Chapter 93: Settled

"Falling into demonic ways!"

After a muffled thud, both men staggered back several steps. Cold fury filled Lin Hao’s eyes as he stepped forward, drawing in vast currents of spiritual energy from heaven and earth into his body, then unleashed another punch at the man!

"Stronger than before!"

The black-clad man watched Lin Hao’s fist, finally taking him seriously. White light flickered around him, and a formidable aura erupted, meeting Lin Hao’s attack head-on!

"Not inferior to Chen Ping..."

After that exchange, blood surged within both their bodies. Lin Hao forced down the urge to spit blood, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes, and fused the Frost Technique into his fist! The demonic intent billowed forth, and with another step of the Seven-Step Immortal Technique, his physical power surged wildly, pummeling the man again!

"Madman!"

Sensing the unstoppable, domineering frenzy within Lin Hao, the black-clad man’s eyes showed terror. As his aura of completed Qi Condensation spread out, intense heat radiated from his body, and the temperature of the area soared as he clashed with Lin Hao once more!

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion sounded. Lin Hao spat a mouthful of blood and was hurled backward, crashing hard against the mountainside! The black-clad figure, unable to suppress his blood any longer, spat blood twice and hurriedly swallowed a pill, then fled into the distance! It seemed he used some secret technique, for in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

"This invasion by the Xuan Yin Sect is rather strange..." Lin Hao gazed after the fleeing man, his expression darkening. He felt as though an unseen hand was orchestrating everything behind the scenes...

"I don’t know enough techniques... I must intensify my cultivation these days..." Lin Hao felt a nameless unease, sighed inwardly, and strode toward Bai Chou.

"How are you?" Lin Hao asked, seeing Bai Chou missing his left arm, his eyes grave. Bai Chou was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "It’s nothing. At the Foundation Establishment stage, the power of heaven and earth will bless all beings. My arm will grow back then."

With that, Bai Chou struggled to sit cross-legged, beginning to heal his wounds. Meanwhile, Fang Ling, assisted by the black-clad woman transformed from Tian Zhu, flew over to join them.

Once the four had gathered, Tian Zhu became a stream of light and poured into Lin Hao’s body. Fang Ling’s wounds stabilized somewhat. Bai Chou suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Lin Hao. "You two should return to the sect first. I cannot participate in the Three Sect Secret Realm. I’ll find a place to seclude myself for a while. If the opportunity arises, we’ll meet again for a drink."

"Take care." Lin Hao glanced at Bai Chou’s missing arm, his eyes filled with guilt. He hesitated, then spoke those two words, and took Fang Ling back to the sect.

"Take care..." Bai Chou watched Lin Hao’s departing figure, sighed softly, lost in his own thoughts...

After settling Fang Ling in her cave residence, Lin Hao remained in his former cave on the outer peak. Once his wounds were calmed, he pondered, "With my physical power at the eighth layer of Qi Condensation, I should be able to cultivate the second step of the Seven-Step Immortal Technique... The Frost Technique is useful against lower-level cultivators, but when fighting those at the peak of Qi Condensation, it’s rather crude and lacks threat..."

"Shrinking the earth to inches..." Lin Hao muttered, took out a thread-bound book from his storage pouch, and began to read it carefully. About two hours later, a gleam of understanding appeared in his eyes.

"This technique is simpler than the Seven-Step Immortal Technique, but it demands a lot of spiritual energy..." Lin Hao murmured. As spiritual energy flowed around him, a strange force spread, and his left foot slowly lifted...

"So wondrous..." Lin Hao watched as the ground beneath him rapidly contracted, becoming tiny! Spiritual energy drained quickly with the technique! When he stepped down, the earth in his vision returned to normal; looking back, he saw his step had covered a full nine meters!

"It’s excellent. At the entry stage, each step covers nine meters, and with deeper cultivation, it can reach a thousand meters! In battles with lower-level cultivators, it can combine with the Demonic Fist to catch opponents off guard..."

