The Prodigies War
chapter-24

It was midday, and the sun burned fiercely, but the conversation between Xiao Tianren and Lin Xun made Zhou Zhong’s body go cold and tremble with fear.

How could he not tell that Lin Xun intended to kill Lu Ting and Qian Qi?

In recent years, Lu Ting, Qian Qi and other village guards had joined Lian Rufeng in taking the village’s properties, and that had already sparked complaints in the village.

However, they were all from the same village. Most importantly, if the villagers wanted to survive, they still needed Lian Rufeng and others to travel to the Qingyang tribe to exchange for supplies. Who would carry out that task for Feiyun Village if they died?

However, Zhou Zhong was also aware that Lian Rufeng and the others had changed. They were even more arrogant than before and thought all of the other villagers were beneath them. If they were allowed to do as they please, the consequences to the villagers would be unimaginable.

After pondering over it, Zhou Zhong finally sighed inwardly. ‘Since the village chief has come to this decision, he must have his reasons.’

After some further small talk, Xiao Tianren hurried away.

Zhou Zhong also had no intention of staying longer. After dividing the harvest with Lin Xun, he asked some strong villagers to distribute them to every household in the village.

Of course, Lu Ting and Qian Qi were the only ones without a share, and no one objected to that. After all, they had gone too far this time.

……

An iron pot was set up in the middle of a courtyard. The fire blazed and the pot glowed red as the essence and blood of the snow spotted leopard bubbled inside, sending trails of smoke into the air.

Standing by the pot, Lin Xun quickly tossed in rune materials: blood clotting herb, common spirit flower, vermilion-purple fruit…

Each one already had the properties of strengthening the muscles and bones and refining the flesh and blood but their combination with the blood of snow spotted leopard produced the most optimal effect.

This was a means of extracting rune materials.

A rune master must possess the ability to identify rune materials as well as extract rune ink.

Lin Xun had been learning from Mister Lu since young. He had memorized the medicinal properties, uses and effects of various rune materials very well. However, he wasn’t trying to extract rune ink but extract their essences for his own cultivation.

A full hour had passed.

The various rune materials in the iron pot had completely integrated with the snow spotted leopard's essence and blood and turned into a thick, dark-red slurry.

It was called the Aeth Refining Decoction.

Lin Xun took out a water sack and carefully poured the slurry inside and put it away safely. He smiled in relief.

The slurry had great beneficial effects including strengthening the muscles and bones and refining the flesh and blood. This had the end result of toughening the consumer’s body.

Glug—

Lin Xun poured himself a bowl of slurry and gulped it all down in one mouthful. A billow of warmth roamed to all his limbs and bones.

Taking this opportunity, Lin Xun practised the Marching Army Fist Art once again in the courtyard. Wind blasted from his fist as his body moved vigorously and nimbly.

He continued to perform maneuvers in the courtyard, whipping up clouds of dust, and even creating mini explosions in the air.

Soon, Lin Xun’s blood and qi bubbled in his body and steam rose from the crown of his head. His body burned like a furnace. He felt every muscle burning with inexhaustible energy and felt no trace of fatigue.

Enough time passed to burn an incense stick.

Lin Xun’s spine twisted and turned like a dragon as he suddenly charged forward and his fist roared like a raging sea.

Bang!

A hole was blasted into the huge azure rock in the middle of the courtyard. Fragments from the impact pelted the wall like rainwater.

The seventh move of the Marching Army Fist— Raging Sea Devastates the Mountain!

In the past, Lin Xun could never bring out the true power of this move due to the damage in his four heart acupuncture points.

However, he not only achieved it now, but his expression also seemed relaxed and his breathing remained the same like it didn’t require much energy.

On the one hand, it was because the original damage to his four heart acupuncture points was a blessing in disguise. Four Aeth Power Vortexes had now formed in his four heart acupuncture points. As a result, when he performed the Marching Army Fist, he noticed that his aeth power was no longer sluggish like before. Additionally, the grade of his aeth power had also improved.

On the other hand, his body had begun to change, becoming much stronger. Additionally, he had consumed the Aeth Refining Decoction, which had begun to produce its body refining effect. Thereby, it assisted him in displaying the real power of the Raging Sea Devastates the Mountain!

Lin Xun couldn’t be happier about the drastic changes that happened over the past few days.

Without any hesitation, his figure suddenly flashed and his fist changed. His eyes flashed like lightning and in the blink of an eye, he seemed to transform into a haughty general with years of experience on the battlefield.

Boom!

His fist blasted through the air with majestic and imposing force, resembling a mighty dragon. It was filled with terrifying murderous power that made even the air ripple and scatter.

The eighth move of the Marching Army Fist Art— Fight Bloody Battles On All Directions!

Lin Xun felt the power contained in that punch as he stood still. Although he panted a little, his eyes were unusually bright.

Finally, he could bring out the power of the eight moves of the Marching Army Fist.

Lin Xun drew a deep breath and his eyes resumed its usual calmness. “I could kill Lu Ting with one punch when I see him!"

