My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

Nanshan Pass, as a super-large border pass in the southwest region of the Li Dynasty, is one of the most prosperous places in the Li Dynasty. There are many reasons for its prosperity. In addition to its proximity to the Monster Forest, which has a lot of medicinal herbs and monsters, it is also because it is a large border city of the Li Dynasty.

Many merchant caravans from other parts of the mainland come here to trade, or travel from here to the capital of the Li Dynasty to trade. It can be said that this place is an important lifeline of the Li Dynasty.

Lin Ran, dressed in a brown robe and with a changed appearance, silently queued at the East Gate of Nanshan Pass, watching the crowd in front of her that was almost bursting the city gate. Among them were all kinds of people.

For example, a mercenary group covered in blood, driving a vehicle loaded with their prey, would boast to acquaintances, as if to say, "Hey, how did you know I killed a high-level monster today?"

This is the confidence I gain from hunting high-level monsters!

The caravan behind Lin Ran seemed to have come from the desert, which made Lin Ran curious, so she went up and started chatting with the caravan leader who was sitting in front.

"Hey, brother, you guys came from that desert, didn't you have sandstorms and strange monsters there before?" After rambling on for a while, Lin Ran finally asked the question he was concerned about.

The caravan leader, a slightly overweight middle-aged man with a thick beard, laughed and scolded Lin Ran upon hearing her words, "Brother, your information is way outdated. The sandstorm stopped more than a year ago, and the monsters that attacked us on the road to the Southern Wilderness town have inexplicably ceased their attacks. Otherwise, we wouldn't have dared to come all the way from the desert like this."

"More than a year?"

Lin Ran was a little surprised. She hadn't expected him to spend so much time on this. She wondered if his son could solve the problem of the two girls from the Ye family.

Lin Ran continued chatting with the captain and even got some good wine. Since they were still a long way from entering the city, they could continue to boast.

The caravan leader was well-informed. When Lin Ran intentionally brought up the matter of the Ye family in Nanshan Pass, the leader rattled off a lot of information: "At first, it was really possible that the two beautiful sisters of the Ye family would be forcibly taken by the Li family in Nanshan Pass, but the Ye family inexplicably got in touch with the Jinling Chamber of Commerce and the Lin family in Linshan City."

Especially the Jinling Chamber of Commerce, which is a top-tier power.

"By the way, brother, do you know who's in charge of the Jinling Chamber of Commerce right now?"

"Who is it? Hasn't it always been the eldest princess from the royal family?" Lin Ran asked疑惑地.

"Oh, it's changed now. The eldest princess of the royal family has stepped down, and it seems that she has handed it over to her daughter, named Li Yuhan."

Let me tell you, this girl is pretty, but the line of suitors could stretch from the capital to Nanshan Pass. What's most terrifying is her strength; there were rumors that she was a good-for-nothing.

But suddenly she started cultivating, and now her strength has reached the Dao Yuan Realm, and she's progressing very quickly. She'll probably reach the peak of the Dao Yuan Realm soon. Tsk tsk, this thorny rose—if we could remove its thorns, it would surely be incredibly fragrant.

As the caravan leader spoke, he himself became quite engrossed in the conversation.

Lin Ran looked at this guy and couldn't help but secretly laugh to himself. His opinion was indeed correct. Li Yuhan was really suitable for cultivating the Heavenly Fox Technique. Now that this girl has returned to the capital, she will probably charm a lot of people!

Afterwards, Lin Ran asked about a question she was concerned about: the selection competition for the five major academies. The team leader replied, "I'm afraid if you rush to the capital now, you can only watch the final round of the selection competition. It seems to have started a few days ago."

Having obtained a lot of information from the caravan leader, Lin Ran bid a pleasant farewell to him inside Nanshan Pass. After asking around to find out where the Ye family lived, Lin Ran headed straight for them. What was this all about? Arriving early to meet her in-laws.

When meeting her in-laws, Lin Ran did not wear a mask but showed her true face, and asked the Ye family's guards to go inside and inform them.

The guards standing watch outside the Ye family's residence were quite clever. They didn't look down on Lin Ran just because she looked travel-worn, and they didn't refuse to help her go in and announce her arrival.

While waiting for the announcement, Lin Ran also looked at the facade of the Ye residence, which was indeed very grand and magnificent.

