This martial saint is too cautious.

Chapter 90 A Change of Heart (Please Subscribe)

For three consecutive days, Lin Yan practiced the Eight Desolate Dragon Elephant Force and the Four Phases Condensing Qi Sword in the courtyard.

call out!

Lin Yan raised his hand, using his fingers as a sword, and sword energy shot out from his fingertips.

A wooden stake five zhang away had a hole the size of a finger running through it.

However, the destruction did not end there.

The crack radiated outwards from the hole in the index finger, and a moment later, the entire wooden stake exploded, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

"Now, I can say that I have completely integrated the Entangling Silk Sword Intent into the sword energy."

Lin Yan withdrew his finger with satisfaction, and a hole appeared in the wooden stick, which was the power of the sword energy. Then the whole stick exploded, which was the power of the entwining sword intent.

The sword energy, infused with sword intent, is not a simple point-based attack.

Wood chips flew to the old pomegranate tree beside it, and the tree's leaves swayed as if trembling.

"Don't worry, I won't harm you because you're a tree."

97

Lin Yan smiled and whispered something to the old pomegranate tree. Three days ago, he used the old pomegranate tree to test the power of his sword energy, but then he remembered that there was also a tree in his mind.

After thinking it over, I decided not to use the old pomegranate tree for the experiment. Instead, I had the servants bring over ten wooden stakes, and to date, eight of them have been destroyed.

"We need to get another batch of wooden stakes, and we still need to integrate the Flowing Cloud Sword Intent."

Lin Yan glanced at the two remaining wooden stakes, then at the mostly destroyed weapons on the weapon rack beside him, his eyes filled with helplessness.

He understood what Hai Ge had said.

He had previously tried to unleash sword energy with his sword, but the sword shattered as soon as the energy was poured into it.

Ordinary weapons are completely useless to experts at the Blood Exchange Realm.

The only weapons suitable for martial artists at the Blood Exchange Realm are spirit weapons forged from special materials. Only spirit weapons can withstand their own blood energy and also resist the blood energy of their opponents.

"It seems I really have to compete in this branch competition."

Lin Yan wouldn't do anything to show off, but if the benefits were enough, it wasn't out of the question.

Boom boom boom!

There was a knocking sound at the gate of the courtyard.

"Young Master Lin Yan, Miss Bai has come to pay a visit."

The servant responsible for cleaning the courtyard and handling chores for Lin Yan called out from the courtyard gate.

Miss Bai?

Lin Yan frowned. He didn't know any Miss Bai. Normally, the servants shouldn't bring her to the gate before asking him. Instead, they should take Miss Bai to the waiting area and then ask him if he wanted to see her.

When I was in the disciples' quarters, the servants operated in the same way. Now that I live in the third room, the entry and exit of visitors should only be more strictly controlled.

Could it be that the Bai family and the third branch of the family have some special relationship that made them more accommodating?

Thinking of this, Lin Yan said in a deep voice towards the courtyard gate, "Wait a moment."

He had just finished his cultivation and wasn't wearing an outer garment. Regardless of who came, it would be impolite to do so.

After getting dressed, Lin Yan opened the courtyard gate, and a beautiful young woman came into view. She wore a black, tight-fitting long dress that showed off her exquisite figure. She was smiling at Lin Yan and said, "You must be Young Master Lin Yan. I am Bai Ruo."

"Miss Bai, please."

Lin Yan nodded and stepped aside to let the other person in.

This Miss Bai knows how to showcase her strengths; every smile and gesture is full of allure.

If Tang Tang, the young lady of the Tang family, deliberately displayed her feminine beauty, then Bai Ruo's charm was natural and captivating.

"Upon hearing that Young Master Lin has broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm, my family specially asked me to send a congratulatory gift."

Bai Ruo held a brocade box in her hand. Lin Yan hesitated for a moment before taking it, saying, "Thank you."

Regardless of the Bai family's background, if they come to your door with gifts, you should accept them. In most cases, the Bai family and the third branch of the family have a good relationship, otherwise the servant would not have brought this Bai family young lady to your door without informing you.

Lin Yan accepted the gift but didn't rush to open it. Instead, he invited Bai Ruo to sit at the stone table.

Bai Ruo glanced around the courtyard, taking in everything. The wood chips in the corner showed that Lin Yan was still diligently cultivating after breaking through to the Blood Exchange Realm, and was not indulging in the joy of breaking through. In this respect alone, he was better than Lin Yu from the second branch of the family.

