Chapter 5: The Head of the Family Must Be Assertive!

Lin Xuan’s words immediately caused an uproar.

Even Lin Wen, Lin Wu, and Lin Fan looked at Lin Xuan in disbelief.

“Is Patriarch Lin Xuan crazy? He actually dares to challenge an envoy from the Spirit Martial Sect!?”

“That old fellow Lin Xuan must have lost his mind to dare to do such a thing!”

“Good heavens, watching the show today is truly satisfying—even better than listening to music at a brothel!”

“The Patriarch is like an old man eating arsenic; he’s practically begging for death.”

“……”

The crowd discussed it heatedly.

Yang Chen and Ba Tong stared straight at Lin Xuan.

“Patriarch Lin, are you saying you want to challenge us?” Yang Chen narrowed his eyes.

“That’s right. I want to see just how capable the stewards of the Spirit Martial Sect really are!”

Lin Xuan flicked his sleeves and sneered.

“Patriarch Lin, you really shouldn’t be so self-destructive. Although we are both in the Great Yuan Dan Realm, a Great Yuan Dan practitioner from a backwater place like this and one from our Spirit Martial Sect are two entirely different levels.”

Yang Chen remained extremely arrogant.

From the very beginning, Yang Chen had never looked down upon the Lin family.

Although Yang Chen appeared polite on the surface, the contempt in his eyes could not be hidden—perhaps he never intended to hide it at all.

“Old man, are you tired of living!?” Ba Tong roared.

“Let’s fight at the Cloud Mist Battlefield in Cloud Mist City. Do you dare?!”

“Old thing, since you’re in such a hurry to die, I’ll grant your wish!”

Ba Tong kept calling him an "old thing," his insults extremely foul.

“Damn it, were you raised on shit? How can your mouth be so foul!” Lin Fan, standing to the side, fanned the air in front of his nose with an expression of extreme disgust.

“You little piece of trash, what did you say!?”

Ba Tong was furious, his Yuan Qi surging.

He was at the mid-stage of the Great Yuan Dan Realm.

“Fine, then we will fight you!”

“But let’s make it three days from now. Yu Ran needs to return to Huaqing Prefecture; we will fight after I send her back.”

Yang Chen stepped in front of Ba Tong and said indifferently.

“Fine. Let’s add a wager. If you two lose, then this Ba Tong must kneel before the entire Cloud Mist City, kowtow to my son, and admit his mistake!”

Lin Xuan used his Yuan Qi to amplify his voice, ensuring it reached every corner of the Lin residence. Every guest heard it clearly.

The crowd gasped—the stakes were incredibly high!

“Damn it!” Just as Ba Tong was about to spout more insults, Yang Chen blocked him again.

“And what if Patriarch Lin loses!?” Yang Chen squinted slightly, looking utterly contemptuous.

“If I lose, you can have my life!” Lin Xuan said, waving his hand dismissively.

“No!” Lin Wen was shocked.

The entire Lin family was struck with terror.

“Patriarch, you must not gamble with your life!”

“Third Granduncle, please reconsider!”

“Third Uncle, you can’t!”

“Patriarch!”

“……”

The Lin family members were in a panic, while the guests below were overjoyed.

If Lin Xuan died, the Lin family would surely fall. If the Lin family fell, they could carve up the massive estate for themselves.

“Hahaha, old thing, you came to seek death yourself. According to the Great Desolate Laws, in this situation, I am entitled to take your life!”

“Fine! If I lose, I’ll cut off my own head and give it to you. Let’s call it fair, hahaha!”

Ba Tong appeared extremely happy and arrogant, leaving no room for retreat.

Lin Xuan was secretly delighted. Isn't this just delivering a head to him on a silver platter? He was just short of heads to earn prestige and luck!

He would gladly accept it!

“Good, it’s a deal!”

“Three days from now!”

“See the guests out!”

Lin Xuan said indifferently.

“Hmph, no need. Stay where you are.”

Yang Chen held up his palm, his eyes mocking.

From start to finish, Bai Yuran had not said a single word.

After the people from the Spirit Martial Sect left, the other guests also wisely took their leave.

However, today would go down as a major event in Cloud Mist City!

Once all the guests had departed, Lin Xuan looked around.

“Members of the first and second generations of the Lin family, come to the meeting hall.”

“Yes, Patriarch.”

The older generation left, leaving the third generation to look at each other in dismay.

“What do we do? If Third Granduncle loses, we’re finished!”

“Sigh, Third Granduncle was too impulsive!”

“Should we run away in advance?”

“Run your mother! I am a child of the Lin family; I will live and die with the Lin family!”

“Me too, I support Brother Lin Ao!”

“We will definitely live and die with the Lin family!”

“……”

While the juniors shouted outside, Lin Xuan and the others had already arrived at the meeting hall.

Everyone took their seats.

Lin Xuan sat in the main seat, with Great Elder Lin Wen and Second Elder Lin Wu in the first seats on either side.

