Before Lin Huang’s voice even faded, an uproar had already erupted all around. The crowd stared at the black-haired, robed, and thin figure of Lin Huang as if looking at a fool. A massive fool!
Even Yun Feifei’s haughty, pretty face showed a look of astonishment, as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. She even doubted her own ears.
An Outer Disciple claiming to compete for the Chief Disciple position? An Earth Element Third Heaven brat saying he would trample her? A guy who had joined the Sect for less than half a year daring to spout such arrogant nonsense? If this wasn’t a fool, what was?!
The crowd looked at Lin Huang with expressions of pity. "He looks handsome enough, but no matter how good the skin is, it can’t cover up the sheer stupidity radiating from the inside out."
"I really don’t understand how Lin Cangxue could have a brother like you. Ask anyone here—who would believe a word you say? Do you really have no idea of your own worth? Since when did a mere Earth Element Third Heaven nobody become so arrogantly ignorant?" Yun Feifei stared coldly at Lin Huang, her words sharp.
In the plaza, the crowd burst into loud laughter, shaking their heads in strong agreement with Yun Feifei’s words.
"An Earth Element Third Heaven cultivator wanting to seize the position of Piaoxue Palace’s Chief Disciple? What an absolute joke!"
"Does he think he’s Xuanyuan Tibing, invincible the moment he steps into the Martial Marquis realm?"
"Let alone the battle for Chief Disciple, with an Earth Element Third Heaven cultivation, even entering the Inner Sect would be somewhat difficult for him."
"I believe him!" Just as mocking and questioning voices continued to echo all around, a crisp voice suddenly shattered the crowd’s discussions.
Lin Cangxue wore a faint smile as she smoothed out Lin Huang’s messy collar. She stated firmly, "Because he is my—Lin Cangxue’s—brother!"
The clamor in the plaza abruptly died down. The Outer and Inner Sect Disciples stared at the siblings, pausing as they all remembered something.
"He is Lin Cangxue’s brother?"
"That’s right, he’s Lin Cangxue’s brother!"
She was someone who, within a single year, had gone from the Outer Sect to the Inner Sect, and then taken the position of Piaoxue Palace’s Chief Disciple with an overwhelming stance. Words spoken from her mouth were not without possibility.
Meanwhile, Yun Feifei’s pupils shrank. A dreadful killing intent inexplicably rose in her heart. For some reason, she was suddenly somewhat afraid of Lin Huang’s rise. It seemed as if he was destined to rise! Because he was Lin Cangxue’s brother.
As long as his talent wasn’t too terrible, and with Lin Cangxue guiding his cultivation, it was entirely possible for him to grow strong. Not to mention, Lin Cangxue possessed an extremely sharp Martial Technique—Ten Thousand Swords Return to One. She had even learned Snow Falling on Earth! If she passed all of this on to Lin Huang, what then?
At this thought, killing intent flashed through Yun Feifei’s eyes. Beneath her sleeves, her fair hands moved. A profound power quietly emanated outward, sweeping past everyone like a gentle breeze before finally hovering around Lin Huang.
Lin Cangxue furrowed her delicate brows. Instinctively, she felt something was wrong, but she couldn’t detect it at the moment. After all, her current realm was too low. Lin Huang’s expression subtly changed as well. He felt a strange sensation in his body but couldn’t seem to find any clues as to what it was.
Looking at Lin Huang’s seemingly bewildered appearance, Yun Feifei sneered coldly in her heart. A Martial Soul was inherently formless and intangible, and Transplanting Flower and Wood was exceptionally stealthy, capable of plundering another’s cultivation in the midst of casual conversation. Lin Huang was only at the Earth Element Third Heaven realm—how could he possibly detect it!
Hmm? Suddenly, Yun Feifei frowned slightly. She seemed to notice that Lin Huang’s Martial Arts Foundation was incredibly stable. The Primordial Qi in his body was condensed into a solid mass, making it difficult to plunder. Yet, instead of being dismayed, Yun Feifei revealed a satisfied smile. Such pure Primordial Qi was exactly what she desperately desired.
