"Qing Tan, is that cold Qi acting up again?"
Feeling the waves of Yin-Cold Qi seeping out from Qing Tan's body, Lin Dong couldn't help but shiver. A look of worry immediately appeared on his face as he asked.
"Yes," Qing Tan gritted her teeth, her petite body trembling uncontrollably as a look of pain began to surface on her delicate little face.
"I'll go call Father right away!" Lin Dong said hurriedly.
"No, don't," hearing this, Qing Tan quickly grabbed the hem of Lin Dong's shirt and tugged at it. The cold Qi rapidly formed a thin layer of frost on his clothes. "It's useless anyway. Father is rarely in such a good mood; there's no need to disturb him. I can get through this if I just endure it a bit."
Seeing Qing Tan's pale little face, a pang of heartache shot through Lin Dong's chest. Gritting his teeth, he finally nodded. What Qing Tan said was true. Even if their father came, it wouldn't help at all. It would likely only cause him to worry even more about them.
This kind of cold flare-up was something Qing Tan had frequently experienced since childhood. Every once in a while, an extremely dense Yin-Cold Qi would erupt within her body. When the Yin-Cold Qi spread, her body would be racked with excruciating pain. Over the past dozen years, she had suffered countless times because of this Yin-Cold Qi. Yet, even Lin Xiao was completely helpless against it. He had once attempted to use his powerful Yuan Power to force it out, but the end result was that he ended up bedridden for half a month before he could finally purge the bizarre Yin-Cold Qi from his own body.
Therefore, whenever the cold Qi in Qing Tan's body flared up, the three of them could only watch with aching hearts as she curled into a ball and shivered uncontrollably, unable to help her in the slightest.
"Let me carry you back to your room first." Seeing Qing Tan frozen stiff by the cold Qi and unable to move, Lin Dong suddenly turned, scooped her up into his arms, and dashed frantically toward the room not far away.
"Sss!"
Rushing into the room, Lin Dong quickly placed Qing Tan on the bed, then hurriedly rubbed his arms. At this moment, both of his palms had gone completely numb, feeling as though they were being pricked by countless needles.
"Brother Lin Dong, you... you should go back first. I can endure it," Qing Tan said weakly, her entire petite body curled up beneath the blanket. However, as she spoke, her body trembled even more violently. The cold Qi had fully erupted now, seemingly growing even more intense.
"So cold... It's so cold..."
Qing Tan poked her small head out from under the blanket. Her little face was deathly pale, and every strand of her hair was covered in tiny shards of frost.
Seeing this, Lin Dong was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth beside the bed. A moment later, he abruptly stopped. Finally, gritting his teeth hard, he kicked off his shoes, jumped onto the bed, and wrapped his arms tightly around Qing Tan and her blanket.
Cultivators possessed abundant blood and vital energy, and Lin Dong wanted to use his own body heat to alleviate some of Qing Tan's suffering. Although he understood that the effect would likely be minimal, he couldn't bear to leave Qing Tan to endure the torture of the cold Qi all by herself.
"Brother Lin Dong, don't... don't!"
Qingtan's mind was somewhat hazy from being frozen by the cold Qi, but she could still feel Lin Dong's actions. Instantly snapping back to alertness slightly, she spoke in a hurry. She knew better than anyone how formidable this Yin Cold Qi was; even Lin Xiao, with his Earth Yuan stage strength, had been left in such a wretched state by it, let alone Lin Dong, who was only at the fourth layer of Body Tempering.
"Be good! It's fine..." Lin Dong gritted his teeth and held Qingtan tightly. Even with the blanket separating them, he still felt as if he were hugging a block of ten-thousand-year-old profound ice. That bone-chilling cold Qi felt like sharp needles, ruthlessly stabbing into his body.
Not long after hugging Qingtan, Lin Dong's body also began to tremble violently. White frost appeared on his eyelashes, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably. Yet, despite the discomfort, he held Qingtan's arms tighter and tighter.
Qingtan buried her small head into Lin Dong's chest. Seeing his eyes trembling constantly, she couldn't help but bite her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. Deep within her heart, a gentle warmth welled up. She knew her own background, yet Lin Dong had always treated her like his own flesh and blood.
"Thank you, Brother Lin Dong," she murmured softly as her consciousness grew increasingly hazy and her eyes slowly closed.
