The shattering of Lin Kai’s chest at the main gates of the Elite Training Grounds did not merely cause a commotion.
It broke the fragile balance of power within the Lin Clan.
A Fourth Layer Qi Condensation enforcer—a veteran who had bathed in the blood of wilderness rogue cultivators—had been crushed like a dry twig.
Without forcing Ye Chen to even unsheathe his basic iron blade.
The rumors of a demonic inheritance were no longer whispered.
They were screaming through the corridors of the inner sect palaces.
Inside the grand Obsidian Pavilion, the atmosphere was suffocating.
The air was so thick with killing intent that the stone walls seemed to sweat under the pressure.
“He must be executed! No more trials, no more ancestral decrees!”
The Third Elder’s voice shook the heavy ironwood beams of the ceiling.
His face was a mask of pure, bloodshot madness.
In less than a week, his entire lineage—his two promising grandsons, Lin Hao and Lin Cheng, and his top inner court vanguard, Lin Kai—had been systematically dismantled and turned into useless meat.
By a boy they had trampled on for five years.
“First Elder, if you protect that beast any longer, I will split this clan in two!”
The First Elder sat behind his petrified wood desk, his hands folded neatly inside his long white sleeves.
His face was perfectly calm, but his sharp, eagle-like eyes held a terrifyingly cold depth.
He is emotional, the First Elder thought calmly.
Emotional men make mistakes.
And mistakes can be used.
“Calm your rage, brother,” he said, his voice flat and measured.
“To execute an Elite Inner Disciple without an open trial would violate the core laws of the Great City Alliance. The other clans are already watching us. If we show internal chaos, the Tiger Clan and the iron-mining sects will swallow our territories before the month ends.”
“Then what do you suggest?!” the Third Elder hissed, his fists clenching so hard that his fingernails drew blood from his palms.
The First Elder leaned forward.
“The Great City Tournament is only two and a half months away,” he said softly, a dark, calculated smile forming on his lips.
“Ye Chen has accepted the challenge to represent our lineage. If he fails to break into the Fourth Layer by then, his status is stripped by law.”
He paused.
“But more importantly… the tournament arena has no restrictions against lethal strikes. If he encounters the young monsters of the primary city sects, or if we ensure his draw against the true hidden core disciples of our own clan… his death will be perfectly legal.”
His eyes glinted.
“And his inheritance will belong to the treasury.”
The Third Elder choked on his fury for a long moment.
Then, slowly, a cruel, twisted grin replaced his rage.
“The hidden core…” he murmured.
“You mean him? You are willing to deploy the shadow of the main branch?”
The First Elder looked out the narrow stone window toward the isolated northern peak.
“If a wolf grows too large for its cage,” he murmured, “it must be put down by the alpha.”
Far away from the political schemes of the elders, Ye Chen sat inside the deepest meditation chamber of the Lotus Tower.
The chamber was carved directly into a natural spiritual node.
The walls were lined with arrays that gathered the pure, cold-attribute energy of the mountain.
The air was cool and dense, saturated with spiritual energy so thick it formed a visible mist.
The silver river of Qi inside his dantian circulated at an astronomical speed, driven by the rhythmic, cosmic breaths of the Nine Heavens Monarch Scripture.
On his skin, the subtle, metallic silver sheen of the Asura Iron Flesh was gradually absorbing the residual impurities of his flesh.
Two and a half months, Ye Chen thought, his eyes closed.
Two and a half months until the tournament.
I need to reach the Fourth Layer before then.
No—I need to surpass it.
He exhaled slowly.
The City Lord’s son, Xue Ironwood, is at the Fifth Layer.
He possesses an Earth-rank spiritual spear.
He executes his opponents in every match.
A cold smile touched his lips.
Good.
I need a challenge.
Knock.
Knock.
The soft, hesitant sound cut through the silence of the stone room.
Ye Chen did not open his eyes.
He exhaled a long plume of white vapor that traveled three feet before dissolving into the cool air.
“Enter, Lin Xinyue. The shadow of a pillar is a poor hiding place for an elite princess.”
The heavy stone door slid open smoothly, and Lin Xinyue stepped into the chamber.
She had changed into a simple, dark-green cultivation robe.
