Chapter 5, The Mysterious Stone Inscription

Lin Dong's small face was filled with contemplation. Earlier, he had witnessed the light spot fall into the stone pool with his own eyes, and this was the only explanation for why this stone pool possessed such miraculous effects

Snap

In the pitch-black space, shadows flicker like two highly spirited monkeys, their fists and palms stretching as they cut through the wind with a whoosh

Resembling stone yet not stone, resembling jade yet not jade, resembling wood yet not wood

Lin Dong murmured to himself, yet just as he was feeling shocked by this, within the light and shadow of the recently completed set of fist techniques, his body suddenly trembled strangely. With this tremor, a faint muffled sound unexpectedly emanated from Lin Dong's arm.

What is this thing

There is no light here, only silence, and it is cold

Gazing at the boxing technique displayed by the light and shadow, Lin Dong's eyes immediately widened in astonishment. Following that, a deep sense of shock surged from his eyes as he realized that the Tongbei Fist demonstrated by this light and shadow seemed to be even more fluid and seamless than Lin Xiao's, and... perfect

Lin Dong confidently asserted that this tenth strike, perhaps even if his father Lin Xiao were to personally execute it, would still be impossible to achieve

The runes are spread across every part of the stone, making it appear more like a mysterious stone talisman

The reason the stone pool possesses such abilities should be attributed to this stone talisman

Ten sounds

At this moment, Lin Dong's eyes became exceptionally bright. He did not expect that such subtle changes would make the practice of the Tongbei Fist feel so effortless!

With fists and palms extended, the arms moved with the agility of a monkey, twisting and turning. Four crisp sounds echoed in succession, and at that moment, Lin Dong's fist wind also stirred up the sound of the wind

Hiss!

This change, though minor, seems to possess a miraculous effect akin to the finishing touch that brings a painting to life; a small adjustment yields unexpectedly significant results

In the dark recesses of the mountaintop, where this object is embedded, there lies an exceptionally clear handprint, with even the lines of the palm distinctly visible. Upon seeing this mysterious handprint, Lin Dong finally understood that this cave had likely been visited by someone a long time ago

Nine sounds

This ... ...

After observing for a long time, Lin Dong finally spread his legs, assumed a stance, and began to imitate the play of light and shadow, slowly executing the Tongbei Fist.

Brother Lin Dong, it is almost dark, and Mother has been calling for you for quite a while now

Lin Dong stared blankly at the shadow in front of him that looked exactly like himself, his mind filled with a sense of fear from this bizarre scene

Lin Dong stared blankly at the light and shadow; clearly, this was merely the Nine Echoes of the Tongbei Fist, yet in his hands, it would produce a tenth echo

The night envelops the earth, and the cool moonlight pours down, cleansing the residual warmth left on the ground

The text appears to be a series of repetitive sounds or expressions, which may not have a direct translation in a formal context. If you have a specific phrase or context in mind, please provide that for a more accurate translation.

Is this ... ... Tongbei Quan ?

While Lin Dong was lost in thought, the shadow of "Lin Dong" suddenly began to move. The figure flickered, fists extended, and a set of martial arts that Lin Dong was familiar with was executed from his hands.

Nine Strikes of Power

Lin Dong gazed in shock at the shadow that was identical to himself, and as the latter executed the Tongbei Fist, he distinctly heard nine crisp sounds

With such gains, Lin Dong's spirit seemed to have become much more vigorous, not only did he not rest because of this, but instead he once again began to practice his boxing techniques, repeatedly demonstrating the Tongbei Fist, striving to make his boxing style... identical to that of the light and shadow...

Looking at the Qing Tan beside him, who was chattering incessantly like a lark, Lin Dong couldn't help but smile. He then gently placed his hand on his chest, where a stone talisman was pressed against him, seemingly emanating a faint coolness.

What is going on

In the room, Lin Dong lay asleep with his eyes closed. A stream of moonlight poured in through the window, illuminating parts of Lin Dong's body. Suddenly, the moonlight rippled like water, and an extraordinary scene emerged. The cool moonlight began to gather slowly towards Lin Dong's chest, emitting a faint glow. In the dim light, one could discern that at the center of the glow was an ancient stone talisman.

This is what Lin Dong painstakingly climbed to the top of the cave to find, and the source of the liquid that had previously dripped should be this object.

Lin Dongge, hehe, I knew you would be here

In the pitch-black space, two identical figures and shadows tirelessly executed their martial arts moves over and over again, while the sound of clapping echoed continuously. However, the vast majority of these sounds belonged to the shadows.

