Ch93 – Ashen Face
Translated & Edited by: DMlations/Zryuu
Yan Tianhen answered with another question, “What? Would you not be an idiot if you slapped me? Or is it that you’re trying to silence me through death because I exposed your idiocy?”
“You…”
Lin Yaer immediately tried to draw her sword, but she realised that her sword refused to be unsheathed no matter what. From other people’s point of view, it looked as if Lin Yaer was pressing down on her wrist and was unable to lift her sword up.
Lin Yaer looked at the Lin Xuanzhi who had remained silent the whole time in amazement and terror.
In Lin Xuanzhi’s hands were a handful of top-grade forged stones; each forged stone was emitting trickles of spiritual Qi that looked like thousands of thin strands of silk which were entangling her scabbard.
Lin Yaer felt a tremor, because through these forged stones, she could actually feel the powerful soul force of a Foundation Stage craftsman.
You must know, though most craftsman couldn’t practice any elemental arts, they could cultivate their souls!
The stronger the force of their souls, the more it could be used to suppress magic treasures that were below its level. Top-level craftsmen were practically invincible, because every cultivator can’t do without the assistance of a magic tool; but when they are up against a craftsman, it is likely for them to lose the assistance of said magic tools.
They wouldn’t be able to use their magic tools, yet in their opponent craftsman’s hands could lie unimaginable magic treasures that they could use!
“You’re a craftsman?” Lin Yaer exclaimed.
Lin Xuanzhi lightly said, “It’s good that you know.”
Lin Yangzhi’s expression immediately changed. He gritted his teeth as he forced words out, “That’s impossible!”
Yan Tianhen rolled his eyes at them, then shouted, “Ah Bai, Hu Po!”
The tiger cubs who had been nestling somewhere instantly howled as they rushed out from the yard. One of them burrowed underneath Lin Yaer’s dress while the other had intended to bite Lin Yangzhi, but when it rushed towards him, he realised that his opponent was quite strong so he immediately backed out and only dared to bark at him.
Yan Tianhen, “…” They’re a bit disgraceful.
Something suddenly burrowed under Lin Yaer’s dress, so she immediately shrieked and all the colour drained from her face.
“Get, get lost! What the hell is this?!” Lin Yaer shrieked as she jumped about, but Ah Bai clung onto Lin Yaer’s leg and refused to let go so she was thrown into a panic.
A few Lin family elders passed by from afar and saw this scene, then couldn’t help but shake their heads.
One of them said, “That Lin Jiang had brought these two younger ones out to train, yet he ended up bringing such a wild girl back.”
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“He’s not even 20 and yet he’s already at the first layer of his Foundation Stage?”
“That’s right. I heard that Lin Yaer has already reached the fifth layer of her Refining Qi Stage.” ”
“I don’t think she’s only at the fifth layer ba.”
“Sss一this Lin Jiang really has his ways with children!”
“For the upcoming Hundred Families Gathering, I think Lin Yangzhi will do well.”
Lin Yangzhi and Lin Yaer went back to their own courtyard with ashen faces.
The moment they entered the yard, Lin Yaer ruthlessly unsheathed her sword and swung it down on the tree beside her. That tree immediately collapsed as it got torn apart into pieces — it was truly tragic.
“That damn Lin Xuanzhi! At first I thought that he had already turned into a good-for-nothing, but I didn’t expect him to actually be able to bob back up again like a cork and become a craftsman!” Lin Yaer wore an extremely ugly expression on her face.
Lin Yangzhi was even more furious than Lin Yaer. He was also a cultivation genius; before Lin Xuanzhi was born he had always been the center of attention in the Lin family. But when Lin Zhan suddenly returned to the Lin family with Lin Xuanzhi in a swaddle, calamity befell Lin Yangzhi. From then onwards, everyone’s attention had been redirected to Lin Xuanzhi.
And it was even because of Lin Xuanzhi’s talent that the position of the Lin family’s master — which had originally belonged to Lin Jiang — was transferred to Lin Zhan, whose cultivation was inferior to Lin Jiang.
Everyone complimented Lin Xuanzhi. All of the best cultivation resources in the Lin family were also given to Lin Xuanzhi, and the other Lin family members of his generation had turned into mere background decorations and negative examples whose only purpose was to stand in contrast to his amazing talent. How could Lin Yangzhi, the one who was once in the spotlight, withstand that?!
