Promoted to Law Enforcement Elder

"Spirit Aunt?"

Hearing that form of address, Lin Langtian murmured softly.

Though he had never heard the name before, it was obvious that this Nine Nether Flame Sparrow was female.

At that thought, Lin Langtian felt somewhat relieved. After all, being bound by life and death to a male Nine Nether Flame Sparrow would have been more than a little unsettling.

"Looks like I'll have to find Demon Spirit essences..." Recalling the instructions left by the Nine Nether Flame Sparrow called Spirit Aunt before she fell asleep, Lin Langtian firmly committed them to memory.

After their Bloodline Link had formed, the two of them were practically tied to the same rope. Moreover, if he could awaken Spirit Aunt, Lin Langtian would gain another trump card as he ventured across the continent.

However, Demon Spirit essences seemed to be called Demon Spirits on the Heavenly Profound Continent, and ordinary Demon Spirits would likely be unable to meet Spirit Aunt's needs.

Shaking his head, Lin Langtian stopped dwelling on the matter. Finding high-grade Demon Spirits was not something that could be rushed.

Setting the matter aside for now, Lin Langtian slowly extended his slender fingers. The next moment, a terrifying, bizarre, and dazzling black flame emerged.

"So this is the Nine Nether Sparrow's Black Flame. It truly carries a power that makes one's heart tremble," Lin Langtian muttered in astonishment.

After forming a bloodline connection with the Nine Nether Flame Sparrow, he could likewise wield her power, including this bizarre Black Flame.

Master Mu had been a Nirvana Stage expert in life. Even though only a Nascent Soul remained of him now, he had been utterly incapable of resisting this terrifying Black Flame. That alone showed its might.

In Lin Langtian's view, if this Black Flame were placed in the Dou Qi Continent, it would likely not be inferior even to Emperor Flame, ranked first on the Heavenly Flame List.

After all, Tou She Ancient Emperor would have only been a Supreme Realm expert in the Great Thousand World, while the Nine Nether Flame Sparrow's Black Flame Power could strip the skin off even a Supreme Realm expert who carelessly came into contact with it, if it did not kill them outright.

Unfortunately, Spirit Aunt had suffered grave injuries, and Lin Langtian himself was still far too weak. Thus, he could only unleash a portion of the Black Flame's power.

Even so, with the Black Flame in hand, Lin Langtian could be considered the number one genius among the younger generation of the present Great Yan Empire!

The thought filled Lin Langtian with lofty ambition.

Heaven had granted him a chance at rebirth. He was determined to forge an extraordinary life!

Knock, knock!

Just as Lin Langtian gazed toward the future, a sudden knock sounded at the door, pulling him from his thoughts.

His brows furrowed slightly as Lin Langtian strode over and pulled open the door. A black-robed middle-aged man entered.

Lin Langtian was startled upon seeing him, then searched through the memories in his mind and recognized the man.

"Elder Lin Zhi, why have you come personally?"

This man was none other than Elder Lin Zhi, a core figure of Lin Langtian's faction and the man in charge of the Clan Treasury.

In the original timeline, Lin Langtian had completely fallen out with Lin Dong, which caused Lin Zhi to oppose Lin Dong at every turn as well. Not only had he become despised by others, but he himself had met no good end.

But one's position determined one's perspective. Since he had been reborn as Lin Langtian, he naturally no longer held any ill will toward the trusted aides of his own faction. On the contrary, he needed to win them over.

"I came to tell you... Wait, Langtian, you broke through!?"

Halfway through speaking, the black-robed elder suddenly sensed the aura within Lin Langtian. His face immediately lit up with delight.

Seeing this, Lin Langtian simply stopped concealing it and said with a faint smile, "I just broke through. I've reached the minor completion of the Form Creation Realm."

"Good, good, good! Barely over twenty, and you've already entered the Form Creation Realm of the Creation Three Realms. No wonder we placed our bets on you, Langtian. You truly are a genius!"

Hearing this, the black-robed elder named Lin Zhi was briefly stunned before bursting into laughter.

Where there were people, there were factions, and the vast Lin Clan was no exception.

Within the Lin Family, a major faction led by Lin Zhi stood behind Lin Langtian. They valued his talent and hoped that, once he had grown powerful, they would reap the returns on their investment.

Now that Lin Langtian had broken through to the Form Creation Realm, his image as a genius had undoubtedly been reinforced in everyone's minds, further solidifying his faction's central position.

Lin Langtian smiled slightly at this.

