Chapter 69: Struggle for the Earth Cave!

"Ah Lin, how are the preparations coming along?"

In the prefecture city, inside a luxurious residence, Fang Yongping looked at his son, full of vigor and high spirits, and said with a smile,

"This Earth Cave contest concerns whether our Fang family can completely surpass the Song family within the next year—everything depends on you."

"Father, rest assured. Although breaking through in battle carries risk, I have made complete preparations and will certainly not fail."

A young man in blue robes stepped out from the room, striding with head held high, his heroic bearing evident in every gesture, revealing his inner strength and confidence.

"Good then."

Fang Yongping nodded in satisfaction, smirking as he said:

"I suppose the Song family still foolishly believes that by cultivating a Tian family live-in son-in-law who has transformed Inner Strength into Qi, they can rival our Fang family."

"Little do they know, that is merely a smokescreen we Fang family have put out."

"Lin'er, you had already transformed Inner Strength into Qi three months ago; now you are but a step away from piercing the first meridian."

"Once you defeat Tian Bai today and then temper yourself in the Earth Cave, you will surely have hope of attaining Condensing Truth."

"By then, will not the entire Songyang Prefecture City be ours to command?"

"Father's wisdom is unmatched; I will not disappoint your trust." Fang Lin smiled confidently.

Now, he is but a layer of window paper away from piercing the meridians and becoming a true Tongmai Realm master—he could break through at any moment.

Had it not been for the earlier agreement between the two families restricting combat to below Tongmai Realm, he would have already broken through.

But looking at it now, perhaps it is not such a bad thing.

At least the Song family would not expect that Fang Lin is not merely someone who recently transformed Inner Strength into Qi, but a quasi-Tongmai master capable of stepping into that realm at any time.

When he breaks through in battle, he will surely leave the Song family stunned.

Moreover, Father has promised that if he wins this battle, the Yuan Magnetic Grotto will be entrusted to him alone for a time, to temper his qi and blood, strengthen his tendons and meridians, and lay the foundation for a future breakthrough into the Condensing Truth Realm.

"Good, with these words from you, Father can rest easy."

Fang Yongping patted his son Fang Lin on the shoulder, his face full of smiles.

In his view, with Fang Lin's current strength, defeating Tian Bai is a near certainty.

As for the remaining two matches, they are essentially even odds, with little suspense.

……

When Qin Shuo and the others exited the Song Mansion, dozens of fine horses were already waiting at the gate.

For this Earth Cave contest, aside from Third Elder Song Chun holding down the mansion, the Song family has dispatched nearly all its experts, fearing the Fang family might resort to tricks.

Within the prefecture city, the City Lord's Mansion maintains public order, so even if the Fang family were bold, they would not dare make any major moves.

But once outside the city, things are different.

The Western Suburbs are wild mountains and ridges; if the Fang family harbors ill intent and the Song family is unprepared, they will suffer a great loss.

The crowd mounted their horses, with Song Tianhao leading the way, Second Elder and Song Tianlin following closely behind, then Song Xuan and Song Shan, then Qin Shuo and Song Yan, and finally a host of martial artist guards bringing up the rear.

The venue for the Earth Cave contest is set right near the Yuan Magnetic Grotto.

The purpose is so that the victor can immediately enter the grotto to cultivate, avoiding delays and complications.

After traveling for over an hour, a lush, deep mountain came into view.

Qin Shuo looked up and gazed into the distance, faintly hearing the roars of beasts and cries of apes from within the mountains, along with great eagles soaring in the sky, searching for prey.

Cry!

A single eagle's cry tore through the sky, loud and piercing.

The giant eagle, with a wingspan of four or five meters, swooped down from the sky and vanished into the distant forest.

Not long after, the giant eagle flapped its wings and rose again, its talons clutching a wild boar, blood spraying across the sky.

"An Exotic Beast!"

Qin Shuo's heart stirred—this mountain range is indeed remarkable; even a random giant eagle turns out to be an Exotic Beast.

Observing the reactions of Song Xuan and the others, they remained utterly calm, as if they had long expected this, finding nothing unusual.

