Chapter 99 Ice Marrow Body

"Oh? Then does Miss Lin want me to take first place, or not?" Tang Yan asked with a smile.

"Of course I want you to take first place!"

"I don't lack silver. I won't bet," Tang Yan refused.

"Then what do you want?" Lin Dongxue asked, eyes wide.

Tang Yan did not actually want to make a wager with Lin Dongxue. If he took first place, all would be well, but if he failed, he would have to bring along a troublesome burden for half a month of tempering. Just thinking about it made his head ache.

His eyes shifted, and Tang Yan smiled. "If I win, then the stake will be the same as our previous bet."

Hearing his words, Lin Dongxue immediately recalled the wager they had made at Cangyun Mountain, when they had competed to see who was faster.

She had even lost her first kiss!

Why was this fellow bringing up such an embarrassing matter?

She looked at the young man before her. The smile on his handsome face somehow gave off a peaceful feeling.

As if possessed by some strange impulse, Lin Dongxue actually nodded. "Fine. It's settled!"

"What did the two of you bet on before?" Lin Xiao asked curiously after hearing their exchange.

"Hmph, I'm not telling you!" Lin Dongxue was too embarrassed to answer, and Tang Yan did not dare speak the truth either.

Lin Xiao did not mind. He looked at Tang Yan and said, "Your strength is very great. Among those of the same rank, it would be hard for you to find an opponent. But at the Eastern Region Grand Competition, you will meet all manner of difficult opponents. Remember to be careful."

"I will. Many thanks for the reminder, my lord."

"Good. Then rest well. Gather in my courtyard early tomorrow morning," Lin Xiao instructed.

After Lin Xiao left with Lin Dongxue, Tang Yan closed the courtyard gate, returned to his room, and sat on the bed. He took out a Pill from his robes, swallowed it, and began recovering his strength.

In this bout against Lin Xiao, although he had won in the end, Lin Xiao was an Earth Rank expert after all. The experience he had gained from it was rich indeed. Tang Yan also needed to digest today's battle and search for his own shortcomings.

"Marvelous. Truly marvelous!"

In the neighboring courtyard, Lin Xiao paced back and forth, praising without cease.

Lin Xiao had remained in this state for nearly half an hour. Lin Dongxue looked at her father, who seemed almost bewitched, and frowned. "Father, is there any need for this? Didn't you just lose? That fellow Tang Yan is a monster. Losing to him isn't such a great matter."

"At my realm, victory and defeat have long since ceased to matter so much. But that boy's moves-every time I think them over, I cannot help being amazed.

"Every strike was just right, and every position was exact. As soon as one move ended, the next rose up after it, layer upon layer, endless and unbroken. Just how formidable a master would it take to teach such a disciple..."

After sighing in admiration, Lin Xiao once again sank into the duel from earlier.

"I'm going to cultivate."

Lin Dongxue helplessly glanced at Lin Xiao, then looked toward Tang Yan's small courtyard. A trace of shyness flashed through her eyes.

Tang Yan, if you have the ability, then take first place. This young lady will kiss you one more time!

"Pah! Lin Dongxue, what are you thinking?"

She spat lightly at herself and quickly walked back to her room. Fortunately, Lin Xiao was wholly immersed in his memories and did not notice Lin Dongxue's bright-red face, beautiful as the rosy clouds on the horizon.

An hour later, Tang Yan emerged from his contemplation.

He looked at the sky. It was not yet noon. Hopping off the bed, he stretched his muscles and bones, then pushed open the courtyard gate and walked out.

These past days, he had been cultivating with great intensity. Today, he might as well relax a little. There had to be a balance between tension and release.

After leaving Myriad Directions Tower, Tang Yan began strolling idly through the streets.

Tomorrow was the Eastern Region Grand Competition. Such a grand occasion had drawn the attention of the entire Eastern Region to Fang City.

Many people from the surrounding cities had specially come to Fang City, all wanting to witness the magnificence of the Eastern Region Grand Competition.

More and more people gathered in Fang City. The inns throughout the city were almost full, and the streets were packed with travelers, bustling and noisy, several times livelier than Yun City.

