Following the secluded path, Lin Yiqing kept a wary eye on his surroundings all the way home. Only after he had returned did he finally let out a long breath of relief.
Qingyang Town was a den of snakes and dragons. If someone spotted him carrying a second-grade spirit medicine while he was alone on the road, there was no guarantee they wouldn't get any ideas.
The warning of past misfortune was still fresh in his mind. He was merely a branch-family disciple; if he disappeared one day, perhaps no one would even care.
The Lin Family wasn't exactly safe, but at least it offered a little more protection than the outside world.
Taking out the Earth Profound Fruit, Lin Yiqing examined it in his hand, then put it in a box and tucked it beneath his bed. Once he found a few more medicinal ingredients to go with it, he would be able to make full use of this second-grade spirit medicine's potency.
"I wonder if Lin Dong has found the Ancestor Stone yet?" Lin Yiqing mused to himself.
He admired Lin Dong. Through his own efforts, Lin Dong had risen step by step to the pinnacle of the martial path. But Lin Yiqing had his own aspirations, too. There was no need to compare themselves on the road to seeking the Dao. If their paths crossed for a stretch, that was a fortunate connection in itself.
Thinking of this, Lin Yiqing glanced up at the still-early sky and headed toward the Lin Family Back Mountain. While gathering medicinal ingredients, he would also search for the cave that held the Ancestor Stone.
If Lin Dong hadn't gotten it yet, Lin Yiqing wouldn't mind taking it himself. If Lin Dong had, that was fine, too. He trusted his own cheat—and trusted himself even more!
Following the rugged path, Lin Yiqing came upon a steep cliff about ten zhang high. Many huge rocks jutted out from its face, making it look especially dangerous.
After studying it for a moment, Lin Yiqing began tracing a route through the surrounding loose stones and weeds. Before long, he spotted a few sparse footprints. Judging by their size, they had to belong to a child.
"Someone really has been here. If nothing unexpected happened, the cave containing the Ancestor Stone must be around here."
After a moment's thought, Lin Yiqing was almost certain. The original text had offered only a vague hint, and the back mountain was so vast, with countless cliffs. Searching blindly would have been extremely difficult.
But those footprints served as corroborating evidence. There weren't many places that could satisfy all these conditions at once.
The protruding boulders connected to form a narrow path. Lin Yiqing followed it down slowly, and soon a dark, irregular cave appeared before him.
The opening was wide enough for two adults to pass through. The interior was fairly smooth and seemed somewhat spacious.
Lin Yiqing entered the cave, where a shallow pool immediately came into view. A strange palm print was faintly visible on the ceiling.
"Looks like this is the place!"
Lin Yiqing leaped onto a boulder nearby and began searching for traces of the Ancestor Stone. Unfortunately, he searched the entire ceiling and couldn't find the slightest sign of it.
"Looks like Lin Dong must have taken it. It's good that he did. Having one more person shoulder the future of this world is a wonderful thing."
Thinking this, Lin Yiqing couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment and sigh inwardly.
He had considered taking the Ancestor Stone for himself, but later realized that his own cheat was even more mysterious, so he had let go of that idea. Now he had abandoned it entirely.
"What I seek is a path beyond heaven and earth, a path to pursue the Dao and seek the truth! One day, I'll have to leave. Rather than take it with me, I'd rather leave it to you to protect this world!" With that thought, every last worry vanished from Lin Yiqing's heart.
Then his eyes burned as he turned to the small pool before him. The mysterious spiritual liquid from the Ancestor Stone had dripped into it, giving it remarkable effects. He wasn't about to leave empty-handed.
With that thought, Lin Yiqing quickly stripped off his gray hemp clothes and stepped into the pool to meditate.
As his breathing gradually steadied, the pool water began to change miraculously. Bubbles tinged with faint red rose from the bottom, then burst around Lin Yiqing's body. Threads of pale red liquid began to seep through his pores and swiftly burrow into his body.
"Mm..."
Lin Yiqing's body gave a sudden shudder. As the red liquid entered him, his muscles seemed to be compressed with tremendous force. A surging heat spread throughout his body, and sweat poured from him in countless beads. A few gray impurities could faintly be seen being carried out with it.
After a long while, Lin Yiqing opened his bright eyes, which glimmered with flecks of light. He could clearly feel that his bones had been strengthened.
A dull ache seemed to cling to his bones, as if something were trying to burrow into them. Rather than worry him, the discovery excited Lin Yiqing.
Bone tempering was the step required to reach the fifth layer of the Body Tempering Realm. It meant training the bones within the body to make them tougher, thereby improving the cultivator's overall physical condition.
While the mysterious spiritual liquid's effects had yet to fade, Lin Yiqing swiftly took a Body Tempering Pill from his inner pocket and swallowed it. He intended to seize the moment and break through to the fifth layer of the Body Tempering Realm.
As the pill went down, warmth gradually spread throughout his body. He hurriedly leaped out of the pool and began practicing the Penetrating Fist, move by move, to release the medicine's power.
Every cell in his body seemed to groan, as though parched earth had been refreshed by rain. As the gentle medicinal energy began to seep into his muscles, his body quickly devoured it greedily.
At that moment, Lin Yiqing could even feel his body growing stronger.
Punch! Punch!
As he continued training, the medicinal power was soon absorbed. Lin Yiqing closed his eyes, savoring the exhilaration of becoming stronger through cultivation.
Suddenly, his body began to shudder violently beyond his control. A sharp pain spread from within his bones, rapidly reaching every part of his body.
The sudden agony, however, brought a delighted smile to Lin Yiqing's face.
As far as he knew, this was exactly what one had to endure to break through to the fifth layer of the Body Tempering Realm—bone refinement. It was the very breakthrough he had been anticipating.
"I'm breaking through."
Waves of pain swept over him. It felt as if a drill were boring furiously into his bones, yet Lin Yiqing could clearly feel the bones within him slowly growing stronger and tougher.
The pain came quickly and left just as fast. In only a few minutes, it gradually faded. And as the agony disappeared, Lin Yiqing suddenly felt reinvigorated. He threw a punch, and the air cracked around it.
"Hahaha! What tremendous power! No wonder they call it the fifth layer of the Body Tempering Realm." Even Lin Yiqing, usually so composed, couldn't help but laugh with delight.
In only a few days, he had become a minor expert at the fifth layer of the Body Tempering Realm. The process of pursuing the martial path had already captivated him.
"No wonder so many powerful figures devote themselves to pursuing the martial path."
Though Lin Yiqing was smiling, he still quietly reminded himself not to grow complacent. The world was vast beyond measure, and powerful figures were as numerous as the clouds. For now, he could only look up at them.
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