Although he had never entered officialdom in his previous life, he had read plenty of books on political strategy and naturally knew how to gather people's hearts.

"Come, Langtian. We must report this news to the Clan Leader at once. Now that you've broken through to the Form Creation Realm, the Great Elder has no reason left to stop you from taking part in the clan's core affairs," Lin Zhi said with a smile.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Langtian slowly nodded.

Though the reborn him no longer cared much for power within the Lin Family, he had yet to grow strong enough. Controlling a portion of the clan's authority would allow him to mobilize considerable resources.

Lin Clan's main hall.

At this moment, more than a dozen Lin Family elders were seated along both sides of the hall. These elders were aged and possessed profound auras; if placed outside, each would surely be a major figure capable of shaking an entire region.

Yet now, all of them were looking at the handsome, dashing young man below them. Their aged eyes held complicated emotions—surprise, shock, and more.

Lin Langtian ignored their scrutiny entirely, his gaze fixed tightly on the Middle-aged Man seated directly before him.

The Middle-aged Man wore a green robe. Though he appeared to be around middle age, his hair was streaked with black and white.

This indicated that he was far older than he appeared. His brows were somewhat thick, his eyes bright and sharp, and he radiated an unmistakable air of authority that only someone in a high position could possess.

What made Lin Langtian's heart tremble most, however, was the man's aura. It was not particularly violent, yet it carried a suffocating pressure.

He understood that the man before him was a genuine Nirvana Stage expert!

This man was the current Clan Leader of the Lin Clan, Lin Fan!

"Langtian greets the Clan Leader!"

After briefly observing him, Lin Langtian cupped his hands respectfully.

While Lin Langtian was assessing Lin Fan, the latter was assessing him as well. Yet what surprised this Nirvana Stage expert was that, for the first time, he found Lin Langtian unreadable.

Shaking his head, Lin Fan laughed. "Langtian, you truly are the foremost genius of our Lin Clan, breaking through to the Form Creation Realm at such a young age!"

"Thank you for your praise, Clan Leader. It is all thanks to the clan's nurturing," Lin Langtian replied with a faint smile.

Lin Langtian's words left the Lin Family higher-ups, Lin Fan included, slightly stunned.

In their memories, Lin Langtian had always been extremely arrogant. He had never spoken such humble words.

Still, gratitude toward the clan was a good thing. No one found fault with it; instead, they felt comforted.

"Good, well said!" Lin Fan's face brightened at his words.

He had always thought highly of Lin Langtian. After all, in a few years' time, Lin Langtian would represent their Lin Family in the Hundred Dynasties War.

Before Lin Dong had displayed his talent, Lin Fan had undoubtedly lavished care and resources upon Lin Langtian.

"To reward Langtian for his rapid progress, I have decided that from this day onward, the position of the family's Law Enforcement Elder shall be held by Langtian!" Lin Fan announced.

As his words fell, the many elders of Lin Langtian's faction led by Lin Zhi immediately revealed joyful expressions.

In contrast, several elders led by a purple-robed old man seated below Lin Fan's left frowned slightly.

The purple-robed old man was none other than the Lin Clan's Great Elder, Lin Mu.

As the Lin Clan's Great Elder, he was also the leader of a Lin Family faction. Naturally, he was unwilling to watch Lin Langtian and his faction grow stronger.

However, seeing that Lin Fan was in high spirits, coupled with Lin Langtian's undeniable talent, Lin Mu could only suppress the urge to dissuade him.

Just as he abandoned the thought of trying to stop Lin Fan, he heard the latter continue.

"Furthermore, Langtian will be rewarded with one opportunity to enter the clan's Clan Treasury!"

P.S. Below are the views of a Martial Universe reader that I saw on a forum. I think they make a lot of sense, but Ancestral Realm being equal to Heavenly Sovereign is too strong, so this book's setting is Dou Di = Supreme Realm, Ancestral Realm = Earthly Supreme.

