131: The Ancestor's Wrath

"What! That Lin Yi wants to challenge me to a duel?"

At the Heavenly Mountain Sect, in the Chu Manor, Chu Chuan could hardly believe his ears when he heard the news from his subordinates.

He was stunned for a moment, and then a look of wild joy finally erupted on his face.

"Haha! Good, good, good! It seems this Lin Yi can no longer withstand the pressure and has completely decided to give up on emperor wus final edict."

"A mere First Rank actually dares to challenge me, an Innate expert? This kid is certainly imaginative! He probably expects me to go easy on him during the fight to save face in front of the Disciples, so he can preserve his dignity!"

"Haha! Fine! Although I don't like the kid, for the sake of emperor wus final edict, I'll fulfill his wish this once and let him last a few more moves against me!"

"Quickly, send someone to tell Lin Yi that I, Chu Chuan, accept this challenge. We'll meet at the Heavenly Mountain Sect's 'Innate-Level Martial Arena' in three hours!"

"Also, order the subordinates to spread the news quickly. Within three hours, I want every Disciple and Elder of the Heavenly Mountain Sect to know about this."

"Since Lin Yi cares so much about his reputation, I'll give him all the 'face' he wants. That way, he might feel better when he hands over emperor wus final edict. Haha! I, Chu Chuan, am truly merciful!"

As his voice faded, Chu Chuan laughed loudly, his eyes filled with excitement and greed for the upcoming emperor wus final edict.

Under his arrangements, the Disciples, Elders, and the group of Innate Grand Elders of the Heavenly Mountain Sect soon received the news... "What! Lin Yi wants to challenge Grand Elder Chu Chuan? He's crazy! Crazy! This Lin Yi has truly lost his mind!"

As soon as the news broke, many Elders who already had issues with Lin Yi immediately exploded with indignation.

"A mere First Rank is actually arrogant enough to challenge an Innate expert. Who does he think he is? The Martial God?"

"Exactly! This Lin Yi is far too conceited. Just because he has some talent, he acts so arrogantly. Does he really think he can compare to the Ancestors of the Three Great Sacred Lands?"

"One must know that the reason the Ancestors of the Three Great Sacred Lands are who they are is not just because they were prodigies in their youth, but because they became even more monstrous after reaching the Innate Realm. That is how they achieved such heights."

"Yet this Lin Yi hasn't even reached the Innate Realm and is already this arrogant and selfish. In my opinion, his future achievements will be limited. He'll be lucky if he can even reach the Xiantian Golden Core Realm!"

"The Xiantian Golden Core Realm? Hmph! If he continues to be this arrogant and selfish, I doubt he'll even reach the Xiantian Golden Core Realm!"

Within the Heavenly Mountain Sect, several Elders sneered and cursed.

They didn't know how powerful the Ancestors of the Three Great Sacred Lands truly were, nor did they even know about the Martial Saint Realm.

In their eyes, no matter how much of a Prodigy Lin Yi was, his future would at most place him in the top ranks of the Heaven-Grade list.

While the Sect lacked top-tier experts of the Heaven-Grade list, it didn't need one who was so selfish and conceited.

Thus, seeing Lin Yi acting this way, they naturally cursed him!

In contrast, the Disciples who admired Lin Yi and the Grand Elders who had recognized his potential after the last incident were much more temperate.

Although they still didn't have high hopes for Lin Yi and thought he might have gone mad, they didn't resort to insults. At most, they chuckled inwardly before quickly heading toward the Heavenly Mountain Sect's 'Innate-Level Martial Arena'... Meanwhile, on the other side, halfway up the Heavenly Mountain Sect mountain, inside that secluded cave in the back mountains.

Whoosh!

An afterimage flashed through the Void Realm. In the next moment, Gu Changsheng, dressed in white, suddenly arrived and spoke respectfully toward the cave.

"Old Ancestor, just a moment ago, Lin Yi suddenly challenged Chu Chuan to a duel!"

Gu Changsheng then recounted everything he had heard to the Old Ancestor of the Tianshan Sect inside the cave.

"Hmm? A duel? And he's wagering emperor wus final edict? This little fellow, why is he so impulsive!"

An aged voice resonated from within the cave, carrying a faint trace of anger.

"I already gave the order that whether he broke through to the Innate Realm or not, emperor wus final edict would be his."

"Yet, less than a day after failing his Innate Breakthrough, he impulsively challenged an Innate expert over some rumors and gossip, abandoning emperor wus final edict."

"With such a Heart-Nature, no matter how high his talent, how can he ever become a powerhouse in the future?"

"This... Old Ancestor, perhaps Lin Yi has some hidden trump card we don't know about, giving him the confidence to defeat Chu Chuan."

Hearing the anger in the Old Ancestor's voice, Gu Changsheng was startled and hurriedly tried to defend Lin Yi.

"A trump card? What trump card could allow a First Rank to defeat an Innate expert!"

The voice from the cave replied indifferently.

"In the history of our Nine Provinces' martial arts, there have indeed been a very few geniuses with incredible combat talent who achieved such a feat."

"But those geniuses all displayed terrifying cross-Realm combat abilities from the Early Stages of their martial path. While this little fellow was a Prodigy before, he has never shown such ability. How can he fight Chu Chuan?"

"This... I..."

At this point, Gu Changsheng was at a loss for words.

Since the Old Ancestor had put it that way, even if he wanted to defend Lin Yi, he couldn't find a way to argue.

After all, he truly couldn't think of a reason himself.

"Lin Yi, oh Lin Yi! You little fellow, you were really too impulsive this time!"

Gu Changsheng sighed inwardly, then could only say respectfully to the cave.

"Old Ancestor, since it has already happened and almost everyone in the Heavenly Mountain Sect knows that Lin Yi initiated the challenge against Chu Chuan, we can't take it back even if we wanted to. What do you think we should do next?"

"Let things take their course!"

The aged voice from the cave said calmly.

"Since this little fellow is so impulsive, then losing emperor wus final edict is a price he deserves to pay."

"Otherwise, if we continue to coddle him, it will only harm his future. He might truly fail to even become a Martial Saint in the future."

"Enough! This matter ends here. When the battle between those two little fellows, Lin Yi and Chu Chuan, begins, I will personally go to the martial arena to watch. You go back to your duties!"

"Yes! Old Ancestor!"

Gu Changsheng nodded respectfully and immediately departed.

Time passed quickly as the news continued to spread.

In the blink of an eye, the time for the formal duel between Lin Yi and Chu Chuan arrived.