「Three days later.」
Having used up all his Bone Tempering Pills, Lin Yan prepared to go to the Martial Arts Vault to buy more.
This time, he planned to buy a larger quantity to save himself a trip every ten days.
At the Martial Arts Vault, he spent five thousand silver taels on five bottles of Bone Tempering Pills—fifty pills in total, enough to last for a month and a half.
Breaking through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing within a month and a half—that was the goal he had set for himself.
Tucking the pills into his robes, Lin Yan turned and walked out.
As he neared the Disciple’s Quarters, four people walked toward him.
They wore matching cyan robes with yellow sashes tied at their waists—they were from the Fourth Branch. Among them was an acquaintance of Lin Yan: Lin Wang.
The four men’s gazes swept over the white sash at Lin Yan’s waist, and their steps slowed in unison.
The leader was a tall, thin young man with high cheekbones, a sharp chin, and a pair of triangular eyes that glinted shrewdly as he sized up Lin Yan.
Beside the leader, Lin Wang wore an arrogant expression. Upon seeing Lin Yan, his steps faltered, and he came to a stop.
When Lin Kang saw the sash on Lin Yan, his triangular eyes crinkled into a smile. After loitering around the Disciple’s Quarters for three straight days, he had finally run into someone from the Third Branch.
Three days ago, Brother Shufeng and the other two had won all three of their matches on the Combat Platform against those idiots from the Third Branch. When the news reached the main family of the Fourth Branch, they immediately rewarded the trio.
Each of them received a bottle of Bone Tempering Pills, and Brother Shufeng, being at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, was also awarded an extra one hundred Contribution Points.
He himself had been there, and watching those three receive their rewards had filled his heart with envy and longing.
’Brother Shufeng is one thing; he’s at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. But the other two were just plain lucky. If it had been me up there, I could have won just the same.’
For the past few days, he had been wandering around the Disciple’s Quarters, waiting for someone from the Third Branch to show up alone.
Unfortunately, the members of the Third Branch seemed to have caught on, as they all hid in their courtyards and refused to come out.
He had thought today would be another bust, but to his surprise, he had actually caught one.
"Looks like my luck is good today. You three better not fight me for this one."
After tossing out that remark, Lin Kang took a sideways step and blocked Lin Yan’s path.
"Well, well. From the Third Branch, are we?"
He drawled, his gaze sweeping back and forth across Lin Yan’s face. "Out all by yourself, without a single companion? Is the Third Branch disbanding or something?"
Behind him, the other two laughed along. Lin Wang did not, merely watching Lin Yan coldly with his chin slightly raised, as if looking at someone completely insignificant.
Lin Yan paused. He glanced at Lin Kang but said nothing, taking a half-step to the side to continue on his way.
Lin Kang blocked him again, tilting his head with a grin. "What’s the hurry? We’re all clansmen from the Lin Family’s branches. We can chat for a bit, no rush. I’m very curious—a few days ago, those three pieces of trash from your Third Branch were beaten so badly on the Combat Platform they were crying their eyes out. Then, in the blink of an eye, they were kicked out of the Lin Mansion. Are the rest of you planning to just hide in your courtyards like spineless turtles?"
The clan rules forbade private fights. What Lin Kang wanted to do was provoke Lin Yan’s anger and force his opponent onto the Battle Platform with him.
To achieve this, in addition to his verbal taunts, he deliberately raised his voice so that others nearby would notice the commotion. ’Let’s see if this guy still has the gall to be a spineless turtle in front of so many people,’ he thought.
People nearby had already begun to notice the commotion.
A few members of the Second Branch, who had just emerged from the Disciple’s Quarters, stopped in their tracks and stood at a distance to watch the spectacle.
"The Fourth Branch is at it again," a round-faced young man from the Second Branch chuckled in a low voice.
"It’s to be expected. After they won those three matches the other day, the Fourth Branch’s main family gave out a ton of rewards. These guys got jealous and want some for themselves. The Fourth Branch members have been loitering outside the Disciple’s Quarters for days, hoping to run into someone from the Third Branch. But the Third Branch people haven’t come out at all lately. I even heard they’re paying silver taels to have servants deliver their meals right to their doors."
"Is the Third Branch really that tolerant?"
"What choice do they have? Their only Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist, Lin Qi, was already defeated and expelled from the Lin Mansion. The strength of those who are left is likely even more pathetic."
The round-faced young man shook his head, his gaze falling on Lin Yan with a hint of pity.
From another direction, two other young men also stopped their conversation, crossing their arms to watch.
"Tsk, tsk. The Fourth Branch is really trying to crush the Third Branch completely. They won’t even let a single, lone clansman from the branch go."
"What? Can’t bear to watch, Brother Xiu? Thinking of lending this guy from the Third Branch a hand?"
"I wouldn’t dare interfere in the feud between the Third and Fourth Branches. Although I don’t know the full story behind their grudge, the main family has specifically instructed us not to get involved in the affairs between these two branches."
The young man shook his head. Although he felt the Fourth Branch’s behavior was excessive, all he could do was feel a sense of injustice for the Third Branch clansmen. Intervening was out of the question.
Lin Yan looked at the guy hopping around in front of him and couldn’t help but feel a sense of exasperation. ’Why do idiots like this keep showing up in front of me?’
’I don’t like to fight in public, nor do I want to expose too much of my strength, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let someone walk all over me like this.’
"Cut the crap. I know exactly what you’re after. Fine, I’ll take a trip to the Combat Platform with you."
As soon as he spoke, the surroundings fell silent for a moment.
The group from the Fourth Branch looked at each other, stunned that this member of the Third Branch would actually dare to accept the challenge.
Lin Kang was stunned for a second, then broke into a laugh, his eyes narrowing into thin slits.
"Good! You’ve got guts!"
Just as Lin Kang was reveling in his success, Lin Wang, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up. "Brother Kang, let me take this one."
Lin Kang envied the trio who had received the main family’s reward, and Lin Wang coveted it just as much in his own heart. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been out loitering with them today.

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