Chapter 4: The Secret of Shih Chi

  "It's an illusion, an illusion, it must be an illusion!"

  Staring at his arm, Lin Dong was stunned for a good while. He suddenly closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. After waiting for his emotions to gradually calm down, his palm finally trembled again as he stroked his own arm.

  As the palm passed by, a kind of hardness similar to that of the stratum corneum was transmitted, although it had not yet reached the truly hard state like wood or stone. However, compared to Lin Dong's skin earlier, it was obviously several times harder!

  This is indeed a sign that it will soon advance to the fourth stage of Tempering, and as long as this skin hardens a bit more, it will be a genuine fourth-stage Tempered Body!

  But... Lin Dong's mouth opened wide, his face filled with an incredulous expression as if he had seen a ghost. He had only just entered the third stage of Body Tempering today, and it hadn't even been half a day yet, so how could he have directly reached the point where he was about to enter the fourth stage?

  Suddenly, the pie appeared out of nowhere and Lin Dong was left dazed. His small face flushed red as he paced back and forth beside the stone pool. If he could really move at this speed, what would be the point of comparing him to the top three? Even if it were the Lin family's ten-year clan meeting, he wouldn't have any fear in his heart.

  "How is that possible?"

  Although he was a bit dizzy from the excitement, Lin Dong was still relatively mature, so after a while, he regained his composure, furrowed his brow and began to recall the events. However, there was nothing unusual in the cave, so his gaze stopped at the stone pool after scanning around.

  "This stone pool, could it really be haunted?"

  Lin Dong's face was shocked, and then he shook his head to himself. This stone pool, from childhood to adulthood, he didn't know how many times he had soaked in it, but a situation like today's had never happened before!

  What's going on here?

  It's not possible that it's the effect of Radix Isatidis, it's just a single product of spiritual medicine, let him be able to reach the third level of body refinement in ten days, it's already an extraordinary effect.

  "There's always something different about it."

  Lin Dong's lips were tightly pursed, and a determined look appeared on his small face. He understood the importance of this matter, and if he could really discover its secrets, it would be extremely important for him.

  "Today is more tiring than before... but this isn't the first time either... sleeping here? I've slept here before too..."

  Lin Dong crouched beside the stone pool, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. His hands were also unconsciously rubbing his arms, and after a moment, his palms suddenly stiffened. His gaze slowly fell on his own arm, where there were originally many bloodstains...

  "Blood?"

  Lin's eyes sparkled as she suddenly reached into the rock crevice beside the stone pool and pulled out a small dagger that had been left there before.

  The dagger, with a slight force, slid from the tip of his finger, and a drop of deep red blood suddenly emerged. Then Lin Dong hesitated for a moment, carefully dripping it into the stone pool.

  "Ding-dong!"

  The sound of the blood bead falling into the stone pool echoed crisply in the quiet mountain cave, while Lin Dong's gaze stared unwaveringly at the place where the blood bead had fallen.

  A drop of blood fell into the stone pool, stirring up a circle of fine ripples. The red color slowly spread out, and then the calm stone pool suddenly sprouted numerous water bubbles in the astonished gaze of the onlookers. Amidst the bubbles, there was a faintly discernible reddish turbulence.

  Lin's throat rolled, and her trembling palm stretched into the pool water. Instantly, those bubbles burst open, and a faint red thread stuck to her palm, then quietly seeped in through the pores.

  As the pale redness seeped in, Lin Dong's palm suddenly transmitted a scorching hot feeling, a feeling that was no different from what he had felt when he first woke up. This time, however, he seemed to be able to clearly feel the pale redness seeping into his palm's muscle membrane, causing the skin on his palm to become increasingly hard.

  "I knew it!"

  Noticing the change in his palm, Lin Dong's small face was filled with wild joy. His guess had been correct; this stone pool's water needed to be tainted with blood to become special!

  Lin Dong's hand grasped tightly, the skin on this palm was obviously much harder than other parts. This was the effect of that brief burst of energy just now. Such an effect could be called divine, and according to Lin Dong's estimation, even those extremely expensive third-grade spiritual medicines sold in Qingyang Town might not be able to achieve it!

  "But why does this pool of water have an effect that even three top-grade spiritual medicines can't achieve?"

  The water in the stone pool, he had detected it years ago, was seeping out from the rocks, but this was just ordinary mountain spring water, although slightly cooler. Lin Dong was certain that this spring water didn't have any special effects, but what about the strange things happening to his body?

  Lindong rubbed his forehead, let out a long sigh, and was so emotionally turbulent by this strange stone pool that he lay down beside it. Even if he couldn't find the reason why this stone pool had such an unusual effect, in any case, for Lindong, this might be a great benefit.

  Lin Xiao had to constantly take some spiritual medicine to nourish his body due to his injuries, and the price of spiritual medicine was not cheap. With a stubborn personality, he also refused any financial assistance from the Lin family. Therefore, in daily life, he could only enter the mountains alone, hunt fierce beasts or rely on luck to find some spiritual medicine. However, the income obtained in this way obviously couldn't allow Lin Xiao to have the same cultivation conditions as his peers in the Lin family.

  At this time, the role of this stone pool is more important for Lin Dong.

  "The role of Shichi must be kept secret!"

  Lin Dong's small fist clenched, this was not only because he needed to rely on Shi Chui's cultivation, but also because he understood that if the news got out, it would attract a huge commotion. Even the other forces in Qingyang Town would be envious of this, and when the time came, the Lin family might face a disaster that was not small.

  An innocent man is not guilty, but if he carries a jade tablet, he will be guilty!

  This principle, Lin Dong understood it although he was young.

  Lin Dong's lips were tightly pursed, and he had already made up his mind. Just as he was about to stand up, his gaze suddenly stopped, and he let out a soft hum. His eyes stared straight at the top of the mountain cave above the stone pool, where there seemed to be a flash of light earlier.

  In this case, if it were in normal times, Lin Dong would not have paid attention to it even if he had seen it, but now he has taken a liking to the stone pool, so everything in this cave is very serious.

  Lin Dong's gaze was fixed on the spot where the faint light had flashed before, his eyes not blinking, and under his intense stare, the flash of light reappeared, this time a bit more urgent. Then, a fine beam of light fell down, falling straight into the stone pool below Lin Dong's gaze.

  The surface of the pond water ripples with a faint circle due to the falling light spots.

  Lin Dong stared blankly at the spot where the faint light had fallen into the stone pool, and then swallowed a mouthful of saliva. When the light had fallen earlier, he had vaguely seen that among them, there seemed to be a deep red... that kind of... was exactly the same as the pale red one Lin Dong had seen after dripping the blood pearl!

  "It seems like a secret, on top of that..."

  The light in Lin Dong's eyes brightened significantly as he raised his head and gazed at the top of the mountain cave above the stone pool, muttering to himself.

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