"Thief! You're courting death!"
Seeing Lu Lin standing before the opened secret compartment, the goateed superintendent's eyes instantly turned crimson red, furious to the point of madness.
As his Qi and Blood erupted all over, he lunged into the bedroom like an enraged ape. His blade had already been drawn from the sheath, its pale steel gleam tearing through the darkness. Bringing around a bone-needling chill, it slashed straight at Lu Lin's face!
Lu Lin still looked as calm as still water.
Just as the fierce steel gleam was inches from him, he slid half a step diagonally back like a drifting ghost, just avoiding the fatal blow.1
At the same time, he struck out his hand like a blade with lightning speed, chopping precisely onto the goateed superintendent's wrist that held the blade.
Crack!
A sound of bone breaking rang out!
How could a mere Body Tempering Seventh Level withstand the terrifying force that Lu Lin's hand chop carried? The goateed superintendent felt an excruciating pain biting into his wrist, his fingers involuntarily loosening, and the blade flew out of his grasp, clattering as it hit the corner of the wall.
Having gained an upper hand, Lu Lin did not relent but instead stepped forward, gathering strength in his left fist, poised to strike the vital point on the opponent's chest. But halfway through the punch, a thought flashed in his mind. In that split second, he changed his fist into a palm, smacking it onto the goateed superintendent's chest.
Pfft—!
Feeling as if struck by a heavy hammer, the goateed superintendent flew backward uncontrollably out of the bedroom door, crashing on the bluestone floor of the courtyard and sliding back more than ten meters before coming to a stop.
He coughed up several consecutive mouthfuls of blood, his face instantly turning deathly pale, and his aura dimmed.
A hint of killing intent flashed in Lu Lin's eyes, but it was immediately suppressed.
Within the Xuesha Demonic Sect, or any other cultivation sect, it wasn't just one's Realm or meritorious service that elevated him to the position of a superintendent.
Without background or connections, even if one had reached the Body Tempering Tenth Level, at most, they could only become a guard for an immortal master or join the "Martial Army." It was absolutely impossible to become a superintendent with real authority.
Behind every superintendent, there was inevitably a cultivator pulling the strings.
Most of them were relatives or old acquaintances of immortal masters. Because they lacked a spiritual root, unable to cultivate, they were given an administrative position within the Sect.
This was precisely the reason they dared to shelter gangs and reap enormous profits from it, this boldly.
If he were to kill the goateed fellow here and now, word of it would definitely find its way to the cultivator backing him. If it was a Foundation Establishment Realm Elder, then the trouble would be enormous...
"I'll spare your life for now..." Lu Lin's mind raced, and in an instant, he made a decision.
He didn't linger any longer. With a leap, he cleared the courtyard wall, then quickly disappeared into the deep night.
"Damn thief! I… I will definitely find out who you are..." Gazing in the direction Lu Lin disappeared, the goateed superintendent's eyes burned with venomous resentment and fury. He struggled to get up, yet aggravated his injuries, spitting out another spurt of blood.
Only after a long while did his breathing even out, as reason slowly overcame his anger.
"Who exactly is that person? What formidable strength! He had perfect control with that palm strike just now. He definitely is at the Body Tempering Ninth Level! Perhaps he is… another superintendent?" He didn't even bother suspecting a warrior.
How could a warrior below the Body Tempering Seventh Level possess such terrifying strength and audacity?
The most likely possibility was that some superintendent with an old grudge against him, coveting the wealth he'd accumulated over the years, had done all this.
Several faces of those usually at odds with him flashed rapidly through his mind.
What filled him with overwhelming fury was that the stolen spiritual stones were almost all "ill-gotten gains" that couldn't see the light of day! This was nothing to be publicized. Even if he wanted an investigation, it could only be done covertly; he absolutely dared not proceed with great fanfare.
This bitter pill he had to swallow left him in suffocating frustration, yet he was helpless.
...
Lu Lin returned to the bunkhouse without a sound, as if he had never left.
The next day, as usual, he slung his bamboo basket on his back, picked up his iron pickaxe, and then headed to the mine.
Reaching a deep, secluded part of a tunnel, and confirming that there was no danger in the surroundings, he willed three flawless, pure low-grade spiritual stones, emitting a soft glow, to appear in his hand.
The one hundred jin of copper essence had long been devoured by the Martial Dao Furnace, which now hungered only for three low-grade spiritual stones.
"Now...upgrade!" Lu Lin shouted internally.
