The Seventh Layer of Body Tempering, Lin Hong's Ambition

Seeing Lin Xia walking toward him, Lin Yan stopped in his tracks, his eyes filled with surprise.

"Oh, so it's Sister Lin Xia. I wondered who it was."

He said to Lin Xia with a beaming smile.

"What's the matter, Sister Lin Xia? Is there something you need from me?"

Lin Xia quickly caught up, and by the time she reached Lin Yan, she was already panting slightly.

She waited a moment to catch her breath, then rolled her eyes at him after hearing his words.

"What? Can't I come see you if there's nothing wrong?"

"You guy, you're too cold."

Lin Yan shook his head with a smile.

"Even if there's nothing wrong, you're certainly welcome to come see me."

"It's just that, that applies to other people."

"Given your personality, Sister Lin Xia, you aren't the type to go out of your way to find me without a reason."

He continued to look at Lin Xia, looking as if he had seen right through her.

Seeing this, Lin Xia could only scratch her head in embarrassment and say.

"Alright, alright, you win."

"Honestly, you don't leave me any face at all."

"Actually, I came to find you this time to thank you."

Lin Xia held up a finger, and a flicker of blue Origin Power emerged from it. Seeing the blue energy dancing above her fingertip, even Lin Xia couldn't help but grin with pride.

"Look, I've reached the sixth level of Body Tempering too."

"All of this is thanks to those medicinal liquids of yours."

"With the help of your liquids, I successfully broke through to the sixth level of Body Tempering, and recently, I've even had faint signs of breaking through to the seventh."

Lin Yan smiled and cupped his hands toward Lin Xia. "Then I must truly congratulate you, Sister Lin Xia. You are now one of the top experts among the younger generation."

Lin Xia immediately caught the hint of flattery in Lin Yan's words and looked at him with utter disdain. "Spare me. You, of all people, were already at the sixth level of Body Tempering over two months ago."

"By now, you've probably already reached the seventh level, right? Compared to you, I'm far too weak."

Lin Yan smiled without saying much, choosing not to explain that he had already broken through to the Earth Origin Realm.

Instead, he changed the subject.

"By the way, Sister Lin Xia, do you have any more of the medicinal liquid?"

Lin Xia answered awkwardly, "Actually, I ran out a long time ago."

Lin Yan's gaze immediately became profound. "No wonder you've been looking for me. So that's what you were really after! Sister Lin Xia, what a scheme!"

Lin Xia's face turned red, as it was true that she had been seeking him out for that reason, but having her intentions exposed made her feel both ashamed and angry. She blushed and said, "What! It's not like I was planning to take them for free. Don't think of me as that bad, okay?"

After teasing Lin Xia a few times, Lin Yan stopped messing with her.

"Here, I was just joking."

He handed the few remaining bottles of medicinal liquid directly to Lin Xia and said.

"Take these and use them sparingly, because I'm out too."

"As for payment or anything like that, forget it. We're family; no need to talk about such things."

Lin Xia was slightly stunned, as she had originally intended to pay for them.

After all, having used the liquid, she knew how potent the medicinal power within them was, so taking them for free didn't feel right.

She was just about to refuse when Lin Yan saw through her intentions.

Lin Yan waved his hand and said, "Don't try to force payment on me, or I'll be upset."

"That's it then, Sister Lin Xia. I have some things to attend to, see you next time."

With that, Lin Yan turned and left, leaving Lin Xia with nothing but a remarkably dashing silhouette.

Lin Xia looked at Lin Yan's retreating figure, then at the bottles of liquid in her hand, feeling both amused and frustrated.

She sighed helplessly and muttered to herself, "This guy, he's as overbearing as ever."

"Oh well, I'll take them for now. We see each other every day anyway; I'll just keep this favor in my heart and do my best to help him whenever I can."

Lin Xia soon left to go practice with the medicinal liquid.

As for Lin Yan, he headed toward the Medicine Hall to purchase herbs, just as he had planned.

He began selecting the various herbs he needed for refining medicine.

However, he did not expect that back in the Lin Clan, Lin Hong had also completed a breakthrough in his cultivation.

At this moment, inside the Lin Mansion.

Having just opened his eyes, Lin Hong felt that his perception had become even more astonishing.

Many details that had gone unnoticed in the past were now clearly visible.

Lin Hong stood up and threw a punch with sudden force, the sheer power causing the surrounding air to tremble.

He checked his Yuan Power, which seemed far more substantial than before.

Lin Hong was instantly overcome with excitement.

Beside him, Lin Shan quickly approached.

"Brother, is this? Have you broken through to the seventh layer of Body Tempering?"

Seeing Lin Hong's increase in strength, Lin Shan asked with pleasant surprise.

"Mm, I have broken through!"

Lin Hong was also overjoyed, nodding at Lin Shan with a smile.

Lin Shan was ecstatic to hear this; although it was not his own breakthrough, Lin Hong was his brother, and he was just as happy for him.

Most importantly, this meant Lin Hong had essentially secured his position as the number one among the younger generation of the Lin Clan!

"Brother, when the Clan Gathering arrives, you must help me settle the score!"

Lin Shan hurriedly said to Lin Hong.

Lin Hong nodded at Lin Shan with a smile upon hearing this.

"Rest assured, I will reclaim the face we lost last time at the Clan Gathering."

"I will let everyone know that among the younger generation of the Lin Clan, I, Lin Hong, am the strongest!"

Having declared his bold ambition to Lin Shan, Lin Hong's gaze was filled with excitement, and he looked forward to the upcoming Clan Gathering with great anticipation.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

"Hoo."

"Have I broken through as well?"

"The fifth layer of Body Tempering."

"I've also mastered the Back-Through Fist to eight echoes, and incidentally learned the second-grade martial art, Eight Desolations Palm."

Inside the wooden hut, having achieved a further breakthrough in his strength, Lin Dong spoke to himself with some joy.

However, he quickly calmed down.

"I should keep training."

"I hope to break through once more before the Clan Gathering."

"If I reach the sixth layer of Body Tempering, combined with my two martial arts, I won't just be unafraid of Lin Hong—I might even be able to go head-to-head with Brother Lin Yan. I can't let them pull too far ahead of me."

Thinking this, Lin Dong quickly resumed his training.

As for Lin Yan.

He had just finished buying the medicinal herbs and had now returned home.

Yao Lao immediately brought out his medicine cauldron, then floated in mid-air, casually picking up one of the herbs Lin Yan had purchased.

He taught as he worked, beginning to instruct Lin Yan in the fundamentals of alchemy.

"Alright, little friend."

"I have now told you some of the basic theoretical knowledge."

"Digest it for a moment, and once you have absorbed enough, we will begin the practical application."

"You will try refining the medicinal pill with your own hands."

After a brief session of theoretical instruction, Yao Lao gave Lin Yan some time to process the information, waiting patiently to the side.