Chapter 22

Lin Xuan stared at the beautiful little face of the girl in front of him, a look of surprise in his eyes.

This is… a punishment?

At this moment, Lin Xuan’s elegant face was as flushed as the color of a sunset cloud. She pouted and said, “Lin Xuan, what are you still looking at? The punishment only happens once!”

“This little girl is getting bolder,” Lin Xuan realized, slowly coming to his senses as the cool, gentle scent from their previous interaction lingered.

However… he wouldn’t mind having a bit more of this punishment!

“You little girl…”

This time, even if Lin Xuan tried to pretend to be calm, he couldn’t. A faint blush appeared on his youthful face as he realized what was happening.

“Yanzhi, these are medicinal pills to assist your cultivation. If you take one every day, your training speed should increase several times,” Lin Xuan said, revealing several bottles made of white jade porcelain in his palm. Inside were the medicinal pills he had left over from his last refinement, each of perfect quality.

He handed these pills to Lin Xuan, speaking in a calm tone, “These pills will be enough for you to train for half a month. Don’t save them; you must take one every day to train. Once these are used up, I’ll refine another batch for you.”

“Medicinal pills?” Lin Xuan was slightly taken aback, then raised her small face and curiously asked, “Lin Xuan, have you become an alchemist?”

Becoming an alchemist was not like any other profession; it required extremely high talent and substantial resources.

Her brother Lin Xuan had only been in seclusion for a few days; how did he suddenly become an alchemist?

Lin Xuan nodded, directly acknowledging it.

“Hehe, if Lin Xuan has become an alchemist, then I can treat the pills like candy!” Lin Xuan exclaimed excitedly. “I knew it! Lin Xuan is the best!”

Suddenly, Lin Xuan’s expression became slightly serious as he spoke to Lin Xuan, “Yanzhi, you need to keep my becoming an alchemist a secret.”

“So, this is a secret between me and Lin Xuan?” Lin Xuan’s delicate eyebrows arched playfully.

“…….”

Lin Xuan looked at this little girl, feeling somewhat helpless as he changed the subject. “Yanzhi, there’s only half a month left until the coming-of-age ceremony. You need to cultivate properly and prepare for it.”

The coming-of-age ceremony in the Lin family essentially marked the fate of the younger generation. Those who didn’t meet the qualifications would be sent to other places to contribute to the family, while resources would be concentrated on a select few talented individuals.

In this world where strength is paramount, the law of natural selection is vividly evident.

Lin Xuan pouted her pink lips, knowing that her brother was avoiding the topic again.

However… she also understood the answer!

Over the years, she had thoroughly grasped her brother’s way of communicating. Whenever Lin Xuan changed the subject, it meant he acknowledged something.

This was… a secret only they two knew!

Lin Xuan’s eyes sparkled as if a bright star had fallen into them, shining brilliantly.

Lin Xuan never expected that his thoughts had been so thoroughly deciphered by this girl. He was still struggling to explain the importance of the coming-of-age ceremony to her, hoping she would take it seriously.

However, by the time Lin Xuan finished explaining, his throat felt parched, only to see the girl in front of him daydreaming. One moment her eyes were misty, the next her cheeks were slightly flushed, and then she broke into a sweet smile.

“…….”

“Forget it, with this girl’s talent, it’s unlikely anyone could surpass her.”

Lin Xuan gave up; after all, he would go find his fifth grandfather later to get some medicinal materials and refine a few qi condensing pills for her to take.

Perhaps Lin Xuan hadn’t noticed that, for some time now, he had started to talk more.

Eventually, Lin Xuan accompanied Lin Xuan around the vicinity of the Lin family estate. By the time evening fell, the two parted ways.

…….

“Lin Xuan also has his own opportunities now.”

Lin Xuan gazed at the bright moonlight, feeling that tonight’s moon was particularly beautiful. She delicately picked a medicinal pill from the porcelain bottle given to her by Lin Xuan. The pill was flawless, round as jade, glistening beautifully under the moonlight.

Without hesitation, Lin Xuan swallowed the medicinal pill. As the warmth surged through her body, she did not immediately digest it. With her cultivation level, refining this pill would be an instant, but she chose not to.

After all, this was the pill personally refined for her by Lin Xuan. Even if it were the lowest quality, she would still consume it without hesitation.

“Lin Xuan, this is our… secret!”

That night was very quiet, silent as the grave.

…….

Lin Xuan also gazed at the bright moon outside the courtyard. He tried several times to enter a meditative state, but this time, something seemed to have changed in his heart, preventing him from focusing on his training.

“This girl is disturbing my peace of mind!”

Lin Xuan smiled helplessly, his face soon showing a look of indulgence.

“I’ll give Yanzhi this flowing sleeve fairy dress as a coming-of-age gift in a few days. In half a month, I should be able to break through to the Qi Sea Realm. Only by reaching the Qi Sea Realm can I be fearless, even if my identity is exposed, as I will have a trump card.”

He hadn’t forgotten that he had already formed a feud with the little prince of the Chu Ling royal family, and he had a task hanging over this little prince as well.

He wouldn’t act rashly without the confidence to confront the Chu Ling royal family. But once he had that confidence, he would not hesitate to complete the task.

In this world, the strong prey on the weak; this has been true since ancient times. Lin Xuan, of course, could not afford to be naive.

…….

Meanwhile,

Outside Tai’an City,

Heihushan (Black Tiger Mountain)

A young, immature figure was sneaking into Black Tiger Mountain under the cover of the night.

“Teacher, is the energy fluctuation you felt real?”

“Don’t scare me; this is the stronghold of Black Tiger Village, where a master of the True Yuan Realm is stationed. If something goes wrong, both of us will pay the price here.”

The young and sneaky figure was Lin Yan.

Since leaving the auction house, an old man in his mind had told him that he sensed a hidden fluctuation nearby, a kind of energy emitted by a rare treasure, at least a fourth-grade genius treasure, and it was extremely rare.

Following his teacher’s guidance, Lin Yan had arrived at Black Tiger Mountain with a group of merchants, leading to the current scene.

“Hmph, are you questioning me, your teacher?”

“Don’t worry, Xiaoyanzi. With me here, even a master of the Qi Sea Realm won’t be able to discover your whereabouts!”