"Time to begin cultivating."
Looking at the Mid-grade Spirit Stone in his hand, Ye Lin closed his eyes and began circulating the Star Art with all his might. At once, streams of spiritual energy entered his body, strengthening every part of him.
Time always seemed to fly by during cultivation. In the blink of an eye, a day and a night had passed.
The next evening, Ye Lin suddenly opened his eyes.
"Tonight, I'll go claim Niu Bo's opportunity: a Foundation Establishment Realm Demon Beast Core. If I refine and absorb it, there's a good chance I'll break through to Qi Refining Level 8."
"By then, my chances of becoming an Inner Sect disciple will be even higher."
He knew very little about the Inner Sect disciples at present. Even if he challenged one, he would have to pick someone weaker. He needed to find the time to learn more about the Inner Sect in general.
After thinking it over, Ye Lin got up, opened the door, and headed down the mountain. He was gradually getting used to going out at night.
His frequent trips down the mountain had already caught the attention of someone observant.
When he reached the foot of the mountain, Ye Lin headed straight for Dragon Fall Valley.
Dragon Fall Valley was said to be the place where a True Dragon had fallen a thousand years ago. The True Dragon had ultimately crashed down there.
At first, countless cultivators had gone to Dragon Fall Valley in search of the True Dragon's remains, but none of them had found anything.
One had to understand that every being worthy of being called a True Dragon was a Mahayana Realm powerhouse. Just one dragon bone would be enough to last a person a lifetime.
Dragon Fall Valley wasn't very far from the Azure Cloud Sect. After walking for about an hour, Ye Lin finally arrived.
The enormous gorge exuded wisps of cold air. Even Ye Lin, who was at Qi Refining Level 7, couldn't help shivering.
"Brr. I'm at Qi Refining Level 7. Even if I were naked in weather several degrees below zero, I wouldn't feel the slightest chill. There's something strange about this place."
Ye Lin muttered to himself, then quickened his pace and began searching for the dead Foundation Establishment Realm Demon Beast. He just wanted to grab its core and get out as quickly as possible.
This place wasn't simple.
After searching for most of the day, he hadn't found so much as a hair, let alone a Foundation Establishment Realm Demon Beast. The temperature around him had only grown colder, and the vegetation ahead was already covered in frost.
According to the seasons in his previous life, it was summer now. This place was far too strange.
At last, he spotted the corpse of an enormous wild boar lying on a sheet of ice. Just how big was it? Bigger than an elephant from his previous life.
"I finally found it. But a wild boar this huge must have mutated, right?"
Ye Lin looked at the enormous boar before him with a strange expression.
Still, he drew his Long Sword and slashed at the boar's head. The Long Sword, which had advanced to Mysterious Grade Low Tier, easily cleaved the boar's head in two. Inside lay a white Demon Core.
Ye Lin put away the Demon Core, then suddenly looked back at the boar. His eyes widened.
The Foundation Establishment Realm boar before him had actually been frozen to death. That was a little absurd.
At Foundation Establishment, spiritual energy enveloped the entire body. One could even leap into magma thousands of degrees hot and endure it for several minutes. Yet this boar had been frozen to death.
"There must be a great secret here—or perhaps a Heaven-Shaking treasure. My strength isn't enough right now. Once I break through to a higher level, I'll come back and take a look."
Glancing at the mysterious gorge in the distance, Ye Lin hurried toward the Azure Cloud Sect.
Even a Foundation Establishment Realm Demon Beast had frozen to death. If he stayed any longer, wouldn't he be courting death?
The trip there had taken an hour, but the return took only half an hour. Sure enough, when people faced death, they could unleash astonishing potential.
Once he reached the sect, Ye Lin put away the Foundation Establishment Realm Demon Core in his hand.
"Tomorrow is the day Zhang Xiao makes his move, according to the panel. It'll take a full half-month to refine the entire Foundation Establishment Realm Demon Core."