Having mastered the basics, Lin Hao recalled the memory fragment from when he obtained the Seven-Step Immortal Technique. Cultivators, nourished long-term by spiritual energy, possessed formidable memories, often able to recall things perfectly.

As he continued to reflect, Lin Hao stepped forward, drawing in vast spiritual energy. A sensation of rupture came, and he stopped abruptly, his mind rehearsing the elder’s second step!

"The second step isn’t about spiritual energy... It’s explosive strength of the body..." Lin Hao murmured, a flash of insight in his eyes as he slowly lifted his foot. An unusual force enveloped him; he punched the ground ahead!

"Bang!" A nearby tree snapped in response...

"No... Something’s missing..." Lin Hao frowned at the broken tree, pondering deeply. As night fell, he tried again.

"First step, condense spiritual energy..." Lin Hao stepped forward, spiritual energy flooding his body. A sensation of rupture came again, a gleam of understanding in his eyes, and he raised his foot for the second step, then stepped down! His aura erupted, and he punched the empty space ahead!

"Boom!"

A blast echoed, and a large swath of forest shattered under his distant punch!

"The first step condenses spiritual energy to prevent deficiency and slightly boosts combat power. The second step vibrates spiritual energy or flesh within, doubling the technique’s power once solidified... I wonder about the third step..." Lin Hao murmured, recalling the elder’s third step. Like a statue, he stood motionless, deep in contemplation...

Time passed slowly. A day went by, and as night fell, Lin Hao’s brows furrowed, muttering, "The third mysterious step, the body instantly moves thirty meters, consuming even more spiritual energy than Shrinking the Earth... If I take three steps in succession, it might be too much..."

"Forget it..." After a long while, Lin Hao sighed, cleared his mind, and let strange power flow around him, stepping forward! As endless spiritual energy surged into his body, he took the second step. His aura rose like a tide! Without pause, his eyes flashed, and he lifted his foot for the third step—a sudden illusion enveloped him!

As a strange power descended, half his spiritual energy vanished! With the three steps complete, his figure seemed ghostly, suddenly appearing before a mountain, unleashing a punch!

"Boom!"

The mountain was struck, leaving a massive crater, rivaling his residence cave!

"With three steps, the punch’s power, boosted by extreme speed, rises again... If I face someone like Chen Ping, I wouldn’t need Tian Zhu—just these three steps and my physical strength would easily defeat him..." Lin Hao looked at the crater, his eyes bright. After a moment’s thought, feeling half his spiritual energy depleted, he murmured again, "Unless my life is at stake, I mustn’t use this lightly... The consumption of spiritual energy is terrifying..."

"Even though my spiritual energy is much greater than the average eighth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator, these three steps alone would drain all their power... If someone like Bai Chou, who has long cultivated at the peak, learned this, he could use it several times... For me now, two steps combined with Shrinking the Earth and Demonic Fist should suffice... The consumption would be much less..."

"At this stage, to advance, I lack pills. Ordinary Qi Condensation pills only restore spiritual energy and serve no other purpose... I’ll have to wait for the opening of the Three Sect Secret Realm..." Lin Hao gazed into the distant sky, murmured to himself, and returned to his cave to retrieve a thick stack of cultivation manuals from his storage pouch, reading through them...

With the opening of the Three Sect Secret Realm imminent, if Lin Hao couldn’t raise his cultivation, he could only learn more techniques to use in combat. His previous desperate methods had always been last resorts in times of mortal danger; now that he had resources, he was determined to master more!

Time passed swiftly; two months went by. During these two months, Lin Hao studied countless techniques in his cave, his spiritual energy growing ever deeper through constant use and recovery. In his spare time, he taught everything he learned to Fang Ling.

After two months of rigorous training, Fang Ling reached the peak of the sixth layer of Qi Condensation, just one step from breaking through to the seventh. Lin Hao had brought the art of drawing Qi to the realm of unity with spiritual intent, mastering control to perfection. Additionally, he had mastered several powerful techniques, all at a high level.

