In merely half a month of actual practice, Lin Xuan had advanced from Early Earth Yuan to Mid Earth Yuan Realm.
If others knew, they would call it monstrous. Normally, a single step forward at this stage took years, even decades. For him, it had been days.
Of course, it was no miracle....he had everything others did not: a supreme cultivation manual, peerless resources, and the system's assistance.
He glanced at the gourd. Already, a quarter of the Yin Fiend Qi had been consumed.
"At this rate, the remaining energy should be just enough to push me to the Sky Yuan Realm," he muttered with a wry smile.
This dog system really calculates things to perfection."
The New Year approached.
And with it, Qingyang Town's grandest event....its once-every-three-years Hunting Competition.
On the morning of the first day of the lunar year, the town buzzed with excitement.
Teams from every influential faction gathered, making their way toward the massive Beast Horn Grounds outside town.
The structure was colossal, spanning dozens of li of wilderness.
At its heart stood a mountain-turned-platform, the stage for the final championship battle.
Young cultivators from every clan gazed at it with longing.
That was the place of glory, the peak where names were carved into history.
The Lin family arrived in force, led by Lin Zhentian, Lin Ken, and Lin Xiao.
The juniors of the clan were aflame with spirit.
After the humiliations suffered during the last gathering against the Lei and Xie families, they had trained hard, inspired by Lin Xuan's example.
Now, their blood boiled with anticipation.
As the crowd waited for the opening, Lin Xia explained the rules once again.
"See that forest? It connects straight into the deep mountains.
Countless dangerous beasts roam inside....that's where the hunt begins."
"Each participant receives an identification token.
The goal is to reach the central platform. But there's a condition....you need ten tokens to enter.
That means you must defeat at least ten opponents and seize their tokens along the way."
"In short, we'll be fighting not just against beasts… but against every other participant."
Her words sobered the group.
Only elites were chosen for this event...at least fifth stage Body Refinement and above.
Among them, the Lin family's main participants were Lin Xuan, Lin Dong, Lin Xia, Lin Hong, and Qingtan.
Lin Xia herself had recently advanced to ninth stage Body Refinement.
Lin Hong and Qingtan stood at eighth stage, though Qingtan's combat experience lagged behind.
As for Lin Dong and Lin Xuan...both had emerged from closed-door cultivation only today. No one knew the extent of their true strength.
Lin Xia frowned, her voice low. "I heard the Lei clan has heavily invested in Lei Li's training.
He's likely broken through to the Earth Yuan Realm by now. If that's true… can you two handle it?"
Lin Dong's lips curled into a confident smile. "I think I'll be fine. What do you say, Brother Lin Xuan?"
Over the past weeks, Lin Dong had pushed himself relentlessly, consuming pills, refining yin pearls, and tempering his techniques.
His Ancient Crushing Fist and Flowing Wind Step had both reached Perfection.
Most importantly, he had successfully cultivated the second stage of the Qi Men Seal....a technique comparable to a fourth-grade martial art.
This hunt would be his chance to shine.
Lin Xuan met his gaze calmly, nodding. "I should be fine as well."
The two exchanged a look of quiet understanding. Neither explained further.
Lin Xia stared at them speechlessly. Was this arrogance? Did they not realize what it meant to face an Earth Yuan Realm opponent?
But then… a chilling thought struck her. Their tone wasn't arrogance. It was certainty.
Could it be… they had broken through as well?
If condensing a Yuan Seed is the first step in pushing open the door of martial arts…
Then stepping into the Earth Yuan Realm is truly entering the martial path.
In Qingyang Town, an Earth Yuan Realm cultivator could already be considered a pillar.
Before the age of twenty, those who could reach this realm were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
Yet Lin Xuan and Lin Dong, only sixteen or seventeen, had already stepped across this threshold.
If word spread, it would definitely shock the entire town.
Lin Xia had long known her brothers were extraordinary, but to see them reach this stage with her own eyes still shook her heart.
Even for herself, she would need another year of bitter cultivation before she might barely step into Earth Yuan Realm.
Lin Xuan only smiled secretly at her stunned expression.
This was the difference of having a "cheat"...something outsiders could never understand.
Lin Xuan and Lin Dong exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.
They both knew the other had secrets but never pried, each simply striving harder.
The Beast Horn Arena grew more and more crowded as major forces arrived. Suddenly, noise surged...Lei Clan and Xie Clan entered together.
For years these two clans had dominated Qingyang Town.
But with Lin Clan and the Mad Blade Martial Hall rising, they were forced to ally, and even joined by marriage ties.
Today, the two clan heads walked side by side.
"That's the Lei Clan patriarch, Lei Bao," Lin Xia whispered.
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