Inside the thatched hut.

The small dragon of spiritual energy above Lin Xiao's head spiraled around him, completing a full cycle with each rotation. The Flood Dragon power within him roared as if it were boiling!

The process of dragon blood transformation was excruciating, comparable to having one's body hammered and polished. Each polishing brought pain, and Lin Xiao had to endure this pain ten thousand times!

To successfully cultivate the first level of the Ancient Ancestral Dragon Art, it required ten thousand cycles. During this time, Lin Xiao not only had to endure the pain of dragon blood transformation but also needed a vast amount of cultivation resources for support.

The tens of thousands of Spirit Stones in his Storage Ring were depleting at a visible rate. When the Spirit Stones were reduced to two thousand, the Ancient Ancestral Dragon Art had only completed a thousand cycles!

To complete the remaining cycles, the Spirit Stones Lin Xiao had were far from enough.

"No wonder it's an Emperor-level Technique of the Dragon Clan; just the cultivation resources alone are enough to deter most people." Lin Xiao was now a bit troubled. The Ancient Ancestral Dragon Art was like a bottomless pit, and the resources needed for just the first level were astronomical. What would he do in the future?

He, who originally had no shortage of cultivation resources, was now worried.

Just as Lin Xiao was about to continue cultivating, an angry shout came from outside the hut, the voice booming like a great bell, carrying sound waves into the hut!

"Lin Xiao, get out here!"

The voice carried far, even reaching the Enlightenment Stone Stele Forest.

"There's going to be a good show; Hong Yuanshan from Nine Radiance Peak is here to cause trouble for Lin Xiao!"

People love a spectacle, and soon a large crowd gathered outside the hut.

Lin Xiao opened the door of the hut and saw a giant man, as tall as a small mountain, glaring angrily. The muscles on this giant man were like coiled dragons, each one exuding a sense of power, looking very intimidating.

"From Nine Radiance Peak?" Lin Xiao could tell at a glance that this was a body cultivator.

"I won't waste words. I'm here to avenge my two junior brothers!" Hong Yuanshan's voice was like a bell, making the eardrums of those around buzz.

"Why should I fight you?" Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit Lin Xiao. He was just worrying about Spirit Stones, and now weren't they being delivered to him?

Hong Yuanshan, however, thought Lin Xiao was scared and laughed, "I didn't expect you to be a coward. I thought you were something special, but you're just a bully who picks on the weak."

"He's chickened out?" The onlookers immediately started to gossip. If Lin Xiao backed down today, they would spread the word throughout the sect, making Lin Xiao a laughingstock.

"If you want to fight me, fine. The loser has to give all their Spirit Stones to the winner." Lin Xiao wanted to set a rule: anyone who wanted to challenge him had to wager Spirit Stones. Otherwise, he'd be constantly challenged and wouldn't have time to cultivate.

"Agreed." Hong Yuanshan thought for a moment and saw no trap in this, so he agreed. The loser had to pay Spirit Stones, and if he won, Lin Xiao would have to give him Spirit Stones!

Lin Xiao monopolized the cultivation resources of an entire peak, so he must have a lot of Spirit Stones. Thinking of this, Hong Yuanshan was overjoyed.

"Defeat him and you can get his Spirit Stones?" Upon hearing this, many in the crowd were tempted.

Currently, Lin Xiao was at the mid-stage of the Condensing Yuan Realm. Among the crowd, many were at the late stage or the Great Perfection of the Condensing Yuan Realm. Although Lin Xiao had recently gained the True Meaning of the Way of the Sword, greatly enhancing his combat power, the gap in realm was still significant.

"You have the guts to compete with me in physical strength. Didn't you break my two junior brothers' arms with your fists? I want to return the favor!"

Hong Yuanshan came to find Lin Xiao today, using the excuse of avenging his unlucky junior brothers, but his real purpose was to regain face for the body cultivators of Nine Radiance Peak. He wanted to defeat Lin Xiao using the methods of body cultivation.

"Your wish is granted."

Lin Xiao's lips curled into a cold smile. He could see through Hong Yuanshan's intentions and knew that Hong Yuanshan had already achieved great success in body cultivation.

This level of body cultivator was like a human weapon. If a non-body cultivator got close, they'd only get beaten.

"Hmm? He agreed so readily. What does he rely on?" Hong Yuanshan was puzzled. He hadn't heard of Lin Xiao practicing body cultivation, so if Lin Xiao dared to compete with fists, he must have something up his sleeve.

"Never mind, we body cultivators act on impulse!"

Hong Yuanshan charged at Lin Xiao, channeling all his strength into his arms. This punch carried a force of over ten thousand pounds!

"It's starting!"

The onlookers grew excited, all rooting for Hong Yuanshan. Lin Xiao had gained too much fame after entering Reflection Cliff, and more importantly, he had received great benefits. Everyone wanted to see Lin Xiao get beaten.

"Even though the Ancient Ancestral Dragon Art has only completed a thousand cycles, the Flood Dragon blood within me has undergone some changes, and my strength seems to have more than doubled."

Lin Xiao was also eager to find out how strong he was now.

In a body cultivator duel, it's all about raw strength, fist against fist, without any fancy techniques. Lin Xiao charged forward, turning into a black shadow.

Both were incredibly fast, and the onlookers only saw the black shadow that was Lin Xiao clash with Hong Yuanshan's massive figure!

Bang!

To everyone's shock, with just one clash, Hong Yuanshan was sent flying, like a kite with a broken string. In mid-air, his arm bent, revealing white bone!

"Ah!"

The pain of a broken arm, Hong Yuanshan experienced it too.

"This..."

The onlookers were speechless. Hong Yuanshan was a True Disciple of Nine Radiance Peak, someone who had refined his body to great success, yet he couldn't withstand a single punch from Lin Xiao?

"Hong Yuanshan ranks in the top eight among the True Disciples of Nine Radiance Peak, and yet he had his arm broken..." The crowd looked at the wailing Hong Yuanshan on the ground, then at Lin Xiao's relaxed demeanor, the contrast stark.

"Concede or not? Hand over the Spirit Stones." Lin Xiao walked towards Hong Yuanshan, extending his hand for the Spirit Stones. With so many watching, he couldn't break the rule he just set.

"Are you really a body cultivator?"

Hong Yuanshan swallowed a pill to stop the bleeding and pain, but his face was pale, and his voice hoarse.

"Strictly speaking, no. I've bathed in Flood Dragon blood, which has strengthened my body to some extent." Lin Xiao thought of a reason, one that could cover many things in the future.

"So that's it." Hong Yuanshan believed it somewhat. He handed his Storage Bag to Lin Xiao, still a bit unwilling, "You just have a good master who can even get you Flood Dragon blood!"

"If you're not convinced, we can fight again." Lin Xiao could hear the implication in Hong Yuanshan's words. He took the Storage Bag, which contained over two hundred Spirit Stones.

"So poor? Only two hundred or so."

Unexpectedly, Lin Xiao's words further stung Hong Yuanshan's heart. He retorted, "Do you think everyone is like you, monopolizing the resources of an entire peak!"

These Spirit Stones were all Hong Yuanshan had, accumulated over a long time, yet in Lin Xiao's eyes, he was just a pauper.

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"Anyone else not convinced can step forward!" Lin Xiao knew many were envious and jealous of him, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"I!"

From the crowd, a young man stepped forward.