In the depths of the crisscrossing tunnels.
Li Zitian and his men chased through a dozen tunnels, but they hadn't even seen a single hair of Lu Lin.
"Damn it, that kid is as slippery as an eel and has run off fast! Seems he realized he'd let something slip." The burly man who had interrogated Lu Lin earlier spat on the ground, his face twisted with anger and frustration.
"Hmph, this time he has got away, but not every time!" Li Zitian's eyes turned sinister as he coldly commanded, "Search separately! Once you find him, show no mercy. Break his arms and legs, then bring him to me. As for you… Go guard the entrance of the bunkhouse where he lives!"
"Yes, sir!" the Blood Wolf Gang members chorused before scattering into different tunnels.
In the blink of an eye, only Li Zitian remained on the spot.
He snorted coldly and turned to go, intent on returning to the Blood Wolf Gang's base to await word.
However, he hadn't gone far when he suddenly halted and whirled around. A cold, icy sense of danger seized him without warning.
Several meters behind him, a figure stood silent like a ghost and had blended into the shadows.
"Who's there?" Li Zitian's hair stood on end. Instinctively, his Qi and Blood surged violently all over, and he instantly entered a state of highest alert.
His perception of danger far exceeded that of ordinary people. His intuition told him that here was an extremely dangerous man.
"Such keen vigilance, such a strong perception of danger… Worthy of being called a genius. In that regard, he is somewhat similar to me." A thought flashed in Lu Lin's mind as he recalled the inexplicable premonition he'd had of the ambush in TaiHua Street in Xuesha City.
But he acted without hesitation.
"Your executioner!"
Before the words faded, Lu Lin was already moving.
Like a nimble cat, as his toes lightly tapped the ground, his figure was unsteady yet swift beyond compare, crossing over ten meters in an instant. One punch shot straight for Li Zitian's face, whipping up a sharp, bone-chilling breeze!
Li Zitian reacted extremely fast. Though startled, he didn't panic. He retreated urgently while the Qi and Blood within his body boiled like scalding water.
Imitating a hunting Demonic Ape, he took a fierce step forward. As his right palm turned crimson, he delivered a full-force palm strike with his Proficiency in 'Demonic Ape Palm'.
The wind that his palm kicked up whistled past, making the sound of tearing the air.
He was confident that, despite his haste, this palm smack was enough to severely injure or even kill most opponents at the same Level. It was with this palm smack that he had defeated Gang Leader Huang Lang just yesterday!
Boom!
Fist and palm collided violently! Two frenzied torrents of Qi and Blood clashed fiercely, releasing a muffled roar!
Yet, the result was beyond Li Zitian's expectations!
"CRACK!"
A clear bone fracture that would set one's teeth on edge rang out!
The confidence on Li Zitian's face instantly gave way to shock and agony. His entire right arm snapped, bent at a grotesque angle. A bleached, broken bone had even pierced through muscle and skin, dripping with blood.
He let out a shrill cry, staggering back, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock. "No… impossible!!"
With his Proficiency in Demonic Ape Palm and his Realm of the Body Tempering Sixth Level, his palm blow was shattered by a single punch from this man?
The opponent's power had overwhelmed his.
"Could it be… the Body Tempering Seventh Level? But why would a Seventh Level expert be here? Or… a certain superintendent wants me dead?" Countless thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning.
Having gained the upper hand, Lu Lin showed no mercy and pounced again, clinging to Li Zitian like his shadow. A second punch followed shortly after, aiming straight for Li Zitian's chest—a vital point.
The punch stirred up an even fiercer breeze, apparently a fatal blow!
"Wait! Could there be any misunderstanding? There is no enmity between us…" Li Zitian was utterly terrified. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he tried to retreat while speaking.
But severely injured, his speed was far inferior to Lu Lin's.
THUD!
Lu Lin's iron fist, without any fancy technique, slammed heavily into his chest!
"Pfft—!" Li Zitian flew backward like a kite with its string cut, smashing hard against the solid tunnel wall.
His chest collapsed with a large dent. Blood gushed from his mouth. His eyes rapidly lost focus, filled with despair and resentment.
"You… who… are you?" he struggled to squeeze out the final question from his throat.
Lu Lin walked slowly before him, bent down, and whispered in his ear, "Haven't you been… looking for me?"
"It's… It's you?!!" Li Zitian's pupils contracted to pinpoints. An expression of utter horror and disbelief spread across his face.
That "greenhorn" who had only broken through the Body Tempering First Level a few months ago?
How could this be possible?
What a terrifying talent! He had hidden himself too well!
His older brother hadn't died unjustly… and he himself… wasn't dying unjustly either…
With this final realization and endless resentment, Li Zitian's head tilted back as his breathing ceased.
