Brotherly Bonds, the Day of the Clan Competition!

Brotherly Bonds, the Day of the Clan Competition!

Ding! You touched Lin Dong and obtained one Third-Grade Spirit Herb, Golden Sun Herb!

A Third-Grade Spirit Herb—not bad! Hearing the system's reward, Lin Fan was delighted. He then pretended to reach into his robes and retrieved the Golden Sun Herb from the System Space.

Lin Dong's eyes lit up when he saw the spirit herb in Lin Fan's hand. "Brother Lin Fan, what kind of spirit herb is this?"

"This is the Third-Grade Spirit Herb, Golden Sun Herb. I came to find you because I wanted you to refine it," Lin Fan said as he handed the Golden Sun Herb to Lin Dong.

"What should I do?" Although Lin Dong knew that the Stone Talisman could refine spirit herbs, he did not know how to operate it.

Lin Fan did not answer immediately. "Let's go to that cave we often use first, in case someone sees us."

"Mm, alright." Lin Dong naturally had no objections.

Before long, the two arrived at the cave where Lin Dong had discovered the Stone Talisman.

Only then did Lin Fan say to Lin Dong, "Hold the Golden Sun Herb in one hand, then take out the Stone Talisman with your other hand and bring them close together. You don't need to do anything else."

Lin Dong nodded and did as instructed.

When the Golden Sun Herb came within about an inch of the Stone Talisman, a powerful suction force suddenly burst forth from the talisman!

The Golden Sun Herb shot straight toward the Stone Talisman and vanished in an instant! "Brother Lin Fan, this..."

Lin Dong was stunned by the sight, and at the same time felt somewhat embarrassed.

Had the Stone Talisman seemingly swallowed Lin Fan's spirit herb? Lin Fan smiled faintly. "Don't rush. Keep watching."

At his words, Lin Dong fixed his unblinking gaze on the Stone Talisman.

Suddenly, a reddish-gold light began to shine from the recessed groove in the Stone Talisman.

The light grew increasingly intense until, in the end, it condensed into two reddish-gold pellets the size of beans, which then rolled out!

Lin Fan had long been prepared. He immediately stretched out his hand and caught the two pellets, then looked at Lin Dong. "Understand now?"

"These pellets must have been condensed by the Stone Talisman using the Golden Sun Herb from before. What happened just now was the Stone Talisman refining the spirit herb."

Lin Dong smelled the same scent from the pellets as the Golden Sun Herb from before. Coupled with what he had just witnessed, he quickly understood everything.

Lin Fan nodded slightly. "That's right. If you obtain any spirit herbs above the third grade in the future, you can use that method to refine them into pellets. If their grade is too low, refining them would not be of much use."

Lin Dong's eyes brightened. "I'll remember that."

"Alright, put the Stone Talisman away," Lin Fan said with a faint smile.

After Lin Dong put away the Stone Talisman, Lin Fan pinched one of the pellets between his fingers and handed it to him. "One pellet each."

Lin Dong waved his hands. "No, you were the one who found this Third-Grade Spirit Herb, Brother Lin Fan. I can't take it."

Lin Fan's expression darkened as he said sternly, "Lin Dong, are you treating me like an outsider? Then I won't come to you for help when I find spirit herbs in the future."

"Th-then... alright, I'll take it," Lin Dong hurriedly said. "From now on, whenever Brother Lin Fan finds spirit herbs, you can come to me to refine them anytime."

"Now that's more like it." Lin Fan nodded slightly, then smiled. "Still, spirit herbs above the third grade aren't something you can find whenever you want."

"Hehe." Lin Dong scratched his head awkwardly and smiled.

Lin Fan said, "Though we are not blood brothers, we are closer than blood brothers. The martial path is long and arduous; only by supporting each other can we walk more smoothly and go farther!"

Lin Dong said solemnly, "Don't worry, Brother Lin Fan. I understand. From now on, we'll share blessings and hardships alike!"

"Haha, good brother!" Lin Fan smiled faintly and reached out to pat Lin Dong on the shoulder.

