"The Bone Fragment!"
Lin Yan murmured softly. He had been absorbing the Bone Fragment’s energy for some time now, and all of it had flowed into his spine.
It seemed the Bone Fragment had enhanced his Stone Waist Thunder Ridge, which was why the Martial Arts Tree had grown to such a terrifying height during this breakthrough—even more so than last time.
’Last time my Root Bone changed, the Martial Arts Tree gave me a direct notification because it had advanced a full grade. The Bone Fragment’s energy wasn’t enough to raise the Root Bone by a full grade, so there was no notification from the Martial Arts Tree, but my Root Bone was definitely strengthened.’
Lin Yan was ninety percent confident in his speculation.
It seemed he now had a path to upgrade his Stone Waist Thunder Ridge. All he needed were more Bone Fragments.
’Wishful thinking.’
Lin Yan shook his head helplessly. An item as mysterious as the Bone Fragment wouldn’t be that easy to find.
Finding these things was a matter of luck; deliberately searching for one wouldn’t guarantee he’d find it.
’Enough guessing. Time to feel the power boost from the Blood Exchange Third Transformation.’
Lin Yan clenched his fist. The Blood Gang that coalesced over his knuckles was nearly twice as thick as when he was at the Second Transformation. Upon closer inspection, one could even see a layer of faint golden light flowing within the Blood Gang.
He threw a punch. The Fist Gang traveled ten feet from his body before dissipating, and the air cracked like muffled thunder.
As he threw the punch, the Eight Desolates Dragon Elephant Force activated on its own. A faint phantom of a Dragon Elephant appeared behind Lin Yan. Although it vanished in a flash, it signified that his Qi Blood had been refined to a certain degree.
Golden-tinged Blood Gang, and the first appearance of the Dragon Elephant.
’This one punch, using my Mountain-Splitting Fist, could probably send all those junior brothers from the Martial Arts Hall flying.’
Pulling back his fist, Lin Yan muttered to himself before picking up the Abyssal Sword from the table.
With a single thought, four streams of Perfect Sword Intent surged from his Sword Pill, weaving together and merging along the blade. An almost transparent edge, as thin as a cicada’s wing, swirled at the tip of the sword, so sharp it caused the surrounding air to ripple faintly.
He executed a flat, silent thrust.
Thirty feet away, the giant ornamental rock in the corner of the courtyard—a gift from Zhou Chuan—split down the middle. The cut was as smooth as a mirror, without a single crack.
The corners of Lin Yan’s mouth curved up slightly. He was very pleased with the increase in his Sword Gang’s power.
Sword Gang was formed by merging Blood Gang and Sword Intent. When the Blood Gang grew stronger, the Sword Gang’s power increased with it.
’Time to test the speed of my Smoke-Stepping Technique.’
SWOOSH!
Lin Yan’s figure left several afterimages in the courtyard. Fueled by the Qi Blood of a Blood Exchange Third Transformation, the movement technique was more than thirty percent faster than it had been at the Second Transformation. His toes tapped the ground silently, and his entire body moved like a wisp of green smoke truly scattered by the wind.
And when Lin Yan activated his Stone Waist Thunder Ridge, his body shot forward abruptly. Amidst the chorus of his muscles and bones, his speed increased by another several degrees.
Just as Lin Yan was about to use his Stone Waist Thunder Ridge to swing his sword, a voice called out from outside the courtyard gate.
"Lin Yan, this is bad!"
Hearing Lin Mingye’s voice, the corner of Lin Yan’s mouth twitched. ’Why is Mingye so much like Old Xia used to be?’
BAM!
A few breaths later, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Lin Mingye rushed in with a panicked expression.
"Something big has happened! Cui Chenyu of the Cui Family has gone missing! The Cui Family is sending people everywhere to search for him!"
"Someone from the Cui Family went missing, so why are you so panicked? Don’t tell me you’re the one who killed that Cui Chenyu?"
"Of course not."
Lin Mingye slapped his forehead. "That’s right. What does Cui Chenyu’s disappearance have to do with our Lin Family?"
He had just heard the news of Cui Chenyu’s disappearance and was so shocked that he hadn’t thought it through. His first instinct was to come find Lin Yan.
His days in East River had conditioned him to inform Lin Yan immediately whenever he heard any news.
"Why would I kill Cui Chenyu? Besides, I don’t have the strength. But a Blood Exchange Second Transformation Martial Artist doesn’t just go missing. Cui Chenyu must have been killed. Tsk tsk... I wonder who did it. Who would dare to make a move against Cui Chenyu?" Lin Mingye’s face was a mixture of curiosity and the eager anticipation of a good show.
"It has nothing to do with us, so don’t worry about it too much. Just focus on guarding our waters. Even if the sky falls, won’t Uncle Shouzhi be there to hold it up? Besides, the sky isn’t falling."
"You have a point."
Having calmed down, Lin Mingye didn’t wait for an invitation. He picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup of water, and drank it. Then he looked at Lin Yan, and as he did, he seemed to notice something, his eyes scanning Lin Yan up and down.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"It’s only been a few days. How come I feel like you’ve changed a lot again, Lin Yan?"
"What kind of change?"
Lin Yan’s heart tightened. ’Although I have the Swallowing Technique to hide my Realm and Qi Blood, I did just break through. Some of it must still be showing.’
’It seems that after future breakthroughs, if I want to hide my strength, it would be best to wait a few hours or even a day or two. That would be safer.’
"I can’t put my finger on it. I just feel like you’re somehow different than before."
"Maybe I’ve gotten more handsome."
"Pah! With the number one handsome man of the Lin Family standing right here, you have the nerve to call yourself handsome?"
With Lin Yan having changed the subject, Lin Mingye stopped thinking about what was different about him. Instead, he began to argue with Lin Yan over who was the true number one handsome man of the Lin Family.
「East River Waters, Cui Family Stronghold.」
Cui Hui’s expression was grim. It had been a full day since his nephew, Chenyu, left yesterday, and there was still no news.
And according to the news he received from the family, before Chenyu left, he had returned to the family grounds. He had traded all his savings, including the heirlooms left by his aunt, to the family in exchange for a single True Blood Stone.
Now, Chenyu was missing, and the whereabouts of the True Blood Stone were unknown.
"Sir, we have news!"
A middle-aged man rushed into the main hall. When he saw Cui Hui’s face, so dark it seemed to be dripping ink, he quickly said, "This subordinate has just learned that the fifth leader of the Black Flood Dragon Society and several of his men also left the Water Stockade last night and never returned. They, too, have mysteriously vanished."
"The Black Flood Dragon Society!"
Cui Hui practically ground the words out through his teeth. "Gather the men. We’re heading to the Black Flood Dragon Society. Also, send a messenger back to the family. Today, I will wipe the Black Flood Dragon Society off the map."
"Yes, sir!"

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