Chapter 5
After the conflict on the back mountain, Lin Yun's life was not greatly affected.
He still practiced alone in the yard every day.
This kind of life might seem a bit dull to others, but for Lin Yun, who had a task system, it was incredibly fulfilling.
As long as he practiced, he made progress; there was no wasted effort, no sweat shed in vain.
Lin Yun wished he could turn one day into three!
However, compared to the coldness of Lin Yun's yard, there was a lively discussion happening in the clan, and his name began to spread within the clan.
The sixth level of body refinement was a watershed.
Currently, the only younger members of the clan who had reached this level were Lin Xia, Lin Hong, and Lin Yun.
However, Lin Xia and Lin Hong had the support of the main and secondary branches of the Lin family, with more resources at their disposal.
Lin Yun was an orphan, and the fact that he could catch up to the other two was seen by others as a testament to his talent and hard work.
Thus, Lin Yun became a role model for learning within the clan.
Moreover, Lin Yun stood up for Qingtan and taught the little tyrant Lin Shan a lesson, which endeared him to most clan members.
Of course, it also won the heart of Qingtan.
Lin Yun was usually quiet and reclusive, so when he took action against Lin Shan, others had no other thoughts and believed that Lin Yun was simply unable to tolerate bullying, filled with righteous passion and hatred for evil.
Who could not like or respect such a person!
The day after the conflict on the back mountain.
Lin Dong and Qingtan came to thank Lin Yun. These two little ones didn't have much to offer, just prepared to give Lin Yun a Red Sun Herb.
However, Lin Yun did not accept it; he had never intended to seek a reward for his actions, simply unable to stand by and watch someone bully a little girl.
Especially a very cute little girl.
Not only did Lin Yun refuse their spiritual herb, but he also treated them to roasted wild boar meat.
Afterward, Lin Yun also guided Lin Dong on some cultivation issues and encouraged Qingtan to learn martial arts so that no one would dare to bully her in the future.
This greatly increased Lin Dong and Qingtan's fondness for him.
...
The repetitive practice of punches made Lin Yun's hands somewhat overloaded, and he needed to take a break; after practicing thousands of times, he even felt a bit nauseous.
However, Lin Yun was not prepared to stop his forward momentum.
When tired of math problems, he would switch to physics problems.
If his hands were tired, he could practice his legs!
Moreover, during the hunting process, he noticed that his speed was somewhat lacking while chasing prey.
He decided to seek a martial art focused on agility to practice.
By training both legs and arms, he would have more variety and maintain balance in his physical activities.
The Lin family's martial arts hall was located in the backyard of the Lin family; it was a crucial area. Only a few direct descendants could enter directly, while others could only enter with the permission of the family's managing personnel.
The managing personnel, aside from the family head, Old Master Lin Zhentian, were actually just two people: Lin Ken from the main branch and Lin Mang from the secondary branch.
As for Lin Xiao from the third branch, who was Lin Dong's father, he had basically stopped managing things since he was incapacitated by Lin Langtian at the clan assembly.
As a collateral descendant and an orphan, Lin Yun naturally could not enter directly.
He needed to obtain permission.
Lin Mang from the secondary branch was selfish and narrow-minded, always holding himself high and difficult to get along with, so Lin Yun generally avoided him.
Moreover, after having just beaten his son, it was even less likely that he would want to provoke trouble.
So, he could only seek Lin Ken.
Lin Ken was humble and considerate of the greater good, holding considerable prestige in the clan and highly respected by the clan members.
Furthermore, Lin Yun's parents were killed by bandits during a mission years ago, and that mission was led by Lin Ken.
Lin Ken felt some guilt towards Lin Yun and had taken care of him quite a bit over the years.
The last time Lin Yun went to the martial arts hall to borrow the Tongbei Fist, it was also with Lin Ken's permission.
Lin Yun set out to visit the courtyard where Lin Ken lived.
After arriving, Lin Ken was not at home; his daughter Lin Xia was there.
"Lin Xia Jie!" Lin Yun greeted politely.
"It's Lin Yun! You usually shut yourself away for cultivation; what brings you here this time?" Lin Xia curiously looked at Lin Yun.
"I recently went hunting, and after several failures, I feel my speed is lacking, so I want to seek my uncle's permission to go to the martial arts hall to find a martial art focused on agility to practice," Lin Yun replied honestly.
"My dad has something to do today; he left early," Lin Xia said slowly, then changed her tone, "However, I can take you to the martial arts hall to borrow martial arts."
"Then I'll trouble you, Lin Xia Jie," Lin Yun said with bright eyes.
