Lin Yu believed that compared to reluctantly practicing second-rate middle and high-level qi meridian cultivation techniques, perfecting a basic cultivation technique could better lay a solid foundation for the surge of spiritual energy after the apocalypse. And it turned out that his choice was incredibly right. Thanks to the nourishment of the spiritual energy from the Health-Nurturing Formula, when Lin Yu practiced the Iron Evil Primordial Magnetic True Technique, he could not only absorb its essence but also avoid the drawbacks of the overly fierce nature of the technique, keeping his body full of vitality. Perhaps Lin Yu himself hadn't noticed it, but the experienced Lin Tiefeng had keenly caught on.

  The Health-Nurturing Formula and the Iron Evil Primordial Magnetic True Technique were a perfect match. One focused on cultivating qi meridians, while the other tempered the body; one emphasized gradual progress, and the other was about fierce advancement. The two cultivation techniques, one internal and one external, one soft and one rigid, complemented and honed each other. Lin Tiefeng thought that if things continued like this, when Lin Yu reached his current level of cultivation, not only would his physical defense be on par, but his recovery speed after injury would be ten times faster than his own. Under the tempering of these two amazing cultivation techniques, Lin Yu's skin, flesh, bones, and muscles became increasingly strong and vibrant.

  Looking at his son's strong and energetic body, and then at his own muscular armor as tough as wild ox hide and glistening with a metallic sheen, Lin Tiefeng shook his head with a bitter smile. If he had known that the Lin Family's Health-Nurturing Formula had such miraculous effects, why would he have abandoned it in his youth to practice the Fierce Ox Great Strength Divine Formula?

  "Alright, Yu'er, that's enough practice for today."

  Hearing his father's words, Lin Yu, who was in the middle of his cultivation, raised an eyebrow. After a few consecutive palm strikes, he used the rebound force to retreat from the Iron Mountain Formation and came before Lin Tiefeng. "What's the matter, Father? Is there something wrong with my Iron Eight Trigrams Palm Technique?"

  Looking at his outstanding son, Lin Tiefeng's eyes were filled with pride and affection. He shook his head and smiled, saying, "No, Yu'er. Your talent and comprehension far surpass mine at your age. It took me a full three years to reach the level you achieved in just three months with this 'Iron Eight Trigrams' offensive supernatural power. Moreover, you wield the palm technique with great proficiency and grace. Even I, watching from the side, have been greatly inspired. Except for your slightly lacking in cultivation power, you're almost perfect in other aspects."

  In the face of his father's generous praise, Lin Yu lowered his head and smiled softly, but there was no trace of arrogance in his heart. He knew that although his talent and comprehension were three to five times better than his late-blooming father's, it was still far from enough to explain his tenfold faster cultivation progress. The real reason for his rapid advancement was that in his previous life, after 2012, he had also practiced the Iron Eight Trigrams and studied under his father for more than ten years, thoroughly mastering the essence of this palm technique. Now, with his father's wholehearted guidance, if he didn't make any progress, he would be ashamed of himself, let alone face the apocalyptic crisis eight years later.

  Lin Tiefeng, of course, was unaware of the real reason. He simply regarded Lin Yu as a natural cultivation prodigy, especially suited to practicing this fierce Iron Eight Trigrams Palm Technique. Seeing that Lin Yu remained humble and composed, he valued his son even more and encouraged him, saying, "Yu'er, back then, I used this Iron Eight Trigrams Palm Technique to slay enemy cultivators and earn my first pot of gold. This Iron Eight Trigrams is one of the few supernatural powers that combines cultivation and martial arts in the Iron Evil Magnetic Devouring Hand. Unfortunately, it has extremely high requirements for talent and comprehension. I spent more than twenty years researching it and only deduced up to the thirty-second palm, and that's already my limit. If I can't succeed in establishing the foundation and further tempering the palm technique, I'll never progress beyond this in my life."

  "However, Yu'er, you're different. In just three months, you've mastered the second, fourth, and eighth palms and are now practicing the sixteenth palm. You're very likely to deduce the ultimate secret of the Iron Eight Trigrams—the sixty-four palms—during the Qi Refining stage. That would be a killing move as powerful as a middle-rank supernatural power, or even a high-rank one! Yu'er, I believe you can do it."

  "If it weren't for the limitations of my current body and cultivation, I'd love to demonstrate the full set of sixty-four palms to you right away. After all, in my previous life, you taught me these moves personally after you established the foundation," Lin Yu thought silently. Of course, he didn't dare to say these words out loud. Otherwise, Lin Tiefeng might think his son had been possessed by an evil cultivator and take action to "clean house."

  Fortunately, Lin Tiefeng didn't keep Lin Yu in suspense for long. After a moment of contemplation, he said bluntly, "Yu'er, we've been in seclusion for three months, and it's time for me to leave." "What? Father, you're going back to the combat group?" Although he had expected this day, when Lin Tiefeng said it, Lin Yu still felt it was too sudden. He still had so much more to learn and master.

  But this wasn't up to Lin Yu to decide. Lin Tiefeng smiled bitterly and said, "Yu'er, I took a one-and-a-half-month leave from the combat group to protect you during your cultivation. Now, the entire combat group is pressing me to return, and the Clan Elder Council sent an emissary yesterday to urge me to take charge of the frontline operations. There's no other way. Half a month ago, the Han Family of the Spirit Foxes, along with the Wang Family of Paper Talismans, the Cui Family of Ghost Controllers, and the Crimson Shadow Immortal Sect, advanced towards our clan's No. 3 Spirit Stone Mine."

