Fang Ming was confident that if he were four years younger, with his aptitude, he could have joined the Lingxiao Sect without a fight. Now? He could only obediently pass the grand competition, fight through several rounds, and then join the Lingxiao Sect.
Although—for Fang Ming, there was no difference.
After all, the outcome was the same; he could still go to the Lingxiao Sect. It was merely the process that differed.
There was nothing to be concerned about.
"Brother Xuan, why is there bloodstain on your clothes?"
Lin Zhuyu looked down and noticed faint bloodstains on Fang Ming's blue robe.
Fang Ming hadn't expected her to be so observant.
It seemed she genuinely cared about the original Lin Xuan.
Fang Ming's thoughts raced. On the surface, he said, "That fellow Lin Yao hired people to kill me. I killed them in the Taihang Mountains."
Fang Ming directly told Lin Zhuyu about the black-clothed men.
"Ah? How detestable! I never imagined Lin Yao would try to kill you, Brother Xuan." Lin Zhuyu couldn't help but feel indignant.
Lin Yao, how dare you harm Brother Xuan! I swear I will make sure you have no burial place!
Lin Zhuyu asked, "Brother Xuan, how can we get rid of this Lin Yao?"
Lin Zhuyu questioned Fang Ming.
"Get rid of him?"
Fang Ming pondered. Just as he was about to refuse, a voice from deep within his body seemed to speak.
Accept…
Accept…
"Brother Xuan?"
Seeing Fang Ming motionless, Lin Zhuyu called out.
Fang Ming calmed himself. He didn't realize his thoughts were being guided in another direction. He said directly, "It will be somewhat difficult to get rid of Lin Yao."
Fang Ming analyzed Lin Yao in detail with Lin Zhuyu.
"Lin Yao has the Second Elder behind him. The Second Elder's cultivation is at the late stage of the Dao Foundation realm," Fang Ming shook his head.
"Crippling him, let alone killing him, is impossible with the backing of a Dao Foundation realm cultivator. Can you imagine the fury of a late-stage Dao Foundation expert whose son is dead? He's the second strongest in our Lin family. When he goes mad?"
"If we kill him, the two of us would likely die without a burial place. Even the Lin family patriarch couldn't protect us."
Fang Ming directly stated the grim reality they might face.
This reality caused Lin Zhuyu to fall silent.
She realized her actions were indeed thoughtless.
Indeed, Lin Yao's status stemmed not only from his rare spiritual body talent but also from being the Second Elder's son.
With talent and background, eliminating him was an impossible task.
Lin Zhuyu's expression turned grim. She murmured, "Must we let him act so recklessly? Is there nothing we can do about him?"
Fang Ming smiled, "It's not that there's no way."
"To deal with someone doesn't necessarily mean killing them."
"When killing is not an option, there are still ways to make them look bad."
Then, Fang Ming proposed a solution.
"I can challenge him to a duel on the arena."
This was an ancient rule of the Lin family.
If there were grievances between clan members, they could be resolved in the arena. They could even apply for a death match, to kill the opponent head-on. Afterward, their relatives could not seek revenge.
Of course, both Lin Xuan and Lin Yao were geniuses, and Lin Yao had the Second Elder behind him. If they applied for a death match, the patriarch and elders would never agree.
How many geniuses did the Lin family have? If they all killed each other, wouldn't it be a laughingstock to other families?
Besides death matches, the most severe form of combat involved betting half of one's wealth as stakes. The winner would gain half of the loser's assets.
This half of the assets didn't just include spirit stones and materials; even courtyards and servants were counted.
If a prodigy lost half of their lifelong accumulated resources, they would inevitably fall behind others. Worse, after losing half of decades of effort, they might become disheartened and lose confidence in cultivation.
Fang Ming could use this rule to give Lin Yao a taste of humiliation first.
He figured it could make Lin Yao extremely embarrassed.
After Fang Ming shared this idea with Lin Zhuyu, she found it excellent.
However, after making this decision, Fang Ming felt uneasy.
"Why would I use this method to deal with Lin Yao?"
"I just feel..."
"I shouldn't be using this method..."
"But why do I feel uneasy?"
Fang Ming thought and thought, but couldn't figure out why he felt uneasy.
Logically, even though Lin Yao practiced both body and spirit cultivation, possessed a cultivation of the seventh level of Meridian Condensation, and was the Second Elder's son with many trump cards.
At best, his combat power was comparable to a cultivator at the late stage of Meridian Condensation.
Even if he were to estimate him as more formidable, capable of matching the peak of Meridian Condensation, tenth level.
He was still only in the Meridian Condensation realm, not the Dao Foundation realm.
Against anyone not in the Dao Foundation realm, Fang Ming was almost certain of victory without even fighting.
He... since he was so confident in the outcome of the battle, why was he feeling uneasy?
Could it be that something unexpected would happen in this battle?
Fang Ming thought carefully.
It felt...
"This is impossible."
"There shouldn't be any accidents."
"This is happening under everyone's watchful eyes!"
Fang Ming thought for a long time but still couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.
Therefore, he stopped thinking about it.
...
Fang Ming's desire to challenge Lin Yao was considered big news in the Lin family.
The Lin family rarely had any major events throughout the year. Only the recent recruitment for the Lingxiao Sect had caused a stir.
These people clearly hadn't expected that suddenly, there would be more drama within the family.
Thus, many people in the Lin family rushed to spectate and gossip.
"Did you hear? Lin Xuan is going to challenge Lin Yao in the arena for a death match!"
"Hmph, I heard about this a day ago from my third aunt's gossipy friend. Do you need to emphasize it?"
"Who do you think is stronger, Lin Xuan or Lin Yao?"
"I think Lin Yao is stronger! Lin Yao is at the seventh level of Meridian Condensation, cultivates both body and spirit, and as a spiritual body prodigy, he has mastered several powerful high-grade mortal profound techniques. This Lin Xuan, half a year ago, his spiritual power cultivation was inferior to the Meridian Condensation realm. His Meridian Condensation cultivation after half a year is rumored to be only at the fourth level. How could he possibly be a match for Lin Yao?"
"If Lin Xuan wins, I'll eat this rock on the spot!"
"Eating a rock? Cultivators' spiritual power digests quickly. Over there is a piece of Nine Heavens Profound Iron. Cultivators in the Meridian Condensation realm cannot digest it; eating it is certain death. If you eat it, I'll admit you're brave."
"You're ruthless. I won't gamble with a ruthless person like you."
The crowd chattered, and no one believed Lin Xuan could defeat Lin Yao.
However, to guard against the one-in-a-million chance, they dared not gamble on eating Nine Heavens Profound Iron.
Clearly, they were just talking big.
Gambling contracts among cultivators involved heart demon oaths, which could not be violated casually. Doing so would doom their cultivation path.
No one dared to make oaths that had a chance of failure.
After all, if the situation were to reverse, their lives would be ruined.