Chapter 194: Stick and all stick, even bricks

Chapter 194: 194: Stick and all stick, even bricks

Two months ago, in the training grounds of the Lin Family, Wei Rong had sparred with Lin Xuan, the current Patriarch of the family.

The battle had not been particularly grand.

Neither side had summoned their Martial Spirit. They had relied solely on their spear techniques and physical abilities.

Yet despite using a martial technique granted to him by the royal family, Wei Rong had nearly suffered defeat at Lin Xuan’s hands.

He had only won because Lin Xuan had abruptly forfeited the match.

Immediately after the duel, Lin Xuan had entered seclusion.

Wei Rong had not thought much about it at the time.

But the real battle had not ended there.

Hai Yun, the woman who had clearly declared that she would marry whoever defeated Lin Xuan, had appeared visibly displeased by the result.

As for Wei Rong and Mo Jian, they had known better than to bring up the matter about the marriage.

Still, Hai Yun unconvinced stated something that had left everyone in the training stunned.

Even if the three of you joined forces, you would not be able to defeat Lin Xuan.

At the time, Qian Deyu had been as sharp as ever.

Rather than argue, he had immediately taken advantage of the opening.

"You are right. I cannot see how deep the young Patriarch’s true cultivation actually goes."

Wei Rong had assumed the old elder was merely trying to ease the situation.

But now, standing beneath the terrifying pressure of Lin Xuan’s Nascent Soul aura, Wei Rong finally understood.

Qian Deyu had not been trying to help them.

He had simply been telling the truth.

Wei Rong’s face became increasingly pale.

Nascent Soul.

The realization struck him like a hammer.

The strength Lin Xuan had displayed during their duel had never been his true strength.

After a short period of silence, Lin Xuan walked toward Lin Qiaoren who’s expression changed as Lin Xuan stopped beside him.

Unable to react he could only watch as Lin Xuan casually placed one arm against his shoulder.

Following that, an overwhelming force instantly descended upon him.

His legs buckled beneath the pressure, and he was forced down onto his knees.

Qiaoren tried to resist, but his spiritual qi was completely suppressed.

"Patriarch..."

His voice trembled as he struggled to raise his head.

Lin Xuan looked down at him with a calm expression and then with a smile said,"Qiaoren, you will be the first."

The moment his words fell, Lin Xuan’s spiritual sense surged into Qiaoren’s Conscious Sea.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

A piercing wail erupted from Qiaoren’s mouth.

His entire body convulsed violently as the soul-searching technique tore through his memories.

The elders surrounding him recoiled at the horrifying scream.

Qiaoren’s fingers clawed desperately against the floor as tears streamed down his face.

"STOP! PLEASE, STOP!"

His voice broke beneath the unbearable pain.

By the time his scream slowly subsided, Lin Xuan had already seen everything he needed to see.

He released Qiaoren and slowly turned toward Wei Rong.

The royal elder remained frozen beneath Lin Xuan’s Nascent Soul pressure, his face pale as he watched him approach.

Lin Xuan’s figure glided toward him.

When he stopped in front of Wei Rong, he withdrew the aura suppressing him.

The sudden release of pressure nearly caused Wei Rong to stumble.

He quickly steadied himself before lowering his head.

"Go back before I change my mind, and make sure you deliver a message to the old man."

Lin Xuan’s voice remained calm as he stared at Wei Rong.

"Tell him to stay out of the Lin Family’s affairs."

Wei Rong’s heart tightened as he immediately bowed deeply.

"Yes, Patriarch Lin."

He did not dare say another word before turning around and quickly leaving the meeting hall.

Lin Xuan turned his attention back toward Lin Qiaoren.

The elder was still struggling on the ground, his body trembling from the earlier soul search.

Lin Xuan’s expression remained cold.

"For the crime of harassing female disciples of the Lin Family and withholding the spirit stone rewards meant for the children of this family, you will be punished."

His spiritual qi surged through his arm.

Qiaoren’s body trembled as his dantian shattered beneath the force.

