Chapter 11: A Chance Encounter with Cultivators Dueling - Part 1
Time flew by, and Lin Tianming had been stationed in Qingfeng Town for two months.
During those two months, Lin Tianming had only refined Fasting Pills twice, producing thirty-eight pills on the first attempt.
The second time, he also used up materials for three batches of Fasting Pills, yielding forty-two pills, bringing the total to exactly eighty Fasting Pills.
In the meantime, he would assimilate one Lingshen Pill each month. Having assimilated two Lingshen Pills, his cultivation level had significantly increased. He had reached the late phase of the Fifth Level of Qi Refinement and was getting ever closer to the Sixth Level. He believed the breakthrough to the Sixth Level would likely happen within the next couple of months.
Over the two months, apart from rigorous practice, it was still rigorous practice. He had not left his home and was quite satisfied with the progress in his cultivation despite the hardship.
At the beginning of each month, Lin Tianming would patrol a radius of several dozen miles around Qingfeng Town.
He hadn't encountered any Demonic Beasts, only a few Mortal Beasts, which he casually killed and brought back to Qingfeng Town for the Lin Family mortals to feast on, much to the widening of many eyes among the Lin Family mortals.
These Mortal Beasts were also descendants of the Demon Race, but their bloodlines had severely degenerated and they no longer had the ability to evolve. However, their flesh was full of vigorous energy, and when consumed by mortals, it could greatly enhance their strength and vitality.
Over time, it would strengthen their bodies and make them resistant to diseases; reaching a certain amount could perhaps extend their lives by a decade or eight years.
In the secular world, although there were also a small number of mortals who practiced martial arts, taking on beasts alone was more likely dangerous than not. The ease with which he killed them garnered immense admiration from the Lin Family mortals, and their respect for Lin Tianming deepened.
At dawn, the fiery sun slowly rose, its rays shining upon the Nine Provinces Continent.
Lin Tianming appeared outside the pavilion on the square, where numerous mortals knelt in reverence.
Under the gaze of all, Lin Tianming summoned his Green Bamboo Sword. With a leap, he jumped onto it and rose into the air, flying out of the town.
As usual, he planned to survey the perimeter around Qingfeng Town with the town as the center, checking for any Demonic Beasts that might harm the people.
Last time he had patrolled a radius of just over fifty miles around Qingfeng Town, but today he planned to expand the area to a hundred-mile radius to ensure the safety of the region as much as possible.
Outside the town, in the fields at dawn, a network of rivers was dense, and large swaths of rice seedlings, fresh and green, grew promisingly.
Many Lin Family mortals were laboring in the fields. They moved in groups through the rice fields, busy farming, chatting, and laughing.
A boy of about ten years old skillfully harvested the crops in the field.
The yield was very good this year. An elder nearby, his face beaming with joy and respect, couldn't help but exclaim,
"Thank goodness our Lin Family is blessed by our immortal ancestors. Now, with favorable winds and rains, we can live and reproduce in peace."
The boy, looking puzzled, asked,
"Grandpa, are there really immortals in this world? Did our Lin Family really have immortals?"
"Of course, there are immortals. Over thirty years ago, when I was just a child, younger than you, I saw one with my own eyes."
"That immortal could fly through the air, command the power of water and fire at will, and had the ability to move mountains and fill seas. Even the ferocious tigers were killed in an instant by the immortal. I will never forget it for the rest of my life."
The elder spoke passionately about the immortal, filled with admiration and longing.
The boy's face was filled with yearning, and he said firmly,
"I also want to become an immortal, to protect our family and Qingfeng Town."
Hearing this, his grandfather grew serious. In a little over a year, it would be time for the Lin Family's Spirit Testing. He must send his grandson to try.
With both his son and daughter-in-law having passed away at a young age, his grandson had grown up with him, raised through hardship. If he were to pass away, leaving his grandson helpless, what would become of him? If the boy could become an immortal and be entered into the Lin Family records, he himself could die content.
Watching the many mortals happily farming or harvesting crops in the field, Lin Tianming was also touched by their joy.
Continuing west, he soared towards the direction of the Wei Kingdom's Ziyun Mountain Range.
The Ziyun Mountain Range was a small range, spanning just over a thousand miles, less than one-fifth the size of the Luoyun Mountain Range, with sparse spiritual energy.
