Two Consecutive Ranks Up, The Hunt Begins!

Lin Yi carefully read through the contents of the Spirit Refining Art, and after a long while, he nodded slightly.

Lin Yi discovered that he seemed to possess an exceptionally high talent for cultivating Spiritual Energy.

He found it very easy to understand the oral formulas written in this secret manual.

"Gather the divine light, reach the heavenly heart; calm the mind and soothe the spirit, stabilize the spirit and settle the heart..."

The formulas of the Spirit Refining Art rose slowly within Lin Yi's mind, and his focus gradually became concentrated, bringing all his scattered thoughts into one!

Half an hour later, Lin Yi's consciousness suddenly felt a moment of trance, and wisps of Spiritual Energy seeped out from his mind, finally spreading out slowly.

As the Spiritual Energy spread, Lin Yi, despite having his eyes closed, "saw" the scene inside the room clearly. Then, the invisible Spiritual Energy drifted outward, covering the entire small courtyard before diffusing toward the mountain behind it...

The spread of Spiritual Energy was unstoppable!

Faced with this invisible Spiritual Energy, others remained completely unaware that their words and actions were being observed.

This sensation made Lin Yi, who had just begun cultivating Spiritual Energy, feel a sense of novelty.

A quarter of an hour later, Lin Yi slowly retracted his Spiritual Energy and ceased his cultivation, a look of joy flashing in his eyes.

He had officially entered the threshold after just his first attempt at cultivating Spiritual Energy.

Time passes unnoticed during cultivation.

Before he knew it, nearly four months had passed, and the time had arrived for the end of the year.

With the arrival of the year-end, the liveliness of Qingyang Town reached its peak.

Numerous factions from within a hundred-mile radius swarmed in, causing the foot traffic in Qingyang Town to reach its highest point in years.

This was not only because of the year-end, but also because the Hunting Competition of Qingyang Town was scheduled for the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The location for the Hunting Competition was set within the Beast Horn Arena outside of Qingyang Town.

This was the most magnificent structure in Qingyang Town, occupying a massive area that even encompassed a forest spanning several dozen miles.

In the center of that forest lay a giant platform converted from a small mountain peak, where countless eyes would be focused.

And the champion of the Hunting Competition would be born right there.

Amidst countless expectant gazes, the day of the hunt officially arrived.

The atmosphere in Qingyang Town was undoubtedly boiling over; a vast, surging sea of people gathered toward the Beast Horn Arena, a spectacle that made one's blood boil with excitement.

On a high platform, Lin Yi and the core members of the Lin Family were looking down at the dense forest below, led naturally by the head of the Lin Family, Lin Zhentian.

"The hunt begins here. The forest below connects directly to the deep mountains, so there are many fierce beasts inside. Those participating in the Hunting Competition will each receive a badge marking their identity, and then be dropped into it. In that forest, you must rely on your own abilities to survive the claws of those beasts."

Looking at the forest below, Lin Xiao explained the rules of the competition to Lin Yi.

"Additionally, you must find a way to obtain ten identity badges from others to qualify for stepping onto the giant platform in the center of the forest. In the Hunting Competition, you don't just hunt beasts; more importantly, you hunt people."

"I understand," Lin Yi nodded slightly to indicate he understood.

"By the way, I heard that Lei Li of the Lei Family has also recently broken through to the Earth Yuan Stage. If you encounter him during the hunt, you must not let your guard down."

At this moment, Lin Zhentian, who was standing to the side, also suddenly reminded Lin Yi.

Lin Yi smiled and said, "Don't worry, Grandfather, I will be careful."

In truth, Lin Yi did not take Lei Li to heart at all.

Even if they were at the same level, Lin Yi was one hundred percent confident that he could defeat Lei Li.

Not to mention that in these past four months, his cultivation had broken through twice more, reaching the late stage of the Earth Yuan Stage. Dealing with a Lei Li who was only at the early stage of the Earth Yuan Stage would be a piece of cake!

"Mm, the results the Lin Family achieves this time will depend on your performance," Lin Zhentian nodded slightly, his eyes filled with gratification as he looked at Lin Yi.

"Heh, Lin Zhentian, long time no see. It seems your old bones are still as tough as ever."

Just as the members of the Lin Family were conversing, a burst of laughter suddenly came from not far away.

Hearing this laughter, Lin Zhentian, Lin Xiao, and the others frowned, and the smiles on their faces faded slightly.

Lin Yi's gaze followed the direction from which the sound came, and he saw a large group of people approaching in a grand procession.

Wherever this group passed, the crowd quickly scattered, their expressions showing significant fear.

Lin Yi recognized at a glance that these were the forces of the Lei Family and the Xie Family.

At the very front of this group, the head of the Lei Family, Lei Bao, and the head of the Xie Family, Xie Qian, were walking side by side.

Behind them, Lin Yi also spotted two familiar figures; they were none other than Xie Yingying and Lei Li, with whom he had had a conflict at the marketplace.

Lei Li and Xie Yingying naturally spotted Lin Yi as well. The former wore a smirk on his face and waved his hand at Lin Yi from a distance, the provocation clear.

"Old man Lei, don't worry, these old bones of mine will enter the coffin later than yours," Lin Zhentian said with a loud laugh as he watched the people from the Lei and Xie families approach.

After a verbal sparring match between the two sides, they went their separate ways.

The Lin Family group, led by Lin Zhentian, entered the very center of the Beast Horn Arena, the area with the best view.

From here, one could not only overlook the dense forest below but also clearly see the scenery on the giant platform.

Those who were able to enter this area were mostly influential factions within Qingyang Town.

Seeing the Lin Family arrive, these people stood up one after another to greet Lin Zhentian.

After some social pleasantries, Lin Zhentian led the group to sit on a row of stone chairs.

Following the seating of the Lin Family, many other powerful factions appeared one after another, making the atmosphere at the scene even more intense.

After waiting for a while longer, the group from the Mad Saber Martial Hall also arrived late, led by their hall master, Luo Cheng.

Seeing the Mad Saber Martial Hall group approach, Lin Zhentian stood up with a smile and cupped his hands toward Luo Cheng in greeting.

Facing Lin Zhentian's greeting, a somewhat stiff smile appeared on Luo Cheng's expressionless face.

Because they had to face the targeting of the Lei and Xie families, the Mad Saber Martial Hall and the Lin Family had maintained a good relationship over these years.

After some small talk, Luo Cheng led the Mad Saber Martial Hall group to sit down not far from the Lin Family.

With the arrival of the Mad Saber Martial Hall, the factions of Qingyang Town were basically all present.

Therefore, when the sun rose high, Lei Bao also stood up, his cold, sharp gaze sweeping across the area, causing the Beast Horn Arena to fall into a brief silence.

"Everyone, today is the liveliest day in our Qingyang Town. I won't repeat the rules of the hunt. As long as you can obtain ten identity tokens, you will be able to ascend that giant platform. There, the true champion of the hunt will be born!"

Lei Bao's low voice, infused with his Yuan Power, echoed in every corner of the Beast Horn Arena, allowing everyone to hear him clearly.

"Each family has already received their identity tokens. Now, the juniors of each family, enter the Beast Horn Arena and begin the hunt!"

"Yi'er, take the identity token and be careful," Lin Xiao said, taking a black-and-yellow wooden token from his bosom; the token was engraved with the character 'Lin' and some intricate patterns.

Lin Yi tucked the token into his clothes and, without wasting words, walked straight to the edge of the high platform. Ignoring Lei Li's provocation, he leaped down toward the dense forest below.