“Hand over your storage rings!” Lin Xiao said in a flat tone.
“You!” Ba Hu nearly spat blood. In Shengyuan Academy, victors typically demanded Thunder Beads—not every last storage ring.
“Don’t push it too far!” Ba Hu’s eyes blazed, his voice a low growl.
“Should I take them myself?” Lin Xiao’s gaze sharpened.
“You!” Ba Hu’s fists clenched, blood dripping, but restrained by Lin Xiao’s strength, he relented. He yanked off his ring and tossed it over.
The others, seething, followed suit, their icy stares ravenous with resentment.
Losing their rings meant losing all their wealth.
But Ba Hu knew Lin Xiao’s power—if they refused, he’d take them by force anyway.
“You’ll regret this!” Ba Hu glared, teeth gritted.
“I never regret my actions,” Lin Xiao replied coolly, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Oh, and your badge too.”
Ba Hu trembled with rage, shaking hands tearing off his two-star badge and hurling it at Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao caught it, tossing his one-star badge back with a faint smile. “Now, you can scram.”
Ba Hu’s face twitched as he led the Dragon Tiger Gate crew away.
The gate had changed hands.
Once they were gone, Ling Hu approached, eyes gleaming with admiration. “Brother Lin Xiao, you’re incredible!”
“When your Black Seal Poison’s lifted, you’ll be even stronger. For now, check these rings—Ba Hu’s techniques might suit you,” Lin Xiao chuckled.
“Alright!” Ling Hu hesitated but perked up at the mention of Ba Hu’s skills. He sensed the power in Tiger Roar Collapse, though it likely held less appeal for Lin Xiao.
Sorting the rings, Lin Xiao found a hundred Thunder Beads—a hefty haul, mostly from Ba Hu—plus the Earth-tier technique, Tiger Roar Collapse.
He handed it and thirty Thunder Beads to Ling Hu. Despite protests, Ling Hu accepted after Lin Xiao’s insistence—those beads were originally swindled from him by Gou Shi.
The remaining seventy were split, thirty-five to Hu Yue. Per Ling Hu, thirty beads unlocked the Thunder Qi Tower’s first floor.
Each now had a shot at training there.
Today’s gains were substantial.
Smashing Dragon Tiger Gate’s sign and clearing the wreckage, the trio settled into a spacious room to rest.
In conversation, Lin Xiao learned of Ling Hu’s Black Seal Poison ordeal. Hailing from a prominent family deeper in the continent’s northwest, Ling Hu’s clan held sway there. His father, a Martial Lord, vanished in an accident.
With his Sky Flame Saint Tiger Physique, Ling Hu was the family’s top genius, groomed as the next patriarch—until a rival poisoned him. Stagnating for a year, he was overtaken by another prodigy backed by a powerful faction that seized control. To escape their grasp, Ling Hu fled to Shengyuan Academy.
His tale sounded light, but Lin Xiao saw the danger and fury beneath.
Patting his shoulder, Lin Xiao offered brief comfort before refining the Black Devouring Pill for him.
Ling Hu’s character—trustworthy and earnest—made him a worthy ally.
The pill, though rare, wasn’t complex. In an hour, Lin Xiao crafted it, freeing Ling Hu from his nightmare.
Emerging, he handed it over. Ling Hu’s excitement shook his frame as he thanked him, swallowing it to refine immediately.
Seeing him settle into the process, Lin Xiao glanced at Hu Yue, then found an empty room nearby to rest. The past days’ exhaustion demanded it.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through floral windows as Lin Xiao rose, washing up before stepping out.
“Roar!” A tiger’s bellow shook the air, a primal beastly aura surging from a room.
“Breakthrough?” Lin Xiao turned toward it, murmuring.
It was unmistakably Ling Hu.
Freed from a year under the Black Seal Poison, his cultivation was bound to soar.
Hu Yue emerged too, joining Lin Xiao. Soon, Ling Hu’s sturdy, relieved figure strode out.
“Black Seal Poison—completely gone?” Lin Xiao smiled at the revitalized Ling Hu.
Grinning, confidence flashed in Ling Hu’s eyes. “Gone. Soon, I’ll settle that score!”
“With their faction controlling your family, going back now won’t be simple,” Lin Xiao cautioned.
“Don’t worry, I’m not that reckless,” Ling Hu laughed, brimming with vigor—a stark contrast to yesterday.
“Thanks, brother! From now on, you’re family to me!” He clasped his hands, gratitude and respect shining through.
Lin Xiao patted his shoulder with a faint smile. “No need for formalities between brothers. Someday, I’d like to see the continent’s depths myself.”
Ling Hu grinned, skipping pleasantries. “Heh, I’ll guide you then!”
“Sweet! I wanna see the deep continent too!” Hu Yue clapped excitedly.
“…” Lin Xiao and Ling Hu exchanged glances.
The continent’s heart teemed with powerhouses—beyond their current reach. Lin Xiao had the Feng and Chen families to deal with first, at least three years off.
“Lin Xiao, get out here!” A booming shout rolled up from the mountain’s base, followed by a dozen figures storming toward the gate with menacing intent.
