After Yang Xin, Lin Xiao Tian also gave Li Xue acupuncture.
Lin Xiao Tian had treated Li Xue with acupuncture once before. However, that time, Lin Xiao Tian only intended to expel the spiritual energy from Li Xue's body, not to refine it. After all, his strength was not as great then as it was now.
But now, having cultivated the Shen Nong Heart Technique, he could freely guide the internal energy within his body.
Li Xue had also eaten a considerable amount of frog meat. After Lin Xiao Tian infused her with internal energy, she collapsed into his arms.
Lin Xiao Tian placed her next to Yang Xin and then approached Yang Lin.
"Xiao Tian, why are you taking off my clothes?" Yang Lin mumbled groggily, looking at Lin Xiao Tian.
"I need to give you acupuncture," Lin Xiao Tian replied.
"My pants too?"
"There are key acupoints there."
"Lin Xiao Tian, if you dare do anything to me, I will never forgive you in this life," Yang Lin said with a mournful face.
"You gay dude, I'm not interested in you," Lin Xiao Tian said, and then swiftly administered acupuncture to Yang Lin.
Yang Lin yelped as he was needled, no longer able to speak nonsense to Lin Xiao Tian.
Lin Xiao Tian then infused Yang Lin with internal energy and placed him on the other side of the two women.
After completing all this, Lin Xiao Tian stood guard nearby.
Time ticked by, and during this period, Lin Xiao Tian patiently absorbed the energy from the beads.
At dusk, the three finally woke up, and Lin Xiao Tian had also finished absorbing all the black, white, and red beads in his hands.
"Strange, I was so sleepy, but my body feels very powerful?" Yang Lin exclaimed, sensing the changes in his body.
It wasn't just Yang Lin; Yang Xin and Li Xue felt the same.
"Xiao Tian, why is this happening? I feel like I have endless strength!" Li Xue punched the air, clearly feeling a significant increase in the weight of her fists compared to before.
Yang Xin was also bewildered.
When did her clenched fists become so powerful?
And her leg injury was completely healed.
"You now possess internal energy. I will teach you how to use it later," Lin Xiao Tian told them.
"Does such a thing as internal energy really exist?" Yang Lin would never have believed it if not for the changes in his body.
Recalling that Lin Xiao Tian had previously mentioned teaching him martial arts, Yang Lin had assumed it would be ordinary combat techniques. He hadn't expected something as profound as internal energy.
Thinking of this, Yang Lin became even more excited.
"Xiao Tian! From today onwards, you are my master!" Yang Lin declared, then attempted to kneel in a gesture of reverence.
"No, no... what are you doing? We don't do things that way here."
"How can that be? In my family, the ceremony of accepting a disciple is essential. It's a pity the conditions aren't right now, otherwise, I would have prepared some gifts," Yang Lin sighed.
"No need!" Lin Xiao Tian hastily refused.
"This is our family's etiquette. Xiao Tian, let him do it," Yang Xin said.
Seeing the determined expression on Yang Lin's face, Lin Xiao Tian felt extremely exasperated.
"Alright, I'll accept you as my disciple, but you don't need to perform this elaborate ceremony. Consider our disciple-accepting ritual here to be rather unconventional."
Yang Lin was still a little reluctant. "Fine, it's too casual to formally accept a disciple here. I'll make up for the ceremony when we leave."
Lin Xiao Tian could only nod helplessly.
"Xiao Tian, thank you. I should also formally accept you as my master," Li Xue said.
Lin Xiao Tian quickly held her back. "Not necessary at all!"
Seeing this, Li Xue giggled.
Yang Xin also said thank you somewhat haughtily. "Xiao Tian, I was wrong before. I promise to obey you from now on."
"It would be great if it were always like this," Lin Xiao Tian spread his hands.
Yang Xin couldn't help but roll her eyes at Lin Xiao Tian.
Xiao Liu Zi, standing beside them, watched the three lively individuals with a look of astonishment.
Was this a dream?
The monstrous meat that had killed so many of their brethren, and these people ate it without any ill effects?
Before Xiao Liu Zi could continue his surprise, Lin Xiao Tian grabbed him.
Night fell.
Lin Xiao Tian hadn't gone far when he detected something approaching.
Upon closer inspection, they were two trailing bat-like creatures.
He could tell that the Insect King was still watching him.
But two bat creatures were no match for Lin Xiao Tian.
Lin Xiao Tian casually grabbed a tree branch, leaped backward, and in moments, closed in on the bat creatures.
*Swoosh!*
The branch pierced through the monsters.
The two bat monsters met their end on the spot.
Lin Xiao Tian now had experience and knew that these beads were usually found in the monsters' abdomens. After killing the monsters, he easily retrieved the beads.
Having done this, Lin Xiao Tian returned to the group.
With the internal energy they now possessed, their movement speed had greatly increased. Although there were pursuers along the way, they were unable to encircle them.
After all, as soon as these pursuers spotted Lin Xiao Tian, they would be quickly dealt with by him, and by the time the main force arrived, Lin Xiao Tian would have already long departed.
However, the Insect King's advantage lay in the sheer number of his subordinates!
The forest was full of its eyes and ears. Along this path alone, Lin Xiao Tian had already killed no less than ten monsters.
The most dangerous encounter during this time was with a spider monster.
This type of monster was not only incredibly fast but also highly venomous. Lin Xiao Tian had to exert considerable effort to kill it.
During this period, Lin Xiao Tian was once again surrounded by a horde of monsters.
Fortunately, with the internal energy the group now had, they were not in danger of being killed by these monsters, and Lin Xiao Tian did not have to expend too much energy protecting them.
Accompanied by a series of piercing screeches, a slaughter began!
This time, Xiao Liu Zi finally witnessed Lin Xiao Tian's prowess.
Amidst the monster horde, Lin Xiao Tian was like a wolf among sheep. No matter how the monsters attacked, they were sliced in half by Lin Xiao Tian's dagger.
Both in speed and strength, Lin Xiao Tian far surpassed those monsters.
In just a moment, the surrounding monsters were all dead.
Lin Xiao Tian was covered in monster blood but still full of vigor. The recent battle had only left him slightly winded.
"We cannot linger here. Let's move quickly."
And so, the night passed.
The next day, Lin Xiao Tian returned to the lakeside.
Lin Xiao Tian discovered that no matter how he circled, he would inevitably end up at the lake. Regardless of how the terrain shifted, certain elements remained constant.
For example, this lake was something that would invariably be found in the vicinity, though its exact location might vary slightly.
Lin Xiao Tian, as usual, fed the group monster meat, while he absorbed the beads he had obtained the previous night.
For the next few days, the group maintained this routine.
Lin Xiao Tian taught them a simple internal energy cultivation technique. Whether they could comprehend it depended entirely on themselves.
Yang Lin studied diligently, but his progress was disappointingly slow.
In contrast, Li Xue learned quickly and could already regulate her own internal energy.
Yang Xin, on the other hand, was a problem child, constantly bombarding Lin Xiao Tian with questions. Lin Xiao Tian felt she had no talent but hesitated to say so directly.
Unbeknownst to them, a month had passed.
One day, as the group finished their usual meal of monster meat, they noticed movement ahead.
Lin Xiao Tian quietly observed and saw a team of people in uniform approaching.
It was yet another exploration team!