He took out a medicine bottle from his robes, removed a Bodhi Pill, and swallowed it.
Although the Bodhi Pill’s effects were diminishing for him, that was the nature of Martial Arts cultivation. Progress came one small step at a time.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!
Casting aside all distracting thoughts, Lin Yan began to circulate the Eight Desolates Dragon Elephant Technique.
The next day, just as dawn broke, the area around the Combat Platform was already teeming with people.
Morning light spilled over the rooftops from the east, coating the entire Combat Platform in a faint golden sheen.
The plaza below the platform was packed with a dense crowd, at least double the size of yesterday’s.
The young clan members from the various branches were there, of course, but even many of the reclusive Shou Generation elders, who rarely showed their faces, had come today. They gathered in small groups of three and five, conversing in low voices.
And these were just the ordinary members of the Shou Generation. The True Gang Realm powerhouses of their generation were currently in pavilions on the mountainside or atop rockeries not far away, also watching the proceedings.
In one of the mountainside pavilions sat five figures.
"Old Qi, Old Jiu, you two really hit the jackpot this time," Lin Shouzhen said, smiling at Lin Shouchen and Lin Shouyuan.
"To be precise, Old Jiu is the one who hit the jackpot. Lin Yan was always part of my Third Branch. Someone just insisted on taking him as a disciple."
Lin Shouchen spoke leisurely, "I seem to recall asking a certain someone to give Lin Yan some pointers, and that someone was rather dismissive."
"Ahem, that’s all in the past."
Lin Shouyuan picked up his teacup and took a sip, but his expression turned serious. "However, Lin Yan’s talent is indeed even better than I imagined, especially in the Sword Dao."
"Oh? You mean to say what Lin Yan showed yesterday wasn’t his full strength?"
Another middle-aged man’s face lit up with curiosity upon hearing this, but Lin Shouyuan just smiled and didn’t answer.
Yesterday, he heard from Mingxi that Lin Yan had only used three strands of Sword Intent and was holding one back. Using a Sword Pill to channel four strands of Sword Intent would result in a power increase that was far from a simple sum.
He also understood his disciple’s intentions now. ’He’s hiding his strength to compete for the top three in the end.’
"Old Qi, aren’t you going to say anything?"
"I spend all my time in the ancestral hall. After Lin Yan was taken as a disciple by Old Jiu, he hasn’t spent much time in the clan grounds, so there’s no way I would know."
Lin Shouchen also took a sip of tea. He truly didn’t know.
Besides, it was in his nature not to pry into the true strength of the younger generation. He would find out soon enough on the Combat Platform whether Lin Yan was hiding his abilities.
"Speaking of which... the Fourth Branch is getting more and more out of hand. This can’t go on. Eldest Brother, it’s time to make a decision on this matter."
Lin Shouyuan’s gaze shifted to Lin Shouzhen as he brought up an entirely different topic.
At the mention of the Fourth Branch, the relaxed atmosphere in the pavilion vanished.
"For now, it’s just disputes among the juniors of the Fourth Branch. It hasn’t escalated to the point of involving the entire branch, has it?"
The middle-aged man who hadn’t spoken until now frowned. He wasn’t from the Fourth Branch, but the five branches of the Lin Family were one body, and he didn’t want to see internal strife.
"Well, I’ll say my piece. Lin Yan is my disciple. If the Fourth Branch dares to try anything crooked, don’t blame my sword for not recognizing ties of blood."
A chill was on Lin Shouyuan’s face. And while Lin Shouchen didn’t say anything, the other three men present knew that if the Fourth Branch targeted Lin Yan again, given Old Qi’s temperament, he would likely cause a river of blood to flow.
"Let’s discuss this matter after the grand competition is over."
In the clan, most affairs were decided by the several clan elders. However, if these few made a decision, the clan elders wouldn’t object.
Because they were the twelve strongest True Gang Realm powerhouses in the Lin Family.
Lin Shouzhen changed the subject. "For now, let’s just guess who will make it into the top three this year."
"Besides Mingya, the remaining contenders—Mingsong, Mingchen, and Mingchi, and even Mingxi—all have a chance. The difference in strength between them isn’t large."
「7:00 AM」
When Lin Yan and Lin Mingsong arrived at the training grounds together, the other eight had already gathered, standing on either side of the Combat Platform.
Lin Yan’s gaze swept over each person. When they met his eyes, he would nod in greeting. Finally, his gaze settled on the figure standing at the far right.
This was an unfamiliar face he hadn’t seen yesterday—the strongest of the Lin Family’s younger generation, Lin Mingya.
He wore a moon-white robe, with a refined face and serene eyes. He lacked the mountain-like gravitas of Lin Mingsong, and he didn’t have the sharp, unconcealed edge of Lin Mingchen. He was the type of person who would be utterly inconspicuous in a crowd.
’A return to simplicity?’
Lin Yan couldn’t help but think of the most common descriptor from the wuxia novels he’d read in his past life.
The phrase was a perfect fit for Lin Mingya. If you placed him in a crowd, who would believe this was the number one expert of the Lin Family’s younger generation?
As if sensing Lin Yan’s scrutinizing gaze, Lin Mingya looked over. Their eyes met, and he offered a smile.
Lin Yan nodded in response, then followed Brother Song to the left side of the Combat Platform.
The judge was, once again, Lin Shouzheng.
"For the top ten competition, as in previous years, opponents will be determined by drawing lots. The winners will advance. However, this time, because we need to determine the top three, the losers will enter a losers’ bracket. The final two winners from the main bracket and the winner of the losers’ bracket will take the top three spots."
Lin Shouzheng announced the rules. In past competitions for the younger generation, only first place was emphasized, with the rewards for the other nine being the same. But this time, the clan had extended the rewards to the top three. To ensure fairness, the rules were specially changed. This change was to prevent a scenario where someone with top-three strength could be eliminated immediately after losing to Lin Mingya in the first round. Without this change, it was possible that the final top three, aside from Lin Mingya, wouldn’t necessarily be the strongest among the remaining nine contestants.

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