Time flows like water, in a blink of an eye, the summer heat had dissipated and was replaced by cool breezes that blew across the lands.

Even though the heat was gone, the fire within the Lin Family members only burned hotter and hotter. This was because, the most important Family Competition was about to begin.

In the dense forest, a shadow flickered, as a set of fist techniques were being perfectly executed, flowing as naturally as the clouds in the sky. A series of crisp echos constantly reverberated in the forest.

Just as the eight echo sounded out, the figure abruptly opened his fists into palms as drafts of wind followed behind each forceful thrust, blowing away all the leaves on the ground.

In his hands, the two completely different palm and fist techniques had become exceptionally swift and nimble. His performance clearly demonstrated his complete mastery of these techniques and the fact that he had drilled them countless times before.

As the display ended, the figure also withdrew his fists.

"Excellent."

Just as Lin Dong stopped, a content voice sounded out nearby. Immediately, he saw Lin Xiao approaching with a wide smile on his face. Beside him, Qing Tan followed while secretly winking as she made eye contact with Lin Dong, an extremely adorable sight.

"Not bad, in less than 4 months, you have managed to reach Penetrating Fist eighth echo. Moreover, you have also became highly proficient with the Eight Desolations Palm. This is indeed a remarkable achievement."

Lin Dong humbly scratched his head, yet in his heart he cheekily smiled. He had yet to reveal all his cards in that display. Eight echoes was an easy task for him who was already extremely proficient in ten echoes. As for Eight Desolations Palm, after two months of intensive training, he reached the step of coupling strength and gentleness. And its destructive potential definitely rivalled that of Penetrating Fist tenth echo.

By possessing these two powerful signature moves, Lin Dong was probably unrivalled among the younger generation in the Lin Family.

"The Family Competition will be held tomorrow. Since you are now Tempered Body 5th Layer, and equipped with Penetrating Fist and Eight Desolations Palm, it should not be difficult for you to achieve a decent result."

For the nine Layers of Tempered Body, only the 4th Layer was particularly easy to observe. Beyond that, the changes normally occur internally. Therefore, unless one is carefully inspected, one's level would not be known. Even though Lin Dong had already advanced to Tempered Body 6th Layer two months ago, he wanted to keep the Stone Talisman secret so he did not tell anyone about his frightening training progress.

As such, even his father, Lin Xiao, believed that Lin Dong was only at Tempered Body 5th Layer. Moreover, his father never suspected a thing, as it was already an outstanding achievement to rise from Tempered Body 2nd Layer to 5th layer within half a year.

"Father, have you recovered your strength?" Lin Dong suddenly asked as he looked at Lin Xiao's face.

Upon hearing these words, Lin Xiao let out a chuckle. As he gently ruffled Lin Dong's hair, he murmured: " All these years, you, your mother and your sister have suffered immensely because of my illness. Rest assured, I will make sure this kind of thing never happens again."

As Lin Dong gazed at Lin Xiao, he could vividly feel that the decadence within Lin Xiao had completely disappeared. Right now, Lin Xiao resembled his old majestic self, except he seemed a bit more calm and reserved.

Lin Dong lightly nodded his head, as he began to tear. All these years, his biggest dream was for his Father to pull himself together. Thankfully, he finally succeeded.

"Heh, it's getting late. You can stop training today. Rest well tonight in preparation for the Family Competition tomorrow." Lin Xiao said as he patted Lin Dong's shoulder before turning to leave.

As he gazed at Lin Xiao's back, Lin Dong's fists tightened as he muttered in a low voice: "Father, rest assured. Tomorrow, I will shock the whole family. The son that you taught will definitely be the best!"

"Lin Dong-ge, please be cautious if you encounter Lin Hong tomorrow. According to Lin Changqiang, Lin Hong has already advanced to Tempered Body 7th layer." Qing Tan who was standing at one corner, came up to warn Lin Dong right after Lin Xiao departed, worry on her face.

"Tempered Body 7th Layer?"

Lin Dong was momentarily stunned, though soon after, he chuckled. It seemed like Lin Hong's father has really spared no expense in order to ensure that Lin Hong excelled in the Family Competition.

However, so what if he is at Tempered Body 7th Layer?

As the night descended, moonlight poured through the windows into the room.

Seated on his bed, Lin Dong retrieved a tiny bottle from his person. Next, he dripped two drops of Stone Talisman Ling Liquid into his mouth.

Over these few months, Lin Dong's body had gradually adapted to the Stone Talisman Ling Liquid. Therefore, he was now able to endure two drops at once.

As the two drops of Stone Talisman Ling Liquid entered his body, Lin Dong's face turned red. Faint white smoke emerged from the top of his head, as his body temperature rose rapidly.

Having gotten used to it, unlike his first attempt, Lin Dong no longer tossed and turned on the floor in pain. Instead, his body merely trembled a few times as he felt that the warmth feeling of the Yuan Power Seed in his bone marrow become stronger and stronger.

After these past two months of training, Lin Dong could clearly feel that the Yuan Power Seed within his bones has gradually strengthened. At times, he could even feel signs that the Yuan Power Seed was about to burst out of his bones. Lin Dong understood that these signs indicated that a breakthrough was about to happen.

Facing these circumstances, Lin Dong did not try to forcibly accelerate the breakthrough. He knew that if he wanted to, he could forced his way to Tempered Body 7th Layer. However he somehow felt that it would be better to let nature take its course instead.

And the moment that he was waiting for had finally arrived...

As the two drops of Rock Talisman Ling Liquid entered his body, the vibrations deep within his bones suddenly became more and more violent, until eventually Lin Dong's entire body began to shake.

"Something is finally about to break through..."

Sensing the imminent situation, Lin Dong immediately took a deep breath. He knew that the instant the Yuan Power Seed broke through the confines of his bones, it would flow into his body's internal channels. And then, he would finally be able to absorb Yuan Energy from between heaven and Earth to train his body. An extremely important step!

"Buzz Buzz!"

His body started to trembled even mores severely. All of a sudden, a deep sound rang out from within Lin Dong's body.

After he heard this deep sound, Lin Dong's vision immediately darkened. Suddenly, he could vaguely see that within his body was a glowing walnut-sized light ball, slowly coursing through his body. Moreover, a mysterious suction force gushed out, and thanks to this suction force, traces of extremely mild energy within the surrounding Heaven and Earth were slowly moving in accordance with Lin Dong's breathing and pouring into his body.

"Is this Yuan Power Seed? Why is it so big?"

As Lin Dong recovered his vision, a look of shock immediately surfaced on his face. Under normal circumstances, the Yuan Power Seed that just broke through the practitioner's bones, should not be bigger than a thumb. Yet this Yuan Power Seed was larger than normal by over ten times!

"Is it because of the Stone Talisman Ling Liquid?"

Lin Dong held a strange expression on his face. The size of one's Yuan Power Seed largely depends on how rapidly one absorbs Yuan Power. However, from the get go, his Yuan Power Seed was already so much larger compared to others...

After contemplating this issue for a while, Lin Dong finally gave up as he helplessly shook his head. Lying down on his bed, he knew that all he could do now was prepare for the upcoming Family Competition tomorrow...

"Lin Hong, lets see if you have what it takes to marry Qing Tan!"