A month had passed.
Rain or shine, Lin Langtian remained kneeling at the foot of the mountain that led to the Lin family compound in Qingyang Town. His persistence was both stubborn and pathetic—yet it left Ye Feng with no choice but to acknowledge it.
On this day, Lin Xiao, Lin Dong, Lin Qingtan, Lin Zhentian, and several elders descended the steps from the compound. They stood on the high stone stairway, gazing down at the once-proud genius who had now knelt for thirty days straight.
Lin Xiao looked at Lin Langtian, and for the first time in his life, he felt a profound sense of satisfaction.
This was the same man who had once crippled him in front of the entire Lin clan during the family competition. Now, that same man was kneeling in front of his gate, utterly humbled.
"Lin Langtian," Lin Xiao called out, his voice calm but firm, "you may rise."
Lin Langtian raised his head slowly, eyes reddened from wind, rain, and shame. "Have you agreed to make this place the headquarters of the Lin family?" he asked, voice hoarse.
Lin Xiao responded coldly, "From this day forward, the Lin family of Qingyang Town is the main branch. All other Lin families—imperial or provincial—will be considered branch families."
"What do you mean by that?" Lin Langtian asked, voice rising with disbelief. "Are you saying... that the Lin family of the imperial capital will be reduced to a branch family?"
"Yes," Lin Xiao said without hesitation.
"You... You're breaking your promise!" Lin Langtian burst out, face twisting with rage.
Lin Xiao smirked slightly. "Breaking my promise? No, you misunderstood. I never said the Qingyang Town Lin family would return under your command. I merely chose a different path. You looked down on us for being a branch family—so now we'll become the main one. And your proud imperial family will take the position of a branch family instead."
"You..." Lin Langtian's lips moved, but no words came out.
His mind reeled.
This couldn't be. This shouldn't be. The idea that the imperial Lin family—rooted in the heart of the Great Yan Dynasty—could be reduced to a subordinate branch was something he could not accept. He had taken pride in his lineage. He had mocked and belittled the branch families his entire life.
And now, he was being told that he was one.
Lin Xiao's smirk deepened as he watched Lin Langtian struggle to process it. Lin Dong, too, noticed the pain in Lin Langtian's expression and couldn't help but feel vindicated.
So this was what Ye Feng meant.
Killing one's enemy may bring momentary satisfaction, but breaking the pride they held dearest—that was true revenge.
Lin Langtian, the scion of the imperial Lin family, was now just another outer disciple. A nobody in the eyes of those he once scorned.
"You're free to refuse," Lin Xiao said, voice calm and emotionless.
Lin Langtian stared at him, fists clenched, lips trembling. He wanted to protest. To curse. To reject it all.
But he remembered something.
He had knelt outside the glow of the Chaos God's Light for a month. During that time, his cultivation had broken through.
The spiritual energy in that place was ten times denser than anywhere else in the empire. Even the ancient soul bound to his golden finger, the mysterious Mu Shi, had told him not to provoke the one who controlled that light—unless he wished to die.
"...Very well," Lin Langtian muttered reluctantly.
An old man beside him, the Great Elder of the imperial Lin family, stepped forward.
"Langtian," he said gravely, "they are not wrong. Why should the imperial Lin family not be a branch?"
"But... Elder…" Lin Langtian's voice cracked.
"There is no 'but,'" the Great Elder interrupted. "Lin Xiao, Lin Zhentian—we accept your terms. From this day forth, the Lin family of Qingyang Town is the main family. As for those who wish to return, you should establish clear rules."
"No need," Lin Xiao replied immediately. "The rules are already set."
He glanced at Ye Feng in the distance and spoke in a steady tone. "There are two ways for a branch disciple to join the main family. First, if their talent meets a certain standard before the age of sixteen, they can enter the main family for training. No family competition needed."
He paused, then continued. "Second, even if someone is already a disciple of the main family, if they fail to reach a set cultivation level by sixteen, they will be transferred to the family's industries. Only through future merit or further breakthroughs can they earn a return to the core lineage."
These were the rules Ye Feng had proposed—drawn from the teachings of the Xiao family in the Dou Po Plane. Harsh, but effective. Survival of the fittest.
"If a disciple from a branch family possesses outstanding talent," the Great Elder said slowly, glancing at Lin Dong and Lin Qingtan, "then they deserve the same treatment as main family disciples. We failed in this regard in the past."
"But what about our main family's children?" the elder asked. "Will they also face the risk of being expelled at sixteen?"
"Of course," Lin Xiao replied sharply. "Our main family resources are far superior. If even with those, a disciple fails to meet the standard, they are no more than parasites. Only through rigorous rules can the Lin family rise to become the number one clan on the Tianxuan Continent."
"The number one clan...?"
"Elder," Lin Xiao pointed toward a tall black stone monument standing on a nearby platform. "That is our test tablet. From now on, any disciple who hasn't formed a Yuan Dan by the age of sixteen will be transferred out."
"What? Yuan Dan Realm?" The elder was visibly shaken. He turned to Lin Langtian. "Langtian began training at ten, reached Body Tempering Ninth Stage by twelve, Earthly Realm by thirteen, Heavenly Realm by fifteen, and formed his Yuan Dan by twenty. You're saying sixteen-year-olds must reach that level?"
"Yes," Lin Xiao said. "Because here, under the Chaos God's Light, cultivating is ten times more efficient. If a disciple can't form a Yuan Dan by sixteen under such conditions, they bring shame to the Lin name."
The Great Elder nodded slowly. "Understood."
Just then, the air around Lin Xiao rippled like water. A silver shimmer appeared in the void—and from it, a young man stepped out. He had gray hair, gray eyes, and an aura that seemed to distort the very space around him.
"Young Master Ye," Lin Xiao bowed slightly.
"Young Master Ye," echoed Lin Zhentian with deep respect.
The Great Elder blinked in disbelief. "You are... Master Ye?"
Lin Langtian looked up as if seeing Ye Feng for the first time. This was the man who had orchestrated the fall of everything he once held dear. The man who reversed the hierarchy of the Lin bloodline.
"Qingtan, Lin Dong, let's go," Ye Feng said calmly.
Ripples shimmered around him again—and in the blink of an eye, the three of them vanished from sight.
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