Chapter 413 - 230 Open and Honest Lin Tianhao_2

"Brother Lin, how should we settle this?"

Lin Tianhao glanced at the distance between them, then shook his head, retracted his spear, and smiled, "Junior Brother Gu, you truly deserve to be a once-in-a-century Martial Arts genius of the Red Cloud Prefecture. Not only is your cultivation speed remarkably fast, but even your martial skills are solidly honed! This time, I’ve lost. My respect!"

It was only then that Gu Sheng realized that after both of them were pushed back by the wave of Qi, Lin Tianhao retreated by an extra step compared to him.

Although he wasn’t entirely sure of the grade of the Mixed Element Body Refining Skill formed from the fusion of the three sects’ refining techniques, based on its current performance, it was at least Dark Level, perhaps even higher. Gu Sheng’s narrow victory this time was mainly due to this advantage. More importantly, Lin Tianhao’s straightforwardness played a large role; otherwise, if Lin had declared it a draw, Gu would have had no way to refute it. And if they were to exchange another move, Gu Sheng would undoubtedly lose.

The Blood Activation Skill required suppressing surplus Qi Blood Power in day-to-day practice, but now that he had already released it, it wouldn’t be effective if used again.

At this moment, Gu Sheng finally realized that Mu Yuanyuan’s evaluation of Lin Tianhao was indeed accurate. This man was truly an open and upright person, someone worthy of befriending!

Gu Sheng cupped his hands toward Lin Tianhao and smiled, "Brother Lin is too modest. I merely took advantage of a slight opportunity. If we were to truly fight, I would not dare claim to be your match."

Lin Tianhao shook his head. "Your Gale Nine Swords is only Yellow Level Top-grade martial arts, while my Yellow Dragon Breaking Formation Spear is Dark Level Low-grade. In terms of martial arts alone, I already hold an inherent advantage. Moreover, you’ve cultivated for a shorter time. If we were of the same age, I wouldn’t even be qualified to spar against you. I am not someone with excessive pride or fragility in character, so Junior Brother Gu need not comfort me. A loss is a loss; it’s no big deal. You are indeed a formidable opponent, but for Martial Artists, isn’t the cultivation journey itself just a continual ascent of one peak after another?"

"In the past, within the Red Cloud Prefecture, only Lu Shu could match me at the same cultivation level. However, our techniques were evenly matched, and neither could surpass the other. Over the years, we both thought we had no rivals in the Golden Bone Realm, so we fell into complacency and aimlessness. Your appearance now has allowed me to discover another peak within the Golden Bone Realm. I will set you as my goal, and when I surpass you, I am confident that I will be stronger than I am today!"

Gu Sheng was momentarily speechless upon hearing these words. Lin Tianhao’s self-awareness and conviction were extraordinarily high! With such qualities, his achievements were bound to be remarkable in the future.

Not knowing how to continue the conversation, Gu Sheng decided to tactfully change the topic.

"Ahem, Brother Lin, perhaps we should discuss the Spirit Stone vein now."

"The Spirit Stone vein was something I discovered accidentally. I marked the location during my last visit. It’s about seven days’ journey from here."

"That far? What are we waiting for then? Let’s set out at once!"

Although Gu Sheng hadn’t started cultivating the Guiding Method yet and couldn’t personally experience the wonders of Spirit Stones, he did possess certain techniques that required Spiritual Power to activate. Coupled with advice from Wen Mingyan and Lu Junyi, he clearly understood the importance of Spirit Stones. At this moment, his heart was filled with anticipation for the Spirit Stone vein Lin Tianhao described.

"No rush. The Spirit Stone vein is situated in a place where Spiritual Energy is far richer than elsewhere, and there are many powerful mystical beasts there infused with demon blood. Just the two of us can’t handle it alone. My companions are already waiting for me in that area. Let’s head back and rendezvous with them first, then proceed to the vein together."

Lin Tianhao’s transparency made Gu Sheng completely lower his guard, and he had no objections. The two immediately set off to retrace their steps.

The Haoyang Sect disciples were visibly excited to see Lin Tianhao return, but their expressions turned peculiar upon noticing Gu Sheng following behind him.

One of the Haoyang Sect disciples questioned, somewhat puzzled, "Brother, why is he coming back with you?"

Lin Tianhao, without a hint of pretense, boldly replied, "I sparred with Junior Brother Gu, and I lost. Hence, I invited him to join us in clearing out the mystical beasts at the Spirit Stone vein."