He let out a muffled cry before collapsing onto the floor, his cultivation completely crippled.

Lin Xuan did not stop there.

His divine sense spread throughout the meeting hall.

Every elder who had opposed him was immediately subjected to a forced soul search.

One after another, their memories were dragged before his consciousness.

There was no resistance.

Under the overwhelming strength of his Nascent Soul, resistance was meaningless.

Lin Xuan’s expression gradually darkened as he saw what they had done behind his back.

Today, I will establish absolute dominance.

This was a world where the strong were worshipped.

Yet he had lowered himself and patiently listened to these corrupted elders, all because he had been concerned about preserving the stability of the family.

Why had he worried about what would happen to the Lin Family if he were someday no longer around?

Why had he wasted his concern on these pieces of trash?

His eyes swept across the hall.

Then, without warning, Lin Xuan raised his arm.

A sharp arc of spiritual qi flashed through the air.

One of the elders did not even have time to react before his head was separated from his body.

He died on the spot.

Before the remaining elders could even speak, Lin Xuan calmly said,"His crime was assaulting and murdering his victim."

Several elders immediately broke into a cold sweat.

Their faces became pale as they realized that Lin Xuan had already seen their crimes.

Then, almost coincidentally, several heads fell from their shoulders at nearly the same moment.

The bodies collapsed heavily onto the floor.

The meeting hall became deathly silent.

Lin Xuan stared at the five corpses before him.

His expression was filled with utter disgust and disbelief.

What kind of elders do I have?!

Lin Xuan took several deep breaths before finally speaking.

"They all shared the same crime."

Lin Shushu, one of the elders who had not raised his hand earlier immediately looked toward him, his expression tense.

"Patriarch, surely you aren’t claiming that Elder Shuyan also committed the same crime?"

Lin Xuan slowly turned toward him.

His gaze passed over to the only dead female elder before he answered.

"She used her position as an elder to force married mortal men to sleep with her while their wives were forced to watch them consummate the act."

Lin Shushu’s face twisted with anger.

"But that’s only your assumption," he said through gritted teeth. "There has never been any word of such a thing."

Lin Xuan looked directly into his eyes.

"That is because she killed the families after she was finished with them."

Lin Shushu’s expression froze.

Lin Xuan turned his gaze toward the five corpses lying across the hall.

"To think I raised nothing but wolves."

His voice carried disappointment rather than anger.

"I am ashamed."

He slowly looked across the remaining elders.

"Today, I will sieve out the rotten ones and keep only those who still have a chance at redemption."

His gaze eventually returned to Lin Qiaoren.

"You are not included among those who deserve redemption."

Qiaoren’s body trembled.

"You should be grateful that you are still alive. Your grandson is studying diligently, while your son is working hard for this family."

Lin Xuan’s expression remained cold.

"Spend more time with your family instead of scheming about how to steal resources from them."

Qiaoren’s face twisted with pain.

"Then what?!"

His voice cracked as tears streamed down his face.

"What do you expect us to do?! Work our entire lives without expecting anything in return?!"

His voice grew louder, filled with sorrow and frustration.

"We are cultivators! We want to rise in strength!"

His fists struck the ground as tears continued to fall.

"Goddammit! You had it all, so how could you possibly understand the suffering of the talentless?!"

His voice trembled violently.

"Do you think we wanted to be powerless?!"

The final words came out almost as a cry.

"Do you think we wanted to spend our entire lives watching others rise while we remained at the bottom?!"

Lin Xuan sighed, his expression carrying a trace of disappointment.

"Do you know that the word Lin Family has family? We use the word ’family’ because we are supposed to be a family, yet you stole from that very family.

You hindered the growth of the younger generation simply so you could increase your own strength.

But you are right about one thing. I will never understand the suffering of the talentless."

He paused, then looked directly at Qiaoren with a faintly mocking smile.

"The so-called talentless who were given an elder position in a Rank Eight family. Yes, of course. I suppose we simply hand out elder positions to anyone these days."