"Ah..." As Lin Dong exhausted all his strength to open his heavy eyelids, a simple and clean room came into view. The familiar sight dazed him for a moment, and he hurriedly turned his head. Sure enough, he saw two figures, a man and a woman, sitting by the table.
"Father, Mother..."
Looking at the two figures, Lin Dong forced himself to perk up and called out softly.
"Dong'er, you're awake?"
Hearing his voice, the woman turned around. Seeing that Lin Dong had opened his eyes, she said with immediate joy.
The woman was dressed simply and appeared to be around thirty years old. Her delicate features gave off a gentle and warm impression. She was Lin Dong's mother, Liu Yan.
"Your skills are lacking, yet you still fight with others. You only have yourself to blame for this suffering."
Sitting beside her was a man who looked to be in his late thirties or early forties. His frame was somewhat thin, and a faint sharpness could be glimpsed in his eyes. However, as if he harbored internal injuries, his face was rather pale, masking most of that sharp edge. He was Lin Dong's father, Lin Xiao.
Lin Dong was clearly somewhat afraid of his habitually strict father. He shrank his neck back, but then muttered defiantly, "But they were insulting you right in front of me, calling you a useless piece of trash..."
As he spoke, Lin Dong touched his chest. A dull ache still lingered there, causing him to grit his teeth in resentment. Today had been a Lin family evaluation. He had also participated in the basic test, but since he had only begun cultivating for a little over half a year, his results were mediocre. He hadn't taken it to heart, though; he believed that if he were given the same time and cultivation resources as the others, he would not be inferior to anyone.
However, after the evaluation ended and Lin Dong was preparing to head home, a few peers with whom he had a poor relationship deliberately provoked him. Normally, he would have ignored them, but with his youthful hot-headedness, he couldn't hold back his anger and lashed out. The outcome was painfully obvious: he was thoroughly beaten and knocked unconscious.
"Lin Shan, you just wait! If I don't beat you into a pig's face next time, my last name isn't Lin!"
The Lin Shan he spoke of was the instigator of the fight and currently Lin Dong's greatest nemesis. Because the relationship between their fathers was extremely hostile, Lin Shan frequently went out of his way to cause trouble for Lin Dong, and today was no exception.
Gritting his teeth fiercely, Lin Dong suddenly deflated. Although Lin Shan was utterly detestable, the truth remained that he had already reached the 4th layer of Body Tempering. Such an achievement placed him near the top among the Lin family's younger generation. Compared to Lin Dong, who was only at the 2nd layer of Body Tempering, Lin Shan was indeed much stronger.
In the path of cultivation, tempering the body comes first. Everything begins with one's own physical form, for the human body is the most profound and mysterious creation in heaven and earth.
The so-called Body Tempering, simply put, is the cultivation of the physical body to gradually strengthen it. Ultimately, this process works from the outside in. When the muscles, bones, and marrow are strengthened to a certain degree, a trace of Yuan Power will be generated. Once Yuan Power appears, one truly becomes a cultivator.
Body Tempering is divided into nine layers. The first three layers yield minimal results, doing little more than slightly improving one's physical fitness. Only upon reaching the 4th layer of Body Tempering do the benefits of cultivation gradually manifest. At this stage, the skin slowly hardens like stone, and both strength and speed are significantly enhanced.
Since Lin Shan was already at this level, Lin Dong, who was only at the second layer of Body Tempering, was clearly no match for him.
However, although the two were of similar age, such a vast gap between them was not due to some innate talent. The Body Tempering stage did not place much emphasis on talent; in fact, anyone could train in it. But just how far one could progress depended entirely on one's financial backing and luck.
The nine layers of Body Tempering was an extremely grueling stage, because only by constantly pushing the body to its absolute limits could one gradually make it stronger.
However, this kind of extreme training was also a way of squeezing the human body's potential. If this strain was not quickly replenished, the body would suffer damage from overexertion. When that happened, not only would it affect one's cultivation, but it would also leave the body riddled with injuries, doing more harm than good.
Therefore, during the Body Tempering process, various nourishing elixirs were needed to soothe the body before one could continue training. However, most of these medicinal herbs were extremely expensive; if one's family was not well-off, they simply could not afford them.
And this was what was known as financial backing!
