Actually, Lin Chen had sensed the four of them long ago.
He had also known that Zhao Qingshan had activated a defensive Formation.
It kept outsiders from listening in or peeking.
He had even heard every word they said, loud and clear.
"Now they should all believe in my Devouring Talent."
Lin Chen thought to himself, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
In just a few short days, he had gone from a good-for-nothing at Body Tempering Layer 1 to a cultivator at Qi Condensation Layer 9 Peak.
That rate of progress was absolutely terrifying.
But now he was fretting over what to do next.
Spirit Attachment!
It was a stage of cultivation unique to the Extreme Path Method.
The process was divided into nine layers as well.
Each layer would imbue him with Five Elements Spirit Power.
If he likened the Spirit Power of his current cultivation realm to a tree trunk, then the Five Elements Spirit Power from Spirit Attachment would be vines, twisting around the trunk and adding the power of their attributes.
Once they fused, the trunk would grow thicker and sturdier.
Naturally, Lin Chen's strength would grow as well.
The problem was, the Spirit Stone cost made his heart ache.
The first layer of Spirit Attachment cost 1,000 Spirit Stones.
The second layer cost 2,000 Spirit Stones.
The third layer cost 4,000 Spirit Stones.
The ninth layer cost 256,000 Spirit Stones.
Added together, the total came to a terrifying 511,000 Spirit Stones.
Good heavens!
When Lin Chen saw that number, he thought his head was about to explode.
And he couldn't openly cultivate this Extreme Path Method, either.
He had to keep it hidden even from Zhao Qingshan and the others.
If he couldn't get his hands on more than 500,000 Spirit Stones within three months, he wouldn't be able to become their disciple.
It would also be even harder to explain why his Devouring Talent had hit a bottleneck.
At that very moment, in Zhao Qingshan and the others' minds, Lin Chen ought to be able to break through to the Return to Origin Realm within a few days.
"What am I supposed to do?"
Lin Chen gave the table a light tap.
Crash!
The sturdy stone table shattered into pieces.
He hurried to his feet and took two steps back, only to kick the stone stool behind him.
The stone stool exploded on the spot.
Lin Chen was dumbfounded.
He stood frozen in place, not daring to move.
"Hahaha..."
The four master and disciple figures hiding in the distance saw his awkward predicament and burst out laughing.
"Looks like a rapid rise in cultivation and strength isn't necessarily a good thing."
Zhao Qingshan glanced at Qi Ruming. "Third Brother, you'd better forge a set of Magic Artifact-grade cooking utensils soon. Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't get to eat food that delicious for the next few days."
"Get to it!" Jian Rushuang punched Qi Ruming, her threat crystal clear.
The meaning was obvious: if he dared deprive her of good food, she'd beat him to death.
Qi Ruming didn't dare utter a peep and obediently left.
"All right, everyone, let's disperse. This kid will probably need a while to get used to his increased strength." With that, Zhao Qingshan vanished from the spot.
Ming Bufan and Jian Rushuang exchanged a glance, then each went back to their own home.
Meanwhile, Lin Chen stumbled around the courtyard, breaking this thing and crushing that one underfoot.
In the end, he could only stand still, afraid to move.
Looking at the wreckage in the courtyard, Lin Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"System, how can I quickly get used to all this strength and cultivation?"
[Battle]
Lin Chen looked at the little rabbit at his waist and reached out to grab it, pulling it free.
Then he fed it a Spirit Stone.
Lin Chen leaped lightly out of the courtyard and into the open space outside.
At the same time, the Violent Savage Rabbit made its entrance.
As if it resented Lin Chen for waking it, the moment it finished transforming, it let out an angry roar and charged, swiping at him with a claw.
This time, Lin Chen didn't dodge. He charged forward too, stamping deep pits into the ground.
His body swayed as he ran, and only when he was close did he throw a punch.
Fist and claw collided, and the air exploded.
Lin Chen staggered back more than a dozen steps, his footprints growing shallower as he went.