"First, I'll take out Zhang Xiao. Then I'll claim Wang Yun's opportunity half a month from now. After that, I'll go into secluded cultivation. Once I break through to Qi Refining Level 8, I can challenge an Inner Sect disciple."
After briefly planning his future, Ye Lin began adjusting his body, bringing himself into peak condition.
Zhang Xiao was at Qi Refining Level 8. Although Ye Lin had a talisman as a trump card, he couldn't afford to be careless. A lion used its full strength even to catch a rabbit.
The next day, at sunset.
"It's time."
Ye Lin suddenly opened his eyes, a murderous glint filling them.
The time had come to settle this karmic debt.
After preparing everything, Ye Lin left his residence and deliberately headed down the mountain. He was giving Zhang Xiao an opening.
When he reached the foot of the mountain, the moon was already high overhead. It was a moonless, windy night—the perfect night for murder.
Ye Lin arrived at a deserted spot and slowly crouched down, as if searching for something. He had spotted Zhang Xiao as soon as he left the sect.
Zhang Xiao's tracking skills were nowhere near as good as Wang Yun's.
Just then, a tiger's roar suddenly rang out from the shadows. Ye Lin whipped around, and wisps of blood-red mist rose from his right arm.
"Seven Kill Fist! Die!"
Boom! Their fists collided, and a deafening crash rang out.
Thud, thud, thud.
Ye Lin staggered back a step from the blow. Staring at his numb fist, he felt his heart sink.
Qi Refining Level 8 and Qi Refining Level 7 really weren't in the same league. He'd wanted to test the difference, and this one punch had laid it bare.
He had put all his strength into that punch. Zhang Xiao, by contrast, had only taken half a step back. The outcome of the exchange was clear.
"His strength is only a little greater than mine. If we fought head-on, even if I couldn't beat him, I could still get away unharmed."
Ye Lin thought to himself.
"Qi Refining Level 7. You've been hiding your strength well."
Zhang Xiao's expression darkened. From that exchange, he had already gauged Ye Lin's cultivation: Qi Refining Level 7, and among the strongest at that level.
An ordinary Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator would have been killed by his punch.
"What treasure are you carrying? Well, it doesn't matter. Once I kill you, it'll be mine."
"Tiger Roar Fist!"
Zhang Xiao roared. Roars of tigers thundered behind him, deafeningly loud, and the phantom of a tiger appeared over his right arm as he swung a punch at Ye Lin.
Ye Lin immediately took out a talisman and poured all his spiritual energy into it. Light shone from the talisman, and a violent beam of light burst forth, shooting toward Zhang Xiao.
"What is that?"
Zhang Xiao was horrified. He poured in even more spiritual energy and threw a punch.
A thunderous boom rang out. The blood vessels throughout Zhang Xiao's arm burst, and blood drenched his body.
"Sword Controlling Technique!"
Before Zhang Xiao could catch his breath, a streak of sword light flashed past, piercing straight through him. In disbelief, Zhang Xiao clutched his chest and stared at the Long Sword hovering behind him.
"T-The Sword Controlling Technique of the Heavenly Sword Sect?"
Zhang Xiao's eyes widened. He dropped to one knee, unable to fight back at all.
"P-Please, spare me."
Looking at Ye Lin approaching step by step, Zhang Xiao begged feebly.
He was already a Qi Refining Level 8 expert. He had just joined the Inner Sect and become an Inner Sect disciple, reaching the brightest moment of his life.
He didn't want to die.
"Your being alive is the greatest threat to me."
With that, Ye Lin cut Zhang Xiao's throat with one stroke. His head hit the ground with a heavy, lifeless thud.
After everything was done, Ye Lin crouched beside Zhang Xiao and searched his body.
Sure enough, he found ten Low-Tier Spirit Stones.
"Only ten Low-Tier Spirit Stones? He must have spent all his resources breaking through to Qi Refining Level 8."
Ye Lin thought to himself. Otherwise, he refused to believe that Zhang Xiao, who had been the Outer Sect's top disciple for eight years, had only ten Low-Tier Spirit Stones on him.
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