"He’s a force to be reckoned with now." Lin Zhen closed his eyes and rubbed his throbbing temples.
"The protection of Star Martial University, the halo of a youth tournant champion, the reputation of a future Grandmaster... Make a move against him? Who would dare? The Federation’s Martial Arts Departnt, the military, Star Martial University—how many pairs of eyes are watching him? If we move against him now, we’d just be courting our own destruction!"
A deathly silence filled the study.
After a long while, Lin Zhen opened his eyes again, the exhaustion in them even more profound. "At this point, the old grudge is irreconcilable. All we can do is pray he’s magnanimous, or... that he’ll be too busy climbing the peak of Martial Arts in the future to bother with a ’trivial matter’ like us."
He said it with little conviction.
Powerful practitioners of Martial Arts sought to have a clear and unobstructed will; how could a grudge for obstructing one’s path be so easily forgotten? After all, the Lin Family had not played a very honorable role in Xu Wuyi’s rise.
"Father," Lin Liren, who had been silent all this ti, finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Perhaps... we could try to show goodwill again? Even if we can’t resolve the grudge, we can at least show our stance, ease the tension..."
"Show goodwill with what?" soone else retorted. "Is he lacking resources? Cultivation Techniques? Or fa? Anything the Lin Family can give him, Star Martial University and the Federation can give, and what they offer is better and purer."
Lin Liren fell silent again.
Lin Zhen said, "Do what you can. Keep him under observation. If we find that Xu Wuyi has a need for anything, we can give it a try. But... we can’t pin all our hopes on this."
His words left everyone speechless. ’How did things ever get to this point?’
Looking back at the Lin Family’s choice at the ti, perhaps it wasn’t the most upstanding thing to do, but you couldn’t say it was wrong!
Su Yueling was a Grandmaster’s Disciple and a genius who comprehended Heart Image Martial Arts while still in the Martial Disciple Stage. Even though her potential hadn’t been fully realized back then, she was already far beyond comparison to others.
And Xu Wuyi, at the ti, was just an ordinary genius with a slightly higher Life Energy Level who had comprehended the True Intention of Martial Arts.
Yu Peiling’s Life Energy Level was also high, and Shen Wei had also comprehended the True Intention of Martial Arts; their combat strength at the ti was clearly greater. But now, both of them have long since been left in Su Yueling’s dust.
In this year’s youth tournant, Su Yueling’s actual combat strength was enough to place her in the top ten. It could be said that, at least in their assessnt of Su Yueling, the Lin Family hadn’t made a mistake.
Was it wrong to abandon an ordinary genius from so backwater town who couldn’t even make it into the provincial capital, in order to curry favor with Su Yueling and, by extension, Grandmaster Ren who stood behind her?
But who could have known that a freak like Xu Wuyi would appear?!
’How did things turn out this way?’
"What’s more," Lin Zhen’s voice dropped, laced with a barely perceptible tremor, "the greatest crisis our Lin Family faces right now isn’t even Xu Wuyi."
He gestured to a mber in charge of the family’s internal affairs.
The man stood up, his expression grim as he reported, "The dical team’s latest evaluation is in. The Great-Grandfather’s physical condition continues to deteriorate, and his organs are failing faster than anticipated."
"The team’s chief physician has concluded... I’m afraid he can hold on for two months at most."
BZZZT—
It was as if a clap of thunder had exploded in the study.
The color drained from everyone’s faces instantly.
Elder Lin was the Lin Family’s only Grandmaster, and their greatest support for maintaining their foothold in Dongjiang Province.
Although the Elder Grandmaster was advanced in age and had rarely involved himself in worldly affairs in recent years, as long as he was still alive, no one would dare to openly tear down the Lin Family’s banner.
Once the Elder Grandmaster passed away... the Lin Family would imdiately fall from being a first-rate Noble Family in Dongjiang Province to a second-rate one, or even third-rate.
A Noble Family that had lost its sitting Grandmaster was like a tiger without its fangs and claws. The wealth, businesses, and connections they had accumulated over the years would quickly beco a target for others to covet.
"Two months..." Lin Zhen repeated in a murmur, the last trace of color draining from his face.
Internal strife and external threats were bearing down on them at the sa ti.
Xu Wuyi’s teoric rise was a sharp sword hanging over their heads. But the imminent collapse of their greatest pillar of support was a fatal blow, pulling the rug out from under them.
