"Xiao Nu, don't cry. Tell me exactly what happened?" Lin Han wiped the tears from the little maid's face and said.
Seeing calmness on the Young Master's face, Xiao Nu seemed to calm down. However, her beautiful eyes were filled with sadness. "The seniors have just issued news that a martial arts tea party will be held in ten days. However, in five days, a small ratio of Inner Residence disciples, around twenty-five, will be selected to enter the Inner Residence and participate. Five days later, all the disciples in the Outer Residence will participate, especially the subdivision disciples. If they fail to reach the top twenty-five, they'll be abandoned by the sect and sent back to the subdivision clan."
"What? They'll be sent back to the subdivision clan?" Lin Han's expression changed.
He was very clear about what it represented. It represented the cruel elimination doctrine set forth by the Lin Clan Sect Residence.
Lin Han knew that if he did not reach the top twenty-five, a lowly subdivision disciple like him would be expelled by the Lin Clan Sect Residence and he would be forced to return to his hometown.
"I'll never let that happen!"
Lin Han's gaze suddenly became sharp. He vowed that he would never return to his hometown until he excelled and came up on top.
"Young Master, what should we do?" the little maid Xiao Nu cried.
"Xiao Nu, don't worry. We won't be going back to Changyun Village," Lin Han reassured. In that moment, a slight sliver of relief entered the little maid's heart.
Broken Sky City was a large city in the Yan Kingdom. The fact that the Lin Clan Sect Residence was able to hold a place here was not without reason.
The Lin Clan Sect Residence was divided into its Inner Residence and Outer Residence. The Inner Residence disciples were all elites, and although the Outer Residence disciples' cultivation was poorer, they were also talented individuals.
An example was Lin Meier's partner, Lin Juedao. He was the fourth-most gifted disciple in the Outer Residence and his cultivation had reached the fourth tier. He had already transformed the True Chi in his body into True Element, and was extremely powerful.
"There are several hundred disciples in the Outer Residence. The one I defeated earlier, Lin Shi, was just the weakest. Defeating him doesn't amount to much." Lin Han was clear that his energy, Qi, and spirit had been transformed by the Golden Spirit Fire in his mind, but his strength was still not enough for him to stand out.
Five days. It was neither a long nor a short time.
Now, if he wanted to improve his strength, there were only two ways. The first was to cultivate more advanced martial techniques, and the second was to improve his cultivation.
"I should improve my cultivation first. My cultivation is my foundation!" Lin Han immediately decided.
He looked at Xiao Nu and said, "For the next three days, all you have to do is send in food. Turn away anyone who comes to visit."
"Yes, Young Master." Xiao Nu immediately nodded.
Thump!
As the door closed, Lin Han sat cross-legged and communicated with the Golden Spirit Fire in his mind. He started to cultivate the supreme inherited cultivation method, the Art of the Ancient Dragon Emperor.
The Art of the Ancient Dragon Emperor came from the ancient number one supreme being and naturally had its special features. Not only could it continuously refine Lin Han's body, making it stronger, it could also quickly absorb the energy of the world in the air and strengthen his lifeforce.
Boom boom boom boom.
Currently, Lin Han sat cross-legged as he silently worked the Art of the Ancient Dragon Emperor. The power in the surrounding air was immediately absorbed and integrated into his body.
Flesh, blood, and even his spirit started to grow stronger under the Art of the Ancient Dragon Emperor. The True Qi in Lin Han's body also continued to strengthen.
Lin Han knew that in five days, he had to reach at least the fourth tier and condense his True Qi into True Element to be able to stand out from the hundreds of other disciples and enter the top twenty-five.
For three whole days, Lin Han remained in the house, absorbed the energy in the air and transformed it into strength for his own body which continuously strengthened his cultivation.
For an ordinary person, even a ninth tier great scholar would not be able to obtain power from the air.
