The morning after visiting the Shadow Exchange, Lin Kai woke up early.
The small courtyard was quiet.
He could still see some dried blood stains on the ground from the fight with the Li Clan, but he didn’t care.
Power was more important than cleanliness right now.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the training ground and began cultivating.
The Void Core spun faster inside his chest, pulling in the surrounding energy greedily.
Black mist slowly rose around his body.
[Current Stage: Mid Stage 5] [Progress to Late Stage 5: 47%] [Void Energy: 1120 units]
After two hours, Lin Kai opened his eyes.
He felt stronger, but he knew it wasn’t enough.
The Lin Clan had many powerful experts.
He needed better techniques and more real combat experience.
A knock came at the door.
Su Mei entered with a worried face.
“Lin Kai, the Li Clan has increased the reward to 2000 gold coins. They are checking every house in the outer district. You should move to a safer place.”
Lin Kai nodded.
“I will. But first, I need to get stronger. Do you know any good training grounds near the city?”
Su Mei thought for a moment.
“There is the Thunder Mountain Range about fifty kilometers away. Many disciples go there to hunt beasts and train. But it’s dangerous — Level 5 and Level 6 demonic beasts appear often.”
“Perfect,” Lin Kai said.
“We will go there today.”
Xiao Ling came running in.
“Big Brother Kai, can I come too? I want to become strong like you!”
Lin Kai shook his head gently.
“Not yet. You are still too young. Stay in the city with your mother. I will bring you something good when I return.”
Xiao Ling pouted but nodded obediently.
Before leaving, Lin Kai went to the market again and bought some basic supplies — dried meat, water, and healing herbs.
While he was buying, he met Wang Bo again, the muscular lone hunter from the Golden Pill Pavilion.
Wang Bo grinned when he saw him.
“Brother Lin Kai! Going out to hunt? Want a partner? I know the Thunder Mountain Range well.”
Lin Kai thought for a second.
Having someone who knew the area would be helpful.
“Alright. But I fight my own way. Don’t interfere if you see something strange.”
Wang Bo laughed loudly.
“No problem! I like straightforward people.”
The three of them — Lin Kai, Su Mei, and Wang Bo — left Azure Cloud City through the north gate.
They traveled for half a day before reaching the foot of Thunder Mountain Range.
Tall mountains covered in dark clouds rose in front of them.
Thunder sounds could be heard from time to time.
Many small groups of cultivators were entering the mountains.
As soon as they entered the forest area, a pack of Level 4 Wind Wolves attacked them.
Wang Bo pulled out his big sword.
“My turn!”
He charged forward and slashed powerfully.
Su Mei used her agile dagger techniques to kill one more.
Lin Kai stood back and watched for a moment before acting.
When one wolf tried to attack him from the side, he simply pointed his finger.
A black tentacle shot out and devoured the wolf’s core in seconds.
Wang Bo whistled.
“Your technique is really scary, brother. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
They continued deeper into the mountains.
Along the way, they fought several groups of beasts.
Lin Kai devoured more than twenty cores, pushing his cultivation closer to Late Stage 5.
In the evening, they found a small cave to rest.
While sitting around a small fire, Wang Bo shared his story.
“I used to be part of a small clan, but it was destroyed by the Li Clan three years ago. That’s why I became a lone hunter. I want revenge one day, but I’m still too weak.”
Lin Kai looked at him.
“If you want, you can follow me. I will destroy the Li Clan soon. And the Lin Clan after that.”
Wang Bo’s eyes widened.
“You are serious? Then count me in! From today, I, Wang Bo, will follow you!”
Su Mei smiled.
Another strong ally had joined their small group.
Suddenly, they heard loud fighting sounds from deeper in the mountains.
The three of them moved carefully toward the noise.
They saw a group of six Cloud Mountain Sect disciples fighting a powerful Level 6 Thunder Leopard.
The leopard was extremely fast and its claws were covered with lightning.
One of the disciples was badly injured.
Lin Kai recognized him — it was one of the people who had been with Chen Wei in the Dark Forest earlier.
The leader of the group, a pretty girl around 17 years old with long blue hair named Liu Qing, shouted, “Hold on! The sect elders will come soon!”
