First Get Some Benefits

Lin Xiaotian was taken straight to the Xiao Household and assigned a small courtyard within the lineage.

He had not even met any of the lineage elders, which left him mildly surprised.

Still, it did not affect him.

Before leaving, Xiao Jingli said, "Wait a few days. Someone will come to meet you then. Quite a few young ladies from the lineages are still traveling outside and are hurrying back."

Having a few peaceful days was not bad.

He would use this time to see whether he could raise his strength. Even if he could not increase his combat power, strengthening his ability to stay alive would be more reliable.

He closed the door and remained inside the room where he lived, not stepping outside the courtyard to prevent anyone from spying on him.

He had quite a few secrets on him. If anyone noticed even a trace, the place of Senior Dongli would probably become utterly uninteresting to them, and they would all swarm around him instead.

He inspected the room once. There were no major problems, and it was spacious enough that even practicing fist techniques and martial arts would not be an issue.

There were no pinhole cameras from his previous life here, nor any wondrous techniques like those his elder sister possessed, so he did not have to fear being watched.

At present, those at the External Force level—whether early or middle stage—should not be able to kill him. He ought to have enough time to escape.

In a prolonged battle, if he encountered someone at the middle stage of External Force, their punches would pack greater force, and recovery would consume a great deal of Blood Qi. If he fought one battle after another without escaping in time, his life might well be in danger.

However, in a one-on-one fight, he could probably still bluff his way through eight times out of ten, so long as he did not engage in a drawn-out battle.

His special Blood Qi had made his muscles and bones somewhat stronger, but the change was not heaven-defying. Compared with the physical strength of someone at the External Force level, he was still weaker.

It was only his excessively abnormal recovery that gave him the power to contend with External Force practitioners.

In the future, he had best find a body-tempering technique and an escape technique. That would essentially make up for his shortcomings, allowing him to handle opponents at the External Force level—a major realm higher than his own.

He sat cross-legged, focused his mind on his body, sensed the circulation of his Blood Qi, and slowly began operating the cultivation method of Eight Extremes Mountain-Shattering Force.

Strand after strand of Blood Qi stirred, circulating around his body like a river channel flowing silently onward.

Gradually, a mysterious nothingness emerged inside him. As his Blood Qi circulated, it suddenly took root in one place and plunged deep into the endless void.

He could neither see nor sense what lay in the depths, but a scorching heat flowed in along the Blood Qi.

Slowly, his Blood Qi began to feel fuller and stronger.

As expected, it was extraordinary!

Perhaps because he had become physically intimate with Ouyang Nianci, his Blood Qi had risen another level, making this sensation far clearer and more distinct.

Within this Blood Qi, he faintly sensed a flavor of yin and yang in harmony. The dry, feverish impulse had also weakened considerably.

Lin Xiaotian's heart stirred, and he understood a few things.

This Blood Qi still needed yin energy to harmonize it. No wonder it had constantly urged him to unite with women.

That seemed to be one of the important reasons.

However, the impulse remained extremely strong. It was merely somewhat weaker than before.

"Whoosh!"

He cautiously extended his consciousness toward the place where the Blood Qi had taken root. An intense heat surged through the root and rushed toward him.

The pain made him grimace, and he nearly cried out.

His consciousness seemed to be scorched as well. It immediately withered, and his entire body became weak in an instant.

It was as though he had gone ten days and ten nights without sleep and then fought someone on top of that.

"Whoosh!"

He opened his eyes and gasped for breath.

"Why is it so intense? I was only probing it. Fortunately, I was cautious and didn't force my way in completely. Otherwise, this might have burned me into an idiot."

My first attempt went badly! I'd better take the healing medicine the Ouyang Household gave me last time.

Lin Xiaotian took out the finest healing medicine. After swallowing it, he sat in meditation and urged his Blood Qi with all his might to digest it.

This time, he lost track of time as soon as he sat down. When he woke, he sensed something unusual beside him and immediately opened his eyes, only to see Xiao Jingli sitting by the door.

"Hmm, Big Brother Jingli, you're here."

Xiao Jingli sprang to his feet so abruptly that he startled Lin Xiaotian.

The former stared at him as if he were looking at a monster, then circled around him. Being examined like that made Lin Xiaotian feel a little creeped out.

"Big Brother Jingli, the way you're looking at me is frightening. Besides, I'm not interested in men."

