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

"So you can't?" Lin Ran's voice carried a hint of disdain.

"No, I know a little bit about it too. It's just..."

The Lord of Xuan Chen drawled, "Are you sure you want to use it? After all, controlling others is an extremely insidious method, and you might be punished by Heaven in the future!"

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow: "Could it be that you used such methods before, which led to your own annihilation?"

"That's impossible!" Lord Xuan Chen vehemently denied, "Although I understand it, I've never used it."

"If that's the case, what difference does it make whether we use it or not?"

The Lord of Xuan Chen was silent for a moment: "What you said makes a lot of sense."

Lin Ran immersed his consciousness into the Xuan Chen Pearl, and a beam of mysterious light shot out from the hand of the Xuan Chen Lord, directly entering Lin Ran's brow.

Soul Control Technique: When used on a target, it allows one to forcibly control a creature whose mental strength is weaker than one's own.

If the other party strongly resists, the control may fail.

If the person being manipulated has strong mental power, it may cause a backlash.

Lin Ran thought to himself, "Good heavens, it's actually being forcibly controlled."

In retrospect, it seems that back then, the Lord of Xuan Chen was unable to break free from the Xuan Chen Pearl and was intimidated by Lin Ran, which led him to make a vow to Heaven.

Otherwise, with such a technique, it's hard to say who controls whom!

A Foundation Establishment cultivator's physique is equivalent to that of a Transcendent Realm martial artist, but their mental strength is comparable to that of a Profound Realm martial artist.

From a spiritual perspective, Lin Ran is five whole realms higher than Lin Haozhe.

Even if Lin Haozhe is exceptionally talented and possesses extraordinary mental strength, it is impossible for him to suffer any backlash.

So, he casually made a hand seal, and a faint light shone from his fingertips.

Upon seeing this, Lin Haozhe instinctively stepped back: "What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a chance to live. If you don't want to die, then give up the fight."

After saying that, Lin Ran raised his hand and pointed, and the dark light entered Lin Haozhe's brow.

In an instant, the look of terror in Lin Haozhe's eyes vanished, replaced by emptiness and blankness.

Seeing this, Lin Ran spoke up: "Lin Haozhe."

"I'm here." Lin Haozhe's expression was blank, and his voice was completely flat.

"Who ordered you to poison me?"

"Liu Xiulan".

"What is your relationship with Liu Xiulan?"

"She is my contact person."

Lin Ran frowned slightly: "Isn't she your biological mother?"

"No, she's just my contact person."

Who are your biological parents?

Lin Haozhe looked thoughtful: "I don't know."

Lin Ran was slightly surprised by this.

It's rather strange that Liu Xiulan isn't Lin Haozhe's biological mother.

This guy doesn't even know who his biological parents are, and the other party has no leverage over him. Aren't they afraid he'll betray them?

After all, the Lin family raised him for eighteen years. If he were to turn against them directly, even if they revealed his identity, it wouldn't make a difference, right?

Lin Ran pressed on, "Who is this 'adult' you're talking about?"

"I...I don't know. She never told me." Lin Haozhe was even more confused.

The fact that the mastermind trusted Lin Haozhe so much, combined with the other party's purpose, led Lin Ran to another very plausible conclusion.

"Could that powerful figure hiding behind the scenes be your biological father?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Haozhe's pupils contracted slightly: "What do you mean?"

"It's very simple. He went to great lengths to send you to the Lin family because he coveted their assets."

Lin Ran leaned back in his chair, speaking slowly and deliberately: "You don't know him, there's no emotional connection between you, and he can't expect much loyalty from you."

"There's only one reason why he trusts you so much..."

At this point, Lin Ran's lips curled into a slight smile: "You're the mastermind's biological son!"

"Once you inherit the Lin family business, he can then acknowledge you as his heir. That way, it will be perfectly logical for him to take over the Lin family's assets from you, won't it?"

Lin Haozhe was shaken to his core, a flicker of emotion appearing in his empty eyes: "So...that's how it is?"

"Most likely." Lin Ran nodded, affirming his deduction.

Eighteen years ago, the Lin family had just become a rising star in Xinhai thanks to Star Tempering Liquid and Mysterious Moon Spiritual Energy Supplement.