Lin Ran also learned a lot of information from the caravan captain. The Ye family has now returned to its former glory, and even surpassed it, thanks to the help of the Lin family and the Jinling Chamber of Commerce. Moreover, the three parties have reached a cooperation agreement.

The Ye family refines various spiritual medicines and supplies them to the Lin family and the Jinling Chamber of Commerce, mainly to the Lin family. As for the Jinling Chamber of Commerce, given its size, it doesn't care about the Ye family's small share. It's just a token gesture so that the Ye family can benefit from the support of the Jinling Chamber of Commerce.

After a while, the quick-witted guard invited Lin Ran into the Ye residence: "Mr. Lin, the patriarch invites you in. Please follow me!"

The guards led Lin Ran to the Ye family's main hall, which was reserved for distinguished guests, and asked her to take a seat.

Not long after, a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue robe came to the hall. When he saw Lin Ran, he excitedly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and respectfully said, "I am Ye Chong, the patriarch of the Ye family. Greetings, Patriarch Lin Ran!"

"How did you know I was Lin Ran when we first met?" Lin Ran asked with a smile.

"Although this is my first time meeting Clan Chief Lin, my daughter has already shown me a portrait of Clan Chief Lin Ran. Now that I've met her in person, I didn't expect her to be even younger than in the portrait. Clan Chief Lin Ran truly has a secret to maintaining her youthful appearance!" Ye Chong said with a smile.

Lin Ran was pleased with the flattery. She pulled Ye Chong to sit down and had a good chat with him, learning more details. It turned out that Lin Chong had entrusted the Jinling Chamber of Commerce to send a letter back to Linshan City, sending a copy to both the Lin family and the Jinling Chamber of Commerce.

It was probably Li Yuhan who orchestrated this, ultimately resolving the Ye family's crisis. Lin Ran silently added a debt of gratitude to Li Yuhan in her heart; the more favors she owed this woman, the harder it would be to repay them later.

After a deep conversation with the Ye family patriarch, Lin Ran learned that Lin Chong and the other two sisters had set off from Nanshan Pass towards the capital for training, accompanied by a group of guards. They had even sent a letter back a while ago to let her know they were safe and sound, saying they were preparing to participate in the academy's selection competition.

According to Ye Chong himself, his eldest daughter, Ye Wanxi, is very fond of Lin Chong, and the two are very affectionate. Ye Chong has seen several loving and sweet scenes between them at the Ye family home.

But since they don't have a proper title yet, it's not good. So he wants to go to the Lin family to arrange an engagement for the two of them first. When they want to get married later, they can get married. Moreover, this marriage can be considered as the Ye family climbing up to the Lin family.

However, Lin Ran was not present when I visited the Lin family, otherwise the marriage would have been arranged long ago.

"Haha, it's alright, in-law. Now that we're here, there's no time like the present. Let's get engaged right now, and then you can write a letter to the two children. That will make them happy for a while," Lin Ran laughed.

Ye Chong had the same idea. Both of them were action-oriented, so they immediately called people to arrange the necessary engagement ceremony and send a gift to the two children in the capital.

That evening, the Ye family held a banquet to welcome Lin Ran and celebrate the engagement between the two families' children. If the two children were to get married in the future, the relationship between the two families would become even closer.

Lin Ran stayed at the Ye family's house for a few days before saying goodbye, telling Ye Chong that he could contact the current head of the Lin family if he needed anything in the future.

After seeing Lin Ran off, Ye Chong couldn't help but sigh. The eldest elder of the Ye family, who was standing next to Ye Chong and was also the most powerful alchemist in the Ye family at present, asked in confusion, "Ye Chong, why are you sighing?"

"I'm wondering why Chief Lin Ran only has one child. If she had another child, I could marry Qingyi off to her," Ye Chong said.

Upon hearing this, the First Elder burst into laughter and patted Ye Chongde on the shoulder, saying, "You rascal, if I remember correctly, that girl Qingyi seems to have a strong liking for the young master of the Lin family. Maybe we can get those two girls to marry into the Lin family together!"

"Huh? Sisters serving one person, that's not quite right..." Ye Chong was still a little reluctant. When he saw his own beautiful cabbage and Lin Chong of the Lin family being intimate, he felt a little uncomfortable. Now he had to give two of them away?

