Lin Aotian was furious beyond words atop the elevated platform.
The Lin family had treated Liu Ruyan with extraordinary kindness. Both the Lin family matriarch and Lin Aotian himself had always looked after her.
Yet no one had expected Liu Ruyan to speak so recklessly to Ye Wushuang, the Second Young Lady of the Ye family—someone the Lin family absolutely could not afford to provoke.
“Has Liu Ruyan gotten carried away? How dare she say something so arrogant?”
“What do you know? Liu Ruyan and the Young Lord Lin grew up together and have a deep relationship. It’s understandable that she would speak out of turn.”
“I’ve heard that Liu Ruyan’s talent is extraordinary. Although she’s only in the late Body Tempering stage right now, given enough time, she might one day become an Emperor who commands an entire region!”
“Bah, an Emperor? Her lack of manners is one thing, but bringing disaster upon the family is another.”
Inside the main hall, the Lin family disciples whispered among themselves, their faces filled with disdain and contempt.
“Silence! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket?”
At that moment, Lin Aotian’s dignified voice rang out. As soon as his words fell, the entire hall quickly fell silent.
Although Lin Aotian had been obsequious and submissive before Ye Wushuang, he was still an unquestioned authority in front of the Lin family disciples.
“Liu Ruyan, answer me this. Ask yourself honestly: how has the Lin family treated you all these years?”
Lin Aotian coldly regarded the proud young woman before him and spoke in a flat tone.
If Ye Wushuang had not been present, he would have already punished Liu Ruyan according to family law and expelled her from the Lin family.
“Patriarch, the Lin family has naturally treated me well.”
Liu Ruyan lowered her eyes and gave a slight nod.
“Since you know that the Lin family has treated you well, why did you speak so recklessly? If you cannot give me a reasonable explanation today, I will have no choice but to expel you from the Lin family.”
Lin Aotian’s tone was calm, but everyone could hear the immense fury hidden beneath those tranquil words.
At the same time, a tremendous pressure descended directly upon Liu Ruyan.
Under that terrifying pressure, Liu Ruyan’s face instantly turned deathly pale. Even breathing became extremely difficult.
However, since she had dared to stand up for Lin Langtian, she naturally had her own means of protecting herself.
She slowly twisted an unremarkable ring on her finger. In an instant, the pressure Lin Aotian had imposed upon her vanished without a trace, and Liu Ruyan regained her freedom of movement.
Seeing Liu Ruyan emerge unscathed, Lin Aotian looked at her in surprise.
“Patriarch, please forgive my insolence. I spoke out today because I wanted to ask one question: Has the family ever asked Lin Langtian what he himself wants? Does the marriage of the family’s direct heir not require his consent? If that is the case, where are the Lin family’s rules? Where is its dignity?”
Liu Ruyan raised her head and looked directly at the Lin family elders on the platform. Her tone was neither servile nor overbearing, though a hint of mockery could be heard in her words.
“Langtian is naturally willing.”
Hearing this, Lin Aotian’s imposing aura faltered slightly. He then spoke with some awkwardness.
Anyone with eyes could tell that Lin Aotian was not telling the truth.
Lin Langtian was Lin Aotian’s only son.
If he had a choice, what father would want his son to marry into another family?
What was more, once Lin Langtian married into the Ye family, his branch would bear the Ye surname from that point onward.
But before the Ye family, resisting would be no different from an ant trying to shake a tree. The Lin family had no choice. Only by having Lin Langtian marry into the Ye family could they preserve the Lin family’s century-old foundation.
With a silent sigh, Lin Aotian turned to look at Lin Langtian, who stood nearby with a complicated expression.
Lin Langtian’s brows were slightly furrowed. He remained silent, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Taking advantage of the brief lull, Ye Wushuang examined Liu Ruyan’s opportunity panel.
[Name: Liu Ruyan]
[Realm: Qi Condensation Realm, Perfection]
[Destiny: Absolutely cracked. During her youth, she picks up a ring and accidentally discovers that an unparalleled expert is sealed within it. After successfully taking the expert as her master, Liu Ruyan rises rapidly, encountering countless opportunities along the way and eventually becoming the destined Emperor of the Spirit Realm Continent.]
