“You… you…”
Mo Yangrong, hearing this, nearly spat blood in rage.
“No problem, I’ll send word, let’s head back to Zhu Clan,” Clan Leader Zhu said with a grin.
With that, the group left the tower.
Lin Yun’s defeat of Wei Qi on the fourth floor had been witnessed by the几十 cultivators training there.
Plus, tons on the first, second, and third floors saw Mo Yangrong hauled out, so the tale spread fast across the city.
Mo Clan and Wei Qi were big names in Dongyuan.
Their drama hooked everyone.
At a tavern table.
“Heard the news? Mo roped in Wei Qi, set a trap in the tower to hit Zhu, but Zhu had this Lin Yun bloke who smashed Wei Qi and sliced over twenty Mo Mahayana realm cultivators!”
“What? Beat Wei Qi and took out over twenty Mahayana realm cultivators? That strong? You sure he’s just third-rank Mahayana?”
“Rubbish, the tower caps at third-rank Mahayana—how could it be fake?”
“Wei Qi’s killed first-turn Tribulation realm cultivators, and he got beat? How tough is this Lin Yun?”
“Never heard of him in Dongyuan before, where’d this ace pop up from?”
“Famous or not before, from today, he’s a name in Dongyuan!”
…
Such chatter buzzed all over town.
Streets, taverns, teahouses—everywhere.
The story grew wilder with each retelling!
Lin Yun’s name was ringing through Dongyuan.
Fame came easy when he wanted it.
…
Meanwhile.
Mo Clan estate.
Clan Leader Mo sat in the courtyard, sipping tea, awaiting word of Zhu’s Mahayana realm cultivators getting wiped out.
Then, the steward burst in with the few escaped Mo Mahayana realm cultivators, panicked.
“Clan Leader! Disaster struck!” the steward shouted, running.
“What’s with the yelling? What disaster?” Clan Leader Mo frowned, turning.
But seeing those few Mahayana realm cultivators, his face darkened.
“Why just you lot? Where’s the rest?” he demanded.
“Clan Leader, the others… they’re dead! We lost!” Their voices cracked with grief.
*Bang!*
“How?! We sent so many Mahayana realm cultivators, plus Wei Qi—how could we lose? What nonsense is this!”
Clan Leader Mo slammed the table, leaping up.
The news hit like a bombshell.
How could they lose?
The tower capped at Mahayana realm, with Wei Qi as their ace—how?
“Zhu brought some Lin Yun, he beat Wei Qi, and… and killed loads of our Mahayana realm cultivators, only us few escaped,” they said.
“What?”
“Lin… Lin Yun?!”
Clan Leader Mo’s heart jolted at the name.
The plan flopped, and only these few Mahayana realm cultivators remained?
He knew losing so many would gut Mo.
“He’s that strong?” Disbelief paled his face.
He hadn’t reckoned Lin Yun could flip it all!
This stemmed from Mo’s arrogance at the Treasure Contest.
Had they not trash-talked and swaggered over the Origin Water Lotus, Lin Yun mightn’t have gone so hard.
“Wait, my son? Where’s my son!” Clan Leader Mo snapped.
“Clan Leader, Zhu sent word—Young Master’s with Lin Yun, he wants… five thousand Tribulation Pills to ransom him,” the steward muttered, head low.
*Boom!*
Rage erupted from Clan Leader Mo, the courtyard’s temperature spiking.
“Bastard! Bastard! That bastard!”
He trembled with fury.
Killing his men, now extorting him?
Five thousand Tribulation Pills!
Mo, a top Dongyuan clan, when had they ever eaten such a loss?
Against Zhu, they usually came out ahead, small setbacks at worst.
“I’ll kill him! Kill him!” His pupils shrank, a wounded lion’s growl rumbling.
The steward cut in, “Clan Leader, he’s tied to Zhu, they’ll shield him, we’ve lost so many Mahayana realm cultivators, a full war with Zhu—even if we win—would bleed us dry, maybe doom Mo forever.”
Clan Leader Mo slumped back, fists white.
He knew rash moves risked Mo’s future—one slip, and the clan would collapse!
“Pay to get him back, then plan long-term! We can’t let this kid off!” He smashed the stone table to bits.
Five thousand spirit crystals hurt, but for his son, he’d fork it over.
…
Meanwhile, back at Zhu Clan, they threw a feast to thank Lin Yun for saving them.
Next day, Clan Leader Mo came to ransom his son.
He tried haggling, but Lin Yun held firm—five thousand Tribulation Pills, not one less.
With Mo Yangrong in Lin Yun’s grip, Mo had no leverage, and paid up.
Lin Yun saw the venom in Clan Leader Mo’s eyes.
He knew, given a chance, Mo’d kill him on the spot.
After Mo Yangrong was retrieved.
Lin Yun eyed the storage ring—five thousand Tribulation Pills inside.
“Not a bad haul,” he grinned.
Five thousand Tribulation Pills? A jackpot!
“Hero Lin Yun, Mo’s taken a huge hit, watch yourself, they’ll want payback, Clan Leader Mo’s eighth-rank Tribulation realm—not to be trifled with, and they’ve got four Tribulation realm cultivators,” Clan Leader Zhu warned.
“I know, I’ll stay in the city till the Martial Exam, no issues,” Lin Yun said.
“If trouble hits, Zhu Clan’s got your back,” Clan Leader Zhu vowed.
“Clan Leader Zhu, I’ll sign up soon, then retreat to train till the Martial Exam,” Lin Yun said.
