Although Yu Beidou’s, Cheng Jing’s, and Shen Tuo’s generous invitations were ultimately rejected by Lin Xun, they were not the slightest bit angered to the crowd’s surprise.
The three of them knew that it was impossible to recruit talent like Lin Xun with mere verbal promises.
At the same time, they also needed to properly discuss this issue with their respective factions to decide on a strategy to recruit him.
A magnificent scene occurred when Lin Xun left.
The empire’s leading rune masters personally accompanied Lin Xun onto his carriage and sent him off with bright smiles.
The grand treatment stupefied the watching rune masters as they inwardly sighed in admiration.
With all eyes on Lin Xun, no one noticed the agonized and dispirited looks on the Chu Clan members.
Chu Haidong could no longer take it. He coughed blood as his eyes rolled over, and he fainted.
He was carried away by the other Chu Clan members as they dejectedly left the Rune Master Association Headquarters.
Chu Haidong was honestly really unlucky. A brilliant younger generation rune grandmaster like him should have received much attention and praise.Unfortunately, he had encountered Lin Xun. No matter how amazing of a record Chu Haidong created, it was just far too unremarkable compared to Lin Xun’s.
This was one of the pitfalls of comparing to others.
Chu Haidong was actually not a petty person. Had this been any other scenario, he would have never fainted out of anger.
However, he had some disagreements with Lin Xun and subsequently declared that he would use the Dragon Gate Nine Tablets test results to prove who was the ignorant fool between them.
The results were out and Lin Xun had become the biggest winner that received the bigwigs' attention while Chu Haidong…had become the fool!
How could he possibly bear this?
When the people discussed these events in the future, it would be unavoidable for them to mention the disagreements between him and Lin Xun, and they would naturally know who was the ‘fool’!
Hence, Chu Haidong ultimately coughed blood and fainted…
……
Not long after Lin Xun left, groups of cultivators began arriving at the Rune Master Association HQ to find out what had happened.
They were sent by the various great factions in the Forbidden City.
Yu Beidou, Cheng Jing, Zhen Tuo, and the other bigwigs immediately realized that the disturbance had been too great and the entire city had been alerted!
They did not dare to linger any longer and quickly scattered so they could begin brainstorming a strategy to recruit Lin Xun as soon as possible.
Linghu Xiu was the only one who did not leave.
With a complicated expression and a heavy heart, he turned around and began heading toward a certain private room in the Rune Master Association HQ.
Someone was already waiting inside. It was an elder in jade robes who had a long and narrow face. He was as thin as bamboo, and his eyes seemed to glow with a cold and bewitching light.
It was Old Devil Qu!
He was a Heaven Ascension stage expert who was skilled in the art of searching and controlling the soul.
He had been sent by the West Creek, Cloud Weight, and Flying Peak Lin Branch Clans. He had originally planned to work with Linghu Xiu to capture Lin Xun and turn him into a mindless puppet.
However, Old Devil Qu knew that the situation had changed when he saw Linghu Xiu return alone.
“There was a draconic cry earlier, and something big seemed to have happened. What’s going on?”
Old Devil Qu’s voice was sharp and raspy like a hissing viper, making it unpleasant to the ear.
Linghu Xiu sighed. After a long silence, he began to recount everything that had happened.
After hearing everything, Old Devil Qu’s expression turned uncertain. After a long time, he said, “Hence you ultimately chose to give up?”
Linghu Xiu sneered. “What else? Lin Xun will become the most famous person in the Forbidden City before nightfall and will draw all the great factions’ attention. Under these circumstances, anyone who dares to kill him will become an enemy of the Rune Master Association HQ, Divine Workshop, and Qinglu Academy! I still want to live a few more years and won’t do something so stupid!”
Old Devil Qu became silent. He knew that Linghu Xiu was telling the truth. Lin Xun’s rise could no longer be stopped, and anyone who decided to be his enemy at this juncture would have to be prepared for vengeance from Yu Beidou, Cheng Jing, Shen Tuo, and the other rune grandmasters!
“I’ve already decided to cut my ties with the Flying Peak Lin Clan.”
Linghu Xiu resolved himself. “It’s not worth it to offend Lin Xun because of them! I advise you to also stop being involved in this affair. At the end of the day, it is an internal conflict of their Lin Clan, and an outsider like you will always be the most at risk.”
Old Devil Qu’s expression changed drastically before he chuckled and said, “I’m not afraid.”
However, he soon sighed. “However, it’s indeed different this time. I will consider your advice.”
After which, he turned to leave the room.
Linghu Xiu gave one final piece of advice, “If you wish to extract yourself, it will be best to leave as soon as possible.”
