Condensing the Yin Core

After leaving the Sky Flame Mountain Range, Lin Mu and the other two returned home, while Ziyue went back to the City Lord's Mansion. What had happened in the Sky Flame Mountain Range had not spread to Yan City.

"A high-grade Spirit Treasure won't be of much use to me. Better give it to Little Dong." Lin Mu opened Wang Yan's Universe Bag. Aside from the Golden Spear, it also contained a copy of the Golden Platform Demon Suppressing Palm, a seventh-grade martial art.

Lin Mu was not particularly interested in the Golden Platform Demon Suppressing Palm either and planned to give it to Lin Dong as well.

"A hundred thousand Nirvana Pills, though, are somewhat useful." Lin Mu took out the Universe Bag Ling Qingzhu had given him. One hundred thousand Nirvana Pills were equivalent to ten million Pure Yuan Pills.

However, Lin Mu had no intention of converting these hundred thousand Nirvana Pills into Pure Yuan Pills. He had another use for them.

Although using a tiger's skin as a banner might make some members of the Wang Family and the Lin Clan wary for a while, Lin Mu still had to prepare for the worst. He could not gamble with his family's lives.

Next, he planned to go out and train with Lin Dong. But before leaving, he needed to leave the family with a means of self-defense. He had his eye on a kind of Talisman Sword capable of unleashing an attack equivalent to the full-force strike of a One Yuan Nirvana Realm expert.

As it was a one-use item, it was not expensive, costing only one million Pure Yuan Pills each. However, activating it required ten thousand Nirvana Pills, so Lin Mu intended to use these hundred thousand Nirvana Pills to activate the Talisman Swords.

With these Talisman Swords, the Lin Family would have more than enough means to protect itself. Even if the heads of the Lin Family and Wang Family came together, it would be useless.

Lin Mu left his room and arrived at Lin Dong's courtyard. Ever since witnessing Lin Langtian's strength, Lin Dong had trained even harder, determined to defeat Lin Langtian at the Clan Grand Competition more than two years from now.

Lin Dong was currently holding an ancient halberd, which he had found in the Ancient Tomb. However, he had not met the tomb master, so he had not obtained the matching halberd technique.

"Big Brother!" Lin Dong stopped training when he saw Lin Mu arrive.

"Little Dong, take this." Lin Mu tossed Wang Yan's Universe Bag to Lin Dong.

"Big Brother, my Fish Scale Ancient Halberd is also an intermediate Spirit Treasure. You should keep the Golden Spear for yourself." Although Lin Dong eyed the Golden Spear eagerly, he held himself back.

"It's useless in my hands. Don't refuse it." Lin Mu smiled.

"Then thank you, Big Brother!" Lin Dong said happily. This Golden Spear was clearly far better than his incomplete Fish Scale Ancient Halberd.

"Little Dong, once we've settled the family's affairs, let's go out and train together. If you remain in Yan City, defeating Lin Langtian will be very difficult." Lin Mu said.

"Yes. When the Clan Grand Competition comes, I'll definitely defeat Lin Langtian." Lin Dong said firmly.

"Brother Lin Mu, I went to find you, but you weren't there. I didn't expect you to be here at Brother Lin Mu's place." Qing Tan's clear, melodious voice came from the entrance.

"Qing Tan, is your cold qi becoming impossible to suppress again?" Seeing Qing Tan's slightly pale face, Lin Mu frowned.

"Yes." Qing Tan nodded. She had come to ask Lin Mu to help suppress her cold qi. This was how they had handled it before.

"In a few days, it will be the night of the full moon. That is when the Yin Fiend Qi is most concentrated during the month. At that time, you can condense your Yin Core." Lin Mu said as he affectionately stroked Qing Tan's hair.

"Brother Lin Mu, I heard just now that you're leaving?" Qing Tan's delicate little face dimmed slightly.

"Yes. If I want to protect those I want to protect, I need greater strength." Lin Mu smiled.

"But I want to protect Brother Lin Mu and Brother Lin Dong too." Qing Tan said playfully.

"Once you surpass me, you'll be able to protect us." Lin Mu said. This time, it truly was unsuitable to bring Qing Tan along.

"Brother Lin Mu, the gap between our strength is so great." Qing Tan said dejectedly.

"Once you condense your Yin Core, your strength will advance by leaps and bounds. Your future achievements certainly won't be low either." Lin Mu smiled.

"Really?" Qing Tan asked delightedly.

"When have I ever lied to Qing Tan? But this matter is somewhat dangerous." Thinking of the danger involved in condensing a Yin Core, Lin Mu's expression turned grave.

"Brother Lin Mu, I'm not afraid of danger." Qing Tan said.

"I believe Qing Tan can definitely do it." Lin Mu smiled. Qing Tan's constitution had to be resolved. If it was delayed any longer, it would only become more dangerous.

In the blink of an eye, several days passed, and the night of the full moon finally arrived.

In the Lin Family's inner courtyard, Qing Tan sat upon a stone platform, cold Yin Qi radiating from her body. Even the stone platform was covered in a layer of white frost, showing just how formidable the cold Yin Qi was.