He had absolute confidence in this. Although Lin Xun’s cultivation had stagnated at the Inner Strengthening Stage for over two years, it only consolidated his aeth power more. Additionally, the further refinement from the four Aeth Power Vortexes raised his aeth power grade by another level and his fighting strength doubled as a result.

Given his current state, he would be a laughingstock if he couldn’t defeat Lu Ting with ease.

“Qian Qi…”

Lin Xun’s eyes glinted coldly as he thought of that fierce and ruthless man. ‘He is an expert of the third layer True Martial Stage, I must pay utmost attention when I face him.’

……

At night, Lin Xun cooked up a pot of snow spotted leopard meat with aeth grains, quickly demolished it, and returned to practicing in his room.

He knew very well that Lu Ting and Qian Qi already viewed him as a thorn in their side. Even if they wouldn’t kill him, they wouldn’t let him off easily.

Lin Xun wasn’t the type who would resign himself to fate. Since he had decided to eliminate the two troublemakers, he would do everything he could to achieve it.

Lin Xun had mastered very few battle techniques. Among them, the majority were taught by Mister Lu, such as the Marching Army Fist and the Six Word Blade.

The Matching Army Fist was a basic fist art widely known throughout the Ziyao Empire, and Lin Xun had now fully grasped it.

The Six Word Blade was a blade art divided into six moves: ‘ split’, ‘coil’, ‘rotate’, ‘shake’, ‘stab’ and ‘strip’, and each had its own mystery.

Mister Lu taught Lin Xun the blade art to improve the speed at which Lin Xun dissected rune materials but he didn’t mention the origins of the blade art. After all, remarkable knife skills were required to extract complex rune materials.

However, ever since Lin Xun started cultivating, he found that the technique wasn’t only used to dissect rune materials, but it was also clearly a technique with terrifying destructive power.

For example, even the ‘split’ move in the Six Word Blade consisted of seventeen different types of splitting, such as heavy splitting, side splitting, straight splitting, hidden splitting...and so on. Each one targeted an enemy’s vital parts, and was incredibly precise and ruthless.

Given Lin Xun’s current skill, although he had the Six Word Blade art, he hadn’t fully comprehended the mystery and essence of each move yet. He could only be said to be at the beginner level.

Even so, the blade art’s power could not be underestimated.

For example, Lin Xun had split Lu Ting’s whip in one slash using the ‘heavy splitting' move the other day. Its destructive power could easily be extrapolated from that.

Lin Xun had long suspected that the Six Word Blade had an impressive origin and wasn’t an ordinary technique. Unfortunately, Mister Lu had never explained it to him.

In short, the Marching Army Fist and the Six Word Blade art were the combat techniques that Lin Xun had grasped and they were more than enough to deal with ordinary opponents.

What Lin Xun valued more was his cultivation base. A cultivator’s cultivation base was the basis of their fighting strength. For example, regardless of how long a practitioner practised the Marching Army Fist Art or how proficient they were in it, it would have no destructive power without a solid cultivation base.

Only with the support of a cultivation base could a person’s fighting strength be fully displayed.

Rumble~

Stream-like aeth power repeatedly circulated in Lin Xun’s body. His mind was clear and peaceful without the slightest ripple.

After consuming the flesh and blood of the snow spotted leopard and the aeth grains, he had circulated his aeth power eighteen times around his body. Lin Xun’s aeth power, which had halved after refinement, began to show signs of growth.

Lin Xun even sensed signs of advancement!

This undoubtedly proved that he had gotten rid of his bad luck of being unable to cultivate after obtaining the Omega Secret-Realm and was now starting a new life of cultivation.

“Within seven days, I will breakthrough!”

Lin Xun’s eyes glistened with confidence in the dark house. If he could break through within that period, Qian Qi wouldn’t be a problem for him.

In the evening, after Lin Xun circulated his aeth power, he continued to comprehend the Little Divine Meditation Art by visualizing the stars and refining his spirit.

Dawn was breaking, and even though he hadn't slept all night, Lin Xun was full of energy and didn’t have a hint of tiredness. Instead, his six senses, vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch and consciousness, became more sensitive than before.

He could hear the breeze ruffling the willow leaves outside the window, silkworms squirming on the ground, dew rolling off leaves, butterflies beating their wings and the whoosh of air currents…The various sounds of nature formed a scene full of life.

It was so unique and so clear as it reflected in his mind and made Lin Xun a lot more relaxed and peaceful.

Lin Xun had never used his six senses to perceive the world in such a subtle way.

This was precisely the effect of strengthening his spirit from practicing the [Little Divine Meditation Art].

Spirit!

It was a treasure of cultivation. It involved the person’s understanding and wisdom. It was indescribably mysterious. Even the most powerful cultivators of the Heaven Ascension Stage could only explore and understand it little by little.

Lin Xun, who was only at the second layer True Martial Stage and had just started his cultivation, had already begun to touch upon the mystery of spirit!