Of course, what happened next was not much different from what had happened in the original history.
After Lin Yan and Lin Xia finished sparring, Lin Dong also challenged Lin Hong to a match.
As expected, Lin Dong won by an overwhelming margin.
Though Lin Yan had run out of medicinal liquid earlier and hadn't been able to give Lin Dong any, their frequent sparring had still greatly improved Lin Dong's combat skills. So now, Lin Dong was naturally much stronger than his counterpart in the original timeline.
It went without saying that Lin Dong defeated Lin Hong without a hint of suspense.
Lin Mang couldn't stand seeing his son lose again and again. In his desperation, he suddenly attacked, only to be suppressed by Lin Xiao instead.
Lin Zhentian then had everyone accompany him to the backyard. After berating Lin Mang, he handed Fire Flame Manor over to Lin Xiao to manage. Then he turned to Lin Yan, Lin Xia, and Lin Dong, gazing at them kindly as he said with a smile:
"Also, the three of you performed exceptionally well today. I have to say, whether it was Lin Yan, Lin Xia, or Lin Dong, all three of you amazed me. Lin Yan especially—you've turned out to be such an outstanding young man."
"How about this? I'll have someone deliver your Clan Competition rewards later. You may also browse any of the family's martial arts. If there's anything else you need, just ask. The Hunting War will begin soon, and I hope you'll perform just as brilliantly there."
The three cupped their hands to thank Lin Zhentian. Then, without lingering, they headed straight for the Lin Clan's Martial Arts Pavilion.
Lin Dong and Lin Xia were both incredibly excited.
After all, the martial arts they knew were low-grade. Naturally, they were thrilled to have the chance to learn more advanced techniques.
Lin Yan, however, wasn't particularly interested. He had already learned Eight Extremities Collapse, so he was only here to go through the motions.
But to his surprise, as he wandered along, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ear.
[Ding!] [Congratulations, Host. You have successfully signed in at the Lin Clan's Martial Arts Pavilion!] [Reward obtained: Amethyst Winged Lion King Fire!] [Reward obtained: Purple Cloud Wings!] [Rewards have been issued. Please confirm receipt.]
"What's this? The system?"
"It's still here? It's been gone so long, I thought it had run off."
Lin Yan froze on the spot.
After all, the system hadn't appeared for a long time—not since the day it gave him the Medicine Elder Ring.
Besides, his system was a little unusual. Other people's systems told them where to sign in and what rewards they could get before each sign-in.
His system, on the other hand, told him nothing. He had to figure everything out by himself.
So, although Lin Yan had visited many places whenever he had some spare time, he still hadn't triggered the system. He'd nearly assumed it had left for good. He hadn't expected it to activate today.
Lin Yan quickly turned his attention to the rewards the system had given him.
Amethyst Winged Lion King Fire!
Purple Cloud Wings!
Both rewards would be of great benefit to Lin Yan right now.
The first was a kind of Beast Fire, obtained by Xiao Yan in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. If Lin Yan could successfully absorb it, not only would his Flame Mantra level up, but more importantly, he'd be able to control flames to attack his enemies in the future.
The second reward was just as valuable. Lin Yan still couldn't fly, so obtaining the Purple Cloud Wings would make up for that weakness to some extent.
At the thought, Lin Yan could hardly contain his excitement.
Lin Dong and Lin Xia had just finished choosing their martial arts and returned. Seeing how excited Lin Yan looked, they couldn't help growing curious.
Lin Dong stepped forward and asked, "Brother Lin Yan, what martial art did you pick? You look so happy."
Unable to hide his smile, Lin Yan casually picked up a third-grade martial art and urged them, "Are you two ready? If you are, let's go. I want to head back and cultivate."
Lin Xia and Lin Dong could only shake their heads helplessly. Lin Yan had been taking his time earlier, yet now he'd changed completely in the blink of an eye. Still, they felt much the same way, so they quickly nodded and left the Martial Arts Pavilion.
The three headed toward their respective homes together. They still had a stretch of road to travel before reaching the fork, so Lin Xia took the opportunity to bring up a few things:
"Now that it's settled that we'll be taking part in the Hunting War, we'll have to cultivate hard."
"It's a good thing the Mad Blade Martial Hall has no grudge against our Lin Clan. But the Lei and Xie Families are always stirring up trouble."
"Take Lei Li of the Lei Clan. He reached the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering four months ago, and he may already be at the Ninth Layer. Xie Yingying of the Xie Clan should also be at the Eighth Layer. They'll be our main opponents this time."
Lin Dong silently committed their names to memory, then said to Lin Xia, "The Eighth and Ninth Layers of Body Tempering, huh? Looks like I still need to get stronger."
"Luckily, we have Brother Lin Yan. He should be at the Ninth Layer by now, right?"
Lin Xia looked toward Lin Yan as she spoke.
But Lin Yan had already reached the fork in the road. He turned to them and said, "Uh, I'm probably about there. Anyway, let's not talk about that. Lin Dong, Lin Xia, I'm going back to cultivate. See you next time."
With that, he hurried off toward home.
Lin Dong and Lin Xia could only let out wry smiles. Lin Yan could be pretty ridiculous. Whenever he decided to cultivate, he turned into a martial arts fanatic—enough to leave anyone laughing helplessly.
"Then, Sister Lin Xia, I'll head back and cultivate too."
Lin Dong soon said to Lin Xia.
"See you, little brother Lin Dong."
The two quickly parted ways and returned to their respective homes to cultivate.
Meanwhile, Lin Yan had already returned home and summoned Yao Lao.
"Little friend, what's gotten into you all of a sudden? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Yao Lao couldn't make sense of Lin Yan's behavior. He remembered him as a fairly steady young man. Why was he so nervous this time?
"Senior Yao Lao, look."
"This!"
Lin Yan eagerly took the Amethyst Winged Lion King Fire straight out of his System Inventory.
He opened his palm, and a tiny purple flame appeared before his eyes.
Yao Lao, standing beside him, couldn't help freezing when he saw the flame.
"Heavenly Flame? No, this is Beast Fire?"
"Little friend, where did you get this?"
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