"This is Yingti Mountain; that giant eagle is the overlord of this mountain range. Ferocious birds and beasts abound here—even ordinary Inner Strength martial artists dare not venture alone into the mountains."

Seeing Qin Shuo's doubt, Song Yan voluntarily informed him of the situation here.

"Alright, everyone dismount; we will proceed on foot into the mountains."

When the group arrived before a dense forest, Song Tianhao, in the lead, dismounted, gave a brief instruction, and then darted straight into the depths of the mountain range.

Seeing this, the others likewise dismounted and, familiar with the route, followed closely behind.

Qin Shuo closely followed Song Yan, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings vigilantly; he could sense that some powerful Exotic Beasts were lurking nearby.

But once they sensed that this group's qi and blood were not insignificant, the beasts all retreated.

"Indeed, this is no peaceful place. Probably only major powers like the Song and Fang families dare to venture into this mountain range to explore, and thus discover the Yuan Magnetic Grotto, such a treasure for cultivation." Qin Shuo thought.

The Yuan Magnetic Grotto lies on the mountainside of Yingti Mountain, so the contest venue is also set there.

When Qin Shuo and the others had just arrived at the mountainside resting spot, the surrounding area began to echo with the creaking sounds of bows and crossbows being drawn.

Immediately, figures emerged from all around.

The Song family members went on high alert, and the martial artist guards behind them likewise nocked arrows to their bows, preparing to meet the enemy.

At that moment, a middle-aged man of extraordinary bearing stepped out from the crowd, walked toward Song Tianhao, and said with a smile:

"Song family head, you have arrived late!"

"If you do not come sooner, I will think you are afraid to fight, and intend to hand over the Yuan Magnetic Grotto to our Fang family."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man glanced back, looking toward the left mountainside, where a cave was obscured by shrubbery.

From the outside, that cave appeared unremarkable.

Even if one did not look closely, one would fail to notice it was a cave, mistaking it for a shadow cast by shrubbery on the ground.

"That must be the so-called Yuan Magnetic Grotto..." Qin Shuo thought.

Such a hidden place, it's no wonder no one had discovered it before.

"Late? I feel like the timing is just right."

Song Tianhao said indifferently, "I think the Fang Family Head is just too eager, wanting to occupy the Yuan Magnetic Grotto for cultivation, right?"

"I would like to, but Brother Song won't let me!"

The middle-aged man chuckled, not hiding his ambition to monopolize the Yuan Magnetic Grotto.

"This man is Fang Yongping, head of the Fang Family, just like Second Uncle—both at the peak of the Tongmai Realm. But his foundation is slightly weaker; if they truly fought, he would not be Second Uncle's match." Song Yan whispered beside Qin Shuo.

"The one beside him is your opponent this time, Fang Lin of the Fang Family, whose strength is comparable to Tian Bai's—both at the Inner Strength Transforming into Qi realm. Since you defeated Tian Bai, defeating him should not be difficult."

Qin Shuo followed Song Yan's gaze and saw a young man in green robes looking around in this direction.

He seemed to be searching for someone, his eyes darting about, full of confusion.

"Father, Tian Bai hasn't come!"

After scanning the Song Family entourage, Fang Lin confirmed that Tian Bai was indeed absent, and couldn't help but frown.

"Not here?" Fang Yongping was also startled.

Could it be that the Song Family is also playing some kind of confusion tactic on him? Spreading rumors that Tian Bai would fight, only for the outcome to be otherwise?

But looking at the younger generation of the prefectural city, who could the Song Family possibly find to match Fang Lin?

The Zhu Family? Or the Qi Family? Obviously neither is possible.

Never mind—whoever steps up, as long as this person hasn't entered the Tongmai Realm, to Fang Lin it's all the same; there's no chance of victory whatsoever.

Thinking this, Fang Yongping no longer dwelled on Tian Bai's absence, but turned to Song Tianhao and said:

"Since everyone is here, let's begin! The Yuan Magnetic Grotto has been open for some days; if we delay further, its energy will dissipate..."