Lin Xuan walked out of the bedroom and saw a tall figure in the courtyard.
It was none other than Lin Qiyuan.
"Disciple Lin Xuan greets Third Elder!"
Lin Xuan quickly hurried over, cupping his hands in salute, feeling a bit embarrassed.
But he saw Lin Qiyuan's face heavy with gloom.
Lin Xuan's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
He then added:
"Please rest assured, Third Elder, my feelings for Yun'er are genuine. I will never let her down!"
"I never expected Yun'er to do so much for you!"
Lin Qiyuan sighed, his expression growing even heavier instead of lighter.
What does that mean?
Lin Xuan was puzzled.
"As long as Yun'er is happy, I naturally won't stand in your way. But even if I agree, it's useless."
Lin Qiyuan continued.
His words carried a hint more sorrow.
Lin Xuan grew even more confused.
He looked around, searching.
"No need to look. Yun'er has already left."
Lin Qiyuan said.
"Left?"
Lin Xuan was baffled.
"In the literal sense. Left—left Qingyu City, left Cangyuan Country..."
Lin Qiyuan's voice came again, shattering the last shred of hope in Lin Xuan's heart.
"How can that be?"
Lin Xuan suddenly panicked.
He had only just solidified his relationship with Lin Shiyun yesterday. How could she leave today...
Sigh!
Lin Qiyuan let out a sigh and continued:
"I knew you'd react like this. Sit down, and I'll explain it all to you properly."
Lin Xuan sat down on a stone stool nearby.
Lin Qiyuan began to recount his story.
Lin Qiyuan was originally an ordinary disciple of the Lin family in Qingyu City. Having no claim to the position of family head and unwilling to see sibling rivalry, he left Qingyu City to venture out into the world.
Thus, several years passed.
Lin Qiyuan successfully broke through to the Qi Transformation Realm.
Later, during an adventure, he discovered a woman gravely wounded.
The woman was stunningly beautiful, and Lin Qiyuan was captivated at first sight.
He brought her home to tend to her injuries.
Soon, as time passed, feelings grew between them, and they became a couple.
They had a daughter, Lin Shiyun.
But just then, an overwhelmingly powerful martial artist came knocking.
The woman finally revealed the truth to Lin Qiyuan.
She was the Saintess of a major power. In a conflict with another Saintess, she was ambushed, severely injured, and tore through a spatial rift to arrive here.
Now that her trail had been discovered, she could no longer hide. She told Lin Qiyuan to return to Qingyu City with their daughter.
She, in turn, would go back to that major power to secure a future for their daughter.
She promised that when their daughter turned sixteen, she would send someone to fetch both father and daughter.
So Lin Qiyuan brought Lin Shiyun back to the Lin family in Qingyu City.
He lived a reclusive life, raising Lin Shiyun.
Over a decade passed, and even Lin Qiyuan began to think it was all a dream.
But this morning, when Lin Shiyun turned sixteen, her mother truly sent someone to take her away—without a single mention of Lin Qiyuan.
The envoy was also immensely powerful, even tearing through the void to arrive.
Since it was sent by Lin Shiyun's mother, Lin Qiyuan couldn't stop it and had no reason to, so he let them take Lin Shiyun.
The words fell.
A long silence hung over the scene.
A somber atmosphere spread.
"Indeed, my strength is still too weak!"
Lin Xuan clenched his fists, thinking to himself.
If he were strong enough, how could he have allowed Lin Shiyun to be taken away, regardless of whether the envoy was her mother?
His strength was still too weak. Even as Lin Shiyun was taken, he hadn't even noticed.
"Third Elder, please tell me the name of that major power, and what cultivation level I need to reach to bring Yun'er back?"
Lin Xuan looked at Lin Qiyuan, his voice heavy.
Though angry, he hadn't lost his reason.
A being capable of tearing through the void was something he couldn't afford to provoke for now.
But he wouldn't let them off.
Not now, but that didn't mean not in the future!
"King Martial Realm! When you reach the King Martial Realm, come find me, and I'll tell you everything!"
Lin Qiyuan initially didn't want to discourage Lin Xuan, but seeing his resolute gaze, he couldn't help but speak.
"Good! Then the King Martial Realm it is! Thank you, Third Elder, for telling me!"
Lin Xuan took a deep breath, cupping his hands in salute.
He had never heard of the King Martial Realm, nor did he know how strong or distant it was.
But he believed he could reach it.
Because he had the Replication System, none of this would be a problem.
Afterward, he saw Lin Qiyuan off.
Lin Xuan tidied up a bit, then strode out of the Lin residence, heading toward the City Lord's Mansion.
Lin Shiyun was gone. The Lin family, Qingyu City—nothing here was worth clinging to anymore.
The urgent task was to raise his cultivation to the King Martial Realm.
And Qingyu City was far from meeting that condition.
At the very least, he needed to start with the Flowing Cloud Sect.
The Flowing Cloud Sect was far stronger than Qingyu City, governing the Qingyu Prefecture where the city was located, along with twelve other large prefectures.
It was also one of the four great sects of Cangyuan Country.
Even the royal family of Cangyuan Country could only stand on equal footing with the four great sects, not above them.
Soon, he arrived outside the City Lord's Mansion.
By then, Zhao Quxin, along with Zhang Wenyong and other high-ranking figures from various factions, had also gathered.
They were assembled on the open ground outside.
Lin Xuan's arrival immediately drew a flood of attention.
Many wanted to come over and greet him, hoping to build a connection.
But seeing Lin Xuan's cold expression, with an air of "keep away," they gave up.
A hundred meters away, there was also a massive black eagle, over ten meters tall.
"Beast: Black Feather Eagle."
"Grade: Fourth-Tier Upper."
"Talents: Upper-grade Bloodline Talent, Inferior-grade Strength Talent, Lower-grade Speed Talent, Mid-grade Gale Attribute Talent."
Lin Xuan's gaze swept over it, and the black eagle's attribute panel appeared before him.
Lin Xuan looked surprised, not expecting to see a beast's attribute talents.
If that was the case, this attribute panel could serve as a warning tool.
After waiting a bit longer, eight o'clock arrived.
Among the top ten, aside from Lin Shiyun, everyone else was present.
"Let's go."
Zhao Quxin waved his hand, leading the nine toward the Black Feather Eagle.
Lin Shiyun hadn't come, and Zhao Quxin didn't say anything more, clearly already aware.
Though the others were puzzled, seeing that even Zhao Quxin, the envoy, didn't mention it, they could only keep quiet.
The Black Feather Eagle tilted slightly downward, and Zhao Quxin led the nine onto its back.
"Little Black, let's head back."
Zhao Quxin patted the Black Feather Eagle's back.
Instantly, the Black Feather Eagle soared into the air.
Under the gaze of the crowd, it flew away from Qingyu City, shrinking to a black dot that soon vanished.
Everyone sighed inwardly and dispersed.
The Black Feather Eagle spread its wings, spanning over twenty meters.
Zhao Quxin, Lin Xuan, and the other nine sat cross-legged on its back, with plenty of room.
Seeming to sense Lin Xuan's low mood, the other nine, including Zhao Quxin, didn't disturb him.
"Ding, consumed 1000 energy points, replication successful, obtained [Mid-grade Gale Attribute Talent]."
"Ding, consumed 500 energy points, replication successful, obtained [Lower-grade Speed Talent]."
"..."