After Lin Xuan took the Elemental Power Pill, the Elemental Power in his body recovered rapidly. In less than an hour, it was completely restored. He couldn't help but marvel at what a wonderful item the Elemental Power Pill was; its recovery speed was beyond comparison to recuperating on his own.
Ordinary disciples couldn't afford them, as they were even more valuable than Body Refining Pills. Lin Feng had given it to him without hesitation, a complete reversal of his previous indifference. The difference was night and day.
At Lin Xuan's request, Lin Feng set the six Copper Men to attack simultaneously. After everything was set up, he warned him again, "You have to be extremely careful, or you'll get hurt easily… How about I help you recover your sight first? It would make continuing the challenge a bit easier."
Lin Xuan glanced at him, a flicker of gratitude rising in his heart. Any prejudice he might have held against Lin Feng before had now vanished without a trace.
"There's no need. Actually, my eyes have already recovered," Lin Xuan said, no longer hiding the truth.
"What!?" Lin Feng stared at him in shock. This time, he looked closely at Lin Xuan's eyes and noticed they had a hint of life in them that wasn't there before.
"The red patterns on this Profound Iron Rod are quite beautiful." Lin Xuan stroked the patterns on its surface and said with a faint smile, "My eyes recovered for some strange reason. Maybe cultivating in the back mountains helped detoxify my body a little."
He didn't reveal his secret. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lin Feng, just that some secrets were best kept by as few people as possible. 'Besides, what would be the point of telling Lin Feng? He can't see anything anyway. It's better not to say anything.'
Under Lin Feng's astonished gaze, Lin Xuan walked into the Copperman Array, Profound Iron Rod in hand. The moment he stepped inside, a flash of light erupted from within the Array, and the atmosphere grew even more intense.
The next moment, six Copper Men surged forward. Not only had their numbers increased, but their speed had also risen by a whole level. No wonder Lin Feng had said the difficulty would increase; this was no small jump.
Lin Xuan gripped the Profound Iron Rod tightly. When one of the Copper Men rushed into his attack range, he tightened his grasp. The muscles in his arm bulged, veins popping, as surging Elemental Power poured into the Profound Iron Rod, once again forming an astonishing Qi Force.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
The first Copper Man to enter his range was sent flying, immediately followed by a second. In a flash, he had swept away three Copper Men with his rod. The deep, powerful impacts sent a hum through the Profound Iron Rod and made his hand go numb. He was putting all his strength into every swing.
Before the three flying Copper Men had even hit the ground, the three that had remained motionless suddenly sprang to life and joined the battle!
They lunged at him one after another, the pressure immensely greater than before. Lin Xuan relied on his perfectly practiced Cloud-Entering Form and the Cloud-Walking Step, but he was gradually starting to crumble under the relentless assault.
BANG!
Finally, Lin Xuan could no longer hold back the fierce assault. One of the Copper Men succeeded in a sneak attack from behind, its hard palm slamming into his back and sending him stumbling forward. The powerful force made him take several steps just to keep his balance.
Lin Xuan swallowed the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He braced himself with the Profound Iron Rod, absorbing the force from behind, while simultaneously swinging out violently to his side, sending several Copper Men flying. By now, the skin on the hand gripping the Profound Iron Rod had been torn open by the vibrations. Blood dripped from his elbow and slowly pooled on the ground.
He had lasted less than an hour so far. But the time limit was irrelevant now. This was a test of his own limits; how long he lasted no longer mattered.
'So I'm really no match for them…' Lin Xuan gasped for breath. His own abilities were just too limited. He knew pitifully few Martial Techniques. The only other ones he had access to were from the soul residing within him, but they weren't suitable for him to use right now.
"Young Master, use the Eight Extremes Staff Technique! Even if you lack the strength, using it should help get you out of this jam!" Lin Hua's voice called out, unable to hold back any longer. His face was fraught with anxiety; he wished he could go down and help himself.
Eight Extremes Staff Technique!
Lin Xuan froze. He had never heard of or seen this Martial Technique. How was he supposed to use it?
'If Lin Hua's soul could possess me…' An idea popped into Lin Xuan's head. 'If his soul merges with my Soul Space, I'll be able to learn those Martial Techniques!'
The six Copper Men didn't care what he was thinking. They all charged at him while he stood there in a daze.
Lin Feng frowned. He didn't know what Lin Xuan was thinking, but getting distracted on the battlefield was a fatal mistake!
Suddenly, the Light Pearl inside Lin Xuan's body began to hum. Lin Hua's soul transformed into an orb of light and merged into Lin Xuan's body! In an instant, Lin Xuan felt power erupt from within him. Astonishing memories of Martial Techniques flooded his mind, and his entire aura changed in a flash.