In that instant, the three low-grade spiritual stones in his palm flashed with light before vanishing without a trace!
Deep within his mind, a quaking hum sounded from the Martial Dao Furnace.
The Furnace quivered, and dazzling, radiant, multicolored light flowed over its surface. Its arcane patterns lit up, as it emitted deep, resonant hums like a giant bell, echoing for a long time.
After a while, this astonishing phenomenon gradually subsided. The radiance receded, and the furnace once again appeared plain and unadorned. But upon closer inspection, one could see that it looked more refined and sophisticated, exuding a stronger aura.
At the same time, the panel of the Martial Dao Furnace refreshed.
Owner of Martial Dao Furnace(Level Two): Lu Lin.
Realm: Body Tempering Sixth Level
Training Time: 22 years 11 months.
Martial Arts: Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art (Third Level), Steel Elephant Body (Sixth Level), Nimble Cat Technique (Sixth Level).2
Combat Skills: Ferocious Elephant Charge (Perfection); Nimble Cat Steps (Perfection).
Essential Guidance for Miners: Perfection.
Self-Concealment Technique: Perfection.
Inner Space: Three feet.
The Martial Dao Furnace had finally been upgraded to level two!
Especially, the Inner Space had gone through a very welcome change. Its length, width, and height expanded from the original one foot to three feet, the volume swelling a full twenty-seven times!
"Good!" Lu Lin was overjoyed.
A three-foot cubic Inner Space was far more practical than before. Now what it could hold had increased greatly, which would be much more convenient in the future.
"Now, I can finally absorb that Xueyan Deer Antler!" Eagerly, he took out the antler that looked like crimson jade.
[Discovered: Medium-grade spiritual energy. Exchange for sixty years of hard training? Y/N]
A prompt appeared before his eyes.
Lu Lin's breath hitched!
Sixty years!
The spiritual energy within a single Xueyan Deer Antler could be exchanged for a full sixty years of Training Time.
How long would it take to mine to get that?
A treasure for a Foundation Establishment cultivator was indeed extraordinary!
He didn't hesitate and chose to exchange.
Instantly, his Training Time surged to 82 years 11 months!
Immediately after, he took out all the shoddy spiritual stones he had obtained from the goateed man and exchanged them all.
A total of three hundred sixty-three shoddy spiritual stones were converted into another 30 years and 3 months of Training Time.
In the end, his total Training Time reached an astonishing 113 years 2 months!
"How much can a low-grade spiritual stone be exchanged for?" With a bit of curiosity, he took out a low-grade spiritual stone.
[Discovered: Low-grade spiritual energy. Exchange for one year of hard training? Y/N]
"One low-grade spiritual stone for one year? Twelve times that of a shoddy spiritual stone. That matches the value ratio between the two." Lu Lin thought to himself.
He did not choose to exchange. Instead, he stored away the remaining eleven low-grade spiritual stones.
Such items were hard to come by. They might be useful in the future. It was best to keep them for unforeseen needs.
"Training Time is now enough. I only lack the subsequent training method of the 'Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art'... I hope it arrives in time." Lu Lin couldn't help but feel anxious.
Today was the deadline. Tomorrow, he would set out on that mission with uncertain dangers.
Should the martial art not arrive today, he would have to take the risk and try to break through the Body Tempering Seventh Level without the protection of the pills.
He was in no mood to mine. After going through the motions for a while, he returned to the bunkhouse, waiting on pins and needles.
Fortunately, what he feared did not come true.
In the evening, an unfamiliar superintendent sought him out.
"Lu Lin, Superintendent Zhao Neng is resting today due to some matters, and entrusted me to deliver this. This is the 'Tendon and Flesh Tempering' training method for the Body Tempering Fourth to Sixth Levels of the 'Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art.' Take it and train diligently." The superintendent handed over a thin yet seemingly immensely heavy booklet, warning sternly, "Remember, leaking this Sect martial art is forbidden! I don't have to tell you the consequences once it is discovered."
"This subordinate understands! Thanks very much, superintendent!" Lu Lin suppressed his inner excitement, with his hands cupped in front as a sign of thanks.
The superintendent nodded with satisfaction and, with his hands clasped behind his back, left.
Once that man was far away, Lu Lin eagerly picked up the subsequent training method of the "Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art" at once, burying his nose in it.
Half an hour later, he slowly closed the book, a confident glint flashing in his eyes.
All preparations were finally in place!