Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

They were temporarily out of danger, but new problems arose.

The golden toad couldn't get in, and Lin Ran couldn't get out.

If the golden toad continues to guard outside, things could get quite troublesome.

The golden toad is a fifth-order mutated creature that can go for a long time without eating.

Lin Ran only had the cultivation level of the first level of Qi Refining, so he could only withstand hunger a little more than an ordinary person, and he couldn't last more than ten days.

After much deliberation, he still felt he had to find a way to deal with the golden toad.

The Five Elements Techniques included with "The Myriad Treasures Forging Spirit Technique" include basic techniques such as Fire Control Technique, Water Control Technique, Rejuvenation Technique, Golden Light Mantra, and Rock Ridge Technique, as well as Five Elements Escape Technique.

However, these basic Five Elements techniques require three levels of Qi refinement before they can be used.

In other words, whether he can break through to the third level of Qi Refining is the key to whether he can escape.

Lin Ran opened his backpack and took out the crystal core inside.

I killed thirty-five Tier 3 mineral crystal toads outside the pool, and then killed one Tier 4 mineral crystal toad after entering.

The remaining first-order and second-order crystal nuclei don't need to be calculated, as they have little impact.

According to his initial estimate, breaking through to the second level of Qi Refining would require thirty to forty third-order crystal cores.

The crystal cores he has collected so far are probably not enough for him to break through to the third level of Qi Refining.

In any case, we should at least give it a try. Whether it succeeds or fails, it's better than sitting and waiting for death.

Lin Ran cleared his mind of distractions, focused his spirit, and concentrated on circulating the "Myriad Treasures Spirit Forging Technique".

The spiritual energy in the dantian travels upward along the meridians and gathers in the palm.

The spiritual energy enveloped a third-order crystal core and began to extract the energy contained within it.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but this third-tier crystal core is clearly not as good as the fire-type crystal core from before, but the spiritual energy it generates is even more concentrated than that crystal core.

Lin Ran focused his mind and looked inward, discovering that the spiritual power came not only from the crystal core, but also from the golden light emanating from the golden lotus.

The area around the ninth-grade golden lotus was already rich in spiritual energy. After merging with the Xuanhuang Cauldron, the spiritual energy it provided became even more concentrated due to its entanglement with the spiritual energy of the crystal core.

Lin Ran was overjoyed and quickly focused his mind on cultivation.

In the evening, at the Lin family villa, the Lin family members gathered again in the living room.

When Lin Ran didn't return home, Song Yishu tried calling him several times but couldn't get through, and she began to feel uneasy.

"Where did Xiao Ran go? Why hasn't she come back yet?"

"Brother Ran didn't say anything when he went out this morning. Could he have gone to an abandoned mine on the outskirts of the city?" Lin Haozhe replied casually from the sofa.

Upon hearing this, Song Yishu was startled: "What?"

"Brother Ran asked Second Sister yesterday how to obtain crystal cores. And then..." Lin Haozhe didn't continue.

Song Yishu quickly looked at Lin Hongbo: "No, we have to go to the abandoned mine to find him!"

"It's unlikely." Lin Hongbo shook his head: "Xiao Ran hasn't awakened yet. Even if he wanted to enter the abandoned mine, the city defense troops guarding outside wouldn't let him in."

"But..." Song Yishu said with a worried expression, "It's so late, where could he have gone?"

Lin Zhiyao pouted: "Who knows if he's off gallivanting somewhere?"

Even though Lin Ran had explained his situation, she would still subconsciously regard him as a problem child.

Song Yishu looked displeased: "What time is it? Why are you still saying such things? Your brother is missing, aren't you worried at all?"

"I..." Lin Zhiyao was speechless for a moment, looking slightly aggrieved.

At this moment, Lin Zhixia suddenly stood up: "I'll go check it out! I'm the one who told him the news. If he really went to the mine, I'll bring him back!"

After saying that, she walked towards the door.

Seeing this, Song Yishu quickly reminded her, "You should also be careful!"

"Mm." Lin Zhixia nodded. "Don't worry, I can protect myself."

Despite having "Xia" in her name, she happens to be the coldest of the three sisters.

Moreover, among the three sisters, Lin Zhixia is the most capable.

She possesses an S-level wood-type talent and was already an Inner Breath Realm martial artist when she was invited to join the Special Affairs Bureau. Now, she is just one step away from the Innate Realm.

