On the same night.
After Lin Xuefeng returned to his clan, he headed straight to his father’s residence.
“Father, I have something to tell you.” Lin Xuefeng wore a solemn expression.
“Speak,” said Lin Huaiyuan with a smile.
“I have decided to fully assist cousin Lin Xun to take charge of Mind Cleansing Peak in the future!” he stated bluntly.
The smile on Lin Huaiyuan’s lips froze. “Tell me the reason,” he said after a long while.
Lin Xuefeng recounted everything that had happened and hid nothing from Lin Huaiyuan, including the fact that he almost died when Hua Wuhen attacked.
Lin Huaiyuan’s expression changed indefinitely, and after a long moment, he sighed emotionally, “I understand.”
Then, he asked, “But...are you sure you want to do this? You know, if Lin Xun loses to Hua Wuyou, you will regain the chance of taking charge of Mind Cleansing Peak.”
Before he finished, Lin Xuefeng irritably interrupted, “Father, Lin Xun is fighting for me! How…how can you say such a thing?”Lin Huaiyuan smiled. It was a relieved smile. “Then I’m certain that you have truly let go and genuinely intend to assist Lin Xun.”
Lin Xuefeng was taken aback for a moment before he understood his father was just checking if this was what he wanted. “Father, I disappointed you,” he said shamefully.
Lin Huaiyuan waved his hand. “No. If I were you, I would do the same. You have done a very good job. I’m very pleased. You have my full support regarding this matter.”
Lin Xuefeng’s lips quivered with emotion as he said, “Thank you, Father!”
“But that doesn’t mean that our North Light Lin Clan will submit to Lin Xun. He has reached an agreement with your grandfather so we should respect your grandfather’s decision.”
“I understand.” Lin Xuefeng nodded.
“Off you go.”
Lin Huaiyuan waved his hand and watched his son leave. Then, he sighed out loud.
There was another sentence that Lin Huaiyuan didn’t say to Lin Xuefeng. From the moment that Lin Xuefeng had decided to assist Lin Xun with all his strength, the North Light Lin Clan had basically surrendered to Lin Xun. It was only a matter of time before they officially surrendered and paid allegiance.
“Lin Xun...is indeed a rare talent. If he wins the duel against Hua Wuyou, it will be a tremendous shock and warning to the other three branches.”
Lin Huaiyuan contemplated this alone.
From what his son Lin Xuefeng had said, he came to realize that Lin Xun could not be underestimated. He had huge potential since he could become friends with the influential figures of the younger generation such as Shi Yu, Ning Meng, Bai Lingxi and Zhao Yin!
……
In the West Creek Lin Clan, the meeting hall was brightly lit.
Lin Tianlong, the clan head of the West Creek Lin Clan, couldn’t contain his laughter when he received the news. “Good, good, very good! That kid finally encountered trouble. Not only did he beat up Hua Wuhen in public, but he also seriously wounded two young masters of the Song Clan in Precious Laughter House. He had consecutively angered two of the seven high clans in the empire!”
“The best thing is that he agreed to Hua Wuyou’s duel. I wonder if he has a death wish. Hua Wuyou is the Demoness known throughout Qinglu Academy for her unruly and ruthless behavior.”
Lin Nianshan, the clan head of the Cloud Weight Lin Clan, also chuckled.
Lin Pingdu, the clan head of the Flying Peak Lin Clan, suddenly said aloud, “This is called karma. It’s impossible to avoid it. Given the Demoness’ ruthlessness, even if Lin Xun doesn’t die, he would be crippled if he loses. At that time, we can perhaps take the opportunity to seize back the power of Mind Cleansing Peak!”
Their days have been very depressing recently. They had originally planned to find an opportunity to completely control Lin Xun and make him their puppet.
Who would have thought that Lin Xun seldom left Mind Cleansing Peak? On the rare occasions that he did, he was accompanied by Lin Zhong and Third Old Zhu, two Heaven Ascension masters.
While they were feeling powerless and irritable, such a piece of good news had come. How would they not be elated?
“However, we mustn’t underestimate that boy’s networking strength. According to the news, even Shi Yu, Ning Meng, Bai Lingxi and Zhao Yin, influential figures of the younger generation, stood up for him at the banquet he attended. In the end, Song Chonghe and Song Zhe were forced to leave in humiliation,” Lin Tianlong stated.
The excitement in Lin Nianshan and Lin Pingdu’s hearts faded, and their minds became calm again.
“We still can’t confirm what sort of relationship he has with those young people, but there is no need to worry too much. After all, no matter how powerful the forces and clans behind those youngsters are, they wouldn’t necessarily stand forward to support Lin Xun for those youngsters.”
Lin Nianshan calmly analyzed their situation, “For example, although Shi Yu is the third son of Fortune God Shi, he can’t possibly make the entire Stone Cauldron Alms fully support Lin Xun.”
“Let’s not talk about this. Based on the fact that Lin Xun has angered the descendants of both the Song Clan and Hua Clan, he is already doomed!” Lin Pingdu said coldly, ”So all we have to do now is watch him destroy his reputation and seize the opportunity to control him!”
“How about we watch the match in the Sky Martial Arena in three days?” suggested Lin Tianlong.