[Recent Opportunity: After a disagreement, she publicly kills Ye Wushuang in the Lin family’s council hall. With the help of the mysterious master within the ring, she begins fleeing. While escaping to the Azure Cloud Mountains, she happens upon a hidden abode and accidentally obtains an Earth-grade, supreme-tier cultivation technique, the Breathless Devouring Art.]
The treasures of the Spirit Realm Continent were broadly divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Each grade was further divided into four tiers: low, middle, high, and supreme.
Ye Wushuang understood everything after reading this.
Liu Ruyan was probably one of those legendary Daughters of Destiny. She had a master within a ring protecting her from the very beginning, allowing her to steamroll everything in her path and obtain countless opportunities.
She was precisely the kind of person favored by the heavens and blessed with extraordinary fortune.
To be honest, Ye Wushuang was not envious in the slightest.
Of course, Ye Wushuang was not being honest.
In terms of pure combat strength, Ye Wushuang did not stand a chance against Liu Ruyan right now. She could only outwit her.
Thinking of this, Ye Wushuang remembered the two talismans in her system’s storage space.
She cast another glance at Lin Langtian.
He had a cool, aloof expression, a handsome face, and a pair of elegant phoenix eyes. Tall and slender, with flawless skin, he possessed an otherworldly air that made him seem untouched by the mortal world.
Ye Wushuang could not help sighing in admiration. The original owner might have been a hopeless romantic, but she certainly had good taste. Even compared with all the handsome men Ye Wushuang had seen on short-video platforms in her previous life, Lin Langtian still ranked among the very best.
Out of curiosity, Ye Wushuang opened Lin Langtian’s opportunity panel. The next moment, she regretted it.
[Name: Lin Langtian]
[Realm: Qi Condensation Realm, Perfection]
[Destiny: Absolutely cracked]
[In his previous life, Lin Langtian was the Heavenly Demon Emperor of the Spirit Realm Continent. He ruled the entire Southern Frontier for five hundred years before being ambushed and killed by an alliance of orthodox sects. At the final moment, he self-detonated and perished together with his enemies, only to be reincarnated as the Young Lord of the Lin family. He has recently awakened the memories of his previous life, causing his strength to soar. Extremely dangerous.]
[Recent Opportunity: Three days from now, he will discover a Yellow-grade, supreme-tier Essence Condensation Pill beneath a stone tablet in the Azure Cloud Mountains. After taking it, his cultivation will stabilize, and he will be on the verge of breaking through.]
After reading Lin Langtian’s opportunity panel, Ye Wushuang could not help sucking in a sharp breath.
Damn!
So both of you are future Emperors, and I’m the only clown here?
As the Heavenly Demon Emperor in his previous life, Lin Langtian had undoubtedly been a ruthless and decisive figure.
At this moment, Ye Wushuang was provoking two future Emperors. She suddenly felt a chill around her neck.
Once the two of them grew powerful, just how terrifying would they become? Perhaps no expert on the entire continent would be able to withstand even a single blow from them.
Thinking of this, Ye Wushuang felt utterly miserable. She had never imagined that the original owner would offend two future Emperors right from the beginning.
Wasn’t this practically lighting a lantern in a public restroom and asking to be buried in filth?
Wait—marriage alliance.
A flash of inspiration suddenly crossed Ye Wushuang’s mind, and she instantly thought of a way to deal with the situation.
On the Lin family’s side, Patriarch Lin and the elders had fallen into an unusually profound silence in the face of Liu Ruyan’s questioning.
How could they not know?
Having Lin Langtian marry into another family was a tremendous humiliation for the Lin family. But when one lived beneath another’s roof, one had no choice but to bow one’s head.
When the balance of power was so overwhelming, what did humiliation matter?
Even if Ye Wushuang killed Lin Langtian on the spot, the Lin family could only endure it. They would not dare to resist in the slightest.
Seeing that no one answered, Liu Ruyan smiled.
