54: Lord Dongshan and the Lin family

Zhao Haihong's speed was very fast. After only fifteen minutes, he had drafted three letters and quickly sent people to deliver them to the residences of three First-Rank Masters... Dongshan Prefecture City was the absolute core of the entire Dongshan Prefecture.

The Dongshan Prefecture Lord, the Dongshan Prefecture City Lord, and many high-level experts of Dongshan Prefecture all worked and Cultivated here...

At this moment, in the center of the Prefecture City, inside an incomparably luxurious and magnificent secret room.

A middle-aged man with black hair, wearing black clothes and possessing a square, majestic face, was sitting on a prayer mat Cultivating.

His entire body emanated an incredibly terrifying power of blood and Qi, like a Dragon, a tiger, an elephant, or an ox, making the surrounding Void Realm seem to tremble faintly.

Suddenly—

"Knock, knock, knock!"

A knocking sound rang out from outside, followed by a respectful voice entering the room.

"Prefecture Lord, Zhao Haihong, the Vice Dean of Dongshan Martial Academy, has sent an urgent letter."

"Oh, Zhao Haihong?"

Hearing this name, the middle-aged man in black opened his eyes and spoke.

"What does he want?"

"It is like this, Prefecture Lord."

Outside the door, the respectful voice explained.

"Not long ago, a Genius Disciple named Lin Yi came from the Guangling Martial Academy to the Dongshan Martial Academy for further studies. This boy has remarkable talent and is related to a clansman of Zhao Haihong, so he is highly regarded by Zhao Haihong."

"Recently, his father accidentally killed the only son of Lu Chong, the 'Six-Armed Nezha' and head of the Qingfeng Stockade on Wangwu Mountain. Lu Chong was driven mad with rage; he captured Lin Yi's parents and intends to subject them to a thousand cuts and execute them by slow slicing."

"Lin Yi and Zhao Haihong are now at their wits' end, so they can only appeal to you, Prefecture Lord. How should we reply to them?"

"How is that Lin Yi's talent? Can he enter the Tianshan Pavilion?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man in black did not answer directly but asked a question instead.

"In reply to the Prefecture Lord, Lin Yi is fifteen years old this year. Based on the strength he showed at the Dongshan Martial Academy last time, he should be at the Sixth Rank Peak cultivation, with an Extreme Strength Major Achievement exertion Realm and a Fourth Grade Martial Art Perfection technique Realm. Compared to the Prodigy geniuses of the Tianshan Pavilion, he is still quite lacking in all aspects."

"However, he is suspected of Martial Dao Enlightenment, he is..."

"Since he hasn't met the entrance standards of the Tianshan Pavilion, there's no need to say more."

Before the person outside could finish, the majestic man in black inside the secret room shook his head slightly and interrupted.

"Reaching this level only at fifteen... I estimate at most he'll become a Martial Dao Second Rank in the future. There's likely no hope for him to even reach the First Rank. Go and refuse him!"

"Yes! Prefecture Lord!"

As the majestic man's voice fell, the person outside nodded respectfully and quickly retreated... "Master, these Zitang Flowers are so beautiful!"

"Master, these flowers smell so good!"

"Master, look over there..."

In the Eastern City of Dongshan Prefecture, inside a massive manor that spanned a huge area, looking like a giant beast crouching on the ground.

A middle-aged man dressed in green was holding a beautiful concubine, surrounded by more than ten charming women, admiring exotic flowers in a garden.

Suddenly—

"Family Head!"

A man in black flashed before the middle-aged man.

"Flying Eagle, what do you have to report?"

Seeing the newcomer, the middle-aged man in green released the concubine and straightened his expression to ask.

"Zhao Haihong, the Vice Dean of Dongshan Martial Academy, sent word that the academy Disciple Lin Yi was targeted by Wangwu Mountain..."

As the man in black spoke, he quickly recounted the situation.

"Hmm? Six-Armed Nezha Lu Chong? Lin Yi?"

After listening to the detailed account from the man in black, the middle-aged man in green frowned. After a moment of thought, he shook his head slightly.

"Go and refuse him! What kind of figure is our Old Ancestor? How could he easily take action for a mere junior?"

"If this gets out, wouldn't outsiders say my Lin Family has declined to the point of fawning over a junior?"

"Wouldn't that ruin my Lin Family's and the Old Ancestor's lifelong reputation? How would our Lin Family maintain its footing in Dongshan Prefecture after that?"

"Yes! Family Head! I will go and refuse the messenger sent by Zhao Haihong right away."

The man in black nodded and vanished into a phantom image the next moment.

Watching the man in black leave, the middle-aged man in green gazed into the distance, speechless for a long time, but he sighed helplessly in his heart.

It couldn't be helped! In truth, he also wanted to help Lin Yi and form a good relationship with him.

After all, judging from Lin Yi's rise, there was a high probability that the boy truly had a Martial Dao Enlightenment rather than it being a facade.

With the talent he displayed, even if his Enlightenment came a bit late and his Foundation was somewhat weak, becoming a Second-Rank Martial Artist in the future shouldn't be much of a problem, and he might even be quite powerful among Second-Rank Martial Artists.

A powerhouse like that might be beneath the noble-born Chi Longyue's notice, but the Lin Family valued him!

Unfortunately, the Lin Family's Old Ancestor was truly too old now, to the point where every time he took action or even moved for a while, it would consume his lifespan.

And the later generations of the Lin Family were unworthy, suffering from a gap in talent. Besides the Old Ancestor, who was a First-Rank Master, there were only two other Second-Rank experts, and those two weren't even strong among Second-Rank experts.

It could be said that the Lin Family's current glory was almost entirely sustained by the Old Ancestor.

Once the Old Ancestor fell, their Lin Family, as the only top-tier Family in Dongshan Prefecture holding vast resources, would surely be devoured by other families like hungry wolves, leaving not even a bone behind.

Therefore, the most important thing for the Lin Family right now was not anything else, but to do their utmost to preserve the Old Ancestor's life and strive to make him live as long as possible.

Long enough for a true peerless Genius to appear in the Lin Family to take over from the Old Ancestor, or for those geniuses they previously invested in to grow into First Rank Peak existences!

As for someone like Lin Yi, who was still growing and whose future was uncertain, the Lin Family could only give up on him.

"Forget it! I've suddenly lost interest. That's all for today; all of you go back!"

With those words, the middle-aged man in green waved his hand, then didn't bother with the garden full of women and strode away.