“That’s what I was thinking,” Lin Nianshan and Lin Pingdu readily agreed.
.……
That night, not only the four collateral branches of the Lin Family received the news, but also many major clans and forces in the Forbidden City.
After all, it was shocking that descendants of the Hua Family were violently beaten up on the street and descendants of the Song Clan were severely wounded. Most importantly, the same person was responsible for both incidents. How could it not attract the attention of the major forces and clans?
“Lin Xun? Who is he?”
“I heard that he’s a descendant of Duke Daocheng, and he is now living on Mind Cleansing Peak.
“Haha, interesting! I haven’t heard much about the Lin Family ever since the bloody incident more than ten years ago.”
……
“That boy is so domineering. He angered the descendants of two high clans in one night. I don’t understand where he got the confidence from.”
“Yes, in three days, he will duel against Demoness Hua Wuyou in the Sky Martial Arena. It’s so unbelievable.”
“I wonder how the Hua Family and Song Family will react to this news.”
“Why don’t we go and watch the duel on that day?”
“Sounds good. Duke Daochen was a legendary figure back then. Even the current emperor has nothing but admiration for him. I’m very curious about what's unique about the descendant of Duke Daochen.”
……
“Who? Isn’t he the weakest clan head in the Forbidden City?”
“Yes! Him!”
”That kid is so daring. He even dared to provoke Demoness Hua Wuyou. Does he have a death wish?”
“Haha, I have a hunch that this matter will set off storms in the Forbidden City tomorrow!”
“For sure. It’s been a long time since someone who dared to offend the descendants of the high clans like Lin Xun has shown up.”
……
That night, similar discussions spread throughout the Forbidden City at an incredible speed and caused a lot of uproars.
On the morning of the second day.
Dawn was just breaking when a tremendous rune transmission light screen emerged in the center of the Forbidden City, broadcasting the news.
A dignified and beautiful woman methodically described the series of events that happened in Precious Laughter House last night.
The news caused uproar in the city.
“Lin Xun is so powerful! Why didn’t he take the national exam?”
“Nonsense, wasn’t it rumored a few days ago that he had affairs to deal with and had no energy to take the exam? Otherwise, he definitely would have achieved a ranking in the national exam!”
“Hmph, regardless of how powerful he is, he is doomed since he has angered the Hua Family and the Song Family. I pity him. He is a youngster and has just taken over Mind Cleansing Peak but his life is finished already. I’m afraid…the owner of Mind Cleansing Peak will change again.”
“Stop with the cynical remarks. Even if Lin Xun isn’t good, he has beaten up descendants of the high clans. Would you have the guts to do that? If you don’t, then be quiet.”
“Haha, no matter how powerful he is, how could he be a match for Demoness Hua Wuyou? Just you wait, Lin Xun is doomed to lose tragically and destroy his reputation in three days!”
Lin Xun became the center of attention and set off clamors of discussion.
Inadvertently, the heated discussions further enhanced Lin Xun’s fame and reputation. It wouldn’t be long before his name spread throughout the entire Forbidden City and was known by countless cultivators.
The duel between Lin Xun and Hua Wuyou in three days sparked countless people’s curiosity and anticipation.
Many people raced to the Sky Martial Arena upon hearing the news, only to find out that the tickets for the match were already sold out!
This demonstrated how much attention the duel had received.
Even many students in Qinglu Academy were very interested in the duel. After all, Hua Wuyou was a formal student of the Dao Martial Department.
Naturally, a battle involving someone with her identity and status attracted much attention.
Many students started to inquire about Lin Xun, but they were astonished to find out that he was only a teenager who hadn’t even taken the national examination.
Is someone like him worthy of battling against Hua Wuyou?
However, that only piqued the curiosity of many people. Some students had decided to watch the battle to see what Lin Xun was capable of, hoping that he wouldn’t disappoint them.
Lin Xun was unaware of everyone’s anticipation of his battle.
When he returned to Mind Cleansing Peak, he resumed his usual cultivation life. He meditated, practiced his blade skills, and observed the phenomenons of heaven and earth. He seemed unusually calm as though his duel with Hua Wuyou didn’t set off the slightest ripple in his heart.
On the day of the duel, Lin Xun enjoyed a hearty breakfast prepared by Xiaoke under the warm morning sunlight. Then, he stretched contentedly and said goodbye to Xiaoke and Spirit Vulture with a smile, “When I return, let’s check out Yang Ling’s weapon forging workshop. I have suddenly thought of a great idea to make money.”
After that, he left Mind Cleansing Peak accompanied by Lin Zhong and Third Old Zhu.
“Isn’t the kid a little strange today? The duel is today, but he is still thinking about ways to make money!” A frown of bewilderment crossed Xiaoke’s beautiful brows.
“Haha, the tiger in his heart is sniffing the roses[1]. It means he is confident about the battle.” Spirit Vulture smiled, wisdom shone from his clear eyes.
“I hope that’s the case.”
1. This is actually a line from a poem, "In Me, Past, Present, Future meet", which was written by Siegfried Sassoon. The original line is: "In me, the tiger sniffs the rose" but it didn't really fit the context ☜