Chapter Thirty-Six: The Trial

At this moment, regardless of the speculations among the drinkers, Lin Fan, Xiao Shuihan, and their companions had already entered a private room on the seventh floor of the Four Seas Tavern. If those customers knew what they were guessing about, they would surely laugh in disbelief. The Lin family was by no means a prestigious clan; even the title of “family” barely suited them, as the patriarch was merely at the Pulse Unblocking Stage. In comparison with other families, even those at the bottom of Qingxue County, their strength was greatly lacking. All the established families had at least one, if not more, cultivators at the Pulse Unblocking Stage, not to mention those at the Qi Vein and Qi Drawing stages.

“Brother Fan, these are the gravity rings you asked me to forge. As you requested, they can adjust the gravity anywhere from zero to ten thousand pounds!” Soon, an hour passed. After several rounds of wine and five courses of dishes, Li Ji took out four iron rings from his storage ring and placed them on the table.

“Excellent, the gravity array is quite ingenious!” Lin Fan took the four iron rings and examined them closely, offering his praise. He had instructed Li Ji to craft these two days ago when he returned to Flying Snow City, the purpose being to train the body’s strength.

“Brother Fan, I don’t quite understand. At the peak of Body Tempering, our physical strength is already at ten thousand. After breaking through to the Qi Drawing Stage, it increases by another ten thousand. Why do we still need to train our bodies?” Xiao Shuihan spoke up from the side, genuinely puzzled by Brother Fan’s approach. Although everything Brother Fan had them do so far had proven spot-on, including guidance on martial techniques that had led to their rapid progress, he still didn’t see the point.

After all, once they reached the Qi Drawing Stage, even if they weren’t perfect body temperers, their physical strength would surpass ten thousand, reaching twelve or thirteen thousand pounds of force. Having broken through to the Qi Drawing Stage, their strength had already doubled. Among them, Ou Hu, gifted as he was, had reached twenty-five thousand pounds! However, at the Qi Drawing Stage, the real focus of cultivation shifted from bodily strength to vital energy. One had to keep absorbing vital energy, gathering it into threads, to truly become powerful. Robust vital energy allowed for the use of powerful martial skills, movement techniques, combat skills, and divine abilities, and the process of absorption continually reinforced the body.

A Qi Drawing cultivator, upon reaching the peak of that stage, would normally have a bodily strength of a hundred thousand pounds, and as perfect body temperers, their strength would leave ordinary Qi Drawing cultivators far behind. But if, after arriving at the Qi Drawing Stage, they continued to focus on bodily training, it would only slow down their progress and leave them lagging behind, while the increase in strength would be marginal at best. After all, the best time to enhance bodily strength was during Body Tempering!

“Sometimes, slow progress isn’t a bad thing, nor does it mean weaker combat strength. Others may enter the Qi Drawing Stage after nine cycles of Body Tempering, while you all did so after ten, which consumed more time and resources. But does your combat power upon entering the Qi Drawing Stage fall short of those at its middle phase?” Lin Fan smiled slightly as he heard Xiao Shuihan’s question, putting the gravity rings into his storage ring and looking at the group. “Moreover, the time you spent perfecting your Body Tempering couldn’t be used by others to advance from early to mid-Qi Drawing. That’s unrealistic, because the higher your stage, the more effort each step requires.

“Sometimes, only with a strong foundation can you aspire to the peaks. I had you all forge gravity rings for yourselves. Whether you use them or not is your choice. The path is yours to follow—I won’t force you.”

“Brother Fan’s advice is something we’ll surely heed. I was just curious!” Xiao Shuihan shrank back a little. To be honest, though he was a scion of a notable family, ever since witnessing Lin Fan’s methods, he had been utterly convinced. All his rapid progress was thanks to Lin Fan’s guidance. Lin Fan was a master of insight—no one in their entire clan matched him. Even their family's supreme elder paled in comparison to Lin Fan’s mastery. As long as Brother Fan lived, he would surely become a master of the River Realm, among the kingdom’s elite.

In the days since, whenever Lin Fan instructed them in martial arts, he would sometimes lose patience with their slowness and give them a good beating, never once treating them as pampered scions. This was precisely why their bond with Lin Fan grew ever closer, and in their hearts, they came to respect him as their big brother. Now, hearing Lin Fan’s words and sensing a hint of anger, Xiao Shuihan couldn’t help feeling a bit afraid.

