Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

Just then, the door opened from the inside.

Lin Ran stood at the door, dressed in a sharp suit, his tie perfectly in place, and even his hair was styled as before.

He glanced at the crowded corridor, his gaze lingering for a moment on Sun Jinghuan's ashen face, before a slight smirk appeared on his lips: "Gentlemen, what's going on here?"

"Lin Ran, what exactly did you do?" Sun Jinghuan rushed into the room from Lin Ran's side.

Looking around, the room was neatly furnished, and the sheets were so smooth they looked freshly laid out, without a single wrinkle.

Chu Xining sat cross-legged in the center of the bed, her hands folded on her knees, radiating a chilling aura.

The aura emanated from her, causing the temperature in the corridor to drop several degrees. Lin Zhiyao, who was closest to the door, couldn't help but shiver.

Sun Boyuan stood at the doorway, his gaze fixed on Chu Xining, his pupils suddenly contracting: "How is this possible?"

The solidity of that aura was clearly that of a primordial realm cultivator who had broken through long ago and had already stabilized!

Chu Mingyuan and Shen Rujun squeezed to the doorway and froze in place when they saw their daughter's condition and the aura emanating from her.

Someone in the crowd muttered something.

"Nothing seems to have happened?"

"That's right, both of them were fully clothed, and there was no strange smell in the room."

"Young Master Sun is being a bit too sensitive."

"Wait a minute! Judging from Patriarch Sun's reaction, could it be that Miss Chu has already broken through to the Innate Realm?"

"Such a skill truly exists in this world?"

Zhao Yanran stood at the back of the crowd, her arms still crossed over her chest, and the faint smile on her lips finally spread out.

Seeing her expression, Zhao Hao couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you surprised at all?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yanran quickly composed herself and said calmly, "Since Young Master Lin dared to make a bet with Young Master Sun, he must have been confident all along."

"Indeed." Zhao Hao nodded. "Young Master Lin is a man of deep thoughts; he shouldn't do anything he's not confident about."

Zhao Meng leaned over from the side and said, "You talk as if you know Ran-ge very well."

"Isn't he that kind of person?" Zhao Yanran retorted.

Zhao Meng scratched the back of his head: "That makes sense, doesn't it?"

Chu Xining jumped off the bed, her feet not even in her high heels, and pounced on Lin Ran.

She grabbed Lin Ran's arm, looked up, and said in a clear voice, "Brother Lin Ran, I'm already at the Innate Realm! I'll protect you from now on, okay?"

Bai Ruolin shook the juice in her hand and complained, "He can help you easily reach the Innate Realm, so why would he need you to protect him?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Xining paused for a moment, then turned to look at Lin Ran, a hint of confusion in her eyes: "Brother Lin Ran, what exactly is your cultivation level?"

Lin Ran thought to himself, "As expected, you have to pay the price for showing off."

Just a few days ago he claimed to be at the Inner Breath Realm, and now he's at the Innate Realm, giving people the feeling of "the boy who cried wolf."

"I've only been cultivating for two months, so what level do you think I'm at?"

Chu Xining pondered for a moment, then became even more delighted: "So, Brother Lin Ran is also at the Innate Realm? We really are a match made in heaven!"

"Cough cough cough... What are you saying?" Chu Mingyuan coughed heavily a few times beside him, his expression a mix of embarrassment and relief.

His daughter had received a tremendous benefit, and he was naturally secretly delighted.

Unfortunately, this daughter has no sense of propriety when it comes to her words, saying whatever comes to mind in front of everyone.

Chu Xining stuck out her tongue and tightened her grip on Lin Ran's arm.

At this moment, Bai Xingzhou stepped out from the crowd, his gaze landing on Lin Ran's face with a hint of amusement: "Young Master Lin, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

"What do you mean by Captain Bai?" Lin Ran met his gaze, looking completely innocent.

"I made a special trip to visit you before, and Young Master Lin confidently told me that you were only at the Inner Breath Realm."

He looked up, scrutinizing Lin Ran: "An Inner Breath Realm martial artist probably can't make someone break through to the Innate Realm in a short time!"

