Although he had confidently allowed the two to travel alone, Lin Xiao could not help but worry about their safety every single day over the past ten days.

“Greetings, Lord.” Tang Yan immediately greeted and said, “Sorry to make you worry.”

“It’s good that you’re back safely.” Lin Xiao smiled and invited the two into the small courtyard.

In the courtyard, there was a table, and Lin Xiao poured tea for them before asking, “How was the trip to Cangyun Mountain? Any improvements in your strength? Did you encounter any third-level spirit beasts?”

Hearing Lin Xiao's question, Lin Dongxue, who had gained much from the journey, became energized. Like a child seeking praise, she proudly said, “Of course! We encountered quite a few third-level spirit beasts!”

Lin Xiao tightened his grip on his teacup, but remained calm and asked, “Which third-level spirit beasts did you encounter? Were there any injuries?”

“We encountered flying rhinoceroses, long-tailed lions, leopards, and Qinglian pythons… we killed them all. Most of the others were second-level spirit beasts.” Lin Dongxue quickly listed the spirit beasts they had encountered. Lin Xiao’s eyes flashed with intense surprise.

Third-level spirit beasts were so powerful that they could rival someone at the level of Xuan Tier Fourth Grade, while even ordinary third-level beasts could challenge someone at the Xuan Tier First or Second Grade.

These two actually killed all the third-level spirit beasts they encountered?

“Then, has your strength improved?” Lin Xiao lovingly looked at Lin Dongxue.

“You’ll know if you try!” Lin Dongxue, eager to demonstrate, jumped to the center of the courtyard.

“Alright, let’s see!” Lin Xiao, not hesitating, jumped to face her.

“You can only use second-grade strength. Here I come!” Lin Dongxue cried out, her momentum unfolding as she swiftly charged at Lin Xiao.

“Second-grade!” Lin Xiao’s heart stirred with excitement as he sensed Lin Dongxue’s aura. He had estimated that it would take at least a month and a half for his daughter to break through to second-grade. But to his surprise, her advancement was much faster than he anticipated.

Although Lin Dongxue’s strength had improved, Lin Xiao wasn’t overly surprised. His daughter’s natural talent was excellent, so a breakthrough wasn’t far-fetched.

Seeing Lin Dongxue rushing toward him, Lin Xiao wasn’t worried at all.

“Huh?” When Lin Dongxue’s first punch came at him, Lin Xiao suddenly looked surprised.

Based on his knowledge of his daughter, after her first punch, she would usually follow up with a kick. However, Lin Dongxue suddenly turned, closed the distance, and launched a swift elbow strike aimed at his left shoulder.

This move was fast and fierce, catching Lin Xiao completely off guard. Luckily, Lin Xiao was highly experienced in combat; otherwise, he might have embarrassed himself in front of Tang Yan.

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Twisting in a strange posture to dodge, he was about to praise Lin Dongxue for her improvement when she launched her third attack.

This time, Lin Dongxue quickly lifted her leg, aiming straight for Lin Xiao's abdomen.

In the span of just a few breaths, the father and daughter exchanged over ten moves in the courtyard.

With each attack Lin Dongxue made, Lin Xiao’s heart was filled with shock.

Her combination of moves was not only fierce but incredibly quick, each strike targeting vital points. If an opponent of the same rank underestimated her, they might very well lose within the first exchange.

Lin Xiao was becoming increasingly cautious, and his curiosity grew. What had his daughter experienced in these ten days?

Just ten days ago, when they had practiced together, Lin Xiao had easily won, pointing out the flaws in Lin Dongxue’s moves after every few exchanges.

But now, he had to remain fully alert and exert himself to completely suppress her.

He even found it difficult to give guidance, as if he was a dog trying to bite a porcupine—he just couldn’t find a way to counter her.

After about half an hour of sparring, Lin Xiao finally discovered a small opening in Lin Dongxue’s defense and seized the opportunity to win.

Though he won, Lin Xiao’s face reddened. In past sparring sessions, he wouldn’t have taken advantage of such small flaws, but this time, he knew he had to act fast. If he didn’t, it would have taken a lot more effort to win with his second-grade strength.

“Not bad! Good!” Lin Xiao didn’t hold back his praise, clapping and laughing.

“Ugh, I thought I could win!” Lin Dongxue shook her head and sighed, causing Lin Xiao to almost stumble. This girl, just ten days ago, was being completely overwhelmed by him, and now she was thinking about defeating her old man?

Lin Xiao wasn’t a fool. Although he didn’t know what his daughter had gone through in the last ten days, he knew Tang Yan played a huge part in it.

If his daughter’s strength had increased so much, how strong must Tang Yan be?

Suppressing his curiosity, Lin Xiao chatted with Tang Yan for a while before instructing him to meet at the Jue Sha Tower tomorrow and then sent him on his way.

After closing the courtyard gate, Lin Xiao immediately pulled Lin Dongxue aside and asked with great curiosity, “Tell me everything that happened in the past ten days.”

“Tsk, you want to spy on Tang Yan’s strength, right?” Lin Dongxue cunningly replied.

Her father’s intentions were clear, so Lin Xiao didn’t deny it, laughing, “I’m just curious. How did your strength grow so fast? Just ten days, and you’ve made such huge progress!”

“Tang Yan taught me.” Lin Dongxue didn’t hide anything from her father. She explained everything that Tang Yan had taught her, starting with their encounter with the Red-striped Tiger. Lin Xiao was left stunned.

“You mean to say that Tang Yan’s combat skills are even stronger than yours?” Lin Xiao quickly asked.

Lin Dongxue shook her head.

“Not stronger than you? Then how did he teach you?” Lin Xiao, puzzled, pressed.

“In combat, he’s not just a bit stronger, he’s way stronger than me,” Lin Dongxue corrected him seriously.

“This girl, can’t you just say everything at once?” Lin Xiao laughed and scolded her. He then asked, “Has he entered the Xuan Tier?”

Upon hearing Lin Xiao’s question, Lin Dongxue revealed an odd look on her face, then nodded and said, “Xuan Tier Third Grade.”

“Really?” Lin Xiao was shocked by her answer.

“Yes, it’s really Xuan Tier Third Grade!” Lin Dongxue confirmed again.

“That kid’s first show of strength was against the Liu family’s Liu Quan. Back then, he was only at Yuan Tier Seventh Grade. During the Mid-Autumn Tournament, his strength was only at Huang Tier Sixth Grade. At the selection tournament, he was only at Huang Tier Ninth Grade. How in such a short time did he leap to Xuan Tier Third Grade?” Lin Xiao thought for a moment, then his face filled with astonishment.

Tang Yan had completed the leap from Yuan Tier to Xuan Tier in less than six months!

“Before entering Cangyun Mountain, his strength was just Xuan Tier First Grade. On the fourth day, he broke through two tiers, reaching Third Grade.” Lin Dongxue added, stoking the flames.

“Two tiers in a row?” Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows, quickly asking, “How did he do that? Tell me!”

“We were ambushed by the second young master of the Liu family, Liu Jing...”

Lin Xiao’s heart tensed. Liu Jing? That was a real Xuan Tier Fifth Grade expert! He interrupted his daughter anxiously, “What? Liu Jing tried to kill you? How did you escape?”