The Violent Rabbit opposite him was knocked back three steps as well.
But the thing couldn't feel pain or get tired.
As soon as it steadied itself, it pounced again.
With nowhere else to vent his strength, Lin Chen didn't retreat. He met it head-on.
Man and rabbit fought back and forth.
The flat ground suffered for it, riddled with holes of every size and left in a ruin.
The battle went on for an hour.
The rabbit reverted to a Cloth Rabbit, and Lin Chen collapsed to the ground.
With a bruised and swollen face, he felt invigorated, utterly exhilarated.
He still hadn't completely mastered his current strength, but at least he no longer broke everything he touched.
After resting a while, Lin Chen sat up and picked the Rabbit Doll off the ground.
He was beginning to understand the benefits of this thing.
And as he probed it with his Spiritual Sense, he gradually began to understand its inner workings.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a puppeteer. Understanding how it worked didn't mean he could modify it.
"System, can I learn the puppeteer profession?"
[Ding! Becoming a puppeteer requires learning foundational knowledge, puppet forging, Rune Formations, spirit-soul control, combat applications, and forbidden secret arts. You can't master it just by studying a single puppet.]
"Good, that saves me money." Lin Chen pretended not to care as he put away the Cloth Rabbit, then stood and began repairing the damaged ground.
An hour later, everything was back to normal. Lin Chen even picked out a boulder, carried it back, and made a new table and stools from it.
After more than two hours of work, lunchtime was almost here.
He went to the Kitchen to light a fire and cook.
Clang... clatter... crash...
The entire Kitchen ended up in ruins.
In less than fifteen minutes, Lin Chen emerged, covered in dust and soot.
The Kitchen... was destroyed!
Hahaha...
Just then, a wild, unrestrained laugh came from behind him.
"Lin Chen, look what I brought you!"
Lin Chen turned around and saw Qi Ruming taking one thing after another out of his Storage Ring.
There were all sorts of pots, bowls, pans, and Kitchen utensils—everything one could need, and even a wider selection than before.
Most importantly, all the utensils shimmered with the radiance of Spirit Patterns.
"Third Senior Brother, are these all Magic Artifacts?"
Lin Chen walked over, looking astonished.
"Of course."
Qi Ruming smiled at Lin Chen. "Master said the old stuff was too worn out, so he ordered me to forge a new set. Come on, I'll replace everything for you."
"Thank you, Third Senior Brother."
The two worked together, and soon a brand-new Kitchen stood before them.
"Lin Chen, do you know how to fish? Behind our mountain there's a deep pool and waterfall. It's full of Spirit Fish, delicious no matter how many times you eat them. The only trouble is, they're hard to catch..."
Fishing?
Lin Chen silently asked the system, "System, can I use gold coins to raise my fishing skills to the perfect Master level?"
[Host, you can. Any life skill can be trained to the perfect level with gold coins. Would you like to learn now?]
"Learn!"
In an instant, Lin Chen became a seasoned fishing enthusiast.
He learned everything from bait and fishing rods to the habits of fish. He even mastered how to survey the waters.
He gained all this knowledge in the blink of an eye.
He immediately answered, "Of course I do, Second Senior Brother. Let's go fishing now. I'll make a whole-fish feast for you all at noon."
"Hahaha... I knew you could do it, kid. Come on, let's go..."
The two quickly got their fishing lines and rods ready. Lin Chen made some bait, and they set off.
"It's just ahead."
They traveled by flying sword and soon reached their destination.
The waterfall's roar filled their ears at once.
Lin Chen examined the terrain, the current, and the depth of the water. He even checked its temperature.
In the end, he chose a quiet eddy and began fishing.
"Lin Chen, the water's too shallow here. There's no way you'll catch any Spirit Fish..."
He hadn't even finished speaking when Lin Chen's fishing line suddenly went taut.
Lin Chen gave it a slight tug, and the rod bent like a great bow.
The next moment, a huge, plump red fish flew out of the water.
Before you continue