Reversed Lake!
Inside the confinement stone chamber, the temperature plummeted. A biting chill seeped from deep within the stone walls on three sides. Even for a Blood Exchange Realm powerhouse, assailed by this cold, their Blood Gang could only barely shield their body. In fact, over time, even a Blood Exchange Realm Martial Artist would begin to feel the biting cold.
This was why the Lin Clan Members paled at the mere mention of Reversed Lake. Once they reached the Third-Time Skin Smoothing Realm, they were no longer bothered by the winter chill. But here, they were reduced to ordinary people, forced to endure the bone-piercing cold once more. Not a single clan member was willing to suffer such an ordeal.
Lin Mingchuan sat cross-legged in the center of the stone chamber, his upper body bare. Sweat trickled down his spine, freezing into frost the instant it left his skin.
He had been here for months, his initial anxiety and fury giving way to numbness and silence, and now, to an almost obsessive tranquility.
He clutched the True Blood Stone in his palm. A warm energy seeped from the stone, flowing through his meridians and into his Dantian, where his Blood Gang repeatedly refined and compressed it.
His uncle had given it to him. It was a stone bought with his father’s life.
This True Blood Stone was his only hope for a comeback.
Lin Mingchuan closed his eyes, focusing his entire consciousness inward.
Within his Dantian, a mass of dark red blood churned violently, as if boiling. Each contraction was more forceful than the last, and each expansion pushed closer to its absolute limit.
Breaking through from the Blood Exchange Third Transformation to the Fourth required compressing one’s Qi Blood to the absolute limit, allowing the Blood Gang to transition from a mere protective aura to something that could be projected outward.
This single step was a bottleneck for countless Martial Artists at the Blood Exchange Third Transformation; some remained stuck there their entire lives, unable to advance.
Even in a great clan like the Lin Clan, many members found themselves trapped at this stage.
It wasn’t that there was no way to proceed, but that the resources required to overcome this hurdle were simply too vast.
Many in the clan, upon deciding they had no hope of reaching the True Gang Realm, would halt their progress after the Blood Exchange Third Transformation. They would grind away slowly, hoping for a chance to reach the Fourth Transformation. If that failed, they would simply save up their Contribution Points for the next generation.
But he, Lin Mingchuan, was different. He was one of the pillars of the fourth branch’s younger generation. He had talent, a True Blood Stone, and hatred.
"Break!"
With a low roar from Lin Mingchuan, the mass of blood in his Dantian, which had been churning at its absolute limit, violently erupted.
Blood Gang gushed from his every pore, condensing around him into a dark red aura more than twice as thick as it had been at the Blood Exchange Third Transformation.
The chill in the stone chamber was scattered by this surge of Blood Gang, and for a moment, the temperature even began to climb.
Lin Mingchuan opened his eyes and glanced down at his hands. Blood Gang swirled around his fingertips, no longer the faint, ethereal glow of the Blood Exchange Third Transformation.
"I’ve finally reached the Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation."
A slow smile spread across Lin Mingchuan’s face. It began as a subtle twitch, grew more pronounced, and finally twisted into an unconcealed, almost maniacal laugh.
"The Third Branch, Lin Mingsong, Lin Yan... Just you wait."
He spoke each name through gritted teeth.
His hatred for Lin Mingsong stemmed from their constant competition ever since they had both entered the Blood Exchange Realm.
His hatred for Lin Yan was for revenge! Revenge for his brother!
’Without Lin Yan, I wouldn’t be imprisoned here. Without Lin Yan, I wouldn’t have been forced to use the True Blood Stone ahead of schedule. I would have saved it for after the Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation, to aid my future push into the True Gang Realm.’
His hatred for Lin Yan surpassed even his hatred for Lin Mingsong.
Stepping out of the stone chamber, Lin Mingchuan saw Lin Mingxing waiting outside. A smile touched his lips. "Mingxing, tell our uncle I’m participating in this year’s Grand Tournament. I’ve broken through to the Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation."
"Brother Chuan, you reached the Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation?"
Lin Mingxing’s face lit up with delight. "Brother Chuan, your timing is perfect! This is great!"
"What is it?"
"The clan moved the Grand Tournament up..."
A smile spread across Lin Mingchuan’s face as he listened to Lin Mingxing. ’It seems even the heavens are on my side. If the tournament were held at the end of the year, I would’ve had to worry about Lin Mingsong also reaching the Fourth Transformation. But not anymore. There’s no way he can break through in such a short amount of time.’
"Don’t tell anyone I’ve reached the Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation."
"Brother Chuan..." Lin Mingxing was confused, looking at Lin Mingchuan with a puzzled expression.
"I’m going to give the Third Branch a surprise."
As he said the word "surprise," Lin Mingchuan made no effort to hide the cold glint in his eyes. The True Blood Stone still held some energy, meaning his strength could increase even more in the coming days. When the time came, he would defeat Lin Mingsong in front of the entire clan and make him kneel.
Only then could he wash away the humiliation he now endured!
...
...
Within the borders of Qing State, the main road widened, and the mountains on either side gradually grew gentler.
Lin Yan had raced from Deng State to Qing State, riding at top speed toward Qing State Prefecture.
According to the letter from Brother Hai, the Grand Tournament was only twenty days away. He had already wasted seven days at Eagle Beak Cliff, and with a ten-day journey, time was tight. Any further delays, and he wouldn’t make it in time.
Lin Yan spurred his horse onward. After days of hard riding, he had finally entered Qing State’s territory. With only three more days to Qing State Prefecture, he could finally rest easy, knowing he wouldn’t miss the Grand Tournament.
Ahead was a mountain pass where the main road cut between two ridges, narrowing the path.
From a good distance away, Lin Yan saw a crowd of about thirty or forty people gathered on the road. They were all carrying weapons; every one of them was a Martial Artist.
A few merchant caravans and their guarded wagons had also stopped. Everyone was looking up toward the mountain ridge, and the faint murmur of their discussions drifted over to him.

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