Lin Mu's senses lingered over the Tyrant Bull Totem for a good while before he finally stood up.
He could feel the power surging through it, even after it had calmed down. At the very least, he knew that he wouldn't have to worry about anyone at the fourth Tribulation Stage either now.
'Both my body cultivation techniques are at the Third Stage and I also have my Qi cultivation with my Dao Embryos. I should be able to take on most people at the fourth tribulation stage of the immortal realm at least.' Lin Mu thought to himself.
But then again, he had no idea what kind of experts he would be facing in the tournament.
'They are meant to be geniuses, after all. They too can compare against people of a higher cultivation base than them.' Lin Mu reckoned before walking out of the door.
~CREAK~
The bedroom door opened, giving a full view of the garden.
There the Saintess was sitting peacefully, while Little Shrubby and the snakes were doing their own training. The Saintess had been giving them lessons in controlling the elements better, and that was what they were doing now.
Having better control could bring forth a qualitative change that could help them further on their path of cultivation.
~SHUA~
Green energies swirled around Little Shrubby and coalesced into a long tendril. The tendril wrapped around a few seeds, making them spontaneously sprout and turn into saplings that took root.
Within a minute, there were six new trees growing in the courtyard and another minute later, there were already fruits growing on them!
"This skill… the princess…" Lin Mu found it rather familiar.
"Master!" Little Shrubby called out after finishing his task.
~WHOOSH~
He then rushed into Lin Mu's arms, bursting with excitement.
"I did it! I can grow trees and fruits now!" Little Shrubby said with joy.
Lin Mu stroked the beast's head while nodding, having seen the entire process from the start.
"You did great." Lin Mu praised, making the beast burst out in joy even more.
~SASASA~
The twin snakes didn't wanna be left behind either and rushed to wrap around Lin Mu.
~SHUASHUA~
A mass of black and white energies also swirled above their heads, showing their prowess.
"There, there, you did good too." Lin Mu placated the twins.
It didn't take long for the two to be satisfied and calm down. Only now did the Saintess look over to him with an inquisitive gaze.
"You broke through again… Twice." The Saintess accurately assessed.
"I did, yes… I was a bit lucky." Lin Mu replied.
Even he didn't know that cultivating the Three Apertures Invoking technique to the third stage would lead to something like this.
"Not luck, but rather something that was bound to happen." The Saintess said, surprising Lin Mu. "Don't forget the amount of Tyrant Bull Marrow you consumed, as well as your urge to get stronger before the competition. Even the will to get stronger can affect the Tyrant Bull Marrow Secrets in addition to battles." She explained.
"Seems like I was still inexperienced." Lin Mu nodded before looking at the courtyard that was still being protected and isolated by the clouds. "I also thank you for keeping everything safe, Saintess." He knew without the Saintess's help, things might have gotten really chaotic.
"Mmm, it's necessary that you get stronger." The Saintess spoke. "Though I must say, teaching the children is also rather interesting." She added.
'The children?' Lin Mu noted the way she addressed the beasts. "Have they been trouble for you?" he asked.
"Not at all. The ancestral serpents are something I've dreamed of seeing for a long time and now I get to teach them. It is my duty to take care of them." The Saintess replied. "As for Little Shrubby, well… He's just nice and a good student." She too, praised.
To the Saintess, teaching the Yin Yang Twin serpents was something that could almost be considered a joke. They were the ancestral serpents of the Serpent Moon Sect and had bloodlines that could naturally guide them.
Her teaching them was simply accelerating it by a fraction.
It was only Little Shrubby that was getting the true teachings of the Saintess. Though if the members of the Serpent Moon Sect were to know that their Saintess was teaching another beast like this, they might have just lost their heads.
It was something that was beyond their imagination.
"Well, I'm happy that they are listening to you and learning." Lin Mu said with a smile. "Though I think it'll have to come to a pause for now."
"Indeed… The Tournament is just on the horizon." The Saintess said, turning to the east.
She could feel the energies of the guardian beasts getting stronger.
"I can feel them too… Somewhat." Lin Mu took looked in the direction too before speaking.
"You too?" The Saintess raised a brow under her veil.
"I wasn't able to clearly before, but now… I can sense the bloodlines. The Tyrant Bull Totem can feel it." Lin Mu replied, his expression serious.
Lin Mu could not fathom just how strong the power of the guardian beasts was, as the bloodlines were a bit too vague for him to estimate. But just the fact that he could feel them at this distance while being isolated by the Saintess's skill showed that they had a level of dominance not seen often.
"Have you decided on which Guardian you will pick?" The Saintess suddenly said, breaking the flow of Lin Mu's thoughts.
"Huh? Picking a Guardian?" Lin Mu was confused.
"Did your master not tell you?" The Saintess asked, feeling a bit curious.
"Well, he did tell me there are rewards that one can pick. But what's this about picking the guardian?" Lin Mu questioned.
"Ah… I see. It can be taken as an 'answer'." The Saintess replied, guessing what Xukong meant. 'To someone like Great Senior Xukong, the rewards may as well be normal.' She thought.
