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nChapter 71: Xie Lingyan

nTranslator: Henyee Translations | Editor: Henyee Translations

nQinghong Martial Arts School.

nLin Yan showed the concierge the high-grade token that he had already prepared, similar to a VIP certification, and walked straight in.

nQinghong Martial Arts School didn’t take up a large area. It was a four-part architecture. There was a large martial arts arena in the courtyard. It was fully equipped and someone was practicing.

nThe rooms on all sides were divided into seven to eight separate martial arts halls.

nLin Yan took a look and wanted to look for the person in charge, but when he passed by the pantry, he stopped in his tracks.

nOn the left side of the pantry, there was a wooden table for four. There was a porcelain kettle and a few teacups on it.

nIn front of the wooden table, a healthy old man was holding a book. He was drinking tea and flipping through it. The name of the book was Medicinal Herbs Record.

nCoincidentally, Elder Liu was there.

nLin Yan walked over and said, “Elder Liu.”

n“Oh, it’s Xiao Shi.”

nLin Yan’s alias here was Shi Mu.

nHe said respectfully, “Elder Liu, I happened to hear something today and wanted to ask you for guidance.”

nHe had met Elder Liu at Qinghong Martial Arts School. He was a doctor from a large medical center in Inner Circle. He was very knowledgeable.

nLin Yan learned a lot of information from him. He was also the one who lent the medicinal herb book to Lin Yan to read.

nAt this moment, he could ask him about the Spirit Marrow.

n“What things?”

n“Have you heard of Spirit Marrow?”

n“Spirit marrow?” Elder Liu raised his charming eyes. “You heard about the matter between the Hong family and Gan Yang?”

n“Exactly.”

nRecently, the news of Gan Yang snatching the Spirit Marrow had already spread. Many people had heard of it, so Lin Yan asked without worry, “It’s said that this Spirit Marrow can increase one’s aptitude and is very precious. I’m a little curious.”

n“Then you’re asking the wrong person. This Spirit Marrow shouldn’t be any medicinal herb. The source is unknown, and I don’t know what it is.”

n“I see.”

nHowever, Elder Liu changed the topic. “But if you have any thoughts, I know a place where you can obtain Spirit Marrow.”

nLin Yan’s heart skipped a beat. “Where?”

n“The Dingdeng Genius Battle.”

n“Dingdeng Genius Battle? Isn’t it the Dingdeng Battle?”

n“The two are different, but they’re very similar. The Dingdeng Genius Battle is a competition among the geniuses of the various cities. It is usually a few months later than the Dingdeng Battle.”

nLin Yan was shocked. Apart from the Dingdeng Battle, he didn’t expect there to be a Dingdeng Genius Battle.

nHowever, if he had to fight to the death with others for no reason, even if it was for the Spirit Marrow, he could not do it.

nAfter thanking Elder Liu for clearing his doubts, Lin Yan turned around and left, but he still didn’t know what the Spirit Marrow was.

n“But…”

nHe suddenly thought of Eldest Senior Brother.

nHis arm and the dejected expression that he revealed from time to time…

n“Could it be that Eldest Senior Brother has participated in this Dingdeng Genius Battle? When I go back, 1 can ask him. Perhaps he knows what the Spirit Marrow is.”

nLin Yan went out and met a bald burly man.

nThis person’s name was Zhou Meng, and he was from Qinghong Martial Arts School. He was in charge of answering questions and arranging personnel.

nLin Yan greeted him and raised his request.

n“What! Tough Realm? You want to find someone at the Tough Realm to test your strength?!”

nZhou Meng was shocked.

n“That’s right.”

n“Brother Shi Mu, don’t blame me for being nosy. 1 know that you’ve already reached the top level in the Strength Realm, but the Tough Realm is on a completely different level!”

n“I know.”

n“Let’s put it this way. Even the most powerful Strength Realm martial artist in our hall, Master Murong, can’t last more than five moves against a true Tough Realm expert!”

n“I understand.”

n“You can’t even defeat Master Murong, so the Tough Realm is even more…”

nLin Yan: ”…”

nHe knew that Zhou Meng felt that he was biting off more than he could chew and was also advising him kindly.

