Cang Yan’s physical body had not arrived; it was merely his Divine Soul, yet it struck awe into the hearts of the assembled experts.

Such a display of power left Lin Hao marveling.

It was then that Lin Hao realized he had still severely underestimated the old man.

Staring at the blood lion in the sky, Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed, his thoughts unreadable.

In all of Imperial City, aside from Lin Hao, there was only one other person who dared to stare at Cang Yan’s Divine Soul so intently.

"Cang... You... Are you all right?" a woman called Fairy Peerless stared at the blood lion, her fists clenched and her voice trembling.

She and Cang Yan had been separated for forty years. How could she not be overcome with emotion upon suddenly seeing his Divine Soul?

The blood lion glanced at her but said nothing. At the same time, its form began to slowly fade.

"No! Don’t go!" Fairy Peerless’s voice was a plaintive cry.

There was no response.

"Hey, old man, are you even a man?!" Lin Hao couldn’t watch any longer and chided the blood lion with dissatisfaction.

’That old man Cang Yan clearly has feelings for her but is too proud to admit it—a classic case of suffering for the sake of his pride.’

The blood lion continued to fade.

"All right, old man. I know you just used this as an excuse to see Sister Peerless, so get your ass down here," Lin Hao said, refusing to let it go.

His two rebukes made countless onlookers’ eyes go wide.

Who was Cang Yan?

This was the Fiery Fire Demon Monarch, a man who killed without batting an eye and showed no respect even for the Sovereign. How dare this kid speak to him like that? Did he have a death wish?

"Brat, you think I wanted to come? If someone hadn’t asked me to, I wouldn’t have bothered with you. What a disappointment! You’ve completely disgraced our master!" The blood lion finally vanished, but its voice lingered in the air.

What?!

That last sentence nearly made everyone’s eyes pop out of their sockets.

Cang Yan was one of the top experts on the continent, yet he claimed he was acting on someone’s request. What kind of heaven-defying existence could possibly command him?

Moreover, Cang Yan hadn’t said that Lin Hao had disgraced *him*, but their master... Just what was this Lin Hao’s background?

Countless people were speculating about Lin Hao’s origins. As the oppressive aura from Cang Yan dissipated, many secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, Cang Yan’s voice echoed through the void once more, without any warning. "Oh, and one last thing. If one of his peers manages to tear the boy to pieces, I won’t interfere. But if any of you old fossils treat my words as hot air, you’ll face the consequences!"

The Martial Artists who had just begun to relax instantly stiffened, their bodies going taut again.

This state lasted for several long seconds.

Cang Yan’s fearsome reputation terrified them all.

The only two people present who weren’t frightened by him were Lin Hao and Fairy Peerless.

Fairy Peerless stared dazedly into the empty sky as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Um, Sister Peerless, that old man is just too proud for his own good. I’ve heard him mention your name more than once. And whenever he thinks of you, he goes to Red Beauty City to drink Drunken Red Dust." ’They were supposed to be lovers, but they went their separate ways.’ Since that fellow Cang Yan had bolted, Lin Hao had no choice but to comfort her.

"Really?" Fairy Peerless’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Lin Hao smiled and nodded. "Of course."

"Come, your big sister will take you to the Saint Institute." A radiant glow appeared on Fairy Peerless’s face, and her entire being was instantly re-energized.

But Lin Hao shook his head. "It’s not even dawn yet. It’s not time for the entrance examination."

"You don’t need to take the examination."

"No. I don’t need special treatment. It would be detrimental to my cultivation."

Fairy Peerless nodded. Then, with a flicker of her silhouette, she vanished without a trace.

Jade cannot be perfected without carving.

Lin Hao still had to walk his own path.

The martial experts lurking in the shadows had also quietly withdrawn.

To make a move against Lin Hao would be to invite the calamity of clan annihilation.

Cang Yan’s name had terrorized Imperial City for forty years. He was a man who dared to storm even the royal palace; naturally, no one dared to question his words.

However, an order was issued within the Lin family of Imperial City: all disciples of Lin Hao’s generation were to be deployed. They had to kill him before he could enter the Saint Institute!

Since Cang Yan had said he wouldn’t care even if Lin Hao were torn to pieces by his peers, what was there to hesitate about?

Besides, Lin Hao’s combat prowess was too terrifying; he absolutely could not be allowed to grow any stronger.

The upper echelons of the Lin family were all well aware that Lin Wu’s bloodline came from Lin Hao. If Lin Hao was allowed to mature, he would become the Lin family’s doom.

But Lin Hao had no idea that an endless slaughter awaited him after dawn. At that moment, he was stopped in his tracks.

"No wonder you’re so audacious. So you’re Cang Yan’s junior martial brother. How surprising." The Madam from the Mist Rain Tower appeared before Lin Hao, guessing his identity with her very first words.

Lin Hao wasn’t the least bit surprised. He shrugged and said, "I’ll help you rebuild your Mist Rain Tower."

Lin Hao still felt a pang of guilt, seeing the Mist Rain Tower reduced to a pile of ruins.

"There’s no need. The Mist Rain Tower doesn’t lack that small amount of money," the Madam said, shaking her head.

Lin Hao frowned, but then his eyes lit up. He called out to someone in the distance, "Hey, Little Fatty!"

Wenren Feiming, the little fatty he had just met in the Mist Rain Tower, was peering in his direction from afar.

Wenren Feiming glanced around, and upon confirming Lin Hao was calling him, he quickly waddled over.

"Big Brother, I fucking worship you!" Wenren Feiming blurted out as soon as he arrived, his eyes burning with admiration as he stared at Lin Hao.

