Chapter 58

“You’re only at Qi Condensation Fifth Layer, yet you’re the strongest in the Yin family?” Wang Yu looked slightly surprised.

“The Yin family suffered a great calamity years ago; our Foundation Establishment elder and all our elite clan members perished in that disaster—otherwise, how could the Yin family have sunk to this state?”

“But if you join the Four Symbols Sect, our Yin family may remain in this Cuiyun Mountain spiritual domain, and still have a chance to flourish again.” Yin Linglong, seeing Wang Yu’s confusion, briefly explained.

“Spiritual domain! This Cuiyun Mountain has a spiritual vein?” Wang Yu’s spirits lifted at once.

“Of course it does. Though it’s only a Tier One small spiritual vein, it’s more than enough to sustain a family.”

“This room is a side chamber in the clan lord’s residence; the spiritual energy here is even purer than elsewhere. Cultivate well here—I’ll have Xiao Mei prepare cultivation aids for you.”

“Every bit of progress you make now will greatly help during the entrance trial.” Yin Linglong instructed.

Wang Yu naturally agreed at once, but then requested to see the Yin family’s collection of miscellaneous texts.

Yin Linglong thought for a moment, then agreed, handing him a key to the clan lord’s library within the courtyard.

The next day.

Wang Yu sat cross-legged on a wooden bed, a pale yellow meditation cushion beneath him, and beside him stood a blue incense burner with a brown incense stick smoldering inside, releasing a soothing sandalwood fragrance.

Wang Yu’s eyes were half-closed, his hands resting on his knees; with each inhale and exhale through nose and mouth, faint threads of cold qi flickered faintly over his skin.

The third day.

Wang Yu stared wide-eyed at the bowl and plate on the table.

The bowl held large, pale yellow rice grains, each as big as a finger, translucent and plump, instantly whetting the appetite.

The plate held a palm-sized chunk of crimson meat, coated in a layer of emerald-green liquid, exuding a strong medicinal aroma.

“Spiritual rice,” “demon beast meat.”

Wang Yu murmured these words several times, his face filled with blissful expression.

The fifth day.

Inside a room of fifty to sixty square meters.

Wang Yu stood before towering shelves of books, rapidly flipping through a thick volume in his hands, faint glimmers of crystalline light visible deep within his eyes.

The book’s cover bore the title: “Introduction to Herbalism.”

…

Half a month later, one day.

Wang Yu was seated in his room, meditating and drawing in spiritual energy, feeling his internal qi slowly increase, when suddenly a commotion and hurried footsteps erupted outside his door.

“Young Master Meng, you can’t go in—this room is for the clan lord’s guest!” came the panicked voice of the maid Xiao Mei trying to block him.

“Get out of my way! I want to see who this guest is that my sister gave my cultivation resources to—now I can barely make any progress!”

A furious teenage voice rang out, followed by a loud “Crash!” as the door was kicked open.

A young man in brocade robes, his face covered in pockmarks, stormed in, pointed a finger at Wang Yu on the bed, and glared fiercely:

“You—”

Wang Yu didn’t wait for the boy to finish—he flashed off the bed, moved in a blur, and appeared behind the boy, grabbing his collar and casually hurling him backward.

“Plop.”

The boy was tossed like trash beyond the door, landing face-first among the courtyard flowers, unable to rise for a long while.

“Crash.”

Wang Yu shut the door again, and his calm voice drifted out:

“This time, I’m only warning you. Next time you enter, I break your arm. The time after that, I break your leg. If you dare make noise outside, I’ll smash your mouth.”

Outside, silence fell at once, broken only by the boy’s low moans—he seemed truly frightened, too afraid to cry out loudly.

“You’re extremely domineering. Do you know who you just hit? Even as the clan lord’s guest, you can’t get away with this!” came another unfamiliar man’s voice, strained with suppressed anger.

"If you're not convinced, come in and try it yourself," Wang Yu said with a sneer, already back in bed.

He had killed Qi Condensation mid-stage opponents and escaped from sect disciples—he wouldn’t be intimidated by this man.

“Fine, fine, fine—I’ll test your mettle first.” The man outside laughed bitterly, and as soon as he finished speaking, the door was kicked open again.

This time, a scarred young man entered, muscular and swinging a thick wooden club.

Wang Yu’s eyes flashed with cold light; he leapt from the bed in a blur.

“Die!”

The scarred youth inhaled deeply; his arms swelled visibly, and his club blurred as it hurtled toward Wang Yu’s head with a vicious wind.

Seeing this familiar scene, Wang Yu’s lips twitched slightly—but he didn’t dodge at all. He raised his right hand and seized the club’s tip firmly.

“Ah!”

The scarred youth was stunned—he knew the force behind his strike, and immediately roared, his arm tendons bulging as he tried to fling Wang Yu into the air.

But Wang Yu didn’t budge an inch. He grunted, clenched his fingers tightly, and simultaneously shot his leg forward like lightning.

“Crack!” The club’s tip shattered into splinters; a gust of wind swept through as Wang Yu’s iron-like thigh slammed into the scarred youth’s abdomen.

“Whoosh!”

The scarred youth screamed, flying backward over seven or eight meters before crashing heavily into the courtyard—but he immediately rolled up into a fish leap and stood, face deathly pale, utterly drained of color.

“Third cousin… you…”

The brocade-robed boy jumped back in shock, trembling as he tried to speak.

The scarred youth said nothing, turned, and walked away without a word, vanishing from the courtyard in moments.

The boy’s face turned ashen; he barely managed to rise, then bolted away as well.

The green-dressed maid standing outside had watched, mouth agape. She stared at the tightly shut door, speechless for a long while.

After a meal’s time, Yin Linglong entered and, seeing Wang Yu, said directly:

“The first one who came was my useless younger brother—he was merely manipulated. The one who attacked after was a cousin of mine; he’s trained in body tempering arts.”

“They wanted to test your strength. I didn’t want to waste more time arguing—I’ve arranged a match in three days. If you defeat their chosen fighter, you may enter our Yin family as a son-in-law.”

“Excellent. Perfect. I’ve always believed whoever has the bigger fist holds the truth.” Wang Yu replied, unconcerned.

“Don’t you want to know who your opponent is?” Yin Linglong wrinkled her nose.

“Who? As my future wife, you’ll tell me anyway.” Wang Yu smiled.

“Yu Xiaoming of the Yu family. He’s twenty-six, already at Qi Condensation Sixth Layer. They made me promise—if Yu Xiaoming defeats you, he replaces you as my husband and enters our Yin family.” Yin Linglong spoke slowly, a flicker of anger crossing her beautiful face.