nHe immediately swept his gaze over and saw a black iron wooden stake that he had seen at Eldest Senior Brother’s place standing there quietly, emitting a luster.

nWithout saying anything, he walked over in two to three steps and circulated his surging blood energy rapidly. He attacked with all his might and struck the center of the iron wooden stake.

nBang!

nAn extremely dull bang shocked Zhou Meng. Even the few martial artists who were sparring in the central martial arts arena were so frightened that their bodies trembled and they turned around.

nWhen Lin Yan retracted his fist, they saw the iron stake that Lin Yan had struck in the martial arts arena. Their pupils immediately trembled as they gasped.

nIn the middle of the iron wooden stake, Lin Yan’s fist had forcefully left a fist mark nearly two knuckles deep!

nThis was ironwood!

nIt was not as hard as steel, but it was more tenacious.

nThe most powerful Strength Realm martial artist they had seen had only left a shallow mark on the iron stake.

nTo be able to leave such a deep mark, one had to have the strength of the Tough Realm!

n“Old Zhou, is this punch enough?”

nZhou Meng gulped and his face turned pale. He subconsciously said respectfully, “It’s enough. Brother Shi Mu… Mr. Shi, please wait for a moment. I’ll return immediately.”

nWith that, he ran to the inner room.

nNot long after, a mature figure in red walked over.

nWhen this person saw Lin Yan, a hint of surprise appeared on her beautiful face. “It’s you.”

nThe person who came was the curvy woman in red whom Lin Yan had met in Cave A2 in the underground black market.

nToday, she was not wearing a mask and was wearing a green martial suit. She was wearing a small shirt outside. Her jade-like smooth face was so beautiful that it seemed to glow, exuding a dignified and mature charm.

n“Are you the one who wants to undergo the Tough Realm test?”

n“Yes, Miss Xie.”

nAfter staying in Qinghong Martial Arts School for a period of time, Lin Yan already knew that this woman’s name was Xie Lingyan, and she was the eldest senior sister of Qinghong Martial Arts School.

nShe was already an extremely powerful Tough Realm martial artist at the age of 26 or 27. He was a famous genius martial artist in the entire Ding’an City.

nZhou Meng followed Xie Lingyan and pointed at the deep fist mark on the iron wooden stake. “Mr. Shi just punched it.”

nThe surprise on Xie Lingyan’s face intensified. She looked at Lin Yan as if she couldn’t believe that he had improved so much in just half a month.

nHowever, she did not say anything. She nodded slightly and smiled faintly. “Today, the master of the pavilion followed the Pavilion Master to the City Lord Manor for a banquet. I’ll test it for you. Come with me.”

nLin Yan followed Xie Lingyan into a separate martial arts hall at the side.

nThis martial arts hall was different from the martial arts hall Lin Yan had been in previously. The walls and ground were all made of black rough stone. Just looking at it, it was very hard.

n“The Tough Realm is powerful. Every move is extraordinary. Ordinary martial arts halls are easily destroyed.

n“This martial arts hall is paved with black gold stone. It’s harder than ironwood, so you don’t have to worry about damaging the walls.”

nLin Yan looked over. There were many cracks and fist marks on the rough ground and walls. It seemed that they were left behind by predecessors.

n“Also, let me tell you. Two taels of silver for each Tough Realm test. Pay them later.”

n“This price is not expensive.”

nActually, it was expensive, but in a place like Qinghong Martial Arts School, the price was very cheap.

nXie Lingyan nodded and said warmly, “Our hall has all kinds of detailed categories for the Strength Realm test. However, there are no additional categories for the Tough Realm test, so we only charge basic fees.”

nLin Yan nodded.

nXie Lingyan took out a black ribbon and stroked her long hair, revealing her slender and fair neck. She tied it behind her head.

nHer soft, jade-like hands unbuttoned her cumbersome little shirt, revealing the tight clothes inside. Her slender waist was wrapped in silver silk, perfectly accentuating her body figure.

nHer red lips parted slightly. “Alright, come on.”

nLin Yan restrained his thoughts and took a deep breath. “Sorry!”

nHis eyes suddenly turned sharp as he punched Xie Lingyan’s face like a cannon.

