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

"It doesn't matter, I'm used to it." Lin Ran said calmly, "To me, it's just a little hardship."

Bai Ruolin rolled her eyes, but before she could respond, Zhao Meng leaned forward and exclaimed, "Brother Ran is awesome!"

"So-so," Lin Ran said, feigning seriousness.

"Brother Ran, you look so cool today!" Zhao Meng said solemnly. "I've long been disgusted by the Zhou family's arrogant attitude, and now I've finally gotten my revenge!"

Lin Ran's lips curled up slightly as he teased, "You were the one who advised me not to cause trouble earlier, and now you're the one clapping and cheering. I didn't realize you had such flexible standards."

"Hehe..." Zhao Meng scratched his head: "That's because I didn't know Ran-ge's strength before!"

"I didn't expect that you'd already reached the Profound Realm in just a few months. You're the only one like that in all of China, aren't you?"

He changed the subject, speaking earnestly: "From now on, I can confidently entrust Sister Yanran to you!"

Zhao Meng quickly dodged, saying, "No, no, if you kick me like that, I'll be dead!"

At this moment, Zhao Changfeng finally composed himself and slowly said, "Young Master Lin, this time it was our Zhao family's oversight that caused Yanran to suffer. I hope Young Master Lin will forgive us."

"Uncle Zhao, you're too kind."

Lin Ran waved his hand: "As I said before, I'm not targeting anyone personally. But when it comes to marriage, it's best to follow the wishes of the people involved."

"Young Master Lin is right."

Zhao Changfeng turned to look at Zhao Yanran, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Yanran, it was Dad's fault this time. Dad will definitely not interfere with your marriage again in the future."

"Dad, I understand completely." Zhao Yanran nodded gently. "Actually, I'm also thinking about the Zhao family."

"There were some things I couldn't disclose before, but now I can say with certainty..."

She looked at Lin Ran: "Whether for me or for the entire Zhao family, only Young Master Lin is the better choice!"

Upon hearing these words, Chu Xining glared at her, but she seemed oblivious.

"Sigh..." Zhao Changfeng sighed deeply, "The Zhou family has suffered such humiliation, they will certainly not let it go, and I'm afraid my Zhao family is powerless to resist."

Zhao Yanran moved closer to Lin Ran's other side and took his arm: "Then we'll have to ask Young Master Lin for help."

She deliberately ignored Chu Xining's expression, looking smug.

Lin Ran shook his head helplessly: "Why do I feel like you deliberately set a trap for me?"

"How could that be?" Zhao Yanran denied it outright: "My feelings for Young Master Lin are completely sincere."

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow: "If you wanted to avoid today's situation, you could have revealed your cultivation level earlier and told Uncle Zhao about the technique. I don't think Uncle Zhao is an inflexible person."

"But you insisted on waiting until things escalated beyond repair, making me stand up for you in front of everyone. Isn't your intention obvious enough?"

Zhao Yanran may not be as clever as Bai Ruolin, but she is still a woman who knows how to scheme.

Now that she's caused so much trouble, it's probably impossible for Lin Ran to sever ties with her.

From now on, in other people's eyes, Zhao Yanran will be Lin Ran's woman.

If Zhao Yanran gets into trouble in the future and he refuses to show up, people will gossip about whether he is a coward.

This blatant and overt scheme left Lin Ran with no choice but to respond.

"Oh dear, you saw right through me." Zhao Yanran revealed a smug smile: "Since that's the case, I can only leave it to Young Master Lin to decide. Please have mercy on me, Young Master Lin."

"You're dreaming!" Chu Xining retorted immediately, "Brother Lin Ran is mine!"

Bai Ruolin seemed to be used to this, but Zhao Meng and Zhao Changfeng beside her were somewhat at a loss.

The story of Lin Ran's resurrection and his mastery of the Profound Realm cultivation, as well as his feat of confronting the Zhou family of the capital at the engagement banquet of the Zhou and Zhao families, spread throughout Xinhai.

Overnight, the political climate in the Xinhai business and martial arts circles completely shifted, and no one dared to underestimate the Lin family anymore.

Lin Ran gazed out the window at the deepening twilight, his thoughts drifting far away.

