“I’ve had a grudge with someone from the Dongguo family, so I’ve never considered joining them. Because of that, my career has been far from smooth—I’ve been constantly suppressed. My position in the Martial Hall is, in truth, a dead-end job with no real power or prospects,” Liang Yuan said, shaking his head with dim eyes.
It was clear that Liang Yuan wasn’t content with being stuck at this level.
After all, climbing higher and gaining recognition would bring more resources and faster progress.
As a Tribulation Realm cultivator, he naturally longed to pursue immortality, but that required reaching the ninth turn of the Tribulation Realm first. To get there quickly, he’d need a wealth of resources.
Master He also said with a smile, “Lin Yun, don’t be fooled by my title as Master of the Martial Hall. In reality, this position is just about screening talent, and everything follows strict regulations. We’re mostly just overseers. My third-grade rank, like Liang Yuan’s, comes with little actual authority. The reason’s simple: I’m not part of the Dongguo Party.”
“Is it because you also have a grudge with the Dongguo Party that you didn’t join, Master He?” Lin Yun asked curiously.
“No, I didn’t have any feud with them before. I just didn’t want to be a lackey for the Dongguo family—that’s all,” Master He replied.
“By the way, how does the Dongguo family have so much influence?” Lin Yun asked, intrigued.
“Prime Minister Dongguo Wuji’s father is an Immortal, and he was one of Emperor Huoyun’s most capable generals. Tens of thousands of years ago, during the great beast war, he fought alongside Emperor Huoyun through life and death. He’s a founding elder of the Huoyun Empire and deeply trusted by the Emperor—rumour has it they’re sworn brothers!” Master He explained.
He continued, “Dongguo Wuji’s father later retired, and Dongguo Wuji took over as prime minister. Back then, Dongguo Wuji also fought alongside Emperor Huoyun. He was still in the Tribulation Realm at the time but later stepped into immortality.”
Lin Yun suddenly understood why they wielded such power.
“Lin Yun, if the Dongguo Party really invites you, whether you join or not is entirely up to you—don’t worry about us. Either way, you should go meet your guest now. They’ve come as visitors, and even if you don’t join, there’s no need to offend them,” Liang Yuan said.
“Alright, I’ll go see them,” Lin Yun nodded and stood up.
“Lin Yun, the news of you breaking through to the Tribulation Realm and being personally granted a third-grade rank by His Majesty has spread. Over the next couple of days, you’ll likely have many nobles and officials from the divine capital coming to congratulate you. You’ll be busy, so we won’t disturb you further.”
Master He and Liang Yuan stood to take their leave.
Lin Yun escorted them to the entrance, where the representative sent by the Dongguo family to offer congratulations was already waiting.
“Lord Lin, I am Dongguo Qi, a member of the Dongguo family. Prime Minister Dongguo is busy with affairs and specially sent me to congratulate you on your promotion. This is a modest gift prepared by the prime minister.”
The man presented the gift.
“Lord Dongguo Qi, please come inside,” Lin Yun gestured invitingly.
Though Lin Yun had no intention of joining the Dongguo Party, he wasn’t about to offend them without reason. Since they’d come bearing gifts, he’d play the gracious host. Whatever their ulterior motives were, that was another matter.
After entering the reception hall, maids served hot tea. Lin Yun also instructed the steward to wait at the entrance and, if more guests arrived to offer congratulations, to welcome them into the residence and register their gifts.
Inside the reception hall.
Dongguo Qi began with some small talk, showering Lin Yun with praise and flattery.
After that, he finally got to the point.
“Lord Lin, you’ve been in the divine capital for some time now, so you must have heard of the Dongguo Party. You’re a talented individual. If you join us, your future development in the empire will be limitless,” Dongguo Qi said.
“My apologies, but I’m someone who values freedom and doesn’t like getting involved with such factions. As for my future, I’m His Majesty’s disciple—I think I can manage without relying on external forces,” Lin Yun declined politely.
“Lord Lin, don’t be so quick to refuse. Give it some thought. It’s good to have a big tree to lean on, and our Dongguo Party is a towering one!” Dongguo Qi said proudly.
“Emperor Huoyun should be a bigger tree than your Dongguo Party, no?” Lin Yun replied with a smile.
“Haha, of course, but you can’t see Emperor Huoyun whenever you want. He can’t handle every little detail for you either. For matters that can’t be dealt with openly, it’s inconvenient to trouble His Majesty. But our Dongguo Party has power far beyond what you might imagine!” Dongguo Qi said.
He continued, “Joining our Dongguo Party or not makes a huge difference. Even as His Majesty’s disciple, if you don’t join us, you’ll surely be sidelined in the Huoyun Empire. Trust me!”
“Sidelined?” Lin Yun chuckled.
At that moment, the steward came to report that more guests had arrived and had been welcomed into the courtyard.
“Lord Dongguo Qi, please convey my thanks to the prime minister for the gift. I have many guests to attend to, so I’m afraid I can’t keep you longer.”
With that, Lin Yun stood and walked out.
“Hmph, ignorant fool,” Dongguo Qi muttered coldly before standing and leaving as well.
…
Dongguo Residence.
Having been rejected, Dongguo Qi returned to report to Dongguo Lie.
“Young Master, that guy turned down my invitation,” Dongguo Qi said.
“He refused?” Dongguo Lie frowned, visibly surprised.
He’d assumed this Lin Yun wouldn’t dare refuse and would obediently agree, eventually becoming a lapdog for the Dongguo family. After all, how vast was their influence?
He’d confidently assured his father that he’d handle this without issue.
Being rejected now left him extremely irritated and made it hard to face his father.
“It seems he truly doesn’t understand the Dongguo Party’s power. Immediately issue an order: no one from the Dongguo Party is to congratulate him. Let him first experience how great our influence is. I refuse to believe he won’t panic!” Dongguo Lie said coldly.
Meanwhile, at the Lin Residence.
Lin Yun was hosting the guests who’d come to offer congratulations.
But after seeing off one group, he noticed that suddenly no more guests arrived, which surprised him a bit.
“Lord Lin, I just heard a rumour that the Dongguo Party has ordered all its members not to come congratulate you. Once this news spread, everyone started speculating about what’s going on. Even those not aligned with any faction don’t dare come now. Though they’re not part of the Dongguo Party, they don’t want to risk offending them,” the steward reported to Lin Yun.
“If no one’s coming, that makes things easier for me,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
He wasn’t short on gifts anyway.
“Steward Zheng, keep an eye out for me. If anyone else arrives, help me receive them. If no one comes, that’s fine. I’ll be cultivating for a few days. If His Majesty summons me, come let me know,” Lin Yun instructed.
“Yes, Lord Lin,” the steward agreed.
Lin Yun headed straight to the residence’s quiet room, preparing to break through to the second turn of the Tribulation Realm!
With the Tribulation Pills he currently had, Lin Yun had enough for his cultivation needs for a while—no need to slowly refine more himself.
As for other matters? The Dongguo Party and such were meaningless to Lin Yun.
Only improving his own strength was real and tangible—it was the only thing Lin Yun truly cared about.