“What’s the point in asking so much? Whatever Brother Fan wants me to do, I’ll do!” Ou Hu grinned honestly. At some point, they’d swapped out their cups for large bowls. He raised his bowl, clinking it with the others, and drained his fiery liquor in one gulp. “It’s already dark. How about we go out and see the lanterns?”

“Hey, Ou Hu, we always thought you were the slowest among us. But now I realize you’re the cleverest!” Xiao Shuihan widened his eyes at Ou Hu’s obvious flattery, and the others looked on in exasperation. Not only did he flatter Brother Fan, he also changed the subject, leaving no chance for the others to chime in—a brilliant move! He was nothing like his usual simple-minded self.

“Nah, nah, it’s just that I’m scared of Brother Fan’s beatings...” Ou Hu scratched his head, embarrassed. He was the most straightforward and honest among them. Over the past month of training under Brother Fan, he’d always asked the most off-topic questions, so Brother Fan would pin him down and rough him up every time. Out of twenty days of martial training, he’d shown up looking like a swollen pig for more than half of them!

“Forget it, let’s go. I rented a boat ages ago. Brother Fan, let’s drink and enjoy the view from the river!” Seeing Ou Hu’s silly look, Xiao Fei shrugged helplessly, making everyone burst into laughter—even Lin Fan revealed a faint smile. He could sense the deep camaraderie between Xiao Fei and Ou Hu—an affection unshaken by harsh words or even fistfights.

He, too, had once had such brothers.

Qin Long—!

Lin Fan frowned, a wave of murderous intent rising in his heart. Yes, he once had such a brother, but now that person was the enemy he wished to cut into thirty-six thousand pieces. Yet, if he wished for revenge, he needed to quickly accumulate more negative emotions, so he could grow stronger.

Suppressing his killing intent, Lin Fan’s thoughts turned, and he asked Xiao Shuihan, “Shuihan, tell me, how can one quickly make a lot of people jealous or resentful?”

“That’s easy—steal someone’s wife or kill their child, and people will hate you to the bone!” Xiao Shuihan and the others were already leading Lin Fan downstairs. Hearing the question, he replied without even turning his head. “But it’s hard to make a lot of people hate you. You can’t just go around killing everyone. Making people jealous is much easier. Like I told you before, when we had Thousandfold Snow forged for you, just by showing a painting, you convinced Master Mao of Flying Snow City to forge the blade himself and let you take it away. That made everyone who failed to get a weapon green with envy!”

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Shuihan continued, and Lin Fan nodded in agreement. His very first major haul of negative emotion points had come from Thousandfold Snow.

After all, who in Flying Snow City didn’t know of Master Mao, the famed smith who had once forged spiritual artifacts? Countless people had paid dearly for one of his weapons, only to walk away empty-handed. Yet with just a painting, Lin Fan had Master Mao forge and gift him a blade—a story that spread far and wide, making those who’d failed to get weapons burn with jealousy, and thus he’d gained a trove of negative emotion points.

“Right, if you challenge a hundred young experts and succeed, those who lose will resent you, and those who haven’t made the rankings will be envious!”

As they spoke, Xiao Shuihan and the others led Lin Fan to the docked boats. They hadn’t walked too fast; it was just that the Four Seas Tavern sat right on the main boulevard of Qingxue County’s capital, and the boulevard was split in two by a wide river. The green water, just over twenty meters across, flowed gently, evoking the charm of a southern water town. Since they’d arranged to meet at the Four Seas Tavern, Xiao Shuihan had long since arranged for a boat to be ready.

“By the way, Brother Fan, why are you asking this?” Once they boarded, Xiao Shuihan couldn’t help but ask Lin Fan.

Lin Fan simply smiled, offering no answer and instead changing the subject: “Drinking is always more fun with a challenge. Tonight, it’s your turn to be tested!”

The boat was already gliding out onto the water. Xiao Shuihan had clearly spared no expense—the craft was lavishly appointed yet retained a taste of antiquity, avoiding ostentation. It measured over ten meters long and four or five wide; a vessel that could easily accommodate forty or fifty, yet only held their group of seven and a boatman, leaving it feeling quite spacious.

Thankfully, the wine was already warm, and the dishes were all signature plates from the Four Seas Tavern, their aromas tantalizing. Seated in the boat, admiring the lanterns along both banks beneath the night sky, and occasionally hearing strains of distant music, the mood was exquisitely pleasant.

“What kind of test?” Hearing that Brother Fan intended to challenge them, they were all caught off guard, not understanding what he meant.

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