"Ugh, Brother Lin Dong, I'm not a kid anymore. I know how to judge things properly. An injury like this will leave those few unable to get out of bed for seven days at most."
Qing Tan irritably pushed Lin Dong's hand away. She hated being treated like a child; she was already a sensible adult.
"What about your Cultivation? What stage of Body Tempering did you display?"
Lin Dong smiled unconcernedly.
"Fourth Stage of Body Tempering. Strength at the same rank was already enough to crush them."
Qing Tan swept a glance over the several people lying on the ground, disdain plain on her face.
"Lin Dong, Qing Tan, the two of you dared to team up and hurt my younger brother. What nerve."
As the siblings Lin Dong and Qing Tan spoke quietly, another figure squeezed into the scene and hoisted Lin Shan easily to his feet.
The newcomer was a youth of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in white, with handsome features.
"Brother, you're finally here. They bullied me, so you have to teach them a good lesson." Lin Shan was overjoyed to see him, grabbing the white-robed youth's arm and launching into his grievances.
"Hmph, I'll deal with you when we get back. Stand behind me."
Lin Shan's pathetic display irritated the newcomer, but blood was still blood. As his brother, the white-robed youth maintained Lin Shan's dignity in front of outsiders with considerable grace.
"Lin Hong, so it's him. Beat the young one and out comes the old one—though this old one isn't much to speak of either."
Lin Dong glanced at the newcomer and smiled at once. He hadn't expected it to be another familiar face.
"Lin Dong, kneel and apologize to my brother right now. I can pretend none of this ever happened."
After scolding Lin Shan for a while, Lin Hong turned his head toward Lin Dong with a cold smile.
"Lin Hong, I heard you once wanted to arrange a betrothal with Qing Tan. Who gave you the nerve to bring that up? I'd advise you to have some self-awareness—the farther you scram, the better."
Lin Dong didn't even bother responding to what Lin Hong said, looking him over for a moment before scolding him, which made Qing Tan giggle with delight.
"Lin Dong, watch your mouth! You still have time to apologize to me and Lin Shan!"
Humiliated in front of a beauty, Lin Hong's face flushed green, then red. Furious and ashamed, he raised his fist and issued a threat as a faint glow appeared over it.
"Ah, look, that's Yuan Power. Sixth Stage of Body Tempering—Lin Hong must have reached the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering."
"I heard Lin Hong was only at the Fifth Stage. I didn't expect that in three months he'd already advanced to the Sixth Stage."
"Yeah, what a fast cultivation speed. Lin Dong's in trouble now—I heard he only recently broke through to the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering. He's no match for Lin Hong."
The glow on Lin Hong's fist immediately drew loud exclamations from the watching Lin Clan disciples.
As everyone knew, the first realm of the martial path—the Body Tempering Stage—had nine levels. The first three tempered the body, the fourth began tempering the skin, the fifth tempered the bones, and the sixth was Marrow Tempering.
At the depths of the Sixth Stage, Marrow Tempering could refine the marrow into yuan and produce a Yuan Power Seed, permitting the initial use of Yuan Power. When the Yuan Power Seed broke free of the bones and flowed into the body's Meridians, it condensed within the body and marked the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering: refining yuan into the Meridians.
Do not underestimate the faint glimmer on Lin Hong's fist. It marked his entry into the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering, Marrow Tempering, and meant he could channel Yuan Power for attacks.
After all, when using the same martial art, the power with Yuan Power behind it versus without was simply incomparable—one could even say it was like heaven and earth apart.
The crowd's flattery made Lin Hong even smugger. He lifted his chin. "Lin Dong, kneel down and apologize to the two of us. I might consider letting you off."
"A Yuan Power Seed? Sixth Stage of Body Tempering? Wow, you're amazing~"
Lin Dong tried hard to put on a look of utter terror, but the harder he tried, the more ridiculous it looked.
"Hmph, you won't shed tears until you see the coffin!"
Lin Hong sneered. He stepped in front of Lin Dong, clenched his fist, and slammed it toward Lin Dong's chest as the light on it flared to its peak.
The light showed that Lin Hong had driven the Yuan Power Seed to its limit. He had grown furious and intended to use a Yuan Power attack to finish Lin Dong in one blow and establish his dominance.
"Your Falling Stone Fist is much stronger than your brother's, but it still isn't enough."
Lin Dong glanced at the charging Lin Hong, reached out, and swept his hand across Lin Hong's sleeve. A series of crisp smacks rang out.
"Smack, smack, smack..."
The sound was crisp and pleasant, ringing out a full seven times before it stopped.
Pain twisted Lin Hong's face. He forgot his attack, retreated, and rolled up his sleeve. Seven marks had appeared on his pale arm, which reddened across most of its surface within moments.
"Hah, that's the Penetrating-Back Fist—a full seven strikes of the Penetrating-Back Fist. I didn't expect Lin Dong to have already mastered the Penetrating-Back Fist to this degree."
"Now I get it. This kid Lin Dong's been playing the pig to eat the tiger—he must have been hiding his true strength all along."
The knowledgeable onlookers immediately recognized Lin Dong's Martial Art: the Lin Family's First-Rank Martial Art, the Penetrating-Back Fist, executed with seven strikes.
"The seven-strike Penetrating-Back Fist? Lin Dong, have you been hiding your true strength? To defeat me so cleanly when I've already reached the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering—could it be you've already broken through to the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering?"
Utterly shocked, Lin Hong jerked his head up and stared at Lin Dong, trying to force a definite answer from him.
"None of your business. I'm warning you—if you ever dare set your sights on my younger sister again, I'll break your dog legs on the spot."
Lin Dong stood with his arms crossed and spoke flatly.
"You..."
Blocked with nothing left to say, Lin Hong's face flushed red, and with his strength lacking, he found to his sorrow that there was nothing he could do.
"Everyone, stop! Lin Hong, you've reached the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering. Aren't you ashamed to bully Lin Dong, who's only at the Fourth Stage?"
A furious, delicate shout rang out as a slender young woman strode in.
The seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl wore red and had pretty features. Her brown ponytail fell to her slim waist, while her slightly raised brows gave her a heroic air that rivaled any man's.
"Brother Lin Dong, that's Cousin Lin Xia."
Qing Tan, who had been standing behind Lin Dong, whispered a reminder.
"Lin Hong, did you hear—uh, what exactly is going on here?"
Lin Xia had been about to continue scolding Lin Hong, but she stared blankly at him clutching his arm and grimacing. The scene differed from what she had imagined. Shouldn't Lin Hong have been bullying the weaker Lin Dong?
"Hmph, Lin Dong, we'll see about this. So what if you're at the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering? What's so great about that? I'll reach it soon enough. At the clan tournament in a few months, I'll challenge you openly."
Lin Xia's arrival and astonished expression were the greatest mockery Lin Hong could have suffered. He could only throw out one last harsh remark before hurriedly dragging Lin Shan away.
"Hey, Lin Hong, wait, explain yourself to me..."
Lin Xia waved at the two brothers, trying to call them back, but they retreated so quickly that they vanished in the blink of an eye.