He had thought that after Lin Xuanzhi turned into a good-for-nothing, he had finally fallen from the clouds above and into the mud. But he didn’t expect such a startling reversal to catch them by surprise like this.
Why are the heavens so biased towards Lin Xuanzhi?
Lin Yangzhi won’t accept it!
Lin Yangzhi clenched his fist tightly; his fingernails dug deep into the flesh of his palm which resulted in a dull, throbbing pain that made him even more irritated and furious.
“Lin Xuanzhi, you think you’re so great don’t you?! But I firmly believe that this luck of yours won’t last!”
At this moment, their father, Lin Jiang, walked over.
He smiled happily as he said, “Yangzhi, Yaer. Father asked the two of you to go find Xuanzhi just now, so have the two of you met him?”
Lin Yangzhi and Lin Yaer looked at each other, then Lin Yaer smiled, “We’ve met him.”
Lin Jiang nodded his head in satisfaction, “I really didn’t think that my nephew Xuanzhi could rise up from the ashes through the awakening of his craftsman soulfire. Our Lin family is truly fortunate!”
Lin Jiang continued to say happily without noticing the strange and ugly expressions on his children’s faces, “This truly is a great fortune for our Lin family. Yangzhi, Yaer, the two of you must be on friendly terms with Lin Xuanzhi. I believe you guys have already witnessed how talented Xuanzhi was before, so I have no doubt that in the future, he’ll definitely become the Lin family’s new leader. And by then….”
Without waiting for Lin Jiang to finish, Lin Yangzhi interrupted impatiently as he couldn’t bear to listen any further, “Dad, you keep talking about Lin Xuanzhi, but what kind of benefits could we gain if he becomes the next leader of the Lin family?”
“Yeah, Dad.” Lin Yaer rolled her eyes in her heart, but her face remained serene as she said, “That Lin Xuanzhi is so arrogant and contemptuous, we wouldn’t know how he would treat us if he becomes the Lin family’s young master in the future.”
“Why do the two of you think that way?” Lin Jiang was somewhat astonished. When he saw the impatient and unhappy expressions on his children’s faces, he suddenly understood a few things.
.
Lin Jiang calmed down before he said in all earnestness, “Yangzhi, Yaer. Do the two of you know how difficult it is for a family to produce just one craftsman?”
Lin Yaer rolled her eyes, “Dad, our family already has two craftsmen.”
Lin Jiang muttered, “Sis-in-law and Bai Susu aren’t part of the Lin family, the Lin blood doesn’t run through their veins. As the saying goes, ‘when one person achieves Dao his poultry and dogs ascend as well’, no matter how much they accomplish in the future, it would be of no help to us.”
Lin Yangzhi frowned and said unhappily, “Didn’t he only cultivate the craftsman path recently? By the time he reaches the Hardened Body Stage, it would be the end for him. Don’t forget that Lin Xuanzhi’s Dantian Qi sea had long since been destroyed.”
Lin Jiang nodded and said without much concern, “Of course Father knows that. When I was at Fifth elder’s place, I asked him the same question. Fifth elder’s intention is to go all out to help Xuanzhi find a sky-level Restore Yuan Pill!”
“What?!” Lin Yangzhi and Lin Yaer shouted in surprise at the same time.
“Dad, don’t you know that even without taking into consideration whether the Restore Yuan Pill exists or not, just its price alone isn’t something that our Lin family can afford!” Lin Yaer was so anxious that she didn’t care about maintaining her poise anymore. She stomped her feet and gritted her teeth as she said, “That’s so unfair, I won’t accept it!”
“Who can accept that?” Lin Yangzhi had also raised his voice. His gaze was fierce and threatening as he gritted his teeth, “Why should the Lin family sacrifice so much just for that one Lin Xuanzhi? Who in the Lin family would be able to accept such outright bias?”
Lin Jiang didn’t expect his son and daughter pair to react so strongly to what he said. He was instantly at a loss, and was also somewhat unhappy. He furrowed his thick brows, “Aren’t the two of you being a bit too childish? You can only see what the Lin family is offering him now, but have you guys ever thought about how much honour and benefits he can bring to the Lin family after he recovers? If our family were to have a craftsman who is of the Teal soul level or above, powerhouses from all over the continent would have to see the Lin family in a different light. And the major sects would naturally relax the entry requirements for our Lin family as well — these are all benefits that money can’t buy.”
