Chapter 18: Battle for Supremacy

  Remember in one second

  Lin Hang looked at Xie Yin's pleading expression and shook his head. "This won't do, I don't have plans to join the sect for now."

  Xie Li saw that he was so determined, and only said that he had a hard time speaking, so he could only say: "Li Qianbei is the guest elder of our Ti Yin Sect, so we are also one family with you. Whether to join or not is just a matter of name. Since you have difficulties, we will hire you as the private guard of our siblings, how about that?"

  This is a very compromising approach that allows Lin to lend a hand while also not being bound by the rules of the clan and having other worries.

  He added a sentence: "As long as Brother Lin is willing, the reward is not a problem, I can offer the most generous compensation." Lin Heng was slightly moved. He had come to Shou Jing Mountain Range from afar, and one of his purposes was to take advantage of the resources in the Yifu Cave Mansion to cultivate for a period of time, improve his realm, and hopefully enter the fourth-grade realm. After all, "Wei Yin Zong" was the sect that his adoptive father had founded, and he could help out a bit, which would also be considered as doing his duty for his adoptive father.

  He thought for a moment, looking at the two people with expressions full of expectation and pleading, and nodded.

  Xie Yin suddenly jumped up, her face filled with joy, and quickly said: "With Lin Shixiong helping us set up an array, our Weihui Sect will no longer fear those powerful forces that have been eyeing us!"

  They thought that our Hidden Sect had no Fourth Grade Upper Realm, and wanted to join forces to bully the Hidden Sect, driving us to a dead end! Now, Lin Shixiong, you've promised to help our Hidden Sect, this time their wish is utterly delusional. What's so great about being in the Fourth Grade Upper Realm? It's still just a matter of letting Lin Shixiong strike them down!"

  As the news of Yang Desong's death in the late stage of the Fourth Rank spread, she had been hearing other sects' ridicule and mockery towards Weiyin Sect for two days, accumulating a bellyful of resentment. Now that Lin Hong has finally arrived, she is overjoyed.

  Xie Li also felt a weight off his shoulders. Since he took over the family business, other factions had been eyeing him covetously, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Lin Hong's offer of assistance was a solution to one of his headaches.

  The Shoujing Mountains stretch for tens of thousands of miles, with a dense spiritual energy, making it an ideal place for cultivation. However, there are not many areas suitable for establishing a sect's residence, which is why the Ti Yin Sect, covering several thousand square kilometers, has gathered more than ten sects besides the Xuan Tian Sect.

  It is also for this reason that fierce competition for various interests is inevitable.

  The hidden truth is that our strength is weak and unbearable, like a sheep in the mouth of a wolf, waiting to be swallowed up bit by bit.

  Lin Heng agreed to become Xie Li's personal bodyguard, but in reality it was just a nominal title, as no one had yet attempted to infiltrate the Ti Yin Sect and assassinate him. This was mainly symbolic, telling other sects that besides having powerful guest cultivators, the sect also had an internal non-guest cultivator who had once killed a strong fourth-grade cultivator in the later period.

  Just after sending two younger brothers out of the house, Lin Heng remembered the oilcloth package that his adoptive father had brought from afar.

  He vanished into thin air in an instant.

  Xie Li saw him chasing out and was very surprised.

  "Thank you, I have returned this time, my master has entrusted me to hand over an item to the master of the Hidden Sect. Now that you are also one of the leaders of the Hidden Sect, I can only hand it over to you." Xie Li and his siblings widened their eyes, "Item? That powerful Guest Elder has something to hand over to our Hidden Sect?"

  That's a legendary figure, and what he entrusted from afar can't be an ordinary thing.

  Lin Hang recounted his adoptive father's entrustment, and Xie Li's siblings listened in astonishment: ten years ago, their own father had actually made such an agreement with that senior? And used one of the three treasures of the Dui Yin Sect as a reward?

  "What exactly is it that my father is looking for?" Xie Yin was filled with curiosity, something that could make her father spend such a huge price and let that senior spend more than ten years searching all over the vast land of Han to find. It must not be an ordinary object.

  Lin Hengdao said: "The things I have brought, are inside the cave. However..." Xie Li naturally understood his meaning, which was that he had brought the things, but what about the promised reward?

  "Brother Lin, this is the first time my sister and I have heard of this agreement. We are very curious about that thing and thank you for your efforts, but can you give me some time to ask the elders within our sect to see what's going on? Firstly, this matter concerns the three great treasures of our Hidden Sect, and I am not authorized to make decisions on my own; secondly, among the three treasures, I need to verify which one was mentioned by my father and predecessors. In short, if it is true, our Hidden Sect will definitely keep its promise." Lin nodded his head, this kid has a way of doing things, much more efficient than his sister.

  He sent away the two people and Lin Huan cleared his mind of distractions, slowly entering a meditative state.

  He had just entered the late stage of the third grade, and it should have been a consolidation phase. However, he found that the spiritual energy in this cave was extremely dense, and when converted into internal energy, the speed at which it increased the potential of his consciousness sea was very rapid. He was cultivating the basic "Refining Spirit Mind Method", but the speed was still not slow. So he simply gave up on consolidation for now and decided to make some progress first.

  If it solidifies, then another impact will greatly discount the effect.

