Chapter 31: The Good Show Begins
Lin Hai and Lin Feng walked toward the main elevated platform. There, Lin Ba Dao, the Great Elder, Lin Hao Ran, and Lin Qian were seated, lofty and aloof, as if they were the masters of the Lin Clan.
Seeing the two of them approach, the Great Elder, Lin Zhen, stood up and announced in a clear voice, “Since you’ve arrived, let the annual gathering begin.”
Upon hearing Lin Zhen’s words, Lin Hai stopped in his tracks and simply stared at Lin Zhen, causing the Lin Clan members to narrow their eyes, wondering what was wrong with Lin Hai.
“Lin Hai, what are you doing?” Lin Zhen asked, seeing Lin Hai stop.
“Hmph, Lin Zhen, I ask you, who is the current family head of the Lin Clan?” Lin Hai said coldly.
The Great Elder, Lin Zhen, narrowed his eyes, his expression turning unpleasant, but he still replied, “Of course it’s you, Lin Hai.”
“Then let me ask you again, is the annual gathering the most important event of the Lin Clan?” Lin Hai stared directly at Lin Zhen and continued.
“Of course, every year the Lin Clan’s annual gathering is the clan’s most crucial moment.”
“Very well. I’ll ask you one more thing: who presides over the most important event of the Lin Clan?”
Hearing Lin Hai’s words, Lin Zhen’s face sank completely. He clearly understood what Lin Hai meant.
“The clan’s major events are presided over by the family head.”
“In that case, Lin Zhen, I want to ask you, what are you doing up there? Do you still have any regard for me as the family head?” Lin Hai’s tone was icy. It was no secret that Lin Zhen and Lin Ba Dao were in cahoots, and almost everyone in the Lin Clan knew it. Now, Lin Zhen was becoming increasingly brazen.
“Heh, Second Uncle, you arrived late yourself. What’s wrong with the Great Elder handling matters on your behalf? Second Uncle, you’re being far too petty,” Lin Qian said unhurriedly.
“Shut up!” Lin Hai barked at her. “When elders are speaking, is it your place to interrupt? Lin Ba Dao, control your daughter. Where are her manners?”
Lin Qian’s expression stiffened, and she cursed inwardly, *Is this guy going mad now that he knows his position as family head won’t last much longer?*
“Still far better than your useless son,” Lin Ba Dao shot back, glaring at Lin Feng. Now that Lin Qian was so glorious in the Lin Clan, how could he allow Lin Hai to scold her?
“Watch your words. A mere family head of the Lin Clan is nothing but an ant in the eyes of our Hao Yue Sect,” a female disciple from the Hao Yue Sect beside Lin Qian sneered. This woman, dressed in luxurious robes with a cold, sharp face, was, like Lin Qian, an inner disciple of the Hao Yue Sect. How could she think much of a clan like the Lin Clan?
“If the Hao Yue Sect is so impressive, why are you still sitting in our Lin Clan? My father is the master of this house, and it seems he never invited you. Could it be that you were born with a thicker face?” The silent Lin Feng couldn’t help but speak up. When it came to sharp-tongued arguments, who could match someone who had lived two lives? The language of that other world was vast and profound.
“You…” The sharp-faced woman’s expression changed, but she quickly sneered, “A useless waste from the Cloud Sea Sect, and you dare to spout nonsense.”
“Whether I’m a waste or not remains to be seen, but at least I know how to write the word ‘shame.’ Unlike some people who come to someone else’s home and insult its master. So this is the kind of person the Hao Yue Sect produces? Truly impressive.”
Lin Feng’s words were laced with thorns, and Lin Qian and the others’ expressions immediately changed.
“You beast! How dare you insult the Hao Yue Sect!” An elder stood up and angrily scolded Lin Feng.
“How ridiculous. Someone stands in the Lin Clan and insults its master, yet someone else stands up to defend that outsider. I’d like to ask, Seventh Elder, are you a member of the Lin Clan, or a dog of the Hao Yue Sect?”
Every word Lin Feng spoke was as sharp as a blade, yet he was firmly in the right, leaving no room for criticism.
“Well said! I’d also like to ask, Seventh Elder, is your surname Lin?” Lin Hai echoed. At this moment, Lin Hai was also very surprised. He hadn’t expected his son to have not only greatly improved his cultivation but also become so sharp-tongued, every word drawing blood.
“Enough. This matter is our fault,” the Great Elder, Lin Zhen, said after receiving a signal from Lin Ba Dao, making a slight concession. “Family Head, the annual gathering is the most important event of the Lin Clan and cannot be delayed. Please come and preside over it.”