Before visiting Lin Yan, she first visited Lin Yu, the second son's wife.

As she expected, many people valued Lin Yu. When she entered the courtyard, she encountered several other families who were chatting and laughing with Lin Yu.

In Lin Yu's courtyard, the weapons on the weapon rack were covered in a layer of dust, clearly indicating that they hadn't been touched.

As the first person in the branch to break through to the Blood Exchange Realm, Lin Yu is the most watched. During this period, he is probably busy attending various banquets and his mind is no longer on martial arts training.

In contrast, Lin Yan's side seemed much quieter.

Bai Ruo understood that it wasn't that the other families didn't think highly of Lin Yan, but rather that they shared the same concerns as her, fearing the grudges between the third and fourth branches and worrying about causing misunderstandings with the fourth branch.

"Miss Bai, please have some tea."

When the servants brought the tea, Lin Yan smiled and gestured to Bai Ruo to invite her over.

Bai Ruoru took the teacup with her delicate, white hands, as white as mutton fat jade. She took a sip with her red lips and blinked her charming eyes. "Good tea, the Lin family's unique White Mist Tea. Thanks to Young Master Lin Yan, I am able to drink it today."

Whether the tea was good or not, Lin Yan didn't know.

But this Miss Bai is indeed a fine tea.

"If Miss Bai likes it, take a jar home with you later."

Lin Yan smiled. This tea was nothing special in the Lin family; it was provided to members of the Blood Exchange Realm. He had drunk quite a bit of it, and apart from the fact that it tasted really good, it didn't offer much help in his cultivation.

"Then this humble woman will thank Young Master Lin Yan."

"7

Bai Ruo stood up and bowed deeply to Lin Yan in gratitude, as if Lin Yan had given her some precious treasure.

After a short while, Bai Ruo took her leave. She hadn't yet visited Lin Xiao, the most important person she had to do that day, and couldn't afford to waste too much time.

Lin Yan got up and saw Bai Ruo off at the courtyard gate. Only after Bai Ruo's slender figure disappeared did he turn around and go back into the courtyard.

In Lin Yan's mind, it wasn't because Bai Ruo was a beautiful woman with a great figure that he was so enthusiastic. Even if it were a big, burly man, he would be just as enthusiastic as if he were to receive a gift from him.

They paid real money, while I only paid a token gesture. The essence is that Lin Yan didn't have the superior mindset of someone at the Blood Transformation Realm.

"Tell me, what's the situation with the Bai family and Miss Bai?"

Lin Yan spoke calmly to the servants who were clearing away the teacups.

"Young Master Lin Yan, the Bai family is one of the Lin family's affiliated families and controls the Lin family's fishing grounds. Since you have already entered the Blood Exchange Realm, these affiliated families are here to give gifts. Just accept the gifts and don't worry about anything else."

"What's this about the affiliated families?"

"This Miss Bai's aunt married a man in the clan. However, although he is of the Shou generation, he is only at the Blood Exchange Realm and has little say in the clan now."

Hearing the servant's explanation, Lin Yan understood what had happened.

The so-called affiliated families are families that have marital ties with the Lin family.

Judging from the sky and the time the other party spent in her courtyard, this Miss Bai was definitely not just giving gifts to her alone; she probably had to give gifts to several other people as well.

"Okay, I understand."

After the servants left, Lin Yan opened the gift box and grinned when he saw the silver notes inside.

Two thousand taels!

The Bai family gave him two thousand taels of silver, and with the gifts from Lin Yu and his group, they'll be giving several thousand taels in one go. They're quite generous.

"It's a pity that Lin Yan is from the third branch of the family."

After leaving the three-room area, Bai Ruo sighed inwardly. She had a very good impression of Lin Yan.

As she entered the courtyard, she noticed that the servants were about to close the gate, but Lin Yan stopped them with a look.

Leaving the gate open was primarily for the sake of her reputation.

A lone man and woman, with the courtyard gate closed, were bound to be the subject of gossip. Although she didn't care about such things, she was still somewhat moved.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Bai family seems powerful, with three or four members having achieved the fourth level of skin-refining martial arts. Once they leave the Lin family, they are instantly reduced to their original state. Therefore, she has become accustomed to flattering the Lin family members and their superior attitude.

If Lin Yan weren't from the third wife's family, she really would have changed her mind and given up Lin Xiao in favor of Lin Yan.

