Chapter 48: The Power of Advanced Spiritual Techniques

“Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed! Want to see something amazing?”
Seeing Lin Dong holding a bench, Qiao Tianhao thought it must have been taken from behind the counter. He clenched his fists, eager to try it out.
Lin Dong suddenly raised his arm, swinging the bench straight at Qiao Tianhao.
“Daring to attack first in front of me? How arrogant!”
Qiao Tianhao sneered coldly, stepping back instead of advancing, and punched at the bench.
Hiss…
The moment they collided, Qiao Tianhao felt as if his right fist had hit a blade—severe, tearing pain instantly surged through him. Panicked, he took several quick steps back. Looking down, he saw a thin line of blood on his right fist.
“A knife tied to the bench?”
Lin Dong ignored him and didn’t press his advantage further. Instead, he slowly sorted out the chaotic spiritual energy in his meridians. He hadn’t gained much from that strike either. Though his attack took advantage of his status in the Realization Realm and the element of surprise, it still disrupted his spiritual energy.
In terms of strength, Lin Dong believed this man was at least at the sixth level of the Vitality Phase.
The third level of the Vitality Phase against the sixth…
Lin Dong smiled, battle spirit surging in his eyes.
To win, he needed to land a decisive strike. Otherwise, the longer it dragged on, the wider the gap would become.
Glancing suspiciously at the bench, Qiao Tianhao shook his fist, sending droplets of blood flying to the ground.
“Lucky for you, I didn’t bring a weapon today. But…”
Qiao Tianhao stomped the ground violently, launching himself forward. As he flew through the air, he twisted rapidly, kicking out with his right leg like an unstoppable steel whip, whistling as it aimed straight at Lin Dong’s face.
The oppressive pressure rolled in with the wind, but Lin Dong remained calm, his gaze fixed on the incoming leg.
Qiao Tianhao’s face lit up. From that earlier clash, he realized Lin Dong wasn’t very strong—otherwise, he wouldn’t have only left a blood mark on his own fist.
Trying to block that kick? Better prepare to stay in bed forever!
Whoosh…
The moment his right leg was about to touch Lin Dong, Qiao Tianhao saw a blur. Lin Dong seemed to have disappeared into thin air, leaving nothing in his path.
The next instant, the wind roared by his ears. Qiao Tianhao turned sharply and saw Lin Dong’s stern face.
“Goodbye!”
With a surge of spiritual energy, Lin Dong swung the bench wildly, slashing at Qiao Tianhao, who still hadn’t landed.
With a crack of bone breaking, Qiao Tianhao flew backward like a baseball knocked from a bat, shooting toward the counter.
Boom…

Inside the counter, after Yang Laiting instinctively caught Qiao Tianhao, everything turned upside down as he stumbled backward. Lin Dong shook his slightly numb right arm and pulled the bench back to the movable counter. “Cough cough…” As the dust settled, Yang Laiting pushed aside Qiao Tianhao, who was crying in pain with his arm wrapped around it. After getting up, he glared at Lin Dong with a grim expression. Just as he was about to lash out, he remembered Lin Dong’s strength and held back. Although he had never trained in martial arts, he understood that to easily defeat an opponent, one needed to be at least one or two ranks stronger. If Qiao Tianhao wasn’t too weak, it meant Lin Dong was likely at a high rank in the Lingdong phase. No one knew better than the dean—aside from sighing and practicing in the back yard all day—what it meant to be at a high rank in the Lingdong phase. Taking a deep breath, Yang Laiting said calmly, “You go first for the test.” “Let him go first!” Lin Dong nodded toward Qiao Tianhao. Yang Laiting was stunned—hadn’t their earlier fight been about who would go first? Qiao Tianhao, still in pain, momentarily forgot about his broken arm and looked at Lin Dong in confusion. “Want your other arm broken too?” Lin Dong shook the bench in his hand meaningfully. “Are you threatening me?” Qiao Tianhao, holding his right arm, snapped angrily, “If you’ve got the guts, go get a weapon! With your strength, if it weren’t for my carelessness and not being used to fighting bare-handed, ten of you wouldn’t stand a chance.” “Three, two…” Lin Dong stepped forward slowly. His calm expression seemed eerily sinister to Qiao Tianhao, making him shiver. Uncontrollably, his legs led him to the blood-red cylindrical stone, and his left hand quickly rested on it. Lin Dong smiled without saying a word. He did this partly to see who he could defeat at this rank in the Lingdong phase and partly as a small retaliation against Yang Laiting! After a moment, a silver-white light column rose from the bottom of the cylinder. It slowly ascended and, after reaching about two-thirds up the cylinder, trembled a few times before stopping completely. “Six and nine-tenths of the Lingdong phase!” Yang Laiting swallowed hard. The disdain and anger in his eyes toward Qiao Tianhao vanished, replaced by uncontrollable excitement. “How old are you this year?” “Can’t you see? Hurry up and process my transfer.” Qiao Tianhao took out his martial arts test card and threw it on the counter. Yang Laiting felt displeased but quickly resolved it. What was a little frustration compared to leaving this damned place, Xilan County?

