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

As the conversation continued, Lin Ran pushed open the door.

He stepped into the living room and quickly recognized the guests inside.

Huang Renli sat upright on one side of the sofa, his expression kind.

Liu Chengfeng and another survivor from the secret realm sat beside him, all three dressed in formal attire and behaving respectfully.

An exquisite gift box, luxuriously packaged, was placed on the coffee table; it was clearly a specially prepared gift for a visitor.

Song Yishu and Lin Hongbo sat opposite each other, their expressions calm and their manners polite.

Upon seeing Lin Ran enter, Huang Renli immediately stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and greeted him with a sincere smile: "Brother Lin!"

"Brother Huang, it's an honor to have you here. I'm so sorry I didn't greet you sooner." Lin Ran walked calmly to the sofa and sat down.

Lin Hongbo and Song Yishu exchanged a glance, got up and left, and the atmosphere in the living room changed instantly.

Huang Renli raised his hand, took out a black bank card, placed it on the coffee table, and gently pushed it in front of Lin Ran.

"Brother Lin, this is the gift I promised as a token of my gratitude. Please do not refuse it." His tone was quite solemn.

"Hehe, Brother Huang, you're too kind."

Lin Ran raised his hand, picked up the bank card, and with a slight flash of light at his fingertips, he directly put the card into the Nine Heavens Pendant, his movements fluid and graceful.

"Brother Lin saved the lives of the three of us, so this gift of gratitude is only right and proper," Huang Renli said sincerely.

"It's just a thank-you gift, why bother Brother Huang to make the trip in person?"

Huang Renli straightened up slightly, abandoned his casual demeanor, and revealed the true purpose of his trip.

"To be honest, Ye Fan's departure from the group during this trip to the secret realm violated the alliance of noble families. Our nine families intend to expel the Zhou family from the alliance."

A look of understanding flashed across Lin Ran's eyes, and he replied calmly, "I see."

"The Zhou family's behavior this time was indeed against the rules. Since the nine great families have made their decision, our Lin family, as a newly established family, will not have any objections."

"Cough cough..." Huang Renli paused slightly, his face showing some difficulty.

"Although the major families have decided to deal with the Zhou family, they still lack a suitable reason. Moreover, once the Zhou family falls, the Lin family will become the tenth most powerful family, so..."

Lin Ran instantly saw through the other party's hidden thoughts: "So, you nine families want the Lin family to deal with the Zhou family?"

Clearly, the nine great families also harbored the intention of sitting back and watching the tigers fight.

If things go well, the nine great families will inevitably step in and divide up the Zhou family's assets.

Once the Lin family falls, they will likely be devoured whole by these powerful clans.

"It's not entirely up to the Lin family to contribute; all nine of our families will help the Lin family behind the scenes," Huang Renli solemnly promised.

Lin Ran chuckled inwardly, but remained outwardly composed.

"Others may not know, but Brother Huang, don't you know? The Lin family's highest combat strength is only me, at the Transcendent Realm. How could we possibly fight the Zhou family in a contest?"

"Brother Lin is too modest," Huang Renli quickly shook his head, his attitude sincere.

"We all know your methods are far beyond those of ordinary martial artists at the Transcendent Realm. If you intend to deal with the Zhou family, it should be a piece of cake for you!"

Lin Ran sneered, "Heh, since you knew that, you still tried to scheme against me. Aren't you afraid of death?"

Having experienced the Zero Secret Realm, these people had some understanding of his methods, and it was certainly unrealistic for them to continue pretending.

Since that's the case, it's better to lay our cards on the table directly and be more assertive.

"Brother Lin, you've misunderstood!" Huang Renli felt a slight chill and quickly suppressed any thoughts of taking a chance.

"Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you, Brother Lin. Back when you had a feud with Zhou Zexu, the Zhou family joined forces with the other nine great families to try and divide up the Lin family."

"However, the other families didn't expect that the Zhou family would leave on their own after entering the secret realm. Clearly, the Zhou family had also schemed against the other families."

Lin Ran was fully aware of this matter from beginning to end.

Huang Renli himself only knew one side of the story and not the other.

The Zhou family may have had their own calculations, but they were forced into this situation by Chen Changsheng.

Moreover, the Zhou family never imagined that simply giving up a token would cause such a huge disaster.