The frost on Lin Dong's body grew thicker and heavier, and his consciousness gradually began to fade. But just as he was about to lose consciousness, a strange suction force suddenly erupted from his chest. He abruptly realized that the Yin Cold Qi, which had been rampaging wildly inside his body, was actually being completely absorbed by this suction force.
The bone-chilling cold Qi quickly left his body, and Lin Dong's hazy mind instantly cleared up once more. He stared blankly at the frost on his arms, which was gradually melting away. Hurriedly pulling open his clothes, he saw the Stone Talisman on his chest emitting a faint glow, from which a vague sensation of coldness was radiating.
"How can this Stone Talisman absorb the Yin Cold Qi?" Lin Dong widened his eyes, a mixture of shock and joy rising on his face. He never expected that this cold Qi, which even his father was helpless against, could actually be absorbed by the Stone Talisman!
While Lin Dong was still in shock, Qingtan, who had been unconscious in his arms, suddenly let out a soft groan. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. Instantly noticing the state of her own body, she cried out in surprise, "Has the cold Qi receded?"
"It seems so," Lin Dong scratched his head, then let go of Qingtan and smiled. "It's good that it's gone. You should get some rest early."
"Mm! Thank you, Brother Lin Dong." Looking at Lin Dong's smiling face, Qingtan's pretty face flushed slightly as she spoke in a low voice.
"We're family, why say such things?" Lin Dong patted his chest and laughed with a touch of manly pride. Seeing that it was getting late, he didn't linger any longer. He waved to Qingtan, turned around, and walked out of the room.
Watching Lin Dong's retreating figure, Qingtan lay sprawled on the bed like a little beauty. In her exhaustion, she exuded a faint, charming allure. Her small hand propped up her cheek, and her jade-like feet gently swayed behind her, a sweet smile gracing the corners of her lips.
After leaving Qingtan's room, Lin Dong quickly slipped into his own. He shut the door first before removing the Stone Talisman from his chest. Under the lamplight, he saw that in the small crevice at the center of the Stone Talisman, three bean-sized, ivory-white crystal beads had actually appeared.
Lin Dong carefully removed the three bean-sized, ivory-white crystal beads. Holding them in his hand, he felt a bone-chilling cold spread across his palm. This chill was almost identical to the Yin Cold Qi in Qingtan's body, except that the cold energy within these crystals seemed much gentler.
“So this is the Yin Cold Qi absorbed from Qingtan's body, condensed into this form...”
Lin Dong held the three crystal-white beads, a thoughtful expression on his face. This kind of Yin Cold Qi was incredibly violent inside Qingtan's body; if it reached a certain level, it might even consume a person completely.
Although he was still a long way from the Earth Yuan Stage, Lin Dong knew that after stepping into the Earth Yuan Stage, the most important task was to absorb the Yin Sha Qi from heaven and earth into the body, merging it with the Yuan Power within. This would greatly enhance the offensive power of the Yuan Power. If one reached the Heaven Yuan Stage, they would have to absorb the Yang Gang Qi of heaven and earth, ultimately achieving Yin-Yang Harmony within the body to condense a Yuan Dan.
Therefore, this cultivation process was also known as Stealing Yin and Yang.
Because of this, for the Earth Yuan and Heaven Yuan Stages, Yin Sha Qi and Yang Gang Qi were of paramount importance. Furthermore, the Yin Sha and Yang Gang Qi in heaven and earth were divided into various grades, each with different qualities. However, most cultivators directly absorbed the Yin and Yang Qi from heaven and earth. Although this method was direct and straightforward, its power was naturally weaker. After all, special types of Yin and Yang Qi were not easily encountered.
Of course, there was no lack of people with abundant resources who absorbed specific, special types of Yin and Yang Qi. Consequently, among experts of the same level, they were obviously stronger.
Furthermore, the higher the quality of the Yin and Yang Qi absorbed during the Earth Yuan and Heaven Yuan Stages, the stronger the condensed Yuan Dan would be!
Therefore, those with some resources would try every means to search for all kinds of rare Yin and Yang Qi in heaven and earth, using them to increase their chances of condensing a Yuan Dan. The better the quality, the higher the chances.
And quite obviously, although Lin Dong had not yet personally experienced the so-called Yin Sha Qi, he was certain that the quality of these white Yin Beads in his hand was definitely much higher than the natural Yin Sha Qi in heaven and earth!
Perhaps this Yin Sha Qi had even reached the Third Grade, or perhaps even higher.
And this, for an Earth Yuan Stage expert, held a truly fatal attraction!