Coincidentally, Song Yishu gave birth to Lin Ran, making it a double celebration.

Little did she know, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and before she could even enjoy her triumph for a few days, her biological son disappeared.

The tallest tree catches the most wind; this is a perfect example.

Lin Haozhe unconsciously clenched his hands: "How could there be such parents in the world?"

"So now that you know the truth, you feel very angry, right?" Lin Ran coaxed gently.

"Anger?" Lin Haozhe looked bewildered again.

He looked down at his clenched fists, then at Lin Ran.

"Now that I'm in your hands, what's the point of being angry? Do you really think you can let me go and take revenge?"

Lin Ran revealed a playful expression: "Why not?"

As he spoke, he released his control over Lin Haozhe.

"Are you really going to let me go?" Lin Haozhe looked up, his eyes filled with suspicion.

Lin Ran shook his head slightly: "Not only will I let you go, I will also help you get the Lin family's assets, and then let you return to your ancestral home."

"Why did you do this?" Lin Haozhe asked, puzzled.

He was clearly poisoning Lin Ran and was caught red-handed, yet Lin Ran not only didn't kill him but also helped him. What kind of logic is that?

Seeing Lin Haozhe's expression, Lin Ran couldn't help but show a smug look.

"It's very simple, because in my opinion, things only become interesting when the person behind the scenes feels they have succeeded and then lets them fall from their high position into the mud."

Upon hearing this, Lin Haozhe felt a buzzing in his head and couldn't help but exclaim, "You're so cunning!"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Lin Ran said without any qualms.

After all, in this dog-eat-dog world, having a little cunning isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Why should I listen to you?

Lin Haozhe seemed to want to discuss terms with Lin Ran, but Lin Ran lacked patience.

"Of course it's because you had no choice." Lin Ran gestured with his chin toward the fish soup on the table: "Pick up the soup and drink it all."

Lin Haozhe's hand reached out uncontrollably, picked up the soup bowl, and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

Glug! Glug! Glug!

Soup spilled from the corner of his mouth, running down his chin and into his collar.

He finished the last sip and put the bowl on the table.

The bowl wasn't placed steadily and slid across the table, falling to the floor and breaking into four or five pieces. The porcelain shards made a crisp cracking sound on the marble floor.

He looked down at the pile of shards on the ground, then suddenly looked up, his confusion replaced by terror: "What did you do to me?"

"It's nothing, just a little trick." Lin Ran said casually.

"You think you can make me submit like this?" Lin Haozhe clenched his fists, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him.

Just now, his hands were completely out of his control; the feeling of his body being taken over by another person was more terrifying than any threat.

Lin Ran held up one finger and shook it gently: "I don't need you to submit. I just need you to do what you were supposed to do."

"Actually, you didn't have a choice at all!" Lin Ran leaned back in his chair. "Think about it, if you directly told Liu Xiulan what happened today, what would happen to you?"

Lin Haozhe retorted, "Didn't you just say that I might be that person's biological son?"

"Heh... Wake up! You're nothing but a pawn! Since he's so heartless as to send you to the Lin family, he doesn't care whether you live or die."

At this point, Lin Ran revealed a mocking expression: "If you tell him that you've been exposed, the first person to distance themselves from you will definitely be him!"

Lin Haozhe instinctively took a step back, grabbing the back of the chair to steady himself: "Can you please forgive me? I promise I'll never target you again!"

"Don't be naive! You poisoned me, and you expect me to forgive you? Do you think I'm someone who's easy to talk to?"

Lin Ran spoke in a relaxed tone, but his words left no room for maneuver.

In his eyes, Lin Haozhe was nothing more than a clown, insignificant.

The reason they kept him around was to lure out the person behind the scenes.

If Lin Haozhe is merely passing on a message and slowly drawing out the person behind the scenes, Lin Ran won't interfere too much.

But if this guy poisons him directly, then the situation is completely different!

This time, he was on guard beforehand; otherwise, he might have actually been given a bellyful of poison by this guy.

Although Lin Ran, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was not afraid of ordinary poisons, who would like to taste poison?