章 2: Heaven-defying Talent!

As Lin Cheng stepped on the first testing stone, countless eyes were fixed on him. His father, the clan head, several Elders at the Dou Huang class and from the grand aura he felt, the third Ancestor, a one star Dou Zun.

All of a sudden, the testing stone exploded with a powerful light...one star...two star...the nine stars measuring talent on the stone were lit up one by one! Six star...seven star...at this point, small cracks formed on the testing stone. But one more star still lit up! Eight star talent! This was never before seen in the Lin Clan and one could tell how proud Lin Cheng's father was from the overjoyed expression on his face

"Congratulations, Young Master. It looks like you will make the Lin Clan rise in the future..." an elder commented when he saw what had happened.

Next, it was time for the second test, testing one's innate affinities and abilities.

As he stepped on the second testing stone, it exploded with two auras: one fire, one wood. The auras were so powerful that even some of the Elders coughed up blood. "This is...impossible!" The entire Lin Clan was in shock. An eight star talent and a supreme Wood and Fire affinity? This was never seen even in huge powerhouses of the Central Plains!

The second test also showed that Lin Cheng was a perfect fit to become an alchemist. From the sheer power of the aura the testing stone exuded, it was clear that he was going to be a great alchemist in the future.

Lin Bao exclaimed in a loud voice, "This is a new era for the clan! Let us toast and celebrate!"

One Day Later

It was time for Lin Bao to present a Dou Technique and Qi Method to Lin Cheng. "Son, this is a growth Qi Method, the only one in our clan. We spent centuries saving up to get this and the clan rules say that it can only be bestowed to a person with eight star talent or above and it is also a perfect fit for you to use given your Fire and Wood affinity. It is a pleasure to give you this Qi Method, Divine Flame Circulation."

"I will also give you the Dou Technique Sword Shattering Space."

"Thank you father. I will put my abilities to use and work hard to benefit the clan!" Lin Cheng said. "That's my boy." After hearing the words from Lin Cheng, Lin Bao was also very pleased.

Lin Cheng went back to his room and studied the Qi Method and Dou Technique, with the Qi Method being first on the list. Divine Flame Circulation was a method where a practitioner swallowed a flame, refined and enhanced it with the Wood affinity in his body. The practitioner would then circulate the flame around his body, making it stronger in the process. Of course, there were downsides to this method, the first being that one needed to have enough Dou Qi in his body to protect his veins from shattering and second, the practitioner was only able to ingest one flame at a time.

The Dou Technique was second on the list. Sword Shattering Space was divided into nine stages. At the last stage, it was able to create huge spatial rifts! A Di class High level Dou Technique was this terrifying, Lin Cheng thought.

"Bang!!"

A sudden explosion woke him up from his reverie. Lin Cheng rushed out if his clan's compound, only to see two experts with seemingly insurmountable auras.

"Ci Fen, there is no need to do this. If you submit to the Divine Flame Sect, we will let you have an easy death. But if not, my sect will torture you and I am quite sure you don't want that to happen. You should know about our background - resistance is futile. I will kill you right now if you do anything funny," one expert said.

"Ren Ke, our Ci Sect has already gone this far and negotiations will not work anymore. Our Ci Sect does not have anyone who is afraid of death!"

Suddenly, another two mighty auras appeared within the depths of the Lin Clan.

"Founding Ancestor and Third Ancestor!" Many people shouted with reverence.

"All Lin Clan members, please retreat ten kilometres from the battle zone for safety. These two experts are at least at the Ban Sheng class and even I am no match for either of them," the Founding Ancestor said.

"Mighty experts, I hope that you will have mercy on our clan and not destroy it's compounds that we have painstaking built for hundreds of years," the Ancestor continued.

"Our Divine Flame Sect has and will always be respectful to others if they are to us. I will try to minimise damage to your sect if possible." The first expert said.

"Thank you, I will take my leave now. The Lin Clan will surely find a way to replay your kindness!" With that, the Ancestor retreated, bringing the thousands of members of the Clan along with him.

The second expert did not seem to care about the Lin Clan. "Come on, didn't you want to attack me earlier?" he challenged the first expert from the Divine Flame Sect.

"If you are truly insistent on battle, I have no choice but to join you!" the first expert shouted aloud. He took out a shining emerald sword, seemingly capable of destroying anything in its path and swung it at his enemy...