As Tang Yan walked along the street and listened to the idle chatter around him, most of the talk concerned tomorrow's Eastern Region Grand Competition. Even the vendors selling candied hawthorns and the cloth sellers on the street had to exchange a few words about the competition when they met, as if failing to discuss it would make them seem out of touch.

Fang City, Qing City, and Song City were the three cities mentioned most often.

The Four Young Masters of the East Domain were also a topic people spoke of with great relish.

Of course, Yun City, which had always ranked at the bottom in past competitions, was also often brought up. After discussing the other cities, people always seemed to enjoy sneering at Yun City in passing.

Although Tang Yan's state of mind was excellent, hearing remarks belittling Yun City filling the streets still left him somewhat vexed.

He turned and headed toward the south of the city.

Slender Moon Lake covered a thousand mu, its scenery graceful and beautiful. Even though winter had already arrived, seasonal flowers still bloomed along the shore.

Looking upon this fair scenery, Tang Yan felt his heart grow clear and open.

After walking by the lake for a while, Tang Yan simply bought a pot of fine wine and found a secluded pavilion. He sat down on a stone bench, leaned against a pillar, and raised his head to drink. His movements were relaxed and carefree, unrestrained and natural.

There were already two people inside the pavilion, one old and one young. They seemed to be grandfather and grandson.

The two were dressed plainly, but Tang Yan still carefully noticed that the fabric was made from fine silk. It was warm against the cold and truly precious. Their background should be quite good.

The old man's bearing was restrained. Though he sat there in silence without speaking, no one would dare look down on him. Yet on his face, there was a faint, hidden trace of worry.

Tang Yan merely swept a glance over the two of them, then lost interest. He continued drinking alone, relaxed and at ease.

The old man looked at Tang Yan in surprise, a trace of astonishment flashing through his heart. He was certain that Tang Yan's calm, carefree manner was no act. Just what sort of temperament did one need to cast aside worldly matters and remain so unrestrained?

After drinking a few more mouthfuls, Tang Yan noticed that the old man's gaze seemed to fall on him from time to time, so he turned his head and swept his eyes over the old man as well.

That single glance changed everything.

Tang Yan's pupils abruptly shrank, and his gaze fixed on the youth beside the old man.

As if he felt he had not seen clearly enough, Tang Yan even frowned and examined him carefully for a while.

Only after a long moment did Tang Yan turn his head away, but his heart was inexplicably shaken.

If he had not seen wrongly, that youth's physique was none other than the Ice Marrow Body!

For someone with this physique, if they lacked a suitable cultivation method, then every three months their body would feel as though it had fallen into an ice cellar, unbearably cold.

This cold came from the bones. Even if one were roasted by fire from the outside, the sufferer would still find the chill impossible to endure. And being invaded by this cold Qi year after year, whether they could live past twenty-five was difficult to say.

But if they possessed the proper cultivation method, the situation would be completely reversed. They would transform in an instant into a cultivation genius, their cultivation advancing a thousand Li in a single day.

If they also had cultivation resources such as Spirit Pills and miraculous medicines, their cultivation would become several steps faster than others, and their future prospects would be immeasurable.

However, cultivation methods for the Ice Marrow Body were exceedingly difficult to find. After all, there were not many people in the world who possessed special physiques. If one was born into a lowly background, death was usually the only end, and no one would take notice at all.

Even if one had an extraordinary background and could invite a Peerless expert to create a cultivation method suited to that special physique, the chance of success would still be less than one in ten.

Yet in his previous life, Tang Yan had happened to encounter someone with the Ice Marrow Body.

That person had asked him to refine medicine. In order to refine a Pill suitable for that person's cultivation, Tang Yan had studied his physique and cultivation method in great detail, and in the end refined the Ice-Cold Pill.

However, Tang Yan was not someone who casually sought trouble. Although he possessed a cultivation method for the Ice Marrow Body, perhaps others had one as well. If he rushed forward like a clown presenting a treasure, he would only make himself a laughingstock.