It was late at night, but figures were still crowded around the rune transmission light screen, and exclamations and uproar erupted from time to time.
Most of them were unable to purchase a ticket to watch the duel between Lin Xun and Hua Wuyou, so they could only wait there for the news from the rune transmission light screen.
Chi Cangmei was suddenly curious about how the cultivators in the city viewed the duel.
As she thought about it, she had already walked over to the crowd.
“Amazing! Lin Xun is a rare genius! He’s only at the initial Spirit Sea Stage but he is already strong enough to defeat Hua Wuyou, who is blessed by heaven! Who would have thought?!”
“No one thought much of him at the start of the battle, but he made a magnificent counterattack at the last moment and demonstrated his abilities. The match was so thrilling and exciting! It’s a pity that I couldn’t witness it in person and catch a glimpse of Lin Xun!”
“Hey, who would dare say that Lin Xun is the weakest clan leader in the Forbidden City now?”
“I wonder how Lin Xun cultivates. How can he be so strong? Given his strength, he likely would be in the top five of the national exam if he took it, right?”
The news of Lin Xun defeating Hua Wuyou drew exclamations of awe. The cultivators couldn’t hide their excitement, and they made no secret of their surprise, astonishment, and admiration for Lin Xun.
There wasn’t a single negative remark.Chi Cangmei secretly sighed. They are right. The Hua Clan has always acted overbearing and domineering, and Hua Wuyou is known as the Demoness.
It’s hard not to be impressed by Lin Xun defeating Hua Wuyou as the underdog.
However, when it was broadcasted that Hua Qiancheng broke the rules and attacked Lin Xun at the critical moment, the exclamations in the audience turned to criticism.
“The Hua Clan has gone too far! They are too shameless!”
“Shh! Be quiet, if the Hua Family hears you say that, you will lose your life.”
“Ridiculous, they have done something so shameless, and we can’t even talk about it? A high and mighty Heaven Ascension cultivator shamelessly tried to kill a junior and trampled the rules of the duel. Such despicable behavior makes my hair stand up in anger!”
“The Hua Family is too strong. Fortunately, the heavens have blessed Lin Xun, and he managed to escape the danger. Otherwise, if Lin Xun died, the Forbidden City would lose a genius!”
“Despicable! So despicable!”
Chi Cangmei’s face didn’t ripple in the slightest when she heard the endless scolding. So what if you scold them? It won’t have any significant impact on the Hua Family.
At best, it will strengthen their ruthless and domineering reputation.
However, Chi Cangmei had to admit that Lin Xun hadn’t suffered from the battle and instead won a lot of admiration.
It would no doubt hugely benefit him in strengthening his prestige and gaining a foothold in the Forbidden City.
“What? Even Hua Qinglin showed up?”
“This battle has caused so many storms? It’s a pity! I would have paid to watch it in Sky Martial Arena no matter how much it cost.”
“A mysterious figure? An ancient mottled sword in the shape of a plum blossom branch? Which powerful influential being does it belong to? Why did Hua Qinglin suddenly stop?”
“This is too unbelievable. I can’t guess, I really can’t guess!”
Hearing this, Chi Cangmei knew that there was no need to listen anymore because regardless of the heated discussion, they would never be able to guess the truth.
After all, as a descendant of the Chi Family, she also hadn’t figured out the truth. How would the ordinary cultivators be able to?
“Ancient Twisted Plum Blossom Sword...”
Chi Cangmei pondered as she walked away. “That’s a weapon of the imperial family that has been lying dormant for many years. Why did it suddenly appear today? Could it be…a shadow of the imperial family is supporting Lin Xun?”
Although she couldn’t figure it out, she was certain that the Hua Clan would hate Lin Xun to the bone. However, they wouldn’t dare to make any reckless moves until they determined who was supporting Lin Xun from the dark.
Immediately, Chi Cangmei chuckled to herself. It’s not just the Hua Family. Isn’t it the same with our Chi Family?
In terms of losses, our Chi Family has suffered more in the encirclement operation against Lin Xun!
She got onto a carriage and on her way back to her clan, she inhaled deeply and tried to cast the distracting thoughts to the back of her head for now. She knew that even if Lin Xun had some sort of power supporting him in the dark, the powers that wanted to kill him were greater!
You wanted to use this battle to stand firm in the Forbidden City?
Impossible!
……
It was early in the morning when Lin Xun left Precious Laughter House. He was so drunk that Lin Zhong had to carry him onto the jeweled carriage and return to Mind Cleansing Peak.
“He’s drunk?”
Xiaoke couldn’t help but frown when she saw Lin Xun in such a drunken state.
“It’s good that he’s drunk. At least, it proves that he has either won the battle beautifully or lost tragically. Otherwise, he wouldn’t indulge in alcohol.” Spirit Vulture smiled slightly.