At this very moment, it was as if he had become Lin Hua, coldly watching the charging Copper Men. It felt as if he wasn't holding a Profound Iron Rod, but the entire world itself!
The six Copper Men were already upon him. Lin Xuan gripped the Profound Iron Rod tightly and let out a low roar. All the Elemental Power in his body surged forth, and his powerful aura skyrocketed in an instant.
Eight Extremes Staff Technique!
Lin Xuan leaped into the air and brought the rod down in a fierce strike, but he didn't hit the Copper Men—he hit the ground! The moment it struck the ground, a wave of force rolled outward, forcing the six Copper Men back a step. At that same moment, Lin Xuan swung the Profound Iron Rod in a wide circle through the air, and layers of Qi Force erupted from him as the center!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
In the blink of an eye, all six Copper Men were sent flying by this one move. The powerful technique left marks of varying depths on each of their bodies.
"Big Brother!" Lin Feng cried out involuntarily. He saw the shadow of his older brother in Lin Xuan. The posture of the swing was identical, though it lacked much of the power.
After executing that move, Lin Xuan's legs gave out. He dropped to one knee, using the Profound Iron Rod to prop himself up and keep from collapsing completely. He panted heavily, cold sweat beading on his forehead. At the same time, Lin Hua, who had possessed his body, withdrew. His Elemental Power was severely depleted; that single use of the Eight Extremes Staff Technique had drained him completely!
This was to be expected. The Eight Extremes Staff Technique was the third form of the Lin Family's Martial Techniques, and its Elemental Power consumption was extraordinary. The first form was the Cloud-Entering Form, and the second was the Sea-Entry Form that Lin Fang had used previously.
And who was Lin Hua? He was Lin Feng's older brother, a man whose talent surpassed even Lin Feng's. He had reached the Spirit Pill Stage over a decade ago; otherwise, how could he have been handling affairs for the main family? Between the drain of the Eight Extremes Staff Technique and the possession by an incredibly powerful soul, the half of Lin Xuan's Elemental Power that had remained was instantly siphoned dry.
The cost was astonishing, but so was the power. He had managed to unnaturally execute Lin Hua's incomparably proficient Eight Extremes Staff Technique. It was only because his own Cultivation was insufficient; otherwise, the power would have been even more terrifying. He might have been able to destroy all six Copper Men outright!
Seeing this, Lin Feng quickly halted the Copperman Array's attack. To be able to hold out for so long against six Copper Men and even repel them all in the end—it was a remarkable achievement!
Lin Xuan swallowed a few more Elemental Power Pills and began to regulate the Elemental Power in his body, feeling slightly better. At the same time, Lin Hua's voice came from the Light Pearl inside him: "What just happened? Why did it feel like my soul merged with yours?"
"I'll explain that later." Lin Xuan regulated his energy for a while longer, and his body recovered slightly. It was then that he discovered he had actually broken through to the Seventh Layer of the Body Refining Stage!
He had already been at the Peak of the Sixth Layer of the Body Refining Stage, so breaking through after this battle was well within reason. A moment later, having regained some strength, he stood up.
Lin Feng stood before him, looking at Lin Xuan with a complicated expression. "How do you know the Eight Extremes Staff Technique? As I recall, no one in the entire Lin Family knows that move except for me."
The Eight Extremes Staff Technique was the third form, but Lin Feng had never passed it down. Besides him, there was absolutely no one else in the Lin Family who knew it. Not only had Lin Xuan used the technique, but his eyes had also mysteriously healed. No matter how he looked at it, Lin Feng no longer believed the excuse Lin Xuan had given earlier.
Lin Xuan didn't know how to explain. Should he tell him about Lin Hua's soul possessing him? 'What a joke. He'd think I was an idiot if I said that.'
"Did someone from the main family contact you?" After thinking it over, this was the only explanation Lin Feng could come up with.
Lin Xuan shook his head. "I swear on my life, the main family has absolutely not contacted me. Besides, that's not what's important, is it? The truly important thing is that the Lin Family is on the verge of destruction, right?"
'Lin Feng's urgency to heal my eyes and spare no effort to help me improve must be related to the Lin Family's life-or-death crisis. After all, healing my eyes contradicts his earlier explanation about wanting to protect me. This can only mean one thing: the Lin Family is in a moment of crisis and could be wiped out at any time!'
'That's why he wanted to heal my eyes—so I could secretly escape the Lin Family. Only then would his efforts to protect me have been effective.'
He was no fool. After so many years of blindness, he had spent more time thinking than anyone.