In that instant, the system notification sounded in his mind once more.

Ding! You touched Lin Dong and obtained ten Body Tempering Pills!

Lin Fan was overjoyed. There had been no rewards for the past half month, yet he had gotten two rewards at once today. His luck was pretty good!

In high spirits, Lin Fan took out five Body Tempering Pills and handed them to Lin Dong. "I nearly forgot. I obtained a type of pill for use in the Body Tempering Realm earlier. These five are for you."

"Th-this... thank you, Brother Lin Fan." Lin Dong had wanted to refuse, but remembering Lin Fan's earlier words, he accepted them.

Lin Dong felt even more grateful toward Lin Fan and secretly resolved that he would repay him in the future.

"There's no need for formalities between brothers." Lin Fan smiled faintly, then continued, "It's best to take one Body Tempering Pill about every five days, though that also depends on how well your body adapts."

"As for the pellet refined from the Golden Sun Herb, wait until you reach the Body Tempering Stage Sixth Level before taking it."

"Also, once you reach the Body Tempering Stage Sixth Level and a Yuan Power Seed is born within your body, you can try infusing Yuan Power into the Stone Talisman. Then you'll be able to conceal the Stone Talisman within your body and better keep its secret."

"Mm, I'll remember." Lin Dong was delighted and nodded solemnly.

Lin Fan chatted with Lin Dong a little longer before parting ways with him.

Over the following days, Lin Fan continuously cultivated with Body Tempering Pills and occasionally continued trying his luck by touching people for rewards.

Whenever he obtained a spirit herb above the third grade, Lin Fan would ask Lin Dong to refine it into pellets. The two would then split them equally and cultivate with the pellets.

Time flew in cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, more than five months had passed.

The day of the Lin Clan Competition had finally arrived!

Over those five months, with the help of Body Tempering Pills and spirit herb pellets, Lin Fan's cultivation had already reached the Body Tempering Stage Ninth Level!

The main reason was that as his cultivation advanced, the Body Tempering Pills became less effective.

Otherwise, Lin Fan would likely have already broken through to the Earthly Yuan Realm! Of course, while improving his cultivation, Lin Fan had not neglected his martial arts training.

With his Heaven Defying Comprehension, practicing martial arts was simply far too easy for Lin Fan.

Besides the Through-the-Back Fist, Lin Fan had also learned the Eight Desolations Palm and the Stone Splitting Leg, bringing both to the perfected realm.

He could have learned more, but Lin Fan felt there was no need to study too many low-level martial arts!

One morning, after the family finished breakfast, Lin Xiao brought Lin Fan, Lin Dong, and Qing Tan to the Trial Hall for the Lin Clan Competition, heading straight for the VIP seating.

Over the past five months or so, Lin Xiao's injuries had fully healed. With Lin Fan and Lin Dong's help, his cultivation had even surpassed what it had once been, reaching the limit of the Heavenly Yuan Realm!

The current Lin Xiao was already the strongest member of the Lin Clan. The air of despondency around him had vanished, and he had become spirited and invigorated once more!

The Lin Clan held considerable influence in Qingyang Town, so quite a few guests had come to watch the Clan Competition.

When Lin Fan and the others arrived, everyone looked toward Lin Xiao at the front, their expressions shifting slightly.

There were hardly any people in Qingyang Town who did not know Lin Xiao.

During the years after Lin Xiao had been severely injured, he had basically never shown himself at the Lin Clan Competition.

Even when he attended occasionally, he would only stand in some inconspicuous corner.

In everyone's eyes, Lin Xiao's actions today were rather unusual! In the seats near the center of the VIP section, Lin Mang and his two sons also saw Lin Xiao's family arrive.

Lin Shan slightly drew back his head, while Lin Hong cast Lin Fan a somewhat provocative glance.

Lin Mang, meanwhile, looked in Lin Xiao's direction and frowned slightly.

As Lin Xiao passed by Lin Mang, Lin Mang suddenly smiled. Holding a teacup, he seemed to speak casually. "Third Brother, why were you willing to leave that place of yours this time?"