What Lin Hao didn’t know was that during these two months, his reputation had spread throughout the Xuan Yin Sect, thanks to the man surnamed Xiao and others he’d encountered. The name Lin Hao was notorious in the Xuan Yin lands: everyone knew Tianxuan Lin Hao, infamous for extortion and with a penchant for tormenting others.

Even across the entire land of Chu Ling, Lin Hao’s name was heard here and there. Low-level disciples dared not speak ill for fear Lin Hao would come after them; high-level ones dismissed him, and only a few villains considered him a kindred spirit, mentioning him occasionally.

At this time, Lin Hao and Fang Ling were hundreds of miles outside Tianxuan Sect. Fang Ling was seated cross-legged, spiritual energy swirling around her, while Lin Hao stood quietly at her side, protecting her. Not far away, a Qi Condensation ninth-layer beast lay miserably on the ground, a hideous wound visible, its demon core gone—extracted by Lin Hao for Fang Ling’s breakthrough.

Feeling Fang Ling’s rising aura, Lin Hao’s lips curled in a teasing smile. Although he still didn’t know why the Xuan Yin Sect invaded Tianxuan two months ago, it had little to do with him, so he hadn’t thought much about it. With his current cultivation, as long as he kept a low profile, there was nowhere in Chu Ling he couldn’t go.

As for the Three Sect Foundation Establishment Secret Realm in a month, Lin Hao was considering it. Everything so far revolved around Tianxuan Sect and the secret realm. Once it opened, all mysteries would be revealed.

Whether it was the force behind Ji Tianya, or the competition between the three sects, all would erupt when the secret realm opened. Besides, the three sects were only at the pinnacle of Chu Ling; if independent cultivators or smaller sects tried to take advantage, the whole land would descend into chaos.

Even though Lin Hao was confident he could survive Chu Ling’s turmoil, he remained concerned for Fang Ling. He hadn’t wanted her to enter the secret realm, but at her insistence, he agreed.

According to Ji Tianya’s information, the minimum requirement for entering the secret realm was the seventh layer of Qi Condensation—meaning all three sects’ inner disciples would participate... With Ji Tianya and other mysterious figures present, the secret realm would be chaotic, and murder and robbery inevitable; so Lin Hao’s focus was on Fang Ling’s strength.

Soon, as Fang Ling’s aura exploded forth, Lin Hao finally relaxed. Breaking through from the sixth to the seventh layer of Qi Condensation was vital, transforming the inner spiritual stream into a lake and elevating a cultivator’s power. Only those at the seventh layer were qualified to explore the chaotic realm.

The two left without delay, returning to Tianxuan Sect, where Lin Hao stopped secluding himself and devoted himself to instructing Fang Ling. Since he merged his spiritual river into a sea at the seventh layer, his progress had slowed; without a fortuitous opportunity, he couldn’t break through. Meanwhile, aside from some useless techniques, Lin Hao had mastered several powerful arts, enough to complement the Demonic Fist and Seven-Step Immortal Technique as trump cards.

Time passed quickly. When the secret realm opened, Fang Ling had reached the peak of the seventh layer of Qi Condensation and mastered the Seven-Step Immortal Technique Lin Hao taught her!

As for body tempering, Fang Ling had cultivated her own method. Though it wasn’t as domineering as the Immortal Shura Scripture, it was far superior to ordinary seventh-layer cultivators.

Within the month, Ji Tianya visited Lin Hao, and after a long conversation and drink, Lin Hao learned that Chu Ling, vast as it seemed, was merely a barren region at the border between the Eastern Domain and the south, left behind only because of rumors of a buried immortal. Thus, people from the Eastern Domain often came to explore. In addition, the Three Sect Secret Realm, which opened every ten years, contained a stream of golden spiritual energy. This golden energy drew family disciples to try their luck each time the realm opened. Ji Tianya himself arrived at the peak of Qi Condensation this time to test his fate in the Eastern Domain.

As for the purple spiritual energy, Ji Tianya’s family techniques could cultivate earth-grade foundation establishment, but having an extra stream made a difference.

"According to Ji Tianya, besides the Ji family from the Eastern Domain, the Yin and Fang families will also be coming. All three family disciples will have powerful guardians..."