“What a shame!” muttered Lin Yun to himself, watching Chen Xiao who was outraged choose to leave finally.

If Chen came back, maybe Lin would take advantage of the evil beast to get rid this trouble in advance.

When Lin Yun turned around, an evil wind blew on his face.

The unknown evil beast coming for the Saber-toothed Tiger would be here any minute.

Without any hesitation, Lin Yun chose another way to get his package back and then went away.

Three days later, in the town at the foot of the mountain where Qingyun Sect was located, Lin Yun appeared before one of the busiest shops.

It was called Qingyun Town. The disciples of sects nearby were the main customers of all shops here.

People came and went, most of who were sect disciples or kung fu practitioners nearby.

Lin Yun came up to the counter and put his parcel with the beast parts onto it.

The boss was an elder, well-mannered. He opened the parcel and checked the beast parts proficiently.

He glanced at Lin Yun now and then, with a little surprise in his eyes.

So many beast parts, obtained by one man! That was rare. There were even Iron Claw Wolves’ claws. Everyone here knew they were evil beasts living in flocks. It was nearly impossible to fight them alone.

“The Iron Claw Wolves’ claws, 3,000 taels of silver. Since this Spot Tiger’s fur is a whole piece, I can give you 2,000 taels. For the quality of the Sharp Bull’s horns, they are worth about 900. And for all of the rest, I can offer 1,500 taels. What do you think?”

The boss was really professional. He offered the price right after he checked them.

Lin Yun nodded his head and said, “Leave me 500 taels. I want to buy some pills with the rest money.”

“No problem!”

The boss laughed on hearing this. This was a good bargain. He said in a low voice, “What kind of pills do you need? Although ours can’t compare with what you make, the quality is really not bad. They will meet your needs.”

All sects would grant the pay on the fifteenth day of every month, including some silver and pills which differed according to the level of the disciples’ cultivation. But the pills were far from enough for cultivation.

Only those inner disciples and top outer disciples would get extra pay.

“Let me check the list.”

The boss threw him a list, with all kinds of pills and their effects.

Lin Yun slightly shook his head. Those pills were all damn expensive. He realized that 7,000 taels of silver was not so much as he imagined.

For most of the pills, only one would cost thousands of taels of silver, and the quality was not so good.

“Two Body Nourishing Elixirs, two Spirit Cultivating Elixirs, and one bottle of Body Refining Solution.”

Nearly 7,000 taels of silver was spent on only four pills and a bottle of cheap solution.

Different from the third level of Martial Practice on which cultivation of acupoints and vessels was the key, the fourth level was to cultivate one’s muscles. The Body Refining Elixirs could double the speed.

It was a pity that only one Body Refining Elixir would cost over ten thousand of taels of silver. He was left with nothing better than the second choice - the Body Refining Solution.

Body Nourishing Elixirs were the basic pills. The more, the better. It was useful for each level of Martial Practice. But the higher level, the less effect.

Spirit Cultivating Elixirs were for the inner power.

Looking at the pills, Lin Yun kind of understood why other disciples liked making fun of him with Su Ziyao.

It was mostly out of jealousy, because Su Ziyao’s reward was indeed worth a lot.

“I have to pay it back. I do have to.”

After coming back to Qingyun Sect, Lin Yun began to practice in seclusion.

He really earned a lot during the trip to Hengyun Mountains. He made breakthroughs both in his martial art and cultivation level.

To make such great breakthroughs, he had to stay calm, consolidate his cultivation and digest the pills he bought.

Meanwhile, after Zhou Ping, whose ribs were broken by Lin Yun, recovered, he immediately came back home.

“Brother, if you don’t help me this time, there will be no place for me in Qingyun Sect!” said Zhou Ping in a pitiful tone, wearing a long face.

In the Sect Affairs Administration, Zhou Ping got his ribs broken by Lin Yun with only three moves. He lay there like a dead dog.

It made him the biggest joke among all outer disciples. He was even no match for a kept sword slave!

“Get lost,” his big brother Zhou Yun said in a cold voice.

Zhou Yun had reached the seventh level, ranking top ten among all the outer disciples of Qingyun Sect.

In the mid-year test two months later, he was confident of passing it and becoming an inner disciple.

He didn’t have time for his good-for-nothing brother at all. After all it was only for a sword slave. People would talk behind his back.

“Brother, please help me. Recently even those servants in Sword-washing Chamber don’t listen to me. If it keeps going on like this, I will be driven out of the sect…”

Zhou Ping kept begging him and nearly knelt down.

