“Heey aaaaa!”
In a clearing in the forest, a figure moved like a fierce tiger. As his palms moved, dark blue Yuan Power floated and diffused, emitting a chilling aura that caused a thin layer of white frost to appear on all the dry leaves on the ground.
“Thump, thump, thump!”
The figure quickly strode forward, delivering a powerful punch to the large tree in front of him. The immense force directly shook the tree, tearing it from its muddy roots, sending it flying backward. Mud splattered everywhere, and finally, it crashed to the ground with a thud.
“Brother Lin Dong is so amazing!”
Not far from the clearing, a young girl in bright clothes saw the fallen tree and immediately cheered with joy.
Lin Dong smiled, retracting his fist and standing up. A month and a half had passed since the hunting competition. During this period, through his diligent cultivation and with the aid of the elixirs from the Stone Talisman, his strength had successfully advanced from the early Earth Yuan Stage to the middle Earth Yuan Stage. The Yuan Power in his dantian had also become more robust and sharper due to absorbing the Yin Sha Qi from Qing Tan's body.
According to Lin Dong's estimation, even though he was currently only at the middle Earth Yuan Stage, because he had fused with some of this Yin Sha Qi, he might even be able to contend with a master at the late Earth Yuan Stage.
Furthermore, besides this, the "Azure Origin Art" he was cultivating had, in the past half-month, allowed him to unblock five meridians. The efficiency of absorbing Yuan Power was truly several times greater than before.
In short, the cultivation progress over the past half-month was quite satisfactory.
“Whoosh!”
He picked up a cotton towel from the side and wiped some sweat from his face, then whistled towards the depths of the forest. Immediately after, a tiger's roar echoed from within the forest. After a few minutes, a fiery red figure dashed out, appearing before Lin Dong.
That figure was naturally Xiao Yan. In just half a month, its body had doubled in size. When sitting upright, it was already as tall as Lin Dong's waist, and its ferocious fangs had also grown out. Xiao Yan was now gradually revealing a hint of the appearance of a Fire Python Tiger.
On Xiao Yan's tiger mouth, there were still some traces of blood and fur, belonging to some unknown fierce beast. After all, it was a demonic beast, with a certain ferocity in its bones, and eating meat was driven by its instincts. Therefore, during this period, it had ventured alone into the depths of the forest to hunt fierce beasts for a meal.
With Xiao Yan's current abilities, it could even contend with a person or a fierce beast around the Body Tempering Eighth Layer. This kind of growth, besides its inherent nature as a demonic beast, was naturally inseparable from Lin Dong's extremely lavish nurturing.
“Xiao Yan, you're really not very well-behaved, always getting so dirty like this!” Qing Tan saw Xiao Yan run over and scolded it softly, then used a piece of coarse cloth to wipe the blood from Xiao Yan's mouth.
Lin Dong, standing by, also smiled and stroked Xiao Yan's head. Looking at its now massive body, he seemed to be pondering something. By all accounts, Xiao Yan's growth was indeed a bit too rapid; even with the assistance of the Stone Talisman Spiritual Liquid, it shouldn't have been this fast.
“No wonder the Stone Talisman had a special reaction to Xiao Yan. It seems this might be the reason why Xiao Yan is somewhat different from other Fire Python Tigers…”
"Oh right, Brother Lin Dong, Father is back and looking for you..." As Lin Dong was deep in thought, Qing Tan, who was beside him, suddenly spoke.
"Oh? Father is back?"
Hearing this, Lin Dong was also slightly pleased. He then nodded, let out a whistle, and quickly rushed out with Xiao Yan.
***
In the room, Lin Dong hadn't seen Lin Xiao for half a month. When Lin Xiao saw him, a smile appeared on his originally somewhat tired face. He beckoned Lin Dong to sit beside him, his gaze first sweeping over him from top to bottom, then he said with a smile:
"How many meridians have you opened with the Qingyuan Gong?"
"Three meridians, Father."
Lin Dong scratched his head. It seemed Lin Xiao had learned from previous experiences, as he immediately asked about his progress the moment he saw him. However, Lin Dong naturally couldn't say that he had already directly opened five meridians; explaining that would be a huge headache.
Hearing this, Lin Xiao let out a bitter laugh, then sighed and said, "I'm really just setting myself up for a shock..."
He recalled that year, it had taken him a full three months to open four meridians, yet Lin Dong had opened three in just half a month. The disparity was truly incomparable.
"Hehe." Lin Dong chuckled, patting Xiao Yan's head beside him. Xiao Yan obediently lay down. He looked at Lin Xiao and asked, "What have you been busy with lately, Father? A few times I went to the manor, I noticed Grandfather and the others didn't look too well."
Hearing Lin Dong mention this, the smile on Lin Xiao's face faded a little. He sighed, then said, "It's all because of those shameless bastards from the Lei Family."
"Is it about the Ironwood Manor?" Lin Dong's eyes flashed as he tentatively asked.
"Mm." Lin Xiao nodded, his expression faintly pale and grim. He said, "Those bastards originally said they would complete the transfer within half a month, but now half a month has passed and they haven't made any move. We sent people to urge them, but they avoided meeting us."
"The bet that day was accepted in front of countless people. Surely the Lei Family wouldn't dare to go back on their word, right?"
Lin Dong said with a frown, "If they really went back on their word, the Lei Family's reputation could be ruined. That would truly not be a small matter for them."
"They haven't explicitly gone back on their word, they're just delaying it unreasonably," Lin Xiao said through gritted teeth. The Ironwood Manor produced a lot of Ironwood and was an important asset of the Lei Family. If the Lin Family could acquire it, they would undoubtedly gain substantial profits. But now, this lucrative prize was almost within their grasp, only to be delayed by the Lei Family like this. Anyone would feel utterly uncomfortable about it.
"So what do Grandfather and the others plan to do?" Lin Dong asked.
"Your Grandfather said he wants me to lead people to the Ironwood Manor tomorrow," Lin Xiao said. "If they refuse to transfer it peacefully, then we can only take forceful action. After all, in this matter, we have justice on our side."
Hearing this, a slight shiver ran through Lin Dong. It seemed Grandfather and the others no longer intended to continue enduring. This action, regardless of success or failure, would mean a complete falling out with the Lei Family. This move was quite important for the Lin Family.
"Father, I'll go too tomorrow," Lin Dong said suddenly after pondering for a moment.
"You're just a child, what business do you have with these matters..." Lin Xiao was taken aback, but before he could finish speaking, he suddenly remembered that Lin Dong's current strength had already reached the Earth Yuan Stage. This level of power, even within the Lin family, could be considered a core force. At this point, the words he was about to say were swallowed back, and he hesitated slightly.
"Father, don't worry, I'll take good care of myself. Besides, I'll have to go through these things eventually. I'm also a member of the Lin family; you can't just casually underestimate an Earth Yuan Stage expert, can you?" Lin Dong said with a smile.
Lin Xiao couldn't help but chuckle. He looked at Lin Dong and pondered for a moment, then finally nodded with a smile and said, "Alright, you can come along tomorrow, but don't act recklessly. Just focus on protecting yourself."
"Understood! I'll go prepare a bit; we'll set off tomorrow!"
Seeing Lin Xiao nod, Lin Dong was immediately overjoyed. He quickly stood up and hurried out of the room. Behind him, Xiao Yan also got up and quickly followed.
Looking at the retreating figures of one person and one tiger, Lin Xiao also smiled faintly. He then withdrew his gaze, and his smile turned cold: "The Lei family, after suppressing my Lin family for so many years, it's time for them to pay their debts!"