Cultivation Before the Clan Competition

Deep within the dense forest, Lin Ge stood atop a towering tree, looking down over the woods. His body was faintly stained with blood, and a faint, metallic scent wafted from him.

The blood, naturally, was not Lin Ge's, but that of the many beasts he had slaughtered.

After more than half a month of frenzied killing, Lin Ge had progressed from his initial discomfort to calmness, and now, to numbness, having slain an unknown number of beasts and demonic beasts.

With every hunt, he could feel his Peerless Sword Intent growing gradually stronger.

By now, he had confirmed that his Peerless Sword Intent would strengthen over time during combat; the more powerful the opponent, the stronger his Peerless Sword Intent became!

"Ordinary beasts no longer meet my requirements. I must find more powerful beasts, or perhaps demonic beasts."

Glancing at the experience points for his Peerless Sword Intent on the system panel, Lin Ge frowned.

At the beginning, killing a single beast would grant him thirty experience points, but now, he couldn't even gain thirty points after killing ten. This made him realize that the current beasts were no longer sufficient for his needs.

"Movement!"

Lin Ge's scanning gaze suddenly sharpened. He leaped from the tree trunk, darting out like an arrow. However, just as he rushed into the nearby thicket, his body suddenly came to a halt, his expression shifting as he stared at a ferocious beast in the woods.

"A Scorpion Tiger?"

It was a grey-brown beast, shaped like a tiger, with a tail like that of a scorpion, the tip gleaming with a sharp, cold luster.

The Scorpion Tiger was an incredibly fierce beast with hide as tough as iron, making it difficult to deal with. Yet, Lin Ge was quite interested, as he felt this beast should be enough to make his Sword Intent experience points soar!

At that very moment, the Scorpion Tiger also discovered Lin Ge's presence. A pair of scarlet eyes locked onto him, its maw opened to let out a low growl, and it hauled itself to its feet.

As it stood up, Lin Ge noticed a crystal-clear, dark red fruit beneath a tree behind it. Taking a careful sniff, he caught a faint, refreshing fragrance.

"A Tier 3 spiritual herb, the Water Spirit Vermilion Fruit?"

Lin Ge's brows furrowed involuntarily.

He remembered this scene, and he remembered this Scorpion Tiger.

"So, this was Lin Dong's fortuitous encounter. To think I stumbled upon it—what a coincidence."

Lin Ge curled his lip and turned to leave.

Although a Tier 3 Vermilion Fruit was a good item, it wasn't particularly vital to Lin Ge, so he decided to spare the Scorpion Tiger's life.

The current Lin Dong was like a newly sprouted flower, and this opportunity was the nourishment he needed. If he were to selfishly hoard this nourishment, Lin Ge worried that Lin Dong might be stunted, and his future achievements would be limited.

Therefore, he would not snatch Lin Dong's opportunity now; if possible, he might even give him a hand.

However, while Lin Ge decided to spare the Scorpion Tiger, the beast had no intention of letting Lin Ge go.

A flash of cruelty crossed the Scorpion Tiger's eyes, and with a low roar, it lunged rapidly toward Lin Ge.

"Hmm?"

Sensing the danger, Lin Ge retreated in a hurry. The tree trunk as thick as a thigh behind him was snapped clean in two by the Scorpion Tiger's pounce.

"There is a path to heaven, yet you refuse to take it; there is no gate to hell, yet you charge right in. It seems I must teach you a lesson."

Lin Ge narrowed his eyes, a dangerous, icy glint shooting from them.

The Scorpion Tiger didn't care what Lin Ge was saying and lunged at him again.

"You're courting death!"

Lin Ge drew the refined steel sword from his waist. A surge of pure Yuan Power poured into it, causing the blade to bloom with a faint light before he thrust it fiercely toward the Scorpion Tiger's chest.

"Clang..."

A metallic sound rang out, and Lin Ge's expression darkened slightly.

The Scorpion Tiger's hide was even tougher than he had anticipated.

Although he couldn't pierce the Scorpion Tiger's skin, Lin Ge had managed to forcefully block its assault and flip it onto the ground.

"Roar!"

As the Scorpion Tiger was flipped over, its scorpion-like tail lashed out toward Lin Ge's chest!

Feeling the foul wind rushing toward him, Lin Ge swung his sword to meet it.

"Boom!"

Sword and tail tip collided, and both figures—one large, one small—stumbled back several steps before regaining their footing.

"Tsk, I didn't expect you to be quite so capable."

Lin Ge smiled slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, and he unleashed a swift strike at the Scorpion Tiger.

The lightning-fast sword light struck the Scorpion Tiger's chest in the blink of an eye, a massive force sending the beast flying several meters back!

"Roar..."

A miserable howl echoed out. The Scorpion Tiger trembled as it stood up, its eyes filled with fear.

At this moment, a deep wound had appeared on the Scorpion Tiger's chest, right through its iron-hard skin, accompanied by a trail of blood!

"You brought this on yourself."

Seeing the Scorpion Tiger's fear, Lin Ge sheathed his longsword and turned to leave.

From the very beginning, he had never intended to kill this Scorpion Tiger; after all, it still had its uses.

Yet this Scorpion Tiger insisted on courting death, even attempting to kill him, so he had no choice but to teach the beast an unforgettable lesson.

"In a few days, the Lin Clan's family tournament will begin. I might as well participate and see; perhaps it will provide some amusement."

Recalling the plot, Lin Ge thought of the Lin Clan's tournament, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he spoke to himself.

A few days after he had departed, Lin Dong arrived before the Scorpion Tiger, just as the plot had foretold.

Although the Scorpion Tiger had been wounded by Lin Ge, its intelligence was low, so it attacked Lin Dong the moment he appeared.

Lin Dong dodged in a hurry, his sharp eyes catching the deep wound on the Scorpion Tiger's chest, and a look of surprise flashed across his face.

Who could have wounded the Scorpion Tiger? Why didn't they finish it off and take the Vermilion Fruit?

For a moment, Lin Dong's mind was filled with confusion.

"Roar!"

The Scorpion Tiger gave Lin Dong no time to think, leaping into the air and bringing its thick, rough tiger paws down heavily toward Lin Dong's chest.

Facing the crisis, Lin Dong dared not be negligent; his Tongbei Fist instantly erupted with ten echoes as he punched the tiger's paw.

"Bang! Bang!"

Lin Dong was sent flying, crashing through a large tree before landing in a sorry state. A trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth, and just as his anger flared, a searing pain suddenly surged from within his body.

Under that burning pain, Lin Dong felt a strange energy being born deep within his bone marrow!

"A Yuan Power Seed!"

A look of wild joy appeared in Lin Dong's eyes. In that instant, the entire world seemed to brighten, and he could even sense something surrounding him that was extremely similar to the seed within his body—it was Yuan Power!