Potato said on stream that Dou Di equals Supreme Realm. I found it a little hard to accept, though I could still understand it. My conclusion is as follows: Dou Di = Supreme Realm, Ancestral Realm = Heavenly Sovereign. Let's sort it out. At the beginning of The Great Ruler, it was stated that the Great Thousand World was connected to Lower Planes as numerous as grains of sand. The Dou Qi Continent alone had produced a whole group of Dou Di since ancient times. If Dou Di were equal to Heavenly Sovereign, then wouldn't Heavenly Sovereigns ascending into the Great Thousand World from outside be as common as hairs on an ox every year? Wouldn't the renowned, lofty Heavenly Sovereigns of the Great Thousand World itself become a joke? The only explanation is that the energy levels of the Dou Qi Continent and the Great Thousand World were inherently different. Many longtime readers find it difficult to accept that Dou Saints could move mountains and fill seas in the Dou Qi Continent, while the earth-shattering battle between two Dou Di in the final battle would amount to a clash between two First Grade Supremes in the Great Thousand World. The fact that Xiao Yan could still feel his strength improving at the end of Dou Po shows that the Dou Qi Continent's upper limit could reach Supreme Peak. Now for Martial Universe: the Yi Mo Race targeted the Heavenly Profound Continent because it possessed a Plane Embryo, something only a very small number of planes had. So the Heavenly Profound Continent's energy level was most likely higher than that of the Dou Qi Continent. Consider Mu Chen's visit to White Dragon Sovereign's homeland. Bai Susu was an Earthly Supreme, and that place also possessed a Plane Embryo, which shows that White Dragon's homeland had a cultivation limit of Great Perfection Earthly Supreme. Later, when Lin Dong appeared, it was never said that the Plane Embryo of White Dragon's homeland was stronger than the Heavenly Profound Continent's Plane Embryo. He even instructed Mu Chen on matters requiring attention to become a Plane Master. Therefore, the Heavenly Profound Continent's cultivation limit should likewise be Great Perfection Earthly Supreme. As for White Dragon and the others, whose strength was comparable to the Life Death Profound Stage or Samsara Stage, it was not impossible for them to use certain means to reach the Great Thousand World early and seek help. Perhaps the elders who had reached Earthly Supreme strength had all been killed by the Blood Evil Clan. Thus, White Dragon's ascension could not fully prove that his homeland's cultivation limit was Supreme Peak. Lin Dong reached the Ancestral Realm by gaining the Plane Embryo's recognition, entering reincarnation, and breaking through. Mu Chen reached Heavenly Sovereign by relying on the Plane Embryo to undergo an experience akin to a hundred years. Mu Chen said that, as someone from the Great Thousand World, he had more methods and a higher level of Spiritual Power. If he entered the Heavenly Sovereign realm, dealing with the Blood Demon Emperor would be much easier than it had been for the Martial Ancestor to deal with the Demonic Emperor. For now, this suggests that the Ancestral Realm equaled Heavenly Sovereign. As for those who say Dou Di equaled the Ancestral Realm, from ancient times until the present, Martial Universe had only produced one Ancestral Realm expert, the Symbol Ancestor, who had come from elsewhere. Yet the Dou Qi Continent, which did not even possess a Plane Embryo, had produced a whole bunch of Dou Di. Would it not be absurd for the Heavenly Profound Continent, which possessed a Plane Embryo, to have never produced even one person comparable to a Dou Di over such a long time? Therefore, Dou Di equaling the Ancestral Realm does not hold up. The only explanation is that the Heavenly Profound Continent's energy level was high enough to accommodate Earthly Supremes, and tearing open the barrier connecting it to the Great Thousand World was more difficult than in the Dou Qi Continent. One could not even sense the barrier's existence without reaching the extreme of the Earthly Supreme realm. Unless native inhabitants could reach Heavenly Sovereign in a Lower Plane and control the Plane Embryo to travel to the Great Thousand World, they would need methods like White Dragon's. Then people will ask why Xiao Yan and Lin Dong were mutually wary when they met in the Great Thousand World, only to later become kindred spirits. I think the only explanation is that Xiao Yan arrived in the Great Thousand World first. After all, when Lin Dong entered the Great Thousand World, he was like a dragon returning to the sea, and his cultivation did not progress slowly. Xiao Yan converted his power into Spiritual Power with Luo Tianshen, then refined pills, took medicine, and devoured the flame power of the Great Thousand World as he cultivated for several years. Not to mention Great Perfection Earthly Supreme, it would not be impossible for him to make ordinary Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereigns wary using his Fire Lotus. Then Lin Dong arrived afterward, encountered Xiao Yan, and felt that Xiao Yan was a formidable man not to be provoked lightly. Later, when they realized their values aligned and they were fellow travelers, they came to admire one another. As for the exceptionally gifted Boundless Ancestor, perhaps he had improper designs on Ling Qingzhu during Lin Dong's weakened period of converting Yuan Power into Spiritual Power, when no one was there to protect him. That was why Lin Dong had not simply slapped such a minor character to death. Later, he no longer cared.