Taking Action

As time flew by, Lin Ge turned fourteen in the blink of an eye, growing from a baby into a young man.

For more than ten years, Lin Ge had always kept to himself. He had no friends and had never even exchanged a word with anyone else in the Lin Clan.

When Lin Ge was born, his mother died in childbirth. His father blamed him for her death and lived in a daze every day. Eventually, after an accident, he died with hatred for the world in his heart.

After his father's death, Lin Ge had nothing left to keep him attached to this world.

"It's so late already? I'll go out and clear my head for a bit."

He glanced at the fiery red sunset in the west and muttered to himself, then slowly walked out of the bamboo grove along the path.

Ever since his father had died, Lin Ge had made evening walks a habit. He had kept it up for years.

He rarely encountered anyone from the Lin Clan on his walks, but for some reason, today he came face-to-face with seven or eight clan members. Though surprised, he had no intention of greeting them.

Although Lin Ge and those people belonged to the same clan, they were less than strangers to one another.

"Lin Shan, say that again!"

Just then, an immature yet furious voice reached Lin Ge's ears.

Lin Ge furrowed his brow slightly and looked toward the figures not far away.

"So what if I say it again? Your dad's a good-for-nothing, and so are you. You might as well get out of the Lin Clan now, before you make an even bigger fool of yourself!"

A youth dressed in finery sneered at the thin boy in front of him.

The boy was furious and couldn't help striking out. The result was plain to see: the others had beaten him black and blue and knocked him unconscious...

"Tch. A good-for-nothing at the Body Tempering Second Level dares to pick a fight with me? You're way out of your league."

The youth in fine clothes snorted disdainfully, his face full of pride.

"Young Master Lin truly is a prized genius of our Lin Clan. How could Lin Dong possibly be a match for you?"

The two guards behind the youth spoke with obsequious smiles. Then they looked at Lin Dong with deep contempt.

"Lin Dong?"

Lin Ge had been unwilling to get involved, but at the sound of that familiar name, he paused.

"So this is Lin Dong? It's my first time meeting him. I never thought it would be like this."

Lin Dong, known as the Martial Ancestor, was one of the strongest characters in Heavenly Silkworm Potato's works. In the end, he attained the Sovereign Realm and devoted himself to protecting the Three Thousand Worlds.

Lin Ge and Lin Dong were clan brothers, and they were both in the Lin Clan, yet they had never met.

Ever since he was a child, Lin Ge had strived to become the strongest in the Three Thousand Worlds. He had devoted all his time to cultivation, so how could he have time to pay attention to the other members of the Lin Clan?

Even so, he still cared quite a bit about Lin Dong. After all, he had no idea when the story of Martial Universe would begin.

Lost in thought, Lin Ge failed to notice that his arrival had blocked the fine-clothed youths' way along the narrow path.

"Move!"

The youth in fine clothes furrowed his brow and spoke impatiently.

The unfriendly command snapped Lin Ge out of his thoughts. He shot the youth a cold look and said, "Get lost."

"What did you say?"

The youth, who had been in a good mood, turned utterly grim. He stared coldly at Lin Ge, fists clenched, looking ready to attack at any moment.

"Young Master, there's no need for you to act. A brat like this? I can make him kneel and beg you for mercy all by myself."

One of the guards behind the youth laughed maliciously. He glanced at Lin Ge with contempt, clenched his fist, and slowly approached him.

A strange smile appeared on Lin Ge's face. His figure suddenly blurred, vanishing from where he stood!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Before the three could react, Lin Ge kicked each of them, sending them flying.

Of course, Lin Ge hadn't used his full strength. He had no intention of killing them. They were so weak that they didn't even deserve to die by his hand.

"You... you... you..."

The youth stammered three times but still couldn't get the words out. He stared at Lin Ge in terror, unable to believe he had been defeated in a single move!

He was a genius disciple of the Lin Clan, after all, and had already reached the Body Tempering Fourth Level. Even against the most talented members of the Lin Clan, he shouldn't have lost so badly.

Who was he?

"Get lost."

Lin Ge said quietly. Without even looking at the youth, he turned and walked over to Lin Dong.

"You... just you wait!"

This was the first time anyone had shown him such contempt. The Lin Clan's genius flushed with rage, but he knew he was no match for Lin Ge. All he could do was leave a threat, then go back, find out who Lin Ge was, and seek revenge when the opportunity arose!

Lin Ge paid no attention to the youth's words.

As far as Lin Ge was concerned, no one in the Lin Clan could easily kill him—not even the clan's leader and strongest member, Lin Zhentian!

"You got beaten so badly, yet you're barely hurt. You've got a pretty tough body."

Lin Ge glanced at the unconscious Lin Dong. Seeing that he had only suffered a few flesh wounds and was otherwise fine, Lin Ge couldn't help muttering to himself.

At first, Lin Ge had planned to wait for him to wake up on his own. Then he suddenly remembered that he still had a bottle of Foundation Building Liquid, so he took it out from inside his robe.

It was a wooden bottle of earthy brown, its surface smooth. At first glance, it looked like some rare treasure.

"You're pretty lucky. I've never had any left over before."

Lin Ge pursed his lips, pulled out the stopper, and let a fragrant scent spread through the air.

It was a special fragrance, one that made people feel intoxicated.

Lin Ge was already used to the scent, and his expression didn't change in the slightest. He practically forced Lin Dong's mouth open, poured it all in at once, and, without caring whether it hurt, quickly shook his head until he had no choice but to swallow it.

Before long, the unconscious Lin Dong began to react.

His brow furrowed, and sweat appeared on his face. He was in great pain.

Lin Ge, however, didn't react at all. Foundation Building Liquid was an excellent substance for strengthening the body. The process was painful, but it had no side effects.

Though Lin Dong looked to be in agony right now, he would be delighted once he woke up.

The first time Lin Ge had taken Foundation Building Liquid, he had risen straight from the Body Tempering Sixth Layer to the seventh!

Although the other medicines he had taken had certainly helped, no matter how you looked at it, Foundation Building Liquid was the best supplement for the Body Tempering Realm.

After a short while, Lin Dong's tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed. The wounds on the surface of his skin gradually disappeared, leaving not a single mark.

"Pop!"

A faint sound rang out. The unconscious Lin Dong had successfully broken through the Body Tempering Second Level and reached the Body Tempering Third Level!