Zhou Yun sighed in his heart and said coldly with a touch of detestation crossing in his eyes, “You can go. I will help you this time, but only this once.”

“Thank you, brother. Thank you!”

Zhou Ping laughed immediately on hearing that. Apparently, his situation was not as bad as he described.

Looking at his good-for-nothing brother, Zhou Yun really felt helpless.

At least Zhou Ping was his natural brother. After thinking for a moment with eyes closed, Zhou Yun came up with a plan.

But he couldn’t do it himself, because he wanted to become an inner disciple. There couldn’t be any mistake.

He had to find someone else who could do it for him, which would cost him some pills.

…

In Lin Yun’s cabin on the hillside of Qingyuan Sect.

Lin Yun had been back for two days, and absorbed one Body Nourishing Elixir and one Spirit Cultivating Elixir.

With the help of the pills, he had improved a lot and stabilized himself on the fourth level.

Especially his inner power had been strengthened. His inner power of Pure Yang martial art was thick and strong. Plus the help of Spirit Cultivating Elixir, now the inner power became more powerful.

He guessed that maybe his inner power was even stronger than those disciples who had reached the fifth level.

Though practice of Pure Yang Scrip was time-consuming, its effect was much better any other martial arts.

Before him was a half meter high bathtub.

He took out the Body Refining Solution, poured one third of it into the water and then sealed the bottle.

Chi~

There was kind of chemical reaction right after the solution was poured in, with hot gas rising.

The clear spring water completely turned into bright green, with a good smell of the solution.

He took off his robe and got into the tub. Immediately he felt like his body was burning up. When the solution permeated into his body, it was all absorbed by his muscles. It felt like all the cells came to life, making him extremely comfortable.

He could apparently feel that his body was strengthened. Five minutes later, that kind of feeling gradually faded away.

Lin Yun sighed, “After all it’s only Body Refining Solution. If it were the Body Refining Elixir, I would have improved my cultivation much more.”

Through the water mist, Lin Yun set his eyes on a scroll painting on the desk.

“My heart shelters a fierce tiger which, however, enjoys sniffing roses!”

He was a little confused. Why could this mysterious scroll painting change his Tiger Fist without a sign?

Why could the scroll painting make his Tiger Worshipped by All Beasts, the strongest move of Tiger Fist, fuse with his swordplay?

He took the painting up carefully. After thinking for a moment, he unfolded the scroll painting again slowly.

Boom!

As before, once the scroll painting was unfolded, it felt like a tiger jumped out of it. It was roaring in his ear, with a strong wind blowing into his face. That kind of oppressive feeling was heavy and like real.

But Lin nearly embraced death before, plus his experience of fighting against the Saber-toothed Tiger; he was already not the original Lin Yun.

With his hands holding the scroll painting shaking, he was still trying to face the tiger, letting it jump at him.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…a whole minute passed.

The tiger kept pouncing on his heart. And the moment he was gonna break down, he saw a dim sword light in the scroll painting.

And the moment he saw the sword light, he couldn’t take it, and put the painting away in haste.

Pit-a-pat! Pit-a-pat!

His heart kept beating fast, like it was gonna pop out of his chest. Lin Yun got cold sweat all over his forehead.

It was really a sword light. And that glance at the sword light really freaked him out.

After he calmed down, Lin Yun looked at the scroll painting, and unfolded it again.

It was only the tiger there this time, and the homicidal momentum from the king of all beasts captured his heart.

But the sword light was nowhere to be found.

“The painting contains so many secrets. Maybe I don’t have the ability now. But some day I will make them all crystal clear.”

Lin Yun put down the scroll painting and stopped thinking about it.

The water in the tub already became clear again, and the solution was all absorbed.

After cleaning his body, Lin Yun put on his robe and walked out of the cabin with his old sword.

He pulled out his sword, and began practicing the Flowing Wind Swordplay, like dancing in the cloud.

He hadn’t practiced it for two days. So, once he pulled out the sword to practice, he got immersed in it.

Gathering Water to Form a Stream Flowing like Wind!

With the seemingly aimless moves, the true meaning of the swordplay was showed. He nearly became one with his sword. Flowing like wind, he nearly forgot his own presence.

After putting away the sword, Lin breathed out a filthy breath. He said to himself, “I have made it to the Slight Achievement now. If I want to go further, maybe I need to have a try in the Trigger Hall.”