“Hmph.” Lin Hai flicked his sleeve and strode toward the main seat with Lin Feng, then sat down in the center of the crowd.
*Just you wait and see how long you can keep up your arrogance. Once I become a core disciple of the sect, Lin Hai, I’ll make you pay,* Lin Qian thought coldly to herself.
“Let the annual gathering begin.” Lin Hai’s eyes swept across the martial arts arena. The Lin Clan had about four to five hundred members, with around seventy young descendants between the ages of twelve and eighteen—a flourishing youth. Unfortunately, some people in the clan harbored ulterior motives, causing disunity and a complete lack of cohesion. Perhaps his father had made a mistake in leaving him the position of family head in the first place.
Lin Hai felt a slight bitterness in his heart. If it weren’t for that powerful martial soul… why would he need to worry about a mere family head position in the Lin Clan?
“Father, rest assured. I won’t let the Lin Clan’s bloodline decline under my watch,” Lin Hai thought guiltily. He vaguely remembered his father’s dying words, but unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to focus entirely on the Lin Clan.
The annual gathering was essentially a test of the clan’s younger generation’s cultivation, to see how much they had improved over the year. The younger generation represented the clan’s future.
The content of the gathering was combat—testing strength through battle.
The Second Elder of the Lin Clan walked to the center of the battle platform and announced in a clear voice, “First round of the annual gathering: melee. Everyone comes up to the battle platform. The last thirty-two people remaining on the platform will advance to the next round.”
With that, the Second Elder stepped down from the battle platform, and the young disciples of the Lin Clan began to ascend one after another.
Lin Feng nodded to Lin Hai and also stepped onto the battle platform.
*I wonder if Lin Qian and the others will deliberately target me,* Lin Feng thought to himself, standing at the edge of the battle platform, his eyes flickering.
Soon, a total of seventy-three young disciples were all on the massive battle platform, their eyes warily scanning their surroundings. Those who were weaker were especially likely to become the first targets of others.
As soon as Lin Qian stepped onto the platform, the crowd around her immediately made way, no one daring to provoke her. The purpose of the first round was to eliminate the weak, and few people would bother the stronger ones unless they were asking for trouble. Lin Qian was undoubtedly one of the strongest, and the crowd avoided her, let alone dared to attack her.
As for Lin Feng, he quickly noticed that many people had their eyes on him. Their gazes flickered as they looked at him like prey, all of them seeing him as an easy target.
The battle on the platform had already erupted. A young man holding a long spear approached Lin Feng, while others gave him a wide berth, clearly knowing he was not to be trifled with.
“Get off on your own. Don’t embarrass yourself here,” Lin Wu said contemptuously, looking at Lin Feng. He was the son of the Seventh Elder, who had just clashed with Lin Feng.
Half a year ago, Lin Wu was already at the Seventh Layer of the Qi Martial Realm, and he should have broken through to the Eighth Layer by now, on par with Lin Yu.
“He’s mine.” A cold voice came from behind as Lin Qian, draped in a phoenix-tail long robe, walked over, looking arrogant.
“It’s all the same to me.” Lin Wu naturally wouldn’t compete with Lin Qian for the target, so he stepped aside.
Lin Qian walked up to Lin Feng and said, “Don’t worry. No one will touch you in this round. You’ll advance smoothly. If you’re eliminated too early, it won’t be as fun.”
“Oh?” Lin Feng was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Lin Qian to actually ensure his advancement. It was somewhat ridiculous. But if he could advance without fighting, why not? Of course, having seen him fight, Lin Qian probably understood that if she didn’t personally take action, there really weren’t many people here who could force Lin Feng out.
On the life-and-death platform of the Cloud Sea Sect, Lin Feng had cut off the arm of a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of the Qi Martial Realm with a single sword strike.
“What is Lin Qian doing? Why is she keeping that waste around?” the Great Elder, who had been looking forward to seeing Lin Feng humiliated, asked Lin Ba Dao in a low voice upon seeing Lin Qian protect him instead.
“Don’t you think it’s amusing to watch a waste advance to the second round? And in the second round, it’s a round-robin battle. Everyone has to fight several matches. What do you think will happen to that waste then?” Lin Ba Dao thought he understood Lin Qian’s intention and smiled especially sinisterly.
“Heh, why didn’t I think of that? It really will be a good show,” Lin Zhen said, realizing the cleverness of the plan. He could already see Lin Feng being tormented again and again in the second round. Would his sharp tongue still have a stage to perform on then?