"Miss, the courtyard where Young Master Lin Xiao lives is just ahead."

The maidservant beside her pointed ahead, and Bai Ruo looked in the direction she was pointing.

This courtyard was almost twice the size of Lin Yan's, and there were two servants standing guard at the entrance.

"Xiao Lian, wait here."

Bai Ruo frowned slightly, then relaxed, and put on that perfectly timed smile again as she walked forward.

"Bai Ruo of the Bai family has come to pay a visit to Young Master Lin Xiao. Please inform him of your arrival."

"Miss Bai, please wait a moment."

A servant guarding the door went in to report, and soon footsteps could be heard in the courtyard.

A young man appeared at the gate. He wasn't particularly handsome, but he was young, around twenty-two or twenty-three years old.

"Miss Bai?"

Lin Xiao's gaze lingered on Bai Ruo for a moment, from her face to her waist, and then back to her face again. The duration of his gaze clearly exceeded the bounds of normal etiquette.

Bai Ruo smiled gently, pretending not to notice: "I apologize for my unauthorized visit, Young Master Lin Xiao."

"Haha, no offense, Miss Bai, please come in."

Lin Xiao smiled and stepped aside, gesturing for him to proceed, but his gaze remained fixed on Bai Ruo's waist, as if he were admiring a piece of exquisite porcelain.

Bai Ruolian stepped lightly into the courtyard. The scenery there caught her eye for a moment longer: artificial hills and flowing water, small bridges and pavilions, and even several precious black bamboos planted in the courtyard.

This arrangement was completely different from Lin Yan's previous courtyard.

Seeing Bai Ruolian looking around the courtyard, Lin Xiao had a smug look on his face: "I personally decorated this place after I moved in. After all, I'll be living here for a long time, so I want to make it as comfortable as possible."

"Miss Bai, please have a seat."

Lin Xiao led Bai Ruo to sit down in the pavilion, and instead of calling for servants, he began to arrange the tea set himself.

"I used to enjoy making tea at home, Miss Bai, please have a taste."

After brewing the tea, Lin Xiao personally handed over the teacup. Bai Ru hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it, but her fingers subtly avoided Lin Xiao's hand.

After taking a sip, Bai Ruo didn't wait for Lin Xiao to speak again. She took the brocade box out of her sleeve, placed it on the stone table, and smiled gently: "I heard that Young Master Lin Xiao has entered the Blood Exchange Realm. This is a token of my Bai family's goodwill."

Lin Xiao glanced at the brocade box but didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he looked directly at Bai Ruo and said, "The Bai family really cares about us branch families. Not just me, but Lin Yu's and Lin Yan's families also received gifts, right?"

"Young Master Lin is joking."

Bai Ruo's eyes flickered, but her smile remained unchanged: "Since all of you young masters have broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm, my Bai family must express our gratitude and wish to establish a good relationship with you all."

Bai Ruo didn't hide the fact that she had given gifts to Lin Yu and Lin Yan. This couldn't be kept secret; Lin Xiao would definitely find out if he inquired.

There was a hint of dissatisfaction in Lin Xiao's eyes. The Bai family was the last to arrive at his place. Did they think he was inferior to Lin Yu and Lin Yan?

However, seeing Bai Ruo's charming and alluring beauty with every smile and frown, Lin Xiao suppressed his dissatisfaction and said meaningfully, "Good relationships aren't so easy to form; it depends on whether Miss Bai and I are destined to be together."

After saying that, Lin Xiao leaned forward and reached for the brocade box on the table, but not to take it. Instead, he reached past the box and reached for Bai Ruo's hand that was resting on the edge of the table.

Bai Ruo's eyes narrowed slightly, and she subtly withdrew her hand, using the action of picking up a teacup to avoid Lin Xiao's hand.

Lin Xiao's hand missed its target, but he wasn't embarrassed. He withdrew his hand, leaned back in his chair, and kept his gaze on Bai Ruo, his tone cold: "It seems that my fate with the Bai family hasn't arrived yet."

Unlike other branch families, Lin Xiao was very familiar with the main family's situation and also knew the origins of the Bai family's affiliated families.

In his view, Bai Ruo dressed so seductively when she came to his door, wasn't she just trying to seduce him with her looks, but deliberately pretending to be prim and proper in front of him, trying to keep him hanging on?

Although he is lustful, he will not be swayed by women.

"I believe that Young Master Lin Xiao will see the sincerity of the Bai family in the future. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now."

