Chapter 10: The Decisive Lin Xuan

"Heh, finally, it’s about time. You two can come at me together."

Lin Xuan remained as calm and composed as ever, extending one hand and beckoning them over casually.

Lin Fan sat below the stage, his eyes filled with nothing but respect and admiration for his father.

The rest of the Lin family members, seeing their Patriarch act with such heroic spirit, cheered excitedly.

"Fine, then don't blame this old man for outnumbering you today!"

Yang Chen always had to make a grand, righteous-sounding statement before attacking. He drew a long sword and lunged at Lin Xuan.

The Yuan energy radiating from Yang Chen faintly shimmered with a hint of form and intent—he was at the peak of the Great Yuan Dan Realm!

"Clang!"

Lin Xuan also drew a long sword. It was his personal blade, the Mortal Grade Rank 9 Sky Shadow Sword.

Gong Ling watched the sword in Lin Xuan’s hand and froze once again. This sword had been purchased from their Tongtian Chamber of Commerce, but that was over thirty years ago.

Yang Chen’s sword was also a Mortal Grade Rank 9, but it was clearly inferior to Lin Xuan’s.

"Autumn Wind Sword Fall!"

Yang Chen let out a loud shout, and suddenly, a sense of desolation permeated the sweltering summer air.

Several sword beams struck out. Lin Xuan was completely unfazed; over eight hundred martial arts techniques were etched into his very bones.

"Attack with three parts, keep seven in reserve—Morning Mist, Evening Dust!"

This move was a sword technique Lin Xuan had created himself. Its grade was unknown, but it was already on the verge of being a Rank 9 technique!

As Yang Chen felt the power of this martial art, his body faltered. This move didn't feel like a Spirit Grade technique, yet it surpassed Rank 9!

Petals danced within the curtains of light.

The crowd watched this move, stunned.

What a beautiful technique.

For some reason, Gong Ling bit her silver teeth together.

"Bang!"

With a thunderous explosion, Yang Chen was struck with horror and sent flying back dozens of meters, while Lin Xuan retreated gracefully for seven or eight steps.

Suddenly, Ba Tong seized the moment to strike, slamming a palm onto Lin Xuan’s body.

"Boom!"

Lin Xuan was sent flying.

"Father!"

"Patriarch!"

"Hiss~"

Seeing Lin Xuan sent flying, everyone reacted differently.

Gong Ling stood up from her seat immediately. Fortunately, Wu Yifan and the others were completely focused on the stage; only Xiao Lingyun, watching from above, noticed her reaction.

"Hahaha, you old geezer, didn't expect me, did you?"

Looking at the swirling smoke, Ba Tong spat on the ground, his face twisted with malice.

"Well done, Ba Tong," Yang Chen said with a grin, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"You two are celebrating a bit too early."

Since ancient times, there is a law: if there is smoke, there is no injury!

Lin Xuan slowly walked out of the smoke, looking as if he hadn't been affected in the slightest.

"Manager Ba Tong, that palm of yours stung a little. As a reward, I’ll be sure to return ten palms to you!"

Lin Xuan chuckled and rubbed his chest.

"No! No, that’s impossible..."

Ba Tong’s eyes widened, and he gulped in fear.

To take a palm strike from him and remain unscathed—could this Lin Xuan be a master of the Three-Pass Divine Realm!?

Yang Chen couldn't help but swallow hard as well. Relying on his seventy or eighty years of experience, he felt that he was likely going to fall today.

Wu Yifan gripped the armrests of his chair so hard his teeth clicked together.

"Heh, it seems it’s my turn now!"

As Lin Xuan spoke, he flicked his long sword and charged directly at Ba Tong.

Ba Tong was terrified and tried to retreat, but how could Lin Xuan let him?

Using the Shadow-Stepping Footwork, he appeared in front of Ba Tong in the blink of an eye.

Ba Tong looked at Lin Xuan, who was now inches away, and his face turned pale.

"Mountain-Crushing Fist!"

Ba Tong had nowhere to hide. Lin Xuan slammed a fist into his chest!

With a "boom," Ba Tong collapsed onto the stage like a dead dog, coughing up mouthfuls of blood, his eyes filled with the terror of death.

"Truly pathetic."

Lin Xuan shook his head slightly and turned to look at Yang Chen.

"Manager Yang Chen, come on, it’s our turn."

Yang Chen’s sunken eye sockets seemed devoid of light, but suddenly, they flared with intensity.

"Lin Xuan! Cold Light Sword Fall!"

Yang Chen’s aura surged, as if he had suddenly gained infinite power.

Lin Xuan was slightly taken aback; this Yang Chen had actually cultivated a secret technique.

The long sword thrust toward Lin Xuan like a beam of cold light.

Lin Xuan was fearless and met him with his own sword.

[Sky Shadow Spirit Sword Art]

Lin Xuan didn't want to waste any more time and unleashed his finishing move!

He had always used only half the power of this move, as it was his trump card.

Over a hundred sword light shadows descended from the sky, and in an instant, Yang Chen was trapped within them.

"No—"

Yang Chen looked at the sky full of sword shadows, his eyes filled with horror.

"Boom, boom, boom—"

"Pfft!"

Yang Chen managed to block it, but he was forced to his knees, his aura withered and weak.

"He won...?"

Someone whispered, triggering gasps and sharp intakes of breath from the crowd.

