「The next day.」
The sky was clear.
Lin Yan left his courtyard and headed for the Combat Platform.
It was the same Martial Arts Arena where he had fought Lin Wang, but to Lin Yan’s surprise, the crowd of spectators was much larger than Lin Yu had said it would be.
According to Lin Yu, only the branch family members were supposed to be watching the competition; there shouldn’t have been any outsiders.
But now, below the Combat Platform, he saw that the crowd had grown by more than half, and there were many faces he didn’t recognize.
As Lin Yan stepped into the Combat Platform area, his gaze swept discreetly across the crowd.
He saw the Fifth Branch’s section, where Uncle Jiu’s daughter stood. She wore martial attire with a sword hanging at her waist, her hair tied up to reveal a clear, fair, and pretty face. Beside her were several other young people from the main family of the Fifth Branch.
In the Fourth Branch’s area, he saw Lin Mingtang, the Blood Exchange Realm Powerhouse in charge of instructing them. Lin Mingchuan and Lin Mingguan, whom he’d met at Eagle’s Beak Gorge, were also there, along with a few other unfamiliar faces.
Then came the Second Branch... and the First Branch.
At least a hundred main family members were present this time. Not all were Blood Exchange Realm Powerhouses; many were Skin Smoothing Martial Artists. Judging by their appearance, they all seemed to be around seventeen or eighteen years old.
In addition, Lin Yan spotted Miss Bai, Bai Ruo, who had visited the day before. She was in the eastern stands, chatting with another young woman her age. The people in that section varied greatly in age—there were old, middle-aged, and young. Judging from their attire, they were likely from the various families affiliated with the Lin Family.
As Lin Yan’s gaze swept over, Bai Ruo seemed to sense it and looked his way. Their eyes met. Lin Yan nodded slightly. Bai Ruo’s lips curved into a smile as she blinked. The two exchanged a silent greeting.
However, neither of them noticed that another pair of eyes had caught this exact moment.
’No wonder she acted so prim and proper in front of me. So she’s got her eyes on Lin Yan.’
Lin Xiao, who had been observing the others, happened to catch the exchange. A shadow crossed his eyes.
Lin Xiao had heard of Lin Yan before; he had even made some inquiries. All he knew was that Lin Yan’s family branch wasn’t particularly powerful.
’Without this chance to come to the main family, it would have taken him ages to break through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing.’
’This Lin Yan is just some country bumpkin; he won’t be able to resist Bai Ruo’s allure. He’ll be happy to be wrapped around her finger.’ Lin Xiao sneered. But then he saw Bai Ruo’s naturally flirtatious eyes, and the thought of giving up so easily... left a bitter taste in his mouth.
’At her core, a woman like Bai Ruo is drawn to the strong. As long as I defeat Lin Yan in the competition and say a few comforting words, she’ll come running into my arms.’
After scanning the crowd, Lin Yan walked over to the Third Branch’s section.
Seeing Lin Yan, the branch members of the Third Branch willingly made way, letting him stand at the very front beside Lin Minghai.
"Brother Hai."
"You’re here."
Lin Minghai nodded at Lin Yan. "This branch competition of yours is quite the event, drawing such a large crowd. These are all the youths of our main family."
Lin Minghai first introduced Lin Yan to the young men and women around him. There were only about ten of them, but they spanned two generations: some from the Ming generation, and others from the next generation, the Zheng generation.
The Lin Family’s generational names are based on pairing characters. The names for four generations—Qing, Shou, Ming, and Zheng—combine to form an auspicious phrase. This was a rule established by the Lin Family’s ancestors.
"Brother Yan."
"Uncle Yan."
Lin Yan didn’t think much of being called "Brother Yan," but when a sixteen-year-old girl called him "Uncle Yan," he was silent for a good long moment.
"The highlight of this competition is the few of you who’ve broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm. However, you all broke through recently, so you probably haven’t mastered the realm’s Cultivation Techniques yet. With the Flowing Cloud Thirteen Techniques, placing in the top three should be no problem. As for first place, go for it if you can, but don’t risk your life for it. The path of a Blood Exchange Realm cultivator is long; a single victory or defeat means little."
"Don’t worry, Brother Hai. I understand."
Lin Minghai glanced across the entire arena, then suddenly lowered his voice. "You need to be careful of Lin Xiao from the Fifth Branch."
Hearing Brother Hai’s words, Lin Yan looked toward the Fifth Branch’s section, a hint of confusion in his eyes. ’Could it be that this Lin Xiao is hiding his true strength, just like me, and Brother Hai somehow found out?’
"Normally, a competition like yours shouldn’t have been enough to draw Mingxi’s attention. The fact that she came must mean that Lin Xiao of the Fifth Branch has something extraordinary about him."
Lin Minghai had been stunned the moment he saw Mingxi in the crowd.
Mingxi was exceptionally talented in the Sword Dao. Taught by Uncle Jiu himself, her Swordsmanship was astonishingly powerful. She had reached the top ten in the last clan-wide competition for the younger generation.
But everyone knew her true strength was far beyond just the top ten; she had the potential to reach the top five, or even the top three. It was only because of her aloof personality that she had voluntarily withdrawn from the rest of the tournament after securing a top-ten spot.
For someone of Mingxi’s strength and disposition to attend a mere branch family competition could only mean one thing: this Lin Xiao must be a genius.
"Understood. I’ll keep an eye on him."
Lin Yan gave Lin Xiao a long, hard look. He never underestimated anyone. Except, of course, for Lin Wang.
Similar conversations were taking place in the other branch sections, and suddenly, Lin Xiao found himself the subject of many wary and probing gazes.
A deep, resonant voice suddenly echoed across the arena. The next moment, a figure appeared on the Combat Platform.
He was a middle-aged man in a black brocade robe. His gaze was as sharp as a Heavy Sword. Wherever it passed, everyone, whether from the branch families or the main family disciples, instinctively lowered their eyes, not daring to meet his.

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