Chapter 7: Tempering the Body, Fourth Stage

  In the cool mountain cave, Lin Dong lay lazily in the stone pool, feeling the strange sensation that seeped into his body and brought him a sense of comfort. His small face was filled with an expression of intoxication and enjoyment.

  In the water, a faint red thread adhered to Lin Dong's body, then continuously seeped in through his pores, nourishing the muscles and bones that had become sore from intense exercise. Under this nourishment, Lin Dong's body was like a starving ghost that had gone hungry for years, greedily devouring these extremely beneficial substances.

  "Hum!"

  In the blink of an eye, the pool water suddenly rippled, and then he felt a tingling pain emerging from under his skin all over his body.

  The sudden itchiness and pain made Lin Dong jump in surprise, hastily opening his eyes. But immediately after, when he saw that his body was actually starting to shed small pieces of skin, the shock instantly turned into wild joy.

  Molting, this is a situation that will only occur when you truly enter the fourth stage of Quenching Body!

  "It's finally come to this..."

  Lin Dong licked his lips, feeling a thrill in his heart. The Nine Layers of Body Tempering were not easy to cultivate, and only after reaching the fourth layer could one feel the benefits of cultivation. After shedding his skin, his new skin was as tough as wood or stone, and both his strength and resistance to impact had increased greatly, far surpassing that of the third layer.

  Under Lin Dong's gaze, the scales on his body fell off quickly, and after the scales were gone, he rolled around in the stone pool, then jumped onto the stone pool, his palms slowly stroking his arms. Wherever his palms passed, it felt like touching smooth wood or stone, a strange hard feeling transmitted to his palm.

  "Bang bang bang..."

  Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Lin Dong immediately performed the Through-Back Fist. A set of fist techniques came down, and the wind whistled, actually lifting some of the dust on the ground. The momentum was not comparable to before.

  Fist retracted, Lin Dong chuckled and smiled, glanced at Shi Chi, and said with a smile: "Thanks."

  After laughing, Lin Dong suddenly thought of something and frowned at the stone pool. After absorbing for more than ten days, he felt that the pale red color in the stone pool seemed to be gradually decreasing.

  "It seems that the light red color stored in the stone pool will also be used up..." Lin Dong scratched his head, but didn't feel flustered. He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a small bottle, no bigger than a finger, with a transparent color. Upon closer inspection, two drops of red liquid could be seen inside the small bottle.

  After carrying the mysterious stone symbol with him for some time, Lin Dong also discovered a small secret. Every five days or so, a small indentation on the symbol would fill up with a tiny drop of red liquid. This was not unfamiliar to Lin Dong; it was the same pale red color that appeared in the stone pool after dripping in fresh blood. However, this single drop's color was many times more intense than the one in the stone pool.

  "It seems that the stone pool can't maintain that state for long." Lin was deep in thought, otherwise, over so many years, this stone pool should have been filled with that red color, and it wouldn't have only allowed him to use it for ten days before showing signs of dispersing.

  "It seems like I'll have to come back here again later."

  Lin Dong stroked the small bottle, feeling a little reluctant to part with it. This was a very precious thing, taking five days to produce just one tiny drop. Its value was self-evident, and he also wanted to secretly find an opportunity to get a drop of red liquid for Lin Xiao to take, thinking that this thing's miraculous properties would be of great help to Lin Xiao's injuries.

  He let out a light sigh, Lin Dong put the bottle away, put on his clothes, and slipped out of the cave, returning to his training grounds. Just as he was about to start training again, a figure suddenly appeared in the distance, running hastily while shouting: "Lin Dong, something's wrong!"

  "Lin Changqiang, what's going on?"

  Lin Dong glanced at the figure, lowered his head and picked up two solid stone pedestals, heavily lifting them up, saying lazily.

  The newcomer was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy who looked slightly chubby, with a round face that resembled a ball. The boy's name was Lin Changqiang, and he was the son of Lin Dongwu. The two had a decent relationship, although Lin Dong knew that this guy actually liked Qingtan and was just trying to get close to him. Overall, however, Lin Dong had a pretty good impression of him.

  "Something's happened with Qingtan." Lin Chang said, panting after a long run.

  Bang!

  Lin's hand dropped the stone slab to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. His face sank, and he asked, "What's going on?"

  For this younger sister, Lin Dong is very concerned about her, and Xiao Yatou has always been sensible. At a young age, she doesn't have any of the arrogance of a little girl, so at home, even her strict father can't bear to show her a stern face. Although they don't have a blood relationship, in the household, Qingtan is undoubtedly like a little princess.

  "Damn it, it's all Lin Shan's fault."

  Lin Changqiang cursed and said, "Qing Tan went to the back mountain forest today and found a stalk of Chi Yang grass. As a result, he was seen by that group of bastards from Lin Shan, and now they are blocking Qing Tan's way."

  "Lin Shan again!"

  Lin Dong's eyes flashed with a hint of anger, that little girl Qingtan had been sneaking into the forest at the back of the mountain recently. Lin Dong knew her little scheme, she was trying to find some spiritual herbs to make her cultivation smoother. She had done this before, but after almost getting injured during one of those trips, she was forbidden by her father from doing so again. Unexpectedly, she had snuck out again just a short while after being lectured.

  "Lead the way." Lin Dong patted the dust off his hands and said.

  "Huh? You're going alone? Why don't you call Third Uncle along?"

  When he saw Lin Dong wanting to go alone, Lin Changqiang hurriedly stopped him. Last time this guy was beaten unconscious by Lin Shan, and this time if he went again, he would probably be beaten up again. Although he also didn't get along with Lin Shan, he had to admit that the guy was a bit strong.

  "Stop nagging, it's too late, Qingtan has been bullied. From now on, don't think about coming to find her to play." Lin Dong furrowed his brow, the Third Uncle in Lin Zhang's mouth was actually his father Lin Xiao, but since it was a matter of younger generations, even if these adults stepped forward, at most they would just scold them a few times, that wouldn't be enough to vent the evil air in his heart.

  "Alright, alright, follow me. Later when Lin Shan makes a move, I'll help you guys block it. Now I'm also at the third level of Tempering Body, taking a few hits won't be a big deal."

  Lin Changqiang nodded slightly, a little intimidated by Lin Dong's threat, then hastily turned around and led the way.

  Seeing Lin Changqiang's round and plump body, Lin Dong couldn't help but smile, but immediately his face tensed up, gritting his teeth and saying in a low voice: "Lin Shan, this time I must beat you like a dog!"