But the Thunder Leopard was too strong.
It was about to kill the injured disciple.
Lin Kai didn’t hesitate.
He activated Shadow Step and appeared in front of the leopard.
Dark Flame Palm struck its head with full power.
The leopard roared in pain.
Black flames burned its body.
Lin Kai quickly used Devour and pulled its powerful core into his body.
[Devoured Level 6 Thunder Leopard Core] [Major progress!] [Current Stage: Late Stage 5] [New ability unlocked: Lightning Flash Step (Basic) – Move with lightning speed for short distances]
The Cloud Mountain Sect disciples stared in shock.
Liu Qing stepped forward and bowed slightly.
“Thank you for saving us. My name is Liu Qing, inner disciple of Cloud Mountain Sect. May I know your name, benefactor?”
“Lin Kai,” he answered simply.
One of the male disciples recognized him.
“Wait… aren’t you the one who killed Chen Wei in the Dark Forest?”
The atmosphere became tense.
But Liu Qing raised her hand.
“Chen Wei was a bully. He deserved it. Lin Kai, if you ever need help inside the sect, find me. I will repay this favor.”
Before leaving, Liu Qing gave Lin Kai a small jade slip. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“This contains a map of good training spots in Thunder Mountain. Also, the sect entrance test is in eight days. You should join.”
After the group left, Wang Bo laughed.
“Brother, you are attracting attention everywhere. Beautiful girls keep noticing you!”
Su Mei glared at Wang Bo, making him shut up quickly.
That night, while cultivating alone, Lin Kai felt someone watching him.
He opened his eyes and used his new Void Eye ability.
In the darkness, he saw an old man hiding behind the trees.
It was Old Ghost Mo — the beggar from before.
Old Ghost Mo walked out with a smile.
“Not bad, boy. You are growing faster than I expected. But devouring without control will eventually damage your soul.”
Lin Kai stood up.
“Then teach me how to control it properly.”
Old Ghost Mo laughed.
“Greedy, aren’t you? Fine. I will teach you the ‘Void Harmony Technique’. It will help you balance the devouring power so it doesn’t consume you.”
For the next few hours, Old Ghost Mo taught Lin Kai seriously.
The technique was difficult, but with the help of the Void Core, Lin Kai managed to learn the basics.
Before disappearing again, Old Ghost Mo said, “Remember, the Void can devour everything… but it can also give birth to new things. Find your own path.”
The next morning, the group continued training.
Lin Kai fought many strong beasts and reached Peak Stage 5 by the end of the day.
He also collected many valuable materials and beast cores.
On the way back to the city, they met another new person.
A young swordsman around 20 years old was sitting under a tree, meditating.
He had a calm and sharp aura.
His sword was placed neatly beside him.
When he sensed them, he opened his eyes.
“You three have strong killing intent. Are you heading back to Azure Cloud City?”
Wang Bo nodded.
“Yes. You?”
The swordsman stood up.
“My name is Ye Chen. I came here to break through. I just reached Stage 7. If you don’t mind, I can travel with you. The roads are dangerous these days because of the Li Clan’s search.”
Lin Kai felt that Ye Chen was trustworthy.
“Join us.”
With Ye Chen joining, their small group became even stronger.
When they finally returned to the city, news had already spread.
“The mysterious black flame boy killed more Li Clan people and saved Cloud Mountain Sect disciples!”
Many people started talking about Lin Kai.
Some feared him, some admired him, and some wanted to use him.
In the Lin Clan mansion, Lin Feng smashed a table in anger after hearing the report.
“Trash Lin Kai… you really survived and grew this strong? Good. Very good. During the wedding in twenty days, I will personally kill you in front of everyone and show the city who the real genius is!”
Back in his new rented courtyard (a bigger and safer one in the western district), Lin Kai sat down with Su Mei, Wang Bo, Xiao Ling, and the newly joined Ye Chen.
He looked at all of them seriously.
“From now on, we are a team. I will grow stronger, and I will help all of you grow too. Our first target is the Li Clan. Then… the Lin Clan.”
Everyone nodded with determination.
The rise of the Void King was slowly gathering its first followers.
End of Chapter 8