"We must act imdiately!" Lin Zhen shot to his feet, a ruthless and decisive glint in his eyes. "Use every resource we can. Contact every possible connection! Before the Elder Grandmaster... before he... we must find a new backer! Another Grandmaster! We have to establish a connection, no matter the cost!"
His gaze was sharp as a knife as it swept over everyone present. "This is a battle for the family’s survival! Do you all understand?"
"Understood!" everyone responded in unison, but their voices were filled with fear and unease.
’Find a new Grandmaster to be their backer?’ It was easier said than done! Grandmaster Level figures—which one of them wasn’t high and mighty, looking down upon the masses? With the Lin Family now teetering on the brink, what assets did they have to attract a Grandmaster’s favor?
But this was the only path to survival.
Lin Liren watched his father’s back, which seed to have aged ten years in an instant. He then thought of the radiant young figure on the screen and could only sigh inwardly.
’If only we’d known then what we know now.’
...
「West Desert, Royal Capital East Garden.」
The bamboo house was as simple as ever, and the creek babbled peacefully.
When Xu Wuyi walked into the garden, Fla Venerable was sitting on a green stone by the creek, reading an ancient scroll made of animal hide.
Hearing footsteps, Fla Venerable looked up. His gaze rested on Xu Wuyi for a mont before he nodded.
"You’re back."
"Yes, Senior," Xu Wuyi said, bowing in respect.
Fla Venerable put down the scroll and gestured for Xu Wuyi to sit opposite him.
"You won the youth tournant. How does it feel?"
"It was a stroke of luck," Xu Wuyi said honestly. "The geniuses in this tournant haven’t had ti to mature yet. If Senior Hong Nianyi had competed, the outco would have been uncertain."
He felt he was speaking the truth. People like Zhai Zidu and Chu Shanhe had only just advanced to the Martial Artist realm; the ti was too short.
If they had a few more months to consolidate their power, even if they still couldn’t beat him, they wouldn’t have been so utterly powerless against him.
And when looking back in a few years, or even a few decades, an advantage of a few months would amount to nothing.
Fla Venerable smiled. "The fact that you can see this proves you haven’t been blinded by empty fa. However, you don’t need to belittle yourself. Across the entire Federation, there are no more than five people who can form a Heart Image Prototype in their second year."
He paused, then changed the subject. "But the Heart Image Prototype is only the beginning. In your ’Golden Crow Carrying the Earth,’ the Golden Crow image already has seventy percent of its Divine Charm, but the Earth portion has less than thirty percent."
Xu Wuyi’s heart skipped a beat. "Please guide , Senior."
"The Golden Crow is yang; the Earth is yin. Yang is active, representing change and ascension. Yin is still, representing support and nurturing," Fla Venerable said slowly.
"You previously observed the Celestial Bird Painting and comprehended that fire is motion, connection, and resonance. That is the yang aspect. But what about the Earth? What is the Earth?"
Xu Wuyi was silent.
He had never truly considered this question.
Fla Venerable wasn’t in a hurry. He reached out and scooped up a handful of water from the creek, letting it trickle through his fingers and fall back, sending ripples across the surface.
"Water enters the Earth and becos streams that nourish the grass and trees. Wind passes over the Earth, carrying away dust but also bringing seeds," Fla Venerable said, looking at the water in his hand.
"The Earth does not speak, yet it bears all things. The Hundred Refinents lting Furnace you cultivate refines your Qi and Blood and tempers your physical body—this is the very foundation of ’Earth.’ But how to transform this foundation into the other aspect of your Heart Image is sothing you must comprehend for yourself."
Xu Wuyi was lost in thought.
Fla Venerable continued, "Over these next three months, I will help you polish your Golden Crow image to perfection. As for the Earth portion... I cultivate the path of pure yang fire and haven’t delved deeply into the yin path of support and reception. I cannot give you much guidance there."
He looked at Xu Wuyi, his expression serious. "A Heart Image is the manifestation of your own path. Another person’s path is, in the end, their own. How you will forge your ’Earth’ is sothing you must feel and comprehend for yourself in battle, between life and death."
Xu Wuyi nodded heavily. "This student understands."
...
The training began anew.
Unlike the arduous training to raise his Life Energy Level before, this ti, the focus was entirely on polishing the Golden Crow image.
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