Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, six years had passed.
"Smack smack smack smack..."
The gaunt figure's arms swung like a penetrating-back ape stretching its body. Crisp slapping sounds rang out against his clothes—ten strikes in all.
"Hoo~"
After a while, the gaunt figure let out a long breath and stopped. He turned to the girl beside him, who had watched with rapt attention. "Qing Tan, did you see that clearly? The first nine strikes of the Penetrating-Back Fist are released outward, while the tenth comes from within."
"The key to the tenth strike is perfectly coordinating the body's muscles and bones. Together, they push the ninth strike's force, already nearing its peak, to a new peak before it finally erupts."
"And once you push the Penetrating-Back Fist to its tenth strike, its power will rival a Second-grade Martial Art among the lower-tier arts."
"Mm-hm, Older Brother Lin Dong, Qing Tan saw it clearly. Wow, Older Brother Lin Dong, you're amazing. Even Father never learned the tenth strike, yet you worked it out all by yourself."
The thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl had exquisite features and brimmed with spiritual charm. Her beautiful eyes moved about, making her look sweet and adorable.
"If you saw it clearly, hurry up and practice. You're an Earthly Yuan Realm Expert cultivating a First-Rank Martial Art, yet you still haven't mastered the tenth strike."
Lin Dong glared irritably at his foolish Younger Sister, but she knew her Older Brother's temper and wasn't afraid of him. She only kept smiling sweetly.
"Dong'er, Qing Tan, so you're both here."
A robust voice rang out as a familiar figure walked over.
"Father~" Lin Dong and Qing Tan bowed in greeting.
"Mm, Dong'er, you're fourteen now. It's time you showed your face outside. The clan will hold a Minor Test tomorrow, so go take part. But don't reveal your Heavenly Yuan Realm Cultivation in full. You might frighten them."
Lin Xiao strolled over, smiling at the son and daughter before him, who pleased him greatly.
"Fourteen years old, the clan's Minor Test, Lin Shan knocking 'me' out cold... Seems like the main storyline is about to begin."
Something stirred in Lin Dong's heart, and he cupped his hands in a bow. "Understood, Father. But won't Qing Tan come with me?"
"No, Qing Tan needs to stay hidden for now. My precious daughter is a secret weapon."
Lin Xiao blinked mysteriously, chatted a little longer, then turned and left.
"Older Brother Lin Dong, what's Father's cultivation level now? Ever since his injuries healed six years ago, his cultivation seems to have become a mystery. Qing Tan can't see through it at all."
Qing Tan watched Lin Xiao's retreating figure and tilted her little head with adorable curiosity.
"Peak Lesser Yuan Dan Realm, I'd say. Still some distance from the Lesser Perfect Yuan Dan Realm."
"Wow, a Yuan Dan Realm expert. So Father is that formidable?"
The girl's beautiful eyes widened, and she cried out in surprise.
"Father was already the number one genius of our Lin Family. He entered the Heavenly Yuan Realm in his early twenties, then spent six years consolidating his Cultivation. Isn't a Breakthrough like this only natural? You underestimate Father far too much."
Lin Dong glanced irritably at Qing Tan, then ordered in a firm tone, "If you can't master the tenth strike of the Penetrating-Back Fist today, you won't sleep."
With that, Lin Dong sauntered off, paying no mind whatsoever to the girl pouting behind him.
"Creak~ Thud~"
Lin Dong had just shut the door when a voice sounded by his ear: "Ever since you stepped into the Heavenly Yuan Realm two years ago, your cultivation hasn't broken through even once. What are you trying to do?"
Lin Dong sat down without surprise, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and spoke. "Yuan Dan has nine stars—one star is the weakest, and nine stars are the strongest. I want to suppress my Cultivation and strive to achieve a Nine-Star Yuan Dan in one go."
"Heh, a Nine-Star Yuan Dan. You've got ambition, kid. You should know that when this Lord Marten entered the Yuan Dan Realm, I only barely managed to condense an eight-star Yuan Dan."
"Also, you've long since mastered that foundational Spiritual Power cultivation method. If you can now achieve enlightenment in the Niwan Palace, you should be able to condense a Second Seal in one stroke. It's time to find yourself a Seal-Condensing Method."
The voice by his ear continued.
"Find a Seal-Condensing Method? No rush. I have it in hand."
Lin Dong took a sip of tea. As for why he hadn't acquired a Seal-Condensing Method sooner and formally become a One-Seal Talisman Master, he was waiting for the rubbing of the Devouring Ancestral Talisman. By his reckoning, it should appear soon.
"You're not in a rush, kid, but I am. The stronger you become, the more of my strength I can recover. My strength has recovered too slowly these past six years. In all that time, I've devoured only one crippled Demon Spirit and a few low-grade Spirit Medicines."
The empty air rippled, and the shadowy outline of a black rat emerged on Lin Dong's shoulder.
"What can I do? Every Demon Beast that becomes a Demon Spirit is monstrously powerful. None of them are opponents I can handle in my current state. Even that crippled Demon Spirit you devoured last year took the two of us escaping death by a hair's breadth to obtain."
Seeing the Little Marten's form materialize, Lin Dong rolled his eyes hard.
"Ah, if this Lord Marten still had my former strength, I could wipe out a whole horde of Demon Beasts like that with one fart. Truly, a tiger stranded on the plains gets bullied by dogs..."
The Little Marten slumped on Lin Dong's right shoulder, his eyes glazed over as he muttered about his glorious battle achievements from years past.
.....
"Fourth Stage of Body Tempering—that should satisfy Father's demand that I keep a low profile, right? He wants me to hide my abilities for now and stun everyone at the Clan Assembly half a year from now."
Lin Dong walked out of an ancient Lin Family building and stretched with a long yawn.
Today was the Lin Family's Minor Test. Nearly every clan youth of the appropriate age had come to test their Cultivation and combat strength. Lin Dong had come at Lin Xiao's request to make an appearance.
"I've completed Father's task. All right, time to head home."
Lin Dong glanced around, in good spirits, and headed back along the path.
"Lin Dong, stop right there!"
An arrogant shout rang out behind him, forcing Lin Dong to pull back his right foot and turn around.
Lin Dong looked at the fourteen- or fifteen-year-old youth surrounded by several others. His expression turned strange as he thought, This Lin Shan must be an idiot, right?
In the original storyline, Lin Shan, who was at the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering, dared to bully Lin Dong only when Lin Dong was at the Second Stage of Body Tempering. But Lin Dong had displayed the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering this time. Where had Lin Shan found the nerve to provoke him?
Was he not even the slightest bit afraid that he'd get beaten into a pig's head?
Lin Shan was the second son of Lin Mang, Lin Dong's Second Uncle. His older brother, Lin Hong, was at the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering. Along with Lin Xia, the daughter of Lin Dong's eldest uncle, he was one of the leading figures among the Lin Family's younger generation.
Before Lin Dong's father, Lin Xiao, suffered his grievous injury, Lin Shan's father, Lin Mang, had always acted fawningly deferential toward his third younger brother. Who could have guessed that Lin Xiao's crippling would make him show an entirely different face?
He not only mocked and jeered at Lin Xiao in the clan but also egged his son, Lin Shan, on to provoke Lin Dong. He was a disgusting old dog of a man.
"Hm? And you are?"
Lin Dong glanced at Lin Shan and spoke with an air of indifference.