“Lin Xiao!” Cao Xueqing was the first to speak, her eyes glinting like eternal ice, radiating a chilling aura.
Following her voice, a chorus of astonished remarks erupted.
“Is that Lin Xiao? He doesn’t seem special at all. Is he really the one who killed Cao Yuhua, stole core martial techniques from two major families, auctioned them, caused the death of their Martial Monarchs, and sparked a war between the two families?”
“Ordinary appearance, ordinary aura, but his presence is so restrained, not a hint of energy leaks out. He’s likely not simple.”
“With two major families eyeing him, he still dares to show up. He’s practically begging for death!”
“The Cao family patriarch led a team and still couldn’t capture him. He must be extraordinary, or he wouldn’t be here today.”
“He’s only relying on a powerful corpse puppet and the Zi family. Once inside the Yuanling Pool Secret Realm, those are useless. It’s clearly a death trap.” …
The buzz of discussion filled the air, everyone’s eyes locking onto Lin Xiao instantly. Some also noticed Zi Ling and Ling Hu beside him.
“That must be the Martial Emperor’s great-granddaughter, stunningly ethereal, no less beautiful than Cao Xueqing.”
“They say she’s a fifth-rank beginner Spirit Controller. Such talent at her age is rare, even in the entire southeast region. In the Yuanling Pool, no one could compete with her.”
“The one beside her should be Ling Hu. In terms of talent, he’s the most remarkable, with the Heavenly Flame Saint Tiger physique. He could even become a Martial Emperor, or theoretically a Martial Saint. In raw talent, the three families’ geniuses likely can’t match him.”
“True, they say Ling Hu, by burning his blood essence, could even overpower Cao Xueqing.”
“Even so, the Ling family lacks the foundation of the three major families. Growing up won’t be easy, and the three families definitely won’t let him rise.”
The area was alive with heated discussions, though the voices weren’t loud, they were clear to Martial Venerable ears.
“Other than concealing his aura, he doesn’t seem special. If not for the rumours, I’d have overlooked him,” said the elegant young man beside Cao Xueqing, his expression unchanged, clearly not taking Lin Xiao seriously.
“Is that Lin Xiao?” a youth among the Xu family thought to himself, “Indeed remarkable. Besides Cao Youwei and Lu Chao, I now have a third opponent.”
Among the Xu family’s youths, the two leading figures flashed cold, hostile glares.
“Lin Xiao? I hope he can cause some trouble for Cao Youwei and Xu Changkong. Don’t be too weak,” thought the burly, bold-featured youth in red from the Lu family.
“If I kill him before Cao Xueqing and the others, wouldn’t that be interesting?” chuckled a black-robed youth beside him.
“Be cautious. Someone who could kill Cao Yuhua isn’t that simple,” warned another youth in brown beside him.
“Heh, I could kill Cao Yuhua too,” scoffed a youth in grey.
Beyond the youths, elders from the three families and other forces also turned their attention to Lin Xiao’s group. Among them, Lin Xiao saw the furious glares of many, including Lu Yu from the Lu family, and a group from the Cao and Xu families, their eyes practically blazing. Their mighty families had been toyed with by a mere junior, even manipulated into warring, suffering massive losses.
Especially the Cao family, whose entire clan in City No. 5 was nearly wiped out, and they still couldn’t capture Lin Xiao afterward—a colossal disgrace.
“Lin Xiao, I didn’t expect you’d dare show up!” Cao Tianchao said coldly, staring at Lin Xiao.
“The Yuanling Pool Secret Realm doesn’t belong to any family. Is there anything wrong with me being here?” Lin Xiao retorted sharply, “What, the one-month agreement hasn’t expired. Is Patriarch Cao planning to attack me?”
Cao Tianchao frowned, “The Cao family keeps its word. Today, we won’t touch you. The Yuanling Pool Secret Realm indeed belongs to no family, but…”
His expression darkened, “Inside the Yuanling Pool, countless spirit beasts and dangers await. You’d better be careful. If you die in there, the Cao family won’t bear responsibility for breaking the agreement!”
Everyone understood that dying to spirit beasts was just Cao Tianchao’s excuse; the Cao family’s youths targeting Lin Xiao was his true intent.
“No need for Patriarch Cao’s concern. You should worry about whether your Cao family’s geniuses will be killed by spirit beasts instead,” Lin Xiao replied with a cold smile.
His meaning was clear, implying he’d counter-kill the Cao family’s talents.
“Ignorant fool!” Cao Tianchao snorted coldly.
Lin Xiao didn’t respond further. Everything would be settled inside the Yuanling Pool Secret Realm.
“Is this Brother Zi Mo and Miss Zi?” At this moment, a slightly plump elder from the Lu family smiled at Zi Mo.
This was none other than the Lu family patriarch.
“Indeed. Any advice?” Zi Ling replied curtly before Zi Mo could speak.
“No advice, just a rare chance to see Miss Zi and Brother Zi Mo in this region. Allow me to send greetings to the Zi Emperor,” the Lu patriarch said with a smile.
“Smiling tiger,” Zi Ling cursed inwardly.
“Patriarch Lu is too kind,” Zi Mo replied politely, though he found it hard to discern the Lu patriarch’s intentions.
The Lu family was likely secretly delighted that Lin Xiao had sparked a war between the Cao and Xu families. Whether they held animosity toward Lin Xiao was unclear, and they might even use him to deal with the other two families.
“Did you kill Xu Wei?” A youth in battle robes from the Xu family stepped forward, glaring coldly at Lin Xiao.
“Any advice?” Lin Xiao countered, indirectly admitting it.
“You’ll join Xu Wei!” the battle-robed youth replied tersely, avoiding direct threats to kill Lin Xiao, as the Xu family had also promised not to act for a month.
But his meaning was clear.
Lin Xiao sneered, “Heh, he’d probably rather see you.”
“You!” The battle-robed youth’s face darkened, speechless with anger.
“Just sharp-tongued,” a youth in a flowing coat beside him said indifferently.
At that moment, a terrifying aura surged from the thousand-zhang misty wall ahead. The rolling black fog suddenly dissipated, revealing a vertical, water-like light curtain in everyone’s view.
All eyes lit up. The barrier was gone, meaning the Yuanling Pool Secret Realm was officially open.