Bai Ruo still had a faint smile on her face, and took the opportunity to lower her eyes while drinking tea, concealing the fleeting weariness in her eyes.

She doesn't care about gossip, but that doesn't mean she's a promiscuous woman.

"Alright, I still need to cultivate, so I won't see Miss Bai off."

"I wouldn't dare trouble Young Master Lin Xiao."

Lin Xiao didn't move, while Bai Ruo walked out of the courtyard gate with a calm expression.

Upon seeing her young mistress emerge, the maid Xiaolian immediately went to greet her. However, upon seeing her mistress's cold face, she was filled with doubt.

"Xiao Lian, go to the Third Branch, Young Master Lin Yan's place again, and give this to him. Tell him that I forgot it in my haste."

Bai Ruo took out another money envelope from her bosom, containing ten thousand taels of silver. She had originally intended to give it to Lin Xiao, but now she had changed her mind.

Lin Xiao is not worth the family spending too much money to befriend.

Breaking through to the Blood Exchange Realm is certainly powerful, but that's only true in the outside world. Within the Lin family, even those at the Blood Exchange Realm are only good enough to catch the eye of the family's higher-ups. Lin Xiao, on the other hand, is busy renovating the courtyard, indulging in pleasure, and behaving recklessly. His future achievements in martial arts are likely to be limited.

As for befriending Lin Yan, will it offend the fourth branch of the family?

As long as the Bai family keeps quiet, and given Lin Yan's personality, he probably won't tell anyone, the fourth branch of the family might not know about this.

Bai Ruo would never admit that her sudden change of mind was partly due to her temper.

"Please thank your young lady for me."

Lin Yan had his servants see Xiao Lian off, his expression somewhat strange.

The young lady from the Bai family had just given me two thousand taels of silver notes, and then she had her maid bring me another ten thousand taels.

This operation—

After a moment's thought, Lin Yan roughly guessed what was going on.

It seems he underestimated the Bai family's power. The two thousand taels was just a token of their appreciation; they had clearly prepared an even more generous gift.

It's unclear whether this generous gift was intended for Lin Yu or Lin Chi, but it seems that something went wrong and the Bai family ultimately chose to give it to them.

"Great news!"

Lin Yan didn't bother to think about what misunderstanding might have occurred between this Miss Bai and Lin Yu or Lin Xiao; in short, it was a good thing that someone was giving him money.

After receiving the silver notes, Lin Yan did not return to his courtyard to cultivate, but instead turned and walked towards the armory.

After arriving at the armory and verifying his identity, Lin Yan first collected three Bodhi Pills. It was almost the end of the month, and they would be forfeited if he didn't collect them.

After receiving the pills and returning to the courtyard, Lin Yan did not hesitate and immediately put the Bodhi Pill into his mouth.

The pill melts instantly upon entering the mouth, carrying a refreshing sensation.

Lin Yan dared not be negligent and activated the Eight Desolate Dragon Elephant Force.

The body's Qi and blood surged like a tide, and the cool energy released by the Bodhi Pill was like a brush. Wherever it passed, the already pure Qi and blood were smoothed out even more, and it was guided to be compressed in the Dantian, which was also faster than before.

What Lin Yan felt most clearly was the speed. In the past, it would take five hundred breaths to circulate the blood and qi in his body to his dantian and compress it once, but now it only takes one hundred breaths, which is five times faster.

Didn't Brother Hai say that the effects of Bodhi Pill are equivalent to doubling the speed? Mine is already five times faster.

Did Hai Ge say something wrong?

Lin Yan denied this guess. Shanghai Brother wouldn't lie about this, so the most likely explanation is that there's something special about his body.

Did the stone waist and spine root bones work?

The only explanation is that the stone waist and thunder ridge are at work.

Good thing!

Lin Yan's heart stirred slightly, and he stopped thinking about it. He continued to guide his qi and blood to circulate from the eight meridians and finally compress them in the dantian.

Two hours later, Lin Yan stopped and began to examine the Martial Arts Tree internally.

When he broke through to the Blood Exchange Realm a few days ago, his Martial Dao Tree was nearly seven feet tall. After several days of cultivation, the Martial Dao Tree has grown to seven feet one inch tall, increasing a little every day.

However, after taking the Bodhi Pill today, the Martial Arts Tree has grown to five times the height of yesterday.