"Hahaha!" Xiao Jingli was amused. "You little brat, you're already teasing people now."

"You're something else. You sat there for three whole days. But you don't look like you broke through a barrier, so why did you meditate for so long?"

Lin Xiaotian was stunned. It had taken three days to recover from his injuries. His consciousness had probably been burned quite badly.

At the time, however, his consciousness had been muddled by the burning, and he had been too severely injured to tell how bad things were. That was why it had taken him so many days to recover.

He secretly wiped away a cold sweat. He would have to be more careful in the future.

His Blood Qi was extraordinary, but it was also strange. Otherwise, it would not have drawn someone like his elder sister, who had clearly transcended the Martial Dao, into plotting against him.

"Big Brother Jingli, are you taking me to meet all the elders?"

Xiao Jingli withdrew his gaze and stopped circling him, merely commenting in puzzlement, "Your Martial Dao is about the same as before, but why do I feel that you're somewhat different? I just can't put my finger on it."

Then he answered Lin Xiaotian's question:

"Yes. I was originally going to take you to meet the elders of the various lineages and see whether any elder or younger member of the lineage had taken a liking to you."

"But you meditated for three days, and word of it reached their ears. The lineage members are even more convinced that you're extraordinary now. Those who originally only intended to go through the motions aren't calm anymore. They've called back all their young girls with good looks and potential."

"When the time comes, you'll not only have to endure the elders' scrutiny; you may very well have to exchange blows with outstanding noble ladies from the lineage. Quite a few of them are at the External Force level."

Lin Xiaotian's pupils constricted.

"External Force? Doesn't that mean they're all older than me?"

"Hahaha!" Xiao Jingli was entertained. "You little fool, someone with good Root Bone can enter External Force in one or two years."

"It's just that once they reach External Force, their progress slows. Each minor level takes a long time to temper. Of course, there are also people who don't fear death and charge ahead despite having unstable foundations."

"One or two years..." Lin Xiaotian repeated blankly. "Then Qin Yueyao and Ouyang Nianci are both absolute prodigies by your standards."

"Even if they haven't reached External Force, you still consider them prodigies. They definitely haven't been practicing martial arts for only one or two years."

"My teacher said that anyone who hasn't reached External Force after more than two years either has poor Root Bone or lacks Martial Dao aptitude."

Xiao Jingli laughed again.

"That applies to ordinary people."

"In reality, those with extraordinary Martial Dao talent will choose not to enter External Force right away. They first temper their Root Bone a little better and accumulate more before entering External Force."

Lin Xiaotian's eyes went blank, and his throat grew dry.

"Temper their Root Bone? Do all prodigies do that?"

"Not necessarily." Xiao Jingli explained, "That's merely one school of thought. Many talented people don't temper themselves and step directly into External Force."

"There's no practical basis for this idea of tempering. It's just that some talented people believe it's better to temper themselves a little longer."

"But many others believe that entering External Force earlier means they can cultivate higher levels of the Martial Dao sooner, making it the superior choice."

"Both views have their own reasoning."

"Eldest Miss Ouyang and Qin Yueyao both chose to temper themselves. However, doing so costs more. Each of them spends over a dozen taels of silver more every month."

"Someone from a poor background can't afford that."

Lin Xiaotian gradually fell silent as he listened. Wealth was also a kind of resource. With wealth came more possibilities and more choices.

The poor could only charge headlong to the end. They had no choice.

"All right, little brother. Stay here a few more days. Once those talented young ladies of the lineage return, you'll have to be prepared."

With that, he was about to leave.

Lin Xiaotian called out to him at once.

"Big Brother, wait a moment."

Xiao Jingli stopped and turned around, looking somewhat puzzled.

Lin Xiaotian smiled faintly. If I don't squeeze a few more benefits out of the Xiao Household now, I'd really be letting them down.

"Big Brother, you know that I haven't been studying martial arts for very long and that my knowledge is limited. Does the lineage have any body-tempering or speed techniques? I'd like to study them so I won't be beaten too badly when the time comes."

Xiao Jingli burst out laughing.

"They're only testing your potential. As long as you're not too poor, they won't make things too difficult for you."

"Based on what you displayed last time, it shouldn't be enough to cost you your life... Hmm, fine. Learning a little more can't hurt. Then perhaps you'll catch the eye of one of the lineage's young ladies and have beauties on both arms."