Inside the cultivation room.
Lin Xuan sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, channeling and circulating the *Jade Refining Art*.
The *Jade Refining Art* was the fifth-rank, mid-grade body-tempering martial art he had copied from Lin Qiyuan earlier.
It was perfectly suited for cultivation in the Body Tempering and Aperture Opening realms.
Moreover, it granted strength several times greater than that of peers at the same level.
The only downside was its heavy demand for cultivation resources.
Fortunately, Lin Xuan had enough resources on hand to sustain it.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, a gentle breeze spread outward from Lin Xuan, carrying a faint sound.
Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes and gazed into the void before him.
*Swish!*
"Divine Copy System."
"Host: Lin Xuan."
"Realm: Early Aperture Opening Stage."
"Talents: Supreme Cultivation Talent, Mid-grade Strength Talent, Low-grade Speed Talent, Elemental Talents (Low-grade Sharp Metal, Low-grade Crimson Fire, Subpar Thick Earth, Subpar Heavy Water, Low-grade Gale), Subpar Blade Dao Talent."
"Martial Arts: Golden Flame Art (Fifth-rank, Mid-grade, Minor Mastery), Crimson Flame Blade Technique (Fifth-rank, Mid-grade, Minor Mastery), Shattered Jade Art (Fifth-rank, Mid-grade, Minor Mastery), Fissure Gold Fist (Fifth-rank, Low-grade, Grand Mastery), Drifting Crossing (Fifth-rank, Low-grade, Grand Mastery)..."
"Energy Points: 179,000."
"Portable Space: 21."
Looking at the transformed attribute panel before him and feeling the surging power within his body, Lin Xuan smiled with satisfaction.
Over the past half-month, he had been relentlessly cultivating the *Jade Refining Art*, tempering his physique and advancing his cultivation realm.
Finally, he had broken through from the ninth layer of Body Tempering to the early Aperture Opening Stage.
It hadn't been a waste.
Feeling the strength in his body, several times greater than at the peak of Body Tempering, Lin Xuan's smile deepened.
"Three days from now is the grand competition of the four major powers. I wonder how many apertures I can open in these three days," Lin Xuan murmured to himself.
The Aperture Opening Stage involved unlocking the apertures within the body.
The more apertures opened, the stronger one's power.
This time, thanks to the high rank of his body-tempering martial art and his exceptional cultivation talent, his cultivation had been instantly stabilized right after the breakthrough.
Then, Lin Xuan immersed himself back into cultivation.
Time flew by.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Morning.
Warm sunlight streamed in through the window.
Inside the cultivation room.
Lin Xuan slowly rose to his feet.
"I've opened twelve apertures."
Feeling the strength in his body, several times greater than three days ago, Lin Xuan's face was full of smiles.
Perhaps it was because the competition was approaching and he needed to boost his strength, or maybe for some other reason.
Over these three days, Lin Shiyun hadn't come to find him.
And he couldn't go to the Third Elder's residence.
So he used the time to cultivate in seclusion.
He had broken through repeatedly, opening a total of twelve apertures.
His power had multiplied several times over.
With this level of strength, Lin Xuan felt more confident about the upcoming competition of the four major powers.
The only pity was that the resource supply meant for the chief disciple, along with the pills and spiritual herbs he had copied, were all used up.
After tidying up, Lin Xuan left the chief disciple's courtyard and headed toward the training ground.
Today was the day of the four major powers' competition, and martial artists from Flowing Cloud Sect would come to recruit disciples.
All the younger generation disciples of the Lin family were to gather at the training ground.
Led by the family head, they would go to the city lord's mansion to participate in the competition.
Lin Xuan had been informed of this by the old steward earlier.
Before long, he arrived.
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, scanning the crowd with a look of surprise.
He thought he had arrived early enough.
But it seemed he was a bit late.
At that moment, many disciples had already gathered in the training ground.
Even the Lin family's high-ranking members—the family head, the Grand Elder, and the Third Elder—were all present.
When the disciples saw Lin Xuan arrive, their gazes converged on him, filled with awe.
They voluntarily made way for him.
Lin Xuan walked straight ahead.
As the chief disciple, aside from the Lin family's high-ranking members, he was also a leader and needed to walk at the front.
Reaching the front.
"Brother Lin Xuan."
Lin Shiyun, standing beside Lin Qiyuan, let out a light laugh, came to Lin Xuan's side, and took his arm.
"Shiyun."
Lin Xuan also smiled.
Lin Qiyuan watched with a helpless expression.
But the family head, Lin Qixing, the Grand Elder, and the other Lin family high-ranking members had a different focus.
"Lin Xuan, have you broken through to the Aperture Opening Stage?"
Suddenly, Lin Qixing's expression shifted, and he exclaimed in shock.
*Swish!*
Instantly, everyone's gaze in the field fixed on Lin Xuan.
"Yes."
Lin Xuan nodded calmly.
The field fell silent for a moment.
Then it erupted into commotion.
Gasps of disbelief filled the air.
"Broke through to the Aperture Opening Stage? How is that possible?"
"It's been less than a month!"
"He was at the seventh layer of Body Tempering before, and now he's broken through to the Aperture Opening Stage? That means he jumped three layers and an entire major realm?"
"..."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, all staring at Lin Xuan in disbelief.
Such a cultivation speed was too fast, almost beyond their imagination.
Even the family head, the Grand Elder, and the other Lin family high-ranking members were stunned.
This speed exceeded their expectations.
They had thought that in half a month, Lin Xuan reaching the ninth layer of Body Tempering would be impressive.
But now, the aura Lin Xuan revealed upon arrival was unmistakably that of the Aperture Opening Stage.
And it was clearly stabilized.
It wasn't a recent breakthrough; it had been some time.
The Lin family high-ranking members were even more shocked.
Lin Hai, standing beside the Grand Elder, was frozen in place, his eyes wide with disbelief.
It wasn't until the commotion erupted that he snapped back to reality.
Terror flickered in his eyes as he quickly hid behind the Grand Elder, afraid Lin Xuan might notice him.
To secure a spot in the top ten of the competition and earn a place, the Grand Elder had given him many precious pills over the past half-month to boost his cultivation.
He had successfully broken through to the ninth layer of Body Tempering.
He had thought that would let him contend with Lin Xuan, who was at the seventh layer.
But now, Lin Xuan wasn't at the seventh or eighth layer, nor even the ninth—he had jumped straight from the seventh layer of Body Tempering to the Aperture Opening Stage.
Such a terrifying cultivation speed was something Lin Hai had never heard of or seen, and he couldn't bring himself to believe it.
Yet it was happening right before his eyes, and even the family head had acknowledged it. How could it be false?
At this moment, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he had to accept it.
The gap between the Aperture Opening Stage and the Body Tempering Stage was enormous—they weren't on the same level.
Moreover, when Lin Xuan was at the seventh layer of Body Tempering, he had already defeated Lin Yun, who was at the ninth layer.
Now that he had broken through to the Aperture Opening Stage, his strength had skyrocketed by who knows how much.
How could Lin Hai still be a match for him?
The thought of competing vanished in an instant.
He silently slipped behind the Grand Elder, praying that Lin Xuan wouldn't notice him.
Even though the Grand Elder, the family head, and many Lin family high-ranking members were present, and Lin Hai knew Lin Xuan wouldn't attack him, he was so terrified by Lin Xuan's monstrous cultivation speed that all he wanted was to hide from him, unable to think of anything else.