"Haha, as long as the children are happy, that's good. Your thinking is too conservative. Besides, I feel that the young master of the Lin family will definitely go very far in the future. His father has already reached the Spirit Pill Realm. This child might even reach Nirvana Realm or something higher?" The First Elder patted Ye Chongde's shoulder and said meaningfully.

"Nirvana?" Ye Chong shook his head upon hearing the Grand Elder's words, then burst into laughter. As he walked towards the Ye family compound, he muttered to himself, "Maybe there really is a chance!"

……

Chapter Sixty-One: Arrival in Anling (4K)

After visiting the Ye family, Lin Ran saw no need to stay at Nanshan Pass any longer. He was curious about Xiao Chong's performance in the academy's selection competition, so he leaped into the azure sky, transformed into a streak of light, stirred up a gust of wind, and flew towards the capital.

After two leisurely days of travel, Lin Ran finally arrived at Anling, the capital of the Li Dynasty, in the evening!

The capital of a dynasty, take the Li dynasty as an example, many people may never come here in their entire lives, whether in the past world or the present world. Lin Ran can only go to the capital a handful of times.

As they approached the capital, Lin Ran stopped flying and instead chose to walk through the city gate.

Perhaps because the selection competition for the five major academies is currently underway, the crowd entering through the city gate is particularly large.

The guards responsible for guarding the city gates were highly skilled and numerous, and they were divided into several checkpoints to question and inspect people entering the city.

Lin Ran could see the magnificent city from afar. Its size and vast expanse aroused his desire to explore it, especially since it had been a long time since he last visited Anling.

When it was Lin Ran's turn, the soldier in armor, seeing that Lin Ran looked travel-worn, stared at her sharply and casually asked, "Where are you from? Where are you going?"

"The people from Nanshan Pass have traveled a long way to the capital. They've never been to the capital before and want to come and see it!" Lin Ran replied with a smile.

Seeing this, the soldier didn't stop her any further and waved for Lin Ran to go in.

Lin Ran also entered this magnificent imperial capital.

It must be said that the people who built this capital city were really creative; the design is both antique and grand, befitting the imperial capital.

Lin Ran found a bustling restaurant, ordered some local specialties and drinks, and sat by the window. Sometimes she looked out at the street, and sometimes she listened to the people in the restaurant bragging to each other, or the storyteller on the stage.

Unexpectedly, the people were not talking about the academy selection competition, but about the super-large auction held by the Jinling Chamber of Commerce after the competition, which was said to feature all sorts of rare and precious treasures.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran took a sip of her drink and murmured, "This brat has a real business sense. Holding a mega-auction right after the academy selection competition will definitely generate massive buzz!"

Right now, they've only released some hype. It's said that there are high-level spiritual herbs or high-level cultivation techniques. Although they haven't said what they are, it's said that the level is only higher than that, and it's very likely to be at the same level as a Heaven-level cultivation technique.

Many people were very curious about this, and the threshold for this auction was not too high. Many people with some wealth could participate, and even if they couldn't afford to buy, they could still witness this grand scene.

Therefore, the sudden announcement of an auction of this caliber at this time is naturally very eye-catching.

It's important to understand that the academy selection competition held in Anling, the capital of the Li Dynasty, is essentially an authorization granted to the Li Dynasty by the five major academies. The surrounding dynasties do not receive this kind of treatment; people from those dynasties must come here to participate in the academy selection competition.

This has made the capital city incredibly lively and crowded during this period. Even now, when Lin Ran looks out the window, the crowd is densely packed.

The Li Dynasty mobilized a large number of troops to maintain order in the capital. They even set up a special rest area for the participants of the Five Great Academies' selection competition. The participants from the Five Great Academies were also arranged to live in prime locations near the palace, demonstrating the high importance they placed on the event.

Lin Ran originally wanted to find someone to learn about the academy selection competition, but she didn't expect that the Jinling Chamber of Commerce would actually set up a special column for the selection competition. All the first-hand information, whether it was about the participants or the people from the five major academies, including information about the five major academies and who was better or worse, was clearly stated in the column.

Moreover, it's not too expensive; you can buy it for a few silver coins. Not only that, it seems that the Jinling Chamber of Commerce has also officially organized some player competitions and set up some betting pools.

Lin Ran couldn't help but sigh at Li Yuhan's business acumen. He had only casually mentioned some things, but Li Yuhan had actually remembered them all and put them into practice, making a good living from them.