Lin Ran remained silent for two seconds, glanced at everyone, and said with feigned helplessness, "It seems that my identity as a Xiantian Realm martial artist can no longer be hidden!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked enlightened.

"As expected, Young Master Lin is also a martial artist at the Innate Realm!"

"No wonder Miss Chu wanted to abandon her original engagement..."

"Two eighteen-year-old Innate Realm martial artists—the world of Xinhai is about to change!"

Bai Xingzhou ignored the crowd's discussions and stared at Lin Ran, asking, "So, why did you hide your cultivation level?"

Why?

Of course, it's for fishing.

However, Lin Ran certainly couldn't say these things outright.

He could only offer a flimsy excuse: "I just didn't want to join the Secret Service, that's why I didn't demonstrate my abilities."

Bai Xingzhou remained noncommittal, then laughed and said, "You rascal, you're not being honest."

"I am a law-abiding citizen!" Lin Ran said solemnly.

"That would be best."

Bai Xingzhou withdrew his gaze, turned to Chu Xining, and said sincerely, "Miss Chu, would you be interested in joining the Special Affairs Bureau?"

If we can recruit an eighteen-year-old at the Innate Realm, we should do so as soon as possible.

"I want to be with Brother Lin Ran." Chu Xining refused without hesitation.

"Nonsense!" Chu Mingyuan quickly interjected, "How can you so easily refuse such a good opportunity?"

Chu Xining disagreed: "My cultivation techniques were all given to me by Brother Lin Ran. Staying by Brother Lin Ran's side is the best choice."

After hearing her say that, Chu Mingyuan didn't know how to refute it, so he turned his gaze to Lin Ran.

"Nephew Lin, look at this..." He put on a kind smile, clearly wanting Lin Ran to help persuade Chu Xining.

However, Lin Ran simply patted Chu Xining's arm and said calmly, "Let Xining decide for herself. As long as she's happy."

Chu Mingyuan's smile froze slightly. He opened his mouth, but then hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Bai Xingzhou nodded and turned back to Lin Ran: "I'll say it again, Young Master Lin, if you change your mind, you can contact me at any time."

"No problem!" Lin Ran gave him an OK sign.

Everyone returned to the hall and took their seats.

Lin Ran then fixed his gaze on Sun Jinghuan and said loudly, "Young Master Sun, isn't it time to fulfill the bet?"

At this moment, Sun Jinghuan was no longer as imposing as before, hanging his head dejectedly, like a wilted eggplant.

Hearing Lin Ran's question, he raised his head, his lips slightly parted, but he couldn't say a word.

"I..." He glanced at Chu Xining, his eyes filled with resentment and bitterness.

Before he could hesitate any longer, Sun Boyuan spoke up: "The marriage agreement between the Sun family and the Chu family is hereby terminated. From now on, the marriages of the two families will be separate matters."

If the Sun family continues to cling to the marriage agreement now that things have escalated to this point, it will only make them look even more disgraced.

Sun Boyuan made this decision in order to save face.

Then, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Chu Mingyuan and said, "My son and I will not bother you any longer!"

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door.

Sun Jinghuan stood still, then looked back at Lin Ran's face, his eyes filled with resentment.

"How about Young Master Sun stays for another drink?" Lin Ran said with a sneer.

Sun Jinghuan took a deep breath and said coldly, "This won't end here!"

After making those harsh remarks, he turned and followed Sun Boyuan.

"Take care, Young Master Sun!" Lin Ran called out from behind.

The crowd was quiet for a few seconds, then resumed its lively activity.

Lin Hongbo got up and walked to Chu Mingyuan's side, revealing a warm smile.

"President Chu, since these two children are mutually attracted, why don't our two families formalize this marriage?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was heard by everyone present.

Everyone looked at Chu Mingyuan, waiting for his answer.

With things having come to this point, Chu Mingyuan had no choice but to accept the marriage, and quickly nodded, saying, "Yes, yes, it's time to settle it."

Someone in the crowd muttered something under their breath.

"Hehe, Patriarch Chu agreed so readily."

"What else can we do? We can't just refuse, can we?"

"That's definitely not possible. We've already offended the Sun family; if we offend the Lin family too..."

"Miss Chu is so lucky to have met such a perfect husband as Young Master Lin."