Entering the Ninth Layer, it was ultimately not beyond Lin Dong's expectations. Having cultivated for over two months, and having accumulated a great deal of spiritual elixirs and pills, the seed of Yuan Power in his body had long since reached a level sufficient to break through the dantian's barrier.
The reason he had accumulated so much was because Lin Dong's ambition was a little grander. He had decided that at the moment of breaking through to the Ninth Layer, he would attempt to push deeper into the Earth Yuan Stage!
This idea, to be honest, was somewhat crazy. Although the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering and the Earth Yuan Stage were only one step apart, the difference between them was enormous. It was no exaggeration to say that an Earth Yuan Stage master could easily deal with three or four Ninth Layer Body Tempering practitioners. That was the disparity between them.
Many people, upon reaching the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, would wait until the Yuan Power in their dantian had developed to a certain extent before daring to push into the Earth Yuan Stage. An idea like Lin Dong's was extremely rare.
Of course, while this action could be called crazy, for Lin Dong, it wasn't entirely impossible. His Yuan Power seed was inherently much stronger than that of ordinary people. Moreover, during this period, he had absorbed many spiritual elixirs and pills, and still had quite a few reserves on hand. He truly had some capital to work with.
"Hoo..."
A mouthful of turbid air was exhaled from Lin Dong's throat, like an arrow of qi. Lin Dong's half-closed eyes slowly opened. A warm sensation emanated from his abdomen, filling his entire body with power.
"After the dantian is opened, it's truly different from before..."
Feeling the changes within his body, Lin Dong's spirit was somewhat excited. The opening of the dantian, for the path of cultivation, was indeed of unimaginable importance. This was the most crucial foundation during cultivation!
"If I can enter the Earth Yuan Stage later, I'll be able to cultivate secret manuals, and then the power of my Yuan Power will also increase..."
Secret manuals – two simple words, yet enough to cause countless disputes in many places. Secret manuals were different from martial arts. Martial arts – their greatest ability was to unleash the power of Yuan Power. But secret manuals could strengthen Yuan Power from its most fundamental level!
According to some vague information Lin Dong had learned, cultivation secret manuals also had grade divisions. However, they weren't as complex as martial arts, having only three grades.
From lowest to highest were Third-grade secret manuals, Second-grade secret manuals, and First-grade secret manuals – simple, common, yet practical.
In the Lin family, there was also a cultivation secret manual. However, it was only a Third-grade one. But even so, the original copy of this manual was always personally guarded by Lin Zhengtian. Within the family, only masters who had stepped into the Earth Yuan Stage were allowed to know of its existence and cultivate it.
As for that cultivation secret manual, Lin Dong had only heard Lin Xiao briefly mention it by chance. Although he hadn't heard it very clearly, he understood how important that item was.
On the bed, Lin Dong shook his head, clearing away the distracting thoughts in his mind. It was still too early to think about this now. Once he truly entered the Earth Yuan Stage, Lin Zhengtian would give him that secret manual to cultivate, even without him asking.
Lin Dong reached under his pillow, then took out two bottles. One small bottle contained about ten brightly colored pills, while the other was filled with dense cold energy, and inside it, a snow-white Yin Pearl radiated bone-chilling cold.
First, Lin Dong took out two pills and put them into his mouth. It took him nearly half an hour to absorb their potent medicinal power. After absorption, the Yuan Power in his Dantian seemed to surge slightly.
Feeling the Yuan Power surging in his Dantian, Lin Dong then took out a Yin Pearl from the other bottle. Even though the bone-chilling cold emanating from it was enveloped by the Yuan Power in Lin Dong's palm, he could still feel a sharp pain radiating from it.
The so-called Earth Yuan Stage, in essence, involves fusing the Yuan Power within one's body with Yin Sha Qi to make the Yuan Power stronger. The most crucial aspect during this stage is to absorb Yin Sha Qi from the heavens and earth.
Of course, Lin Dong wouldn't bother with ordinary Yin Sha Qi from the heavens and earth. These Yin Pearls, having absorbed cold energy from Qing Tan's body, had already reached Fifth-grade quality. If he could successfully fuse with them... naturally, the resulting power would be significantly more formidable.
Clasping the Yin Pearl, Lin Dong took a deep breath, then, without hesitation, directly put it into his mouth.
As the Yin Pearl entered his body, Lin Dong's body stiffened almost instantly. Icy cold energy spread wildly, and a thin layer of frost appeared on his skin.