"So what? Should I thank you for your honesty?" Lin Ran suppressed a laugh and put on a cold expression.

"The Zhou family hasn't gained anything, and the Lin family hasn't suffered any losses either. As for me, it doesn't seem to have any impact."

He looked at Huang Renli and asked earnestly, "Why should I be the one to stick my neck out?"

"Brother Lin, you are mistaken!" Huang Renli said earnestly.

"The fact that the Zhou family didn't suffer any harm is because they were less skilled. But given how they schemed against the Lin family, doesn't Brother Lin want to retaliate?"

It was clearly the nine great families who wanted to use someone else to do their dirty work, yet they insisted on pretending it was for the good of the Lin family.

If Lin Ran believes such a claim, he'll probably be driven to his own folly sooner or later.

"Actually, I'm a pretty magnanimous person and I don't like to settle scores later," Lin Ran said, feigning indifference.

"If the Zhou family continues to act arrogantly in front of me, I certainly wouldn't mind wiping them out. But right now, I don't want to become someone else's pawn."

This conflict was a game he himself had set up. As the player in the game, how could he willingly become a pawn?

First, the Zhou family tried to take advantage of the chaos, then Lin Ran seized the opportunity to sow discord, and now the nine great families want to reap the benefits.

Indeed, the joy of fighting with others is endless.

"Brother Lin is being too extreme. We're all cooperating with each other, how can you be considered a pawn?" Huang Renli said eloquently, trying to dispel Lin Ran's concerns.

"Furthermore, once the Zhou family declines, the Lin family will become the tenth most powerful family and the biggest beneficiary. Shouldn't the Lin family contribute their share?"

Lin Ran gently shook his head: "Since things have come to this, let's be frank."

"The Lin family joined the Aristocratic Clan Alliance simply because I wanted to see the No. 0 Secret Realm. Now that I've left the No. 0 Secret Realm, whether it's the eleventh or tenth aristocratic family, it doesn't really matter."

After remaining silent for a long time, Liu Chengfeng couldn't help but speak up: "Young Master Lin, are you saying something like that? Does this mean the Lin family is going to withdraw from the Aristocratic Families Alliance?"

"It's not impossible," Lin Ran said casually, without the slightest hesitation.

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the living room froze.

Huang Renli's expression changed slightly, and a clear look of anxiety appeared in his eyes.

Liu Chengfeng wanted to use a seat in the aristocratic family alliance to control Lin Ran, but unfortunately the Lin family didn't care about the seat at all.

If the Lin family withdraws from the alliance, the schemes of the nine great families will completely fail.

If they want to deal with the Zhou family then, the nine great families will need to get involved themselves.

Nowadays, everyone is careful about their reputation, so who is willing to put in the real effort?

"Brother Lin, please reconsider! A united front among the aristocratic families would greatly benefit the development of each family. Why withdraw so easily?"

Lin Ran picked up the tea on the table, took a small sip, and looked relaxed.

"What are the benefits? Is it about sharing risks together, or about ganging up to scheme against others?"

One sentence hit the nail on the head, leaving Huang Renli speechless for a moment.

Liu Chengfeng frowned and said in a deep voice, "Brother Lin, you are mistaken. The Aristocratic Family Alliance has existed for many years, balancing the entire martial arts world and maintaining order among all parties. Its contributions are immense."

"The Zhou family's violation this time is indeed punishable. The Lin family only needs to take the initiative, and the nine families will fully support them and never let the Lin family fight alone."

"Go all out to cover everything?" Lin Ran chuckled, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Did you nine families manage to cover everything during the last trip to the secret realm?"

Liu Chengfeng looked somewhat embarrassed and was at a loss for words.

After all, they had previously made an agreement to join forces and kill Lin Ran in the secret realm.

Even if things don't work out in the end, it doesn't mean Lin Ran can easily trust them.

"Times have changed," Huang Renli chimed in again.

"The Alliance of Noble Families is ultimately a group driven by self-interest. Now that the Zhou family has harmed everyone's interests, the Alliance of Noble Families naturally cannot tolerate it."

"So what? What does it have to do with me?" Lin Ran remained unmoved. "If necessary, the Lin family can withdraw from the alliance at any time!"