Upon flipping open the martial aptitude card, Yang Laiting’s pupils contracted sharply. It was the ninth day of the sixth month in the 20th year of Qianwei—meaning he had just turned 20. Reaching the late stage of the sixth level of the Lingdong Phase at just 20 years old, and at this pace, he would likely break through that phase in another three years. That meant he only needed to wait three more years before he could leave this hellish place with the dean? The more he thought about it, the happier he became. Yang Laiting’s mouth stretched wide behind his head, and his gaze toward Qiao Tianhao was both friendly and urgent. “Young man, where do you live?” Qiao Tianhao, who always treated others with hostility when they showed kindness, responded rudely to Yang Laiting’s courtesy: “What’s it to you?” Yang Laiting’s smile faltered for a moment before returning, as he said cheerfully, “Reaching the sixth level of the Lingdong Phase at just 20 is a rare talent in Xilan City. My dean values talent, and I have some spirit stones on hand. Unfortunately, he’s currently practicing in the back yard and can’t be disturbed, so I’ll have to deliver them to you the day after.” “So generous?” Qiao Tianhao’s eyes narrowed as he realized what was going on, and he sneered, “You’re trying to get a spot to get promoted, right?” Yang Laiting looked somewhat frustrated but forced out a faint smile. Qiao Tianhao had intended to mock him further to get back at him for earlier insults, but the sharp pain in his right arm made him wince, forcing him to give up. Impatiently, he said, “I’m staying at the Chunlai Inn right now. If I’m not there, look for me at the newly opened Fenglin Restaurant. Register him first…” With that, Qiao Tianhao glanced at Lin Dong, wanting to see what level he was at. Yang Laiting instinctively glanced at Lin Dong and shuddered violently, wishing he could slap himself. If someone could defeat Qiao Tianhao, their level should naturally be higher than his—yet he hadn’t even thought of that. Although Lin Dong had defeated someone at the sixth level of the Lingdong Phase by relying on the Yutian Jue, Piaomiao Bu, and surprise, victory was victory. He was fairly satisfied with the result. Approaching the counter, he gently pressed his right palm against the cylinder. A silver light column slowly rose from the bottom, but stopped after about one-third of the way up. “Third level of the Lingdong Phase, one point?” Yang Laiting and Qiao Tianhao both rubbed their eyes, finding it hard to believe the result. Qiao Tianhao wasn’t as shaken as Yang Laiting and quickly regained his composure. When he looked at Lin Dong, his nostrils twitched slightly again. “I told you, if it weren’t for not bringing a weapon, with you? Ten of you wouldn’t be enough.” “Want to lose another arm?” Lin Dong glared at Qiao Tianhao, pushing him back, tapped the counter to wake Yang Laiting, and said calmly, “Register him!”

Yang Laiting slumped like a deflated ball. Remembering Qiao Tianhao beside him, he regained some energy. He picked up the fallen chair, sat down, and copied the information on the martial assessment card into a notebook.
“I thought I’d meet someone who could be faster…”
After finishing, Yang Laiting grabbed the martial assessment card and sighed heavily. It made sense—after all, this person was here to test their cultivation level, not to change their registration details. If they had reached the third stage of the Lingdong Phase, they would have already been identified as training targets by the dean and himself, so there would be no need to wait until now.
Beating an opponent three stages above himself showed remarkable practical combat skills.
It was a pity, though, that he hadn’t reached the third stage of the Lingdong Phase until his twenties. No matter how strong his combat skills were, it was useless. Such talent was doomed…
Yang Laiting stiffened suddenly, lifting his head to look at Lin Dong. His right hand, holding the martial assessment card, trembled violently. His eyes flashed with indescribable shock.
He finally remembered why Lin Dong seemed familiar.
“Hey, hurry up! I still haven’t finished registering!”
Qiao Tianhao tapped the table impatiently.
“There’s only one spot left—just one more!”
Yang Laiting mumbled something absentmindedly before strolling wildly toward the back yard.
“That old man’s really senile—only now does he remember there’s one spot left.”
Qiao Tianhao, holding his broken right arm, frowned as he saw Lin Dong still there. “Aren’t you leaving? Do you expect to get some spirit stones?”
Lin Dong nodded amid Qiao Tianhao’s sneers. If it truly was the last spot, it was worth staying and waiting.
He didn’t lack spirit stones, but he didn’t have a single pill that silver couldn’t buy.
The dean of the martial assessment institute was himself a warrior, one loyal to the imperial court, so his family’s wealth was usually considerable.