Can't Stop! My Own Martial Path Absolutely Cannot Stop!

Can't stop! His own martial path absolutely could not stop! The voice that suddenly rang out immediately shattered the atmosphere between the two of them.

Lin Tian and Xiao Tian both turned in unison toward the direction the voice had come from.

Zhang Ming?

Both of them recognized that the person who had just spoken was Zhang Ming.

Immediately afterward, the movements in both their hands were withdrawn as well.

After all, facing the disciple with the highest seniority in the Martial Academy...

They still felt some reverence in their hearts.

Of course, this naturally was not the real reason the two of them stopped.

The true reason that made the two of them stop...

Was still because neither of them wanted the matter of their conflict here and now...

To be reported by Zhang Ming to Zhao Cang.

In the eyes of the two of them...

One of them had struck the Martial Academy master's last disciple, which counted as disrespect.

The other had tried to seize a fellow disciple's cultivation resources.

No matter which of these two matters it was, neither could be openly laid out on the table.

Especially at a time when the Martial Examination was drawing near.

Both of them came from poor families.

This Martial Examination was the only chance for both their families to turn their fortunes around.

They absolutely would not ruin it over a momentary clash of tempers.

"Heh heh, so it's Senior Brother Zhang Ming. I just happened to run into Senior Brother Lin Tian here earlier, so I greeted Senior Brother Lin Tian."

"It's getting late now, so this junior brother will take his leave first."

Xiao Tian casually found an excuse, then directly left.

He showed not the slightest intention of asking for Zhang Ming's opinion behind him.

And as he watched the other party's departing back...

Zhang Ming's gaze swept over him, but he did not say much.

He came before Lin Tian.

Lin Tian had already dispelled the Demon-Subduing Golden Body on his body, then immediately cupped his fists in salute and said, "Senior Brother Zhang."

"Junior Brother Lin, you..."

"Senior Brother Zhang, I'm fine. There's no need to worry."

Hearing his words...

Zhang Ming knew Lin Tian also did not want the matter to blow up.

But he also thought of the reason behind it.

After all, both of them were going to participate in the Martial Examination.

If their master found out, the two of them might receive some punishment...

So Zhang Ming simply did not bring it up again.

However, Zhang Ming looked at Lin Tian before him with a somewhat strange gaze.

After all, earlier, he had also seen Xiao Tian suddenly follow Lin Tian's route, which was why he had followed.

And the two of them had indeed fought, just as he had feared.

He simply had not expected Lin Tian's strength to be so far beyond his expectations.

The other party had actually been able to easily block Xiao Tian's offensive?

It seemed this Junior Brother Lin Tian before him was not as simple as he appeared on the surface...

Fortunately, however, he had stopped the two of them in time.

As long as no one was injured now, that was fine.

Afterward, the two chatted idly for a few sentences, then each said goodbye.

"In that case, I'll be leaving. You... be careful."

Hearing his voice...

Lin Tian understood in his heart. He knew Zhang Ming was telling him to be careful of Xiao Tian.

After all, judging from the temperament the other party had displayed just now, he presumably would not let the matter rest.

However, Lin Tian did not have any especially great reaction.

He merely exchanged a few polite words, then immediately took his leave as well.

Watching Lin Tian's back, Zhang Ming sighed as well.

Clearly, neither of them had the sort of personality that would yield.

On the road home, thoughts churned through Lin Tian's eyes.

Of course, it was not because of what had just happened with Xiao Tian.

Rather, just now, he had actually seen that the boats on the riverbank still had not set out.

This had already been the case for four days in a row.

Naturally, the reason was that today, someone had once again spotted traces of the Water Bandits.

Those Water Bandits were moving more and more frequently...

Perhaps one day, they would suddenly come ashore!

With heavy steps, Lin Tian once again headed toward his home.

Before a small family courtyard, he immediately pushed the door open and entered.

"Xiaotian's back."

In the small family courtyard, his mother, Madam Zhao, saw Lin Tian come in and immediately went up to him.

Indeed, because he had been hearing news of the Water Bandits so frequently, Lin Tian had directly moved his family to another place.

Their previous Black-Awning Boat had been right on the riverbank.

If the Water Bandits came, the first ones to suffer would definitely be his family.

So he had spent money and used a few connections to move his family into this small courtyard.

Although it had cost a full fifty taels of silver in the process, recently, after killing Ma Dalong, he had obtained a hundred-tael silver note.

That was still enough to support this expense.

If the one hundred taels Bao Tianhua had given him today were added in as well, then for the near future, he would no longer need to worry about cultivation resources.

Hearing his mother's voice, Father Lin in the house and Sister in the kitchen both came out to look Lin Tian over.

After all, ever since Lin Tian had broken through to Bright Force, the whole family had treated Lin Tian like a treasure.

They were afraid that when he went to the Martial Academy today, he might have suffered some scratch or bump.

Toward this, Lin Tian sometimes felt rather helpless.

After all, he had clearly broken through to Bright Force and become stronger.

Yet for some reason, in his family's eyes, he seemed to have become even more fragile.

As if he were porcelain, they feared he might knock against something.

A few days ago, his mother, Madam Zhao, had even solemnly asked him, "If you're tired, then let's not practice martial arts anymore," and other words like that.

Lin Tian did understand everyone's worries.

He also understood why they would say such things.

As his realm rose, the improvements his family obtained were also rising at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A few days ago, even, they had directly abandoned the Black-Awning Boat they had lived on for over ten years.

They had moved straight into a small courtyard like this.

Now, they even had meat at every meal, and those gangs from before had not come looking for trouble anymore.

This single blow had far surpassed the expectations in their hearts.

On top of that, news had come in these past few days—things like Ma Dalong being beaten to death.

They could not help worrying over their own safety.

After all, Lin Tian went to the Outer City to practice martial arts first thing in the morning, and did not return home again until night.

During that time, there was almost an entire day's gap, so everyone could not help worrying...

And after everyone had looked Lin Tian over from head to toe and found no serious wounds, only then did they go back to what they had been doing.

Dinnertime.

Looking at the table full of rice, meat, and dishes, then looking at his family's faces, where the sallow, gaunt look had completely vanished, replaced by round cheeks and a healthy red glow, Lin Tian felt satisfied.

After all, this was what could be called living.

That former life of enduring hunger and cold, of living in fear and trembling, was not what he wanted at all.

Lin Tian knew very clearly what everything he had now had been exchanged for.

Sure enough, only strength—only strength was the sole capital for surviving in this chaotic world!

But he also knew that his own strength was still not enough.

Right now, there were still dangers outside like the Water Bandits.

Although his family had already moved from the riverbank into this small courtyard, it was still not enough.

At most, they had merely put a little distance between themselves and the riverbank.

If those Water Bandits really charged up here, his family would still be hurt!

He had to keep moving forward!

Only by constantly becoming stronger could he protect everything he wanted to protect!