However, the Art of the Ancient Dragon Emperor allowed Lin Han to do it. This peerless cultivation method had the terrifying ability to turn something rotten into something magical.
It was also thanks to this that Lin Han could avoid the embarrassing situation of running out of energy to absorb. That was because ordinary cultivators had to draw strength from spiritual energy stored inside a spirit stone.
There really were no outliers like Lin Han who could absorb energy directly from the air.
For Lin Han, the air itself was his inexhaustible spirit stone.
Day after day, Lin Han continued to cultivate.
Finally, on the morning of the third day, a powerful aura accompanied by a faint roar of a dragon rang out.
Lin Han had gotten his wish and broke through again, stepping into the third tier.
Next was to condense the True Qi inside his body into True Element and reach the fourth tier,
becoming a master.
Lin Han pushed open the door and walked in a certain direction.
There, an ancient hall stood; it was the 'martial arts hall' of Lin Clan Sect Residence. There were several martial techniques inside which disciples who reached the second tier could take and cultivate.
Now that Lin Han had stepped into the third tier, he was naturally qualified to enter. After all, in the past, he could not even touch the door to the martial arts hall.
Along the way, he looked at the familiar trees and flowers around, and sighed in his heart.
Just a few days ago, he was a lowly worm. He had never expected that a few days later, his cultivation would reach the third tier.
However, when Lin Han was halfway there, he met two of his 'acquaintances'.
It was his childhood sweetheart Lin Meier, and a young man who had a girl nestled by his side. It was the fourth genius of the Outer Residence, Lin Juedao.
"You want to go to the martial arts hall again? Lin Han, wake up. Sometimes, people have to learn to adapt to their own identity. You're not the number one genius you were when you were at Changyun Village," Lin Meier suddenly spoke, her tone laced with sarcasm.
In Lin Meier's eyes, Lin Han was a stain. With her current identity, Lin Han did not deserve to be her childhood sweetheart.
Therefore, when met with Lin Han, Lin Meier continued on with an expression of mockery. "Lin Han, after the Outer Residence competition, go back to Changyun Village. Ordinary people should just live ordinary lives. That's also a kind of happiness."
"You, just who do you think you are? What right do you have to lecture me?" Suddenly, Lin Han said coldly.
"What? Lin Han, you… What did you say!?" Lin Meier shrieked, a trace of absolute disbelief on her beautiful face.
This piece of trash, this lowly existence, actually dared to speak to her this way?
However, she saw a different kind of coldness in Lin Han's eyes. Lin Meier could not help but shiver.
"Elder Brother Dao!" She immediately cried to Lin Juedao beside her.
"Get down on your knees and break your own arm, and I'll let you live. I won't say it again," Lin Juedao said ruthlessly. His voice was cold and tyrannical.
Buzz!
Lin Juedao's expression was cold too. His fourth-tier aura was released and pressed down on Lin Han, attempting to force him to his knees.
"Hmph!"
However, Lin Han merely scoffed coldly. In his mind, a five-claw Golden Azure Dragon rushed out of the Golden Spirit Fire and roared in his mind. An unyielding strong aura immediately released from within Lin Han to attack Lin Juedao's oppressive spirit.
So, he stood there with a sneer on his face, unmoved.
"Oh? Interesting." Lin Juedao revealed a little surprise, but also a trace of killing intent.
However, it seemed like he was fearful of the rules as he did not make any moves. All Lin Juedao did was looked at Lin Han and smiled sarcastically. "There are still two days left. I'll let you die miserably in the Outer Residence competition."
Lin Juedao spoke his threats openly without any disguise.
This was the mentality of the strong.
There was no reason to reject tyranny!
"I'll wait for you, but you know… Maybe I won't be the one dying..." Lin Han sneered back at him. Then, he walked away from the two and headed towards the martial arts hall.
"Hmph, I'll let you run around for a few more days." Lin Juedao watched Lin Han leave, his dark eyes showing a trace of cruelty.