A Trial of Speed

Ten years later, at the entrance of the canyon, the pale yellow light curtain of the formation rippled gently.

Lin Yan stood outside the light curtain, looking at the community members before him one by one—Lin Er, Lin San, White Horn, Zhi Nan, Jin Ji, Qing Xin, as well as the seven massive Earth Dragons lined up on the ground, and the rest of the community members.

After absorbing the Enlightenment Fire Seeds, Lin Si through Lin Shi had not only become more spiritually aware but also more robust in stature. Their tiny scales shimmered under the sunlight, and the halos above their heads had almost solidified, clearly indicating a significant improvement in their origins.

At this moment, seven massive heads were looking at Lin Yan in unison, their eyes filled with dependence and reluctance.

"Alright, stop pulling such long faces," Lin Yan said first. "Xiao Mo and I are just going out for a stroll; it's not like we aren't coming back. You all take good care of the home, strive to take human form as soon as possible, and when that time comes, I'll take you all to see the outside world."

He walked over to Lin Er. "Second Brother, after I leave, you are the boss of this family. You must not only take good care of your younger brothers and sisters but also help Third Brother with his tasks. Most importantly, you need to use your brain more often and stop acting recklessly."

Lin Er scratched his head and said with a goofy smile, "Don't worry, Boss. I will definitely look after them and help Third Brother. Besides, I've grown a lot of brainpower now; even Lin Si says I've become smarter."

Lin Er's words made everyone chuckle, and the heavy atmosphere of parting was instantly diluted.

Lin Yan smiled and patted Lin San on the shoulder. "Third Brother, I leave the home to you. I've taught you how to control the Wutu Zhenhuang Great Array and the Nine Palaces Earth Vein Great Array. If a powerful enemy attacks, remember to activate the arrays first; protecting everyone is the priority."

Lin San took a deep breath and nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, Boss. I will guard our home faithfully and will never let anyone steal from us."

Since taking human form, his temperament had become increasingly capable and his actions steady. He managed the Canyon Home in an orderly fashion on a daily basis, so Lin Yan felt quite at ease leaving him in charge.

Lin Yan thought for a moment, then reached into his robe and took out five finger-sized beads of different colors—crimson, golden, azure, emerald, and earthy yellow. These were the mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, the Five Elements Beads, which the system had rewarded him with.

"I'm leaving this set of Five Elements Beads with you." Lin Yan placed the beads into Lin San's hands. "Each of these treasures contains extremely pure Origin Power of the five elements. Used individually, they can enhance the power of spells corresponding to their attributes. When all five are used together, they can form the Five Elements Rotation Array, combining offense and defense. Third Brother, refine them when you have time and use them for self-protection."

Lin San stroked the five glowing beads in his palm, feeling a slight warmth in his heart. He didn't say much, only nodded heavily at Lin Yan, as if making a silent promise.

Lin Yan turned to look at the younger brothers, patting each of their large heads as they reached out. Tears were already welling up in the tiny eyes of Lin Jiu and Lin Shi.

"You all, cultivate diligently and strive to take human form soon. While I'm away, you must listen to Lin Er and Lin San. No causing trouble, and absolutely no bullying others."

The younger brothers hung their heads and said in muffled voices, "Boss... please come back soon."

After comforting the younger brothers, Lin Yan gave instructions to the leaders who had taken human form, such as White Horn, telling them to assist Lin San in managing the Earth Dragon community well and to look after those members who had just gained intelligence, encouraging them to cultivate hard and strive for human form.

White Horn and the others naturally agreed readily. However, with the community leaders and their Chief Guest Elder—who was also their top expert—all about to leave, they still felt a lingering sense of unease.

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you all acting like this is a life-and-death separation?" Mo Xuan had been waiting impatiently on the side. He stomped his hooves heavily on the ground. "It's just going out for a stroll! With this Young Master here, could even a single hair on Lin Yan's head be lost? Besides, you're all so reluctant to see Lin Yan go, yet I don't see you feeling the same for me. Be careful, or I won't bring you any gifts when I return!"

Mo Xuan's words slightly eased the lingering sorrow of parting in the air.

