C11 Awakening the Spirit Body!

Understanding that strength comes through adversity, Lin Tian naturally chose to bear it.

Time meandered on.

For most, the passage of time remained unchanged, unremarkable. But for Lin Tian, it seemed to crawl at a glacial pace.

Each moment stretched into eternity for him.

The agony of being shattered to his core had completely engulfed his will and spirit.

A single thought anchored him.

Perseverance.

Unyielding, relentless perseverance.

He had no clue where the end lay, nor how long he must endure.

But endure he must.

And so, as a day elapsed in the outside world, a sudden buzzing vibration emanated from within him.

With this vibration, Lin Tian's shattered organs and Bone Root began to mend, slowly at first.

Yet, with time's passage, the healing accelerated. Soon, not only were his internal organs and Bone Root knitting back together, but his flesh began to regenerate as well!

The unending torment Lin Tian had withstood vanished in a flash.

A wave of supreme comfort and relaxation threatened to lull him into slumber.

But in that critical moment, Lin Tian's spirit rallied, and he fought to stay awake.

He understood the importance of this juncture in transforming his physical constitution; he had to watch carefully to ensure his body was flawless.

Time marched on.

Under Lin Tian's vigilant gaze, his bones and meridians swiftly took shape, and new pathways formed within him.

Once his body was fully restored, both inside and out, his blood and Inner Strength surged, pulsing with a newfound, formidable vitality.

A dragon's roar erupted from within Lin Tian, prompting him to open his eyes and beam with joy.

"Excellent! Rebuilt from ruin, my physical constitution has finally improved! I have now achieved the initial form of the Divine Dragon Holy Body, as per the Dragon Gate Breathing Technique!"

Feeling the surging vitality within, Lin Tian's eyes gleamed with brilliance. He knew that in this life, he had already surpassed his previous existence's starting point.

In his previous life, Lin Tian had indeed mastered the Divine Dragon Holy Body as chronicled in the Dragon Gate Breathing Technique, but that milestone was only reached after he had ascended to supreme status. By then, his physical form had become immutable, and he hadn't fully reaped the benefits of the Divine Dragon Holy Body.

This life, however, was a different story. Right from the start, he had achieved the Divine Dragon Holy Body, and the advantages it provided were boundless. Now, he was confident he could exceed his past life's accomplishments!

Lin Tian scrutinized his body with a careful eye. Beneath his gaze, he could see his skin was fair and flushed—a sign of robust health brimming with life's vigor.

Turning his attention inward, he sensed his Bone Root, which now resembled jade, emitting a soft green glow.

"Ice Skin!" Lin Tian whispered to himself, his smile growing broader.

He was well aware that possessing Ice Skin marked one as a rare martial arts prodigy, destined for greatness.

With Ice Skin now part of his arsenal, Lin Tian clearly understood that his next step was to awaken his Spirit Body. Once awakened, his path in cultivation would be clear and unimpeded.

His body trembled once more, and Lin Tian, seated in meditation, suddenly clasped his hands together.

Huala!

Qi and Inner Strength roared to life within him, turning his skin a fiery red.

This was Lin Tian forcefully stimulating his Qi and blood to awaken his Spirit Body—a feat only possible because of his Ice Skin. Anyone else attempting such a feat would be overwhelmed by the intense flow of Qi and blood.

Moments later, Lin Tian's skin glowed red-hot, and the surrounding air began to warp.

At the peak of this distortion, a whooshing sound burst forth from within him!

Red flames danced across Lin Tian's skin, elevating his aura. The dragon's roar within him and the fiery glow on his skin fused, and in an instant, they surged through the cave.

Crack!

The cave's stone walls fissured, and Lin Tian's eyes snapped open as he burst into hearty laughter.

"Great! I've finally awakened my Flame Spirit Body! And with the awakening, I've smoothly ascended to Martial Apprentice Level Five! Just one more level until the true Martial Artist Stage! This level of talent should be more than enough for my sister and me to secure our footing in the Celestial Dragon Sect!"

Lin Tian was brimming with confidence. He was well aware that a fourteen-year-old who had reached Level Five of the Martial Apprentice and awakened his Spirit Body was considered a supreme talent in the Celestial Dragon Sect!

With such innate ability, the Celestial Dragon Sect was sure to place great importance on him.

"Phew... Alright, time to leave this place."

With a deep breath, Lin Tian rose to his feet and promptly exited the cave.

As soon as Lin Tian stepped outside, he was immediately met with the sight of numerous Celestial Dragon Sect disciples.

Their expressions shifted upon seeing Lin Tian emerge, particularly when they sensed the change in his aura, their faces revealed their astonishment.