“Mister Spirit Vulture is right! Young Master won the duel,” Lin Zhong replied with a smile, and then he recounted the details of the duel.
“Ancient Twisted Plum Blossom Sword?”
A strange expression flashed across Spirit Vulture’s face. “No wonder Hua Qinglin retreated.”
Lin Zhong didn’t say much and just took the drunk Lin Xun away.
“What’s the sword’s origin?” Xiaoke asked.
“It is a weapon rumored to be used by the founding emperor when he conquered the world. It was sealed in the depths of the imperial palace because it had been too badly stained with blood and had killed too many.”
Spirit Vulture continued, “The sword has not been seen in the world for almost one thousand years, yet it suddenly appeared in the duel between Lin Xun and Hua Wuyou. This matter isn’t that simple, and I believe Hua Qinglin also noticed this so he didn’t dare to act recklessly.”
“You mean an influential figure from the imperial palace is standing behind Lin Xun?” Xiaoke said in bewilderment.
“I’m not sure but there must be some sort of connection. After all, the sword is very special. It is the sword of the founding emperor and has been suppressed in the depths of the imperial palace for years. Ordinary members of the imperial family can’t bring it out.”
As Spirit Vulture spoke, he suddenly remembered something. “Do you remember what Lin Xun said? The Chi Family launched an encirclement operation on Lin Xun before he came to the Forbidden City?”
Xiaoke nodded.
“But after Lin Xun came to the Forbidden City, the Chi Family has kept a low profile and hasn’t made many movements. Perhaps, the Chi Family knows they can’t underestimate the power behind Lin Xun. Otherwise, given their powers as a top aristocratic clan, they could kill Lin Xun with a turn of their hands.”
A ruminative smile curved Spirit Vulture’s lips. “Now, I’m certain that Lin Xun has some sort of trump cards that we don’t know about!”
“But so do his enemies,” Xiaoke reminded.
“So, if he wants to lead the Lin Family and help it rise, the situation will be complicated…” Spirit Vulture said quietly.
……
As everyone expected, the news of Lin Xun’s victory over Hua Wuyou spread throughout the Forbidden City and caused a sensation.
Some people were amazed by Lin Xun’s strength, and some criticized and despised the Hua Family for their despicable actions. Some tried to analyze the background of the ancient sword shaped like a plum blossom branch. Some had a feeling that Lin Xun wasn’t just simply the successor of the Lin Family’s Mind Cleansing Peak.
Lin Xun rose to fame in the Forbidden City and his name shook the city. His background, identity and strength became popular conversation topics.
When the West Creek Lin Clan learnt about Lin Xun’s fame, angry roars rang in their meeting hall for the entire day. No one dared to mention Lin Xun.
By this time, all the clansmen of the Lin Clan knew that Lin Xun had become famous in the Forbidden City! Some were furious and some were shocked.
Regardless, the three branches West Creek, Cloud Weight and Flying Peak still refused to submit to Lin Xun. However, many people knew that if Lin Xun continued to rise, their situation would grow more and more dangerous.
What to do?
No one knew, because even Lin Tianlong, Lin Nianshan and Lin Pingdu, the three clan heads, were at a loss on what to do and couldn't come up with a clear solution.
The situation was different in the North Light Lin Clan. Although they didn’t celebrate with Lin Xun, they still felt very proud. Ever since the bloody tragedy more than ten years ago, the Lin Clan’s prestige had continued to decline. Many people in the Forbidden City had even forgotten the existence of the Lin Family!
Lin Xun’s strong rise would no doubt draw a lot of attention and allow the Lin Family to return to the public’s eyes. Even if there was still a long way to go before the Lin Clan restored its former glory, the clansmen of the Lin Clan were still full of excitement.
Early next morning, Lin Xuefeng set off to Mind Cleansing Peak with the ‘sincerity’ from the North Light Lin Clan.
……
When Lin Xun woke up, it was already very bright. The warm sunlight spilled into his room and brought with it a refreshing and pleasant air.
No matter how hard Lin Xun tried, he couldn’t remember who was the last one to collapse in the drinking contest in Precious Laughter House.
Lin Xun smiled, shook his head, got up, and washed up.
“Young Master, Young Master Xuefeng came to visit and is waiting for you in the North Light Pavilion.”
Not long after Lin Xun washed up, Lin Zhong brought breakfast over and reported Lin Xuefeng’s visit.
Lin Xun was taken aback for a moment and then he said thoughtfully, “North Light Pavilion? If I remember correctly, that was where the North Light Lin Clan lived back then.”
Lin Zhong nodded with a smile. “It seems like Young Master has already guessed that Young Master Xuefeng likely has come with good news.”
Lin Xun smiled, got up, and said, “Let's go and see.”
The two left Mind Cleansing Hall and followed the winding azure stone path towards North Light Pavilion.