Lin Ran asked the shop assistant to buy the newspapers and books that featured the selection competition. After bringing them back, she couldn't help but read them carefully. She found that Li Yuhan had put together these in a rather interesting way. The daily battle reports included pictures of the contestants and information about them.

Lin Ran was a little surprised when she looked for her son's results. She didn't expect that her son had already made it into the top 100, and the girl named Ye Qingyi had also made it into the top 100.

This was a bit unexpected for Lin Ran. This little girl was so panicked and scared in the underground ruins, but she was dominating the competition, right?

Lin Ran only learned from today's newspaper headline that Ye Wanxi had made a big splash today because she participated in the academy selection competition, a channel similar to independent enrollment. Her alchemy skills were favored by the five major academies, all of which extended offers to her. However, she was still undecided about which academy to choose.

This news immediately alarmed the three major families and the royal family in the capital, who all came to win over this future alchemy master.

Lin Ran was very happy to see this. Such a daughter-in-law was a perfect match for Lin Chong.

If this news gets back, his future in-laws will probably be very happy.

"I wonder when the competition starts tomorrow. I'll go check it out!" Lin Ran thought to herself as she ate her side dishes and looked at the bustling streets at night.

the next day…

Lin Ran was stopped by a guard at the entrance of the selection competition. The guard said sternly, "Your ticket is fake. You can't enter. Get out of the way. You're blocking the people behind you from entering!"

A somewhat arrogant young man came up next to her, arm in arm with a female companion. He glanced at Lin Ran, especially noticing her travel-worn and shabby appearance, and said sarcastically, "Some people are really something, trying to get in with fake tickets!"

"Hey, you kid!"

Lin Ran glared at the arrogant young man. He was a bit stingy, so he used a little trick to replace the young master's admission ticket with his own.

Immediately afterward, the arrogant young man took out two tickets and handed them to the guard. He had originally intended to mock Lin Ran a bit, but unexpectedly, the guard said, "You have a fake one here too. I've repeatedly reminded you not to buy tickets from strangers near the selection area, as you're easily scammed. If you want to watch the competition, you should buy tickets from the official Jinling Chamber of Commerce. Don't be fooled, but you just won't listen. Only one of you can go in, so hurry up and choose one!"

"Oh no, how could that be? I bought this from the official website!"

The man, who originally wanted to show off in front of his female companion, is now stuck in an awkward situation. He can't very well let the woman in, but if he doesn't go in, then what was the point of bringing his sister to watch the game?

As a result, because the people behind were protesting that the people in front were slowing down the entry speed, they could only leave in a sorry state.

Lin Ran changed doors and used the ticket he had taken from the young master to enter smoothly. However, he didn't expect to be in a high-end seat. But it was okay, he had sharp eyes and could see the scene. He looked curiously at the people sitting in the most conspicuous and prestigious seats and couldn't help but take out the book to look at the pictures.

"This beautiful woman is a teacher sent by Linghua Academy... an elder-level teacher with the strength of the Spirit Core Realm, and this one is..."

Lin Ran was truly astonished. The teachers leading the teams from the five major academies were all at the Spirit Core Realm, but their positions were different. The two most powerful academies, Azure Dragon and Holy Sky, also had teachers at the Spirit Core Realm, but they could only serve as class teachers. This contrast demonstrated the strength of those two academies.

Not only people from the five major academies came, but also members of the royal family and three great families, as well as some high-ranking officials and nobles from the capital, all of whom sat in the VIP section. But what surprised Lin Ran even more was that Li Yuhan also came.

Having not seen this alluring woman for over a year, Lin Ran could see and feel the changes that had taken place in Li Yuhan after she cultivated the Heavenly Fox Technique. Even someone as powerful as Lin Ran could sense the captivating charm and allure emanating from Li Yuhan.

Moreover, Li Yuhan's clothes are no longer the same as before; they now subtly reveal a hint of whiteness. For example, she used to like low necklines that revealed a glimpse of white skin, or slightly higher slits in her skirts.

She was now dressed in a proper, luxurious, and elegant royal gown, which covered her completely but subtly outlined her graceful figure. In particular, she exuded an alluring aura, and her long, narrow, beautiful eyes had a faint purple tinge. If one looked at them, one would be irresistibly drawn to them. Those with less self-control or less cultivation might fall deeply into their trap.