Chapter 15: You’ve Finally Gotten Yourself into Trouble…

"You've lost!"

At that moment, Lin Che's calm words, each one like a heavy hammer, struck hard at Murong Yan's heart.

The noise from the crowd below was already inaudible to her.

In her eyes, there was only the young man in front of her and the cold aura emanating from the sword point at her brow.

"I… don't understand…" Murong Yan's expression was wooden.

She couldn't comprehend how someone like Lin Che could possess a spirit-level combat technique. And even if he had one, how could he, with his Qi Condensation cultivation, defeat her, someone at the Spirit Martial Realm?

Lin Che did not answer her question.

The next moment, he withdrew his sword and stood side by side with Murong Yan.

Without a doubt, the battle had ended, and the final result was clear.

All eyes turned toward the viewing platform.

"Mentor Ji, do you think it's time to announce the result?" Xiao Feng asked softly.

"It's quite surprising, indeed…"

Ji Zong rubbed the wrinkles on his forehead, then stood up from his seat.

At this moment, an Aoki token appeared in his hand.

Undoubtedly, this token represented the status of a disciple of the Dao Cang Institute.

"Whoosh!"

With a wave of Ji Zong's sleeve, the Aoki token flew out, landing at Murong Yan's feet.

"What… is going on?"

Countless spectators were baffled by this scene. Hadn't Lin Che won the duel? So why was the Aoki token given to Murong Yan? Could it have been a mistake?

"What… does… this… mean??"

Meanwhile, upon seeing this, Lin Che's eyes narrowed, and a cold aura spread out.

Hearing this, Ji Zong smiled faintly, his old voice echoing, "This time, the one I'm taking down the mountain is Murong Yan."

"Wow!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire central square erupted in a huge uproar.

Even Xiao Feng, standing nearby, was full of astonishment.

There was no mistake—the sole spot at Dao Cang Institute had indeed been given to the loser.

At this moment, Lin Che's gaze grew colder as he recalled Murong Yan's words from the previous night: "You're too naive. No matter what, you won't win…"

"Is Ji Zong connected to the Murong family?" Lin Che looked at Murong Yan and suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Murong Yan shook her head.

"Then I understand…"

"The price the Murong family paid to bribe a Dao Cang Institute mentor must have been enormous, right?"

Murong Yan nodded. "The entire wealth of the Murong family."

"Just for one spot?"

"Actually, I didn't expect to lose, but the family did it anyway. To be precise, it was for insurance. As long as I enter the Dao Cang Institute, what the Murong family lost will come back…" Murong Yan said with a peculiar look in her eyes.

Hearing this explanation, Lin Che felt a surge of anger, like a heavy stone pressing on his heart.

He had underestimated the cruelty of this world.

Sometimes, it's not just one's own strength that determines fate, but also power, money, and influence…

Compared to the wealth of the entire Murong family, his current strength was clearly no match.

Lin Che stood silently for a moment, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his lips.

Then, he turned without a word and walked down the platform.

Hatred?

Yes, an intense hatred!

Because of this old man's greed, with a single sentence, he not only stripped away what should have been his but also put him in a situation where he might never recover.

After hearing this news, the Lin family would probably spare no expense to kill him.

In Canglan City, a bloody battle awaited him, with life and death uncertain.

But at this moment, Lin Che understood that he couldn't act rashly or accuse Ji Zong.

He didn't have the means, nor the strength.

Reckless bravery wasn't heroic; it was foolishness.

In front of someone who could kill him with a mere flick of a finger, anger, bloodlust, and resentment were all jokes.

This grudge must be avenged, but only by surviving could he have a chance to seek revenge later.

Lin Che walked step by step down the stone steps, his hand holding the sword trembling slightly, his eyes filled with a deep red.

One could imagine the suppressed hatred in his heart.

But just then, a cold voice suddenly echoed from the divine jade space.

"Don't go… Confront him head-on."

Confront him head-on!

Lin Che was stunned. "But I can't beat him, I might die."

The mysterious woman said, "With me here, what are you afraid of?"

The mysterious woman's words made Lin Che stop in his tracks.

Originally, in Lin Che's mind, he had planned to leave quietly. Even though he would still face endless pursuits from the Lin family, at least he had a chance to fight for his life.

However, offending this big shot from the Dao Cang Institute would probably result in his immediate death.

So Lin Che chose to endure, waiting until he grew stronger to take his revenge.

But after the mysterious woman spoke, Lin Che suddenly realized—why should he cower?

After all, he had someone backing him!

A terrifying existence who had reached the Dao Martial Realm at just seventeen years old—having such a backer meant that within the territory of Yangzhou, who could threaten him?

With this thought, Lin Che suddenly turned around, directly facing the revered old man on the viewing platform. "Ji Zong, as a Dao Cang Institute envoy, you've engaged in corruption and abuse of power. What right do you have to stand there? Get down here!"

Get down here!

This sudden roar, at this time, in this setting, caused unimaginable waves.

It was like a thousand-pound boulder crashing into a still pond.