Below them were Lin Wen’s sons, Lin Shan and Lin Hai; Lin Wu’s sons, Lin Yang and Lin Yue; and Lin Zhongxiu, the eldest son of Lin Xuan’s deceased fifth brother. That made five people, plus Lin Fan and Lin Xue’er, totaling seven. To be honest, the family was not exactly flourishing.

Of course, Lin Wen had a daughter who had married out, and several others had died young.

“Third Uncle, weren’t you a bit too impulsive?”

Lin Yang was the strongest of the second generation, having reached the ninth level of the Kaiyuan Realm, just one step away from breaking through.

“That’s right, Third Uncle. Those two stewards from the Spirit Martial Sect don’t seem weak. If something happens to you…”

Everyone spoke up one after another.

This time, Lin Wen and Lin Wu did not stop them, as both felt that Lin Xuan had been truly impulsive.

Lin Xuan leaned back in his chair and tapped the table lightly.

“Tap, tap, tap.”

As Patriarch, Lin Xuan still held great authority in the family, and everyone fell silent.

“This time, I naturally have my reasons. Our family’s reputation has been severely damaged by today’s events. If I, as Patriarch, don’t show some strength, we won’t be able to stand our ground!”

Lin Xuan said calmly.

The Lin family had only been rising for a little over a decade, while the other four major families had been around for nearly a century at the very least!

Through the system, Lin Xuan had seen that the Lin family’s overall luck was slightly dissipating.

This was due to the loss of prestige and the humiliation they had suffered!

Therefore, Lin Xuan had to win back this prestige, and he had to slap back the humiliation he had received!

“But Third Uncle, those Spirit Martial Sect stewards are both in the Great Yuan Dan Realm. Especially that Yang Chen—his strength is unfathomable. He might even be in the late stage of the Great Yuan Dan Realm!”

Lin Shan said with a frown.

“Heh, just trust your Patriarch. I have confidence in this duel. Besides, the reason I called you here isn’t just because of this.” Lin Xuan said indifferently.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. If not for this, what else could it be?

“Lin Shan, seventh level of Kaiyuan; Lin Hai, sixth level; Lin Yang, peak of Kaiyuan; Lin Zhongxiu, seventh level; Lin Yue, seventh level. That’s about right.”

Lin Xuan recited their levels one by one, leaving everyone puzzled.

“These are Kaiyuan Pills. One for each of you; they can help you break through one level.”

Lin Xuan took out five Kaiyuan Pills and placed them on the table.

Everyone’s eyes widened.

They looked at their Patriarch in disbelief. Where did he get these things?

Could it be from the Spirit Martial Sect?

But looking at them, the Kaiyuan Pills their Patriarch had produced were of much better quality than the ones that old fellow had brought out!

Lin Xuan didn’t answer their questions, but continued

“Lin Yang, you are already at the peak of Kaiyuan. With this Kaiyuan Pill, combined with Yuan stones and some medicinal herbs, it should help you break through to the Small Yuan Dan Realm. Lin Yang, go and try it.”

Lin Xuan’s words made Lin Yang incredibly excited.

Lin Yang had been at the peak of Kaiyuan for three full years, unable to break through.

It was mainly because the family’s resources were insufficient to support him.

Now that he could finally break through to the Small Yuan Dan Realm, Lin Yang was naturally ecstatic.

Breaking through now, Lin Yang was not even forty years old; he would definitely be able to reach the Great Yuan Dan Realm in the future.

“You all must work hard on your cultivation. Our Lin family cannot rely solely on me. If we only rely on me, then our family has no hope at all.”

Lin Xuan continued.

Everyone stood up and bowed to Lin Xuan, except for Lin Wen and Lin Wu.

“Alright, the second generation, you may leave now.”

Lin Xuan waved his hand, and the four of them left happily with their Kaiyuan Pills.

“Big Brother, Second Brother, I have two Small Break-Yuan Pills here. Take one each; they are enough for you to break through.”

Lin Xuan looked at Lin Wen and Lin Wu and took out the pills.

“This won’t do. Leave them for Yang’er and the others; they need them more. We two old bones don’t have much potential left.”

Lin Wen and Lin Wu both refused. They knew their own talents; if not for Lin Xuan, it would have been a joke for them to even dream of reaching the Small Yuan Dan Realm.

“Heh, you two cannot fall. The Lin family still needs you to share my burdens. If you fall, I’ll be in trouble. As for resources for Yang’er and the others, I have more here.”

After saying this, Lin Xuan shoved the Small Break-Yuan Pills into their hands.

“Oh, right. Big Brother, for these three days, just run the family as usual. I need to go into seclusion for three days. After three days, I will go to the duel myself.”

Lin Xuan left the meeting hall after saying this.

Lin Wen and Lin Wu looked at each other and smiled helplessly.

They were finding it increasingly difficult to understand their younger brother.