Chapter 31: You Are Still the Heir of the Lin Family

Lin Tianjiao could never have imagined that the older brother he had always looked down upon would suddenly transform into a Level 9 martial arts prodigy, a talent vied for by everyone.

Hearing the uncles and aunts in the house shouting for "Young Master Lin Yin," and hearing his mother announce his brother's status as the heir to the family, Lin Tianjiao felt a wave of dizziness; he could barely stand steady.

Were all those years in the past just a lie?
Was I not the Lin family heir that Mother and Father held in their hearts?
Then what were all those words spoken over the years worth?

Lin Tianjiao’s clenched fists trembled, his eyes turning red. He wanted an answer from his mother.

"Tianjiao, what is the point of obsessing over a hollow title?" Lin Zhengyang stepped out, his brow furrowed in reprimand. "If you enter the college entrance examination next year at the mid-to-high stage of the Meridian Forging Realm, wouldn't that be even more eye-catching than Lin Yin is today?"

Lin Tianjiao’s expression softened instantly.
That was true. He was not even seventeen yet and had already reached the first stage of the Bone Condensation Realm. Looking across the entire human race, even the prodigies from the Jixia Academy would likely find him unreachable.

Yet! Accustomed to being called the "Prodigy Heir," he hadn't noticed it before, but today, that sudden sense of loss made him stubbornly persist.

"Father, am I still the Lin family heir in your hearts?" Lin Tianjiao asked, filled with expectation and the nervousness and reluctance unique to a youth.

After a long silence, Lin Zhengyang ignored Yang Kaihui’s signaling eyes and nodded alone.

"You are the pride of the Lin family. Once you are, you are forever. The position of heir will not change."

"Thank you, Father!" Lin Tianjiao smiled with satisfaction, thinking to himself that his father indeed valued him the most after all.

Yang Kaihui’s expression was complex. She eventually sighed silently and patted Lin Tianjiao’s head. "Tianjiao, you must work hard."

"I will!"

"Then, are you coming with us to Tianhe City?"

At this, Lin Tianjiao instantly recalled the slap he had received in Tianhe City. The memory was vivid, and his cheek even throbbed faintly. A flash of anger crossed his eyes.

"No!"

He chose not to go. It wasn't because he was afraid to face Lin Yin. It was because he could figure out with his toes that today, Tianhe City was filled with powerful, influential figures all there for Lin Yin. Even if he went to Tianhe, what could he do? Could he beat Lin Yin to a pulp in front of so many seniors and monarchs? It would be better to stay back and quietly improve his cultivation. A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, Lin Tianjiao thought bitterly.

"Fine. We are leaving then. The tonic for tonight has already been stewed; just have the butler heat it up for you. Be sure to drink it all. Mom added plenty of monster bone essence to it; it will help you temper your martial bones faster."

Martial bones were a feature of the Bone Condensation Realm; tempering them provided additional combat power.

...

"Spectacular! Simply spectacular!"

Inside a wide, deep classroom with holographic projection screens, a group of bigwigs watched with excitement, slapping their tables in admiration. On the screen was footage of Lin Yin captured by drones. By now, Lin Yin had already broken through five extremely dangerous zones, slaughtering four Ninth-Blood Realm great monsters and one half-step Bone Condensation Realm great monster.

"The proficiency of this blade technique—if he hasn't been practicing for ten years, I wouldn't believe it. He must have started at eight! At least eight!" A master-level professor of blade arts from Qingtian Academy slammed his desk in applause. Watching Lin Yin slay monsters with his blade was truly a thrill; there was no wasted movement, as if he were using some kind of aim-bot hack.

Whenever a monster's hide was not as hard as the dadao in Lin Yin's hand, the outcome was almost always being intercepted by him, followed by a close-quarters decapitation! It was terrifyingly fast. How could an eighteen-year-old possess such assassination footwork?

"Don't look at me. I didn't teach him for ten years; at most, half a month," Old Jiang shrugged, his expression uncontained, as if to say that geniuses are just like that.

"I thought he only had high blood-qi, but it turns out he’s a Level 9 martial arts prodigy. I thought his martial talent was just high, but I didn't expect his battle tactics, assault skills, and combat ability to be this strong!" The Monarch of Dahan sighed, then glared at the crowd. "I am willing to offer twenty years of the Dahan Imperial Family's savings to cultivate this child! No one fight me for him!"

Although the human race boasted eight nations, none of the monarchs used titles like "King," "Emperor," or "Sovereign." Perhaps this was a habit carved into the bones of the Huaxia race. Without achieving full unification, calling oneself a lonely ruler would make one look like a clown, just waiting to be mobbed by the rest.

"Pfft!" The Monarch of Dali laughed out loud and raised a hand. "Forty years! The forty years of savings of the Dali Kingdom, I am willing to pour them all into this child!"

After speaking, the Dali Monarch smiled at the Dahan Monarch, his look saying, *You old rascal, you really think you can win over everyone here with just one sentence?*

"Pfft," another person laughed. This time it was the representative from Qingtian Academy, the strongest institution on the surface besides Jixia.

"Dali is in the remote southwest, with narrow lands and few people; it’s hard enough to survive. Even if you saved for forty years, how much could you possibly have?"

"Don't tell me you think my Qingtian Academy and the Daqi Imperial Family don't have as much depth as your Dali Kingdom?"

"You!"

"What about me? My Qingtian Academy just has the confidence."

"Confidence? Want to compare with me?" The old dean of Zhougong Academy stepped forward.

Seeing the group of bigwigs about to quarrel again, Xia Changsheng intervened helplessly, breaking up the restless scene.

"The college entrance exam isn't even over yet. The child hasn't even spoken, and you’re already red-faced and shouting. It’s embarrassing." The King of Jubei, Xiao Chen, said calmly. He turned to his only daughter, Xiao Ruoyu, and sighed suddenly. "Sigh, if you weren't already engaged, I would really want to use your marriage to fight for this boy."

Xiao Ruoyu’s expression stiffened. *Ah? Are you my biological father? Well, whatever, it’s a political marriage anyway, it doesn't matter.*

"Tsk tsk tsk, you, the King of Jubei, have already married into the Lin Martial King's family, and you still have the nerve to say that?" The Da-Yan Fengtian Academy representative retorted bluntly. Their territory was in the northeast beyond the passes, so even if the Central Plains battlefields got rowdy, the fire wouldn't reach Da-Yan.

"Alright, alright, everyone stop arguing. Let's continue watching student Lin Yin's exam."

Xia Changsheng looked back, suddenly frowned, and hurriedly picked up his phone.

"Hello! Send people into the extremely dangerous zone immediately! What's the problem? Lin Yin has disappeared! Find him!"

The entire classroom went silent instantly. On the big screen, while they were busy fighting among themselves, Lin Yin had vanished. All that remained were the ravaged monster nests of the extremely dangerous zones.

"Where is he! Where did he go!"

"Oh no! Could he have gotten lost and walked out of the exam zone?"

"What are you all still standing there for!!" The Dahan Monarch exploded with energy, covering dozens of meters in one stride, shattering the alloy door of the classroom. "A life-saving grace! There is a life-saving grace right in front of us!"

The other bigwigs were stunned for a moment before they realized what was happening, and they immediately turned red with urgency.

"Damn it! The Han Monarch is truly cunning! He wants to save Lin Yin’s life to use as an excuse to recruit him. I won't let you have your way!" Zhang Langxiao, a War-God-level figure and a King-ranked expert from Da-Yan Fengtian Academy, also exploded with energy, following closely behind the Dahan Monarch.

The rest of the bigwigs followed immediately, terrified of falling behind.