Chapter 5: Marrying into the Zhang Family Is Her Overreach!

With his newly acquired special constitution, Lin Chen’s cultivation speed was remarkably fast.

The man and the sapling cultivated in unison, absorbing spiritual energy with the ferocity of a giant whale drinking from the sea. That was no exaggeration—the word "plunder" was the only appropriate term to describe their progress. It was simply too outrageous.

As the sun set, over a dozen sonic booms echoed through the mountains like thunder on flat ground. When Lin Chen opened his eyes, he could feel the power within him on the verge of overflowing. Before he knew it, he had returned to the Earth Spirit Realm.

"At this rate, in seven days, I will reach at least the third level of the Earth Spirit Realm!" Lin Chen clenched his fists, his eyes burning with excitement. Although he hadn't reached his peak, his rate of progress was staggering. All of this was owed to the little sapling.

"Very good. Now that you’ve reached the Earth Spirit Realm, we can hunt demonic beasts," the sapling said with a smug look. "And don't get ahead of yourself; this is nothing. You’re about to see your 'Brother Sapling's' true methods. Let’s head deep into the Zilian Mountains and have a slaughter!"

Lin Chen didn't waste words. "Let’s go."

The Zilian Mountains were a vast, rugged range, home to numerous dangerous demonic beasts. Without the strength of the Earth Spirit Realm, venturing deep into these lands was incredibly risky. They hadn't been inside for long before the fierce roars of beasts echoed in their ears.

"Front left, over eight hundred meters away. It will be here in a few breaths," the sapling said, sitting on Lin Chen’s shoulder with his legs crossed.

The sapling could sense all things through the local flora. In the deep wilderness, it was as if he possessed countless eyes; no movement could escape his notice.

"You want to take this one, or should I?" the sapling asked with a smirk.

"I’ll do it." Lin Chen channeled his spiritual energy, his expression cold.

A ferocious leopard lunged from the thicket. It had moved with absolute silence, striking only at the last possible moment. It was swift as a gale, its face twisted into a snarl as it lunged with jaws agape.

It was a Mottled Swift Leopard, a first-level Earth Spirit Realm beast, renowned for its terrifying speed and bite.

"Bang!"

Lin Chen threw a punch, striking the leopard squarely in the face. The beast was knocked to the ground, howling and twitching in pain. The force of that blow was no small matter—the leopard’s cheekbone had caved in, and blood poured from its eye socket.

Lin Chen was pushed back a few steps by the recoil, but he immediately shifted into a combat stance. He lunged forward and delivered a swift, powerful palm strike that severed the leopard's neck. Jagged bone pierced through skin, and blood sprayed everywhere.

"Wait, don't kill it! Don’t waste the treasure—absorb it!" the sapling urged, gesturing wildly.

"If you want to eat it, do it yourself," Lin Chen said, pulling back with a look of disgust. He still found it difficult to accept the idea of consuming life force directly. He let the sapling absorb it instead; after all, their spiritual energies were shared.

"You didn't hesitate when we absorbed Lin Yilong, did you? You’re just being hypocritical," the sapling muttered, though he didn't mind. He extended his roots and vines, wrapping them around the leopard's head. Within moments, only a withered hide remained.

"Tsk, refreshing!" The sapling stretched his limbs, appearing to have grown slightly taller. His internal spiritual energy had also received a significant boost.

Lin Chen didn't stop, galloping toward the depths of the mountains. He only had seven days; every level he gained meant less danger. Lin Hongbin, the strongest expert of the Lin family, was at the sixth level of the Earth Spirit Realm and was not to be trifled with.

A day passed in the blink of an eye. In the dead of night, silence reigned. Lin Chen sat on a branch over ten meters high, his bare torso revealing muscles as hard as iron. Continuous killing and consuming had brought him to the second level of the Earth Spirit Realm—faster than he had anticipated.

A faint scent of blood clung to him, and weaker beasts often fled before he even approached. At night, the Zilian Mountains were filled with dense miasma and poisonous insects, forcing most beast tamers to light campfires for protection. Lin Chen, however, had no need for such things. The scent of blood radiating from him kept all vermin away.

"Someone is coming." Lin Chen opened his eyes in the darkness, a sharp glint flashing within them. Over time, he had learned the sapling's techniques. Wherever there was vegetation, it was as if he had another pair of eyes, able to perceive all things.

"There seem to be quite a few of them." Lin Chen held his breath and merged completely into the shadows.

A short while later, over a dozen young disciples arrived from all directions. They gathered in the clearing beneath Lin Chen’s tree, lighting a fire and roasting meat. They drank and laughed.

"Brother Liu, how was your harvest today?"

"Sigh, don't ask. My hands are empty."

"Same here. I finally managed to kill two ninth-level Human Spirit Realm beasts, only to have them snatched away. Truly bad luck."

"Have you noticed that there are exceptionally few beasts today?"

"Yeah, I’ve been running for half a day and haven't seen a single one."

The young disciples complained while they drank. Lin Chen watched from above. He recognized many of them. Aside from those from Fanyun City, there were young masters from neighboring city clans. It seemed they were part of a private hunting competition held within their specific social circle.

After a while, the conversation shifted to a topic currently causing a stir in Fanyun City.

"I heard Lin Ning’er is about to marry into the Zhang family. And that the young master of the Zhang family has some... particular habits. They say he often plays his maids to death. Is that true?"

"Heh, of course it’s true. If Lin Ning’er marries into that family, she’ll likely wish she were dead."

"Even though Lin Ning’er is a sickly thing, she is truly beautiful, especially that fragile, pitiful air she has. Tsk, tsk."

"That Lin Chen isn't much of a man, either. His sister is about to be thrown into the tiger's den, and he hasn't even dared to show his face."

"Haha, I heard the Great Elder of the Lin family is searching everywhere for him. If he dares to show himself, he’s a dead man!"

Some of the men had become reckless with the drink, their words growing lewd and mocking.

"The Lin family is something else. Lin Ning’er is the eldest daughter, after all. Marrying her off as a concubine to the Zhang family is already a loss of face. If she gets broken by the Zhang heir, won't that be a total disgrace?" a young master from Lin City remarked.

"A disgrace? What’s disgraceful about it?"

A cold snort cut through the air as several figures stepped out from the darkness. The youth in the lead, dressed in black robes with sharp, piercing eyes, was Lin Mingxun, the only son of the Lin family's Second Elder.

"Young Master Xun." Seeing Lin Mingxun approach, the others fell silent.

"Lin Ning’er—Lin Chen’s sister. Perhaps that title once carried some weight," Lin Mingxun sneered. "But now, she’s not even worth as much as a maid in our family. Marrying into the Zhang family is a climb for her. As for how the Zhang family treats her, what does that have to do with us? My family will never care about her life or death!"

"Why would the Lin family care about someone who isn't even worth as much as a pig or a dog?" Lin Mingxun scoffed, completely indifferent. The other youths nodded in agreement.

But at that moment, a figure hidden in the darkness loomed like a reaper from hell. Within his eyes, a frigid killing intent bloomed. The temperature around them plummeted.