Training Before the Clan Competition

Deep in the forest, Lin Ge stood atop a towering tree, looking down over the woods. Faint streaks of blood marked his body, and a light, metallic scent hung in the air.

The blood wasn't Lin Ge's, of course. It belonged to the beasts he had killed.

After more than half a month of frenzied slaughter, Lin Ge had gone from struggling to adjust, to accepting it calmly, and finally to numbness. He had killed countless beasts and demonic beasts.

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

By now, he was certain: his Peerless Sword Intent gradually strengthened as a battle went on. The stronger his opponent, the stronger his sword intent became!

"The beasts around here aren't enough anymore. I'll have to find stronger ones, or demonic beasts."

Lin Ge glanced at the experience value for Peerless Sword Intent on the panel and furrowed his brow.

At first, killing a single beast earned him thirty points of experience. Now, even after killing ten, he couldn't gain thirty points. It was clear that the beasts here could no longer meet his needs.

"There's movement!"

Lin Ge's sweeping gaze suddenly sharpened. He leapt from the tree trunk and shot forward like an arrow. But as soon as he rushed into the nearby thicket, he stopped short, his expression shifting as he stared at the fearsome beast among the trees.

"A Scorpion Tiger?"

The beast was grayish brown all over, shaped like a tiger, with a tail like a scorpion's and a sharp gleam at its tip.

The Scorpion Tiger was a ferocious beast with hide like iron, and it was difficult to deal with. But Lin Ge was interested, because he thought this beast might make his sword-intent experience soar!

Just then, the Scorpion Tiger noticed Lin Ge, too. Its blood-red eyes fixed on him. It opened its jaws and let out a low growl before rising to its feet.

As it stood, Lin Ge noticed a clear, dark-red fruit beneath a tree behind it. A faint, sweet fragrance wafted from the fruit.

"A third-grade spirit medicine, a Water Spirit Vermilion Fruit?"

Lin Ge's brows drew together.

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

"So this is Lin Dong's opportunity. I stumbled across it by accident—what a coincidence."

Lin Ge pursed his lips and turned to leave.

A third-grade Vermilion Fruit was certainly valuable to him, but it wasn't especially important, so he decided to spare the Scorpion Tiger.

Lin Dong was like a flower that had only just sprouted. This opportunity was its nourishment. If Lin Ge casually snatched away that nourishment, he worried Lin Dong might wither before he could blossom, and never reach great heights in the future.

So, for now, he wouldn't take Lin Dong's opportunity. If he had the chance, he would even give him a hand.

However, Lin Ge had decided to spare the Scorpion Tiger, but the Scorpion Tiger had no intention of letting its enemy go.

A vicious glint flashed in its eyes. With a low growl, it lunged at Lin Ge.

"Hmm?"

Sensing danger, Lin Ge hurriedly retreated. The thick tree trunk in front of him snapped under the Scorpion Tiger's charge.

"The road to heaven lies open, but you refuse to take it; the gates of hell are closed, yet you barge right in. Looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson."

Lin Ge narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint of cold light flashing in them.

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

"You're asking for death!"

Lin Ge drew the refined-steel sword at his waist and channeled a stream of pure Yuan Power into it. The blade glimmered faintly as he thrust it hard at the Scorpion Tiger's chest.

"Clang..."

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

The Scorpion Tiger's hide was even harder than he had expected.

Though he couldn't pierce its hide, Lin Ge managed to stop its charge by sheer force, then flipped it onto the ground.

"Roar!"

The Scorpion Tiger hit the ground, then thrust its scorpion-like tail toward Lin Ge's chest!

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

"Bang!"

Sword and tail tip collided. The two figures, one large and one small, both staggered back several steps before coming to a stop.

"Tch. I didn't expect you to be pretty good."

Lin Ge smiled faintly. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he slashed at the Scorpion Tiger again.

The sword light was as fast as lightning. In the blink of an eye, it struck the Scorpion Tiger's chest, sending the beast flying several meters with a tremendous force!

"Roar..."

A mournful howl rang out. The Scorpion Tiger shakily got to its feet, fear showing in its eyes.

Now, a deep wound marked its chest, cutting through hide as hard as steel. Blood welled from it!

"You brought this on yourself."

Seeing that the Scorpion Tiger was afraid, Lin Ge sheathed his sword and turned to leave.

From the very beginning, he hadn't intended to kill it. After all, it could still be of use.

But the Scorpion Tiger had insisted on courting death and had even tried to kill him. So he had no choice but to give it a lesson it wouldn't forget.

"The Lin Clan's competition is coming up in a few days. I might as well take part. It could be fun."

Remembering the story, Lin Ge thought of the Lin Clan's competition. A faint smile touched his lips as he murmured to himself.

A few days after he left, Lin Dong came upon the Scorpion Tiger, just as the story had described.

Though Lin Ge had wounded it, the Scorpion Tiger wasn't very intelligent. So when Lin Dong suddenly appeared, it still attacked.

Lin Dong hurriedly dodged, and his sharp eyes caught sight of the deep wound on the Scorpion Tiger's chest. A trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Who wounded the Scorpion Tiger? Why didn't they just kill it and take the Vermilion Fruit?"

For a moment, Lin Dong was full of questions.

"Roar!"

The Scorpion Tiger wasn't about to give Lin Dong time to think. It leapt up and brought its thick, rough tiger paw down hard on Lin Dong's chest.

Facing danger, Lin Dong didn't dare be careless. He unleashed the Ten Resonances of the Back-Piercing Fist in an instant, then punched the tiger paw.

"Bang, bang!"

Lin Dong was sent flying. He crashed through a tree and landed in a heap, blood at the corner of his mouth. Just as he was about to fly into a rage, a sudden burning pain surged through his body.

Amid that burning pain, Lin Dong felt a strange energy take shape in his marrow!

"Yuan Power Seed!"

Delight filled Lin Dong's eyes. In that instant, the whole world seemed to brighten. He could even sense something around him that was extremely similar to the Yuan Power Seed within him—that was Yuan Power!