In the pitch-black space, shadows moved swiftly, and as fists swung, it was as if a monkey was stretching its body, exuding an aura that felt even more vibrant than during Lin Xiao's time

Looking at the little girl and the picture book, Lin Dong secretly let out a sigh of relief. The girl was not a member of the Lin family, but rather a baby that Liu Yan had rescued from the snow shortly after his birth. She was slightly younger than Lin Dong, and the two had grown up together, their relationship akin to that of siblings, extremely close. Due to her status as an orphan, she did not carry the Lin surname, so Liu Yan gave her a beautiful name, Qing Tan, and she lived up to her name, exuding an aura as fragrant as sandalwood.

In this situation, Lin Dong did not appear angry; instead, his small face was filled with a serious expression. While executing his fist technique, he unconsciously began to make subtle adjustments according to the shadowy fist style.

In the midst of Lin Dong's fear, a faint sound suddenly emerged in the silent, pitch-black space. Then, a shadow of light abruptly appeared before him. Upon closer inspection, the shadow bore an uncanny resemblance to Lin Dong himself; however, the face of the latter was devoid of any vitality, filled instead with numbness.

What is going on ... ...

As Lin Dong pondered, a sudden sound of rolling stones came from outside the cave. He quickly stuffed the stone talisman into his inner pocket, pressing it against his chest.

The sudden change brought a surge of fear to Lin Dong's heart; after all, he was merely a fourteen-year-old child.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

As Lin Dong carefully stored the stone talisman, a figure resembling a butterfly appeared at the entrance of the cave. It was a little girl who looked to be around thirteen or fourteen years old. She was simply dressed in a light-colored garment, yet her plain attire could not conceal the liveliness on her small face. Although still young, the girl had a remarkably delicate face, and when her big eyes blinked, she appeared exceedingly adorable, reminiscent of illustrations in a book.

However, regarding why this light and shadow possess such peculiar abilities, it is beyond Lin Dong's comprehension. Yet, he vaguely understands that perhaps this time, he has encountered a treasure

Lin Dong muttered softly, on this thumb-sized stone, faintly visible were some obscure patterns, which appeared to resemble a magical rune

This faint sound was extremely subtle; had it not been for the inherent silence in this space and Lin Dong's current state of mental focus, it is likely that this sound would have gone completely unheard

Strange things

As Lin Dong's thoughts raced, the light and shadow of the completed set of boxing techniques did not dissipate; instead, the figure flickered once more, and immediately, another identical set of Tongbei Quan began anew.

That feeling is akin to having an unparalleled mentor guiding you hand in hand, and the level of this teacher is simply terrifying.

Lin Dong fell into a daze, and after a long while, he gradually came to his senses, frowning in deep thought. Although he had only watched it once, Lin Dong felt something unusual. The Tongbei Fist demonstrated by the light and shadow seemed to be more natural and agile than that displayed by Lin Xiao during the day, or perhaps one could say, perfect

Qingtan approached with a smile, naturally linking her small hand through Lindong's arm, and then dragged him towards the outside, murmuring as they walked: "It's getting dark, and the stone path here is no longer visible. Do you really want to sleep in a cave like last time?"

... ...

As the stone talisman emitted a glow, Lin Dong, who had been in a deep slumber, slightly opened his eyes. However, before he could fully open them, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness surge from the depths of his mind and the sea of books. Immediately after, he was horrified to discover that he had appeared in a pitch-black space.

Such a harvest was simply exhilarating for Lin Dong. If Lin Xiao were to know that within just one day, Lin Dong could achieve four resonances in the Tongbei Fist, he would probably be so shocked that his jaw would drop. After all, Lin Xiao had practiced for nearly a month to barely reach such a speed, while Lin Dong had surpassed him by dozens of times

Although Lin Dong did not understand the origin of this stone inscription, his intuition told him that it must be quite extraordinary

Gazing at the agile figure that moved like a monkey, Lin Dong found himself somewhat entranced. The initial fear had unknowingly dissipated, and he concentrated all his thoughts, fully focused on the lively light and shadow. The contemplative expression on his small face deepened significantly as he repeatedly observed the boxing style of the light and shadow, meticulously committing even the subtle curves to memory.

In the pitch-black space, it seemed as if time had come to a standstill. Lin Dong continued to mimic the light and shadow, and as he poured sweat into his practice, his boxing technique increasingly resembled that of the light and shadow.

The current stone talisman, apart from the runes that appear obscure and profound at first glance, does not possess any particularly unusual features. However, Lin Dong understands that the red liquid light he just saw is certainly not an illusion

Four sounds

Bang!

Lin Dong stared blankly at the object in his hand, which appeared to be a stone about the size of two fingers. The stone was only the size of two fingers and had a faint grayish-white color. However, when he squeezed it in his palm, it had a strangely soft texture. That kind of touch did not seem to be stone, nor did it resemble jade, and it was even less like wood.

Dah!