Her jade-like face carried an expression of deep, volatile anxiety.
She closed the door behind her, sealing the room from external ears.
“You are playing a dangerous game, Ye Chen,” she said, her voice dropping to a sharp whisper as she approached the edge of his meditation mat.
“Lin Kai was not like the minor bullies you faced before. He was the direct face of the Third Elder’s outer core faction.”
She paused, her eyes searching his face.
“By breaking him in public, you have pushed the elders into a corner. My grandfather told me that the Third Elder is currently communicating with the rogue mercenary groups outside the city borders. They will not wait for the tournament to ambush you.”
Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes.
The absolute, stagnant depth of his dark pupils made her breath hitch out of habit.
“Let them come, Lin Xinyue,” he said calmly.
“A mountain of dust is still nothing but dust, regardless of how high it stacks. If they send rogue mercenaries, I will use their blood to water the roots of my cultivation.”
Lin Xinyue bit her lower lip.
A mix of frustration and an all-consuming fascination warred in her eyes.
“You think you are invincible because you forged a steel physique?” she demanded.
“The world outside this minor clan is vast, Ye Chen. There are cultivators at the True Element realm who can split mountains with a single thought. You need allies. You need my grandfather’s backing.”
“Allies?”
Ye Chen let out a low, cold chuckle that sent a visible shiver down her spine.
He rose from his seat, standing a full head taller than her.
His presence unleashed a brief, suffocating wave of his supreme soul pressure.
“Lin Xinyue, you still do not comprehend the fundamental reality of who is standing before you. I do not need the backing of an elder who trembles before the laws of a minor mortal city.”
He stepped closer.
“I am merely using this clan as a temporary resting place to repair my foundation. When I leave this valley, the entire Nine Star City will be nothing but a footprint behind me.” This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
His dark eyes locked onto hers with an ancient, terrifying intensity.
“If you wish to walk beside my shadow, stop bringing me the small, fearful calculations of your grandfather. Focus on your own strength. The Great City Tournament will not be a stage for a minor clan contest—it will be the graveyard where I rewrite the destiny of this entire region.”
Lin Xinyue stepped back, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
For the first time in her life, she felt completely small.
Stripped of her pride as a genius.
Reduced to a mere spectator before a cosmic force she could not comprehend.
Yet, deep within her heart, a dangerous, thrilling spark ignited.
He is not bluffing, she realized.
He truly believes he can conquer this entire region.
And the terrifying part is…
I am starting to believe him too.
She did not want to run away.
She wanted to see how far this dragon would fly.
“The tournament will feature the Young Master of the City Lord’s mansion, Xue Ironwood,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she recovered her composure.
“He reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation six months ago and possesses a high-grade Earth-rank spiritual spear. He is ruthless, Ye Chen. He executes his opponents in every match.”
“Xue Ironwood,” Ye Chen murmured.
A cold, sharp smile formed on his lips.
He turned his back to her, walking toward the stone platform where his iron sword rested.
“He will make an excellent whetstone for my blade.”
He picked up the sword, running his fingers along the cold steel.
“Tell your grandfather to prepare the clan’s core resources. Because when I take the champion’s throne, I will demand the entire ancestral treasury as my prize.”
Lin Xinyue looked at his unyielding, silent back for a long moment.
Then, slowly, she bowed slightly and slid out of the chamber, her mind in absolute chaos.
Left alone in the dark room, Ye Chen gripped the hilt of his basic iron sword.
The silver Qi within his veins throbbed with a dark, primal anticipation.
The flies are gathering, he thought coldly.
The wolves are baring their teeth.
And the grand stage is being built.
He looked toward the narrow window, where the first hints of dawn were beginning to paint the sky.
Two and a half months remain.
His fingers tightened around the sword.
And the Sovereign’s shadow is about to swallow the entire city whole.
Author’s Note:
The elders are plotting.
The mercenaries are coming.
And the hidden core of the Lin Clan has been mentioned for the first time.
👀
Who is this mysterious “shadow of the main branch” that the First Elder is willing to deploy?
Ye Chen is not waiting for the tournament — he is preparing to conquer it.
Comment below: Who is the hidden core disciple?
And will Ye Chen crush him too?