The reason Lin Shan could surpass Lin Dong by two layers was not just because he had been training for half a year longer, but also because he had a father who managed the Lin family's finances. On the other hand, Lin Dong did not have such good fortune. Without elixirs to nourish his body, his cultivation speed was naturally far inferior...
Inside the room, hearing Lin Dong's muttered words, Lin Xiao's hand resting on the table suddenly clenched tightly, and his face darkened. Seeing this, Liu Yan, who was sitting nearby, quickly shot a warning look at Lin Dong, prompting him to hastily shut his mouth.
"There is no need to bandy words with others. Train hard, and they will naturally shut their mouths."
Lin Xiao waved his hand and said, "Liu Yan, give that stalk of Red Ginseng to Dong'er. With the Red Ginseng, his training speed should be a bit faster. The clan competition is only half a year away. If he doesn't train quickly, he will only lose more face."
"Brother Xiao, that Red Ginseng is for healing your injuries..." Hearing this, Liu Yan was momentarily stunned and spoke up hurriedly.
"I am already a useless man. No matter how much I try to heal, it won't change anything. In the future, I will go into the mountains more often and do my best to find some elixirs for Dong'er." Lin Xiao shook his head, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Father is not a useless man! You were once the strongest person in the Lin family besides Grandfather!" Hearing Lin Xiao's words, Lin Dong's face flushed red as he argued back. In a child's heart, their father was always the strongest.
"The strongest..."
Lin Xiao's fists clenched involuntarily, a look of bone-deep agony surfacing on his face. After a moment, he stood up and walked outside, looking somewhat weary.
"Liu Yan, brew the medicine for the child. My injuries are fine. It has been so many years anyway; what difference could a single stalk of Red Ginseng make?"
Those slightly dejected words made Liu Yan's eyes turn red. Who could have thought that the man who was once the most high-spirited in Qingyang Town would now be so down and out?
"Mother, don't cry. Dong'er will definitely train hard. When the time comes, I will find a way to heal Father's injuries." Lin Dong tugged at the corner of Liu Yan's sleeve and said in a low voice.
"Dong'er, don't blame your father for being strict. He is only pouring all his heart and soul into you. You know that you are his only hope."
Liu Yan lowered her head, looking at Lin Dong's very serious yet immature face. She gently wiped away her tears, then patted Lin Dong's head and spoke in a soft voice.
"Mother, I heard that the top three in this clan competition can obtain a Grade 3 spiritual medicine called the Blood Coagulating Vermilion Fruit. I once heard Eldest Uncle say that it is highly effective for healing injuries. If we can get it, it will definitely help with Father's injuries." Lin Dong's eyes lit up as if he had suddenly remembered something, and he looked at Liu Yan as he spoke.
"The Blood Coagulating Vermilion Fruit..." Hearing this, Liu Yan was also dazed for a moment, then shook her head with a helpless sigh. "Placing in the top three of the clan competition is no easy feat. It is enough that you have this heart. Mother will go brew the Red Ginseng for you now."
With that, Liu Yan turned and walked out. Among the younger generation of the Lin Family, there were several who had achieved quite a lot. For Lin Dong to reach the top three and obtain the Blood Coagulating Vermilion Fruit was indeed extremely difficult, so she did not take it to heart.
Watching Liu Yan's retreating figure, Lin Dong gritted his teeth tightly, clenching his small fists. "Mother, don't worry. I will get that Blood Coagulating Vermilion Fruit so I can heal Father's internal injuries!"
At the thought of Lin Xiao's injuries, a deep, intense hatred suddenly surged in Lin Dong's eyes. The reason his father was subjected to so much sarcasm and ridicule from many in the Lin Family was all because of that person!
…
Lin Dong's Lin Family was only a small family. Although they could not even be considered the top power in Qingyang Town, this seemingly ordinary Lin Family possessed a background that would leave people dumbfounded: the Lin Clan.
One of the four great clans of the Great Yan Dynasty—the Lin Clan!
The Lin Family of Qingyang Town could, from a certain perspective, be considered an outer branch of the Lin Clan. However, to Lin Dong, a child who had never traveled more than a hundred miles from Qingyang Town, the terrifyingly powerful Lin Clan was simply too distant and unfamiliar.
