Practice starts with skill points.

Chapter 234 Son of Destiny
"Disciple pays homage to Master."

In the small courtyard of green bamboo, Gu Chen knelt in front of Zhong Lin. His clothes were a little messy and there was a pool of blood on his chest. It seemed that he had suffered a lot since coming to Jianding Sect from Linyue County.

He had just condensed his qi and blood, but he had to travel thousands of miles, so a young man would definitely be worried.

This was also a test from Zhong Lin, who wanted to see whether Gu Chen was the legendary "protagonist".

"Get up! Does your shoulder still hurt?" Zhong Lin said.

"what!"

Gu Chen suddenly looked up at Zhong Lin, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Zhong Lin picked up the teacup and took a sip. "Go get some ointment from your aunt later. The arrow wound is all over your body, so don't hurt your bones."

Gu Chen subconsciously touched his shoulder and felt a pain. It was there that he was shot with an arrow by a bandit when he was crossing Songzhu Ridge. But why did his master know about it?
Gu Yourong, standing by, laughed and said, "Silly boy, do you really think your master would let you travel a thousand miles alone? You're just a young man, only at the Qi and Blood Realm, how could he trust you with that?"

Gu Chen looked up at his calm and composed master, his eyes reddened and tears almost came out.

He hadn't felt any warmth or affection for a long time since his parents passed away, and because he couldn't make a breakthrough in his cultivation, he suffered endless cold stares and indifference.

Even though his talent was inexplicably restored later, it also made him see through the so-called warmth and coldness of human nature.

The master accepted him as his disciple, but followed him for thousands of miles, always protecting him silently. This made him feel the warmth that he had lost again, and he couldn't help but burst into tears.

No wonder I always encountered dangers along the way. It was always my master who helped me behind the scenes.

Even though he could see through the fickleness of human nature, he was just a fifteen-year-old boy.

He fell to his knees again with a thud and kowtowed heavily to Zhong Lin again.

"All right."

Zhong Lin waved his right hand, and an invisible force lifted Gu Chen up.

"Don't act like a little girl. Since you are my disciple, you should naturally be under my protection. Just practice hard in the future."

Gu Chen wiped the tears from his face, nodded heavily and said: "Disciple will definitely live up to Master's expectations."

"Go! Your master has already had a room cleaned up for you. Take good care of your injuries in the next few days."

"The disciple retire."

Gu Chen bowed again and then slowly walked out of the hall.

"Zhong Lin, you have a good disciple. He is grateful and has condensed his qi and blood at a young age. With your guidance, he will surely shine in the future." Gu Yourong praised.

Zhong Lin looked at Gu Chen's departing back, but an inexplicable light flashed in his eyes.

Zhong Lin had indeed been following behind Gu Chen and observing him silently these days. After he resolved the issue with Han Jin that day, he followed him.

The more I observe, the more I feel that Gu Chen is a man of destiny and has the potential to be a protagonist.

Gu Chen was simply a troublemaker along the way, causing all kinds of trouble. Sometimes, even if you didn't take the initiative to cause trouble, the trouble would come to you.

Staying overnight in a deserted temple, he encountered a duel between martial artists, a hero saving a beautiful girl led to a family massacre, and he defeated bandits to obtain a magic weapon...

This guy is simply a walking disaster, he's definitely being treated like a protagonist!
As for Gu Chen's seemingly inexplicable escapes from every crisis, all of this was thanks to him, and Zhong Lin never intervened. Zhong Lin now didn't know whether it was a good idea or a bad idea to accept him as his disciple.

Needless to say, he is a bad guy. As the protagonist, he will definitely get into all kinds of trouble. As his master, he will definitely be implicated, and may even be killed by his "unlucky star" fate.

Of course there are benefits. As long as the protagonist does not die, all kinds of opportunities will come to him. Even if he trips over a stone on the road, it may be a meteorite from outer space. As the master, he can naturally benefit from it.

Anyway, it's a mixed bag!
Zhong Lin touched his chin and thought to himself, "I now suspect that if I give him time in the Black Turtle Continent, he can break through to the Spiritual Origin Realm. Now I have to consider whether I should also take him to the Falling Star Islands."

If it were on the Black Turtle Continent, no matter how big the trouble was, Zhong Lin would be able to suppress it forcefully. Even if the Son of Luck showed his power again, he would have to consider the environment. With his cultivation in the Lingyuan Realm, he could still walk sideways on the Black Turtle Continent.

But it would be different if you arrived at the Falling Star Islands. Who knows where an old monster might pop out from? The cultivation level of Lingyuan Realm is not enough. Even if you cultivate Xuandan, there is a possibility that a master will come from a wider area.

Don’t think it’s impossible. Zhong Lin didn’t believe it before, but after observing Gu Chen for a period of time, he had to believe it.

How dare you think that just a minion you beat up turned out to be a young prince who was exiled because of a conspiracy?

Damn, only operas would dare to write like this, it's so fucking melodramatic.

"What are you thinking?"

Zhong Lin took advantage of the situation and pulled Gu Yourong into his arms, sat her on his lap, and his left hand naturally climbed up the mountain and played with her for a while.

"I'm thinking about whether to take Gu Chen away."

"Is this the secret that you can't even tell me?"

Zhong Lin's hands froze, and when he looked up he met Gu Yourong's eyes. Damn, he let the cat out of the bag.

Gu Yourong chuckled, leaned on Zhong Lin, and said softly, "I know you're worried about me getting into danger. I'll practice hard and wait for you at home."

……

Time passed slowly. For three months, Zhong Lin basically did not go out. After feeding Gu Yourong every day, he began to meditate and practice to condense his spiritual energy.

The storage bracelet carries a lot of cultivation resources, so there is no need to worry even in the Xuangui Continent, a place with scarce vitality.

In the second month after returning, Zhong Lin entered the first realm of the extraordinary realm, the Spirit Sea Realm, without any obstacles.

Spiritual Sea, Spiritual Sea, Spiritual Ocean.

Those who practice martial arts at the Earth level and above can use secret methods to expand their Dantian, while ordinary warriors can seek help from the Tuohai Pill. The two have different paths but the same goal, and there is no good or bad, only a difference in size.

According to Chen Jia's description, the expansion of a warrior's Dantian by using the Tuohai Pill is approximately three to five times, while that by using the secret method is between five to eight times, which is a huge difference.

This is why the skills above the Earth level are so precious. The gap has already begun to appear in the Spirit Sea Realm, and it is conceivable that the gap will become larger as time goes by.

Zhong Lin sat cross-legged in the secret room, using his mind to sense his Dantian. He found that his Dantian had expanded nearly eight times compared to before, giving people a sense of vastness and boundlessness. Before this, it had been filled with spiritual essence, but now it had become a small pond. The mass did not change, but the space became larger, making it appear smaller in comparison.

"Alright, the Scarlet Flame Technique is indeed a mid-level earth-level technique. It has expanded my Dantian nearly eight times."

Zhong Lin was ecstatic. Eight times could be said to have reached the limit of what the secret method could achieve. It was even more powerful than the warriors who broke through with the Tuohai Pill.

Although a warrior's combat power is not only determined by his realm and the amount of spiritual energy, weapons and martial arts also account for a large proportion, but strong spiritual energy itself is the biggest advantage.

(End of this chapter)