Chapter 157 - 18: Genius

Chapter 157: Chapter 18: Genius

"Thank you, Brother Hai."

"You’ve earned it. It would be the same for any member from the other branches. I’m not giving you special treatment."

Lin Minghai waved his hand dismissively. "Now that you’ve reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, you can take on other missions for more Contribution Points once your guard duty in the Yantian Mountain Range is over."

"Understood." Lin Yan nodded. "In that case, I won’t disturb you and Brother Song any longer. I’ll take my leave."

"Go on." Lin Minghai waved his hand.

Lin Mingsong, who had been smiling faintly the whole time, watched Lin Yan’s back as he left. "To remain so calm after breaking through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing... His mental fortitude is impressive."

"Of course he can stay calm."

Lin Minghai, however, snorted at this. Noticing Lin Mingsong’s curious glance, he explained, "Brother Song, that kid is hiding his true strength. The density of his Qi Blood isn’t like someone who just broke through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. I’d say he’s at least twenty percent into the stage."

They had all been through the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing themselves. Lin Yan’s Qi Blood far surpassed that of a Martial Artist who had just made the breakthrough. The instant Lin Minghai placed a hand on him to check, he knew what was going on.

Lin Mingsong sat up straight, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Perhaps Lin Yan found something in the Yantian Mountain Range. A Treasure Medicine of some kind."

"That kid is that lucky?"

Lin Minghai pondered this for a moment before shaking his head. "Brother Song, even if he was lucky enough to find a Treasure Medicine, allowing him to break through and significantly boost his Qi Blood, it’s unlikely that there would be absolutely no outward sign of it."

"And who says he broke through today, just because that’s what he told us?"

"You mean he lied, Brother Song? That he actually broke through in the Yantian Mountain Range?"

"It’s possible."

Lin Mingsong stretched his arms out comfortably again, resting them casually on the railing. "I’m starting to think more and more highly of Lin Yan. He broke through early but waited until today to report back... That shows excellent self-control. He might even be hiding a few other trump cards."

"Was that really necessary? Surely he doesn’t think our Third Branch would try to harm him?"

"It has nothing to do with whether we, the Third Branch, would harm him. Lin Yan traveled all the way from Qing State by himself. Though we all share the same roots, the Lin Family is essentially no different from a Sect. Hiding one’s strength, keeping a low profile... it’s always good to be cautious."

As he spoke the last words, Lin Mingsong’s tone grew heavy with implication. Lin Minghai fell silent as well; he understood that Brother Song was alluding to something.

"Brother Song, back then, the Fourth Branch..."

"Minghai, there’s no need to bring up the past."

Lin Mingsong raised a hand to stop Minghai from saying more, even though they were the only two present.

Some things can be done, but never spoken of.

Some hatreds can only be carried in the heart.

Sensing the heavy silence, Lin Minghai decided to change the subject. "Brother Song, a few days ago, the Second Branch proposed a year-end competition for the members of the branch families. Do you think the Patriarch will agree?"

Tossing the fish food in his hand into the lake, Lin Mingsong dusted off his palms. "The Patriarch won’t object."

"True. The Patriarch is a soft-hearted man. In his eyes, members from the other branches are still children of the Lin Family, so he’d have no reason to refuse."

Lin Minghai curled his lip and let out a sigh. "A pity. Even if Lin Yan is hiding his true strength, he’s still limited. If this competition really happens, it’ll have nothing to do with our Third Branch."

...

...

「Library Pavilion.」

"Senior, I would like to go to the second floor."

"The Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing? Not bad."

Lin Qinghe looked at Lin Yan. He remembered this young man. On his first visit to the Library Pavilion, he hadn’t taken anything but the Thunder Sound Technique and had inquired about the second floor.

’An ambitious young man.’

However, the Lin Family wasn’t afraid of its members having ambition; it was afraid of ambition that wasn’t matched by talent and strength.

"I was just lucky to break through."

Lin Qinghe gave a noncommittal response to Lin Yan’s answer. Lin Yan wasn’t from his First Branch, so he wasn’t going to pry.

He didn’t need to verify if Lin Yan had truly reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, either. After the pavilion closed for the day, someone would come to collect the Acquisition Record he kept and verify everything.

"The second floor contains all Top-grade Cultivation Methods, and their power varies. Don’t just focus on the most powerful ones. The stronger a technique is, the more difficult its Cultivation. You should choose a Cultivation Technique that suits you."

Lin Qinghe offered this piece of advice not as special treatment for Lin Yan, but as a standard reminder he gave to every clan member from the branch families who had reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. Whether they chose to listen or not was up to them.

"Thank you for the advice, Senior. I’ll head upstairs now."

After thanking him, Lin Yan headed for the stairs to the second floor.

’Normally, one would have to pick a compatible Cultivation Technique. But with my Martial Arts Tree, no technique is incompatible.’

As Lin Yan set foot on the top step, he found himself unconsciously treading lighter.

The entire second floor was uncannily quiet.

Unlike the first floor, the second floor was much more open. The rows of shelves stood several meters apart, each one crafted from fine sandalwood, its dark-brown wood holding a subdued luster.

Lin Yan stood at the top of the stairs, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room. Rows of bookshelves stood in perfect order, the bamboo slips upon them arranged with meticulous care, yet there wasn’t a soul in sight.

After a moment’s thought, he understood why it was so quiet.

’The members of the Lin Family’s main house begin their training with Top-grade Cultivation Methods right from the Skin Smoothing stage. They’ve already learned what they need to, so they have no reason to come here.’

’As for us from the branch families, those who were already at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing would have come here immediately upon arrival. There must be others like me who only broke through after getting to the Lin Family, but there can’t be that many. The chances of us showing up at the Library Pavilion on the same day, at the same time, are slim.’