She shifted her gaze to Ye Wushuang, who was seated calmly on the platform, and parted her lips slightly.
“Ye Wushuang, we are cultivators. If you have even a shred of dignity left, then fight me. If you lose, return to the Ye family at once and never bother Lin Langtian again. This engagement will be annulled.”
“If I lose, I will never appear before the two of you again.”
“What do you say? Surely the dignified Second Young Lady of the Ye family isn’t lacking even the courage to accept a challenge, is she?”
With that, Liu Ruyan’s face filled with disdain.
Everyone present knew that she was deliberately provoking Ye Wushuang, yet no one stepped forward to warn her.
Liu Ruyan had proposed the contest because she was absolutely certain of victory. She had already had the spiritual sense of the master within the ring scan Ye Wushuang.
Although the Sword-Seeking Manor was one of Clear River City’s renowned four great clans, its so-called Second Young Lady, Ye Wushuang, was an utter good-for-nothing.
She possessed only an early Qi Condensation cultivation, and the aura around her was weak and unstable. Her foundation was clearly unsteady, which meant she had most likely forcefully raised her cultivation with spirit pills.
Moreover, Liu Ruyan’s true cultivation was a full three minor realms higher than Ye Wushuang’s. She was completely confident that she could win the contest—and perhaps even seize the opportunity to kill Ye Wushuang and be done with her once and for all.
Ye Wushuang keenly sensed the murderous intent that flashed through Liu Ruyan’s eyes.
How could she fail to realize that Liu Ruyan intended to kill her?
However, Ye Wushuang was completely unafraid. She let out a cold laugh.
“Who do you think you are to say that?”
Before she could make a move, a voice rang out from below the platform.
“Liu Ruyan, how dare you! What kind of status does Miss Ye possess? How could someone like you, an insignificant outsider disciple of the Lin family, dare insult her? Miss Ye is a person of noble status. Why should she lower herself to fight you? Who do you think you are? You’re nothing more than a dog of the Lin family!”
A Lin family disciple could no longer contain his anger after hearing Liu Ruyan publicly challenge Ye Wushuang, and he leaped forward to rebuke her.
He had long been infatuated with the breathtaking Second Young Lady of the Ye family, but Ye Wushuang had never once looked him in the eye.
Now that an opportunity to distinguish himself had presented itself, how could Lin Langwu let it pass?
Besides, if he managed to curry favor with the legitimate daughter of the Ye family, then even if he could not win her affection, perhaps one day, should Ye Wushuang be in a good mood, she might casually reward him with something. That alone would be enough to benefit him for the rest of his life.
“Miss Wushuang, one of our servants has behaved improperly. Please don’t take offense. You needn’t lift a finger. I’ll teach this clown a proper lesson and make her understand the difference between seniority and rank. Consider it my way of venting your anger, Miss Wushuang.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful surge of spiritual energy radiated from Lin Langwu’s body. A flash of azure light appeared in his hand, condensing into a swift and fierce blast of astral wind that slammed toward Liu Ruyan.
Lin Langwu was remarkably strong and had earned a certain reputation within the Lin family. Though still young, he had already reached the early Qi Condensation realm. In his estimation, if this attack struck Liu Ruyan, who was only at the Body Tempering realm, it would be powerful enough to cripple her.
“That’s it?”
Liu Ruyan let out a light laugh, the corners of her lips curling upward. Facing the oncoming fist wind, she calmly extended one hand.
Seeing that Liu Ruyan neither dodged nor retreated, many of the watching Lin family disciples shook their heads.
“This Liu Ruyan is far too arrogant. She actually dares to confront someone in the early Qi Condensation realm head-on.”
“Exactly. The gap between the Body Tempering and Qi Condensation realms is like heaven and earth. How does she dare?”
“This True Qi Cloud-Pushing Palm is Lin Langwu’s signature technique. He has even cultivated it to the Minor Accomplishment stage, and it’s a mid-grade Yellow-tier martial art. Even cultivators of the same realm would find it difficult to withstand.”
“Anyone who shows off like that is bound to get struck by lightning. Just watch—Liu Ruyan is about to be crippled.”
