual energy within his body and preparing to attack.

"Oh? If it were just me, then I wouldn't have the confidence to come here. Who told you... I was alone?" Zeng Fan smiled, but his smile was somewhat cold.

The thin one's pupils contracted, and he was about to attack directly, but it was too late. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! A series of sounds rang out, and more than a dozen figures surrounded Zeng Fan and the thin one. The thin one's face turned grim.

"Bastards! Why have all the people we robbed before come together? Is it because of these two?" The thin one's mind raced. With his Minor Accomplishment Body Tempering Bone realm, he might be able to handle four or five people, but there were over a dozen! A chaotic flurry of punches could defeat a seasoned master; he couldn't win. However, if the fat one could quickly finish off Yuan Jin, there might still be a chance!

The thin one suddenly turned his head, about to tell the fat one to finish the fight quickly.

"Five Kill Force!"

With a loud shout, the thin one's plan was shattered. A large figure coughed up blood and flew backward. Yuan Jin grinned sinisterly at the thin one.

"Were you waiting for me?"

The thin one's heart chilled. Just as he was about to speak.

"Attack together!" Zeng Fan shouted with a laugh and attacked. The others followed Zeng Fan's lead.

Ahhh! A series of screams echoed, accompanied by the sounds of fists and feet hitting flesh.

After an unknown amount of time, Zeng Fan, Yuan Jin, and the others had returned to their residences. The Spirit Stones that had been robbed from everyone were now back in their hands. They all expressed their gratitude to Yuan Jin and Zeng Fan, offering their help anytime in the future. This was an unexpected bonus. The two readily agreed; having more friends meant more paths, and perhaps someone could provide help in the future.

In another residence, two bruised and swollen individuals were chatting. They were the ones who had been beaten up earlier.

"Do you think we should tell the boss?"

"Not yet. Let's get our injuries healed, and then we'll go get some more Spirit Stones. Those two bastards even stole our original Spirit Stones! The boss is in seclusion for the Body Tempering Realm Grand Competition. To get first place in the Body Tempering Bone realm, he deliberately suppressed his breakthrough. We absolutely cannot disturb him. After the disciple competition ends, those two bastards and the others won't escape!"

"Body Tempering Realm Grand Competition?" Zeng Fan asked curiously.

"A disciple just told me. The sect holds a Body Tempering Realm Grand Competition every three months. It's divided into four minor realms for separate matches. The top ten in each minor realm can get a reward of soaking in the Quenching Body Pool once," Yuan Jin said, stroking his chin.

"What's the Quenching Body Pool?" Zeng Fan asked, confused.

"It's a reward the sect gives to encourage Body Tempering Realm disciples to cultivate. Soaking in this Quenching Body Pool can speed up cultivation and even heal old injuries left from previous cultivation. It's a good thing," Yuan Jin chuckled.

"This is troublesome. Both of us just broke through. How can we fight against those at Grand Perfection? And the Earth Veins will participate too, right?" Zeng Fan lamented. If he had known about this news earlier, he would have delayed their revenge and suppressed his cultivation to compete for a ranking in the Body Tempering Skin realm.

"There's still some time, why the rush? And top ten is enough. We might have a chance if we fight hard," Yuan Jin said, rubbing his hands together.

"That's true. Then I'll cultivate my killing moves properly during this time and prepare more for the competition." Zeng Fan nodded upon hearing Yuan Jin's words. They had to try. If they could get into the top ten, it would also be beneficial for their cultivation.

Yuan Jin got up and left to prepare for the upcoming competition. Zeng Fan was also thinking about how he could improve his strength before the competition.

My Body Tempering Muscle realm probably can't be improved further in the short term. So, I can only cultivate the killing moves in the Fish Dragon Fist. If I master this killing move and combine it with my cultivation, I might be able to get a better ranking in this competition. Even if I fail, there's no loss. Having decided on his plan, Zeng Fan no longer hesitated. He took out the Jade Slip for the Fish Dragon Technique from his Storage Ring and began reading the information about the killing move.

A piece of information entered Zeng Fan's mind. He opened his eyes and murmured to himself.

"Fish Dragon Dance?"