"Three..."
On the clearing, Lin Dong stared at his fist in astonishment, an irrepressible joy surfacing on his young face. However, when he looked up, he saw that Lin Xiao's slow-moving figure had already left the forest.
"Hehe, I'll show Father again tomorrow and give him a nice surprise." Seeing this, Lin Dong grinned, but suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot up his arm. He hurriedly pulled up his sleeve, only to find his arm covered in blood-red welts. In some places, the skin had even split, and fresh blood was slowly seeping out.
"Hiss..."
When he was focused on his training earlier, he hadn't felt it. But now that he had stopped to rest, the sudden wave of pain made him grimace and wince. He knew this was caused by practicing the Penetrating Back Fist; the intense friction between his skin and clothes over a long period had resulted in these minor injuries.
"There's still some time. I'll head over to that place first."
Lin Dong looked up at the sky, then suddenly turned and ran deeper into the back mountain. After about ten minutes, a towering cliff appeared before him. He scanned his surroundings before carefully stepping down onto a protruding rock along the cliffside. These rocks were not easily visible, but they happened to form a hidden path.
Lin Dong was quite familiar with this path, so by remaining cautious, he made it down without any mishaps. Soon, a cave hidden beneath several large boulders appeared before him.
The cave was extremely well-hidden, concealed by several protruding boulders. Unless someone was searching for it on purpose, it was practically impossible to discover. Of course, under normal circumstances, no one would ever come here to do such a thing anyway.
Leaping into the cave, a wave of coolness instantly washed away the sweat covering Lin Dong's body. This place and the sweltering heat outside felt like two entirely different worlds, making it an excellent spot to escape the heat.
The cave was not very spacious, and aside from a stone pool about two to three feet wide, there was nothing else of note inside.
Approaching the stone pool, he saw that it was filled with crystal-clear water, so transparent that he could see all the way to the bottom. A faint, chilly mist drifted across the surface of the pool.
*Splash!*
Walking to the edge of the pool, Lin Dong quickly stripped off his clothes and jumped straight in. The drifting chill made his body shiver slightly, but he quickly adapted to it.
Lin Dong had stumbled upon this cave by chance when he was a child. The only ones who knew about it were him and Qingtan. The water here was much colder than in other places. During the height of summer, Lin Dong's favorite thing to do was to come here and bathe. However, aside from being cool and refreshing, the water didn't seem to have any other miraculous effects.
Of course, to say that was not entirely accurate. At the very least, every time after he bathed here—whether it was just an illusion or something else—Lin Dong felt his mind become incredibly focused. No matter what he did, he could quickly enter a state of deep concentration.
In the past, Lin Dong hadn't found this sensation to be of much use. But when he had just started practicing the Penetrating Back Fist, he discovered that it seemed to have an excellent effect on his training. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult for him to master the Penetrating Back Fist to the point of producing the echoes so quickly.
"Could it be an illusion?"
Lying in the stone pool, Lin Dong scooped up some water in his hand and watched it slowly trickle down. His young face wrinkled in thought. Was this stuff really that miraculous? He needed it to help him cultivate Yuan Power ahead of schedule, yet it flowed so slowly.
“Cultivating to the sixth layer of Body Tempering allows one to Refine Marrow into Yuan. Only with Yuan Power can one be considered a true Cultivator.” Lin Dong splashed the water, a thoughtful look on his face. However, among the younger generation of the Lin Family, those who could reach this level could be counted on one hand.
Yuan Power was the most crucial element of cultivation. It was said that powerful experts with profound strength could shatter mountains and crack the earth with a mere wave of their hands. Such immense power was truly beyond the imagination of a young kid like Lin Dong, who was still only at the initial third layer.
And the source of this power was Yuan Power, a mysterious energy that drifted between heaven and earth. However, to absorb the Yuan Power of heaven and earth, one first had to temper a seed of Yuan Power within their own body. Only then could they attract more Yuan Power into themselves.
Lin Dong leaned against the edge of the stone pool, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes. After a long while of random thoughts, he gradually drifted off to sleep. During this period of cultivation, he had pushed himself to the absolute limit. Today, having finally managed to relax a little, the exhaustion deeply embedded in his bones suddenly washed over him.
As Lin Dong slept soundly, the cave fell silent once more, and the water in the stone pool gently rippled.
Drip, drip...
In the quiet, the crystal-clear water of the stone pool suddenly stirred. A drop of red blood silently slid down Lin Dong's bruised and scarred arm, dripping into the pool.
As that single drop of fresh blood fell, the previously tranquil pool water instantly began to boil. Bubbles tinged with a faint crimson hue rose to the surface and burst around the sleeping Lin Dong. Wisps of pale red liquid splashed in all directions, and as if possessing a mind of their own, they wrapped around Lin Dong's body, quickly seeping into his pores.
The moment the pale red liquid entered Lin Dong's body, his skin and flesh seemed to contract violently under intense compression. Sweat poured out like a torrential tide, gathering together and dripping heavily into the stone pool.
The sweat leaving his body carried tiny black impurities. Not long ago, because Lin Dong had just broken through to the third layer of Body Tempering, his body had grown slightly. However, it was now being compressed back. It felt like an inflating balloon being suddenly squeezed, forcing out all the air inside.
The boiling of the stone pool did not last long. After about ten minutes, it gradually subsided. Just as the water returned to its peaceful state, the sleeping Lin Dong abruptly opened his eyes and cried out, “So hot!”
Splash!
With a loud shout, Lin Dong plunged his head underwater, staying submerged for a long while before finally resurfacing. Panting heavily, his face was filled with confusion. Before waking up, he had felt as if he were inside a furnace, the scorching heat forcing him to cry out in alarm.
“Why did it suddenly get so hot in here?” After staying in the stone pool for a bit longer and feeling the cool water soothe him once more, Lin Dong hurriedly climbed out. He stared at the pool, his mind filled with bewilderment.
Standing by the stone pool, Lin Dong pondered for a long time before silently shaking his head. He picked up his clothes to put them on, but his gaze suddenly froze on his arm.
"Huh?"
Lin Dong stared at his arm in astonishment. He remembered clearly that his arm should have been covered in bloodstains from practicing the Tongbei Fist, so why were they gone now?
He skeptically rubbed his arm, and his body suddenly stiffened. An expression of sheer disbelief quickly spread across his face as he realized that the skin on his arm had become much tougher!
This was a sign that he was about to break through to the fourth layer of the Tempered Body stage.
"This... how is this possible?!"
Making this discovery, even Lin Dong himself was left staring in wide-eyed shock.