Bone-chilling cold radiated from within his body. Fortunately, after a period of cultivation, Lin Dong's physique had become relatively robust, allowing him to resist the corrosive effects of the frigid Yin energy.
"Clack, clack..."
Lin Dong's face was pale, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. He could feel the Yin Pearl, upon entering his body, rapidly rushing deep into his Dantian. As the Yin Pearl entered, his Dantian, which had been calm, instantly became a tumultuous storm.
Feeling the situation as his Yuan Power came into contact with the Yin Sha Qi, like a volcanic eruption, Lin Dong's expression changed slightly. Only now did he realize that he had indeed bitten off more than he could chew this time. Faced with the corrosive power of the Yin Sha Qi, the Yuan Power currently in his Dantian was utterly incapable of resisting it!
"Pfft!"
The commotion within his Dantian grew louder and louder. Approximately ten minutes later, Lin Dong's face finally flushed crimson, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood, which contained several fragments of ice.
Evidently, Lin Dong's attempt this time ultimately ended in failure.
"What a pity..."
Lin Dong wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth, his pale complexion gradually returning to normal. First, he regretfully shook his head, but upon reflection, although this assault on the Earth Yuan Stage had failed, he had gained considerable experience. Moreover, it wasn't entirely without gain; at the very least, a tiny wisp of Yin Sha Qi had now fused with a mass of Yuan Power within his Dantian. Though extremely small, this was a form of progress.
After putting away the bottles, Lin Dong dripped two drops of Stone Talisman Elixir into his mouth, only then leaving the room. Although the last Yin Pearl had only managed to fuse with a mere wisp of Yin Sha Qi, for Lin Dong, who possessed many Yin Pearls, this wasn't a huge problem. With this experience, he was confident that the success rate would increase slightly next time…
Entering the Earth Yuan Stage was merely a matter of time.
***
Time flowed like water, fleetingly. Autumn passed, Winter arrived, and snowflakes danced in the wind, blanketing the land in white, a beautiful sight.
As Qingyang Town was covered in white snow, the town's atmosphere gradually reached its peak, because the hunting event was less than ten days away.
***
In the forest, in a wide clearing thickly covered in white snow, two figures moved swiftly. Fists and palms met, powerful qi gusts scattering the snowflakes within a radius of over a zhang.
Of the two figures, one was steady, the other agile and graceful like a bee or a butterfly, delicate hands swinging palms, artful and nimble, truly possessing a touch of elegance.
“Bang!”
As their palms met, one figure’s shoulder trembled, immediately dispersing the force, revealing a young girl who stumbled back several steps.
“I’m not playing anymore, I can’t beat you anyway,” the young girl’s small mouth pouted as she looked at the young man in front of her and said petulantly.
Lin Dong smiled faintly at the pouting girl, inwardly astonished by her progress. In just over a month, Qing Tan, with his help and relying on her unique physique, was already on the verge of breaking through to the eighth layer of Body Tempering.
Moreover, during this time, Lin Dong had taught Qing Tan several martial arts techniques, which she had cultivated to a somewhat proficient level. Qing Tan was no longer as powerless as before. According to Lin Dong’s estimation, among the younger generation of the Lin family, only Lin Hong and Lin He could possibly surpass Qing Tan.
“Brother Lin Dong, the hunting competition is in just a few days, you should work harder!” Qing Tan approached Lin Dong, stretched out her small arm, brushed the snowflakes off his shoulder, and said with a casual smile.
Looking at the graceful and charming girl in front of him, Lin Dong nodded with a smile. He extended his hand and affectionately patted Qing Tan’s small head. However, the moment his hand touched her head, Lin Dong’s body suddenly stiffened, and a look of horror appeared in his eyes.
Under Lin Dong’s horrified gaze, the mysterious Stone Talisman hidden in his right palm, at this moment, suddenly erupted with a dazzling ray of light. The instant this light appeared, Qing Tan’s eyes darkened, and she directly fainted.
While Qing Tan was unconscious, Lin Dong’s palm once again erupted with a powerful suction force. Under this suction, the terrifying Yin Sha Qi within Qing Tan’s body surged out like a fierce tide, finally, following his palm, wildly pouring into Lin Dong’s body.
Under the erosion of the terrifying cold energy, the surface of Lin Dong’s body was almost instantly, within a mere dozen seconds, covered in a thin layer of ice.
And his figure at this moment had eerily transformed into an ice man.