With her current strength, venturing into the abandoned mine should not pose much of a danger.

Lin Zhiwan, who is three years older than her, also has a B-level fire talent. However, Lin Zhiwan has been raised as the successor of the Lin Group since childhood and is not enthusiastic about martial arts.

At 25 years old, she is only at the Tongqiao Realm, which is the same as Lin Zhiyao's realm, while Lin Zhiyao is only 20 years old this year.

The youngest of the three sisters, she possesses an A-level water-type talent and is currently at the late stage of the Tongqiao Realm, ranking among the top students at Xinhai Martial Arts Academy.

That said, they were born to the same mother, and all three older sisters had considerable talent, while Lin Ran, as the younger brother, had no talent at all. It's truly a cruel twist of fate.

Inside the cave, Lin Ran absorbed the crystal nuclei, turning them into grayish-white powder that scattered around.

The spiritual power in his dantian rose at a visible speed, and he quickly advanced from the first level of Qi Refining to the second level.

hum!

As he broke through his cultivation level, Lin Ran's aura surged, and his clothes billowed.

He only needed twenty-three third-tier crystal cores to reach the second level of Qi Refining, which was much less than he had imagined.

Of course, this should be mainly attributed to the Nine-Rank Golden Lotus.

Lin Ran didn't rush to use the remaining twelve third-order crystal cores; he planned to test the effects of the fourth-order crystal cores first.

Normally, a fourth-order crystal core contains ten times the spiritual power of a third-order crystal core. However, this fourth-order crystal core is of better quality, so its effect may be much better.

Lin Ran took a deep breath and circulated his cultivation technique again. With the blessing of the golden lotus, a powerful energy surged into his dantian.

The spiritual power contained in the fourth-order crystal core was indeed far superior to that of the third-order. The vortex in his body expanded rapidly, and in a short time he went from the early stage of the second level of Qi Refining to the peak of the second level of Qi Refining.

"The difference is so obvious!"

Lin Ran anticipated that the effect of the fourth-order crystal core would be better, but he did not expect the difference to reach twenty times.

Immediately afterwards, he absorbed seven more third-tier crystal cores in one go, breaking through to the third level of Qi Refining.

hum!

His aura surged once more, and the petals of the Nine-Rank Golden Lotus swayed gently in response.

Click click click!

Lin Ran stood up, stretched his limbs, clenched his fists, and felt the spiritual energy contained within his body.

Outside the light shield, the golden toad remained lying there, its vertical pupils revealing a look of vigilance.

"Now, it's time to put an end to this!"

Lin Ran formed hand seals, and spiritual energy condensed at his fingertips.

A fist-sized, orange-red fireball appeared out of thin air, hovering above the palm of the hand, bobbing and swaying.

The golden toad outside sensed the fluctuation of spiritual energy, immediately stood up, and let out a low croak.

Lin Ran raised his hand, and a fireball flew out of the light shield, hitting the golden toad squarely in the abdomen.

Bang!

The fireball exploded on the golden skin, scattering flames in all directions.

The golden toad was blasted back half a step, leaving a fist-sized charred mark on its abdomen, and its golden skin was burned with several fine cracks.

"Croak!"

The wariness in the golden toad's vertical pupils was replaced by anger.

It has occupied this place for decades and has never been harmed.

This damned two-legged beast not only tried to steal its treasure, but also dared to injure it. It's simply unforgivable!

The golden toad seemed to have forgotten that it could not break through the golden lotus's light barrier. Its crystal warts lit up again, and it opened its mouth to spit out a beam of golden light.

Bang!

The golden light struck the protective shield and vanished without a trace.

"Now, the roles have reversed!" Lin Ran made another hand seal, condensing a fireball that he smashed towards the golden toad.

Bang!

Jin Chan was repeatedly injured and was furious, but he was helpless against Lin Ran and could only roar in anger.

"Croak! Croak! Croak!"

Over the next half hour, Lin Ran threw more than twenty fireballs intermittently.

Unfortunately, the fireball from the third level of Qi Refining still had limited destructive power and could not directly inflict a fatal wound on the Golden Toad.

Fortunately, the Nine-Rank Golden Lotus continuously infused his body with golden light, making his recovery speed much faster than usual, which allowed him to maintain his output.