The Purple Cloud Mountain Range got its name because it resembled the shape of clouds. Inside the mountain range, there weren't many Demonic Beasts. Mostly there were First Order Demon Beasts, and Second Order Demonic Beasts were rare. They lived within the Purple Cloud Mountain Range and seldom ventured out of their territory.
In the vast Qingzhou, small mountain ranges like this one were countless, and thus, no cultivation sects had taken control of this area.
However, with the increasing number of cultivators in the land of Qingzhou and the expansion of other state's forces, Qingzhou would sooner or later become overcrowded and its natural resources would start to dwindle.
But those concerns were not something he needed to consider at the moment.
Lin Tianming deployed his Divine Sense and continued to survey the nearby area for several miles.
A few miles ahead, on a small hill, there were two cultivators dueling with magic. Judging from the fluctuations caused by their duel, they were at least at the Seventh Level of Qi Refinement or above.
Lin Tianming didn't dare to keep going forward and immediately retreated, finding a place to hide in a small valley nearby. He used a concealment spell to hide exceptionally well.
A few miles away, a cultivator in a red robe said indignantly,
"Jin Daoyou, I was the first to discover that Cave Mansion. After exploring the Cave Mansion, I said we would divide the treasures with a split of sixty-forty in your favor. Yet, you, taking advantage of being one level higher in cultivation than me, actually propose an eighty-twenty split. That's just too much to ask."
"If you want to monopolize the treasures, just say so directly. Why make so many excuses? Even though you are one level higher in cultivation than me, does that mean I'm easy to bully?"
The other cultivator, a man in a white robe with a murderous aura, didn't waste words. With a cold smile, he commanded three Spirit Swords to form a Sword Array that shot towards the man in the red robe at high speed.
The Red Robe Cultivator, greatly alarmed, sacrificed a hammer-shaped Spiritual Artifact, pouring a tremendous amount of Spiritual Power into it. The dual hammers turned into a red light phantom and violently smashed down towards the man in the white robe.
With a booming sound, a massive explosion erupted, and flames scattered in all directions.
The white-robed man was sent flying backwards several yards, his clothes barely covering his body, with blood traces at the corner of his mouth, clearly sustaining serious internal injuries.
As for the Red Robe Cultivator, his upper garment was completely shredded, exposing his entire upper body, with several inch-long bloody holes on his shoulder. Had he not been a Body Cultivator, full of vibrant blood and Qi which allowed him to quickly dodge vital areas, he might have already fallen.
Both were extremely shocked. Now that they had gone past the point of reconciliation, it would be difficult to end things amicably. They had no choice but to fight desperately. If it were indeed the Cave Mansion of a Nascent Soul Master, it would be worth the risk.
Having said that, both prepared their strongest attacks, intending to kill the other on the spot in order to take sole possession of the Cave Mansion Ruins.
The white-robed cultivator sacrificed a Flying Sword, casting several spells on it. The Sword Qi on the blade soared several times, and with a spray of essence blood on the three swords, the Sword Qi became even more agile.
The white-robed man shouted loudly,
"Three Stars Spirit Sword Technique, kill…"
In an instant, the three Spirit Swords merged into one, sending a berserk and nimble Sword Qi hurtling straight towards the man in the red robe.
The Red Robe Cultivator, unfazed, grasped the dual hammers in his hands.
Spiritual Power overflowed from his entire body, and the bloody holes on his shoulders healed at a visible rate. His whole body emanated an unstoppable aura.
After using the Secret Art of Dominating Body Technique, the Red Robe Cultivator, holding a golden hammer in each hand, charged towards the white-robed cultivator as vigorously as if he had a cultivator's body.
His speed was so fast it made onlookers gape in astonishment.
With a thunderous explosion, fire and debris flew in all directions. A shockwave from the blast spread out, with the two men at its center, toppling and snapping the towering trees within a hundred yards.
The scene was a complete mess, too horrible to behold.
After the smoke cleared and the dust settled,
the white-robed man was seen lying motionless on the ground, at the bottom of a pit a zhang in diameter. His meridians were completely severed, his flesh blurred with blood; he was so dead that he could be no deader.
The Red Robe Cultivator, with a pale face, stood dozens of yards away, with a hole the size of a fist in his chest. He leaned against a rock, his breaths weak, looking greatly depleted.
He quickly took out a Consolidating Essence Pill, a healing elixir, popped it into his mouth, and sat down to meditate and recover from his injuries.
That battle had been extremely fierce. For him, at the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation against an opponent at the Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation, had he not used that heaven-defying secret technique, it might have been him lying dead.