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  "They've already clashed with our frontline combat group. This time, they're coming with full force. The No. 3 Spirit Stone Mine is one of the lifelines of our clan. If it falls, the spirit stones available for cultivation in the clan will decrease by nearly 40%. Fortunately, your Uncle Su Wenshe is holding the line at the front; otherwise, the mine might really be lost."

  "Why do they have to do this? We all cultivate in Qinwang Ridge. Even if we're not distant relatives, we're at least neighbors. Why start such a big fight? Don't they think there haven't been enough casualties among their clan members?" Lin Yu complained to Lin Tiefeng. Lin Tiefeng smiled knowingly, thinking that although his son was fearless in cultivation, his kind nature made him say such "naive" things.

  But Lin Tiefeng had no idea that Lin Yu understood the situation better than anyone. It was the 21st century, an era dominated by human technological civilization, which was a genuine age of declining spiritual energy for cultivators. Qinwang Ridge, as a spiritual land, gathered too many cultivation forces. With limited cultivation resources like spirit stone mines and spiritual herb fields, not fighting for them meant a quicker death.

  The battles between various forces within the spiritual land not only improved the overall quality of their cultivators, sifting out the elites and giving them more opportunities to advance in cultivation and pursue longevity, but the spiritual energy of the fallen cultivators could also nourish the spiritual land, adding to its vitality and luck.

  It was the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest. Although no one in the cultivation world talked about it openly, this was how things had been for thousands of years. The ones who didn't mention it were often the most ruthless in their actions.

  Watching his father's departing back, Lin Yu hesitated for a moment but ultimately said nothing. Although the frontline was dangerous, his father had reached the Ninth Level of Qi Refining. During this time, Lin Yu had also subtly given his father some suggestions, making his cultivation techniques and supernatural powers even more powerful. Now, Lin Tiefeng was stronger than in Lin Yu's memory. In his memory, this conflict had ended without a clear conclusion, and with his enhanced strength, his father would surely be safer. With this thought, Lin Yu felt at ease and saw his father out of the underground cultivation chamber.

  After leaving the underground cultivation chamber, there was no escaping his mother Su Wan's endless nagging. Lin Yu felt guilty and kept his head down. After all, it was his fault that his father, who rarely got a vacation, had spent almost all of it on his cultivation instead of accompanying his mother.

  After seeing his father off, Lin Yu returned to the normal life of a clan disciple. In the clan classes, he still often spaced out, unless the lecturer was covering something crucial. Otherwise, his mind was always immersed in the world of cultivation. However, in the past, he had delved into knowledge outside of Qinwang Ridge, while now, he was completely focused on the ethereal path of immortality.

  A year later, in the clan school of the Blood Soul Clan, it was the graduation test for this year's class. The usually quiet school was bustling with noise today. Except for a few "good students" who had reached the Third Level of Clarity of Breath, the other students were all nervous and uneasy. For them, this graduation test was like the college entrance examination in the outside world, to some extent determining their future fate.

  "Lin Yu, what on earth are you thinking? Didn't Uncle Lin teach you some powerful moves before he left? Lin Yu, you're not really giving up on cultivation, are you? If you do, you'll be sent outside of Qinwang Ridge, and then I won't be able to see you anymore."

  Li Shishi, dressed in a green dress, chattered away like a lively lark in front of Lin Yu. This girl had outstanding cultivation talent. With her own efforts and family support, she had reached the Third Level of Clarity of Breath at the age of eleven and was expected to enter the Qi Refining stage within a year.

  For Li Shishi, this graduation test was a piece of cake. She just needed to release her spiritual pressure and true essence in front of the teachers and show a little of her skills to pass. But at this moment, she was more nervous than the students at the First or Second Level of Clarity of Breath. She wasn't worried about herself but about Lin Yu.

  She was afraid that Lin Yu, who had always wanted to leave Qinwang Ridge and explore the outside world, would give up on cultivation today, run away, and leave her behind to wander in the colorful outside world. After all, her family would never allow her to leave Qinwang Ridge to look for him.

  Looking into Li Shishi's tearful eyes, Lin Yu, who had lived two lifetimes, felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if his heart had stopped beating. How heartless had he been in his previous life to reject such a girl, leave her behind, and run away?

  Lin Yu almost lost control of his emotions, but just then, a shout came from a distance: "Number 23, Lin Yu, get ready for the test."

  Li Shishi turned her head, and when she looked back, Lin Yu had composed himself. He wore a confident smile on his face, looking as if he didn't care, yet there was a hint of concern in his eyes. Lin Yu walked past Li Shishi, gently patted her head, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, silly Shishi. I won't leave you behind. A scatterbrained girl like you might not survive long without me. How could I bear to leave you?" With that, ignoring Li Shishi's wrinkled nose and blushing face, Lin Yu walked straight into the sealed assessment area. After all, this was a cultivator's assessment, and the process was quick and confidential. In many cases, a cultivator's true strength should not be easily known even by their companions.

  Facing the two examiners, Lin Yu remained relaxed. A year ago, when Lin Tiefeng went to the frontline, Lin Yu had already reached the Third Level of Clarity of Breath. Now, after a year of almost self-abusive arduous cultivation, his cultivation had reached the peak of the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, far surpassing Li Shishi's. He could break through to the Fifth Level of Qi Refining at any moment. Even the Celestial Measuring Ruler indicated that, considering his age, his cultivation level was among the best in the world. It was extremely rare for an eleven- or twelve-year-old to reach the peak of the Fourth Level of Qi Refining in this era of declining spiritual energy. What was even more remarkable was that Lin Yu was cultivating both his body and his Dharma, not neglecting either aspect.