  After the previous segment, he suddenly "tempered" nearly half a box of crystal nuclei, and in one move, he rushed to the late third grade. The divine sense nucleus seemed to be somewhat slow in responding to the crystal nuclei. In a short period of time, he found it difficult to improve his cultivation by tempering crystal nuclei. Of course, this was only a temporary phenomenon, and he would recover within two months.

  About three hours later, he opened his eyes spiritedly.

  "No wonder the Xuantian Sect and many small sects chose to build their sects here, it's indeed a superior location. Just by cultivating for three hours, he clearly felt his cultivation slowly increasing." With this sigh, he became even more convinced that finding a suitable inner refinement manual would greatly accelerate his cultivation speed, as long as it was slightly better.

  He also noticed a phenomenon, compared to the outside, the spiritual energy in the cave was particularly dense, five times denser than any other place he had been to in the Shouyingshan Mountains. It seemed that his adoptive father had built the cave here and dug through the mountain, trapping it inside the mountain body, with a deep intention.

  After completing his training, Lin Huan summarized his current strength with a refreshed spirit.

  Not long after stepping into the third rank, he wants to break through to the fourth rank, but it's likely to take a long time. Of course, this long period may also bring unexpected surprises, after all, he has had too many such experiences before. His realm is in the third rank, but using "Tianfeng Style" with full force can kill the late fourth rank.

  He now has a slightly monotonous martial arts secret book, which is the repeated heavy style and "turning wind style" The effect of repeated heavy style gradually weakens and is used less and less. The only one with a better effect is the double repeated heavy blow using a heavy axe.

  And his greatest power is the "Fengyun Style". With this style, he can single-handedly defeat any warrior below the fifth rank. To be precise, this "Fengyun Style" is no longer the original "Fengyun Style", but rather a completely transformed version that has undergone a series of epiphanies.

  There is also the "Tremolo Rhythm" that he has fully grasped. The "Tremolo Rhythm" was originally only defensive, but as he improved it, it became an extremely powerful skill for both offense and defense. Or rather, the "Tremolo Rhythm" became a way to accumulate energy, not just a martial technique, which could multiply his accumulated energy.

  As for his current combat equipment, in terms of defense, he has a four-star scale armor made of inner armor that can withstand a single blow from a five-star strongman. In terms of speed, there is the three-star "Nine Rolls Cloud Brocade". In terms of attack, it's naturally the powerful blunt blade heavy axe. Basically, the three pieces of equipment form a perfect combat system.

  With his current strength, he may not be able to match a fifth-grade strongman, but if he wants to preserve his life and escape, it should be more than enough.

  Lin Heng is extremely satisfied with the current situation. With such a combination, he was ridiculed as a waste in Qili Gou and didn't dare to imagine it.

  The current problem to be solved is the low level of one's own internal skills and secret recipes.

  As for his current cultivation, he has always been using basic mind methods such as the "Cultivating Spirit Mind Method", which is far from keeping up with his advancement speed. The "Mysterious Introspection Seven-Section Secret" requires a cultivation level of fifth-grade or above to practice. However, upon careful consideration, another problem arises. If he finds an internal cultivation secret manual, wouldn't it be the case that when he reaches the fifth grade, he would have to abandon his original learning and switch to the "Mysterious Introspection Seven-Section Secret"?

  Internally repairing the secret book, most warriors usually specialize in one item, because halfway through the turn, it means giving up the original familiar practice and accumulation, starting all over again.

  The most important thing is that due to the familiarity with the original cultivation method, once a new internal cultivation method is changed, it will be twice as hard and even encounter unpredictable hidden dangers. Therefore, many people, once they find a mind-liked internal cultivation secret technique, will practice for life and no longer change.

  Lin Heng hesitated, thinking back and forth, and finally gritted his teeth: "Forget it, I'll just pretend to practice the 'Refining Spirit Mind Method' for now. Once I reach the fifth rank, I'll directly cultivate the 'Mysterious Introspection Seven-Section Arcane'. Anyway, relying on this rotten stuff, I won't be able to make it past the late stage of the third rank. Moreover, in this cave, the cultivation effect is barely satisfactory, and I'm really not greedy enough to swallow an elephant."

  Lin Heng's mouth corner revealed a bitter smile, until the late three products, still practicing basic internal skills, almost only one person under the sky.

  The Council of Elders, within the Temple of Heaven.

  The six council elders were frowning deeply, while Xie Li, who was young but mature beyond his years, tried to appear calm, but the youthful face could not hide its worried expression.

  "We spent twenty years cultivating the Crystal Mine, and it was only by relying on it that our sect could obtain a large amount of elixirs and materials to develop with difficulty. Once we give it up, I'm afraid our sect will be unable to continue, and it will be difficult to support ourselves. In those days, Patriarch Xie's divine might was awe-inspiring, and under the circumstances where all the other sects looked down on my Yi Yin Sect, he swept away the fallen leaves with an autumn wind, defeating the patriarchs of the other sects in one move and seizing the mine. How glorious that was! Even now, many people still reminisce about the shocking scene when he won..."

  "The Lianjing mine vein cannot be lost, once lost, our Weihui Sect will have the danger of extinction. For more than six years, Yang Desong is a fourth-grade late-stage cultivator, inferior to other sects, but relying on the "Lianjing stone vein", he can still support for six years. Without the "Lianjing mine vein", I'm afraid Weihui Sect won't last half a year and will collapse."

  I still have one more coming soon, it's being edited now!