Even though Murong Yan was entering the Dao Cang Institute, and the crowd was surprised, they could somewhat guess the corruption involved. Many even felt sympathy for Lin Che.

But they never expected Lin Che to challenge a Dao Cang Institute envoy directly.

At this moment, countless onlookers were stunned, thinking they had misheard.

On the viewing platform, Ji Zong's expression turned dark.

Originally, after announcing the result, seeing Lin Che leave silently, Ji Zong thought the boy was smart.

But now, Ji Zong was surprised—was this boy seeking death?

"Are you questioning my decision?"

"Questioning it? I flat-out refuse to accept it. I won the duel, she lost, yet you chose the loser. So tell me, what was the point of this trial? Explain your decision to me," Lin Che pointed at Ji Zong and said coldly.

"Heh…" Hearing this, Ji Zong let out a cold laugh. "When did I ever say that the duel's outcome was the criterion for selection by the Dao Cang Institute? You want an explanation? I'll give you one."

"I judge by cultivation level. Your cultivation is inferior to Murong Yan's. Is that enough for you?"

Inferior cultivation?

Anyone could tell that Ji Zong's reason was incredibly perfunctory.

"An inferior cultivation, you say. Ji Zong, you act with such impunity for personal gain, tarnishing the Dao Cang Institute's reputation. Aren't you afraid that I'll report this to the higher-ups at the Dao Cang Institute and have you held accountable?" Lin Che asked.

Upon hearing this, Ji Zong laughed, his expression growing strange.

He looked at Lin Che as if he were a country bumpkin declaring his intent to storm the capital with a petition, utterly ridiculous.

"You can be naive to this extent? That's unexpected… Today, I'll let you understand that, as the Dao Cang Institute's envoy, I am the law here."

"You, a mere ant, have already offended me enough to justify your death."

His words were domineering. Even Xiao Feng furrowed his brow.

But after a moment of hesitation, Xiao Feng remained silent, for what Ji Zong said was indeed the truth.

Facing the powerful ruler of Yangzhou, Dao Cangyuan, as a mere city lord of Canglan City, he had no say in the matter.

"Kill me?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Che smiled.

He was actually worried that he wouldn't be able to provoke Ji Zong into action, but the old man still hadn't made a move. So, he decided to fan the flames a bit more.

"You want to kill me? I'm right here. Go ahead and try."

Crazy!

In the central square, countless eyes were focused on Lin Che, and a single thought crossed everyone's mind:

It seems Lin Che can't handle the pressure; he's completely lost it.

"You really have a death wish?" Ji Zong's eyes turned cold.

"Cut the crap! I'll sum it up in one sentence… Ji Zong, f*** your ancestors! If you've got the guts, kill me!!"

Boom!

As soon as Lin Che finished speaking, Ji Zong abruptly stood up from his seat. The chair behind him instantly turned to dust. Not only that, but the old man's face also turned ashen, his eyes filled with rage.

Swish!

The next moment, without a word, Ji Zong's aged body rushed toward Lin Che. To Lin Che, it felt like a towering mountain was moving toward him, bringing with it an indescribable sense of oppression.

"Senior, it's time to intervene," Lin Che thought to himself.

However, there was no response.

"Senior Tian Nu, he's coming for me!"

But the divine jade space remained silent.

"Senior!"

As the terrifying figure drew closer, Lin Che started to lose his composure.

"We agreed that I'd provoke the enemy and you'd do the fighting—don't leave me hanging here…"

Lin Che felt that he might have been tricked, but it was too late to realize it now. In an instant, the massive battle platform was covered in cracks from the immense pressure, as if it was about to collapse.

At the center of the storm created by Ji Zong's powerful palm, Lin Che felt an even more terrifying force, as if his entire body would explode in the next moment.

In the face of such an overwhelming power difference, resistance seemed pointless.

Even so, Lin Che tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.

He couldn't rely on anyone else; he'd have to depend on himself. Even if it meant certain death, he would die fighting.

Whoosh—

But just then, before that massive palm of true energy could land, an even more immense force suddenly appeared on the scene.

A river of true energy surged from the horizon, and finally, in front of Lin Che, it formed a thick wall of energy.

Boom!

Ji Zong's palm struck the energy wall, producing a thunderous explosion.

After the strike, Ji Zong's aged body was sent flying back dozens of meters by a powerful counterforce.

"Ugh!" He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his old face turned even paler.

Lin Che was left in a daze.

He could clearly sense that this mysterious force did not come from within the divine jade space.

"Hahaha…"

At that moment, a towering figure descended beside Lin Che.

The man wore a broad silver robe and a silver mask on his face, but on his chest was a golden emblem engraved with a small character 'Wu' (武).

Although Lin Che couldn't see the man's face, he could feel a faint sense of resentment in his gaze.

Then, the silver-robed man patted Lin Che on the shoulder and said, "Kid, I've been following you for a month, and you've finally gotten yourself into a mess you can't handle…"

Lin Che: "???"