"Xiao Feng." A voice called out, and in the courtyard, a middle-aged man appeared. This person was tall, with a powerful aura, and bore a slight resemblance to Lin Feng.
"Father." This person was Lin Hai, the head of the Lin family and Lin Feng's father. The merging of their souls had given Lin Feng two sets of memories, so calling him "father" felt entirely natural to him, and he didn't find it strange at all.
"Xiao Feng, you... are fine!" Lin Hai's face trembled. When Lin Feng was brought back to the Lin family, he was on the verge of death, barely hanging on. Lin Hai had lost all hope and had even started preparing for Lin Feng's funeral. Yet, at this moment, he saw his son alive and well in front of him. How could he not be overjoyed?
"Yes, Father, I have completely recovered." Lin Feng smiled slightly at Lin Hai's excited expression. He felt a warmth he hadn't experienced in a long time. After his grandfather passed away in his previous life, Lin Feng had faced the coldness of human nature on his own, never enjoying such warmth again.
"Good, good." Lin Hai patted Lin Feng's shoulder heavily. His gaze flickered over the stone pillars, now reduced to powder. Lin Hai's brothers had been waiting for him to die so they could take his position as the head of the family. But now that Lin Feng had recovered so quickly, they would surely be disappointed.
At that moment, Lin Hai suddenly released a chilling aura that froze Lin Feng's body.
"Father, as expected, you are a strong cultivator in the Spirit Martial Realm. Just releasing your aura can freeze weaker martial artists in their tracks," Lin Feng thought to himself. Cultivation begins with the Qi Martial Realm, where one draws in the energy of the world to refine their body and soul, ultimately forming true Qi. Upon entering the Spirit Martial Realm, one can practice divine techniques, capable of destroying anyone with a single blow. Lin Hai was a strong cultivator in the Spirit Martial Realm.
"Xiao Feng, who did this?" Lin Hai's face darkened. When Lin Feng had been brought back, he was barely alive, clearly targeted by someone intent on taking his life, and indeed, they had succeeded in killing the "Lin Feng" who had been brought back.
"Father, leave this matter to me to handle," Lin Feng replied, not revealing that it was his third uncle's son, Lin Heng, who had injured him. Within the family, his third uncle and first uncle were allies, coveting the position of family head. Both in terms of strength and influence, they were no weaker than Lin Hai. Moreover, Lin Heng, with his talent, was a top disciple in the outer sect of the Yunhai Sect. That was why he had dared to attack Lin Feng without fear.
This grudge, Lin Feng knew, he had to resolve on his own. In martial arts, any internal demons would become an obstacle to growth.
Lin Hai looked at his son with some surprise. Lin Feng's eyes were firm now, no longer showing any signs of the previous weakness or despair.
It seemed that this misfortune had become a blessing for Xiao Feng. Lin Hai felt a sense of relief in his heart and nodded. "Tomorrow, come with me to the family meeting. I want to see how they plan to strip me of my position as family head."
The night was as quiet as water.
In the Lin family's Zizhu Forest, Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the ground, a dark shadow hovering behind him, blending almost entirely with the night. This shadow was his Dark Martial Soul.
Lin Feng had discovered that when using his Dark Martial Soul, his cultivation speed increased by more than five times. So, despite feeling mentally exhausted, he continued to cultivate. Since fate had given him a second chance at life, he was determined to live it fully. In the Nine Heavens Continent, only the strong were respected and admired, able to command the winds and rain.
A faint milky-white glow surrounded Lin Feng's body, looking like a firefly in the darkness. This phenomenon only occurred when the concentration of world energy reached a certain level.
As a gifted cultivator, Lin Feng's cultivation speed was rapid, causing the surrounding world energy to gather around him, forming a light halo. He was currently in this state.
Lin Feng's breathing was steady, his expression calm and peaceful. Within his body, the world energy flowed, merging with his blood and strengthening his muscles.
After a long while, a flash of light blinked, and Lin Feng's body suddenly became like an endless void, instantly absorbing all the surrounding milky-white world energy into his body.
Opening his eyes, a sharp gleam flashed across his gaze like a fleeting shadow. Lin Feng stood up with a smile on his face, having broken through again. In one night, he had advanced another realm, reaching the Sixth Level of the Qi Martial Realm.
However, Lin Feng was not satisfied. From his memories, he knew that reaching the Ninth Level of the Qi Martial Realm was only the beginning of a martial artist's journey. True peerless experts could fly through the sky, wandering freely in the clouds. That, to Lin Feng, seemed like the realm of immortals.
With this thought, Lin Feng began throwing punches. The air howled as his punches cut through the air, and wherever they landed, the bamboo shattered instantly, powerful spatial waves destroying the surrounding Zizhu Forest.
The Qi Martial Realm consisted of nine levels, and each level increased a martial artist's strength by a thousand jin. At the Sixth Level, Lin Feng had the strength of six thousand jin. If he used the Ninth Wave technique, which he had already perfected to the Sixth Level, he could unleash a powerful force of six thousand five hundred jin. However, Lin Feng felt that this was not enough. If he could refine the Ninth Wave technique to the Seventh Level, with each wave stronger than the last, he would have the strength of a martial artist at the Seventh Level of the Qi Martial Realm.
The power of six thousand jin was immense. The fragile bamboo shattered with ease, and the whole space felt like an ocean in a storm, only the howling winds and shadows of his punches remaining.
Just then, a bent bamboo in the distance did not shatter under the force of his punch. Instead, it bounced back, catching Lin Feng's attention. He slowed down his strikes, his gaze narrowing.
"The Ninth Wave technique was inspired by the crashing of ocean waves, each wave stronger than the last. It's domineering and fierce, but as waves are also gentle, it's only when the technique combines both strength and gentleness that it can truly be unstoppable."
A flash of insight crossed Lin Feng's mind, and he adjusted his punches. They were no longer solely about power; now, they combined both force and fluidity.
"Ha!" Lin Feng shouted, throwing a punch.
"Boom! Boom! Boom…"
Explosions rang out one after another, six bursts, seven bursts… eight bursts!
Wherever his punches landed, the bamboo was reduced to dust.
"Eight Waves, how powerful!" Lin Feng marveled, seeing the vacuum of air in front of him. He took a deep breath and stopped punching. He had grasped the essence of the Ninth Wave technique. He had advanced two whole realms in one go, reaching the Eighth Wave. This was no small feat. As martial skills advanced, the difficulty of mastering them grew exponentially. A martial artist at the Fifth Level of the Qi Martial Realm could easily comprehend the Fifth Wave, but even a martial artist at the Eighth Level would struggle with the Eighth Wave. Yet Lin Feng had managed it.
"Now, I should have the strength of seven thousand five hundred jin. Once I master the perfect combination of force and gentleness, the Ninth Wave will reach its full potential," Lin Feng thought, feeling pleased. Martial skills became more difficult to cultivate as they progressed, but their power increased exponentially. With his current strength of seven thousand five hundred jin, he could fight on par with a martial artist at the Seventh Level of the Qi Martial Realm.
In his previous life, Lin Feng had been unable to defeat even ordinary martial artists at the Fifth Level of the Qi Martial Realm, often looked down upon. Yet now, just one day after arriving in this world, he had the battle strength of a martial artist at the Seventh Level. He had leaped ahead by two realms.