The Lone Bamboo Lin Yuan had nurtured had already reached a staggering height of nine meters.
It was now very close to becoming a 100-year-old Lone Bamboo.
At that point, if he used the Palm Heaven Bottle’s green liquid to increase its age by another hundred years, a Lone Bamboo approaching 600 years old would serve as the first soul ring for his martial soul.
That wasn’t bad at all.
When Lin Yuan returned to Nuoding Academy, there was yet another piece of gossip circulating around the academy.
After the previous incident, when Yu Xiaogang had farted to death a “bandit” who had broken into Nuoding Academy and attempted to harm the students, the academy had now gained another topic of discussion—the death of Nuoding Academy’s number-one genius soul master, who had supposedly fallen off a cliff.
Almost everywhere Lin Yuan went, he could hear people discussing the matter.
But none of this had anything to do with him.
He continued cultivating as usual.
Every morning, he did one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and ran ten kilometers.
In the morning, he attended classes as normal.
During breaks, he joked around with several close friends, playing the part of an ordinary student.
His afternoons and evenings were devoted to cultivation.
At night, he would bury the Palm Heaven Bottle inside an abandoned flowerpot to collect its green liquid.
The only difference was that in the afternoon, he would return to the small courtyard at home and practice the martial arts techniques recorded in the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Art.
Just like that, half a month quickly passed.
Lin Yuan finally cultivated the first layer of the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Art and was now able to exercise rudimentary control over the power of heavenly thunder.
His soul power had also reached rank 9, just as he had predicted.
After mastering the first layer of the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Art, Lin Yuan shifted his focus to cultivating the Supreme Holy Qiankun Skill.
To his surprise, after cultivating the Supreme Holy Qiankun Skill, it didn’t merge with his Lone Bamboo martial soul like the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Art had.
Instead, it gave birth to another incomplete martial soul-like existence, similar to the incomplete martial soul Huo Yuhao had obtained after the Sky Dream Iceworm sacrificed itself to him in Douluo II.
This strange phenomenon delighted him.
Because it meant that he might have a chance to obtain a second martial soul.
Just when Lin Yuan thought his days would continue passing peacefully like this, his father and mother suddenly called him over.
“Moving?”
Lin Yuan looked at the two of them in surprise.
Considering the threats posed by the transmigrators who had been appearing one after another, he had indeed considered moving before.
But this house and the medicine shop had been built from nothing through his parents’ efforts during the first half of their lives.
His original plan had been to wait until he accumulated enough money, then move them somewhere else.
After that, he could slowly play his battle of wits against the transmigrators, as well as Tang San and Tang Hao.
He hadn’t expected his parents to bring it up themselves.
His father sighed.
“That’s right.
We’re reluctant to leave, but we don’t really have a choice.”
His mother added, “You saw what happened to that child, Lin Tian.
And during this period, several different strangers have come asking about him.”
“I suspect his death had something to do with the interests of some powerful figure.
So for the safety of our family of three, no matter how reluctant we are, we have to move.”
She deliberately emphasized the word “interests.”
Lin Yuan knew she was referring to whale rubber.
He just hadn’t expected his mother to make the connection herself.
Her conclusion might be wrong, but her caution was impressive.
As expected of his mother.
“When are we moving?” Lin Yuan asked.
His father thought for a moment.
“Probably within the next two days.
I’ve already contacted a buyer and arranged to transfer ownership of this courtyard and the shop.”
“I’ve also found another courtyard with a shop in a different city.
We’ve already agreed on the price.
Once we sell this courtyard and shop, we’ll have the money in hand and can pay for the new property immediately.”
His mother spoke earnestly.
“Ah Yuan, you’ve always been a very independent child.
That’s why your father and I have always trusted you.”
“But this time, the safety of our entire family is involved.
I didn’t let your father tell anyone which city we’re moving to.
Likewise, we won’t tell you until we arrive.
I hope you can understand.”
“It’s fine, Mom and Dad.
I’ll do whatever you say.”
Nuoding City had now seen two transmigrators die in succession.
Although Lin Yuan believed he had hidden himself well, it was inevitable that he might reveal some clues over time.
Being able to leave this troublesome place and find somewhere to quietly develop his strength was naturally the best choice.
Three days later, just before dawn, Lin Yuan’s family left without alerting anyone.
They only had Lin Yuan leave two letters behind—one for Xiao Chenyu’s father and another for the dean of Nuoding Academy.
One letter announced his father’s resignation, while the other was Lin Yuan’s withdrawal from the academy.
Both letters expressed their apologies.
Afterward, they drove their carriage, loaded with all their belongings, out of Nuoding City and traveled to a city that had never been mentioned by name in the original story.
There, Lin Yuan’s father found work as a guard at a large hotel.
His mother opened another medicine shop, although she changed the name of the store.
Instead, she bought Lin Yuan one relatively high-quality hundred-year whale rubber every month.
That way, it wouldn’t attract suspicion.
As for Lin Yuan, since he was about to break through to rank 10, he didn’t enroll in the local junior soul master academy.
Instead, he devoted himself to bitter cultivation at home every day.
Once he broke through to rank 10, he planned to enroll in an intermediate soul master academy.
He had already decided which one.
Suo Tuo City Intermediate Soul Master Academy.
It was very close to Shrek Academy, yet very far from his home.
That way, he could keep his family away from danger while also observing the situation regarding the transmigrators.
…
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
With the combined assistance of the Palm Heaven Bottle’s green liquid and the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Art, Lin Yuan’s soul power finally broke through to rank 10.
However, he didn’t immediately ask his father to take him back to Bamboo Ridge Village to obtain his soul ring.
Instead, he spent another half a month cultivating the first layer of the Supreme Holy Qiankun Skill while also collecting another drop of green liquid with the Palm Heaven Bottle.
Only then did he tell his parents that he had broken through to rank 10.
Naturally, Lin Yuan’s parents were overjoyed to learn their son had reached rank 10 so quickly.
That very night, his mother prepared a huge feast to celebrate.
The next morning, his father took seven days of leave, hitched up the carriage, and rode back to Bamboo Ridge Village with Lin Yuan.
Originally, his mother had wanted to spend money hiring several Soul Grandmasters to help Lin Yuan hunt a 100-year soul ring.
After all, thanks to the nourishment of whale rubber, their son had reached rank 10 in just 15 months.
He had already grown into a genius comparable to someone with innate soul power of five or six ranks, perhaps even seven.
They absolutely couldn’t let him settle for a 10-year soul ring like his father had simply because no one was available to help him hunt for a better one.
However, after Lin Yuan mentioned that he had previously discovered a 100-year-old Lone Bamboo in a secluded place in the back mountain of Bamboo Ridge Village, there was naturally no need for them to take such a huge risk by going to the Soul Hunting Forest.
Father and son traveled during the day and camped at night.
After three days on the road, they finally returned to Bamboo Ridge Village.
Following Lin Yuan’s mother’s instructions, they didn’t alert anyone.
Instead, they left the horse in a small forest some distance outside the village and continued on foot toward the back mountain.
When Lin Yuan’s father saw the Lone Bamboo that was approaching 500 years in age, he was naturally amazed.
Lin Yuan did not explain.
Using the late hour as an excuse, the two returned to the cave where Lin Yuan had previously stayed and rested.
Once his father fell asleep, Lin Yuan took out the green liquid from the Palm Heaven Bottle and dripped it onto the Lone Bamboo.
Only then did he return to the cave, sit cross-legged, and begin cultivating.
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