Lin Xia said seriously, "I saw you using the Falling Rock Fist the other day. You've already broken through to the sixth level of body tempering. At this level, first-tier martial arts might not be enough. The clan competition is coming soon, and instead of learning body techniques, you should focus on practicing a second-tier fist technique. That would be more beneficial for you to achieve a better ranking."
"Mm." Lin Yun pondered slightly and nodded in agreement. "Sister Lin Xia, you make a good point. After gaining elemental power, the attack power of first-tier martial arts is indeed somewhat lacking. I should practice a second-tier martial art, but I also don't want to give up on body techniques."
"Can I borrow two martial arts books?" Lin Yun asked with a smile.
Seeing Lin Yun's smile, Lin Xia was somewhat surprised. Since their parents passed away, Lin Yun had always been serious and stern, never smiling.
"Lin Yun, you look great when you smile. You should smile more often and open your heart; it will help you advance further in martial arts," Lin Xia said with a caring smile.
As a clan sister, she was happy to see Lin Yun moving past the shadow of his parents' departure and embracing a new life.
"Yes, Sister Lin Xia!" Lin Yun replied with a smile.
"However, if you want to practice two martial arts at the same time, it might delay your progress. You can't be greedy and bite off more than you can chew, especially since it's second-tier martial arts. With only a few months left, you might not even be able to reach the beginner level," Lin Xia advised.
Lin Yun smiled faintly, "It's okay. I can first comprehend which one is easier to practice and focus on that."
"Okay~ But before we go to the martial arts hall, can I check your foundation?" Lin Xia suddenly suggested.
Having finally seen Lin Yun's positive change, she was willing to spend some time on this clan brother.
"Alright then!" Lin Yun agreed helplessly.
At the same time, he established a task in his mind.
"System, establish a task."
[Task: Spar with Lin Xia. Reward: One bottle of second-tier Blood Qi Pill.]
[Task: Defeat Lin Xia. Reward: Constitution +1, Root Bone +1.]
Lin Yun directly established two tasks.
The task of defeating Lin Xia was somewhat challenging at the moment. Lin Xia had already reached the peak of the sixth level of body tempering and was now pushing for the seventh level, while practicing the second-tier martial art, Spirit Sword Finger. With just a perfected level of the Connecting Back Fist, it would be difficult for Lin Yun to match Lin Xia.
He had only had the system for a short time.
However, establishing the tasks didn't affect him since there was no deadline for completion. He could defeat Lin Xia when the clan competition came.
"Lin Yun, I'm starting now," Lin Xia said, her slender fingers coming together like an eagle's beak, pointing directly at Lin Yun.
The attack from her fingers was incredibly oppressive, making Lin Yun feel like he couldn't dodge.
"Falling Rock Fist."
Lin Yun infused elemental power into his fists and struck down heavily.
Faced with the powerful dual punches, Lin Xia had to withdraw and evade, her eyes filled with surprise.
"Your elemental power is quite strong. Did you really just break through?"
"I broke through a few days ago," Lin Yun chuckled.
It seemed that his elemental power was stronger than that of an average person who had just broken through to the sixth level.
"Interesting, then I'll take this seriously," Lin Xia said with interest.
She brought her fingers together, gathering elemental power between them, resembling a sword, and aimed directly at Lin Yun's acupoints and joints.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Lin Yun executed the Connecting Back Fist, using the energy to deflect her Spirit Sword Finger while also launching an attack.
With a series of nine strikes from the Connecting Back Fist, Lin Xia was forced to retreat a few steps to defend, almost losing her balance.
"Great success in Falling Rock Fist, great success in Connecting Back Fist. Lin Yun, you truly have impressed your sister."
Lin Xia exclaimed. At his age, achieving great success in two martial arts was rare even in the Lin family.
However, it was just first-tier martial arts; her Spirit Sword Finger was a second-tier martial art and had also reached great success.
Lin Xia didn't dare to underestimate him. As she became serious, her sword-like fingers skillfully weaved through Lin Yun's punches, neutralizing several of his attacks before finally landing a finger on Lin Yun's wrist.
The elemental power in Lin Yun's fists was directly dispersed with a single point, causing his punches to lose strength.
"Sister Lin Xia, impressive, impressive!" Lin Yun quickly took the opportunity to withdraw.
He still had the Connecting Back Ten Strikes left to perform, but even if he executed them, he might not necessarily be Lin Xia's opponent. So, he decided to hold back; it was a friendly spar, and there was no need to go all out. Besides, he was there to ask Lin Xia for help, not to cause trouble.
Making her happy was the most important thing!