With this in mind, Yun Feifei subtly waved her slender hand, driving her Martial Soul with full force to silently invade Lin Huang’s Profound Sea.
Lin Huang’s face flushed red, his features seemingly twisting due to the bizarre phenomenon within his Profound Sea. Yet, he still appeared completely oblivious to what was happening inside him.
Behind him, Lin Cangxue’s expression changed drastically as she looked at Lin Huang. She finally understood the cause of his abnormality. This kind of experience... she remembered it down to her very bones! Transplanting Flower and Wood, plundering cultivation.
"Yun Feifei..." Cold light shot out from Lin Cangxue’s eyes. A gleaming, ice-cold longsword appeared in her slender hands. However, just as she was about to charge at Yun Feifei, Lin Huang suddenly grabbed her.
Lin Huang smiled and shook his head. Then, turning to look at Yun Feifei and her satisfied smile, his gentle face became covered in frost. His voice carried a distinct, piercing chill, "As expected of the Sect’s top genius, you really have no shame when it comes to doing such despicable deeds. But do you really think you can plunder my cultivation with this trashy Martial Soul of yours?"
Upon finishing his words, Lin Huang gave a heavy snort. The Celestial Asura within his body abruptly unleashed a roar. In the blink of an eye, with an exceedingly frenzied stance of the Tyrant Path, it slaughtered all the invasive Power of Martial Soul within him, leaving nothing behind.
Yun Feifei’s complexion changed instantly, turning deathly pale. She forcefully swallowed the blood welling up in her throat. The eyes she turned toward Lin Huang carried a hint of terror. She had actually failed?! Her snow-white, pretty face was filled with utter disbelief.
Since Lin Huang was guarded by the Array Puppet, Yun Feifei naturally wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack him directly. However, deep down, she still harbored a trace of fear toward Lin Cangxue, so she wanted to strangle Lin Huang in the cradle.
As long as Transplanting Flower and Wood successfully plundered Lin Huang’s cultivation and damaged his foundation, even if Lin Cangxue was incredibly powerful, she wouldn’t be able to save him. For an Outer Disciple to want to become the Chief Disciple in the competition was already a fool’s dream. Once his Martial Arts Foundation was damaged, Lin Huang’s path would be completely severed.
Originally, all of this was a matter of course. Yun Feifei had been ready to accept the gift of Lin Huang’s cultivation, but she never expected that the moment her Power of Martial Soul invaded his body, it would encounter its natural nemesis. Her Power of Martial Soul had been completely slaughtered in the blink of an eye!
Even now, she could still feel the extreme terror of her Martial Soul. It was as if a swaggering lion had gone out to hunt an antelope, only to discover that it had bitten into a behemoth of Primordial Chaos. This fear had nothing to do with a Martial Artist’s realm; it was the absolute disparity between the Martial Souls themselves.
Moreover, Lin Huang’s previous bewilderment and confusion had actually been entirely feigned, just to bait her into invading him with more of her Power of Martial Soul so he could slaughter it all at once. Yun Feifei hadn’t anticipated that a casual move on her part would cause her Martial Soul to suffer such damage. Looking at the current situation, it would take at least half a year to recover.
In the plaza, Yun Feifei clenched her slender hands until her knuckles popped. The killing intent in her eyes grew increasingly dense as she asked through gritted teeth, "What is your Martial Soul?"
Lin Huang pressed his thin lips together and smiled gently. "The Dog-Beating Stick!"
The fury in Yun Feifei’s eyes flared even hotter. Her face alternated between green and white, and she wished nothing more than to tear Lin Huang to shreds right then and there. However, she still retained a shred of rationality. Although she wasn’t afraid of the punishment for killing an Inner Sect Disciple, with the Array Puppet present, she had absolutely no chance of winning. Staring daggers at Lin Huang, she glared so fiercely her eyes practically popped out as she declared, "One day, you will take responsibility for the words you’ve spoken today... When that time comes, I’ll make you realize that your very existence is a massive joke."
