「Three days later.」
Lin Yan set foot in the Third Branch’s territory for the first time.
The Lin Mansion was vast. The central area housed functional buildings like the Library Pavilion, the Martial Arts Vault, and the Task Hall. Disciples from each branch resided in different sectors, and even their sashes were color-coded according to their location.
The First Branch resided in the southeast sector, their sashes cyan.
The Second Branch resided in the northeast sector, their sashes yellow.
The Third Branch resided in the northwest sector, their sashes white.
The Fourth Branch resided in the southwest sector, their sashes brown.
The Fifth Branch resided in the central-south sector, their sashes black.
"Young Master Yan, Young Master Hai is at the Lake Heart Pavilion."
The servant leading the way brought Lin Yan to the edge of a lake within the Third Branch’s territory and stopped. From a distance, Lin Yan could already see two figures in the Lake Heart Pavilion.
An hour ago, he had sent a servant to the Third Branch to announce that he wished to see Brother Hai. After receiving a reply, the servant had led him all the way here.
"What are you dawdling for at the lake’s edge? Get over here!"
Lin Minghai’s gruff voice echoed from the Lake Heart Pavilion. Hearing this, Lin Yan stepped onto the walkway and went over.
"Lin Yan, you’re supposed to be on guard duty in the Yantian Mountain Range. What are you doing back here now?"
Before Lin Yan could even set foot in the pavilion, Lin Minghai frowned. "You should know the clan rules. You’re not supposed to abandon your post during a mission."
"Minghai, what’s the rush?"
Leaning against the railing, Lin Mingsong smiled faintly. "Even if Lin Yan doesn’t know the clan rules, are you saying Mingyuan doesn’t?"
Lin Yan explained, "Brother Hai, I returned three days ago. I came back to attempt a breakthrough to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. Brother Yuan knows about it."
"Break through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing?"
Lin Minghai wasn’t particularly surprised. Reaching the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing at twenty would make one an incredible genius in the lesser counties, but in the Qing State Prefecture, within the Lin Family, it wasn’t anything special.
"You came to see me to ask for insights on breaking through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing?" As far as Lin Minghai was concerned, that was the only possible reason.
"No."
Lin Yan shook his head, not wanting to wait for Brother Hai to guess again, lest he be accused of showing off.
"I successfully broke through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing today, and I came specifically to let you know, Brother Hai."
"Wait!"
Lin Minghai cut Lin Yan off. There was no surprise or joy on his face, only suspicion as he looked Lin Yan up and down.
At the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, Qi Blood manifests on its own.
He couldn’t see any of the physical signs of the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing on Lin Yan.
If Lin Yan had been at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing for a long time, it would be one thing for him to be able to restrain his Qi Blood. But Lin Yan had just broken through. Any Martial Artist who had just achieved a breakthrough would find it difficult to precisely control the surge of their Qi Blood, causing it to manifest externally. Anyone with a discerning eye would be able to spot the signs.
"Lin Yan, are you serious? You’re not joking with me, are you?"
"Brother Hai, why would I joke about something like this?"
Suddenly!
With startling speed and precision, Lin Minghai grabbed Lin Yan’s arm. A terrifying Power shot from his fingertips, jolting Lin Yan’s entire right arm. In that brief instant, Lin Yan felt his Qi Blood churn, becoming difficult to control.
Lin Minghai released his grip, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "It really is the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. Not bad."
At the side, Lin Mingsong gave a knowing smile. Lin Yan would never lie about his Realm, making Minghai’s test entirely unnecessary.
"Since you’ve reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, the next step is Blood Exchange. How much do you know about the Blood Exchange Realm? What are your plans?"
"I’ve learned a little from Brother Yuan. My plan is to continue building up my Qi Blood while at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing."
’Lin Yan felt a pang of regret. He had wanted to see what Brother Hai’s Martial Arts Tree was like—whether it was thicker or thinner than Brother Yuan’s. Unfortunately, although Brother Hai had just made physical contact with him, the man hadn’t been relaxed, so the Martial Arts Tree couldn’t read his Martial Arts status.’
"Mm, that’s the right choice."
Lin Minghai nodded, then gestured with his eyes toward Lin Mingsong. "Let me introduce you. This is Brother Song. Brother Song is one of the top talents of our generation in the Third Branch."
"Brother Song." Lin Yan quickly paid his respects.
Lin Mingsong nodded and smiled. "Don’t listen to Minghai’s nonsense. There are plenty of skilled people in our Third Branch. I’ve heard Minghai mention you before. You’ve developed Fist Momentum, and now you’ve reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. That’s very impressive."
A twenty-year-old Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist who had also developed Fist Momentum could rank in the middle tier even within the main Lin Family. What’s more, Lin Yan had come from a branch family, where the Martial Arts Resources couldn’t compare to the main family’s. He truly deserved the "very impressive" praise.
"You’re the first one from the branch families this time to break through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. So, tell me, what reward do you want?"
Now that he had confirmed Lin Yan’s Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, Lin Minghai knew why the young man had come to find him. ’He’s here for a reward.’
It was a reward he was more than willing to give.
Lin Yan smiled shyly. ’I did come to see Brother Hai with that in mind, but he’s so blunt. He saw right through me.’
At the side, Lin Mingsong shook his head with a helpless smile. ’Minghai is great in every way, except that he’s too blunt. And that mouth of his... can be a bit crude sometimes.’
"Lin Yan, don’t be embarrassed," Lin Mingsong chimed in. "The Third Branch has always prepared Martial Arts Resources to motivate and reward clansmen like you from the branch families."
Lin Yan finally spoke up. "Brother Hai, I’d like Contribution Points."
’In the Lin Family’s Martial Arts Vault, he could use silver to buy Elixirs, but things in the Library Pavilion could only be exchanged for with Contribution Points. He only had seventy Contribution Points left, and the points for his guard duty at the Yantian Mountain Range wouldn’t be issued until the full three months were up. He wasn’t sure if he had enough to exchange for a Cultivation Technique on the second floor of the Library Pavilion.’
"For breaking through from the Third-Time to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, the standard reward is two hundred Contribution Points. Since you’re also the first to do so, that’s another one hundred. That’s a total of three hundred Contribution Points. I’ll add them to your tally later."

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