The voice was soft, almost casual—but it hit everyone's ears like a thunderclap.
Every person in the crowd shuddered violently.
Chen Hong, the young master of the Chen family, stammered quickly, "Master Lin, I have not acted against you! Please, spare me—"
"Too late."
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Lin Yi's fist had already smashed into Chen Hong's throat.
Thud!
Chen Hong's neck shattered instantly. His head rolled across the stone ground.
The remaining people felt as if they had plunged into an ice cellar. Their bodies shook violently, and all will to fight evaporated.
One thought consumed them: Run!
But Lin Yi had no intention of letting anyone escape.
They came here, then they would pay.
With a cold snort, he moved through the crowd like a white streak of lightning.
Thud!
A Shen family elder's chest was obliterated by a single punch, his innards and blood spraying outward.
Pff!
A county official's leader had his stomach crushed by a single kick, screaming as he flew backward.
Wherever Lin Yi passed, severed limbs and shattered arms flew in every direction, blood mist thick in the air.
Heart-wrenching screams rang out endlessly from the gates of the Lin estate.
In just a few breaths, nearly a hundred powerful cultivators from Qingshan County—who had moments ago been brimming with confidence—were reduced to nothing but corpses.
Blood stained the stone-paved courtyard in front of the Lin estate, forming tiny crimson streams that snaked across the ground. The pungent metallic scent made the air nearly unbearable.
The scene before the estate looked like a slice of hell on earth, horrifying and grotesque.
[Executed Bone Forging cultivators to death, Violence Points +300][Executed Body Tempering cultivators, Violence Points +50][…]
Lin Zhou and the other stewards panted heavily, watching the enemies fall one by one—fear and excitement warring in their chests.
Even Gu Xi, high in the teahouse, felt her heart pounding, her chest heaving, cheeks flushed with adrenaline.
No one had believed Lin Yi could dominate this battle. His strength might be at the Bone Forging stage, but his opponents were the Chen family, Shen family, and the county office combined—victory seemed impossible.
Yet here he was, bulldozing through nearly a hundred of Qingshan's strongest, his force utterly overwhelming.
His strength was absurd.
Despite the calm expression on his face, Lin Yi's heart was quietly elated. So many Violence Points… this was a windfall!
He turned to Lin Zhou and gave an instruction:
"Take care of these bodies, Uncle Lin Zhou."
Lin Zhou snapped back to attention, bowing repeatedly. "Young Master, rest assured, leave it to me!"
Lin Yi gave a slight nod, then ignored the carnage entirely and slowly walked into the Lin estate.
…
Inside the county office, a room was heavy with the scent of medicinal herbs.
On the bed lay a boy, his upper body all that remained, entirely wrapped in white bandages.
Beside him sat a middle-aged man.
The boy was none other than Tang Xuan—the same Tang Xuan whose limbs Lin Yi had destroyed the night before in Wutong Alley.
The man beside him was Tang Xuan's father, Tang Qiu, the Third Elder of the Tang family.
Hearing that his beloved son had been crippled, Tang Qiu was burning with anxiety. He had rushed overnight from Qingfeng City to Qingshan County.
Tang Xuan struggled to speak, his voice hoarse: "Father… the Lin family… they must have been wiped out by now, right?"
Tang Qiu forced a smile to comfort him: "Rest assured, Xuan'er. Last night, nearly every strong cultivator in Qingshan County followed Jiang Yunzhou to the Lin estate. The Lin family couldn't possibly have survived. By dawn, they would all have been exterminated."
Beside him, a graceful young woman in a flowing sky-blue dress hurriedly nodded in agreement, her voice gentle: "Yes, Master Tang. Your father led nearly a hundred powerful cultivators to eliminate that insignificant Lin family—it was effortless. Rest easy; news of their defeat will soon reach you."
She was none other than Jiang Yunzhou's eldest daughter, Jiang Yu, personally assigned to look after Tang Xuan and reassure the Tang family.
Tang Xuan gritted his teeth, his voice shaking with hatred:" That Lin brat… to wound me like this… even if I die a thousand deaths, it won't wash away the hatred in my heart! Father… is there any way my arms and legs can be restored?"
Tang Qiu looked at his son's pitiful state, his heart pierced with pain, but he shook his head."There are indeed divine medicines that can restore even the flesh and bones of the dead, but they are far beyond what the Tang family can obtain."
He paused, his voice low and steady: "When we return to Qingfeng City, I will find suitable replacements for your limbs and have the city's most renowned physicians attach them."
For Tang Qiu, acquiring a divine medicine was nearly impossible—but acquiring new limbs was merely a matter of eliminating a few people.
Hearing this, Tang Xuan's eyes dimmed, his spirit crushed:"…Then… that's all I can do."
…
Back in his small courtyard, Lin Yi's mind shifted, and he opened the system interface.
[Host: Lin Yi][Cultivation: Breath Condensation Realm, Stage Two (0/2000)][Martial Technique: Cloud-Crushing Fist (Intermediate) (0/200)][Violence Points: 25,500]
"What a harvest today!" Lin Yi murmured appreciatively.
Without hesitation, he began raising his cultivation.
[Consume 2,000 Violence Points, Cultivation increased to Breath Condensation Realm, Stage Three]
[Consume 2,500 Violence Points, Cultivation increased to Breath Condensation Realm, Stage Four]
[…]
[Consume 5,000 Violence Points, Cultivation increased to Breath Condensation Realm, Stage Nine]
With each expenditure of Violence Points, Lin Yi felt a warm current surge through his body, rushing like a roaring river through every bone and sinew.
When the final surge of energy settled in his dantian, Lin Yi's cultivation stabilized at the peak of Breath Condensation Realm, Stage Nine.
He opened his eyes abruptly.
A sharp gleam flickered across them.
At that moment, Lin Yi felt his senses sharpen to an extraordinary degree—he could even hear the faint rustle of leaves several meters away.
Even more thrilling, he could faintly perceive threads of strange energy drifting in the air.
"This must be spiritual energy…"
Lin Yi murmured to himself."As long as I break through to the Condensation stage, I can draw in this faint spiritual energy into my body… and be able to annihilate opponents several meters away on my own."
At the thought, his eyes shone with excitement and anticipation.