Lin Shi hurriedly said in a flattering tone, "Senior Xiao Mo, we will definitely miss you. Please don't forget to bring us gifts."

Lin Qi also chimed in, "Senior Xiao Mo, remember to bring me back more weapons."

"Stupid Lin Qi, what do you need weapons for? It's more practical to have Senior Xiao Mo bring back more Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures!"

"Fourth Brother, I'm warning you, stop calling me stupid, or I'll beat you up."

"If you have the guts, come and get me."

Lin Yan watched the chaotic scene and couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. These guys had improved their intelligence and origins significantly, but their personalities hadn't changed one bit.

He took one last look at the lush, spirit-rich canyon. Although he felt a pang of reluctance, he felt even more anticipation for the road ahead.

"Xiao Mo, let's go. Everyone else, head back. Cultivate well, and wait for my return." Lin Yan said no more, turned, and sped off into the distance.

Mo Xuan let out a clear, resonant long howl. Seven-colored rosy clouds surged around his body as his four hooves lifted into the air, chasing after the direction Lin Yan had flown with an incredibly graceful posture.

Both of them were now at the Heavenly Immortal cultivation realm, so their travel speed was naturally much faster than before. In just a few hours, they had already covered tens of thousands of miles.

Although they were tens of thousands of miles away from the canyon, this area was still within the sphere of influence of the Earth Dragon Community. Thanks to their years of effort, the ecological environment here had greatly improved. However, in the distant horizon, a sense of desolation and loneliness still lingered, carrying with it the scent of blood and destruction.

The two traveled northeast, aiming for Mo Xuan's old home—the location of Qilin Cliff. Before setting out, they had already agreed that Lin Yan would first accompany Mo Xuan back to Qilin Cliff, and then they would travel together to visit Buzhou Mountain, a landmark of the Primordial World.

The Primordial World was vast and boundless. Qilin Cliff was not a specific cliff, but a collective term for the core territory of the Qilin Clan. It was located on the edge of Buzhou Mountain, and even at the speed of a Heavenly Immortal, it would take quite some time to reach from Lin Yan's canyon home.

"Haha, Lin Yan, your flying technique is truly too slow. At this speed, we won't reach Qilin Cliff even in a thousand years." Mo Xuan flew leisurely through the air, while Lin Yan had to exert his full spirit power just to barely keep up with him.

For a long time, Lin Yan's greatest shortcoming had been his flying ability. His Earth Dragon clan was naturally ill-suited for flight. Even after he attained his human form, flying had always been his weak point.

The speed that Lin Yan considered to be lightning-fast looked as slow as a Crimson Water Black Tortoise crawling on land in Mo Xuan's eyes.

"Xiao Mo, don't get cocky. I may not be as good as you when it comes to flying, but if we're talking about traveling, I might not necessarily lose to you," Lin Yan said, feeling a bit unconvinced.

"Oh? Faster than flying, that would be your Earth Escape Technique, right? How about we have a race?" Mo Xuan wore an expression that said he had long known Lin Yan's trump card, but that he still wouldn't win.

"A race it is. I remember there's a Black Mountain a million miles away with an old pine tree on it. You remember that place, right? Whoever gets there first wins, how about it?"

The Black Mountain Lin Yan mentioned was essentially the outermost perimeter of the Earth Dragon Community's territory. Xiao Mo had once cleared out fierce beasts and malevolent energy there with him.

"Fine, that's the spot. Whoever gets there first wins. I'll give you a three-second head start." After saying this, the golden flames beneath Mo Xuan's four hooves flared brightly, signaling that he was ready and the race could begin at any time.

"No need." As soon as Lin Yan's voice fell, his entire body merged into the sandy ground like a drop of water, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

Mo Xuan was stunned. He released his divine sense, but only caught a trace of an extremely faint yet ridiculously fast fluctuation of spirit power, racing along some kind of vein deep underground toward the distance. The speed was more than ten times faster than he had anticipated for an Earth Escape.

"Interesting." Once Mo Xuan realized what was happening, he didn't dare to be arrogant anymore. With a clear howl, he exerted force through his four hooves, the golden flames beneath him exploding outward. His figure became like a seven-colored meteor streaking across the sky, chasing straight toward the distance.