Old Devil Qu did not reply.
……
In the carriage, Lin Xun tiredly massaged his temples as he instructed, “Uncle Zhong, after we return to Mind Cleansing Peak, reject everyone who wishes to see me no matter who it is. I will deal with everyone once I recover.”
Lin Zhong nodded. Soon after, he could not help but ask, “Young Master, the heaven-shaking dragon cries earlier…”
Lin Xun chuckled. “I did not foresee that passing the rune grandmaster test would create such a huge commotion.”
Lin Zhong immediately became excited.
He had already sensed that something was strange when he saw Yu Beidou, Cheng Jing, Shen Tuo, and the other bigwigs accompany Lin Xun out of the Rune Master Association HQ.
After obtaining a clear answer from Lin Xun, Lin Zhong was finally certain that the Young Master had already become a genuine rune grandmaster!
Moreover, he had caused a huge disturbance that shook the entire city!
The more Lin Zhong thought about it, the more excited he became.
The Young Master would be sixteen in two months, but he was already a rune grandmaster!
That was even more amazing than the famous Feng Qingyou! If the Master and Madam were still alive, how happy would they be when they found out about the Young Master’s achievements?
If the other direct Lin Clan members were still alive, how proud would they feel?
Outside the carriage, Third Old Zhu’s expression was stoic and expressionless as usual.
Deep in his heart, however, he was repeating a single sentence: Nine draconic cries…the rumor from a thousand years ago is true…
When they returned, Lin Xun headed straight for the private cultivation room on Mind Cleansing Hall’s third floor and began to recover.
He was genuinely drained.
Lin Zhong and Third Old Zhu went to find Spirit Vulture.
“Nine draconic cries, perfectly passing the test, a rune grandmaster who is almost sixteen…”
Spirit Vulture could not help but be stunned after finding out about the feats Lin Xun had achieved at the Rune Master Association HQ. These achievements were shocking and inconceivable.
After a long time, Spirit Vulture sighed deeply and said, “I am now finally sure that he was serious when he said he intended to find a cure for the Demon Tribulation Poison by making rune armaments.”
He had not expected Lin Xun to attain such a dazzling achievement in a mere two months. It was just too fast!
Third Old Zhu flatly said, “Becoming a rune grandmaster does not mean he will be able to craft a rune armament.”
“However, he is the only person in a thousand years who has summoned the nine draconic cries.”
This was the first time Third Old Zhu had voluntarily participated in a conversation, which stunned Spirit Vulture. “Do you think Lin Xun will be able to help you enter the Cycle Derivation Tower deep in the palace and resolve your cultivation breakthrough difficulties?”
Third Old Zhu was silent for a moment before he replied, “We’ll know in the future.”
It was an extremely conservative answer, but Spirit Vulture was very satisfied with it. At the very least, he could tell that Third Old Zhu’s attitude had changed a little, and he was no longer indifferent and without hope like before.
“We can put these aside for now. Lin Xun once mentioned that crafting rune armaments is a method that can kill many birds with one stone. It is great that he is now one step closer towards his plan.”
Spirit Vulture continued to verbalize his thoughts, “The nine draconic cries must have drawn the entire city’s attention. Starting today, Lin Xun is no longer merely the master of Mind Cleansing Peak but also a rune grandmaster with amazing ability! In addition, he is a great talent who is highly regarded by the Rune Master Association HQ, Divine Workshop, and Qinglu Academy!”
He paused for a moment before he continued, “This new status will allow him to further solidify his position as successor. Moreover, we can expect the West Creek, Cloud Weight, and Flying Peak branch clans to become uneasy when they find out. This will be a heavy blow to them.”
Spirit Vulture smiled faintly as he sighed again. “This move of Lin Xun’s is pure genius. I can already imagine how his name will be the talk of the entire city tomorrow! The Rune Master Association HQ, Divine Workshop, and Qinglu Academy will definitely be looking to reach out to Lin Xun, and his situation will certainly change again no matter which organization he chooses to join!”
“Mister is right.”
Lin Zhong could not help but feel a sense of admiration. Spirit Vulture was indeed better than anyone else at seeing the big picture.
“Haha, I am only providing my analysis. The truly amazing one is Lin Xun. If I didn’t know him personally, I would not dare to believe that he’s still a young man.”
Spirit Vulture let out a hearty chuckle.
Lin Zhong also laughed. His heart was filled with pride.
Even Third Old Zhu nodded and said, “Duke Daochen has a good descendent.”
……
Spirit Vulture underestimated the impact created by Lin Xun. On that same night, news of what happened in the Rune Master Association HQ spread to the entire city like a wildfire, causing countless commotions and uproars!