Chapter 1501: Countermeasures

Chapter 1501: Chapter 1501: Countermeasures

Lin Tian trusted Yu Yang’s words without the slightest doubt. If Yu Yang said Wang Xingkong’s Grotto Heaven Realm was just for show, then it was just for show.

Upon learning this, he was so happy he nearly bent over laughing.

"Master, do you mean that once he leaves the underground palace’s Spirit Gathering Town, his strength will drop sharply, down to the Late Stage Golden Elixir?"

What disappointed Lin Tian was that Yu Yang didn’t say yes, but instead replied, "You’re being too naive. Even if he hasn’t truly broken through to the Grotto Heaven Realm, he’s only one step away. His Golden Core has already melted into his body; his strength is still a cut above the Late Stage Golden Elixir. As you are now, you still have no chance of victory against him. Otherwise I wouldn’t have told you to hide here."

At once, Lin Tian’s body was like a balloon being deflated. He slumped down on the edge of the bed, feeling stifled. Talking with this master of his was really... too stimulating, like riding a roller coaster; his mood rose and fell wildly. Someone with a weak heart really couldn’t take it.

"Master, you sounded very dismissive of Wang Xingkong before. I imagine you must already have a way to deal with him, right?" Lin Tian asked.

"Of course," Yu Yang said with a touch of pride. "This world is a place where the weak are prey to the strong, but that doesn’t mean the one with higher cultivation always wins. Cases of the weak defeating the strong are everywhere. Why can’t we be one of them?"

"Please teach me, Master."

"It’s simple. The ’drag-it-out tactic’."

"..." Lin Tian paused for a second. "Please explain in detail."

"Wang Xingkong himself said his current age has already exceeded the normal limit of human lifespan; his remaining days are few. When a man is old, everything declines—that’s an unchanging law of heaven. Even if he’s now a Grotto Heaven Realm expert, so what? In the end he can’t exert his full strength. If you fight him by feinting and stalling, you’ll certainly make him drop his guard. With his temperament, he’ll definitely get into that ’cat playing with a mouse’ mindset. Gradually, he’ll realize his condition is slipping, that he’s getting more and more tired. That’s when you unleash everything in one strike and turn defeat into victory."

Lin Tian’s mouth opened slightly as he digested Yu Yang’s words.

The strategy was simple, but putting it into practice would truly be a nine-lives-one-death situation. This was the sort of thing Yu Yang could say; if it were Lin Tian himself, this suggestion would be vetoed in the very first second.

Yu Yang went on, "You don’t need to feel too much pressure. He just came out of the underground palace, so it’s natural his strength is at its peak right now. After some time passes, he’ll be far less overwhelming than he is now. And the two of us will of course train diligently—by then, you naturally won’t be the same as you are today."

"You mean we can boost my strength again in a short time?" Lin Tian’s gaze grew hot once more. He was already at the Middle Stage of Golden Elixir; taking another step forward was incredibly difficult. Yet in Yu Yang’s eyes, these seemed like trivial matters.

"Naturally. That Thousand Jin Rock sitting in your hands is really a bit of a waste. In these past few days, the insights I’ve gained from it go far beyond yours. As long as you follow my instructions, you’ll definitely advance by leaps and bounds."

"Please instruct me, Master. Your disciple will definitely obey."

"Remember that strange bull outside Xu Family Stream? Kill it!"

...

Once the knot in his heart was untied, Lin Tian’s brows also relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face. He stopped locking himself in his room and finally came out for some air.

These days he’d shut himself in his room, which had really worried the whole family. Now that they saw Lin Tian beaming again, the big stone weighing on their hearts was set down.

After soothing his parents with a few words, Lin Tian took Miaoqiu’s hand and headed next door to Xu Shaohui’s home.

After all, he had been at Xu Family Stream for some time now. Apart from seeing them once when they came to pick them up, Lin Tian had kept himself locked in his room the rest of the time. That really was him, as a junior, being thoughtless. He didn’t know if Xv Baiping would be angry.

It was just evening then, sunset filling the sky, the wind high and the air refreshing. Lin Tian’s arrival made Xv Baiping and Xu Shaohui very happy; there was not a trace of blame. They clearly already knew Lin Tian had run into trouble, and both expressed their understanding.

The four of them sat under the bodhi plum tree in the courtyard. Miaoqiu brewed tea with her slender hands, while Lin Tian and Xu Shaohui faced off over a game of Go.

Zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—each is an elegant art that cultivates one’s character, and each requires very high comprehension. Lin Tian had once been very unfamiliar with Go, but under Xu Shaohui’s guidance, his skill had improved rapidly. Even though Xu Shaohui gave him four stones, Lin Tian still lost miserably, yet compared to when he first started, he was already much better. If they played a few more rounds, he might be able to fight to a draw.

Xv Baiping sat beside Xu Shaohui, only drinking tea without speaking. She knew well that a true gentleman doesn’t comment while watching a game.

Suddenly, Xu Shaohui said, "Lin Tian, we’re family. If something’s wrong, don’t keep it bottled up inside. Just say it. At the very least, we can all help you think of a solution, right?"

Whether it was Xu Shaohui or Xv Baiping, they both understood that Lin Tian’s family suddenly coming to Luoyan Dock definitely wasn’t as simple as coming for a breather or to have a baby. But since Lin Tian didn’t speak, they couldn’t ask.

Lin Tian placed a stone, a self-mocking smile on his face as he said, "To tell you the truth, we came to Xu Family Stream this time to seek refuge. And we came in quite a sorry state—fleeing through the night."

The couple exchanged a glance, both feeling surprised. Lin Tian was a Golden Core expert; everyone in the Ancient Martial the Wang Family circle knew that, and even Mr. Wang of the Wang Family could do nothing to him. Who could possibly force him to flee with his entire family in such embarrassment?

Although the couple didn’t ask, the question mark was practically written on their faces.

Lin Tian said, "You two would never guess—I provoked Wang Xingkong."

"Wang Xingkong?"

Xu Shaohui lightly repeated the name, and in less than two seconds he remembered who that was. He gaped and asked, "Lin Tian, you mean that legendary elder who founded Ancient Martial the Wang Family single-handedly more than four hundred years ago?"

Lin Tian gave a bitter smile. "That old man, yes."

"This isn’t something to joke about. It’s been several hundred years—he’s still alive?"

Lin Tian’s smile grew even more helpless. "Not only is he alive, he’s living quite well. His strength has already surpassed the Late Stage Golden Elixir and reached the Grotto Heaven Realm."

After that, Lin Tian recounted what had happened in the Wang Family, though he carefully omitted certain things—such as his master Yu Yang.

"Grotto Heaven Realm..." Xu Shaohui’s expression went slightly blank, but he quickly returned to normal and said, "Bringing your whole family here was a very wise choice. If that old monster dares to come, he definitely won’t be able to break my Xu Family’s Clan Protection Array. You can rest easy on that point. You shut yourself in your room the past few days because you were worrying about this, right? Now that you’re all smiles, you must have a plan in mind. Don’t keep us guessing—just say it all at once."

Lin Tian turned his head, his gaze sweeping out toward the outskirts of Xu Family Stream, and said, "I need that strange bull in the mountains."