To ensure absolute success, Lu Lin delivered another punch, shattering his windpipe. Then, he placed two fingers in his mouth, making a sharp, but not loud, whistle.
A moment later, two burly men from the Black Tiger Gang hurried over following the sound.
When they saw the ugly, macabre corpse of Li Zitian on the ground, they were instantly terrified, their hair standing on end. Their gazes at Lu Lin were now filled with deep awe and fear.
"Bury the body here for now. By evening, quietly move it and dump it into the designated Toxic Minging Zone," Lu Lin ordered coldly. "Remember, make it a clean job. Don't let anyone see."
"Yes, yes! Rest assured, Boss!" The two burly men nodded rapidly, their obedience incredible.
Without another word, Lu Lin vanished into the shadows of the tunnel.
...
One hour later.
The 'Base' of the Blood Wolf Gang.
Though called the Base, it was just a spacious cave with some rough tables and chairs.
With a gloomy face, Gang Leader Huang Lang was madly practicing the 'Demonic Ape Palm' over and over again, kicking up violent winds, revealing his inner anxiety and resentment.
He had lost! He had actually lost to the upstart Li Zitian!
He knew all too well that his position as gang leader was probably coming to an end. Before long, that ambitious fellow would take his place.
He had to reach Proficiency in the Demonic Ape Palm as soon as possible. Perhaps only then could he turn the tables…
A figure, like a ghost merging with the shadows, appeared silently in the darkness at the entrance of the cave, observing Huang Lang's practice.
It was Lu Lin.
He watched for a good while, then shook his head slightly. "The Martial Dao Cauldron hasn't responded… Seems merely watching others practice is useless. I have to obtain the complete training method… Maybe I can force him to write it out?"
But he immediately dismissed the idea. The chance was slim.
The rules at the Xuesha Demon Sect were strict. Those imparting the martial art without permission would end up a hundred times more miserable than death.
"Better avoid unnecessary trouble. Should I alarm the entire Blood Wolf Gang, I would only mess things up. Let me finish this quickly."
Having made up his mind, Lu Lin no longer hid but shot out like a black whirlwind, his fierce move going straight for Huang Lang's vital point.
"Who's there?" Huang Lang looked flabbergasted, counterattacking with all his might in his haste.
But his strength was even inferior to Li Zitian's. He had even less of what it took to withstand Lu Lin's full-power assault. After a few mere exchanges of blows, a precise, heavy punch from Lu Lin shattered his windpipe. His eyes wide with shock, he collapsed limply to the ground and met his demise.
After summoning those Black Tiger Gang core members to handle the cleanup, Lu Lin acted as if nothing had happened. He casually picked a tunnel and began his daily mining.
By now, he had completed his part. Naturally, for their part, the Black Tiger Gang would handle the remaining dirty work and reach out to the superintendents.
He didn't wait too long.
Two days later, he secretly sought out Liu Heihu again, who informed him with a smug expression that everything had been dealt with nicely and the relevant superintendents had been taken care of.
They could officially take over the Blood Wolf Gang's rich mining area!
Not long after, Liu Heihu personally led a group of Black Tiger Gang elites, along with a disguised Lu Lin, marching grandly towards the rich mining area that once belonged to the Blood Wolf Gang.
"The vein pattern winds like coiling dragons, the sand and gravel faintly glows, the Xuan-iron content can be called abundant… Truly worthy of being a rich mining area, nothing the barren place I was in before can compare with…" With just a few sweeping glances, relying on his Proficiency in "Essential Guidance for Miners," Lu Lin recognized how excellent this place was. His heart couldn't help but burn with excitement.
"Brother, as agreed, this rich mining area—half for you, half for me," Liu Heihu said with a smile, pointing to this abundant vein ahead. "You choose first?"
Lu Lin nodded, not standing on ceremony.
With a professional eye, he quickly demarcated an area where the vein trended better and more spiritual stones were likely to be yielded.
As for the daily six jin of Xuan-iron ore task? In this place, it was just a matter of swinging the pickaxe a few times.
"Good! Glad you're quick about it! It's settled!" Liu Heihu had no objections and agreed readily.
Both sides made quick markings of the boundaries.
Lu Lin was off, disappearing into the depths of the tunnel belonging to him.
Only after making sure there was no one around did he remove his mask, take a deep breath, and raise his iron pickaxe.
Time to dig!
In just a short while, a smooth, milky-white shoddy spiritual stone tumbled into his hand.
Not long after, a second one followed!
Although that day he was left with only half a day to work, when counting his haul, he had surprisingly harvested a full eight shoddy spiritual stones!
Second day, eighteen!
Third day, sixteen!
Fourth day, nineteen!
...
Tenth day, two hundred and thirty-six shoddy spiritual stones, and one lower-grade spiritual stone.
Ps: call for power stones, please!