Dispute Over Quotas

Upon descending the stairs, Lin Dong entered the main hall of the Wanjin Merchant Association and immediately sensed that the atmosphere inside was somewhat off.

Besides Xuan Su, who had initially invited him, and Xia Zhilan, the Young Miss of the Wanjin Merchant Association whom Xuan Su had introduced him to upon his arrival, there were three other people in the hall.

Two of them were elders who appeared to be from the Wanjin Merchant Association. The Primal Energy fluctuations emanating from them indicated that they were both at the Lesser Yuan Dan Realm.

The last person was a young man dressed in blue. He was quite handsome and possessed decent strength, being at the same cultivation level as Lin Dong – the middle stage of the Heavenly Yuan Realm. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed quite familiar with Xia Zhilan.

"Zhilan, I know you misunderstand me, but you can't disregard the bigger picture because of it. If you just find any Tom, Dick, or Harry to replace me, and we happen to lose, all the hard work you've put in these past few months will be for nothing."

The young man's voice grew louder when he noticed Lin Dong entering, seemingly intending for Lin Dong to hear him.

Lin Dong's brow furrowed slightly at this, but he didn't react. He simply turned to Xuan Su and asked softly, "Sister Su, when do we depart?"

"Since you're here, let's set off now."

Xuan Su gave Lin Dong a gentle smile. Then, as if sensing something, her beautiful eyes suddenly sharpened, and she gazed deeply at the smiling young man.

After retracting her gaze, Xuan Su's expression turned cold, and she spoke in a deep voice.

"Song Qing, I've already clarified this matter with your father. If you continue to be unreasonable, don't blame me for being impolite."

Song Qing's expression immediately soured. He quickly exchanged a look with one of the elders beside him. Seeing this, one of them chuckled and said, "Manager Su, this is not a trivial matter. If you suddenly replace the person at the last minute and we lose, it will affect the Association's interests. It will be difficult to explain to the Chairman!"

"Are you implying that Song Qing is guaranteed to win? Is he perhaps Yue Shan's illegitimate son to have such influence?"

Xuan Su retorted with a cold laugh. She was well aware of the Song Family's opportunistic nature. They had only considered Song Qing out of desperation because there was no one else available at the time.

Now that she had found an excellent candidate, why would she let an opportunist like Song Qing disrupt things?

"Little fellow, you look quite easy to bully."

Seeing that Xuan Su and the others were still locked in a verbal confrontation, Cang Wu couldn't help but tease with a smile. He was determined to obtain this Yin Yang Qi, so he naturally paid close attention.

Lin Dong subconsciously reached up and touched his nose, responding with a dry chuckle in his heart.

"Senior, please don't make fun of me. Perhaps it's because I look young that I seem weak?"

"Then, isn't this another chance for you to spar, kid?"

Cang Wu's words made Lin Dong pause. Immediately after, he saw Xuan Su's chest heave with anger, and she bit her silver teeth as she said, "Fine, since you want to compete, let's have a match. If you lose, the two honorary elders, who have repeatedly questioned and even obstructed this matter, must be prepared to accept punishment!"

The faces of the two honorary elders shifted slightly, but then they gritted their teeth and nodded firmly, replying, "Then let's compete. We know Song Qing's strength well. Does Manager Su really think she can replace him with just anyone she pulls off the street?"

Xuan Su snorted and ignored them further. She turned to Lin Dong, whose expression seemed somewhat bewildered, and said in a low voice, "Little brother Lin Dong, this is my oversight. Just teach him a lesson, and I'll compensate you with one hundred Yang Yuan Pills afterward!"

These one hundred Yang Yuan Pills were not from Xuan Su's personal stash but were to be fined from the two honorary elders. Since they insisted on a gamble, they had to pay the price.

"One hundred pills?"

Lin Dong was slightly taken aback, then delighted. One hundred Yang Yuan Pills was no small sum.

Following this, Lin Dong finally understood what Senior Cang Wu had meant by a sparring opportunity.

"Sister Su, it's alright. A competition is a competition."

Lin Dong grinned at Xuan Su and shook his head slightly. If he could earn so much from every competition, he could fight continuously until he completely exhausted himself.

"In that case, let's have a match."

One of the elders immediately said with a chuckle. As he spoke, Song Qing, who had been waiting for this opportunity, seized the moment and threw a punch at Lin Dong.

"Shameless!"

Xia Zhilan's expression changed drastically. She immediately cursed. Seeing that Lin Dong seemed to have not reacted, a hint of worry appeared in her eyes.

Although Song Qing's attack was sudden, Lin Dong had already sensed it the moment he channeled his Primal Energy. However, facing such an obvious and flawed punch, Lin Dong simply couldn't be bothered to dodge.

Seeing Lin Dong seemingly frozen, Song Qing's face contorted into a sinister expression. He secretly channeled the Primal Energy within him, preparing to unleash his full strength and cripple Lin Dong after landing this blow.

However, just as Song Qing's fist neared Lin Dong and he began to smile, Lin Dong moved.

Lin Dong suddenly raised his palm and slapped the back of Song Qing's hand. He used the Lin Family's first-grade Martial Art, Falling Stone Palm.

"Crack!"

His palm struck Song Qing's hand with a crisp sound. Amidst it, a faint "snap" could be heard coming from Song Qing's arm.

The sharp pain of bone fracture instantly contorted Song Qing's face. But before he could even scream, Lin Dong moved forward swiftly, bringing his elbow down heavily onto Song Qing's chest.

"CRACK!!"

This time, the sound of ribs breaking was much clearer, audible to everyone in the hall.

Seeing Song Qing taken down in two moves and sent flying by an elbow strike, everyone present, including Xia Zhilan and Xuan Su, wore expressions of astonishment.

They had assumed that Lin Dong, as a Talisman Master, would use some Talisman Master techniques to deal with Song Qing. They never expected him to finish it in just two moves.

"Sister Su, can we depart now?"

Lin Dong chuckled lightly and spoke, his face not flushed and his breathing steady, as if the previous exchange was as simple as brushing dust off his clothes, completely without pressure.

Xuan Su also reacted to his words, breaking into a radiant smile and nodding.

"If that's the case, then let's go."

As she spoke, Xuan Su led the way, and Lin Dong turned to follow behind her.

Meanwhile, Song Qing, who had just gotten up from the ground, stared at Lin Dong's retreating back with a venomous glint in his eyes. The next moment, a cold glint flashed from his sleeve, and a sharp broken blade quietly appeared in his hand.