Looking at the two Bodhi Pills remaining on the stone table, Lin Yan felt a pang of regret. If he had enough Bodhi Pills to consume, his cultivation speed would have increased fivefold.

One Bodhi Pill requires 300 contribution points, which is equivalent to 3,000 taels of silver.

In addition, there are spirit weapons —

Well, if you cultivate the Four Phases Condensing Qi Sword yourself, you can later fuse it with sword intent, but you'll need to spend contribution points to buy high-grade sword techniques.

Money, we're still short of money.

The good news is that the effects of the Bodhi Pill haven't worn off yet; Lin Yan can still feel the medicinal power within his body, so he should be able to hold on for another day.

Two days later.

The Lin family branch competition has officially begun.

For the Lin family, this kind of competition between branch clansmen was nothing special, and each branch only sent one clansman in charge of their branch to the fighting arena to maintain order.

As a Blood Exchange Realm expert, Lin Yan can skip the preliminary rounds and directly advance to the final round, where he will compete with the top ten to finish in the final five.

For three consecutive days of preliminary rounds, apart from the branch clansmen, no one cared about this competition.

"Lin Yan, I'm done for. I'll stop at fifteenth place."

On the third day of the competition, Lin Yu came to Lin Yan's courtyard. He was not discouraged for failing to enter the top ten. His strength was what it was. Unless he fought his opponent to the death, there was only a slight chance of winning, but there was no need for that.

"Even if I fight my way into the top ten, so what? There are still four of you Blood Exchange Realm cultivators ahead of me. There's only one spot left in the top five. I know my place; there's no way I'll get that last spot."

"That's right, sometimes people just need to know their own limitations." Lin Yan nodded.

"Even though what you said is true, why does it hurt so much?"

Lin Yu rolled his eyes. He came to find Lin Yan not to seek comfort, nor to complain about the small number of spots the clan had given him, but because he had important business to discuss.

His expression immediately turned serious, and he said, "Lin Wang has entered the Blood Exchange Realm. Given the grudge between the two of you, I'm afraid there will be a tough battle ahead."

Yesterday, news broke from the fourth branch of the family that shocked all of their branch members.

Lin Wang has entered the Blood Exchange Realm.

Originally, it was thought that Lin Wang would be abandoned by the Fourth Branch after being defeated by Lin Yan and losing face. Lin Wang did indeed remain silent for a period of time, but unexpectedly, he rose again and entered the Blood Exchange Realm.

"It's just a forced entry into the Blood Exchange Realm, nothing to worry about."

Lin Yan remained calm. He was indeed somewhat surprised to learn of Lin Wang's breakthrough to the Blood Exchange Realm yesterday, but that was about it.

Based on his understanding of Lin Wang's character, he feared that Lin Wang hadn't even reached the halfway point of Qi and Blood. Even if he broke through to the Blood Exchange Realm, his future path in martial arts would be ruined.

Last time, out of respect for Lin Rong, he didn't cripple Lin Wang, but if Lin Wang still doesn't know what's good for him this time, he won't hold back again.

A defeated opponent at the Blood Exchange Realm can't harm him, but he still poses a threat to his family and friends.

From the moment Ma Xiong's son from Qingfeng Village sought revenge against him and his family, Lin Yan understood a principle: to nip the problem in the bud.

"What a forceful way to put it! Only you could say something like that."

"9

Lin Yu pursed his lips. He also wanted to force it, but he couldn't control his qi and blood precisely, so he couldn't force it even if he wanted to.

Fourth room.

Lin Mingchuan's gaze was cold. On the table in front of him was the memorial tablet of his younger brother, Lin Mingyu.

A moment later, Lin Mingguan strode in.

"Brother Chuan, Lin Wang has agreed, but if we do this, I'm afraid the third branch of the family won't let it go easily afterward."

"If the third branch is pursuing this matter, then we should push Lin Wang out. A Blood Exchange Realm cultivator who's already crippled is of no value to our fourth branch."

.

Lin Mingchuan's tone was icy, as if he were discussing a piece of merchandise. Lin Mingguan's eyes showed a hint of confusion. He didn't understand why Brother Chuan was targeting Lin Yan.

If Brother Chuan lost face in the Yangtian Mountain Range incident, he could understand targeting Lin Mingyuan, but targeting someone from a branch like Lin Yan was completely not worth it.

In order to help Lin Wang enter the Blood Transformation Realm, Brother Chuan paid a considerable price, investing almost all of his savings over the years.