Today's annulment of the engagement, seemingly helping Zhao Yanran break free from constraints, actually reveals her uniqueness.

From using the awakening potion to breaking through to the Profound Realm, it took only a little over four months.

Not to mention the whole of China, even looking at the entire planet Earth, there is no precedent for this.

Beneath the magnificent scenery, there must be hidden undercurrents.

If the Wang family still wants to target the Lin family, Lin Ran will be the first to be affected.

Previously, I was unaware of Lin Ran's astonishing talent, and I had to consider the consequences before taking action.

Now that they have clearly seen Lin Ran's extraordinary abilities, they will probably spare no effort even more.

The living room of the Zhou family villa was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was very oppressive.

"A mere Transcendent Realm cultivator dares to publicly humiliate the Zhou family? He truly has no regard for his own life!"

Zhou Zexu sat upright in his chair, his face gloomy.

"Young Master, Lin Ran is only eighteen years old now. He will definitely not stop at the Profound Realm in the future. It would be better if we didn't make enemies," Zhou Kai advised in a low voice.

When he fought Lin Ran before, he was only shocked and didn't have time to think much about it.

Looking back now, I am now in my forties and have only barely entered the Profound Realm, which is already considered outstanding among people.

In contrast, Lin Ran, at only eighteen years old, is already a martial artist at the Tongxuan Realm, and his future prospects are probably limitless.

If such a person is offended to death and cannot be eliminated directly, the Zhou family will likely face many difficulties in the future.

Several clansmen who rushed back overnight stood up and meticulously recounted the entire engagement banquet in detail, not daring to omit a single thing.

"Absurd!" Zhou Zexu sneered. "My Zhou family has been established in Kyoto for over a century. Why should we fear a mere Tongxuan? It's laughable!"

"Young Master," Zhou Kai pleaded again, "His potential is terrifying. He's already reached the Profound Realm at such a young age. If he grows a few more years, I'm afraid no one will be able to control him."

A ruthless glint flashed in Zhou Zexu's eyes as he coldly said, "Then let's crush him before he can fully rise to power, eradicate him completely, and solve the problem once and for all!"

"He has utterly disgraced the Zhou family. I must make him pay a heavy price; otherwise, how can the Zhou family maintain its standing in China?"

Zhou Kai stood to one side, his tone grave: "But he's already a Transcendent Realm martial artist, we..."

He didn't continue speaking, but Zhou Zexu already understood.

Lin Ran, who is at the Tongxuan Realm, is not someone they can easily deal with.

After a brief pause, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Then let's deal with the Lin family!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Kai once again tried to dissuade them: "The Lin family is backed by the Jiang family. If we directly target the Lin family, it may provoke the Jiang family's dissatisfaction."

Although the various prominent families in the capital had their own secret conflicts, they maintained a facade of harmony.

If Zhou Jiaming is openly targeting the Lin family, he is clearly pushing the Jiang family to the opposite side.

Zhou Zexu said impatiently, "This won't work, that won't work, can't you come up with something usable?"

After a moment of silence in the hall, Zhou Zexuan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "I have a solution."

Zhou Zexu turned to look at him: "What method?"

"Since the Lin family's backer is the Jiang family, let's sow discord between them first."

Zhou Zexuan's voice was deep: "As long as we stop protecting the Lin family from the Jiang family and cut off Lin Ran's biggest support, our subsequent actions will be unimpeded and easier to take."

"Sure!" A glint of light suddenly appeared in Zhou Zexu's eyes, and his tense expression relaxed slightly, showing a hint of surprise.

"With a brain like yours, how come you were completely fooled by a woman?"

A hint of melancholy flashed across Zhou Zexuan's eyes when Zhao Yanran was mentioned.

"I really love Yanran. If I can bring down the Lin family and clear away the obstacles, I still want to win Yanran back."

Zhou Zexu frowned, his face full of question marks: "What the hell? That's it, you're hopeless!"

He simply ignored Zhou Zexuan, who was deeply obsessed, and turned to look at Zhou Kai.

"Immediately arrange for personnel to gather clues about the interactions between the Lin and Jiang families, find any weaknesses that could be exploited to sow discord, and strive for a decisive victory!"

"Yes!" Zhou Kai bowed and accepted the order, then withdrew.