“Hehe……” Lin Yangzhi sneered, then clenched his fist and said, “Even without relying on that Lin Xuanzhi, I, Lin Yangzhi has already become one of Sky Peak Sect’s inner disciples. And today I’m already a Foundation Stage first layer cultivator, but that Lin Xuanzhi is at most only at the fifth layer of his Refining Qi Stage, so why the hell should I ingratiate myself with him?”
“It’s not ‘ingratiate’, but ‘befriend’.” Lin Jiang said, “And also, you’re already 24 years old this year, but Lin Xuanzhi is only 17. You took such a long time to breakthrough to the fifth layer of your Refining Qi stage, but Lin Xuanzhi had abolished his cultivation and restarted his path before reaching the fifth layer of his Refining Qi Stage today.”
After he said that, there was no need for Lin Jiang to say anything more. Just from the shocked look on Lin Yangzhi and Lin Yaer’s faces, he could tell that these two kids have finally understood how amazing Lin Xuanzhi was.
Lin Jiang shook his head and threw them the words “think through it carefully for yourselves”, before he entered his room.
A tempestuous storm surged through Lin Yanzhi’s heart 一 there was no doubt about it, the Qi that he had sensed from Lin Xuanzhi’s body definitely belonged to a Refining Qi Stage fifth layer cultivator. But how long did it take for him to reach that kind of level?
.
Terrifying, detestable, enviable!
No, he cannot lose to Lin Xuanzhi. He’ll definitely not let that Lin Xuanzhi suppress him!
The young master position of the Lin family will absolutely belong to him! If he can’t have the Lin family, then he might as well destroy it!
The next morning, the Lin Xuanzhi and Yan Tianhen who had been meditating for one whole night opened the doors to their rooms at the same time, then met face-to-face across the corridor.
Yan Tianhen revealed a bright smile on his face before he turned around the corridor and ran up to Lin Xuanzhi. He pulled Lin Xuanzhi’s hands and smiled, “Dage, I felt a concentrated gust of Qi pour into your room this morning. What good item did you craft again this time?”
Lin Xuanzhi looked at Yan Tianhen’s small face and couldn’t help but smile back at him as well.
His jade white hands lightly tapped on Yan Tianhen’s nose and a faint smile appeared on his face, “You have a really good nose, don’t you? I did indeed craft another magic tool last night.”
“What is it?” Yan Tianhen asked out of curiosity.
Lin Xuanzhi flipped his hand over and took out a fan with a distinct skeleton.
The fan’s bamboo strips were radiating a warm glow, and it was both transparent and bright. One look at it and you would be able to tell that this was definitely no ordinary magic tool.
.
“This is……” Yan Tianhen took the fan, and after he opened it he scrutinised it carefully and even took a whiff of its scent.
“You won’t be able to smell anything from it at all.” Lin Xuanzhi couldn’t help but laugh as he shook his head, “This is a Rocking Sky Fan. It can serve as an offensive, defensive or auxilliary equipment; it’s a high-grade magic tool.”
Yan Tianhen looked the fan in his hand up and down once, then said with slight regret, “It’s actually not a top-grade magic tool? That’s a bit unexpected.”
Lin Xuanzhi almost couldn’t control himself from laughing, “Dummy, do you think top-grade magic tools are crafted so easily? I was already at my limit when I crafted this kind of three-in-one magic tool with a high-grade quality.”
At the very least, for the current Lin Xuanzhi, this was the most he could do.
Yan Tianhen stuck his tongue out, then blinked his eyes a bit mischievously as he said, “Dage, in my opinion, you’re just like a god who can casually make top-grade magic tools whenever you want.”
“You think too highly of me.” Lin Xuanzhi shook his head, “The appearance of a top-grade magic tool requires favourable timing, geographical and social conditions. It can’t be crafted that easily.”
Yan Tianhen said, “If Dage had more time, Dage would have definitely been able to craft a top-grade Rocking Sky Fan, so……is there any urgent need for Dage to craft this magic tool overnight?”
Lin Xuanzhi smiled as he said, “There is indeed a need. Today, I’ll be bringing you to the auction house.”