Lin Yi simply offered a respectful, deferential nod and acknowledged. "Grandpa, I helped Brother Dong correct his stance and circulation path for the Penetrating Fist, showing him the key to unlocking the third echo a few years ago. But his subsequent progress has been entirely his own. I believe Brother Dong possesses a comprehension talent for practical martial arts that far exceeds my own. I focus more on foundational stability."
'I will just maintain the comprehensive genius persona, instead of a genius that requires resources at every turn. Let them focus on Lin Dong's and accelerate his growth, which will benefit me more indirectly.'
Lin Yi calculated, his mental energy already analyzing the subtle shifts in Lin Zhentian's spiritual aura.
Lin Zhentian leaned back, a calculating glint in his eyes. He didn't fully believe the explanation, but the results were undeniable. Lin Dong was a prodigy who needed to be cultivated.
"Very well," Grandfather Lin Zhentian conceded, a slow, satisfied smile spreading across his face. "Regardless of the methods, Lin Dong, you have proven yourself worthy. From tomorrow, you will be granted a monthly allocation of ten Yuan Power Pills and access to the Martial Tower's third floor."
Lin Xiao nodded silently without saying anything. He knew the family support is extremely necessary for his son's future path.
Lin Zhentian looked pointedly at Lin Yi. "Lin Yi, you will also receive five yuan power pills monthly. Use them to condense the Yuan power seed as soon as possible. Your task is to support your brother."
"Yes, Grandpa, I will." Lin Yi was startled and hurriedly replied, his tone calm and composed. Lin Zhentian nodded satisfied, looking at both of them, then he took his son Lin Xiao aside in order to talk about something.
After a while,
Lin Xiao left the manor with his family, the promised resources already in their possession. Lin Yi walked silently beside Lin Dong, who was still buzzing with excitement.
'Yuan Power Pills are useless to my Late Stage Yuan Dan, anyway, I will let him use them. Today's encounter already titled me as a side character. It will be interesting to see their reaction, when a side character like me is more powerful and ruthless than the main character.' Lin Yi mused internally, while following his family silently.
Then he glanced at his brother. "Brother Dong, you did well today. But remember, the journey has just begun."
Lin Dong nodded seriously. "I know, Yi. I will not stop until I can stand beside you and truly protect our family."
That night, back in his secluded mountain cave, Lin Yi sat cross-legged, the Force Camouflage finally relaxing, allowing the chaotic power of the Yuan Dan Late Stage to surge within him.
He held a single third rank herb in his hand. He absorbed it, the meager spiritual energy dissolving instantly in his origin rank Yuan Dan without showing any visible change.
'The resources are insufficient. Lin Dong needs to rise faster, and the quickest way is to receive the return… Anyway, he will soon break through the Earthly Yuan realm.'
…
A few days after the clan competition, Lin Dong was absorbed in his closed-door training, rigorously using his newly acquired Yuan Power Pills and the energy of the Ancestral Stone Talisman to solidify his Seventh Layer, Tempered Body Stage foundation.
Lin Yi found Qing Tan sitting alone on a stone bench under the moonlight. She was shivering violently, despite the heavy cloak wrapped around her. Her white hair, usually a playful element of her beauty, seemed to absorb the moonlight, and the air immediately around her bench had begun to precipitate a fine, glacial frost that clung to the stone.
Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing was shallow, and her lips were a faint, alarming shade of blue.
'The Terminus Devil Body is resurfacing,' Lin Yi observed calmly, his internal thoughts flickering. 'The intense shock and fear from the Lin Shan incident, combined with the rapid Yuan Power changes in the clan, have acted as a minor catalyst. This is the first, painful internal change… the suppression of her true physique is failing.'
He walked quietly toward her, his Force Camouflage working at its peak to ensure the Yuan Dan power within him remained utterly silent, masking the colossal Yin power of his Pure Yin Holy Physique, which would naturally resonate with Qing Tan's cold aura.
"Qing Tan," he said softly, sitting beside her. He reached out and gently placed the back of his hand against her forehead. The cold was shocking, far surpassing the normal chill of the night.
Qing Tan barely opened her eyes, which held a raw, deep confusion mixed with pain. "Brother Yi… I… I don't feel well. It's so cold… but my body is burning."
Lin Yi nodded calmly the essence of the Terminus Devil Body was the conflict between the innate, pure Yin coldness and the body's resistance to it.
He withdrew his hand and subtly moved closer, shielding her slightly from the view of the main house. His attention plunged deep into his soul space, focusing entirely on the Primordial Chaos Stone Talisman.
Unlike the Ancestral Stone Talisman, which gathered external Yuan Power, the Primordial Chaos Stone Talisman was an anchor of original, chaotic power. He directed a single, small thread of this Primordial Chaos Energy… the most fundamental and untraceable force in his possession to the surface of the Talisman.
Then, with perfect control, he released the minute, purified thread of energy. It was not Yuan Power, nor was it spiritual energy; it was the sheer essence of chaotic balance. The energy did not leave his body physically; instead, it radiated invisibly through the air, completely bypassing the need for a physical channel.
The moment the Primordial Chaos Energy touched Qing Tan's aura, the extreme, localized coldness vanished. It didn't warm up; rather, the energy acted as a perfect, neutral buffer, instantly drawing the raw, agitated Yin Energy back inward and forcefully sealing it within the deepest layers of her meridians.
...
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