"A Spirit Body! He's actually awakened his Spirit Body! How can this be?"

"Good heavens! What sort of divine elixir has Lin Tian consumed? How has he awakened his Spirit Body so quickly, and even advanced an entire level?"

A wave of astonished cries filled the air as the disciples around Lin Tian stared in disbelief. Lin Tian, however, paid them no mind and instead shifted his attention to another cave in the distance.

Zhao Hai and Kong Ling had gone there to train, and naturally, Lin Tian was curious about their progress.

But a single glance was enough to furrow his brow.

The cave was empty!

Moreover, there were signs of disarray inside, as if a struggle had taken place.

A glint of cold light flashed in Lin Tian's eyes as he swiftly turned to address the surrounding disciples, "Junior Brother Zhao Hai, where is Junior Sister Kong? What's happened here?"

His words left the disciples momentarily dumbfounded, exchanging puzzled looks, seemingly clueless about the situation.

Lin Tian scrutinized the crowd with a keen eye. In a flash, his gaze locked onto a disciple who was attempting to slip away.

To an onlooker, the disciple might have appeared to be casually leaving, but Lin Tian detected the haste in his step.

In a blur of motion, Lin Tian was instantly in front of the disciple, fixing him with an intense stare.

The disciple's face went pale, and he blurted out, "What do you want?"

"Tell me, where have Zhao Hai and Kong Ling gone?" Lin Tian demanded icily.

"Zhao Hai? Kong Ling? I don't know them."

"Don't know them, huh?"

With a swift motion, Lin Tian seized the disciple's right arm, and a sickening crack of breaking bones filled the air.

"Ah! Lin Tian! How dare you!"

The disciple's cry of agony echoed as he tried to muster his Inner Strength to retaliate, but Lin Tian's overpowering force rendered his efforts futile.

Lin Tian's gaze was icy as he gripped the disciple's hand and gave it another violent shake, causing the entire right arm to go limp, seemingly with every bone shattered.

"Ah!"

A more piercing scream tore through the air, yet Lin Tian remained unmoved. "Now, answer my question. Where did Zhao Hai and Kong Ling go? Or else your right arm will be utterly useless."

The disciple shook uncontrollably at the threat.

For a martial artist to lose an arm so early in their training was to be rendered virtually useless!

"Fine! I'll tell you! Just let go of my hand first..."

Lin Tian relaxed his grip, and the disciple collapsed to the ground with a thud, his face ghostly white with pain, sweat beading on his forehead.

Lin Tian stepped forward, prompting another shudder from the disciple, who quickly said, "Yesterday, Senior Brother Zhang Zhong came with others to Dragon Martial Mountain to search your cave, looking to settle a score with you. But Kong Ling and Zhao Hai intervened. Senior Brother Zhang Zhong had no choice but to take them captive and issued a challenge: if you want Kong Ling and Zhao Hai unharmed, you must come to him!"

"Really? Hmph, it's true what they say: fail to finish off a snake, and it will come back to bite you." Lin Tian snorted. "You know where Zhang Zhong is, right?"

"I... I know," the disciple stammered.

"Then lead the way," Lin Tian commanded, his tone icy. The disciple quickly got to his feet and started towards Dragon Martial Peak, with Lin Tian following silently, his eyes blazing with lethal intent.

Despite knowing that Zhang Zhong wouldn't take a lesson lying down, Lin Tian hadn't anticipated such a swift retaliation, let alone that Zhang Zhong would go as far as to capture his friend. That was unexpected.

Nothing infuriated him more than someone threatening his friends or family!

"Hmph, you've brought this upon yourself! Zhang Zhong, I spared your life before because I was preoccupied with strengthening my physical form and awakening my Spirit Body. Now that I've achieved my goal, your time has come to die!"

With that thought racing through his mind, Lin Tian hastened his pace.

He made his way swiftly and soon arrived at a grand courtyard on the outskirts of the Gui Yuan Sect's Outer Sect.

"This... is Senior Brother Zhang Zhong's residence," the disciple uttered, his voice quivering.

Lin Tian surveyed the courtyard with a cold laugh. "A pavilion beside a stream, artificial mountains, and trees—typical of the Zhang family's young master. He may not be an Inner Sect disciple yet, but his living quarters are more luxurious than those of many within the Inner Sect. The Zhang family's influence is formidable indeed."

"But what a pity, today this courtyard will likely have a new occupant."

With those words, Lin Tian abruptly delivered a kick to the disciple standing before him!

Boom!

The sound of the impact echoed as Lin Tian's kick sent the disciple flying through the courtyard gates, crashing to the ground, coughing up blood.

Lin Tian then sneered, "Zhang Zhong! You were seeking me out? Well, here I am!"