Afterward, Yun Feifei furiously pushed through the crowd and stormed off in the direction of the Inner Sect. Watching Yun Feifei’s retreating figure, Lin Huang narrowed his eyes slightly. A trace of mad killing intent flashed deep within his pupils, though the smile on his lips remained distinctly as gentle as jade!
It was nearly dusk by the time Lin Huang returned to Celestial Waterfall Cliff.
Because of the Yin Yang Valley incident, Lin Huang had been exempted from punishment and could return to the Outer Sect. However, to Lin Huang, how could he easily give up a cultivation treasure ground like Celestial Waterfall Cliff? More importantly, he was waiting for someone. He was waiting for the black-robed man he had briefly encountered back on Piaomiao Peak. That man wanted the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers, while Lin Huang wanted to know who had crippled Lin Cangxue’s Martial Soul in the past.
During this period, Lin Huang had been waiting for the black-robed man to show up. However, that person seemed to have vanished into thin air, never appearing again. Over the past half month, Lin Huang had also been pondering the issue of the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers.
According to Wang Fugui, the spy from the Xitang Dynasty, Xuanyuan Tibing had taken Jia Wanjing’s Hundred Treasures Box, and the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers was inside it. Based on that, the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers should be in Xuanyuan Tibing’s hands. However, from the Xitang Dynasty all the way to Piaoxue Palace, people had been intentionally or unintentionally inquiring about the Ancient Scroll’s whereabouts. Furthermore, considering Jia Wanjing’s background as a merchant, Lin Huang couldn’t help but be suspicious. After all, a crafty person always kept a few backup plans up his sleeve.
There was one point in all of this that Lin Huang couldn’t figure out: what was the relationship between Jia Wanjing and Xuanyuan Tibing? If they were enemies, why would Jia Wanjing give the Hundred Treasures Box to Xuanyuan Tibing? But if they were friends, Xuanyuan Tibing was esteemed as the Human World Myth of the East Spirit Realm; keeping the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers with him should have been absolutely foolproof. Because of this, Lin Huang could only make a preliminary guess that the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers was no longer in Xuanyuan Tibing’s hands.
"If the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers isn’t in Xuanyuan Tibing’s hands, then among the last people he came into contact with, the only ones left alive are Jia Xuexuan and myself," Lin Huang muttered, rubbing his temples as he analyzed the situation beneath the waterfall. "If it’s in Jia Xuexuan’s hands, would she tell Fengg Wanli? If she told him, Fengg Wanli shouldn’t have asked me about the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers. But if she didn’t tell Fengg Wanli, what use would a weak woman with no cultivation like Jia Xuexuan have for this Ancient Scroll?"
Moreover, the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers was a hot potato. Jia Wanjing probably wouldn’t have placed such a dangerous object on his own daughter. Lin Huang fell somewhat silent.
"It’s impossible for Jia Xuexuan to have the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers. If I boldly assume again that the Ancient Scroll is no longer in Xuanyuan Tibing’s hands, then..." At this thought, Lin Huang’s brows couldn’t help but knot tightly together. It was in his own hands?!
"But back then, Jia Wanjing only gave me the Demon-Suppressing Blade. If the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers was inside the blade, I would have definitely noticed it by now. This means the Ancient Scroll shouldn’t be in my hands either." Beneath the waterfall, Lin Huang stroked the Demon-Suppressing Blade in his hands and secretly shook his head. "Is there some oversight here, or is there something I missed?"
Lin Huang sighed. If he wanted to know who had shattered Lin Cangxue’s Martial Soul, he had to find the Ancient Scroll of Mountains and Rivers. This was his deal with the black-robed man, and he didn’t think he could make a fake Ancient Scroll to fool the latter.
"Could it be..." Lin Huang stroked the dragon patterns on the Demon-Suppressing Blade, suddenly recalling a sentence Jia Wanjing had once said.