He hadn’t left. He had watched the whole thing—Lin Hao annihilating the Lin family guards and battling the Soul Gathering Realm expert—and his blood had been boiling with excitement.

"Those silver banknotes I gave you earlier, let me borrow them," Lin Hao said, not wasting any time and getting straight to the point.

Wenren Feiming quickly took out all the silver banknotes.

He had originally planned to use the silver banknotes to buy the top Courtesan of the Mist Rain Tower. Now that the tower was gone, he had no way to spend them.

"By the way, how much silver does it cost to build a place like the Mist Rain Tower?" Lin Hao directed this question to the Madam.

Before the Madam could answer, Wenren Feiming jumped in, eager to show off his knowledge. "I know this one! To build a pavilion on the scale of the Mist Rain Tower, the total cost would be around twenty thousand silver. A rush job wouldn’t be more than twenty-five thousand."

Lin Hao nodded and handed a stack of silver banknotes to the Madam. "Consider this compensation."

Lin Hao really didn’t want to get tangled up with the Mist Rain Tower.

’It’s best to sever ties quickly.’

"Young Master Lin, you wound my heart," the Madam said without taking the silver banknotes, her gaze filled with reproach as she stared at him.

Lin Hao’s brow furrowed slightly.

At his side, Wenren Feiming’s eyes darted about before he said, "Big Brother, leave this to me. Give me one month, and I guarantee I’ll return an identical Mist Rain Tower to the Madam on your behalf."

This delighted Lin Hao.

’This little fatty is a clever one, isn’t he?’

He had a cooperative relationship with Wenren Yuxin, so he felt no pressure letting Wenren Feiming handle it.

"Great idea, Little Fatty. You’ve really got something there," Lin Hao said, patting Wenren Feiming on the shoulder.

A harsh glint flashed in the Madam’s eyes before disappearing.

"Young Master Lin, the Mist Rain Tower is gone. In the middle of the night, I have nowhere to go," the Madam said pitifully. Her first plan having failed, she was already trying another.

"I have a residence you can stay at tonight," Wenren Feiming immediately interjected, his eyes darting about.

He was starting to understand. The Madam wanted to entangle herself with Lin Hao, but there was no way Wenren Feiming would let her succeed.

The Madam’s face stiffened. She was finally learning what it felt like to be hoist by her own petard.

’This little fatty is infuriating!’

"Thirty-Eight, take her to my residence," the little fatty shouted into the air, and a middle-aged man immediately appeared without a sound.

Lin Hao had seen this man at the Mist Rain Tower; he was one of the two middle-aged men who had been standing behind him then.

Thirty-Eight. It was a codename from the Wenren family.

To have two experts protecting him whenever he went out... Lin Hao couldn’t help but shoot the little fatty a look.

The little fatty grinned. After watching Thirty-Eight lead the Madam away, he whispered to Lin Hao, "Big Brother, I’m not as important as you think. My cousin assigned them to me today to find you."

’So the little fatty really was looking for me.’ Lin Hao thought of Wenren Yuxin, whom he had only met once, and a flicker of warmth spread through his chest.

"Big Brother, don’t blame my cousin. Even though your cooperation brought considerable benefits to the Wenren family, it also offended a lot of powerful factions. The family is under a great deal of pressure now. My cousin knew the Lin family was looking for you and even went to the family elders, but..."

Wenren Feiming explained on Wenren Yuxin’s behalf, keeping his voice low.

Lin Hao smiled, unconcerned. "It sounds like you and your cousin are close. Does she tell you everything?"

"She’s incredibly tight-lipped, but I’m smart enough to have figured most of it out already," Wenren Feiming said, shaking his head and not missing a chance to praise himself.

Just then, another middle-aged man appeared without a sound. He first gave Lin Hao a respectful nod, then said, "Someone’s heading this way. We need to leave, quickly."

"It’s people from the Lin family, coming for me. You guys go on ahead," Lin Hao said with a smile, not the least bit surprised.

"Be careful, Big Brother. See you at the Saint Institute tomorrow. Oh, right, my cousin is also entering the Saint Institute tomorrow." Wenren Feiming didn’t try to dissuade Lin Hao, simply following the middle-aged man and leaving immediately.

Lin Hao chuckled. ’That little fatty really is a sharp one. He’s already got my style figured out.’

The moment Wenren Feiming was gone, countless figures flickered into view, rushing toward Lin Hao.

It was the Lin family’s guards.

Though the Lin family was a great clan with numerous disciples, when it came to choosing sacrificial pawns, the guards were always more expendable.

Having witnessed Lin Hao’s monstrous combat prowess, the Lin family didn’t actually believe these guards could kill him.

Their only purpose was to wear down Lin Hao’s strength.

In the Lin family, only Martial Artists at the Elemental Realm Fifth Layer were qualified to join the guard. Every single one of them possessed astonishing combat strength.

Against any other opponent, they might have been careless, but Lin Hao’s earlier display of power had served as a stark warning.

Several Martial Artists charged at Lin Hao, the cold glint of their drawn weapons flashing in the dark.

Lin Hao’s eyes lit up. Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging straight into their midst like an ancient, ferocious beast.

BOOM!

Lin Hao’s speed was incredible, and his body was as heavy as a mountain and just as terrifying.

With a single collision, a man was torn to pieces before he could even scream.

Lin Hao’s body was a weapon!

His body a living weapon, he completely ignored defense, leaving his guard wide open as he charged recklessly, his fists smashing into his foes.

Having just advanced to the Seventh Layer of the Elemental Realm, Lin Hao’s Spiritual Sense was even more formidable. He had already gotten a rough measure of this group of Martial Artists’ cultivation levels.

At their level, as long as they weren’t wielding Spiritual Artifacts, he had nothing to fear!