From what he occasionally heard from his father, Lin Dong knew that their branch had actually once belonged to the inner circle of the Lin Clan. However, years ago, because Lin Dong's grandfather had failed a mission, causing a massive loss to the clan, he was banished from the inner clan and exiled to Qingyang Town.
Here, he established a small Lin Family, and for decades, he had done everything in his power to return to the inner clan. This wish was the greatest goal of his remaining years.
However, his efforts yielded very little result. Everything he did was simply not worth mentioning to the colossal Lin Clan, so he could only set his sights on another path—and that path was the decennial Clan Gathering of the Lin Clan!
This was the most important assembly of the Lin Clan, highly famous throughout the entire Great Yan Dynasty. Held once every ten years, each gathering was the best opportunity for the young generation of the clan to stand out and make a name for themselves, and the rewards of the competition would naturally make anyone salivate. However, the most attractive part was that as long as one could enter the top ten, even if they were from an outer branch, they would be promoted to the inner clan, a supreme glory.
Therefore, the Clan Gathering became the ray of hope in the despair of Lin Dong's grandfather. But because of his advanced age, he could not participate himself. Thus, he placed all his expectations on his children. Naturally, Lin Dong's father, who was showing great talent at the time, became the beacon of hope for his grandfather and the entire Lin Family.
And regarding this burden, Lin Dong's father indeed did not disappoint. Among the five brothers, he was the first to break through the ninth layer of the Tempered Body stage to enter the Earth Yuan Stage. Furthermore, in the brief four years that followed, he broke through the Earth Yuan Stage to become the second Heaven Yuan expert in the Lin Family, second only to grandfather Lin Zhentian.
This kind of cultivation speed caused his grandfather, who rarely smiled, to beam with a joyful grin every time he saw his father. It was said that during those years, his grandfather smiled more than he had in decades.
The decennial clan gathering arrived amidst great anticipation, but the final result plunged the Lin Family into an abyss.
One move!
With just a single move, his father, who carried all their hopes, suffered a crushing defeat!
What was more, this was only the opening match of the clan gathering!
Years of expectation and years of nurturing dissolved into bubbles in a matter of seconds.
The consequence of that defeat was, naturally, countless strange looks and enduring endless cold sneers and mockery. The group returned to Qingyang Town like dogs with their tails between their legs.
That night, his father took the entire family and left the inner area of the Lin Family, moving to the most remote hill on the family's estate. He no longer used any of the Lin Family's resources, saying that he no longer had the right to do so.
But blessings do not come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone.
(Blessings do not come twice, misfortunes do not travel alone.)
That defeat did not just leave Lin Xiao despondent; at that time, he also miserably discovered that his opponent had not only defeated him with a single palm strike but had also held nothing back. The wild, beast-like Yuan Power had ravaged his body, tearing it to pieces.
Under the weight of that severe injury, Lin Xiao's Heaven Yuan strength plummeted directly to the Earth Yuan level. Furthermore, as the severe injuries settled, seven or eight out of ten of his meridians became blocked. No matter how hard he cultivated, it was difficult for him to make any further progress.
Within the clan, the once-reverent gazes gradually turned into sighs and disappointment...
Faced with this disaster, Lin Xiao finally fell into despair. Whenever he was drunk, he would frantically beat his chest, the low, muffled thuds sounding like rolling thunder, causing his mother to weep in heartbreak by his side. Although Lin Dong was still young, seeing such a scene cut his heart like a knife, and at the same time, a sliver of hatred toward the person who had injured his father was born within him!
That man had destroyed his father, and also destroyed his family!
As for the culprit, Lin Dong would occasionally hear his uncles mention him later on, their voices filled with resentment and powerlessness.
He began cultivating at the age of ten. At twelve, he broke through the ninth layer of the Tempered Body to enter the Yuan stage. At fourteen, he advanced to the Earth Yuan level. At seventeen, he advanced to the Heaven Yuan level. At twenty-five, the Yin and Yang energies within his body merged, and he finally succeeded in forming a Dan—a carp leaping over the dragon gate—becoming one of the very few experts under the age of thirty in the Great Yan Dynasty to form a Yuan Dan!
His life was indeed like a legend.
His name was Lin Langtian!
Inside the room, Lin Dong's fists clenched tightly, his eyes filled with nothing but hatred.