Li Wuze was now feeling a little aggrieved. In his entire life, from childhood to adulthood, this was the first person to ever say he had little strength, as if he hadn't eaten.
With a trace of resentment and a touch of unwillingness, Li Wuze swung his left arm around and threw another punch. This time, however, Lin Yun didn't block.
Ye Qian and Xu Ruoqing looked on with worry. Oh no, this kid's bluff has gone too far. If that fist lands on him, even if he doesn't die, he'll lose a layer of skin.
Smack!
While they were worrying about whether Lin Yun would live or die, Li Wuze's fist hit Lin Yun's head. The anticipated scene of blood splattering everywhere did not occur.
"What's happening?" Ye Qian was a little confused. Xu Ruoqing also shook his head.
Crack!
The sound of a bone fracturing rang out. Li Wuze, having used too much force, had actually broken his own arm. Looking back at Lin Yun, he was completely fine.
"Sigh, you can't even beat a gatekeeper like me. The Beast Taming Sect has been a bit of a disgrace in recent years," Lin Yun said, kicking Li Wuze and sending him flying. He bounced and rolled on the ground like a rubber ball, creating several large craters, before crashing with a boom into his Daylight Tiger.
"Pfft."
Li Wuze spat out a mouthful of old blood three meters away. The look in his eyes as he stared at Lin Yun was full of unwillingness. What the hell was this? How could a mere gatekeeper be so strong? When his fist had hit Lin Yun's body, it felt like an ant trying to shake a great tree. They weren't even opponents in the same dimension, were they?
Li Wuze staggered, barely managing to stand up straight. The look in his eyes as he stared at Lin Yun now held a hint of killing intent. You brat, trying to act cool, are you? Let's see how you handle Daylight Tiger.
"Daylight Tiger, go! Kill this kid for me."
Following Li Wuze's command, the Daylight Tiger straightened its four limbs and let out a long roar to the sky. Its fierce eyes glanced at Lin Yun, and it suddenly leaped high into the air.
Xu Ruoqing took a deep breath. "Not good, Lin Yun is in trouble." Before he could move, a fragrant breeze blew past. A hand was placed on his shoulder.
On the other side, the moment the Daylight Tiger jumped down, Lin Yun executed the "Void-Rushing Ghostly Art," his figure like a light boat. Several afterimages flickered and crisscrossed. In an instant, Lin Yun was several meters away.
The Daylight Tiger pounced on empty air and was about to attack again. But just then, it heard Lin Yun recite an obscure passage. The Daylight Tiger, which had long possessed spiritual intelligence, first froze for a moment, then prostrated itself on the ground. A moment ago, it had been a fierce beast. Now, lying before Lin Yun, it was like a docile housecat.
Xu Ruoqing and Ye Qian were dumbfounded. Li Wuze urged it several times, but the Daylight Tiger remained on the ground, unmoving, only wagging its tail, as if begging Lin Yun to pat its head.
Lin Yun sneered and stepped forward to pat the big cat's head. "Your talent is not bad. It's your good fortune that you can control this Daylight Tiger whose strength is far above your own. However, it's your bad luck to have met me. You are only barely controlling it, while I... can make it loyal to me."
As Lin Yun spoke, he continued to recite the obscure language. Li Wuze's expression changed drastically. He had a feeling that the connection between himself and his tiger was being severed by some more advanced method.
Damn it. Is this kid really just a gatekeeper? How is he so strong?
Just as he was about to lose control of the Daylight Tiger, an old man dressed in a beast-skin robe and leaning on a staff abruptly appeared beside Li Wuze.
"Elder Shangguan, are you still not going to intervene?"
The old man's appearance was so sudden that even Lin Yun was startled.
Shangguan Wan, however, floated lightly to Lin Yun's side. "You can stop now."
Lin Yun didn't listen.
Shangguan Wan was helpless and had to threaten him. "If you don't listen, you can clean up this mess yourself."
Sure enough, the moment he heard he would have to handle it himself, Lin Yun immediately became obedient. Shangguan Wan rolled her eyes at him. If the Ancestor hadn't mentioned you several times, I wouldn't bother with you, she thought to herself. Then she smiled at the old man. "A spar between juniors, Elder Li Hong, please don't take it to heart."
Although Li Hong had a smile on his face, who knew what evil he was brewing in his heart. But since his disciple's skills were inferior, he couldn't say much. "But of course."
Li Wuze looked aggrieved. He had wanted to ask Li Hong to help him get his face back, especially since he had almost lost his spirit beast just now. But seeing Li Hong's smiling face, he dismissed the thought. Everyone in the sect knew that this elder was a classic smiling tiger.
"You all can go about your business. I need to take our guests from the Beast Taming Sect up the mountain," Shangguan Wan said faintly.
Just then, Lin Yun cautiously approached Shangguan Wan and whispered a few words in her ear. "Elder Shangguan, the Beast Taming Sect is here to ask a favor from us this time. They originally wanted to use their strength to bully us, but their plan was broken by me. You and the Sect Master can squeeze as many benefits from them as possible."
Qingxia Peak originally didn't meddle in these affairs, but the Flowing Cloud Sect was indeed short on manpower recently. Plus, she was also concerned about Lin Yun, which was why she had come to take a look. She had thought this kid would be dejected and that his strength wouldn't have improved. Who would have thought that even without the inner-sect Cave Abode, his cultivation speed hadn't slowed down at all. It was truly strange.
Hearing Lin Yun say this, Shangguan Wan looked at him with surprise, then snorted. "Got it. In a few days, make a trip to Qingxia Peak. You haven't seen the Ancestor since you got back, have you?"
After saying this, Shangguan Wan turned and led Li Hong and the others up the mountain.
Lin Yun, however, had a smile playing on his lips. Seeing Shangguan Wan walk far away, he immediately turned and ran. Xu Ruoqing called after him, but Lin Yun ignored him. Li Wuze wouldn't be able to go to the back mountain for a while either.
Lin Yun arrived at Great Cloud Peak and searched for several hours. Finally, in a rarely visited dense forest, he found a small path. It really did lead to the back mountain.
"I heard that before the Flowing Cloud Sect moved here, this was already a land of outstanding people and spiritual treasures. Many cultivators lived here in seclusion. Now it seems those words were not false," Lin Yun muttered to himself.
The path was narrow, its entrance just an inconspicuous crack. If one wasn't paying attention, it would be impossible to find. But not far after passing through the crack, the world before him suddenly opened up.
A pleasant valley appeared before Lin Yun. A small stream gurgled through the valley, and not far away, a waterfall cascaded down. It was like a stunningly beautiful painting of the mortal world.
Lin Yun followed the path and soon found the so-called cave behind the waterfall. He didn't know how long had passed, but everything here was clean and tidy.
Just then, Lin Yun felt a strange movement from his Mysterious Yuan Embryo. This little guy, is it about to be born?
After nurturing it for all these days, Lin Yun had always felt that this little thing was just one step away from hatching. Now, feeling its fluctuation, he immediately began to search for the cause.
Soon, Lin Yun found a field. A plot of land had been opened up inside this cave, and some flowers and plants were growing in it. Though he didn't know their names, he could tell at a glance that they were no ordinary things.