n“What a powerful punch!”

nXie Lingyan’s expression turned slightly solemn as she blocked with her arm.

nLin Yan’s fist hit Xie Lingyan’s arm. Her arm was slender, but Lin Yan seemed to have hit extremely hard steel and couldn’t move at all.

nXie Lingyan said softly, “Be careful.”

nWith that, she raised her feet. Her clothes fluttered and her toes straightened, drawing a perfect curve that carried a fragrance as she kicked Lin Yan’s side.

nLin Yan didn’t dare to be negligent and crossed his hands to defend.

nThat gentle kick seemed weak, but when it really came into contact, Lin Yan’s expression instantly changed. Layers of force surged over like waves.

nLin Yan couldn’t hold on at all. He staggered a few steps forward and hit the wall before stopping.

nXie Lingyan said softly, “Your fist strength is not bad, but your use of force is too crude.

n“The reason why the Tough Realm is called the Tough Realm is because the strength in your body is integrated. When you cultivate the Tough Force, your attack and defense far exceed the Strength Realm.”

nLin Yan nodded. Only he knew in his heart that he had no Tough Force at all.

nShaking his slightly sore arm, Lin Yan said calmly, “Again.”

nFifteen minutes later, Xie Lingyan turned around and grabbed Lin Yan’s arm to relieve the force. Lin Yan quickly turned around and pushed.

nUnexpectedly, Lin Yan was shocked when he saw the bulge in Xie Lingyan’s chest. He turned slightly to the side and punched the wall.

nClatter.

nA fist mark was left on the wall, and cracks spread along the fist mark. “Alright, that’s all for now…” Xie Lingyan put down the arm in front of her chest, a trace of surprise and admiration flashing in her eyes. “Come and sit.” “Okay.”

nLin Yan panted heavily. There was a layer of sweat on his forehead, and his hands were bloodshot. This was a sign that his blood energy was circulating to the limit.

nOn the other hand, Xie Lingyan’s face was not red and she was not panting.

nIn the battle just now, she had clearly shown mercy, but she still crushed Lin

nYan. Even if he occasionally punched her, it was as if he had hit a tall mountain, unable to cause any damage.

nXie Lingyan took a piece of paper and recorded it as she said, “Your strengths and weaknesses are very obvious. Or rather, they’re too obvious.

n“The advantage is that your punch strength is not bad. Your blood energy is majestic. When you punch, I can even feel the pressure coming at me. It’s obvious that you’re good at attacking.

n“But your shortcomings are also very prominent. You’re not hard enough.”

nLin Yan:“…?”

nXie Lingyan said unhurriedly, “Your strength is even more scattered than any

nTough Realm I’ve seen.

n“Did you get injured during your breakthrough? Or is there another reason? “When a Tough Realm expert circulates his Tough Force, his fists should be like copper and iron, and his feet should be like steel. He should use his palm to attack the golden iron saber and spear without being injured.

n“But your strength is too scattered. Therefore, no matter how strong your punch is, it’s like an egg hitting a stone. You can’t hurt me. You can only hurt yourself.

n“It’s also because your strength is too scattered that when your fist hits the wall, although it breaks the wall, your palm will also be injured. These are all signs of your strength scattering.”

nLin Yan flipped his palm over. There were some slight scratches on the knuckles of his fist. He controlled his blood energy and did not recover it. “Therefore, in summary, you can win against those at the Strength Realm, but against other Tough Realms, it’s very easy for you to be injured. Your chances of winning are very small.”

nAs she spoke, she finished writing and handed it to Lin Yan.

nLin Yan took the paper and wrote the simplified version that Xie Lingyan had just mentioned.

nThe Tough Realm was not like the Strength Realm. There was no clear subdivision. However, Lin Yan was definitely the weakest among all the Tough Realms.

nOf course, he was not really at the Tough Realm.

nPutting away the paper, Lin Yan nodded and thanked Xie Lingyan, preparing to leave.

nXie Lingyan pulled the ribbon on her head, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Her beautiful eyes moved as she chuckled. “By the way, the additional meal for the afternoon should have been delivered. It tastes good.. If there’s nothing else, why don’t you eat a little before leaving?”

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