The East River Waters were in turmoil.
After the Lin Family annihilated the Water Bandit Alliance, the Cui Family in turn destroyed the Black Flood Dragon Society.
The Water Bandit factions throughout the entire region were trembling in fear.
"Lin Yan, you’ve been named one of the Ten Rising Stars of Qing State Prefecture," Lin Mingye announced, once again serving as the messenger.
"The Ten Rising Stars?"
Hearing Lin Mingye’s words, Lin Yan’s brow furrowed. He hated being in the spotlight. ’Which meddler spread my name around?’
Lin Yan instinctively stared at Lin Mingye. As if reading his mind, Lin Mingye quickly shook his head. "I didn’t tell anyone about your affairs. You were chosen mainly because of the Cui Family’s recent destruction of the Black Flood Dragon Society."
"What does that have to do with the Cui Family?"
"Our Lin Family wiped out the Water Bandit Alliance, and then the Cui Family destroyed the Black Flood Dragon Society. It’s impossible for the major powers in Qing State Prefecture not to notice. These Water Bandit factions... they were often in cahoots with certain powers in the Prefecture City, colluding to suppress dissenters and prevent smaller factions from rising."
A look of disdain crossed Lin Mingye’s face. "Our Lin Family, along with the other three of the Four Great Clans, would naturally never stoop to colluding with Water Bandits. But many other powers were secretly in league with them. Whenever a merchant ship belonging to a competitor appeared, they would use the Water Bandits to intercept it. Take the textile business, for example. The Prefecture City has four major clothiers. If any other power tries to open a new shop, their cargo ships get robbed by Water Bandits as soon as they enter the East River Waters in Qing State’s territory. It’d be a miracle if those four clothiers weren’t colluding with the bandits."
Lin Yan agreed with Lin Mingye’s analysis.
Qing State was controlled by the Four Great Clans. Other factions wouldn’t dare to be too domineering openly or forbid others from entering their lines of business. But secretly colluding with Water Bandits and mountain brigands to increase the shipping costs and risks for any newly rising power trying to get a piece of the action... that was not only possible, but highly probable.
As for the Four Great Clans, they had no need to collude with bandits. They already stood at the pinnacle of Qing State Prefecture. If any other faction dared to poach on their territory, they would simply be annihilated.
"So what?"
Lin Yan didn’t care about any of that. He only cared about how it related to him.
"The major powers in the Prefecture City all have some dealings with these Water Bandits. Now that the Water Bandit Alliance and the Black Flood Dragon Society have been destroyed one after the other, it naturally caused a huge stir. An investigation revealed that our Lin Family’s annihilation of the Water Bandit Alliance was all because of you, Lin Yan."
"They investigated me and found out everything?"
"As if!"
Lin Mingye waved his hand dismissively and said with a serious expression, "While many things within the family aren’t secrets, not even the Fourth Branch, which has a grudge against your Third Branch, would dare to openly leak information about you to outsiders. For instance, these people don’t know about your recent duel with Jian Sheng, nor do they know you’ve comprehended two Sword Intents."
"If they don’t know anything about me, on what grounds did they name me one of the Ten Rising Stars?" Lin Yan was a little speechless.
"There’s only one reason given for your inclusion. Let me read it to you."
As if recalling something hilarious, Lin Mingye couldn’t help but start laughing. He only stopped and cleared his throat after catching Lin Yan’s eye roll. "Ahem... Lin Yan of the Lin Family’s Third Branch. Reason for inclusion: As a clansman from a branch family guarding the East River Waters, he was humiliated by Huo Shen of the Water Bandit Alliance, yet was able to have the elders of the Third Branch step in on his behalf, slaughtering the entire Water Bandit Alliance to avenge him. To be held in such high regard by the Lin Family’s Third Branch, his potential must be extraordinary."
"Haha... hahaha... I can’t... I can’t hold it in! That reason is too much!"
After reciting it, Lin Mingye couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into unrestrained laughter. Lin Yan could only shake his head with a helpless sigh.
’This reason for being on the list... I have to admit, it seems ridiculous, but when you think about it, it actually makes sense.’
"Besides me, is anyone else from the family on the list?"
Since some meddler had dragged him onto it, Lin Yan was now curious about who else from the family had been included.
"Besides you, there’s no one else from the family."
"Hm?"
"For the Ten Rising Stars, only those who entered the Blood Exchange Realm less than three years ago are eligible. You’re currently the first from our Lin Family to make the list. As for the other three Great Clans, the Zhou Family has two, and the other two families only have one each."
"Wait a minute!"
A hint of confusion appeared in Lin Yan’s eyes. The Four Great Clans only took up half the spots on a list of ten rising stars?
"The Four Great Clans only have five people on the list. What about the other five? Where are they from?"
"Mhm, the remaining five are from two other families in Qing State and three Sects."
Seeing the confusion in Lin Yan’s eyes, Lin Mingye explained with a smile, "It’s actually easy to understand. Where does the strength of our Four Great Clans lie? In our Martial Arts Resources. Cultivation in the Blood Exchange Realm requires a massive amount of them. It’s not so bad in the early stages; factions weaker than us can still afford to supply their members. But the gap widens the further you go. Don’t look at me being ineligible for the list now. By the time I reach the Blood Exchange Third or Fourth Transformation, I’ll have surpassed everyone else on that list."
"If that’s the case, then what’s the point of this list?"
Lin Yan was still confused. For disciples of the Lin Family like them, their only real rivals were from the other three Great Clans.
"Originally, this list was meant for the martial arts geniuses throughout Qing State, excluding our Four Great Clans. But a list without our participation didn’t get enough attention. So, over time, it slowly evolved to include people from the Four Great Clans as well."
’Isn’t that just piggybacking on our fame?’
’Shamelessly riding the coattails of the Four Great Clans!’
Lin Yan was beginning to understand. By pulling in people from the Four Great Clans, the list gained more attention. It was all a way to build up hype for the listed geniuses who weren’t from one of the Four Great Clans.

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