The Haoyang Sect disciples were utterly stunned upon hearing his response.

Lin Tianhao had been their revered idol. They could hardly believe that the newcomer Gu Sheng, apparently a rising star, had managed to defeat Lin Tianhao.

Facing the scrutinizing gazes from the Haoyang Sect disciples, Gu Sheng felt slightly embarrassed and awkwardly touched his nose, saying, "Well... uh... it was merely good luck on my part. Honestly, it was more like a draw, and I used some clever tricks. If it were a real life-or-death fight, I certainly wouldn’t be Brother Lin’s match."

While Gu Sheng spoke nothing but the truth, it was enough to leave the Haoyang Sect disciples astonished. After all, Gu Sheng was still extraordinarily young.

The Haoyang Sect disciples were all exceptionally gifted individuals themselves, but most of them had always been overshadowed by Lin Tianhao and Lu Shu. The sudden emergence of Gu Sheng was an unexpected blow to their spirits.

Realizing the shift in mood among his junior brothers and sisters, Lin Tianhao promptly offered words of encouragement, "Junior Brother Gu possesses talent far beyond the norm and is exceptionally diligent in his cultivation. But you all are by no means ordinary either. If you dedicate yourselves fully and strive harder, you’ll catch up eventually. Never underestimate yourselves or lose confidence."

Upon hearing this, the Haoyang Sect disciples nodded obediently, understanding his advice. "Big Brother, you’re right. We understand."

"Brother, although he’s quite capable, didn’t you already agree with Lu Shu about the Spirit Stone vein? And now you abruptly included Gu Sheng—what will the Governor Mansion think? Lu Shu is not someone easily trifled with."

Lin Tianhao glanced meaningfully at Gu Sheng before chuckling, "No worries. Lu Shu won’t mind this matter. Time is of the essence for us, and extracting the Spirit Stones will require significant effort."

The Haoyang Sect disciples made no further objections, and with Gu Sheng joining them, they took a brief rest before setting off toward the Spirit Stone vein Lin Tianhao had mentioned.

Lin Tianhao and his group were no strangers to venturing into the Red Cloud Secret Realm. Although the terrain of the Secret Realm shifted slightly with each entry, they utilized certain unique marking techniques.

Lin Tianhao navigated the realm as skillfully as an experienced hunter in Cang Mountain, allowing Gu Sheng to follow him without encountering any trouble. Many hidden dangers and traps were evaded thanks to Lin’s expertise.

During the journey, Gu Sheng even learned several methods from Lin Tianhao to identify concealed restrictions in the Red Cloud Secret Realm.

After seven days of intensive travel, the group finally halted at the entrance of a valley.

Standing at the mouth of the valley, Gu Sheng couldn’t help but exclaim, "Wow! Such abundant Spiritual Energy!"

The Spiritual Energy within the Red Cloud Secret Realm was already notably richer than the outside world, but the energy concentration at this valley’s entrance was far higher than anywhere else they’d encountered. Even from outside the valley, they could see pure white fog of Spiritual Power floating outward.

And this was merely at the entrance. Looking into the valley, it was engulfed in a dense, white mist—clearly the result of exceedingly rich Spiritual Energy condensing into a hazy fog.

Seeing this, Gu Sheng could barely contain his excitement. One glance told him that the Spirit Stone vein here must have a substantial reserve; otherwise, the Spiritual Energy wouldn’t be this concentrated!

"Rest here and recover your energy. Once we enter, we must thoroughly eliminate all mystical beasts within the vein and excavate the Spirit Stones!"

Though all Spirit Stones excavated would be handed over to the sect, the group would receive ample rewards. Furthermore, once they advanced to the Marrow Refining Realm, they would be granted corresponding Spirit Stones for cultivation.

While this arrangement may seem somewhat unfair, it was simply the way the sect operated: nurturing disciples with resources during their weaker stages, and expecting contributions back once they became stronger. This mutual balance was widely accepted, as disciples understood they would eventually reap the rewards of this cycle when they reached higher tiers of cultivation.

"Junior Brother Gu, take the time to rest as well. The journey has been taxing. Regain your strength—this valley is home to fierce battles ahead. That Wind and Fire Giant Bird is not only immensely powerful, but it also holds the advantage of flight. If the two of us fail to subdue it, there’s a real risk of the entire team being wiped out. There’s no room for error!"