"Father won!"

"The Patriarch won!!"

"The Lin Patriarch won!?"

"Hahaha, we won!"

The Lin family members cheered and jumped for joy.

The people from the three great families, however, looked like wilted eggplants, as if they had eaten a rat; their faces were extremely ugly.

"You can't kill me! My father is a Silver-Robed Elder of the Spirit Martial Sect. If you kill me, you’ll die too!"

Suddenly, Ba Tong said weakly. Though he was frail, his face wore a cold, arrogant expression.

His father was a big shot in the Three-Pass Divine Realm. In this backwater place, who would dare kill him!

Hearing this, the crowd was even more shocked.

Elders of the Spirit Martial Sect were divided into two levels: Silver-Robed and Gold-Robed, corresponding to the Form-Passing Realm and the Spirit-Passing Realm, respectively.

Even if he was only a Silver-Robed Elder, that was still a terrifying existence. At the very least, there was no one in the Three-Pass Divine Realm in Cloud Mist City on the surface.

Everyone wanted to see what Lin Xuan would do next.

"Heh, threatening me?

The Form-Passing Realm, a truly impressive realm. But let me tell you, I have never once looked at the Form-Passing Realm with any regard!"

Lin Xuan stood before Ba Tong, chuckling. As soon as he finished speaking, he thrust his sword!

"Pfft!"

The Sky Shadow Sword pierced through Ba Tong’s chest!

Ba Tong’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared at Lin Xuan, filled with disbelief.

Ba Tong, dead!

The surrounding onlookers watched this scene and couldn't help but gulp. Was this Lin Xuan really so ruthless?

A manager of the Spirit Martial Sect, and the son of a Silver-Robed Elder at that—he killed him just like that!

The other patriarchs looked at Lin Xuan with cautious eyes. It was better to avoid provoking the Lin family!

Seeing Lin Xuan’s decisive and ruthless nature, Yang Chen also began to feel afraid.

"Heh, Manager Yang Chen, although you are also disgusting, at least you kept your mouth clean. I didn't make a life-or-death pact with you, but I can't just let you go like this, can I?"

Lin Xuan looked at Yang Chen, his eyes filled with killing intent.

Yang Chen forced himself to swallow and immediately threw the storage bag tucked at his waist to Lin Xuan.

A man who can be taught!

Lin Xuan took the storage bag and, satisfied, let Yang Chen go.

He had every reason to kill Ba Tong; it was a pre-arranged life-or-death battle.

Besides, Lin Xuan was certain that even if he let Ba Tong go, given his personality, he would definitely seek crazy revenge later, so it was better to just slaughter him!

But Yang Chen was different; there was no prior agreement, and besides, if he killed them all, it would be a massive slap in the face to the Spirit Martial Sect.

Fine, he would give them a little face.

"City Lord Xiao, can you announce the result now?"

Lin Xuan looked toward Xiao Lingyun, indirectly ignoring Gong Ling on the side.

"In this duel, the Lin family Patriarch, Lin Xuan, is the winner!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd cheered even louder.

Most of the onlookers below the stage, however, looked like defeated roosters.

Most of them had bet on the Spirit Martial Sect manager to win, and now many cultivators had lost their entire fortunes.

Those who had bet on Lin Xuan, however, had earned eight times their money!

It was a windfall from the heavens!

Lin Xuan cupped his fists toward Xiao Lingyun and then looked at Wu Yifan on the side.

"Patriarch Wu, remember to settle the eight-fold payout within three days. And that’s after you pay back my original ten thousand; the rest can be settled slowly."

Lin Xuan’s words were earth-shattering.

Eighty thousand Yuan stones!

This amount of capital was something even some lesser experts in the Form-Passing Realm might not be able to produce!

It was likely half of the Wu family’s total assets.

Wu Yifan’s face was now ugly to the extreme. He threw the storage bag, which he hadn't even had time to warm up, back to Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan took back his storage bag and stepped off the stage.

"Long live the Patriarch!"

"Long live the Patriarch!"

Seeing Lin Xuan return, everyone raised their hands and shouted.

Lin Xuan looked at this scene and smiled slightly.

"Let’s go, back to the manor."

...

Lin Manor

"Hahaha, Third Brother, you were truly too strong today! That Yang Chen, at the peak of the Great Yuan Dan Realm, wasn't even a match for you!"

Lin Wu was extremely excited, his speech stumbling.

"Third Uncle, are you about to enter the Three-Pass Divine Realm?"

At this moment, Lin Yang, who had finished his seclusion and reached the early stage of the Small Yuan Dan Realm, asked curiously.

Hearing this, everyone looked at Lin Xuan with curiosity.

Lin Xuan smiled helplessly, "Not yet, but soon."

Everyone was overjoyed. If he was this strong before even entering the Three-Pass Divine Realm, wouldn't he be even more terrifying once he did?

The Lin family was about to rise to power!

"Patriarch, President Gong of the Tongtian Chamber of Commerce requests an audience."

Suddenly, a Lin family disciple ran in, looking flustered.

Everyone was shocked once again.

That was the Tongtian Chamber of Commerce!

It seemed the rise of the Lin family was inevitable!

Lin Xuan, however, looked as if he had a bun stuck in his throat and couldn't speak.

After a long while, he spat out a few words: "Tell her, this old man is recovering from his injuries."

(End of chapter)