Strands of cold seeped out as the Yin Fiend Qi within Qing Tan's body grew increasingly dense. Even the Yin Fiend Qi between heaven and earth was drawn toward her.

Seeing this, Lin Mu took out the Extreme Yin Dragon Saliva he had obtained from the Ancient Tomb. With a light squeeze, he melted the black medicinal herb into a ball of liquid, and a layer of frost appeared on his own hand.

He placed his hand atop Qing Tan's head and let the liquid, which contained extremely dense Yin Fiend Qi, drip onto her scalp. It slowly seeped into her body. Instantly, the Yin Fiend Qi around Qing Tan seemed to boil, forming a vortex with Qing Tan at its center.

"Qing Tan actually has such dense Yin Fiend Qi inside her body!" Lin Dong watched from the side, deeply shocked. The Yin Bead formed from the Yin Fiend Qi the Stone Talisman had absorbed from Qing Tan's body back then was simply incomparable to the Yin Fiend Qi within her now.

"Qing Tan possesses the Fiend Demon Body. Her body absorbs Yin Fiend Qi at every moment. The Yin Fiend Qi accumulated over more than a decade has all erupted at this moment, so naturally it is immeasurable," Lin Mu said.

"However, if she succeeds in condensing the Yin Core, this dense Yin Fiend Qi will also forge an incomparably solid foundation for Qing Tan. Her future achievements will likewise be limitless."

"The rest depends on Qing Tan herself." Lin Dong looked at Qing Tan seated on the stone platform.

After a while, a trace of pain appeared on Qing Tan's face, and the Yin Fiend Qi gradually turned black.

"The Fiend Demon Qi has been triggered!" Lin Mu said, his expression especially grave. Qing Tan had reached the most crucial stage of condensing her Yin Core.

Although he knew Qing Tan had succeeded in the original story, Lin Mu was still extremely nervous at this moment, afraid that something unexpected might happen. After all, this butterfly of his had already stirred up quite a storm.

"Ah!"

A pained cry escaped Qing Tan's mouth. Her crystalline eyes were filled with Fiend Demon Qi, and her hands, covered in fiendish demonic energy, gripped the stone platform. The platform was crushed as easily as rotten tofu, leaving ten finger marks.

"The Fiend Demon Qi is too dense. Qing Tan can barely withstand it." Seeing Qing Tan's pained expression, Lin Dong said worriedly.

Lin Mu directly took out a thousand Pure Yuan Pills from the system and crushed them all. The Pure Yuan Qi was immediately dissolved by the Fiend Demon Qi, but the Fiend Demon Qi was suppressed somewhat as well.

"Qing Tan, focus your mind and compress the Fiend Demon Qi into a Yin Core. Only by condensing a Yin Core can you completely control the Fiend Demon Qi within your body." Lin Mu reminded her from the side.

Hearing Lin Mu's voice, Qing Tan immediately regained some clarity. She gathered her thoughts and did her utmost to control the Fiend Demon Qi in her body, directing it toward her Dantian.

The Fiend Demon Qi was extremely violent. It possessed immense destructive power not only toward external things but toward its host as well. Whenever it passed through her meridians, it felt as though she were being cut by blades. Qing Tan clenched her silver teeth and stubbornly endured.

However, the meridians through which the Fiend Demon Qi flowed were also being strengthened by it.

Time slowly passed...

Qing Tan abruptly opened her eyes on the stone platform. Two black, sharp rays burst forth from them, and her aura immediately began to rise.

Early Heavenly Yuan Realm...

Middle Heavenly Yuan Realm...

Late Heavenly Yuan Realm...

In barely the time of a few breaths, Qing Tan's cultivation broke through into the Core Formation Realm. Her cherry-like lips parted, and with a gentle inhale, she drew all the surrounding Fiend Demon Qi into her body.

Then, with another gentle exhale, she spat out a black Core.

That black Core continued absorbing the Yin Fiend Qi in the surrounding heaven and earth, and Qing Tan's aura rose along with it. It only stopped at the peak of the Lesser Core Formation Realm, just one step away from entering the Lesser Perfection Core Formation Realm.

Back in the Earth Yuan Realm, Qing Tan could easily defeat Heavenly Yuan Realm cultivators and rival ordinary Lesser Core Formation Realm experts. Now that she had condensed a Yin Core, her strength had increased by far more than several times. She could likely fight an ordinary Greater Perfection Core Formation Realm expert. Within the Lin Family, aside from Lin Mu and Lin Dong, she was the strongest.

"Brother Lin Mu, Brother Lin Dong, I succeeded!" Feeling her greatly increased strength, Qing Tan said excitedly.

"Yes. From now on, you won't need to worry about the cold Yin Qi inside your body anymore." Lin Mu smiled. Seeing Qing Tan succeed, the weight in his heart finally lifted.

"Brother Lin Mu, I'm very strong now too. Can you take me with you?" Qing Tan asked expectantly.

"Qing Tan, stay home and cultivate for now. I'll definitely return when the Clan Competition begins," Lin Mu said.

"Hmph, stupid Brother Lin Mu! I'm ignoring you!" Qing Tan ran away sadly.